That being said, there are ways of boosting your DC. Spell focus, Greater Spell focus, elemental focus, all come to mind. there are others. using the right spells against the right opponent. Make the wizards do reflex saves, make the fighters do will saves. Also, use the highest level spell possible (this sucks cause you run out of them fast). or use spells that don't offer a save.
Last Night's Game: Exploiter Wizard (me) uses Command Undead on an attacking Necrocraft. No intelligence, no save. He's mine. "Well he has an owner, so you have to roll against his Charisma". Ok. I have a +3. I figure I'll take my shot. Rolled a Nat 20. I was so happy.
Then he rolled a 20 on contest and since the controller had higher Charisma, I failed.
Same night. My character decides to take his shot. We have a whole hallway of undead, he has channel negative for command. These are like 15 HP skeletons. So I channel and they save. 11 Skeletons, 2 don't save. Both of them were the only 20s not rolled at 16+. And they died before they hit anything.
2 Rounds later I toss a first for me. I tossed Feeblemind. At a Sorcerer. Who had an 8 Wisdom. The DC I was able to increase it to was 22. The DM just rolled a 19.
The Paladin cast Channel Positive Energy and only 1 failed. But he rolled 7 damage, so he has his own issues with dice.
Northern Spotted Owl wrote:
Area control is a great approach. Wall of (stone/ice/fire) restricts your opponents' movement. A pit or spiked pit can cut off their access and perhaps catch one or more of them. Sleet storm or fog cloud blinds them.
Then try area-effect spells against them. Confusion, black tentacles or fireball can hit enough opponents that some are guaranteed to fail their saves.
Lastly, don't forget summon monster.
Good luck!
I can't see well enough to start doing zone defense. I'd basically call out "I cast X. You guys place it" and go back to being bored or otherwise frustrated.
Fireball is a fan favorite. I love it. But I hate it here. I, legitimately, have only gotten full damage on 1 target with Fireball since I got it. Once. Tell me how valuable a Fireball is if the damage is always half. I wont even prepare it anymore, personally.
I have Black Tenticles. It can't grapple. So what's it good for? I've cast it 3 times. Twice in groups. It has never grappled anyone. They save.
And you are right. My last recourse is summoning. But Summoning always feels like you're hogging the game. And if someone casts Dispel, I assume I lose. I don't assume "Well I can roll" I know I lose.
So if Wizard boils down to "Buff and shut up" I'd rather do ANYTHING else.
My home game became remote because I moved away a while ago. While I ran this wasn't so bad, but as a player it's beginning to bug me. I can't see the map very well (web cam to table maps) and I got nominated to play the Wizard this time. I figure I need to get used to it because of how I can't see the map as well anymore. Large blobs of boom seem easier to see than 5-foot-palooza.
Only I can't get the DM to fail a save. And it's not like stuff's overdone, like we are legit OPENLY-ROLLED seeing him save like clockwork every time I hit him with anything. Not even save-or-suck (I never bothered trying any of those) just anything with any save attached he will make. In a year he's failed a save against something I've tossed at him (this also includes reflex saves for fireballs) about 10 times, 12 at most. That's 1 a month.
Perpetual half-damage blast spells, no access to any save or suck, no "save to reduce" spell access and it's a mostly undead campaign. But they all save. Even my necromancer channel negative commands. They. All. Save.
So now I buff in combat, stand in the back, cast Disrupt Undead as a cantrip through a Mage's Crossbow (I have no ranged feats anyway) and wait for the fight to end. Then I hate casting spells for story reasons, because they almost always fail (yes, he saves versus his own cut scenes) and we have to find out other ways anyway.
I'm 10th level, and I'd rather play a vow of poverty monk at this point for more combat interaction. In a high magic setting, where learning new spells isn't terribly hard, what am I doing wrong here?
Bonus Irony Points: I was forbidden from taking the spell "Ill Omen" by any means during character creation. I pissed off the dice Gods...
Just a heads up for everyone: I've had some meds changed out in preparation for a surgery first week of August. It's made focusing a little hard, so if I post something and you think I've gone incoherent then let me know. Probably some of the loopy crap they have me on. Something about helping get me ready for being sliced and diced, but I think they just like making me drowsy and loopy for no reason.
Nothing major, just wanted you to know what's up if something sounds like word salad over the next few weeks.
Quick question: Are we using the Feat Tax rules? I didn't see anything about it, but I thought I'd ask. Some people like it, some don't. But since we'd adopted some alternate rules I didn't know if this was something to be considered.
Sorry for the delay. I was agonizing over how to fill both a dedicated healer opening and a ranged opening in 1 character. I even went so far as to make several characters and look at ways to fix it through archetypes, feats and all sorts of chicanery. In the end I decided to take my chances with Rhone and going forward multi-class into Inquisitor or Hunter so he can offer some healing and ranged backup at the same time.
And if we want to start group funds for wands of CLW and CMW I'm down to pooling loot for it.
Paladins are fun from my experience. I've played two and liked them for different reasons. Really liked the Divine Tactician archetype. It's like being a better Cavalier. With spells.
I'm usually a melee guy. I've played the wizard who buffs in the back, the ranged guy and what not. But I usually like standing in the front swinging swords/axes and fists. However I've got a basic concept that adapts to almost any party role, so I'm flexible to whatever anyone else wants to do. I'd rather see what everyone else is thinking and go from there.
However I do admit I've been thinking of dual wielding primarily or going gunslinger (because I've never tried gunslinger before) and GM Secret's hints about Gunslingers makes me think something might be interesting later.
Marek
Male Human Brawler 3
NG Medium humanoid (human)
Init +2; Senses: Perception +7
Deity: Milani
--------------------
Defense
--------------------
AC 15, touch 12, flat-footed 13
hp 31 (3d10+9)
Fort +3, Ref +3, Will +1
Defensive Abilities:
+1 to CMB and CMD vs Disarm
--------------------
Offense
--------------------
Speed 30 ft.
Melee:
Katana (One Handed) +7 (1d8+3/18-20x2)
w/Power Attack +6 (1d8+5/18-20x2)
Katana (Two Handed) +7 (1d8+4/18-20x2)
w/Power Attack +6 (1d8+7/18-20x2)
Brawler's Flurry Katana (One Handed) +5/+5 (1d8+3/18-20x2)
w/Power Attack +4/+4 (1d8+3/18-20x2)
Brawler's Flurry Katana (Two Handed) +5/+5 (1d8+4/18-20x2)
w/Power Attack +4/+4 (1d8+7/18-20x2)
Ranged:
Special Attacks:
Brawler's Flurry
--------------------
Racial Abilities
--------------------
Skilled: +1 Skill point per level
Extra Feat: Bonus feat at level 1
--------------------
Statistics
--------------------
Str 16, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 13, Wis 12, Cha 10
Base Atk +3; CMB +6; CMD 18
Feats: Fast Learner (1st), Dirty Fighting (Human), Power Attack (Brawler 2), Weapon Adept [Versatile] (3rd)
Traits:
Ex-Asmodean: +1 attack and damage vs agents of Thrune and Worshipers of Asmodeus (including most devils)
Signature Moves: Single masterwork item less than 900gp, +1 trait bonus to bluff and intimidate while wielding the item in one or two hands.
Slippery: +1 to Stealth and Stealth is a class skill
Acrobatics: 8, Climb: 8, Craft (Weapons): 5, Escape Artist (Dex), Handle Animal (Cha), Intimidate: 6, Knowledge (dungeoneering) (Int), Knowledge (local): 7, Perception: 7, Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Sense Motive: 7, Stealth: 9 and Swim (Str).
* Non Class Skill
Modifiers:
+1 Intimidate and Bluff when holding katana
Languages: Common, Infernal
--------------------
Special Abilities
--------------------
Brawler's Cunning
Martial Flexability
Martial Training
Unarmed Strike (1d6)
Manuever Training
--------------------
Favored Class Bonus
--------------------
+3 Hit Point/Skill Point (Fast Learner)
Background:
Born in Westcrown, Marek grew up in the crumbling remnants of the old Chelish Empire predating the rise of the Thrunes. However his father was a high ranking member of the local church, a Cleric of unflinching devotion to Asmodeas. Marek grew up in the church himself, raised unfailingly to trust in the word of the ruling class of priests, no matter what they said.
When he was a young man he became friends with another boy his age. Poor, the other boy lived in hovels in the long-forgotten ghettos of the city. But he and Marek use to play games on the streets. Pretending to be conquering heroes, climbing old abandoned buildings, stealing small items from passers by for a laugh. But when Marek stole a visiting priest's ring of office when he was bathing, it stirred an uproar in the city at large.
The Asmodeans tossed the city looking for the priest's ring, causing a local scandal as people in the poor sections were openly whipped for information. Eventually Marek turned in the ring to his father, confessing it was simply a game with his friend. Marek received lashes for his crimes, but it was private and he was allowed to recover in his room.
When he was able to leave the house again he saw the Tines in the center square. Impaled on them was his friend and his friend's whole family. When he inquired to his father he admitted that no son of a clergy could take blame for such an affront. So to punish his son he had his friend and his friend's family convicted of the crime and executed in the square.
Shortly after Marek ran. Leaving Westcrown stowed away in a merchant carivan's trunk. By the time he was discovered they were leagues away, and he claimed to be a homeless urchin. One of the guards, an older man with a strange accent, took to the boy and kept him under his wing. The man was originally from Tian Xia, and over the course of months the two became close.
When Marek finally admitted the truth, the man simply accepted the story, much to Marek's surprise. Instead he helped raise the younger boy and trained him in the arts from his homeland. Years later when he died Marek returned to Kintargo after martial law began to sweep the city in the wake of civil unrest. For Marek, Kintargo is just a first step to helping put down Cheliax and the Asmodean iron grip it holds over people. And he is determined to see it free of their tyranny.
How much experience do you have with Pathfinder rules?
Started playing Pathfinder 5 years ago (I believe). Before that I played a lot of 3.5 and some 4th ed (ugh). I'm pretty proficient with it.
How much experience do you have with Roleplaying in general?
I started roleplaying in 1996... so I'm old. With tabletop I probably have 15 years, give or take. Online I've got almost as much. Though most of my online has traditionally been super hero games (TSR Marvel Heroes use to be my addiction of choice).
Are you familiar with PbP formatting and how to?
Mostly. I have it down, but there's a few tricks and such I'm still learning.
Have you ever played Reign of Winter before, even just a little? (please be truthful)
Never played it. And all I actually know about it is that it has Baba Yaga (who I like in traditional mythos) so I'm sold on that alone. Oh and I've played Mummy's Mask and it'd be nice to balance all that hot with some cold for once. Yeesh.
How many PbP games are you currently active in?
I'm currently in 1 game at the moment.
Will you be able to check the game at least daily or every other day to post? If not explain and we can work with you.
I can. I check now every day (unless the weekend is nuts) to be sure I haven't come up or I have a good opening for my character.
What type of characters do you like to play? Personality, Class, Themes!
I love the weird characters. Not like an awakened racoon cyber soldier or anything (leave that to GURPS) but I like playing a little against type. I played a half-orc fighter who was actually smart and tactical rather than a rush-in-smash kind of guy. I've played Paladins more concerned with feeding the hungry than chasing the bad guy. But I love playing the roaming swordsman. Like Madmartigan from Willow or Conan. A guy who's good with a sword, beyond the norm.
Though I admit I'm the only guy I know who's been crazy enough to turn a Brawler into an archer (and they make really good archers, btw) by just standing beside the Geisha Bard and if someone came running past me to get to her I'd use Knockout and keep shooting. Tons of fun to float in and out of melee and ranged like that. But I always want to build WITH the party. Things work out so much better when everyone fills in the gaps as a whole. A five man party of fighters is no fun, after all.
Any additional information you would like to share.
I'd love to give the AP a shot and I like the idea of being able to take time and stock and build characters together. No random 'this is my basic idea, does it tie together' kinda thing. If I have 5 ideas, and two will work for a group, I'd lean there anyway. I'm easy to get along with.
I glanced through the ship combat primer a fan made just to help people cope with ship combat and I... ugh. I mean when you get to the part where you board ships or try to repel a board it's interesting, but the ship combat itself is horrid (as far as I could tell, at least). I'd always wanted to try this adventure somehow and my home group hates adventure paths. So I thought "Well if I screw it up at least they get to play". Then you swooped in and I realized God was being kind to them.
Irony: Deciding to try and offer to DM this one even though I do not understand the ship combat system and hope I don't botch the job cause I hate games dying, only to find out someone else has decided to take it on. Good on you, DBH. You probably saved me (and all of them) a lot of white hairs and frustration.
2. Share how often you can post/contribute to the game. I don't want to put unrealistic expectations on the group, but I'd like to shoot for one post per day on weekdays. If we go faster, I'm down with that.
I can do 1/day. More if needed. However it depends on RP moments. I've seen games where I can post every third day because it's non-story RP time and two other characters are a heavy focus and I can take a backseat temporarily and other games where I've posted 5 and 6 times a day when needed.
3. Share how many other PBPs you're currently playing.
I'm shocked there hasn't been an Ashaman, honestly. Figured you'd be swimming in those
I considered it but I played one in the last Campaign and I never did play an Aes Sedai.
The last time I played WoT was probably 10 years ago now. I was an Aiel (in a game that lasted maybe 5 sessions). The time before that I was a Wilder/Ashaman. So I figure I'll do something different. Though I wouldn't be against playing an Aiel again if we need to swap concepts a bit to make things fit. I just miss playing in the world, so to speak.
1. Pick a Class. All Paizo-created classes are acceptable.
Unchained Rogue or Bard (concept is flexible for whatever the party wants)
2. How long has your character lived or been in Oppara? If they’re not from Oppara, where in Taldor do they live?
Their whole lives.
3. How does your character make a living?
I envision a 'fixer'. Not the leg breaker type, just the kind who happens to find a way to stack the deck against someone. Think Nathan Ford from Leverage. Willing to scam people into doing what he wants against their own ends.
4. What will your character contribute to the party in and out of battle?
In battle either a flanking partner or a buff-bot (depends on what the party may need, but I'm partial to the Rogue). Out of combat a skill monkey/manipulator who approaches conflict like all of life is a chess board. Kind of like how the nobles treat the lives of low-born like him.
5. Mechanically where do you foresee your character going in the future? If you don't have a plan, that's ok, too!
Mechanically... I dunno? Depends on what fits the party best. Naked I'd say skill-junkie/master manipulator. But if we have a bard in the party and I'm playing a Rogue, then less social skills obviously (as bards are masters of social skills). So... I dunno yet? I build around party members usually.
6. (Optional) What is your character's backstory?
A lowborn commoner who got tired of being forgotten by the ruling class. Lives don't work properly at the bottom and he wants to fix that, but he can't just demand better (doesn't work). He has to arrange it so the pieces fall into place for him. So he treats people of power the same way they've treated him and his their whole lives: as pieces to move on a board.
He's not above engaging in combat, but he prefers to make one enemy think another enemy is causing their misfortune and attack each other. Then swoop in and collect the spoils while the law castigates them for their actions. His only real friends are the people at the bottom. People who are hurting under the current stagnation of the country. And he's perfectly willing to let the rich and powerful each themselves for their own self interests while he and his profit in their wake of their stupidity.
(Maybe that's more concept/personality than backstory, but I'll tweak specifics when I make a sheet to fit the idea)
Background: Weyland came to Tar Valon when he was just five. As part of a group of refugees from a flooded village in the midlands, he had no one left to care for him except his older sister. Only a year older than him, she had nowhere to go herself.Instead of being shipped off to an orphanage, they were taken in by the tower. Used as helpers in the ever growing tower, they grew up alongside Aes Sedai and Warders.
His sister, not having skill enough with the One Power to become a Novice, instead became a clerk in town. However Weyland was determined to become a Warder. He's trained intensively to the goal of serving an Aes Sedai one day. He knows the large Green Ajah is in desperate need of all the Warders it can get and has been training relentlessly in hopes of joining them. Though he was well educated and sometimes fears his intelligence may be a detriment to his hopes because of the large amounts of simplistic men currently calling themselves Warders.
I've built a Tar Valoner Armsman who intends to go Warder, so that works out. Just need to double check (since I found my core rulebook) to be sure I'm square with gear and the altered skill rules.
Heck of a time to go hunting your rulebook and wonder if your wife put it in one of your boxes you took to storage. Seeing as how I was considering a build that would work up to Warder or maybe Algai d Siswai and be the weirdo of the party it's not a huge loss, but now it just bugs me...
I'd like to toss in Kaden Thade a Half-Orc Wizard. Spells and such are mutable, and I took feats to be able to craft (but if that's not viable I can change that too), but the core concept is a half-orc who tries to pass for human and uses spells to buff mostly with some exception for a few damage spells or control spells. If gp changes or whatever I'm perfectly happy to update that. But voila!
Background:
Kaden's birth was the result of an odd alliance. Years ago Kaden's mother, Fhara, was abducted by an orcish raiding party. Her parents and four of her six siblings were killed in the capture along with the trading caravan striking hard south. When Fhara was taken along with the rest of the surviving females it was no secret they'd be used as slave labor and breeding stock to inflate the Orcish numbers. Fhara was convinced she would die in some lightless hole in the bowels of Urgir or some other foul smelling citadel.
Instead her captors were assaulted in a narrow pass by other orcs. Thinking it was simply a rival tribe, the captives attempted to break free, some of them being killed in the process by their capturs in the skirmish. Once the battle settled the survivors were freed and whisked away by the orcs towards human lands. The orcs, calling themselves the Burning Sun tribe, were worshippers of Sarenrae who had commited to helping those in need. Instead of dying in the cold dark confines of an orcish encampment, Fhara now had the chance to find a new life.
In the weeks it took to escape by foot in the cold rainy season, Fhara had become quite close with a Sarenrae Cleric named Kadelthar. By the time the pair reached their destination they had grown quite close indeed. Unwelcome in Trunau, Kadelthar couldn't remain. Fhara, despite affection for the kind Orc, would never have thrived in the harsh wildlands of the Hold of Belkzen. The pair parted, thinking only a fond memory would remain between them.
Instead Fhara gave birth to his child. Kaden, as she named him, favored his mother far more than his father, even right down to his blue eyes. Though his greenish palor and broad shoulders betrayed his parentage. Bullied by other children, Kaden retreated into study rather than being aggressive in return, hoping to shed the reputation of his beastial kin. Instead he grew even more isolated. Rather than let him grow up in a place that hated him, his mother left with him when he was shy of ten winters, traveling into Varisia to seek a place they could live peacefully.
Kaden grew up hating his orcish heritage for how it seperated him from others. Only when he was discovered by a kindly old half elven wizard did his life change. He studied under the wizard, learning the secrets of arcane magic and how to unlock the secrets of spells and languages under his care. He also learned how to accept his half-breed heritage and find pride in being the person he was, not simply dwelling on his skin color.
After hearing tales of unrest near his mother's home town, he's decided to strike back through the Hold intot he mountains, hoping to find the source of the upheavals and help the people who had shunned him all those years ago. Only now he makes sure to travel with a cloak that allows him to pass as human, knowing his half-breed status can cause more issues than not for those who are unenlightened.
My only question pertains to equipment. I've even recently run a Darksun campaign in Pathfinder, but we had some homebrewed equipment rules. So I was just wondering about that as I'm interested and that could make for finishing a sheet to be problematic.
I'd like to submit Kaden Thade, a minor noble turned revolutionary after his family was threatened by the Thrunes for their worship of outlawed Gods.
Crunch:
Kaden Thade
Male Half-Elf Ranger (Ilsurian Archer) 1
NG Medium humanoid (human)/(elf)
Init +3; Senses: Perception +8
--------------------
Defense
--------------------
AC 16, touch 13, flat-footed 13
hp 13 (1d10+3)
Fort +4, Ref +5, Will +2
Defensive Abilities:
--------------------
Offense
--------------------
Speed 30 ft.
Melee: Longsword (One Handed) +3 (1d8+2/19-20x2)
Longsword (Two Handed) +3 (1d8+3/19-20x2)
Ranged: Orc Hornbow (Two Handed) +4 (2d6/20x3)
Special Attacks:
+2 attack and damage vs Humans
Move Action: +4 Ranged attack
--------------------
Racial Abilities
--------------------
Ancestral Arms: Proficiency with Orc Hornbow
Elven Immunities: Immune to sleep and +2 to saving throws against enchantment spells and effects
Keen Senses: +2 racial bonus to perception
Fey Thoughts: Acrobatics and Sense Motive are class skills
Low-light Vision
Elf Blood: Count as both human and elf for effects
--------------------
Statistics
--------------------
Str 14, Dex 16, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 10
Base Atk +1; CMB +3; CMD 20
Feats: Bullseye Shot (Ilsurian Ranger), Point Blank Shot (1st)
Traits:
Child of Kintargo: +1 to Knowledge (nobility) and it's a class skill, can take Noble Scion without Cha requirement and extra equipment
Purity of Faith: +1 to Will saves and +1 to saving throws against spells and effects originating from an outsider with the evil subtype
Tracker of Society: +1 Inititive and +2 Survival in any favored terrain (stacks with favored terrain)
Drawback:
Betrayed: Must roll twice on sense motive and take lower result.
Skills:
Acrobatics: 6, Climb (Str), Craft (Bows): 4, Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (dungeoneering) (Int), Knowledge (geography) (Int), Knowledge (nature) (Int), Knowledge (nobility): 5, Perception: 8, Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Sense Motive, Spellcraft (Int), Stealth: 7, Survival: 6, and Swim (Str).
Born to a minor noble who had married an elven maiden, Kaden and his mother were considered 'fashionable' for much of his younger life. The power and influence that allowed his father to marry an elf seemed to improve his social standing far more than it brought love to his household. While he publicly was a doting father and loving husband for those in the noble circles, at home he was simply disinterested. Not the type to be a drunk or abusive, he simply didn't care overly much about his family as more than an accessory that could open doors for him and his investments.
Kaden grew up dreaming of seeing the lands of his mother's people. His aspiration was to one day walk under the great canopy that formed the woodland kingdom she grew up in. Yet the closest he ever got was the woods outside the small city or the wooded areas of the Green that he called home. Yet his mother taught him woodcraft and the skills of her people, instilling him with a wonder for elvish lore and the tales of great elven heroes who had come in the ages before.
By the time he came of age the fashion-ability of an elven wife was a lesser novelty. A half-breed child less so. They had only each other and the few friends Kaden had managed to cling to from childhood. Yet when the family business was accused of helping the Glorious Reclamation (predominantly because of the Thade's history as worshipers of Iomeda) things got worse. Suddenly his mother's belief in Shelyn also became a serious issue. So much so that an agent of the new Lord-Mayor even implied that the house did not forswear their Gods and worship Asmodeus that the house may find a similar tragedy to a recent noble house consumed in flames with some people still inside.
He found out that his family was turned in by another smaller house, eager to gain favor with the new Thrune overlord at the expense of their livelihood and possibly their lives. Made worse by finding out it was one of the families of a friend he thought he could trust. However at the first sight of personal advancement they turned their back on them and left them under the careful eye of the Asmodean loyalists.
By then Kaden had simply had enough. He took money from his coffers and his father's prized orc bow trophy and left. Now he wears a suit of armor crafted to resemble Kintago's former dress uniform from before the time of the martial crackdown. He also wears a mask made to hide his features that is engraved with the visage of silver ravens on his face, helping hide his identity in the hopes of helping to stir up the common folk into open rebellion against the occupation of his home city so he can help banish the Chelish invaders and throw the new Lord-Mayor out of the city as quickly as possible.
Build:
Might matter, might not, but I was thinking of possibly dipping a level or two into Hunter to pick up a few useful utility spells later since I had to give them up for the archetype. Nothing great, but everybody loves little tricks like endure elements and gravity bow, right? Might not, but it's a thought I had.
Theme:
I saw the theme of the campaign and looked at the way I wanted to build something tied to the idea of rebellion in Cheliax. So I looked up and there was a whole archetype made by someone who rose up against rulers of Cheliax (Ilsurian Archer). So I used that and tossed in a mask so he could have some anonymity if he has to do something in public (for as long as that lasts). Either way, hope you like the idea.
The highest BAB in the module under discussion is +20, his +4 to AC is a 20% reduction in hit chance.
Merits of his build aside, the best hitting critters miss like 70% of the time and simply standing next to him gives a 20% increased chance of not getting hit by the most accurate monsters in the module.
Its an adventure path, you don't have to be a god wizard to be optimized enough to become a problem character in it.
"BBEG has discovered there is a Halfling destroying his chances at being... evil...er. His henchmen have all been forcefully trained in Dedicated Adversary (Halfling) and have equipped the spellcasters with 'waves of fatigue' and 'irresistible dance' should hitting fail initially.
This has been a broadcast from the EMN (Evil Minion Network). Enjoy your night, and bathe in the blood of your enemies."
My biggest pet peeve when running a game is someone who dumps a stat to hell and gone. It's munchkin and I refuse to do it myself because it's cheap. A racial reducing a stat is one thing, but personally dumping it into dirt? Nah.
However he doesn't do enough damage that I think he's worth his salt to begin with. You could flat ignore him and toss in a little DR/Slashing and he'd basically be about as useful as an armored cooking pot. Or, like I said before, sunder the weapon and watch him try to punch something with that 5 Str.
Honestly this little guy is a non-issue. I assumed he was damaging the world and unless he's your only source of damage, he's mild. Since you're on an AP train there's not a lot you could do besides toss some foil at them who has their number. Depending on where you are...
Spoiler Alert:
Heqet could wreck this guy's face if she targeted him with that opening salvo. If he's prancing around with his holy abilities and has his 'you can't touch me' going strong, then she'd drop the hammer on him the moment he got into range.
If he's flat footed he's boned. Every defensive he has requires him to be aware. If he's not: Hit him with a babau and rejoice as he parries because now he is out of immediate actions. One good molly-whop to the face and he might rethink his life choices. Destruction would be my choice because it's save partial, so even if he saves he still hurts. Not to mention Blasphemy being absolutely horrible for him (Weakened still happens on a will save).
I've also retooled some monsters in certain APs where they work together a lot to get teamwork feats. Watching a couple of monsters with Outflank get to work is interesting. Throwing hoplight soldiers who specialize in teamwork feats to fight in pairs is also a good tactic because it creates a need for tactics more than stats.
Either way you have the tools even in the AP. I think maybe you're afraid of seeming like you're picking on him, but you're not. Trying to kill him is bad. Trying to give him a few lumps is just business. I think maybe take into account that there are times when a monster will target him for being a cockroach and times he'll get ignored because they can bash another member.
Don't worry about upping the difficulty a little if they're having an easy time or even adding extra monsters if they can breeze through the 2-3 suggested. APs aren't made for every group in mind and to keep the challenge coming you need to make small changes here and there so they feel like they've accomplished something and sometimes to keep them from being flat-out murdered by some random ability.
I disagree with most of ExiledMimic's post. That seems far too antagonistic and GM vs player mentality for my tastes.
I don't mean it to kill them. Just to make them sweat a little. You can make them wonder what will come next without going for the throat. But these fights should be a challenge and upping the stakes without upping the lethality can put some of that challenge back.
How's the touch AC? I have a viciously defensive gunslinger who is a serious pain in the butt to pin down. But once I started targeting his touch AC and CMD to sunder his weapon he became pretty particular about how far he'd stick his neck out. And Crane Style means he does nothing but wait to get attacked. So make him stand there and wait like a moron until he realizes the monster doesn't care about the small thing who's not attacking, and has no problem punching him into the dirt when he takes a shot at him.
Also I would suggest creating hazardous terrain if all else fails. A room filled with poison gas doesn't care about your AC. Or having to fight things on thin surfaces and pray they have the right amount of acrobatics. You might also want to consider making them be completely ineffective. If someone is too powerful then remove their effectiveness and watch them wish they just got beaten on a little.
Bad touch Cleric (who can also channel positive), you say? Pallid Crystal.
Becomes a beast while adjacent to party members? Make the terrain shift under their feet each round at random.
Rapier is spearing the crap out of the badguys? Undead with 1/2 damage to piercing is usually a giant F-U.
Amazing saves? Give them a skill boost and watch them flail.
There are a lot of ways. Don't fight on their terms, fight around them. Make them fight the battles where their strengths are not suited to the encounter. A big fighter with a buster sword is about as useful as a bag of toothpicks if he's not able to close the gap reliably. So make the encounters entertaining.
Hell, if nothing else I'd throw in a rust monster and watch the swashbuckling midget drop his fudge when he loses his sword after going Errol Flynn on it without identifying it first.
P.S. Take a mythic template bad guy and slip him in if they get too cocky. Having a badguy teleport to avoid damage 10 times in a fight should give them a taste of the hell you could rain down if they decide to keep it up.
This begs the question about the Hellknight template. Where they become undead, but refuse to submit to a "patron" but are instead fueled by their own motivations. Just wondering since we're talking about adding templates.
A citizen of Ustalav by birth, Gailen was raised on stories of his fore-bearers from the southern Osirian city of Wati. All kinds of tall tails about how his ancestors were descended from a line of the Pharaoh kings of the old regime. Despite his mother's side being much darker complected he assumed it was a joke. After a fallout with a previous employer back home he left for Osirian as part of a mercenary company. Only recently has he come to believe there might be something to those tall tails now that he's arrived in the city and begun exploring the sealed tombs. Mostly because the language of his grandfather seems to be that of an ancient local dialect.
Characterization:
Darker skinned than most citizens of Ustalav, he's pale by Osirian standards. Wide framed he's a tall strong man who blends into the background of common foreign sellswords in Wati. Use to being larger and taller than everyone else he's somewhat more gentle by nature, but not when he's defending allies. In battle he's been known to be brutal for the sake of others.
Build and Role:
Basic sword swinger. I even opted for a Bastard sword just to not be a munchkin. His progression will have him specializing in adapting to the battlefield and shutting down bad guys before they can get the upper hand. I plan to take Barroom Brawler and have some feat flexibility to shore up loose ends. But I'm flexible to build around the group if they need something else (like a full-fledged battle turtle or something).
At level 10 (if I live) I'll take Quick Study and be able to swap feats around with other players to be able to take advantage of different mechanics. I MIGHT dip into Chevalier depending on how things go in character. I'm a bit of an RP junky when it comes to character choices.
crunch:
Gailen 'Crow's Bane' Merrel
Male Human Fighter 3
NG Medium humanoid (human)
Init +2; Senses: Perception +6
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Defense
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AC 19, Touch 13, Flat-footed 17
hp 33 (3d10+6)
Fort +4, Ref +3, Will +2
Defensive Abilities:
+1 to saves vs Fear
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Offense
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Speed 30 ft.
Melee Attack Block:
Bastard Sword (Two-Handed) +6 (1d10+1d6+4/19-20x2)
w/Power Attack +5 (1d10+1d6+7/19-20x2)
Special Attacks:
+2 Attack and Damage vs Undead
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Statistics
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Str 17, Dex 14, Con 13, Int 13, Wis 12, Cha 10
Base Atk +3; CMB +6; CMD 18
Feats:[b]
Fast Learner (1st), Combat Stamina (Human), Power Attack (Fighter 1), Dedicated Adversary [Undead] (Fighter 2), Cosmopolitan [Languages: Dwarven, Osiriani. Skills: Perception, Knowledge Local] (3rd)
[b]Traits:
Defender of the Society: +1 AC when wearing medium or heavy armor
Blood of Pharaohs: +1 Trait bonus to will saves and Knowledge Nobility. Nobility is now class skill.
Skills:
Climb: 8, Craft (Int), Handle Animal (Cha), Intimidate: 5, Knowledge (dungeoneering): 5, Knowledge (engineering) (Int): 5, Knowledge (local): 5, Knowledge (nobility): 6, Perception: 6, Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Survival: 6, and Swim (Str).
Languages: Common, Dwarven, Osiriani, Ancient Osiriani
Gear:
Frost/Light Bastard Sword (Two Handed Sword) 1d10 19-20x2, 6lbs (2000 gp)
Dagger x2 (Light One Hand) 1d4 19-20x2, 1lbs each, 10 ft range (4 gold total)
Breastplate +7 AC, +4 Max Dex, -3 ACP, 30lbs (200 gp)
Potions
Cure Light Wounds x3 (150 gp)
Endure Elements x2 (100 gp)
Oils
Magic Weapon x2 (100 gp)
Full Essentials Kit
Backpack 2 gp 2 lbs, Bedroll 1 sp 5 lbs, 1-pint flask 3 cp 1.5 lbs, 7 days’ trail rations 3.5 gp 7 lbs
Total Cost: 5.63 gp
Weight: 15.5 lbs
Remaining Gold: 440.37
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Special Abilities
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Bravery: +1 bonus on Will saves against fear, +1 for every four levels beyond 2nd
Armor Training: Reduce ACP by 1, increase Max Dex by 1, can move normal speed in medium armor. Increases by +1 every 4 levels.
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Favored Class Bonus
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+3 Hit Points and +3 Skill Points (Fast Learner)
So the recruitment said no more than 6 paragraphs. I did a backstory, loved it and then looked at length. 10 paragraphs. Well. *^@#. So I trimmed it down to fit (even if the paragraphs are huge). I mashed this thing down as hard as I could.
Background:
The first anyone knew of Kastian Martov was the night he was found as a small child, covered in blood and wandering the streets of Karcau. With only a long bloodied shirt he was barely old enough to talk, but the frozen winter streets slick with snow and ice had long frozen his small feet by the time someone noticed the child walking in a daze. Too young to even tell them what happened, or even his own name, he was without a single wound but still covered in half-frozen blood. He clutched at a small leather cord with a medallion necklace, an older Andoran coin stamped with the watchful eye of Aroden as the only hint of his past. Despite the best efforts of the guard, his trail disappeared into the falling snow before they could find where he came from.
There was talk of sending him to a temple of Pharasma, but was quickly cut short. A Sergent of the guard refused to let the 'worshipers of death' to surround the child with more of the same. Instead he took the child in himself. Vitaly and Poloma Martov were an older couple who had never been able to have children. Poloma was a minor Bard and had dreams of traveling the world when she was younger, but stayed when she fell in love with Vitaly. Together the couple cared for the boy. When he couldn't remember his own name they decided to name him after Poloma's father.
Growing up he was a quiet child. Almost always preferring to keep to himself rather than play with other children, and the few moments when he would smile and laugh were cherished by the older couple. It wasn't until his fourteenth winter that he awoke one night in a panic. Not remembering the dream, he felt a pull outside. One he knew he had to follow. Slipping into a pair of pants and a coat he ran out of the house, only following his instincts. In less than ten minutes he happened on an scene of a dead man face down in a dark alley and a creature with burning red eyes bearing down on an older man struggling to get up. In an instant the boy snatched the dead man's fallen shield and ran screaming into the alley, slamming into the thing as it leaped at the downed man.
In what felt like forever the boy braced as hard as he could, holding the snapping snarling thing back while the stunned man tried unsuccessfully to stand. Clad in an armored chest piece under a coat, a woman swept bast both of them and swung a blade that glew in the darkness. Whatever the horrid creature was he couldn't say. But the blazing light of her sword burnt it to ash. In the aftermath the three returned to the boy's home. The woman, Raziya, and the man, Professor Lorrimor, explained they were hunting things like the creature they'd seen that night. They explained that their child had come too close to one of those creatures in his youth, and that he needed help to channel his condition to a better end. Otherwise he would walk into trouble far over his own head unaided like tonight. In short order they agreed to allow Raziya to help their son.
In the years after that incident he was trained at first to control his urges and to let go of his fears of harming others. In the brief few years he learned to focus his once overwhelming senses and to control the ache in himself that he was afraid would hurt others. Even beyond that he learned of the kindness of the woman who did all of this for no reward, but out of a desire to do good. A gentleness he had only ever known from his parents. Through it he would sometimes receive letters from the Professor. Explaining techniques to try or herbs to mix in teas if he felt overwhelmed. But always a kind word from the older man. Before he came of age he became the son the couple had wanted. Smiling, laughing. The old pain and fear weren't gone, but it wasn't keeping him from them anymore.
When he finally came of age he left the small town with Raziya, bound to a temple to learn to hunt as she did. Though his parents were unhappy with the choice, they began to realize it might be his only chance at exorcising whatever demons lingered in him. His training took years. Studying books and strategies, combat techniques and most of all learning to calm his mind to accept the blessings of the Goddess he served. To let it complete the person he was meant to be. He had only just returned home briefly after completing his initial training when he received the summons that Professor Lorrimor had passed away and he was expected to attend a reading of his will.
The build (absolutely adjustable if selected to be more in-line with party structure). I'm flexible with this one.
Crunch:
Kastian Martov
Male Dhampir Inquisitor (Sin Eater) 1
NG Medium humanoid (dhampir)
Init +5; Senses: Perception +9
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Defense
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AC 17, Touch 15, Flat-footed 14
hp 12 (1d10+2)
Fort +3, Ref +3, Will +5
Defensive Abilities:
--------------------
Offense
--------------------
Speed 30 ft. (20 ft in armor)
Melee Attack Block:
Scimitar (One-Handed) +4 (1d8+4/18-20x2)
Scimitar (Two-Handed) +4 (1d8+6/18-20x2)
Special Attacks:
Judgement 1/Day
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Racial Abilities
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Undead Resistance: Dhampirs gain a +2 racial bonus on saving throws against disease and mind-affecting effects.
Resist Level Drain: A dhampir takes no penalties from energy drain effects, though he can still be killed if he accrues more negative levels then he has Hit Dice. After 24 hours, any negative levels a dhampir takes are removed without the need for an additional saving throw.
Dayborn: No Light sensitivity
Manipulative: +2 Perception and Bluff
Negative Energy Affinity: Though a living creature, a dhampir reacts to positive and negative energy as if it were undead—positive energy harms it, while negative energy heals it.
Darkvision: 60 ft
Low-Light Vision
--------------------
Statistics
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Str 18 Dex 16, Con 13, Int 10, Wis 17, Cha 10
Base Atk +0; CMB +4; CMD 16
Feats:
Improved Monster Lore (1st)
Traits:
Magical Knack (Inquisitor): +2 Caster Levels (up to maximum hit dice)
Chance Savior: +2 to Initiative
Adopted: Race trait from another race (see below)
Enlightened Warrior: Can take levels in Monk while being NG or N
Drawback:
Betrayed: Roll Sense Motive twice on all hunch checks and take lower result
Skills:
Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Disguise (Cha), Heal (Wis), Intimidate: 5, Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Knowledge (dungeoneering): 4, Knowledge (nature) (Int), Knowledge (planes) (Int), Knowledge (religion): 4, Perception: 9, Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Sense Motive (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), Stealth: 7, Survival: 7, and Swim (Str).
Languages: Common
Gear:
Scimitar (One Handed Sword) 1d6 18-20x2, 4lbs (15 gp)
Dagger x3 (One handed light weapon) 1d4 19-20x2 (6 gp)
Armored Coat +4 AC, +3 Max Dex Bonus, -2 ACP, 20 lbs (50 gp)
Full Essentials Kit
Backpack 2 gp 2 lbs, Bedroll 1 sp 5 lbs, 1-pint flask 3 cp 1.5 lbs, 7 days’ trail rations 3.5 gp 7 lbs
Total Cost: 5.63 gp
Weight: 15.5 lbs
Silver Holy Symbol (25 gp)
Remaining Gold: 38.37
--------------------
Special Abilities
--------------------
Eat Sin: At 1st level, as a free action, when the sin eater inquisitor kills an enemy, she may eat the sins of that enemy by spending 1 minute adjacent to its corpse. This provokes attacks of opportunity. The inquisitor can rush this ritual, performing it as a full-round action that provokes attacks of opportunity, but she only gains half the normal benefit (see below).
Eating the enemy’s sins heals the inquisitor of a number of hit points of damage equal to 1d8 + her inquisitor level (maximum +5). The enemy must have been killed by the sin eater within the last hour, and it must have had at least as many Hit Dice as half the inquisitor’s level. The inquisitor can use this ability once for each enemy she kills. This ability has no effect on mindless creatures or those with Intelligence 2 or less.
At 5th level, the healing increases to 2d8 plus her inquisitor level (maximum +10); it increases to 3d8 + her inquisitor level (maximum +15) at 9th level and to 4d8 + her inquisitor level (maximum +20) at 13th level.
In some faiths, this “eating” is a purely symbolic act, while in others, the inquisitor must eat a small amount of food and water as part of the ritual. A few extreme faiths actually require the inquisitor to eat some of the body of the slain enemy.
At 8th level, when a sin eater eats the sins of a creature that would rise as an undead (such as someone slain by a shadow, spectre, or vampire), the sin eater may choose to accept 1 temporary negative level to absorb the taint in the corpse, preventing it from rising as an undead. This negative level can be removed with the appropriate magic, though it automatically expires after 24 hours, and never becomes a permanent negative level. At the GM’s discretion, this ability may prevent a ghost from using its rejuvenation ability.
Monster Lore: Add Wisdom and half level to knowledge checks to identify weaknesses of creatures.
Stern Gaze: Add half level to intimidate checks.
--------------------
Spells Prepared
--------------------
Favored Class Bonus: +1 Hitpoint
As I said before build is fluid. Lemme explain...
Build:
Firstly I am looking to dip into Cleric around level 3(ish) and take the Channeling Scourge feat. That would give me a few channels a day to heal (or harm) as needed.
Secondly I'm not entirely sold on dipping a level of Unchained Monk, but I could be talked into it (depending on a few factors and party needs ect). Mostly because if we needed more offensive output it could help a lot with the Crusader's Flurry feat. I took a trait to allow me to take levels in it if I wanted (and basically threw away a trait if I don't) just so I have the option.
Lastly I'm looking to maximize skills and skill potential as I took the Improved Monster Lore feat to give me a scaling bonus where I don't feel like I'm being too handicapped to putting skill points into all knowledge skills all the time. I'll make my way around the block eventually and be sure to put at least a point into every skill at some point just so we have the availability if someone fails a roll or we don't have it otherwise. But knowing my luck there'll be a Bard and I'll have to retrain, LoL.
Jokes aside I was aiming to be a gap filler. I rolled some nice stats so I decided it would be more interesting to play a supporting role to back everyone else up and add some help to their roles. A few extra healing spells so the healer isn't taxed, some extra damage in case we need it, face tank something (briefly) if I need to. But my build can change depending on party needs.
I created to be able to cover a jack of all trades, master of none type. But there's room in the build that if we're super light on healing I can step back and do that or if we need more damage go that route instead. If this were a home game I'd build this guy around everyone else, but in this case I'll settle for being able to pivot with whomever is chosen so they can do what they love and we're not short something vital. It just works with the character concept so well I couldn't help myself, honestly.
And I didn't want to play to type of the gruff Geralt Inquisitor guy stomping around intimidating people and carving up swaths of the town. I like to play against type. If I could have make a dhampir Oradin that wasn't total crap I'd have done that for the sheer WTF... reaction.
