My subscription from August, Order 36630478, still has not arrived. I'm presuming at this stage it is lost in the US postal system.
I got a refund for my previous package from June which didn't arrive either ( https://paizo.com/threads/rzs43hpn?Refund-for-lost-shipment#1 )
Is it possible to get a refund for this one too?
I'd prefer a refund if possible over resending as unfortunately I recently cancelled my subscriptions due to ever increasing delivery times to Europe (not just Paizo all US post). I'm going to purchase via Amazon in Europe instead.
My subscription for June, Order 36533145, still has not arrived. I'm presuming at this stage it is lost in the US postal system.
Is it possible to get a refund? I'd prefer a refund if possible over resending as unfortunately I recently cancelled my subscriptions due to ever increasing delivery times to Europe (not just Paizo all US post). I'm going to purchase via Amazon in Europe instead.
Pathfinder Lost Omens
Pathfinder Adventure
Pathfinder Rulebook
This is due to the postal time (to Ireland) getting longer and longer each month. I used to get items within 3-4 weeks of shipping, then it creeped up to 6 weeks and I have still yet to receive my package that shipped in June, Order 36533145, not sure if its lost or delayed.
Anyhow its much quicker to just order from Amazon UK on release and it gets to me sooner.
My players have just been through along slog of combat heavy sessions and i'm looking to shake things up a bit with a sidequest with something involving a bit more social/skills related gameplay.
Can anyone recommend some good starfinder(or anything else) modules/scenarios with something like this that I can plunder and fit to my story.
Thank you for letting us know this happened to you and providing images. I have set up a replacement for the book in your current pending subscription order. The replacement will ship with your next subscription volume. If you have any questions or concerns, please let us know. Thank you!
I received this order containing "Starfinder Adventure Path #21: Huskworld" a little bit back but didn't get around to reading it until today, when i noticed it has a misprint
After page 32, it skips to page 49 and then reprints the pages from 49 to the end twice.
So I may have a player about to die while en route in the drift next session.
I know if they have a strong negative emotion at death they may turn into a Driftdead.
However this says "MAY", I'm guessing I roll a 50/50 chance. Unsure though how long this driftdead process takes, instantaneous or many days/weeks/months.
In the event they don't become driftdead, what happens their soul with no access to the river of souls, they just haunt the ship? Would the ship exiting the drift bring their soul with them?
Yep I love the shorter APs, I find some groups start to chomp at the bit when they've been playing the same AP for too long (even though they enjoy it they want to finish up and try something new)
TLDR: If one PC in the group spots a stealthed NPC, does everyone in the party spot them?
I'm running an encounter (half way through, we play short sessions at lunchtimes in work) and the opponent in the combat has main tactic whereby he will try to stay stealthed, snipe, move away into the rocky terrain and stealth again (he has a cloaking shield to boost his base stealth bonus which is pretty high already).
Its a nice challenge for the group as instead of just murder-hoboing in and flattening him, they keep getting shot at and can't find him.
I'm unsure whether I should play it that anyone who fails the perception check can't see him or let everyone one see him once any member of the party spots him.
The latter is easier to manage as i just put the token on the board when he's spotted, but with the former I have to ask the players who didn't spot him to pretend they don't know he's there ( in the last game this lead to the daft situation where someone far away saw him, but our big-dumb-hit-things lizard who was almost on top of him him couldn't see him.
Should I play this:
A) big dumb lizard sees him because friend told him where he was (as free action i guess)
b) big dumb lizard sees him because friend pointed to general area and he can hit but enemy gets concealment because big dumb lizard is swinging wild?
C) big dumb lizard can't see him at all and can't take a shot.
I've come close to killing my PC's a few times, and while I'm willing to hand wave a lot of rules I don't want to accidentally kill my PC's due to a rules fail so I decided to nail the rules of death and dying as much as I could.
Being a programmer I struggle with the prose style of some rules so I decided to translate the "Injury and Death" section of the CRB into something more algorithmic and ended up with the following flow chart to consult whenever a player hits zero HP.
It has a number of entry conditions across the top and you follow it from there answering each section or taking the the action.
Green lines mean yes/action taken and red lines mean no/action not taken.
A lot of the healing options are optional, as even if you have resolve points or a medic nearby you/they can chose to let you die.
You might not understand it all if haven't read the CRB section in detail yourself at least once as the items in each box are shorthand.
I'm sure it has some mistakes so if you spot anything let me know, but double check the rules first because in some case while not explicitly stated in a section, its the logical conclusion of items written in separate sections (which is why prose for rules always irks my programmer brain ;-) )
One thing I could have sworn I remember is that the maps aren't produced digitally - they're drawn by hand and then scaled in at an appropriate scale (and touched up in a cartography program). I seem to remember that being another barrier as to whythey weren't 'super-zoomable'
This is untrue definitely for starfinder at least. How do I know? If you purchase the fantasy grounds digital AP pack all the maps are available in it in hi res.
You can't extract them from the app however but they are present on disk in an encrpyted form. Fantasy grounds don't commission the artwork, they receive it from paizo.
Given the ready availability of the hi res images and the fact they supply it to online tabletop licensees, makes it extra frustrating that they won't supply it to regular customers too, even when we're willing to pay extra. ( I even paid for fantasy grounds just to see if I could extract images.)
Out of curiosity, because I honestly can't think of any, can you point me to some adventures on the scale of an AP that come with full 1'-scale maps that aren't boxed sets?
Hi Mark, thanks for replying!
Yep I can't point to any either, but thats not really what I'm asking fo though, as I can see that would be cost prohibitive and effectively be a whole other product line.
The thing is the hobby lives in a digital age now where people either play online (not me) or have cheap and easy access to printers (free for me in my job ;-) ). I know paizo know this already as they've lead the way in making PDF's of their products easily available.
It would be a real boon to players if the maps included in an AP were provided separately as a digitally downloadable resource such as a zip pack maybe like the community resource packs. Or if it needs to be watermarked then as a pdf with full page maps as these are high res enough to print well. Charge or not for these, whatever makes most economic sense for paizo. Also some maps in APs (eg sunrise maiden deckplan) are sold separately as part of the maps line which is fine, just leave these out of the other pack.
I can see how paizo might want to avoid this for online use as they want to license it to fantasy grounds and roll20 and have it be a perk of that purchase, but that leaves traditional tabletop players in the lurch, who just want to print out the pretty map ;-)
Anyhow i'm sure paizo know their business way better than me, all I'm asking is for paizo to allow a way for customers to print out the maps already included in the AP in a way that isn't horribly grainy and fuzzy, and involve having access to pdf tools that extract images.
but my understanding is that the maps are drawn for the required size/resolution. I believe getting the cartographer to make a more detailed map is more pricey (and would just be wasted money if they're not going to use it).
Nope digital artists always create high res images and scaled down for whatever context it's being printed in. The images in the AP's have been made available in the fantasy grounds content packs in hi res (which I haven't worked out how to extract) and a few on the original artists websites before being removed or slapped with a big watermark presumably at paizo request (which is fair enough). So paizo already own and have paid for the hi res images in all liklihood.
Steve Geddes wrote:
I may be misunderstanding what people are asking for?
It's simple really, I'm questioning the purpose of the AP' as a printed/digital document.
Is it just to be fun read and not play? If so then fine it certainly is fun to read and and the maps are pretty to look at at low res in the corner of a page.
Is it to be a toolkit to run a game? Then it fails on the map front because the maps are not provided to the customer in any usable form.
While yes you can mess around with PDF viewers and try and extract the images this can't be a serious proposition for non technical users.
The answer is simple I think just make a zip available with each AP' with all the maps in hi-res. It might be awkward, it might take time, but it'll increase the usefulness of the AP's tremendously
Okay, pardon me for ranting and if I seem a little frustrated but I'm just prepping book 3 of Dead Suns for play and dealing with map pain again.
For context I'm a subscriber, I buy the APs and the pdf, and I do have the minimal technical knowledge and access to the tools to actually extract maps from the PDF (which many people do not from looking at reddit and forum threads).
But what I want to know is what is the Paizo's expectation of customers use of the maps with the AP's:
- Am I supposed to just use the ones in the book as inspiration and draw my own
- Am I supposed to extract them and blow them up and print them myself
- Am i supposed to take the 10 foot grid maps and overlay another grid so I can make them into usable 5ft maps (which is what i do)
Given that Paizo have access to hi-res versions of the maps (i've seen them on artists websites and in the fantasy grounds content packs) why is there no way for me to acquire them physically or digitally even if i have to pay extra.
Why do paizo even bother making nice maps when their primary customer has no access to them and has to fiddle around with image extraction just to get a crappy low resolution image to print out.
Am I crazy here, whats going on! I mean I love paizo, everything they do is just top notch but this map issue is just like someone kicking me in the balls for fun everytime I go to start an AP.
Why not just include all the maps as a downloadable resource somewhere (I'll pay extra)
So in Pathfinder every corner of the inner sea has a Pathfinder lodge with a venture captain holding the fort, and it's a handy story hook and player resource.
So is it the same in Starfinder? Are there field offices other than the lorespire complex?. I've mostly been running Dead Suns and just read a couple of the society scenarios andI haven't seen any mentioned.
As some begin reading books in sanctum, say it'll take a few hours and encourage others to explore tower.
When first PC climbs to the top of the tower, they see the cystal at the centre of the telescope device. Have them roll a high DC will save and if they fail they feel compelled to pick it up.
When they do psychic blast radiates out and all have vision.
Its a kind of vision the party has which gives them an info dump about the Temples past, rather than just reading the books in the temple sanctum. Lots of credit of course goes to the fine folks over at the Cosmic Crit podcast who I totally ripped this entire idea and plot from ( Episode 27: the Shape of Slaughter)
Some background audio used is taken from the awesome app Syrinscape
So thankfully as i'm not the best as when it comes to being a complete and total ass I figured I might struggle when portraying Ailabiens 21:2 from book 2 on the fly.
So I made myself a little reference sheet for the encounter that I gleaned from gathering insults on the internet and thought I'd share in case its helpful to others.
Upon entering :
“Ohhh..Come in, it’s not like like I’ll be permitted to get even a scrap of work done today so by small means enter, and waste my time with your undoubtedly petty concerns and questions.”
When they enter:
“Oh don’t you lot look like a sorry bunch, bet your going to make my day even more intolerable, go on then open your mouths and get it over with it, Statistically speaking if you keep talking you might eventually say something intelligent.”
Comebacks if called rude:
Well I could say nice things about you, but I’d rather tell the truth
No, no, I’m not insulting you I’m describing you.
It’s not that I’m not being condescending, it’s just I’m too busy thinking about far more important things that you wouldn’t understand.
Oh no, I’m not being rude, you’re just insignificant.
Believe me, I wouldn’t dream of insulting you, as the I’d only have to explain it afterwards, and I don’t have all day.
If told they are are starfinders:
Ah yes, starfinders, tell me, is your job devoted to spreading ignorance or is that just a side effect.
Asked to explain
I don’t have the time or the crayons to explain it to you.
Aww, it’s so cute when you try to talk about things you don’t understand.
General Insults
Somewhere out there is a tree, tirelessly producing oxygen so you can breathe. I think you owe it an apology
Tell me do you still love nature, despite what it did to you
If opposites attract, then I hope you meet someone who is attractive, honest, intelligent, and cultured
You know you strike me as just the the kind of creature that one could use as a blueprint to build an idiot.
Calling you an idiot would be an insult to all stupid people.
Are you always this stupid or are you making a special effort today.
I don’t know what makes you so dumb but its really working
I’m often told brains aren’t everything and it seems in your case they’re most likely nothing.
You possess a rare confidence in your abilities, albeit entirely unfounded.
If ignorance is bliss, you must be the happiest person on earth.
Goblin TLDR: Me shiny thing seem broke once me see new shiny thing. Me now want smash shiny things together.
So I jumped all in on starfinder six months ago and I'm GMing a really enjoyable campaign.
So you'd think the announcement of Pathfinder 2 wouldn't impact me right!
But because like most people I'm not a rational being I keep glancing over at the new shiny thing with its fancy action economy and bells and whistles, and thinking Starfinder isn't as good anymore. While pathfinders move forward to a glorious land of fluid rules and non racist ancestries, us poor Starfinders will struggle on for years with an already defunct filesystem.
Now clearly this is nonsense, and in reality if PF2 is good I'll play that too or instead of Starfinder and still have a good time, but it's a known phenomenon called The Osbourne Effect that happens whenever a company announces a new product that supercedes or appears to supercede an old one.
Given that paizo surely had Starfinder in gestation when PF2 was conceived it would have been ideal if we could have got some sort of common core mechanics like the action economy etc and had a second layer of more specific/tuned rules for each.
Maybe we will someday when PF3/SF2 come out with a new XFinder Core Rules, until then I'll just have to glance out the window of my Kevolari Venture knowing that out there somewhere is another plane with shinier rules ;-)
So my mystic player has been feeling like space combat doesn't feel like it offers his character much thematically.
While the engineer and more martial classes fit neatly into the roles RP wise, its like there isn't much of a role for a more purely mystically oriented character.
I'm thinking maybe something like magical ship to ship weapons that work better with a mystic operating them might work but thats all I've got.
Has anyone got any ideas for adding a more mystical flavour to space combat and ship roles, that might make a mystic a bit more vital or involved from an RP stance at least
At the moment it's purely a character creator, with a play tab to see stats and do dice rolls etc.
In this regard I'm already switching over my group of noob players to use it as it makes char creation, levelling and equipment tracking so much faster and easier.
As to be expected with any beta there are a host of small issues, some functional, some with regards to stability and responsiveness. However this is normal for any software project and I imagine most will be resolved before exiting beta.
Beyond fixes the upcoming feature list looks great with ship and party management being my most wanted.
Inspired by Halkueem Zan’s book description in the Temple of the Twelve, I decided to bring the book's cover to life for my players in what is hopefully all its pulpy glory!
My party are going to be thrust into a skirmish after having one too many.
I was going to apply one of the various conditions for different levels of inebriation, and maybe use fortitude saves somehow to gauge how much they can hold their liquor, but I was wondering if there's a good way to handle this out there already.
Just got my Alien Archive PDF and I just discovered Skittermanders!
Paizo please halt all work in progress and get working on the following ASAP:
Skittermander plushies
Prepainted Skittermander minis in glorious technicolour.
A full hardcover gazetteer on Skittermanders.
A new "Rise of the Skitterlords" AP
A whole new Skitterfinder Society organised play program.
Also please promote whoever invented these to be head of the new Skitterfinder department!!
P.S. In case it wasn't clear, I love skittermanders
I was at Thought bubble in Leeds last weekend, and it was on sale at the con and at "Travelling Man" games and comics shop in Leeds, loads of copies in fact.
Full Name
Zaranna
Race
Elf (Aasimar) Oracle of the Cosmos 3 | HP 27/30 | AC 18 | Fort +5 / Ref +7 / Will +7 | Class DC 18 | Perception +5 | Low-Light Vision / Darkvision
Classes/Levels
| Hero Points 3 | Spells 1L 3/3 2L 2/2 | Focus Points 2/2 | Spell Attack +7 / Spell DC 17 | | DR 3 v Bludgeoning, Piercing, Slashing | Exploration Mode: Search (repair or treat wounds as needed)
Oracle of the Cosmos 3 | HP 30/30 | AC 18 | Fort +5 / Ref +7 / Will +7 | Class DC 18 | Perception +5 | Low-Light Vision / Darkvision
| Hero Points 3 | Spells 1L 3/3 2L 2/2 | Focus Points 2/2 | Spell Attack +8 / Spell DC 18 | DR 3 v Bludgeoning, Piercing, Slashing | Exploration Mode: Search (repair or treat wounds as needed)
Ancestry: Elf (6 HP) (Level zero adds con mod)
Versatile Heritage: Aasimar (grants darkvision if you already have low-light vision)
Background: Raised by Belief
Class: Oracle (8 HP, skills 3 + int mod)
Str 12 +1 [Boost: Background (Zarana)]
Dex 14 +2 [Boosts: Ancestry, Final (step 6)]
Con 10 +0 [Flaw: Ancestry, Boost: Final (step 6)]
Int 14 +2 [Boost: Ancestry, Final (step 6)]
Wis 10 +0
Cha 18 +4 [Boosts: Ancestry (free), Background (free), Final (step 6), Class (Oracle)]
Speed 30 feet
Physical Characteristics: "eyes glow with starry light" from Cosmos mystery, and "clear skin and regular, almost perfect features" from Aasimar. She is in "good shape and resemble[s] [a] near perfect" elf. Her hair is white-blonde with perhaps a hint of a halo, but it's hard to tell if she is angelic or just THAT good looking. :)
=== Resistances ===
Resistance equal to 2 + half your level against all physical damage. (Mystery Benefit (Cosmos)
Weapons:
=== Weapons ===
Trained in all simple weapons and one martial weapon (from the Apprentice option), all bows (from the Archer archetype), and unarmed attacks.
(-5 for a second attack, -10 for a third)
Melee
1d20+Str mod+proficiency (level +2 trained, +4 expert or whatever)
Weapon traits:
Agile (only -4 if second attack in one round, -8 if third)
Finesse (can use dex instead of strength for attack roll)
nonlethal (or -2 circumstance penalty)
unarmed
Weapon traits:
--Shove [You can use this weapon to Shove with the Athletics skill even if you don’t have a free hand. This uses the weapon’s reach (if different from your own) and adds the weapon’s item bonus to attack rolls as an item bonus to the Athletics check.]
Shadow Smith Relic (Composite Longbow)
Attack: 1d20+7 (+2 Dex +3 level +2 Trained)
Damage: 1d8+1 P
Range 100 feet, reload 0
Weapon traits:
--This relic pulls at nearby shadows, twisting them into the shape of a simple weapon or a simple tool or item [Or 4 consumables/arrows], such as a rope or crowbar. It lasts until it is used for a single activity, until you use shadow smith again, or for 1 minute, whichever comes first, after which it dissipates.
Deadly d10 (on a crit double damage plus a d10)
Propulsive (add 1/2 strength mod to damage)
Volley 30 ft. (-2 on attacks within this range)
Armor:
=== Armor ===
Trained in light armor and unarmored defense.
AC (10 +1 Armor +2 Dex Mod +3 level +2 Trained) = 18
Padded Armor (+1, light, Dex Cap +3)
Traits:
Marked Soul [manifests as a tattoo-like mark on the hand, but the meaning or detail about how it affects the person are unclear.]
Feats:
=== General Feats ===
3rd level and every 4 levels thereafter (3rd,7th/11th/15th/19th).
Magical Crafting [You can Craft magic items, though some have other requirements, as listed in Chapter 11. When you select this feat, you gain formulas for four common magic items of 2nd level or lower.]
=== Ancestry Feats ===
1 at first level, then another every 4 levels (5th/9th/13th/17th).
Wildborn Magic [You have learned to access the old magic of wild places. Choose one cantrip from the primal spell list. You can cast this cantrip as an innate primal spell at will. A cantrip is heightened to a spell level equal to half your level rounded up.]
=== Class Feats ===
1 at 2nd level and every 2 levels after (even levels).
Archer Dedication (Archetype--Bonus from DM) [You become trained in all simple and martial weapons in the bow weapon group. Whenever you gain a class feature that grants you expert or greater proficiency in certain weapons, you also gain that proficiency rank in all simple and martial weapons in the bow weapon group. If you are at least an expert in the bow you are using, you gain access to the critical specialization effect with that bow.
(Can’t select another dedication feat until you have gained two other feats from the archer archetype.)
Cantrip Expansion [A greater understanding of your magic broadens your range of simple spells. Add two additional cantrips from your spell list to your repertoire.]
=== Skill Feats ===
1 at 2nd level and every 2 levels after (even levels). (Plus bonus)
Assurance (Crafting, from Raised by Belief) [Even in the worst circumstances, you can perform basic tasks. Choose a skill you’re trained in. You can forgo rolling a skill check for that skill to instead receive a result of 10 + your proficiency bonus (do not apply any other bonuses, penalties, or modifiers).]
Battle Medicine [You can patch up yourself or an adjacent ally, even in combat. Attempt a Medicine check with the same DC as for Treat Wounds and provide the corresponding amount of Healing. As with Treat Wounds, you can attempt checks against higher DCs if you have the minimum proficiency rank. The target is then temporarily immune to your Battle Medicine for 1 day.]
Perception +5 (0 Wis +3 level +2 trained)
Fortitude +5 (0 Con +3 level +2 trained)
Reflex +7 (+2 Dex +3 level +2 trained)
Will +7 (0 Wis +3 level +4 expert)
=== Skills ===
Trained Skills: 8 (plus bonus skills)
2 +1 (int) = 3 (initial, 0-level)
3 +1 (int) = 4 (initial class skills for oracle)
Then, 2nd level and every 2 levels after, gain one.
Acrobatics +7 |+2 Dex +3 level +2 Trained
Arcana +7 |+2 Int +3 level +2 Trained
Athletics +6 |+1 Str +3 level +2 Trained
Crafting +9 |+2 Int +3 level +4 Expert (Raised by Belief, 3rd Level skill increase) [Assurance: can take 10 +proficiency]
Deception +9 |+4 Cha +3 level +2 Trained
Diplomacy +9 |+4 Cha +3 level +2 Trained
Intimidation[/b] +4 |+4 Cha
Lore +1 |+1 Int
--Zarana Lore +7 |+2 Int +3 level +2 Trained (bonus from Raised by Belief)
Medicine +5 |+0 Wis +3 level +2 Trained
Nature +5 |+0 Wis +3 level +2 Trained (bonus from Cosmos mystery)
Occultism +2 |+2 Int
Performance +4 |+4 Cha
Religion +5 |+0 Wis +3 level +2 Trained (bonus from Oracle)
Society +7 |+2 Int +3 level +2 Trained
Stealth +7 |+2 Dex +3 level +2 Trained
Survival +0 |+0 Wis
Thievery +2 |+2 Dex
Oracle Mystery / Curse:
Cosmos
Celestial bodies great and small exert influence on you, giving you sublime cosmic power. Perhaps you see the glittering stars as a divine blessing, or perhaps you feel drawn to the infinitely dark spaces between.
Mystery Benefit Your body is as much an astronomical one as it is physical. You gain resistance equal to 2 + half your level against all physical damage.
You have your head in the clouds—and not just figuratively. Your body is drawn toward the heavens, making you lighter and less substantial than you should be. Your eyes glow with starry light, and your hair and clothing float and drift around you.
Minor Curse: Your unnatural lightness makes it hard to keep your footing and interact with other physical objects. You are enfeebled 1 and take a –2 penalty to saves and DCs against Grapple, Shove, and other forms of forced movement.
Moderate Curse: Your body is drawn further skyward. You are enfeebled 2, and the penalty from your minor curse increases to –3. You are treated as one size smaller for wind effects. You gain a +2 status bonus against Trip attempts, you only take half as much damage from falls, and you gain the effects of the Powerful Leap and Quick Jump skill feats. You weigh only half as much, and your Bulk, should someone need to carry you, is also half as much.
Major Curse: As your body rises, you float just above the ground beneath you. You become enfeebled 4, and the penalty from your minor curse increases to –4. You can walk on liquids as if they were solid; you gain the effects of the Cloud Jump skill feat; and you don't leave tracks, trigger weight-sensitive pressure plates, or otherwise connect with the ground below you.
--1 gold to Elyana's fund to pay for room and board for the gnome we embarrassed
--2 silvers for a morning meal at the Pick and Pillow
____
Cash on hand = 1.9 gold
Starting Equipment = 29.9 gold
Beginning cash = 35 gold (zero and level 2 starts combined)
Loot List:
(removed anything people already took)
Leather-bound Club (with non-lethal trait)
Eleven odd looking quartz crystals
2 Minor Elixirs of Life
6 throwing knives w/harness
Papers with some sort of scribbling on them (formula of Sleep Vials)
Chain Shirt x3
Light Mace x3
Healers Kit x4
Background:
Zaranna's father, an accomplished weaponsmith, was hoping for a son that he could teach the trade, but when she was born female, and an Aasimar, he decided it was a sign from the goddess Zarana, and named her accordingly.
She's been raised in a rather lonely way, with her own parents both in awe of her and expecting perhaps too much from her as a representative of the divine. Her dad's very overprotective nature added to the fact that she looks unlike other elves (her ears are pointed, but shorter, her eyes glow in the dark, she doesn't sweat, etc.) combine to make her feel quite isolated. Thus, her Neutral Good alignment is one of the biggest rebellions that she could manage. She respects her ancestry, her parents, and her heritage, but she throws in a little bit of chaos just to balance out her life a little bit. She finds it easy to lie to others, because they expect her to be perfect, and so don't catch on. She hasn't done anything too bad with that, but does sneak away at the market, or out of the house sometimes while her parents are asleep, which gives her a sense of freedom, and then pretends afterward (if she is caught) that she was just distracted or wanted to pray, or whatever she thinks they will believe.
She knows a lot of people who come to do business with her father, but her only real friend is Zakary, one of her father's apprentices, who talks to her and willingly shows her some of the things that he learns, so with that and her father's instruction she has become pretty confident around the forge. She and Zakary also sometimes go into the woods together to practice archery and talk, but always with one of her father's guards around. She doesn't have her own bow yet, so they trade off, with her bringing the arrows as her part of the arrangement, and she watches and sketches while he is shooting.
Zaranna doesn't know what she is going to do when she grows up, but although she likes the forge, she wants to be able to go out more and meet people and feel more free to explore and find things out for herself.
Notes:
A level 0 character is trained in Perception, all saving throws, unarmed attacks, unarmored defense, and one simple weapon of their choice. Additionally, they are trained in a number of skills equal to 2 + their Intelligence modifier. The proficiency bonus for a level 0 character works the same way as normal, but since the level is 0, the total proficiency bonus for being trained is +2.
Apprentice option: An apprentice of another martial class (barbarian, champion, fighter, ranger, or rogue) is trained in light armor, all simple weapons, and one martial weapon listed in the class’s initial proficiencies. If a martial class not listed here lacks light armor or martial weapon training (as the monk does), give it a different ability as well.
Answers to Questions:
What have you been doing for the past eight years?
Eight years later, Zaranna is 26. She no longer has nightmares about being kidnapped and thrown into a position of responsibility because she was the oldest. She doesn't wake up shaken from the images of skulls that she personally cracked, or the awful feeling of guilt at wondering if she could somehow have saved Shadei.
She does remember though, every day when she puts on her key necklace, and every day when she sees the mark on her hand, or the line of quartz crystals she keeps on the shelf in her room. The experience has changed her from what she was into what she is now becoming... but all things are controlled by the Gods, who surely had a hand in their escape, and Zaranna is glad to be led by then, because without that she would again be that weak young woman, unable to save a child in her charge. Unable to face true evil. With the Gods she can be strong, and with their help, she will prevail.
Did you leave Swampwood?
Yes, Zaranna went off to college to study. She began studying, not sure what she wanted to do with her life, but she started out studying to be a Cleric of Zarana.
However, even though she still greatly reveres Zarana who she was named after, she found that studying only a singular God seemed like it wasn't enough... it didn't give a clear picture of the heavens as she was drawn to know by her nature as an Aasimar, and those subjects both just led to more and more questions as her mind kept reaching out into the blackness, and fire, of the Cosmos. As she studied all of that, she eventually felt called and chosen as an Oracle.
She returned to see her family after college, and has stayed since then, feeling that the Gods want her to be here for a reason.
Metagame question: Would you like to use the Critical Hit Deck only for Nat 20s for you the PCs or on any Critical Hit?
I prefer only for PCs.
Dream 1:
You don’t know if there is something wrong with the metal or your furnace, but the piece you are working on just will not heat up correctly. Sure it glows like it is supposed to, but when you hit it with your hammer it doesn’t feel like it is softened at all.
Zaranna assumes that piece of metal is flawed, or mixed with some other metal so that it has a different softening temperature. She quenches that one, setting it aside and selecting another piece instead. She heats it up and attempts to hammer this one into shape.
As you begin hammering on the new piece a customer approaches your shop. An older elven woman with raven black hair streaked with grey, "Excuse me, dearie, might I purchase some nails from you?"
Zaranna finishes the shape, getting the piece ready for the next stage, and lays it carefully down on the grill over the fire to cool slowly. Then she turns.
“Hi Ma'am, what kind of nails do you need? Are you making some furniture, or building a house, or do you just need a nail to hang your coat or a picture on?”
The elven woman’s demeanor changed as an unnaturally wide smile crossed her face, showing intensely sharp teeth. “Your coffin,” She replied in an ominous voice.
Wings of pure shadow sprouted from behind the woman’s back and talons extended from her fingers as she lunged at you.
Zaranna reacts by holding out her hand and speaking a word of power, the divine light of the moon shooting out to burn through the dark thing before her.
The shadowy thing disintegrated into nothingness with a horrific scream. All went dark almost immediately, you weren’t even standing on solid ground, just floating in the inky blackness of nothing. Cold and utterly alone.
Then off in the distance, a glimmering point of light.
Zaranna moves towards the light.
Floating towards the light you notice that it seems to get colder and colder, to the point that frost begins to buildup on your plate armor. Wait, when did you put on armor?
Wishing for the heat of the forge, Zaranna stops (Was I floating?) and casts a light spell so she can look at herself. Is this me? she thinks. She takes off an arm plate to check to see if it is her own hand and arm, also noticing the type of metal she is wearing. What kind of metal is this made out of, and why am I wearing it?
She wonders if she is wearing it to add weight to her body so she doesn't float away.
Still, in the void everything is cold, and the only external light might also lead to warmth, so she continues in the direction of the light, praying for guidance as she goes.
The arm and hand are indeed yours.
You begin to accelerate towards the light, gaining speed you never thought possible. The light grows brighter as you approach.
You hear the sound long before the light comes into view to confirm what your ears already made you suspect. It’s a forge, and standing at the anvil hammering away was a woman with her back to you. As you near her, she is finishing the most finely crafted blade you had ever seen. She turns and you gasp in shock as you see that this woman……….is you. Much older than you are now and far taller, like the height of a giant.
Looking you up and down, she crosses her arms and gives you a glare. “You must finish that armor before she is born”
Everything goes dark again and you open your eyes to see Alric waking you up for your watch.
Dream 2:
You were back in Swampwood and it was just another day at your father’s forge. He was working on another sword for the guard. His gaze kept turning back to you, or more specifically your growing belly. The child was due in the next couple of months, yet here you were just hammering away at this set of armor.
“Larissa, please sit down,” Your father calls to you.
It’s at this point that your father’s face changes to that of another man you had never seen before.
“I have to finish this armor, father,” Zaranna says, not sure why she is in a different body, but that was the way of dreams sometimes. “This might sound strange to you, but I feel that the gods are calling me to finish it before the baby is born. Please don’t stop me. It’s important. I know it.”
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The man shakes his head before responding, “You’ve been working on that your entire pregnancy. It’s almost finished, you can take a break.”
It was then that a man came to the shop, carrying a basket of fresh apples. To your surprise, it’s Kristoff, the father of your child.
Your ‘Father’ turned to Kristoff and very angrily, “You! Get your worthless ass out of here!”
Zaranna, still inhabiting Larissa’s body, or maybe actually being Larissa in some way, for a time in this dream, flashes a warning look to Larissa’s/her father.
Turning to Kristoff without putting down her tools, she says kindly
Thank you for the apples, Kristoff. Best clear out though. I’m busy, and you know I need to work. We can talk later.
She continues to work on the armor diligently.
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Your father shakes his head and starts hammering the piece he is working on with more intensity. “I don’t know what you see in that layabout. His work in the mines, rumor has it, is sub-par at best. If it wasn’t for you interposing, I’d have caved his skull in for forcing himself on you.”
How many times do you have to tell him it wasn’t like that?
Father, for the last time, Kristoff didn’t rape me. I made some poor choices, but if you are going to insist on seeing this child as a bad thing, then lay the blame on me just as much as on Kristoff. I made the choice just as much as he did. Do you honestly think, as YOUR daughter that I would let anyone force me, or lie about it if he had? If someone had raped me and I couldn’t kill him, I would have gladly allowed you to do so. It wasn’t rape, no matter how much you wish I was some angelic daughter who would never do such a thing of her own choice. I did anyway. If you lay a hand on Kristoff, then you’ll be in the wrong. It’s me you’re angry with.
Realizing that the metal had started cooling, she quickly moved the armor plate back over the fire, shaping it expertly with her hammer.
I’m not what you want me to be, I know that, but stop imagining that you can change what IS, and let’s all focus on making it better, okay?
She continues to work on the armor, determined to finish it, although since she was Zaranna, not Larissa, she still wasn’t exactly sure why.
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After hammering furiously for several minutes, your father finally cooled the metal, set it aside, and removed his gloves. “At the very least he should marry you proper.”
He moved to the apples, “Best get these in the house. I’ll get dinner started. Make sure to lock up.”
Giving you a kiss on the forehead he left out the back towards the house.
Zaranna kept working on the armor, but without the distraction of Larissa’s life getting in the way, she took the time to try to sense internally some idea of what the armor was for or why it was so important. Did Larissa know, and could Zaranna sense Larissa’s thoughts or knowledge as she had some other things from Larissa, such as the fact that she had not been raped, how soon the baby was due, or being able to recognize who Kristoff was when he walked in with the apples…?
As she worked on the armor she asked herself some questions to see if she could get information about “herself” that way. What sex is the baby? What is Kristoff’s last name, and does he even want to marry me? Who is this armor for and why did I start making it? How close am I to finishing it, and do I need the help of someone else to finish it up?
She quizzed herself about her mother, her friends, and how good “Larissa” was at armorsmithing. Anything that would help her understand what she was supposed to do might help…
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You first see your mother being taken in the last drake attack that happened in Ruby Hollow some years prior. Flashing forward to earlier this year to that night in The Miner’s Respite when you first met Kristoff Ludwig, something about him just drew you to him. A couple of months later is when you decided to give yourself to Kristoff and shortly after that you discovered you were pregnant. When you told Kristoff he immediately proposed marriage, but you turned him down as your relationship was too new and you honestly hardly knew each other.
Then came the dream about needing to make armor. You had never made armor before but you had made other things that involved bending and shaping metal. Something in that dream had told you that you needed to finish it before your daughter was born. After some messy screw-ups, you finally made the first piece and you were close to finishing, but you were on the hardest part and were unsure if you could pull it off. You prayed that a miracle will arrive soon as you couldn’t work on this armor in another couple of weeks.
You then awaken from your slumber for your turn on watch.
Dream 3:
The moment arrived, Larissa was giving birth to her daughter. You as the midwife were assisting her with all of your ability. Kristoff was there being the supportive husband that he always was. Larissa’s father was there as well. The young woman looked tired, she’d been pushing for hours and only just now the baby’s head was crowning.
Zaranna is momentarily confused at being in this most unusual situation, but somehow the dream made it seem like she belonged, or at least the body she was in belonged, so she tried to relax rather than panic…
She wondered if the armor had been completed in time, but this didn’t seem like the time to bring it up… although, was this real, or just a dream? Maybe she could just ask.
Did you finish the armor, Larissa?
She personally knew nothing about how to help bring a baby into the world, but tried to say something comforting to the woman that she loved because she had BEEN her at some point.
You’re doing a good job, just a tiny bit more. You can do it.
What was this dream about? Certainly she wasn’t here to actually learn how to deliver a baby? What were the gods trying to tell her? Was this the past, the future, or pure fiction? What did armor have to do with this child, and why had she told herself to finish armor before the child is born… and if she was Larissa why was she now the midwife?
She took a breath, trying to calm all of the thoughts streaming through her brain, and decided that all she could do was focus on the moment. She looked around for water and a cloth, trying to help by wiping the blood and fluids off of both mom and baby as the birth happened, trying to help both of them to feel cleaner and more comfortable. That was a small enough goal that she could get her head around.
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Larissa simply nodded in acknowledgement of the question about the armor. Then came the final push as the baby girl of her and Kristoff was brought screaming into the world. The new mother collapsed from exhaustion and you gave the father a pair of shears to cut the cord. Swaddling the newborn, you handed her to Larissa and both she and Kristoff shed tears of joy.
It was here that the dream…..(or vision?) turned. Everything but you and the child seemed to freeze. The newborn turned her head towards you, an off putting sight due to the fact that one eye appeared to be pure light and the other pure dark. A birthmark appeared on the child’s forehead, the holy symbol of Zarana, but it was also merged with the symbol that the Piper had marked on you so many years ago.
This child you surmise is caught between two paths of fate. The question is which one will win out?
Frozen in time with a child’s fate in the balance, but with no way to affect the outcome other than with words, Zaranna says
Light and dark are bound up in you, child, perhaps more light and more dark than in most of us, but it is still in balance, as it must be. This balance allows you to choose for yourself. Hold to the light. Do not give in to the darkness, for it is untrustworthy, and there is no future there. The light is the path to hope and goodness, and though there will be temptations and trials, as there must be so that we can learn, if you dedicate yourself to the light, then all will be right in the end.
Hear me, child, and remember my words, for your soul understands me even if your new body does not yet. Hold to the light. Hold to the light.
Zaranna reaches to her neck for her key necklace and realizes that she isn’t in her own body, but she takes whatever is there, or a coin from her pocket, and casts light on it, and then teleports it into the baby’s hands [via the Thoughtful GIft spell], trying to emphasize her words with her actions.
When the child is holding the necklace or coin with the Light spell cast on it, she repeats again,
Hold to the light, child, hold to the light.
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As you hand the lighted object to the child, she reaches out and grasps it with her tiny little hand. Both eyes become pure light and you suddenly feel a sudden rush as you are pulled forth through a blur of images.
You come to a stop to see a young woman in shining armor, the holy symbol of Zarana about her neck, leading an army against what looks like a horde of demons on the Jeweled Plains.
She turns to her soldiers and gives a rallying speech. They all cheered as they rushed to meet the horde head-on.
Just when they are about to clash, you are then whisked away back to the forge from your first dream. There before you stood the goddess Zarana, “Well done.”
