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My players (actually their PCs) are nearing the end of their quest and are about to enter the lair of the end boss. The end boss is from a different plane of existence, namely from a Realm of Madness and Nightmares in which the rules of physic are unknown and maddening to the inhabitants of the Prime Material plane.

The BBEG has manifested itself only partly yet on the characters level of existence. The lair will lead the characters through a series of look-a-like chambers. By visiting all chambers they will find themselves transported halfway between the Prime Material plane and the Realm of Madness and the BBEG will transport to them. While visiting these chambers they will have combat and they will suffer plot-exposure. In the last chamber they will finally meet the BBEG and its nightmarish physical form. Knowing my players they just want to dish-out damage.

However, as it is the Realm of Madness I want to time-reverse and time-forward the combat. (Stupid me.) So starting with a dead BBEG and let they PCs discover they are almost all out of hitpoints. Have some BBEG monologue-ing with opportunity for the PCs to ask questions while they are left under the impression its condition is declining toward death. Eventually they will loot or examine the body. When they remove a weapon from a wound of the BBEG its wound will heal. BBEG will attack (and hit) and remove a wound of a PC and restore hitpoints to this PC. Roll initiative and reverse-play a combat (going from zero HP to full). If they somehow gain more than their full hitpoints plus their wisdom score they will die of insanity (at the end of the adventure).

In general the BBEG will do melee damage (multiple attacks but with low strength), Touch of Idiocy and Confusion and Fear spells.

The fight might appear to look like for the players as: suddenly being half way hitpoints and attacking a wounded monster. Then examining a barely breathing monster. Then encountering a fleeing full health monster. Then talking with the monster when it has 1 hitpoint left.

So, I could cut this BBEG combat-sequence into different segments of a few rounds and let them fight this opponent in a randomly timed order of segments. So that when they have finished all chambers they have completed a single fight but with the combat rounds in a random temporal order. Unfortunately, my mind is very linear and I just cannot wrap my head around how to solve hitpoints loss and gain of PC and monster while time-hopping between combat rounds.

Any suggestions for hitpoints bookkeeping or alternative system to administrate the progress of the combat between party and monster?

Input would be appreciated!!

Most Mass spells are of the format:
- affect 1 subject per caster level
- deal per subject normal spell effect
- cast the spell 4 spell slots higher

Would it be imbalancing to have a Mass Scorching Ray at spell level 6?
Proposed spell description:
"You blast your enemies with searing beams of fire. You may cast one ray per caster level which deals 12d6 fire damage and require a ranged touch attack to hit. No target can be assigned more than one ray. All rays must be aimed at targets within 60 feet of the caster and are fired simultaneously."

Note the limit of one ray per target for 4x3d6=12d6 and the 60 ft distance from the caster. That are two differences compared to the Level 2 Scorching Ray spell.

Essentially this spell would be a bit like a precision fireball focused on the caster. Draw back, or great fun, would be to roll at least 11 ranged attack rolls (minimal caster level of 11).

Any comments for game balance or streamlining the dice rolling?
As a side question: are there metamagic feats which mimic the "Mass
spell effect"? Would be handy for high level sorceress.

My aim is to build a level 7 melee-oriented character who fights with combat gauntlets but still packs a punch.

But dealing damage with gauntlets is not a serious option. I do not want to make an optimized character but to bridge the gap between using a simple weapon and a proper martial melee weapon with its good base damage and better crit range.

Some class abilities, magic item properties and feats can grant extra damage dice to attacks, for example:
- sneak attack dice
- flaming/holy/bane weapon properties
- powerful charge feat
- vital strike feat

Which feats, items, weapon abilities, etc, did I miss? They should not be use restricted like the paladins smite or samurai's challenge. Foregoing secondary attack(s) is no problem.

Thanks for feedback or posting a link to an older relevant post (I did search).

First some copy&paste from the PF SRD

Armor Spikes: You can have spikes added to your armor, which allow you to deal extra piercing damage (see “spiked armor” on Table: Weapons) on a successful grapple attack. The spikes count as a martial weapon. If you are not proficient with them, you take a –4 penalty on grapple checks when you try to use them. You can also make a regular melee attack (or off-hand attack) with the spikes, and they count as a light weapon in this case. (You can't also make an attack with armor spikes if you have already made an attack with another off-hand weapon, and vice versa.) An enhancement bonus to a suit of armor does not improve the spikes' effectiveness, but the spikes can be made into magic weapons in their own right.

Summary:
- deal extra damage when grappling
- can be used a regular (offhand, light) melee attack

My question:
When a foe provokes an attack of opportunity due to moving through your adjacent squares, can you make this attack of opportunity with the armor spikes?

Nowhere it is stated it can not, but as a DM I try to apply the rules correctly.
Often I have combined the rules (and spells) of 3.0, 3.5 an PF into a mixture of "3.75", which frustrates my players.

Thanks for any feedback!

Just a link to another relevant post/thread would suffice for me.

Hallo,

I searched the online Piazo and 3PP webshop for PDF adventures.
Unfortunately, you can sort on the publisher of the adventure but not on the intended level of the player characters. It would be a nice to have in the Download shop a filter to exclude PDFs for campaigns or filter on a range of levels or filter on expected duration of play.

What am I looking for?
- A story of roughly 3 short of 2 long gaming sessions
- pathfinder compatible
- PC characters of level 8-10.
- A "problem" to solve to which one can relate
- Encounters with motivated NPCs
- No random monsters
- Battles in which the environment give tactical problems and options.
- Big final battle

I would love it if the PCs have to solve a problem (find/retrieve/abduct/kill/summon/create item/solve murder/etc) for Group A. Only to find out that Group B, which is the antagonist of Group A, had rather reasonable motivations to cause the problem for Group A. Leaving the players with mixed loyalties. Knowing my players they will conceive a solution after long talking, try to implement it, screw-up and end up with a three-way fight between A, B and them.

So, actually I am looking for an adventure with NPCs with understandable motivations and the opportunity to give my players an excuse to indulge in a combat dice-fest at the end.

Does anyone has a suggestion?

Greetings, EarthDragon

Imagine: a Paladin who worships a deity which is often depicted as Gold Dragon and receives a Blessing, an kobold cleric who prays to his Black Dragon Overlord for spells and is transmuted by his Lord, a child of a comely bard who had a love affair with a true dragon. How would a player character be constructed with such a background?

At the low levels a CR+2 rating for the Half-Dragon Template would be too heavy to create player characters. As a "solution" I made the Dragonblooded Class below. Its goal is to mimic the half-dragon template, by having a level cost of 3, similar to the arcane Dragon Disciple drop is effective spell casting levels. This means non-sorcerers can also have access to a draconic lineage.

Class skills: do not gain new ones
Skillpoints: 2 + Int bonus
HitDie: d8
Dragonblooded levels count as Class levels in respect to gaining XP, feats and ability score increases at level 4, 8, etc.

Dragonblooded Class levels
- 1st Level, but character must have 2 class levels
Bab 0, F1, R1, W1, Str+2, Int+2, Dragon Blood, gain claw attacks, Hide of the Dragon, lowlight vision
- 2nd Level, but character must have 4 class levels
Bab 1, F1, R1, W1, Str+4*, gain bite attack, darkvision 60 feet, Energy(type) Immunity, Breath Weapon 1xday
- 3rd Level, but character must have 6 class levels**
Bab 2, F2, R1, W2, Cha+2, Wings: Fly at twice the creature's base land speed (average maneuverability)

* Ability score increase are not cumulative
** A level 9 character can have all Dragonblooded levels, taken at level 3, 6 and 9.

Special abilities:
- Dragon Blood: Dragonblooded character count as both its base creature and dragon for any effect related to race.
- Hide of the Dragon converses energy resistance (one type) equal to total level and Natural Armor equal to number of Dragonblooded levels
- Breath Weapon strength increases with all levels, 1d6 per class level, DC 10 + Con bonus + half level, Reflex half.

Balancing issues:
- Natural armor +3 instead of +4.
- No immunity to sleep and paralysis as saves also increase with levels.
- Your "natural" attacks deal size appropriate claw and bite damage.
- You do not gain three attack per round but use the standard attack rules for using multiple weapons as with two-weapon fighting.
- Con+0 due to hitpoints gained from levels.
- Str bonus is a cumulative total of +4, not +8 as in Half-Dragon Template. This to balance increase in BAB and an ability point per 4 class levels.
- Fly is a spell of level 3 and Overland Flight a spell of level 5. Thus having wings at level 9 is in between these ranges.
- HD is d8 and not d10 or d12 as energy immunity, Str bonus and flight is granted.
- The Dragonblooded physical abilites (Str, Con, NA), immunites and number of breathweapons per day could be increased by including a 4th level, but I want to keep this a 3 level "solution".

I imaging I am not the first one to build such a construction, therefor a link or reference to something similair would also be welcome.

Feed back is welcome!!!

Currently, as a DM, I am building a though temple guardian in fullplate armor with around 8 levels of paladin (or 8 minus some melee ortiented levels).
In my design he deals damage with a bastard sword and has just a reasonable strength. In his other hand he has a towershield.

The goal of this challenge is a war of attrition in which the PCs have to obtain either the respect of the guardian or defeat him in melee or talk him out of defending the one and only entrance to the temple.

His damage output is low compared to the healing capacity of the party. The guardians melee AC is based on fullplate, tower shield, dexterity and dodge feat, shield focus feat, missile shield, and a minor ring of deflection and minor natural armor amulet. In melee the party suffers from low chances to hit high AC. Theire best melee character is a dex based ranger.

To further annoy my spell casting PCs I want to make him nearly immune to magic via high saves and have a stupidly high touch AC.
With levels in paladin and high wis and dex and con and cha (Divine Grace) a near magic immunity is no problem.

Well, lost of fluff text. Now my question:
How can I improve with a prestige class, unusual magic item or a feat the touch AC of this guardian in a drastic manner?
(In a manner that does not feel like cheating on the palyers.)

Preferably by letting count his shield bonus or armor bonus with his touch AC. Also, I do not want the party to have loot which makes them invincible in upcoming encounters, so preferably a prestige class or feat. I am willing to drop levels of paladin in exchange for a suggested prestige class.

Thanks for responding.