F. Douglas Wall's page

My wife's been dreaming up her own campaign setting for quite some time and has come up with a few interesting races. Since I recently got the Advanced Race Guide, I thought I'd look at her races through the lens of the Race Builder. I'll be posting some of these here in order to get some feedback on how well I'm using the Race Builder as well as drum up some fans for her setting.

The first race (alphabetically anyway) is the apsuri. They're an oceangoing race of small humanoids. Original writeup is here.

Apsuri
Type
Humanoid (0 RP)
Size
Small (0 RP)
Base Speed
Slow (-1 RP)
Ability Score Modifiers
Specialized (1 RP)
Languages
Standard (0 RP)
Racial Traits
Feat & Skill Racial Traits
Static Bonus Feat: Agile Climber (2 RP)
Movement Racial Traits
Swim (2 RP)
Senses Racial Traits
Low Light Vision (1 RP)
Other Racial Traits
Hold Breath (1 RP)
Total Cost: 6 RPs

Notes: The original write up for apsuri allows them to hold their breath for 3 x Con minutes, while the ARG Hold Breath ability allows for 4 x Con minutes. I haven't settled on which to use.

Although Agile Climber is not an existing feat (that I'm aware of), I think it's on par with a feat and priced it accordingly. It's kind of like Weapon Finesse, but for a skill rather than a weapon.

1) The plot of my adventure involves children kidnapped and forced into crime and in the course of the adventure, I expect the PCs to encounter at least one of them (getting pickpocketed by the kid). I've got the kids statted using the Pickpocket from the GMG and applying the Young template from the Bestiary to it. The Pickpocket is a level 1 rogue and is CR 1/2. The Young template reduces the CR of the creature by 1. Would the CR of the Young Pickpocket be 1/3, 1/4 or what?

2) The mastermind of this operation is a doppelganger with some rogue levels. I decided to break down the basic doppelganger to get a stronger idea of what I was adding rogue levels to and maybe reallocate some of the resources from the base build to make it a stronger rogue. Everything holds together rather well except for the skill points.

As a 4 HD monstrous humanoid with a 13 Intelligence (+1 Int Mod), it should have 20 skill points. But once I factor out stat bonuses, racial bonuses and class skill bonuses (assuming that it gained the class skill bonus on every skill listed in its description), I see only 8 skill points being spent.

One solution I'm seeing would be to assume that only Bluff and Disguise are actually class skills and all other bonuses were acquired with skill ranks. But I want to be sure before I start mucking about.

When I published the Adventures in Oz RPG last year, I encouraged gamers to take their Oz experience beyond the Yellow Brick Road. Oz is a very big place, and no single road is enough to explore it all. L. Frank Baum wrote 14 Oz novels over his lifetime, adding new wonders in each volume. Later authors continued to add to the richness and diversity of this fairyland.

Now, I want to take it a step further. Stepping outside of Oz, traveling beyond the Deadly Desert that separates that land from its neighbors. Neighbors like Mo, home of the Purple Dragon and the Wise Donkey, and the Laughing Valley, where Santa Claus makes presents for children all over the world. The vast oceans where the Sea Fairies live. The floating majesty of Sky Island. The underground empire of the Nomes.

Baum created not just one fairyland, but several.Travel with me as I explore these lands in Adventures in Oz: Beyond the Deadly Desert!

The money that is raised will help me afford art, editing, layout and all of the other things that will make this book a treasure to own and use at your gaming table.

Give me a Kick!

If you've been looking for a game to play with your kids, this is something you might look into.

Adventures in Oz: Fantasy Roleplaying Beyond the Yellow Brick Road.

This 136-page softcover book contains:

All you need to create and play your own Oz hero (or recreate your old favorites).

A bloodless combat system, making the game suitable for all ages.

Descriptions of over 30 locations from the classic Oz stories, as well as advice on creating your own Ozzy locales.

"The Jaded City of Oz" a sample adventure to get you playing quickly.

My fiancee is working on a campaign setting for Pathfinder called "The Southlands". It's a new continent that can be imported into your existing campaign or treated as a distinct setting of its own. There are even a few new races, for those time when elves and orcs seem a little too trite.

To help her format her ideas, she's set up a blog at http://southlandsproject.blogspot.com/ Updated every other Saturday with some new race or other piece of the setting for you critique, comment on, or even use in your game. Only two updates are up yet, but it's just getting started, folks. Check it out!