Cumal of Numeria's page

Come to the Darker side. You know you want to... ;-)

Whereabouts on the Port Peril map would you locate the Formidably Maid? Just curious since it wasn't noted in the article on Port Peril. (Unless I overlooked it.)

I have a feeling my players will want to head there when they reach Port Peril ... and will want a little payback against the tavernkeeper for [as my PCs will probably see it] conspiring with Harrigan's crew to drug and kidnap them.

The Scarlet God
A power-hungry sorcerer, her adventuring companions, and a band of giants have overrun a monastery of Desna and captured its priests. The sorcerer plans to open a long-sealed portal to the dreaded demi-plane of Leng, where she intends to sacrifice the priests to awaken an entity of inconceivable evil. Can the heroes survive the horrors of Leng and stop the sorcerer before she can rouse the Scarlet God?

This adventure is for four 9th level characters. By the end of the adventure, PCs should reach well into 10th level. The adventure includes a gazetteer and special rules for adventuring in Leng.

Adventure Summary
Responding to a plea for help, the PCs arrive at a monastery of Desna recently sacked by giants. As they infiltrate the ruined monastery, the PCs learn the giants were led by a sorcerer who has captured the Desnan priests and taken them into the catacombs below the monastery for some fell purpose. The PCs follow the sorcerer into the ancient catacombs and discover she plans to sacrifice the priests to awaken a terrible evil entity. To their horror, the PCs find the sorcerer has already absconded with the priests through a portal to Leng. The PCs must follow the sorcerer through the portal, track her across the cold plains of Leng, and ultimately confront her before she can sacrifice the priests to awaken a long-slumbering evil.

Background
The Argent Veil cult thrived in what is now northern Taldor during the early half of the Age of Destiny. Led by a coven of night hags, the cult grew from a few pesh-addicted hedonists to hundreds of murderous zealots in less than a year. The cult owed this rapid ascendancy to a pact with a small group of denizens of Leng and their captive deity: an entity called the Scarlet God.

The Argent Veil received wealth and arcane lore in exchange for a steady supply of mortal slaves, which the denizens of Leng used as fodder for their ever-hungry god. Though essentially mindless, the Scarlet God was a conduit to alien intelligences that lurked in the unknowable depths of the Dark Tapestry. As a by-product of its awful feedings, the creature wept an ether-like substance that the denizens of Leng consumed to access to a vast and terrible repository of forbidden knowledge.

Several baku, long troubled by the Argent Veil’s rise to power and connection to the hated night hags, decided it was time to destroy the cult. Unable to defeat the cult on their own the shrewd baku recruited others to their cause, and soon an army of Desnan priests, wild kellid tribesmen, and fey from the Verduran Forest marched on the cult’s main temple. The temple fell in a single day and the night hags were each put to the sword. The victors discovered a one-way portal to Leng in the catacombs below the temple and soon deduced the cult’s ties to the denizens of Leng and the existence of the awful Scarlet God. Unable to destroy the portal, for it magically repaired itself after sustaining damage, the victors merely sealed the catacombs and then constructed the Monastery of the Vigilant Star over the site.

This proved fatal to the denizens of Leng. Without mortal slaves to placate its hunger the Scarlet God eventually consumed its former care-takers, who were unable to flee due to their unnatural addiction to the Scarlet God’s arcane weepings. Completely without food, the Scarlet God soon fell into a deep, unnatural slumber and now lies dreaming in its tower in Leng.

Naevia
The estranged daughter of a Taldan noble family, Naevia absconded to Absalom at a young age where she quickly lost herself in the city’s dark underbelly. One evening as Naevia sat in a drug-induced haze in an illicit pesh den, a stranger approached. The stranger was a sorcerer who somehow recognized Naevia’s untapped sorcerous potential. He spoke of Naevia’s hidden talents and offered her a chance to claim her destiny by becoming his apprentice. Naevia agreed and soon began her apprenticeship.

Under the sorcerer’s tutelage, Naevia became a gifted spell-caster. During her apprenticeship, Naevia gained access to her master’s library of blasphemous tomes. She read of Leng and of the entity known as the Scarlet God. Soon after this discovery, Naevia dreamt of a tower on a vast desolate plain in which lurked a great scarlet entity full of wisdom and dark promises. The Scarlet God was reaching out to her. Beguiled by the entity’s promises, Naevia slew her master and dedicated her life to waking the Scarlet God.

Naevia recruited a group of mercenary-minded adventuring companions and they traveled as far as Vudra and Tian Xia seeking information about the Scarlet God. Naevia’s investigations eventually pointed her toward the long-destroyed Argent Veil and their connection to Leng and the Scarlet God. Further research led Naevia to track down and capture one of the bakus that helped destroy the Argent Veil. Naevia tortured the baku for information, and after months of abuse the poor creature told Naevia everything it knew. Now armed with the location of the Argent Veil catacombs and the long-hidden portal to Leng, Naevia enlisted the aid of a band of giant mercenaries and set her plan into motion.

Adventure Outline
Part 1: The Monastery
It is early winter, and the PCs are in the snow-covered foothills north of Fog Creek in northernmost Taldor. One or more of the PCs might have friends or relatives among the priests of the Monastery of the Vigilant Star and are heading there to visit, or perhaps the PCs received an invitation from the high priest of the monastery to attend the Ritual of Stardust as honored guests. Alternately, a noble from Yanmass could have hired the PCs to investigate a series of giant raids against settlements and travelers in the region.

The adventure begins during a snowstorm when the PCs stumble across Peliria (Acolyte, GameMastery Guide 304), a young halfling acolyte from the Monastery of the Vigilant Star. She is severely wounded and out of spells. The PCs have only a few minutes to question her and learn about the giant attack before a shadow falls from the sky. A young adult white dragon lands in their midst and attacks. An ally of the frost giants, the dragon has tracked Peliria since she escaped the carnage at the monastery the day before.

The PCs arrive at the monastery at least a full day after its fall to the giants. They find the curtain wall breached in places and the main gate shattered. A ghastly collection of severed heads, bloody torsos, and hacked off limbs dangle from crude hooks along the wall’s length. Smoke from several smoldering buildings fills the air, and the priory’s upper floor has collapsed. Giants infest the courtyard and monastery ruins.

The Hootenanny: Twenty ogres fill the courtyard, celebrating their victory in typical ogre fashion around a huge bonfire. A few survivors of the massacre are here as well, though they are in shock due to the ogres’ brutal handling. If rescued, they tell the PCs the giants were led by a sorceress who captured the priests and took them into the catacombs below the monastery.

Pappy Slerg: The one-eyed patriarch of the Slerg family (ogre barbarian 6) and his snow tiger (dire tiger variant) retired to the watchtower overlooking the courtyard. Pappy keeps his two malformed sons (blind degenerate ogres, Classic Monsters Revisited) on chain leashes.

Hill Giants: Five drunken hill giants are inside the partially collapsed barn. Having consumed a prodigious amount of wine from the monastery storehouse, the giants are currently sickened and staggered.

Frost Giants: Two frost giants began celebrating with the ogres, but found their allies’ festivities too vulgar. They now rest in the ruined monastery’s main hall.

Thrannus: Thrannus, an evil cloud giant, sits brooding in a chamber off the main hall absently strumming his lute. He’s the leader of the mixed band of giants, and wields Rivenglaar, a gargantuan-sized +2 human bane greatsword. Thrannus is beginning to reevaluate the wisdom of accepting Naevia’s gold, especially since the monastery’s treasury was rather underwhelming.

Part 2: Ancient Catacombs
After the PCs defeat or evade the giants, they can descend into the Argent Veil catacombs. The catacombs are crumbling with age and many corridors and side chambers have collapsed. If PCs stray too far into these areas they risk triggering cave-ins (Cave-in/Collapse, Core Rulebook 415).

Several of these chambers comprise the inner sanctum of the Argent Veil’s leaders, where the night hags gathered to scheme and perform vile acts of cooperative magic. The long-dead hags haunt these chambers as witchfires, though they are bound to separate chambers.

Following the central hallway, the PCs discover a huge cavern. The cavern’s floor drops into a chasm, several hundred feet deep and 100 feet wide. A five-foot wide stone bridge arches over the chasm and leads to set of double-doors. Three of Naevia’s adventuring companions, Nars, a Varisian cutthroat (Slayer, GameMastery Guide 267), Thorvoard, an Ulfen mercenary (Viking, GameMastery Guide 281), and Sudacar, a Keleshite wizard (fire elementalist wizard 10) guard the bridge. These men have adventured together for years and are confident they can defeat the PCs.

The Portal Chamber: Through the double-doors is an immense circular chamber, dominated by a 20-foot tall stone archway—the one-way portal to Leng. The portal is a minor artifact that magically repairs itself if it sustains damage. Due to the chamber’s connection to Leng, the PCs feel a palpable sense of unnatural dread and wrongness here.

The PCs enter in time to watch Naevia, her four remaining adventuring companions, and the 12 shackled Desnan priests slip through the portal. Naevia offers the PCs a contemptuous sneer as she vanishes.

Alharo: Muzzled and shackled (dimensional shackles) nearby is an abused baku named Alharo. After Alharo led Naevia to the monastery she intended to slay him before departing for Leng, but she was distracted when the PCs arrived. Alharo is friendly toward the PCs, and if they release him he becomes helpful. Alharo was one of the bakus that participated in the destruction of the Argent Veil and he knows a great deal about the cult, its ties to Leng, and how to operate the portal. Alharo knows nothing about the Scarlet God other than its ties to the denizens of Leng that were once allies of the Argent Veil. Because he was Naevia’s prisoner for months, Alharo knows a great deal about Naevia, her companions, and her plans to rouse the Scarlet God. Alharo reminds the PCs the portal is only a one-way route to Leng, and they’ll need to find another way to return to Golarion. He quickly adds that Naevia owns at least one plane shift scroll.

After Naevia uses the portal, the PCs cannot activate it again for 24 hours. After months of abuse, Alharo is mentally unstable. Though he‘s obsessed with stopping Naevia and rescuing the priests, he fears Naevia too much to confront her. Unless coerced with magic, Alharo does not accompany the PCs.

Part 3: Leng
After the PCs enter the portal, they appear in the midst of a vast featureless plain. It’s very cold and there’s a light dusting of rime covering ground, but there’s no wind. The sky is dark and full of unfamiliar stars. The sense of dread and wrongness the PCs experienced in the portal chamber is magnified a hundred times here. Each PC must make a Will save or remain shaken while they remain in Leng.

Though Naevia’s party arrived at least 24 hours earlier, it’s easy to follow their tracks. Visible on the farthest horizon, in the same direction Naevia headed, is a tiny black dot. This is the tower of the Scarlet God and it grows steadily larger with each passing hour. Shortly after they begin traveling across the blasted plain, the PCs notice a dark cloud moving toward them. Moments later, a huge void mote swarm overtakes them.

Several hours later, the PCs encounter the half-human Faelnak (half-fiend Beggar, GameMastery Guide 300), a slave that recently escaped from the denizens of Leng. The PCs only have a few minutes to speak with Faelnak before a gug slave-tracker finally catches up to him. Due to the featureless terrain, the PCs spot the split-faced giant when it is 200 yards away.

After an encounter with a pair of hunting shantaks, the PCs finally track Naevia to the tower of the Scarlet God.

Part 4: The Tower
The tower is made of huge irregular-shaped blocks of glistening black stone, though the exact height, diameter, shape, and structural details appear differently to each PC. One sees a tall, slender tower with multiple spires, while another sees a squat, blockish building with a single rounded apex. The tower is windowless with a 20-foot square open entryway on the ground floor. The area beyond the entryway is supernaturally dark, and light sources only extend a dim radiance of light to a distance of ten feet. This effect also hinders darkvision.

Four beings dressed in tattered robes stand in the tower’s entryway. They are denizens of Leng, who recently forged an alliance with Naevia. They remain utterly silent and fight to the death to keep the PCs from entering the tower.

As the PCs enter the tower they each vanish into their own personal labyrinth. Nothing allows them to remain together or communicate. The labyrinth is different for each PC. Some encounter long twisting halls and spiraling staircases, while others encounter steep, curving ramps and claustrophobic passages. The oppressive feeling of isolation and terror is overwhelming. Each PC must make a DC 18 Will save or gain the sickened condition for 1d6 hours.

The PCs simultaneously emerge into a chamber with dozens of oddly angled walls and alcoves. Here the PCs find Naevia’s sole remaining companion, Renzer (half-elf Celebrity Bard, GameMastery Guide 273) standing in a corner, giggling and babbling to himself. Naevia’s other three companions were destroyed by the tower’s devouring geometry. Moments after the PCs arrive four hounds of Tindalos emerge from different angles in the room and attack. After the PCs defeat the hounds Renzer begins shrieking and foaming at the mouth. He attacks the PCs and fights until slain.

A spiral staircase leads from this chamber up to the Scarlet Fane.

When Naevia entered the tower, the Scarlet God sensed her and shielded her from harm. Thus, Naevia and her captives did not experience the labyrinth effect nor were they targeted by the tower’s devouring geometry.

The Scarlet Fane: This large chamber is dominated by a 20-foot tall obelisk of oily red stone. The 12 Desnan priests are lying on the floor in front of the obelisk, drugged and incapacitated. Naevia (human destined bloodline sorcerer 13) is here as well, and she fights to the death to protect her new god.

If Naevia is slain, the obelisk dissolves into a hideous mass of bloody goo as the Scarlet God comes to terrible life. At its strongest the Scarlet God was essentially a nascent Great Old One, however due to its long slumber and lack of sustenance it is considerably weakened. In its current state, the Scarlet God is a young fiendish carnivorous blob. It cannot use its reactive strike ability and suffers from the staggered condition.

Conclusion
With the death of the Scarlet God, the tower’s reality-warping dangerous effects (the personal labyrinth and devouring geometry effects) cease. When the PCs search Naevia they locate two plane shift scrolls among her possessions which they can use to return to Golarion. The ancient and untouched treasury of the denizens of Leng is located in a chamber adjoining the Scarlet Fane.

Assuming they succeed, the PCs have accomplished a heroic feat by destroying the Scarlet God. If the PCs rescued the Desnan priests and return them to Golarion, they promise to share their divine magic and knowledge with the PCs. The PCs are welcomed as honored guests of the monastery for the rest of their lives. Three months after returning the priests to Golarion, the PCs receive a significant payment in gold from the monastery as thanks for their heroic efforts.

EDIT FROM THE JUDGES: Please read this information about playtesting these encounters. We've also added hyperlinks from the encounter's short stat blocks to the full stat blocks in the PRD so you have the information you need to run the encounter.

Eightfinger’s Tomb
==========
Five hundred miles due west of the Sodden Lands, midway between Mediogalti Island and the northwestern edge of the Shackles, and only 100 miles from the western edge of the Eye of Abendego stands a labyrinthine forest of two dozen or so colossal stone columns known as the Gloomspires. Named for the strange wind-resistant mists that frequently enshroud them, the perfectly square columns each stand 2,000 feet tall, 500 feet around, and are spaced exactly 100 feet apart. The columns are fashioned from titanic stone blocks stacked atop one another, yet who created them remains a mystery for they were already old when the empire of Ghol-Gan was young and look nothing like the ruins of the ancient cyclopes found throughout the region. The Gloomspires radiate an unmistakable aura of unease and wrongness, and visitors report a disturbing inability to accurately count the columns since many of them inexplicably vanish, re-appear, or shift in position when they are not being directly observed.

Surrounded by coral reefs and water constantly roiled by the Eye of Abendego, no vessel larger than a jolly-boat can safely approach within two miles of the Gloomspires. The columns are riddled with ancient chambers and passageways, cleverly hidden behind secret doors and illusion-veiled cave openings. Those few who have dared to enter the columns and returned have come away with tales of encountering fearsome monsters, horrific undead and devious traps. These chambers were created by the columns’ inscrutable builders for unknown purposes. However, since the time of Ghol-Gan, many of them have been claimed and re-purposed by more recent visitors. One such site is the column in which the notorious pirate Sempet Eightfingers built his tomb.

Sempet Eightfingers was a pirate captain and powerful wizard who terrorized the sea lanes from Varisia to Sargava nearly 300 years ago. Unwilling to allow his ill-gotten wealth to fall into another’s hands, Sempet constructed a tomb inside one of the ancient Gloomspire columns and filled it with traps and monstrous guardians. When his tomb was finished he sealed himself inside and was never seen again. Centuries later, Old Eightfingers is regarded as a sort of boogeyman among the pirates of the Shackles. Pirate legends claim that vast riches undoubtedly lay unclaimed in Eightfinger’s Tomb, though these same pirates are usually quick to add that Old Eightfingers probably still watches over his treasure as a vengeful lich, blood-drinking ghost, or worse horror.

Room 1: Hrethnar’s Throne (CR 6 or 9)
==========
Read the following when the PCs open the trap door leading to Room 1:

The heavy iron trap door groans loudly as it’s opened, revealing a large dark chamber many feet below. The smell of old sea water is strong here, mingled with an earthy odor reminiscent of a marsh. A sturdy-looking ladder made of chain links is bolted to the wall just below the trap door. The chain ladder descends into the chamber below, and jangles softly as a draft of wind from the shaft above whispers past you and through the open trap door. Aside from this brief gust of air, the chamber below is silent and still.

The chain ladder descends 50 feet from the trap door in the ceiling to where it is bolted to the floor of the raised landing in the center of the chamber. PCs climbing the ladder must make a successful DC 5 Climb check to descend safely. The chain links rattle loudly, and cause climbers to suffer a -10 to any Stealth checks. Assuming they have adequate light sources, read the following as the PCs descend into the chamber:

As you descend, you can see the chamber’s floor is covered in a thick layer of briny mud. A 20-foot square landing in the center of the chamber stands about five feet above the muddy floor. The entire landing is covered with a thick carpet of glistening green mold. To the west are two more raised landings, one on the north wall and another on the south wall. Stairs lead to the top of both of these landings, which are 10 feet above the muddy floor. At the top of each landing is a pair of heavy, brass-bound oak double doors. To the east is another 10-foot high landing. Set in the center of the east wall, this landing has a pair of stone stairs leading up to it, one set to the north and one to the south. The landing itself is 10-foot square and dominated by a large throne carved from a single block of white marble. Sitting on the throne is a hunched humanoid figure covered from head to foot with grimy strips of damp linen that weep tiny rivulets of mud and watery filth. In front of the throne lies a heap of gold and silver coins, gleaming gemstones, and sparkling jewels.

The mud covering the floor is only one foot deep. The central stone landing is five feet tall and the other three stone landings are 10 feet tall. The two squares on the map marked with Xs contain the mud-covered bones of Hrethnar’s skeletal guardians. Until the skeletons rise from the mud, they are difficult to see. PCs observing the western section of the chamber can make a DC 15 Perception check to notice a few bones protruding from the mud.

Creatures:
A notorious Ulfen corsair, Hrethnar the Red served as Sempet Eightfinger’s first mate for many years. Together the villains waylaid scores of merchant ships as they plundered and slaughtered their way to infamy. After many years of faithful service, Hrethnar’s greed and ambition drove him to attempt a mutiny. Eightfingers caught wind of Hrethnar’s treachery and slew him with powerful magic. However, before Hrethnar’s soul could slip away to receive Pharasma’s judgment his former captain used foul necromancy to transform him into a bog mummy. Hrethnar now sits as lord and master of a dungeon level in his old captain’s tomb, cursed with undeath and forced to guard the treasures he coveted in life.

Low Tier (CR 6):
Hrethnar, Bog Mummy CR 5 (see spoiler below)
XP 1,600
hp 60 (Bestiary 210, Pathfinder 34: Blood for Blood 31)
Gear necklace of fireballs (Type I)
Tactics: When combat begins, Hrethnar orders the skeletons to rise and engage the PCs. He remains near the throne and begins tossing missiles from his necklace of fireballs at the PCs. He uses the most powerful missiles first and does not care if his undead minions are caught in the blast. After his missiles are depleted Hrethnar enters melee himself. He targets the largest, most heavily armored PCs first.
Skeletons (6) CR 1/3 LINK
XP 135 each
hp 4 each (Bestiary 250)
Melee masterwork cutlass +3 (1d6+2/18-20)
Tactics: The skeletons remain inert until Hrethnar orders them to attack, at which point they rise from the mud to engage the PCs. They fight in pairs and each pair targets a single PC. The skeletons are mindless and do not avoid the areas of razor rubble and tentacle mold.

High Tier (CR 9):
Hrethnar, Bog Mummy CR 5 (see spoiler below)
XP 1,600
hp 60 (Bestiary 210, Pathfinder 34: Blood for Blood 31)
Gear necklace of fireballs (Type II)
Tactics: Same as Low Tier.
Vampire Spawn (2) CR 4
XP 1,200 each
hp 26 each (Bestiary 271)
Tactics: The vampire spawn are hiding behind the throne when the PCs enter the chamber (allow an opposed Perception check against the vampire spawns’ Stealth check of +16 to spot them). After Hrethnar orders them to attack, the vampire spawn move in and target any divine spellcasters, arcane spellcasters, or rogues (in that order of preference). They work as a team and try to flank their opponents. They are aware of and actively avoid the razor rubble and tentacle mold.
Skeletal Champion Warrior 1 (4) CR 2 LINK
XP 600 each
hp 17 each (Bestiary 252)
Melee masterwork cutlass +7 (1d6+3/18-20)
Tactics: Same as Low Tier skeletons except, like the vampire spawn, they avoid the razor rubble and tentacle mold.

Hazards:
Muddy Floor: The muddy floor counts as difficult terrain.
Razor Rubble: The orange areas on the map contain deposits of broken shells and jagged rocks that are equivalent to razor rubble (“Hazardous Terrain”, Design Tuesday Blog, March 8, 2011). Covered with mud, the razor rubble is difficult to detect. PCs within 10 feet of a square containing razor rubble are allowed a DC 15 Perception check as a free action to notice it.
Tentacle Mold: The green area on the map is covered with a carpet of green mold equivalent to tentacle mold (“Hazardous Terrain”, Design Tuesday Blog, March 8, 2011). The mold is resistant to most attacks, except for cold. Any cold damage applied to a square containing mold destroys the mold in that square. A successful DC 20 Knowledge (Nature) check identifies the mold as tentacle mold.

Development: The undead in this chamber fight until they are destroyed. They pursue fleeing PCs anywhere on this dungeon level, but they will not leave the level.

According to the schedule, the Round 4 entries are due Feb. 24th and revealed to the public on the 28th. Why is voting not scheduled to begin until March 6th? Is this one-week gap intentional? Just curious.

This hairless pony-sized quadruped is covered with an immaculate pelt of glossy black flesh. Its vaguely canine head is dominated by a pair of shimmering blue eyes and an over-sized mouth with three rows of jagged silvery teeth.
Slaughterhound CR 7
XP 3,200
CE Large magical beast
Init +7; Senses arcane sight, darkvision 120 ft., scent; Perception +15
----- Defense -----
AC 18, touch 12, flat-footed 15 (+3 Dex, +6 natural, -1 size)
hp 86 (9d10+36)
Fort +10, Ref +8, Will +6
Defensive Abilities ferocity; DR 10/magic; Resist cold and fire 10; SR 18
----- Offense -----
Speed 50 ft.
Melee bite +15 (2d6+5 plus trip)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
Special Attacks maw of the void
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 10th; concentration +14)
Constant—arcane sight
At Will—entropic shield, feather fall, invisibility, mage hand, spider climb
3/day—dimension door (self only), dispel magic, slow (DC 17)
1/day—teleport (self only)
----- Statistics -----
Str 20, Dex 16, Con 18, Int 14, Wis 14, Cha 18
Base Atk +9; CMB +15; CMD 28 (32 vs. Trip)
Feats Combat Reflexes, Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Weapon Focus (bite)
Skills Acrobatics +12 (+16 jump), Climb +9, Intimidate +12, Perception +15, Spellcraft +10, Stealth +10 (+18 underground), Survival +6 (+10 scent tracking); Racial Modifiers +4 Intimidate and Perception, +8 Stealth when underground
Languages Aklo, Thassilonian, Undercommon
SQ spell distortion
----- Ecology -----
Environment any underground
Organization solitary, pair, or pack (3-12)
Treasure standard
----- Special Abilities -----
Maw of the Void (Su) A slaughterhound’s bite is infused with the obliterating power of the void, and is considered adamantine for the purpose of damaging objects and overcoming damage resistance. Additionally, if a slaughterhound confirms a critical hit with its bite the victim suffers an additional 6d6 points of damage. A successful DC 19 Fortitude save reduces this damage to 3d6. Creatures reduced to 0 or fewer hit points by this damage are disintegrated. The save DC is Charisma-based.
Spell Distortion (Su) A slaughterhound’s hide contains particles of reality-warping material that react violently when targeted by magic. When a spell directly targets a slaughterhound and fails to overcome the slaughterhound’s spell resistance, the spell-caster must make a DC 19 Fortitude save or become stunned for 1d4 rounds due to the magical backlash. The save DC is Charisma-based.

Slaughterhounds were created in ancient Bakrakhan, the Thassilonian realm of wrath, by a combination of potent rune magic and breeding techniques and bio-technology obtained from the alien mi-go. Sometimes called wrathhounds, they were one of Bakrakhan’s earliest attempts to harness the power of a runewell to engineer a race of warrior-thralls -- a practice that culminated centuries later with the creation of the sinspawn. Used in Bakrakhan’s wars with neighboring Shalast, slaughterhounds are highly intelligent and possess an array of abilities designed to help them hunt down and kill enemy spell-casters. Slaughterhounds do not eat or drink, but instead derive sustenance from the energy released when they destroy organic material with their disintegrating bite. Slaughterhounds are nine feet long, stand five feet tall at the shoulder, and weigh 500 pounds.

Millennia after Thassilon’s fall, slaughterhounds have evolved into nomadic pack hunters who roam the caverns, vaults, and passageways of the Darklands below Avistan and Garund in constant pursuit of sentient quarry. Though most slaughterhounds regard all intelligent life as prey, a few ambitious slaughterhound packs are employed as mercenaries for various evil Darklands races. Slaughterhounds are mainly found in the Darklands layer of Nar-Voth, though rumors persist of a great nomadic slaughterhound nation that wanders the lightless plains of one of the deepest vaults of Orv.

Sisters of Chana-Zhol
Alignment: CE
Headquarters: Hold of the Corsair Queen, located on a remote island far to the south of Jalmeray
Leader: Vaelit the Corsair Queen
Structure: Loosely affiliated sisterhood of demon-worshipping cannibal pirates
Scope: Regional
Resources: The industry of the Hold of the Corsair Queen and the island on which it’s built, temporary encampments and secret caches on scattered islands throughout the western Obari Ocean, and plundered treasure and slaves worth hundreds of thousands of gold pieces
In 4329, when Mastrien Slash’s army of she-warriors was petrified by the necromancer Geb, not all of the pirate queen’s followers were lost. Chana-Zhol, a charismatic half-orc pirate captain avoided the disaster and fled with her crew into the trackless Obari Ocean. Her ship eventually landed on an island inhabited by demon-worshipping human cannibals, and through a combination of sheer ferocity and luck Chana-Zhol became the tribe’s queen. Nearly four centuries later Chana-Zhol is long dead, but her followers’ savage descendants persist as a pirate sisterhood that plagues shipping lanes and coastal settlements from Absalom to the southern tip of eastern Garund.
Structure and Leadership
The Sisters of Chana-Zhol are a collection of loosely aligned groups of pirates comprised of a bewildering array of humanoid and monstrous races, including a growing number of ogres and marsh giants. Each group owns several sailing vessels and rarely spends longer than a season in one location. The groups are each led by a Blood Captain, who in turn pays regular tribute to the Corsair Queen. The Corsair Queen is elected from the ranks of the Blood Captains and rules for life. The current Corsair Queen, a towering steel-eyed Kellid beauty named Vaelit, is a former pleasure slave of the Satrap of Qadira. Vaelit rules from the Hold of the Corsair Queen, a well-defended fortress-city of sinister reputation.
Goals
The Sisters seek to expand their influence by generating wealth through piracy and the slave trade. They recruit new sisters by abducting children or by offering exceptional captives the opportunity to join them. Those who refuse or are deemed unworthy are slain. Males are either sold into slavery or consumed in terrible orgies of ritual cannibalism, often attended by summoned demons.
Public Perception
The Sisters are reviled by most of the civilized nations that border the western Obari Ocean. Their only ally is Katapesh, whose enigmatic Pactmasters act as their primary slave brokers.

Feywhisper Crown
Aura moderate conjuration, enchantment, and illusion; CL 10th
Slot head; Price 60,400 gp; Weight 1/2 lb.

Description
Bound in fine mithral wire, this garland of exotic, aromatic flowers allows its wearer to channel the mystical power of the First World, the primordial home of the fey. The crown and its flowers are obviously not of this world. At times the crown seems to fade and diminish, and other times it manifests more vividly than it seems possible.

The crown grants its wearer DR 2/cold iron and low light vision. Twice per day, as a standard action, the wearer can breathe forth a cloud of shimmering mist that fills a 30-foot radius centered on the wearer. The mist is a haunting amalgamation of thick fog, whispering shadow-shapes, muffled screams, and fey laughter. It remains stationary and obscures all sight, including darkvision, beyond 5 feet. A creature within 5 feet has concealment, and creatures farther away have total concealment. The wearer is able to see through the mist with perfect clarity. A moderate wind (11+ mph) disperses the mist in 4 rounds; a strong wind (21+ mph) disperses the mist in 1 round. Unless dispersed, the mist lasts 30 minutes.

The mist has a memory-stealing effect on the wearer’s enemies. Any creatures the wearer designates as an enemy must make a DC 16 Will save or have no memory of any time spent inside the mist. Enemy spellcasters that fail the Will save also lose a randomly determined prepared spell or available spell slot. Enemies that make the Will save must make a new save each round until they either fail a save or leave the mist. This is a mind-affecting effect.

Construction
Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, fog cloud, haunted fey aspect, modify memory; Cost 30,200 gp

Just thought I'd pop in and share some good news. Our daughter, Olivia Brooke Phillips was born yesterday morning. At 5 lbs 15 oz, she's just a little peanut. I'll have to check my family tree for any halfling or gnomish blood. Mom and baby are doing great. Life is good!

The mindslayer mold from the Bestiary section of Lands of the Linnorm Kings has an Avoidance special ability that allows it to "make a Reflex save as an immediate action to completely avoid an attack...". If the Reflex save is successful, the attack then harms the mold-infested creature instead of the mold.

Unfortunately, there is no DC listed for the Reflex save. What's the DC?

Hello,

I noticed that my pending order (order 1682201) has two items that are marked as "Unavailable" (both are Vallejo paints). If these two items are holding up my shipment at all, please remove them from the order. I'm eager to have the order shipped ASAP so I can download the Pathfinder subscription PDFs also on the order.

Thanks for your time -- I know you're all busy during Subscription Week!

Good morning.

Help!

I have yet to receive order 1669946 (Gamemastery Carrion Crown Item Cards), which were "shipped on April 15". Since it's been over 12 business days since the item shipped, I am concerned.

Incidentally, order 1673076 (Tomb of the Iron Medusa) shipped on April 18 and I promptly received it on the 22nd.

Thanks.

I thought I'd start a thread where everyone could chime in and offer up some good role-playing and character creation advice for the hapless victims preparing to play in the Carrion Crown adventure path. I've seen lots of tips and advice for GMs who want to run a horror campaign, but next to nothing for the players.

Playing in a horror campaign is very different from playing in a typical Pathfinder campaign. It takes a substantial emotional investment from each player to create an immersive and successful horror campaign. Please excuse the cheesy baseball analogy, but imagine the GM as the pitcher. Regardless of the GM’s talent (i.e., his pitch), it’s up to the players to hit the ball out of the park.

Don't create a hero.
In standard Pathfinder campaigns, many players are driven to create the most powerful, heroic character possible. Try to resist this urge. The most excellent Rule of Fear includes a sidebar that echoes this sentiment. The sidebar suggests that for horror campaigns, perhaps you should try and create a character that "doesn't have all the answers". Instead, try to create a believable, interesting, but somewhat flawed character. By flawed, I don’t mean for you to create a peg-legged, pesh-addicted, blind character with an Intelligence score of 4. Instead, look beyond the statistics and common stereotypes and create one or more character flaws for your character. Perhaps your wizard is very intelligent, but is also incredibly superstitious. (The “Legends and Hauntings” chapter in Rule of Fear has a great section on common Ustalavan superstitions.) Maybe your rogue suffers from a family curse that prevents him from sleeping near a church or temple. Or your monk saw something years ago while looking into the night sky that completely unhinged her and haunts her dreams to this day...but she can’t recall exactly what it was she saw, nor can she remember the details of her terrifying dreams. Little touches like these will add to the overall mood and believability of a horror campaign.

Embrace the setting. Feel the fear.
Although good advice for any campaign, it is especially important for players in a horror game to embrace the story and mood the GM weaves before them. Let yourself be scared. If you don’t allow yourself to feel fear (or at least role-play your character feeling fear), you won’t be able to maintain a mood inductive to horror role-playing. Your objective as a player in a horror campaign is to immerse yourself in the role in order to enhance the experience for everyone at the table.

Stay in character. Don’t meta-game.
These two bits of related advice are obvious, but critical to maintaining the mood of a good horror game.

Nix the slapstick. Paint it black.
RPGs are meant to be fun and humor is an important aspect of the game. However, for horror games, try to stick to dark humor if you can. Slapstick and Monty Python-esque humor will quickly lighten the mood, detract from the horrific atmosphere, and can bring the game to a grinding halt. If you need to lighten the mood, take a break and make your jokes “offstage”.

Don’t overdo it.
Acting out and describing gore and perversion merely for shock value is for amateurs and B-movie hacks. Remember that less is usually better when it comes to the more violent and risque aspects of a horror game. Don’t get me wrong. Blood and violence has its place of course, just try and use it sparingly.

That’s all I have for right now. Does anyone have some good advice to share?

My player characters will pass close to the site marked "Liclac Ruins" on the Heart of the Jungle supplement map. I have a few questions...

In Racing to Ruin, the Eloko Headhunters encounter briefly mentions this place as the nearby "ruined city of Liclac". I didn't see a reference to Liclac when I read through Heart of the Jungle or Sargava the Lost Colony.

What exactly are the Liclac ruins? What do they look like? Who built them? Who lives there now?

Edit: Fixed a typo.

Varisian Carver (Fighter)
Varisian carvers have taken the common knife fight and elevated it to a deadly art form. Originating in Riddleport’s back alleys, the fighting style has spread throughout Varisia. Today, Korvosa, Magnimar, and Riddleport have schools and coteries that teach this brutal technique, though many of these groups are little more than organized gangs of well-trained hooligans. Most Varisian carvers are boastful scoundrels, who shamelessly employ trickery and misdirection to overcome their foes. A Varisian carver’s fighting school benefits only apply when she wears light armor and wields a single dagger.

Class Skills: Acrobatics, Bluff, Climb, Craft, Intimidate, Knowledge (local), Profession, Sense Motive, Sleight of Hand. These replace the standard fighter class skills.

Skill Ranks Per Level: 4 + Int modifier.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Varisian carvers are proficient with light armor and simple weapons. They are not proficient with shields.

Slashing Knife (Ex): At 2nd level, a Varisian carver can add her Dexterity modifier (instead of Strength) to attack rolls with a dagger. She can also deal piercing or slashing damage. This ability replaces bravery.

Dagger Virtuoso (Ex): At 3rd level, a Varisian carver gains a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls with a dagger. This bonus improves by +1 for every 4 levels beyond 3rd. This ability replaces armor training 1, 2, 3, and 4.

Perforate and Sever (Ex): At 5th level, when a Varisian carver hits an opponent with a dagger, the opponent takes bleed damage equal to the Varisian carver’s Dexterity modifier (minimum of 1) each turn on his turn, in addition to the damage dealt by the hit. The bleed damage increases by +2 for every 4 levels beyond 5th. This ability replaces weapon training 1 and 2.

Dastardly Feint (Ex): At 13th level, a Varisian carver gains the Greater Feint feat even if she does not meet the prerequisites. When she hits an opponent suffering the effects of her feint with her dagger, the opponent becomes stunned for 1 round. This ability replaces weapon training 3.

Knavish Strike (Ex): At 17th level, a Varisian carver gains the Greater Dirty Trick feat even if she does not meet the prerequisites. When she hits an opponent suffering the effects of her dirty trick with her dagger, the opponent suffers a critical threat. This ability replaces weapon training 4.

Crippling Thrust (Ex): At 19th level, when a Varisian carver confirms a critical hit with her dagger, the target must make a Fortitude save or gain the disabled condition. The DC of the save is 5 + ½ the Varisian carver’s level + the Varisian carver’s Dexterity modifier. This ability replaces armor mastery.

Weapon Mastery (Ex): A Varisian carver must choose a dagger.

Iron Collar of the Unbound Coven
Aura moderate transmutation; CL 11th
Slot neck; Price 45,920 gp; Weight 2 lbs.
Description
These grotesque items are prized by good-aligned witches, or any witch who is eager to form a coven but would rather avoid associating with one or more evil hags. The collar is a crude band of iron from which hang the fist-sized shrunken heads of three hags (annis, green hag, and sea hag). The heads remain semi-animate—they occasionally twitch, blink, coo softly, or whisper curses at the wearer, each other, or anyone else nearby. A witch with the coven hex who wears the collar gains access to the following powers:
Champion of the Unbound Coven: If the wearer joins a coven, the coven can ignore the requirement to have at least one hag as a member. Each of the coven members must still have the coven hex, and one of the members must be at least a 9th level witch.
Dreadful Gaze: Three times per day as a swift action, the wearer can command the hags’ heads to lock their terrible gazes on a single humanoid within 30 feet. The target of this gaze attack must make a DC 15 Will save or become paralyzed with terror and suffer the effects of the hold person spell. This is a mind-affecting fear effect.
Hag Form: Once per day as a standard action, the wearer can assume the form of a powerfully built medium-sized crone that resembles the horrific union of an annis, green hag, and sea hag. This metamorphosis is identical to the transformation spell, including the violent change to the wearer’s mind-set and the loss of spellcasting ability.
Construction
Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, Craft (head shrinking), alter self, hold person, transformation, coven hex; Cost 22,960 gp

I have two questions concerning these cute and murderous little monkey-men.

#1: How do you pronounce "charau-ka"? I've been saying "char-oo-kah", but I think I might be wrong.

#2: Does anyone have any good recommendations for charau-ka miniatures?

Is that an image of Kalabuto on page 12 of Sargava: The Lost Colony?

Also, aside from the small map on page 32 of Racing to Ruin, does a city-wide map of Kalabuto exist in a module or supplement somewhere? I didn't see one in Heart of the Jungle.

I'm having a little trouble rationalizing why another ship would approach Smuggler's Shiv to investigate the newly lit lighthouse to rescue the PCs at the end of the adventure. Isn't the Shiv a notorious island inhabited by monsters, cannibals, and ghosts? What ship captain would dare approach such a place just to check out a lighthouse? My first thought as a sea captain would be : "Duh. Trap!".

Has anyone come up with a good rationale for getting a ship to come and rescue the PCs?

Just curious to see the PC party combinations other DMs are working with.

Here's our group:

Arakara - CG Female Dwarf Cleric of Bolka
Greer - NG Male Chelaxian Human Rogue
Mirwyn - CG Female Elf Bard (Archivist)
Trayzik - LN Male Dwarf Fighter
Valgrim - LN Dwarf Wizard (Earth Elementalist)
Tatterwing - Valgrim's filthy little bat familiar

These nightmares, as well as the ones JJ included in the adventure, went over quite well at the game table. I handed them out just before the first PC woke up on the beach. After the PCs read them, and then had to roll their initial Fortitude saves, they reacted appropriately with shocked stares, barely-stiffled gasps, and hollow mutters of "Oh, @#$%*, we're done now!". It was a giddy moment for me.

I highly recommend GMs use these great roleplaying devices. Thanks James, for including them!

Congratu-- Hey wait a minute! Shipyard RatEs? Did Paizo release a nautical-themed accounting adventure I didn't know about?

In all seriousness (and despite the typo) - Congrats!

Oh, look! There are six elves hiding in this picture. Do you see them?

One of the PCs in my game, a wizard, wants a pteradactyl as a familiar. I'm sure he'll want a dimorphodon when he encounters them on Smuggler's Shiv.

Has anyone thought about the familiar bonus for a dimorphodon? I was thinking about a straight +2 to vision-related Perception checks in bright and dim light.

Lake Encarthan is the most heavily traveled body of water in central Avistan, but there's not much info on it yet. Is the lake really just a huge fresh-water lake, or is it a salty inland sea?

Ossuary
An ossuary is a combination of necromancy and artifice, created by imprisoning an undead creature within a stone construct. Those who defeat an ossuary often find victory short-lived, as the construct’s destruction merely releases the trapped creature. Ossuaries usually contain wights or wraiths, but in rare cases adventurers have encountered ossuaries containing more powerful undead. Scholars theorize it is even possible to trap evil outsiders inside a specially prepared ossuary. An ossuary has the strength and resistances possessed by most constructs, plus potent necromantic abilities fueled by the imprisoned undead.

An ossuary’s appearance varies, but it is usually sculpted as a 7-foot-tall stone humanoid. The imprisoned creature has no control over the ossuary’s actions, which makes ossuaries particularly attractive to evil individuals who dislike the willfulness of intelligent undead minions. Even good-aligned spellcasters occasionally create an ossuary to seal away dangerous creatures that are difficult to destroy permanently.

Crackling with negative energy, this demon-headed stone automaton lumbers forward. Its heavy tread echoes as stone scrapes upon stone.

Ossuary Wight CR 5
XP 1,600
N Medium construct
Init -1; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +1
=====
Defense
=====
AC 23, touch 8, flat-footed 23 (-1 Dex, +14 natural)
hp 26 (4d8+8)
Fort +3, Ref +0, Will +5
DR 5/adamantine; Immune construct traits
=====
Offense
=====
Speed 20 ft.
Melee 1 slam +8 (1d6+5 plus energy drain)
Special Attacks energy drain (1 level, DC 14)
=====
Statistics
=====
Str 20, Dex 8, Con -, Int -, Wis 13, Cha 15
Base Atk +3; CMB +8; CMD 17
SQ necromantic backlash (2d6, DC 17), necromantic shell
=====
Ecology
=====
Environment Any
Organization Solitary or gang (2-4)
Treasure None

First created in Ustalav during the reign of the Whispering Tyrant, ossuary wights are now common tomb guardians in Cheliax and parts of shadowy Nidal.

Ossuary Construction
An ossuary is similar in construction to a stone golem. It is carved from a block of stone, then soaked in a mixture of human blood, powdered bone, and exotic oils worth 500 gp. It weighs 1,500 pounds.
CL 11th; Price 3,000 gp per HD of base creature (minus 500 gp)
=====
Construction
=====
Requirements Craft Construct, animate objects, enervation, halt undead, stone shape, creator must be caster level 11th; Skill Craft (sculptures) or Craft (stonemasonry) DC 15; Cost 1,500 gp per HD of base creature

Creating an Ossuary
“Ossuary” is an acquired template that can be added to any undead creature (referred to hereafter as the base creature). An ossuary does not retain the base creature’s statistics and special abilities.

Challenge Rating: Same as base creature +2.
Alignment: Always neutral.
Type: Creature’s type changes to construct. It does not gain the augmented subtype. Do not recalculate HD, BAB, or saves.
Armor Class: Natural armor becomes +14.
Defensive Abilities: An ossuary gains DR 5/adamantine.
Speed: 20 ft. land speed.
Melee: An ossuary gains a slam attack for 1d6 damage. Its slam causes energy drain (see below) and is treated as a magic weapon for the purposes of overcoming DR.
Special Abilities: An ossuary gains an energy drain attack.
Energy Drain (Su): A creature hit by an ossuary’s slam attack gains a negative level.
Special Qualities: An ossuary gains the following.
Necromantic Backlash (Su): When an ossuary takes damage, it releases a burst of negative energy. This is identical to an evil cleric’s ability to channel negative energy, except it damages living creatures and heals undead. Use the base creature’s HD to determine the cleric level for the damage dealt/healed and the DC to halve the damage.
Necromantic Shell (Su): An ossuary absorbs all damage, up to a maximum of 50 points. When these points are reduced to 0, the ossuary shatters and releases the imprisoned creature at full strength. Upon its destruction, it emits a final necromantic backlash. The ossuary's necromantic shell heals at a rate of one point per hour, and heals 5 points for each level drained by the ossuary’s energy drain attack. The shell is considered an inch of metal for thwarting the penetration of detection spells.
Ability Scores: Str +8, Dex -4. As a construct, an ossuary has no Constitution score. It is mindless and has no Intelligence score.

You may make this creature world-neutral (as it was in Round 2) or add information to set it in the Pathfinder Chronicles Campaign Setting. Be advised that not all of the voters may be familiar with the setting and that may affect their voting preferences.

You may make revisions or clarifications to the monster you choose.

Hi, Judges. Hopefully I'm not being too terribly dense here. Can you please clarify something?

Are we expected to add the monster concept text from Round 2 to our stat blocks?

I only ask this because the rules seem to indicate we can....but the sample blank stat block doesn't have a section for the flavor text.

Slithering Horror
Description: A slithering horror is essentially an over-sized, animated stomach. Its body resembles a cigar-shaped sack of undulating mauve flesh, covered with a slimy sheen. Radiating from its long form are scores of sucker-lined tentacles, most of which are used for locomotion. Its two larger tentacles are used to capture prey. These appendages are nine feet long and are as thick as an ogre’s arm. The creature’s eyeless head is dominated by a toothless maw capable of engulfing a man.
Slithering horrors haunt dark, moist environments, and are drawn to partially flooded ruins, marshes, and sewers. More intelligent than a mere beast, most slithering horrors understand the common tongue even though they cannot speak. They are wicked creatures, and derive cruel pleasure from stalking and dining on sentient beings.
Powers and Abilities: With scores of tentacles dragging it along, a slithering horror moves with surprising speed over most surfaces, including sheer walls and ceilings. They are accomplished swimmers and can even burrow through mud and soft earth. Though devoid of visual organs, a slithering horror is very sensitive to changes in the air around it. This allows it to pinpoint prey and discern its surroundings to a range of 60 feet.
A slithering horror’s skin constantly weeps thick clear slime. This substance is sticky and becomes caustic when in contact with living tissue. A slithering horror can swallow a man-sized or smaller victim whole. Once swallowed, the victim is coated with digestive juices, and then immediately disgorged. After being expelled from the monster’s gullet, most victims are disoriented and nauseous. Worse yet, the acidic goo clings to the victim’s flesh and continues to eat him. When the victim finally expires, the slithering horror moves in and greedily slurps up the soupy remains.

Has Desna and her cult been detailed in any of the supporting Adventure Path articles yet?

Damage to your Constitution score causes you to take penalties on your Fortitude saving throws. In addition, multiply your total Hit Dice by this penalty and subtract that amount from your current and total hit points.

In our last game session, the party of six 8th level characters encountered a bebilith. The party sorcerer was affected by the monster's rotting bite attack, which deals 2 points of CON damage for each failed Fort save.

The sorcerer had 60 hit points, and had taken 26 points of damage from melee. Then, on each of the next 3 rounds, she lost 2 points of CON from the rotting bite (6 total CON lost).

My assumption as DM, was that the sorcerer was pretty much dead-meat, since the 6 points of CON damage equated to 48 additional points of damage. Added to the melee damage, this was a grand total of 74 points of damage, which dropped the hapless sorcerer to -14 HP. Since her adjusted CON score was now a 6 (down from a 12), death occurred at -10 HP.

Was I correct in my adjudication, or too harsh?

Just thought I'd toss in this idea -- though I'll be surprised if it hasn't been suggested before.

Would anyone be interested in a map pack depicting various mounts? It could include cut-outs for horses, wagons, ponies, hippogriffs, griffons and maybe a few other common or uncommon creatures used as steeds.

I'd buy this in a hot Chelaxian minute!

These "demonic giants who hunt the Crown of the World and clash with the warclans of the Hold of the Mammoth Lords" are very briefly mentioned in the Pathfinder Chronicles: Campaign Setting (pg 149).

Have they been mentioned -- or, better yet, given stats -- in any other Pathfinder source?

Aquatic elves were only briefly mentioned in Elves of Golarion, and even then it was just a bit of fluff. (But GREAT fluff!) Is there another Pathfinder source that has information on aquatic elves?

I have a player that is interested in running one, so I need to come up with some crunch. Aside from stealing the Forgotten Realms aquatic elf stats, how would you go about creating one? I'm thinking of just adding the Aquatic sub-type and the Amphibious special quality, but I wanted to limit the amount of time the aquatic elf can remain on dry land.

Any suggestions?

The rules for demoralizing an opponent annoy me as a DM. One of my players has a barbarian that has tossed a ton of points into Intimidate and has the ability to demoralize his foes as a move action. I'm fine with him demoralizing your typical humanoids and natural animals, but it's difficult to suspend my disbelief when this 8th level barbarian successfully demoralizes a hezrou demon. Especially when the barbarian is clearly outmatched by the hezrou (he barely gets through the demon's DR) and currently has him in the grappled condition.

Aside from the penalty for trying to demoralize a creature larger than yourself, are there any situational modifiers I should be using?

I'm a little fuzzy on the rules for removing the effects of baleful polymorph. In our last game session, the party fighter was turned into a toad after an evil cleric cast baleful polymorph on him. As DM, I ruled that a dispel magic would reverse the polymorph spell as long as the caster beat the caster level check.

Was I correct to allow this?

Troll Fingers
Aura moderate conjuration and necromancy; CL 6th
Slot neck; Price 1,000 gp per finger; Weight 1 lb.
Description
This simple leather necklace holds 1d4+1 shrunken, preserved fingers, each capped with a crooked gray nail. The digits are green and warty, somewhat rubbery, and have a tendency to twitch and writhe when touched. As the name implies, the fingers are culled from a troll.

The wearer must pluck a finger from the necklace and eat it for its magic to take affect. Unfortunately no amount of seasoning can make a troll finger palatable, so the eater must make an immediate DC 14 Fortitude save or be sickened for 1d6 rounds. Regardless of whether the eater becomes sickened or not, the magic takes affect and lasts for 1 hour. During this time, the eater heals 5 points of damage per round (including an equal amount of nonlethal damage) as long as he remains alive. This effect cannot heal acid or fire damage. The eater is also immune to bleed damage. Only damage taken while under the effect of the troll finger is healed. Although this healing resembles a troll’s regeneration ability, the eater does not regenerate limbs, organs, or other body parts. A character can only benefit from eating one troll finger per day. When all of the fingers are consumed the necklace becomes a nonmagical item.

While the magic is in effect, the eater suffers from mild hallucinations and an unpleasant mind-numbing sensation. This causes him to suffer a -6 penalty to all Perception checks. Additionally, for the next 1d3 days, his tongue and lips are stained green.
Construction
Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, gentle repose; Cost 500 gp per finger

Sorry if this has been asked before....

Do invisible creatures still automatically provoke AoOs if they move out of a threatened space? For instance, if an invisible Bone Devil tries to back out of a threatened space to cast a Wall of Ice, does the PC armed with a melee weapon get an AoO?

I ruled Yes in our last game session, and wanted to make sure I was correct.

In our last game session, the party faced a single Bone Devil which promptly used its summon ability to bring in another Bone Devil. When the original Bone Devil was killed, I ruled that the summoned Bone Devil vanished. I reasoned that since the ability was like the various summon monster spells, the summoned creature should vanish if the summoner is killed.

Was I correct in my assumption?

One of my players has a 6th level Fighter that has a halberd as his weapon of preference. He's a little disappointed that Overhand Chop and Backswing are missing from the Core Rules. His typical move was to use Power Attack, Overhand Chop, and Backswing to devastating effect.

Were these feats (and Devastating Blow) deemed unbalanced? I want to house rule them into the game, but I wanted to see why they were left out first.

It's not mentioned in Chapter 4, but I'm under the assumption that skill checks DO NOT automatically succeed or fail when a 20 or 1 is rolled (respectively). The automatic success/failure rule only applies for to hit rolls and saving throws.

Am I correct?