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![]() Well, there's this description from the Bestiary: While some goblins are civilized and have worked hard to be considered upstanding members of humanoid communities, most are impetuous and vicious creatures who delight in wreaking havoc. These goblins think nothing of slaughtering livestock, stealing infants, or burning down a building purely for momentary delight. They revel in playing malicious tricks on taller humanoids, whom they call "longshanks". ![]()
![]() scary harpy wrote:
Why can't an entire species be psychologically different from humans, especially when they're from a weird, chaotic plane of existence? Personally, I'm not a fan of "everything is basically human, just looks a little different". ![]()
![]() Marco Massoudi wrote:
Gonna be real bummed if the book doesn't include all the companions. Hopefully we get a surge of pledges in the last couple days. ![]()
![]() I hadn't noticed you offered a generous set of stats before posting. I'd take those over 20-pt. buy, of course, and not have to resort to taking the Dual Talent alternate trait, netting Virgil another feat, which allows him to take Selective Channeling at 3rd level rather than having to wait 'till 7th to take it. ![]()
![]() I've never played an online campaign before, but I'd be willing to give it a shot if you'll have me. I've a character that I've wanted to play for some time now that I think would work well in this campaign, though the build may not be suitable if the characters are intended to be well-optimized, as it utilizes a prestige class (holy vindicator) which sacrifices spellcasting levels. Hopefully the rest of the build's features will make up for this weakness (plenty of channeling and the ability to greatly boost the AC of an adjacent ally via Bodyguard + Vanguard Ward + Vindicator's Shield). Posting Rate: I'll likely be able to post every day, but am content with posting at the rate of the group. Character Details: Virgil, Male Human Fighter (Tower Shield Specialist) 2/Oracle 1. Alignment: Neutral Good; Values Self-Sacrifice, Fortitude, Justice. Traits: Foreigner (Taldor), Helpful, Sacred Conduit. Background: A veteran soldier, Virgil fought in several petty wars in his native Taldor at the behest of his country's squabbling nobles, before nearly succumbing to his wounds on the battlefield. Nursed back to life in the medical tents, he awoke blind and feeble, his body broken. In his bed, unable to walk, he began receiving visions of crimes too heinous to speak of. Tormented by these visions and unable to rest, Virgil consulted the priests at hand in the tents, but none could offer him the solace he sought. Sometime thereafter, he received yet another vision, this time of a crimson-winged angel, weeping blood from thousands of wounds. This angel, revealing herself to be Vildeis, the Cardinal Martyr, compelled Virgil to bear not only this, his suffering, but the suffering too of all the innocents he'd witnessed raped, tortured, and killed in his visions. That night, Virgil stumbled from bed and over the course of the next few days, he managed to regain enough of his strength to leave the tents, hefting the heaviest shield he could find. At first he could barely lift the damned thing, but soon the shield's weight became a welcome companion as he made his way out into the world beyond Taldor. Motivation: Driven by his visions, Virgil has become a ceaseless wanderer, hunting evil-doers and providing aid to their victims as best he’s able. He wants nothing more than to shield the weak and innocent from the evils of the world and eradicate all that is foul within it. To this end, he'll shed every last drop of blood he has, if that's what it'll cost him. Desired Experience: I'd like Virgil to come to someone's aid in their darkest hour, saving them from being turned into an undead, sacrificed on a dark altar, or otherwise being devoured by evil. Deity: Vildeis. Stats:
Set 1:
Set 2:
Set 3:
These look quite bad. With 20-pt. buy, stats would end up: Str 14, Dex 12, Con 14 (16), Int 8, Wis 10, Cha 16 (18); +2 added to Con and Cha, as per the Dual Talent alternate trait. ![]()
![]() I've created some conversions for the Iron Kingdoms. Already posted these over at the UnearthedArcana subreddit, but I figured there might be a 5E community on these boards, too. Things I've banned: Rangers (the Unearthed Arcana: Kits of Old has a viable Scout alternative), Eldritch Knights, Arcane Tricksters, Way of the Shadow, Way of the Four Elements, and the Great Old One Patron. Restricted subclasses: Path of the Totem Warrior (must be a tribal member of an ogrun or trollkin community), Oath of the Ancients (must belong to the Circle of Orboros; the tenets of your oath are revised; you are are to respect and defend nature from the encroachments of civilization; in addition, replace every mention of fiends with constructs for purposes of determining the effects of your class features), and Dragon Bloodline (you must play a blighted character; as a carrier of Toruk's blight you can choose either acid or fire as your damage type; as a carrier of Everblight's blight your damage type is cold). Spells: Resurrection and true resurrection do not exist; raise dead and reincarnate are both 9th-level spells; teleportation circle does not exist and all other teleportation spells are restricted (if a wizard character wishes to learn one of these rare spells, he or she must copy them from a scroll or tome). ![]()
![]() Petty Alchemy wrote:
In Burnt Offerings there's only a handful of encounters that need rebalancing, namely the ones with 4+ goblins at level 1. In 5th-edition, goblins add their Dexterity to their attack and damage, which makes them considerably more potent. So, you gotta keep an eye out for some of that stuff. Page 82 of the DMG includes the XP Thresholds table, which is useful for determining how many creatures a party can typically handle. When it comes to converting monsters that aren't in the MM, or those with class levels, I don't bother with obsessing over the details and getting everything right; I just try and keep the spirit of the character intact. For example, with Nualia, I gave her spellcasting as a cleric and invented a couple abilities to replicate her domain features, though they very different from the ones she has in PF. One such ability allows her to treat a successful attack as a critical hit (up to 3 times per day), but in doing so she drops her guard and allows her fury to overtake her, granting her opponents advantage on each of their attack rolls against her until the end of her next turn. Further playing with the idea that she's a vengeful character, I gave her a reaction attack so that she can strike back against those that hit her in melee. So, obviously not a straight conversion, but rather a new and refreshing version of the character. ![]()
![]() Dustin Ashe wrote:
I converted Burnt Offerings (book one of Rise of the Runelords) to 5E, but haven't gotten a chance to play it yet in that system. Wasn't very hard at all, surprisingly. ![]()
![]() (Been gone from these boards for a while, but this looked interesting.) Of course I think I am good, or at least good-intentioned. So, I am probably neutral or good depending on your criteria for "good", at which point we're left to consider what my ethical alignment is. Let's see... Lawful Traits:
1. I value order; things must be kept in their proper place, and when they aren't, it annoys me.
2. I'm analytical (and perhaps a bit impersonal). 3. I feel very uncomfortable lying. 4. I follow traffic laws. 5. I most often arrive early to scheduled appointments or events, and hate waiting; when I know I have something to do the next day, for example, I get very impatient and obsessively think about it. Chaotic Traits:
1. I am distrusting of those in authority.
2. I dislike social hierarchies due to the inherent lack of equality among different ranking members; people should be afforded an equal level of respect regardless of their position in society. 3. I believe humans are meant to live in small groups (proportionate to what we have now) and dislike bureaucracies. So, what does that make me? If I had to guess, I'd say I'm probably LN (good tendencies), but it's possible that I'm somewhere closer in the middle (N/NG)? Oh, and just for fun... Evil Traits:
1. I do not forgive lightly and hold grudges like none other.
2. I believe that a criminal deserves punishment, not reformation (with a sentence proportionate to the crime). 3. I enjoy this scene a little too much. So maybe I'm more neutral than I like to think? Haha. ![]()
![]() You might want to take a look at the mammoth rider prestige class. You could play a barbarian (mounted fury) 9/mammoth rider 4. You'll need to take the Boon Companion feat to qualify for the prestige class at 9th, but that's alright, because you'd probably want to take it in any case. For stats, I'd go Dexterity, followed by Strength, with each other stat being tertiary. As for your other feats: Clustered Shots, Many Shot, Mounted Combat, Mounted Archery, Precise Shot, Point-Blank, and Rapid Shot are good. Then there's rage powers. The Ferocious Mount "line" will serve you well, allowing your mount to rage, which will couple well with the mammoth rider archetype (and Boon Companion feat), making your mount quite monstrous! ![]()
![]() I am fine with less choices, because most of the choices you're given in Pathfinder are pretty much just trap options anyway. Then there's all the "must have" feats. If you're building a character that wields a 2-handed weapon, you're going to take Power Attack and Furious Focus. Every single time. If you're building an archer, there goes most of your feats. These feats aren't really options; they're not diversifying your character; they're mandatory for your build to work. I mean, you could take Alertness or such with your archer, but you're going to want to wait 'till you've gotten all the essential feats. Point-blank Shot, Precise Shot, Rapid Shot, Many Shot, etc. When you look at the shear number of choices, and realize you're only ever going to be availing yourself of 10% of them, the illusion evaporates. I'd rather have less, but more meaningful, options. I'm not saying 5th presents a perfect solution, but I appreciate the attempt at simplifying the game. I'm not really a fan of an ever-growing mass of rules text, in the form of feats; they really slow down gameplay. ![]()
![]() Kevin Mack wrote:
Wasn't their sole contribution that they playtested the system and consulted with the designers regarding game mechanics? If that's the case, what's the problem? They're not writing for the campaign settings or anything... as far as I know. ![]()
![]() The half-orc paladin and dwarf cleric in the PHB are beautiful. A lot of the art is impressive, with the exception of the halflings. I hope they don't end up using that mindflayer, orc, or ogre art. Looks like the same artist that did the halfling stuff, and I'm not a fan. Really, really hoping these are placeholder images. Thoses axes... gah. ![]()
![]() If that's the case, I wonder how it would apply to classes that already have a grit mechanic? Would they benefit from this new "grit" pool or would they get extra points to their previous pools? I mean, would only fighters and the like benefit from it--what about gunslingers and swashbucklers? Seems like they would be considerably weakened if everyone got what is, for all intents and purposes, their main class feature. Maybe the pool will be a replacement for other class features, like an archetype. Who knows? ![]()
![]() I'm really interested in the pool mechanic for martial characters. Is it going to be some sort of "endurance" or "exertion" mechanic that lets them push themselves beyond their normal limits, getting extra attacks and the like, or is it going to be used to perform maneuvers (akin to those presented in the Book of the Nine Swords)? ![]()
![]() Coriat wrote:
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![]() Horses are largely domesticated, so that's a bad example. Bears are not. Bears can kill you, and most people are going to s~++ bricks if they encounter a bear. People access threats as they arise. There are a lot of factors that go into these determinations, but the most important one is this: is my life in danger? If a guy with an axe (Mongo) knocks your door down (sunder/Strength check), you're likely going to be intimidated, especially if he's huge and doesn't seem to have even broken a sweat (high Strength score) and has expressed his intent to harm you (an Intimidate check). ![]()
![]() Can my barbarian get a circumstance bonus to his Intimidate check if I enter rage, Strength Surge, and sunder/break something nearby? What if I combine this attempt with Ground Breaker to shatter the earth beneath my target's feet? Is that intimidating enough? No? Okay. yeti1069 wrote: I think of it this way: if you take a strong guy, and have him crush a stone in his fist, but he's got a big dopey grin on his face, or looks kind of bored, that may not be intimidating at all. That's why we see so many scenes where the big strong guy does something like that, and then his boss/sidekick/friend/underling speaks on his behalf emphasizing that what the guy could do to the stone, he could do to YOU. Why's the default assumption that he's got to have a dopey expression on his face? What if he's roaring at the top of his lungs, all red-faced and full of deadly intent? But, really--what does it matter? I'd be cautious around any man that could display that amount of strength. If he's dim-witted, that's all the more reason not to piss him off! Better tread carefully around giants. ![]()
![]() Also, created this for the hunter based on the sting ability listed in the World of Warcraft RPG (though I'm not sure it's needed). Sting (Su):
At 2nd level, a hunter can conjure poisons and apply them to projectiles as he fires or throws them. Once per day, before making an attack roll with a ranged weapon, the hunter can declare that the attack is a sting. If the attack hits and deals damage, the target must save against poison. The DC of this save is equal to 10 + 1/2 the hunter's level + the hunter's Wisdom modifier.
Serpent Sting: The attack deals additional 1d4+1 points of damage each round for a number of rounds equal to the hunter's level if the target fails a Fortitude save; the target receives an additional saving throw each round to prematurely end the sting's effect. Scorpid Sting: The attack deals 1d6 points of Strength or Dexterity damage if the target fails a Fortitude save (hunter's choice). Viper Sting: The attack suppresses the target's ability to cast spells for a number of rounds equal to the hunter's level if the target fails a Will save; the target receives an additional saving throw each round to prematurely end the sting's effect. At 6th level, and every four levels thereafter, the hunter gains an additional daily usage of this ability. This would replace the ranger's combat style bonus feats. And finally, I put together the following feats (modeled after the "style" feats for monks). Aspect Feats: As a swift action, you can enter the aspect each feat embodies. You can dismiss an aspect at any time as a free action (allowing you to assume another aspect in its place).
Aspect of the Cheetah
Aspect of the Hawk
Aspect of the Monkey
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![]() Here's a ranger revision that I think better emulates Warcraft's "hunter" (pieced together from the slayer playtest and trapper archetype). Hunter's Mark (Ex):
At 1st level, a hunter can study an opponent he can see as a move action. The hunter then gains a +1 bonus on Bluff, Knowledge, Perception, Sense Motive, and Survival checks against that opponent, a +1 bonus on weapon and damage rolls against it, and a +1 bonus to the DC of hunter class abilities against opponent. These bonuses remain in effect until either the opponent is dead or the hunter studies a new target.
At 5th, 10th, 15th, and 20th levels, the hunter's bonuses against a studied target increase by +1. In addition, at each such interval, the hunter is able to maintain these bonuses against an additional studied target at the same time. The hunter may lose this connection to a studied target as a free action (allowing him to study another target in its place). At 7th level, the hunter can study an opponent as a swift action. This would replace the ranger's favored enemy ability. Trap (Ex):
At 5th level, a hunter learns how to create a snare trap and one other hunter trap of his choice.
At 7th level and every two levels thereafter, he learns another trap. The hunter can use these traps a total number of times per day equal to 1/2 his hunter level + his Wisdom modifier. Once a trap is learned, it can’t be unlearned and replaced with a different type of trap. The hunter cannot select an individual trap more than once. This would replace the ranger's spells and would work exactly as listed in the trapper archetype. Launch Trap (Ex):
At 10th level, a hunter can affix a magical hunter trap to an arrow, crossbow bolt, or thrown weapon, allowing him to set the trap remotely or use it as a direct attack. Attaching the trap to the projectile is part of the full-round action of creating a new trap. The trapped projectile is fired or thrown in the normal manner. If fired at a square, the trap is treated as if the hunter had set the trap in that square, except the DC is 5 lower than normal. If fired at a creature, the target takes damage from the ranged weapon and is treated as if it had triggered the trap (saving throw applies, if any). The attack has a maximum range of 60 feet, and range increments apply to the attack roll. The duration of the trapped projectile starts from when it is created, not from when it is used. Quarry (Ex):
At 14th level, a hunter can as a standard action denote one target within his line of sight as his quarry. Whenever he is following the tracks of his quarry, a hunter can take 10 on his Survival skill checks while moving at his normal speed, without penalty. In addition, he receives a +2 insight bonus on attack rolls made against his quarry, and all critical threats are automatically confirmed. A slayer can have no more than one quarry at a time and the creature must be marked by the hunter. He can dismiss this effect at any time as a free action, but he cannot select a new quarry for 24 hours. If the hunter sees proof that his quarry is dead, he can select a new quarry after waiting 1 hour.
This would replace the ranger's ability of the same name. Improved Quarry (Ex):
At 19th level, the hunter's ability to hunt his quarry improves. He can now select a quarry as a free action, and can now take 20 while using Survival to track his quarry, while moving at normal speed without penalty. His insight bonus to attack his quarry increases to +4. If his quarry is killed or dismissed, he can select a new one after 10 minutes have passed.
This would replace the ranger's ability of the same name. Master Hunter (Ex): A hunter of 20th level becomes a master hunter. He can always move at full speed while using Survival to follow tracks without penalty. He can, as a standard action, make a single attack against a marked target at his full attack bonus. If the attack hits, the target takes damage normally and must make a Fortitude save or die. The DC of this save is equal to 10 + 1/2 the hunter's level + the hunter's Wisdom modifier. A hunter can choose instead to deal an amount of nonlethal damage equal to the creature's current hit points. A successful save negates this damage. Whether the target succeeds, it cannot be targeted by this ability (by any hunter) for 24 hours.
This would replace the ranger's ability of the same name. ![]()
![]() I've always thought the magus was a good chassis for the shaman class, what with enchanting one's weapon with flaming, frost, etc. Spellstrike also seems to fit well, though as divine spellcasters they'd probably have an entirely different spell list (more akin to the druid spell list, though with more elemental-damage spells). Also, as divine spellcasters, they'd likely get medium armor proficiency proficiency from 1st-level onward (instead of waiting 'till 7th-level). Maybe replace that ability, along with heavy armor at 13th-level, with some sort of elemental binding ability (similar to the wizard's true name discovery or the sacred servant paladin's "call celestial ally" ability). ![]()
![]() Her familiar looks much bigger than "tiny". Looks like it could bite a chunk out of ya, unlike this little guy. Is this thing some sort of improved familiar? ![]()
![]() I think eldritch knights specializing in abjuration magic would do the trick. Magi might also work (the dispelling strike arcana comes to mind). If they are high enough level, they can cast antimagic field and detain their foes from leaving the area (using the Stand Still feat). With their superior melee skills, they should be able to make quick work of any spellcaster(s). ![]()
![]() Deadmanwalking wrote:
Sounds like cultural memetics might also play a role, since many people aren't aware of these complications. Rather than experience disease and madness themselves, they trust in the age-old traditions of their people (which tell them that eating the dead is taboo). ![]()
![]() Himura Kenshin (Battousai the Manslayer) would be fun. ![]()
![]() I just add 1/2 the ranger's level to the duration of the nature bond (companions). Helps bring it up to par, I think, since lasting for a number of rounds equal to the ranger's Wisdom modifier doesn't quite cut it; at that point, it's pretty much a waste of a move action (even more so if you chose to specialize in archery). ![]()
![]() Kydeem de'Morcaine wrote: I have heard that DSP has a very close working relationship with Paizo. I doubt they would want to ruin that by making an obviously directly competing replacement for the core material. I don't think Paizo would lose any customers. Many (if not most) Pathfinder players would disregard it as just another 3rd-party supplement. Besides, Paizo released it's own alternate system (words of power); a power point variant would act as just another option for those of us that prefer a non-vancian take on magic.
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