Imagine, a high-level party searching frantically for an old, abandoned castle once held by a lord of King Arthur's level of fame and strength. But they arrive too late! The most powerful fortress in the entire world becomes an animated colossus and is run by disgraceful little creatures such as goblins or troglodytes! I really like this creature and the potential of its "Movable Keep" ability. It's a good way to bring back old, low-level antagonists that the party may have forgotten about...
I would rather see a feat that empowers character through their INT like the 3.5 Swashbuckler's Insightful Strike: "Insightful Strike (Ex): At 3rd level, a swashbuckler becomes able to place her finesse attacks where they deal greater damage. She applies her Intelligence bonus (if any) as a bonus on damage rolls (in addition to any Strength bonus she may have) with any light weapon, as well as any other weapon that can be used with Weapon Finesse, such as a rapier, whip, or spiked chain. Targets immune to sneak attacks or critical hits are immune to the swashbuckler’s Insightful Strike. A swashbuckler can not use this ability when wearing medium or heavy armor or when carrying a medium or heavy load." Now there's a good representation of an alchemist hitting someone in their weak spots... I know it's already been said, but DEX just can't do everything. @_@ Dex contributes to ranged attack rolls, Armor Class, Initiative, Reflex Saves, CMD and Acrobatics (probably the most useful in-combat skill). Not to mention that Armor Check Penalties aren't even really a penalty because high Dex characters typically wear nothing but the lightest of Light Armors. Strength is used for melee attack and damage rolls, CMB, CMD, and some athletic skills. The ever common Weapon Finesse automatically takes away one of those applications... Not to mention the oddly specific (but modifiable) Dervish Dance feat that can take away STR's second primary purpose... Oh, and Agile Maneuvers. Can't forget that STR-replacing feat. In the last three campaigns I played in, only one character out of say half-a-dozen melee-based ones total used Strength. Everyone else was a finesse fighter. If you could use DEX in place of STR for damage, I doubt I would ever again see a STR character (other than the occasional Barbarian). So just let Strength have damage... it's all it really gets. DEX-characters SHOULD have less damage than STR-characters as a trade-off (Hell, they only need STR 13 to qualify for Power Attack!). Tl;dr: Let STR keep melee damage rolls, it's all it really gets. Finesse Characters can still have Power Attack if they want more damage. Dex shouldn't do everything. I think a feat that uses INT with DEX like the Swashbuckler's Insightful Strike would be a balanced alternative... Just ask you GM to homebrew Dervish Dance for the specific weapon you use if you're that horny for DEX.
"Whirlwind (Su): At 9th level, you gain the ability to turn into a 10-foot-high whirlwind once per day for 1 round per sorcerer level." QUESTION 1: What type of action is this? Swift, Standard, Move, etc. QUESTION 2: Ultimate Magic references page 306 of the Bestiary which states, "Ceatures one or more size categories smaller than the whirlwind might take damage when caught in the whirlwind (generally damage equal to the monster's slam attack for a creature its size)..."
QUESTION 3: "An affected creature must succeed on a Reflect save when it comes into contact with the whirlwind or take damage as if it were hit by the creature's slam attack. It must also succeed on a Reflex save or be picked up bodily and held suspended in the powerful winds, automatically taking the indicated damage each round."
Someone mentioned Stormwrack. It's a great source for underwater combat information (including spells). It also goes into detail on "Pearlsteel" which is not only rust-proof, but more effective than the average weapon underwater as well. This may make ranged weapons a possibility for your characters. Stormwrack also includes some wondrous items that I'm sure you will find useful. I recall a bag of teeth that, when dumped into water, turns into a school of piranha...
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This is the biggest turn off for new pathfinder. It keeps the heavy math burden of old pathfinder and 3.5 in general. Which equates to annoyingly drawn-out battles. And now, for example, the Nalfashnee's weapon-grab maneuver...do we really need triggered events like these that smack of awful 4E? If I want a 3rd level ftr bugbear, why not keep it SIMPLE...he gets +3 to hit adn 15 more hp...I don't need a huge catalog of what all he can do...In the words of Plinket.."Ya keep it simple, stupid!"
Our Druid-ess in the group decided she'd bake a cake for our fallen female Paladin player, who got turned into a zombie by a Yellow-Musk Creeper in The Elephant;s Graveyard.... pretty damn amazing bake job:
Anyone got good stats for these? The gang are finishing ruby phoenix and then its a reverse running of Hungry Storm where they escort a princess back. Lingshen is the first country they travel through and I need some good stats for terracotta warriors. Caryatids seem a little off. (They are Level 10-ish)
So I've got a player who's a fighter/shadow dancer. All the abilities of the Shadowdancer are fine...except the shadow. This thing is stealing the show in my Kingmaker game, because 90% of the creatures they are encountering have no way to deal with this thing. They fought a Froghemoth in the Hook Tongue Slough section....and the shadow ended up draining the monster of str COMPELETLY. They are a Level 9, and the Frog is a CR 13 and the shadow just totally gimped it. This happens in most encounters with BBEG's. You cant even really destroy it with its good hp and taking 1/2 damage from everything.I've thought about how it heals, and it seems it would be able to ehal itself with its own touch (Just as the lich in Varhold is noted as being able to do). It would also be rather obvious if I went out of the way to put this thing in check.
My players are under the impression the castle (which they spent the appropriate BP's for) is huge, since it covers 4 squares on the grid. I told them it's a mere improvment on the Staglord's fort, but then they asked why buy a castle and not just spend BP's for a Keep, which the Fort really is? I'm also assuming little can be done in winter (No Camelot overnight). I'd like to know some ideas about what footage such a castle might be.
If a character with +6/+1 base attacks uses a light crossbow with Rapid Reload, are these normal attacks (+6/+1), or are they treated as rapid shot with -2 penalties? I guess the relaod times are what are confusing...if I did not have rapid reload, would rapid shot even do anything? So, if I have a 9th level fighter with 17 dex with rapid reload using a +1 light crossbow of speed and +2 bolts, how many shots and at what bonus am I looking at? Now if I added rapid shot to the mix?
Achilles wrote: I'm playing a fighter/Cleric of Tritherion (Liberation and Good domain). I'm also DM'ing. I knew the liberation immunity to grapple in a radius (After 8th level)was powerful, but in savage tide AP, it's almost game-breaking. There are a lot of critters that grapple and swallow you whole...in fact I've never SEEN a series of adventures with so many grapple opportunities. Since I'm playing AND DM'ing at the same time, I enjoy keeping the party safe as a player, but also see the headache this ability causes. Granted, it's easy as DM to say "Gonna modify this to a +10 on your grapple check or something" but I'm asking other player if they think this is just too good an ability for the most part. hmm ok
Are these designed with the expectation that you're running the Beta rules or are they still geared to 3.5 base? I've got a subscription for Legacy of Fire but another player is going to DM it, and this is his first big series as a DM. If we go with the 3.5 will the encounters be too tough or should we do the Beta rules and the encounters would be a bit weak (with all the extra feats, etc)if geared to 3.5 base?
Order Information Order # 1111587
Should ship from our warehouse within 3 to 6 business days via Standard Postal Delivery (estimated 4 to 8 business days in transit) to: Grand Haven, MI 49417-9392
Can someone explain the hold-up? Its a little past 3-6 biz days, and not a peep from you folks...
Is there a limit to how many of these creatures can be controlled by one summoner? We're playing Prince of Red Hand and while I like the idea of letting the mage and cleric summon a huge elemental, I think they plan on summoning two each for upcoming fights...1st and 2nd edition had built-in 'fail-safe's for this kind of thing, but with the rolling of summone elemental over into Summon Monster, it seems way easy to get even three of these each for a group....at the level on caster that can cast Summon Monster VII and VIII, they have plenty of rounds to be around and get that many earth/air etc ele's into a fight...which seems a bit much for fierce meat-shields. The poor Overgod never had a chance (especially when Arcane Eye let them prep long before theysmakced him...the eles were just added power)
30th Anniversary Super-Sized Spectacular Issue! Well, spectacular was not quite right. The articles were 'OK', but what pissed me off was the back spread of adds we shelled out our $ for. TWELVE pages of full-page hocking...COME ON, GUYS! I haunt this site and WOTC daily....I'm sure all the loyal readers will agree we can do without the crap we can find in fliers at the local hobby store. I don't mind regular adds, but 12 extra add pages in a 'giant' issue is a rip off and I expect better. Why not call the issue 30th Anniversary Issue with Super-Sized Spectacular Adds you'll be happy to pay extra for!
How does a regenerating creature like a troll fare vs. worms? Would a beholder that is changed into a favored spawn of Kyuss lose his magical eye rays? I realize these critters both have +5 Nat. Armor (+15 w/the beholder). I find the +5 nat. armor rule pretty lame, as it says in Dragon #336 the worms easily burrow through bone. Would Call of the Worm kill a troll so they could not regenerate (perhaps dowing it long enough for a green worm to crawl into its mouth...)? Yeah, I like the idea of PC's facing a horde of Kyuss trolls led by a certain beholder....also any of the unique undead (Knights, Swords, Wormcallers, Beetles) gain the worm transfer attacka like the normal spawn? The text does not say, but perhaps not, since they are not listed as having Gift of Kyuss, or fear aura....
Ugh...did I say it was managable for a higher level? They came back two days later and whupped the swords with the use of death ward. Unfortunatly, the lich used several limtied wishes to make the place scry proof for a while. This cost the party 3 lives, as three Naga and a worm crawler guarded the main chamber, invisible when they heard the fight against the swords. The party entered the chamber, enervations flew, then fingers of death...boom down goes the 11th level rogue...the 7th/6th radaint servant/cleric got finger of death'd (needed a 6, rolled a 1, just like the rogue)..the wormcaller rolled two crits wtih empowered slashing darkness on the 5/10 ftr/paladin....dead. I almost had a 28 year vet of the game quit that day...the only bright moment was when the sorcerer's ring of spell turning threw back a Finger of Death on one of the naga's, killing it with its own spell, while retrieving the paladin and rogues bodies. Normaly we play with luck points but I steered away from that since we were playing greyhawk and raise dead (or more precisley, True Ressurection)is available. They came back and used a total of 5 dispel magics before fianlly dispelling the scry affect. They then beat down the nagas and wormcaller in short order. On a side note, I tend to agree with the paladin that the Holy Avenger got totally nerfed with its pathetic spell resistance. 5 + paladin's level? That's a far cry from the 50% enjoyed in 2nd edition. (A 10th level caster needs a pathetic 5 to exceed a SR 15 Holy avenger wielded by a 10th level paladin?). I might change it to SR 10 + Paladin's level...that would be somewhat more reasonable....or just leave it the flat 50%
I got two dwarf bodyguards (Dragon Mag issue 310)who took the phalanx fightign feat. To me, it seems that feat would only work from foes that are within 5' of each fighter, but it does not say that in the feat. Does that sound fair? You couldn't possibly give a shield bonus against a guy on the other side of your fighting bud...in fact, I think it would only work vs foes directly in front of the two teammates...
2nd edition Paladin Handbook indicated paladins were immune to green slime and several other things due to their disease immunity....3.5 says this includes Mummy Rot and Lycanthropy...green worms are killed by remove disease, so is a 3rd level paladin immune to worm infestation due to their Divine Health ability?
oops...forgot the Eye ecology...and here's the meaner Hand, his side kick: Ecology: The Eye is only one part of the Cult of Vecna. Because of its peculiar properties and specialized creation, it is regarded with awe by the rank and file. It is not a priest or part of that priesthood, but rather a tool they created. It is utterly loyal to the high priests of the cult and will take commands only from them. The Hand (medium sized Monstrous Humanoid 6th Level Barbarian/6th level Fighter) CR 13; HD 6d10+6d12+52; hp130; Init +2; Spd 40ft.; Face/Reach: 5’/5’; AC 22 (+4 Natural, +4 Dex, +2 Feat, +2 Armor), T: 14, FF: 16; Full Atk 2 Masterwork Longswords +18/+18/+13/+13/+7 Melee (1d8+7) and Grab +12 (1d10+7 + 1d6 Str drain); 3 Daggers Ranged +20/+15/+10 (1d4+7)/Grapple: +19 (+23 to checks); Str 25, Dex 18, Con 18, Int 6, Wis 10, Cha 6; AL NE;
SA/SQ: Desiccating Touch, Improved Grab, Improved Uncanny Dodge, Rage (2/day, 9 rds.), Spell Immunities, Trap Sense +2 Feats: Dual Strike, Fast Draw, Improved Two weapon defense, Improved two weapon fighting, Oversized Two-Weapon Fighting, Two weapon defense, Two weapon fighting, Power attack, Improved Grapple; Skills: Balance +4, Climb +13, Escape Artist +4, Hide +4, Intimidate +13, Jump +19, Move Silently +4, Ride +6, Swim +12, Use Rope +4 Possessions: 2 MW Long swords, 12 MW daggers, MW Leather armor, Kilt While Raging: HP: 154, AC 20, Full Atk 2 Masterwork Longswords +20/+20/+15/+15/+9 Melee (1d8+9) and Grab +14 (1d10+9 + 1d6 Str drain); 3 Daggers Ranged +22/+17/+12 (1d4+9)/Grapple: +21 (+25 to checks); Fort +16, Will +6 The Hand is the second of the cult of Vecna’s two lieutenants, the other being the Eye. Like the Eye, the Hand is a created being, a human modified by powerful spells to become what it is today. Only one has ever been identified, and given the difficulty of creating the Hand, it is likely that only one exists. The Hand is a squat, heavily-muscled humanoid, almost dwarven in size and shape. As part of the transformation, the Hand no longer has a head. Instead, a giant hand sprouts from its neck. There are no indications of mouth or sensory organs, yet the Hand does not seem impaired for the lack of these. The Hand dresses in a pleated kilt, decorated with colorful swirls and jagged stripes. A thick leather girdle, festooned with daggers, is its only other garb. In public it wears a blue-green robe with a large hood. It grips an embossed leather mask to hide its “face.” Combat: The Hand was intended to fight, to be the muscle of the of the Cult of Vecna. It is well-suited to the task. The Hand has a 25 Strength (+ 7 to attack rolls and damage). It fights with weapons in its two normal hands and crushes with the third, strange appendage. The Hand normally begins a battle by throwing daggers (ld4+7 points of damage), three per round. It carries 12 daggers on its belt. Just before closing for a melee, it draws the two swords carried on its back. It can fight with both of these with no penalty. The third hand is used to seize and crush the opponent, causing Id 10 + 7 points of damage with a successful attack (and holding on to squeeze for the same damage each round after a successful attack). It is by this third attack that the Hand feeds. Lacking a mouth, it finds nourishment by drawing the strength from other things, living and non-living. Gripped in its third hand, steel becomes brittle like glass until it finally crumbles into dust. Living creatures lose ld6 points of Strength each round they are held (1d6 hp to grasped objects, ignoring Hardness). The Hand can maintain its grip from round to round, both causing damage and draining Strength. Held characters can break free by rolling a successful grapple check. If a character is drained to 0 Strength or less, he dies. Lost Strength is regained at the rate of one point per day. Habitat/Society: The Hand was created, through spells, by the wizard-priests of Vecna. The process is incredibly complex and torturously painful-indeed, so much so, that it peels the essence of humanity away from its subject. What is left is a barely intelligent, bestial thing. Unable to speak, the Hand can only express its rages through mute gestures. Like the Eye, the Hand is marked by strange behaviors. Fawning submissiveness, gently stroking a friendly hand, suddenly becomes hysterical rage, as he blindly flings himself at walls. Even when calm, the Hand is never still, trembling and twitching uncontrollably. Since it lacks mouth and ears, the priests communicate with the Hand via telepathy. Although it lacks sensory organs, the Hand is endowed with magical senses equal to or slightly better than a normal person’s. The Hand is immune to darkness, blindness, deafness, and other attacks that would affect a normal creature’s sensory organs. A dispel magic renders it blind for one round. Ecology: Among the cultists of Vecna, the Hand is ranked after the high priests and the Eye. It is held in great fear by the cult’s followers, since it carries out the pronouncements of the high priests, but its brute physical quality does not inspire the icy terror of a more sinister being like the Eye. NOTE: The original creature had a LE alignment, but that would negate his rage ability, something he still undergoes, so I shifted him to NE…seems closer to his description anyway.
Apart from totally screwing up the adventure by running and getting the militia, I'm wondering how other DM's are handling this scenario when it comes to the party resting. As mentioned in other posts, the only real way I can see going through this adventure is a non-stop blitz. What's to stop the adventurers from running up to the militia after they find an evil cult? If the party attacks then retreats to town to rest, wouldn't the jig be up for the cultists? They'd right leave the area, or at least the mines. It would be pretty hard to tell the party to 'hey, stock up on a lot of healing potions, you won't be able to rest at all once you give your surprise element away' and maintain a sense of the unexpected. It also surprises me that these cultists really don't have a way to tell each other they are being invaded, short of the other temples finding bodies...and if you don't give thema hint about potions of healing and the like, won't they get their ass beat when the Aspect pops up? "Hey, those three temples were tough, I got like 18 hp after I chugged my two potions of Cure lt. wds" "Me too......hey...what's THAT?" <I>(SLAUGHTER ENSUES)<\I>
I'm starting this with a bunch of party-animals...I think this is close to their EL 6 rating...tell me if they are not..
Drunken Devilry Binkertell the Pixie
SwiftMane the Centaur NG Large Monstrous Humanoid
Pibs the Saytr
Armor Check Pens. added to skill mods. Drunken Devilry is a small team of three shidhe (Shay) that have entered the tournament for grog spending cash. Not very interested in getting killed or killing 'civilized' folk, the trio hopes to place high enough for winnings that will keep them in wine and wenches through the rest of the summer. Their tactics are fairly simple, involving ranged combat. The Satyr will ride the centaur at a good distance away, pelting the party with arrows, and fleeing if the melee-minded foe comes to fight at close range. The Pixie will initially enter the arena with his natural greater invisibility, so that he can get surprise with a few sleep arrows into any wizard and cleric types after casting dispel magic on them to negate stone skin and the like...he'll use lesser confusion on weak-willed fighters or rogues. A fake wall of fire (via Illusion) might half pursuit of the centaur/satyr combo. In any event, these hooligans will never fight to the death or kill a surrendering foe.
A few relativly unimportant questions. If PC's are able to have anything brought into the arena rest areas, why would they bother keeping pc's there the whole time? I also noted under the 2-dwarf team it says the dwarfs don't know the arena master wants the pc's dead, but the next column it says they are under orders to kill the pc's. Which is it? off the subject,,,HOW in gods name did Auric win the belt last year while being 5th level? Musta been part of (read: skulking behind)a 10th level fighter's team...is there only 1 belt, or do all team members get a copy? Anyone feel like writing up the other teams?
The more I think about this section of the campaign, the more I get annoyed and want to completely drop it. As others have mentioned, it's fairly well written, but still seems like nothing but filler, with very little at all to attach itself to the overall theme...anyone got any good ideas about a whole adventure I can throw in here to replace HoHR? I'm also somewhat amiss to learn a doppleganger is neutral, when teh creatures clearly act evil 99% of the time...just neutral to 'throw off' a Paladin's detect ability? Maybe I really WILL bring The Hand and The Eye out from Vecna Lives! as a main adventure alternate?
I swear WC is just as bad as ToH...either that or I'm just a mean DM. My group is fairly big (6-7 charcters at any time, next week 8!)and in three sessions 4 PC's have died, going through the adventure 'as is'. The Brown Mold, the Mad Slasher...and tonight it was beetle swarm #2 for the Paladin and The Albino Bartender for the party Half-Orc PC....lol...details: They climb down into the servant quarters where the beetles are...get into a big fight...the cleric of Wee Jas flees and climbs up the rope, followed by the SECOND cleric of Wee Jas...the top one in her haste rolls a 4 on her climb check near the top of the 60' shaft and down she goes...the bottom cleric tries to grab her...both fall and splat, at mid negatives (I even did half damage for collision and fall impact). Meanwhile the Paladin gets swarmed and bit...all that's left is the +1 chainmail...they retreat to town...the Half Orc players is JONESING for a fight because he's 30 xp from level 2....he goes to the Feral Dog and tells the bartender "Your beer sucks!" The replacment paladin 'just happened' to be in the bar, and the two clerics of Wee-Jas and the Ninja come in right at the start of trouble (they didn't even rest after the arse-beating in the Cairn)...the albino grabs the pc half orc by the shirt collar "What did ya say 'bout me beer?" The party PC punches Kull in the chops for 7 subdual. Kullen's mage bud stands up and fires off a Enfeeblement ray for 6 str loss at the PC half-orc....the PC half orc (1st Barbarian) gets his blood up, runs around and attacks Kull with his Great Axe... "Axes is it?" growls Kullen. The PC Paladin (rather that show much diplomacy, leaps up on the bar and takes a smack at the PC barbarian for subdual..he believes the PC orc is overduing it when he punches then tries to hack Kullen...true enough)but for his trouble the paladin gets an arrow in the back from the ranger in Kullens band. The cleric of Wee Jas fires off an arrow at Kullen's mage, the party ninja uses invsibility and LEAVES, the two clerics get color sprayed..one goes to sleep...I even let the evil mage tell the other cleric to get out or die...what does Wee Jas cleric 2 do? He attacks...and gets hit with a sleep spell...zzzzz.... The Paladin is now flanked by a berserk Kullen and his Glaive-weilding friend, since the PC halforc went down like a hooker after Kull smacked him for 19 damage...since the paladin never actually WOUNDED Kull or the Glaive man, he is spared but Kull takes the head off the sleeping half orc...the two clerics of Wee Jas are ransomed for a large amount of gold from the Cult of the Green Lady, who promptly tell the two PC they are no longer entitled to free healing or sleeping qrtrs until they repay the randsom gold and stop smearing the name of the order with stupid acts. The paladin comes back and begs Kullen for his longsword back, but ends up trading a sunrod for it...and the PC half-rocs head is now on a deer antler over the bar...am I mean, is the module deadly or are my players just stupid?
So I decide to take a batch of players I've never met and undergo the Age of Worms...they knew about this for two weeks before the game date. I get there and we do the intros...the first hint I get from one of the players thats something's amiss: "I know a little about Diamond Lake..." (Huh?....Don't tell me...)anyway most of the group are nice guys and all so we go on....finally half the group tells me they were DM'ing Whispering Cairn for their own group "But don't worry, they all died at the Wing Warriors encounter...we didn't get very far" Far? Isn't that near the END of the first adventure? What to do? Well, they find two dead wolves and a third comes running out from the crypt chased by two hell hounds...now the 'in the know'players are a little surprised. Fortunatly I've read up to Adventure 4, and rather than a coffin, they find an elevator down.."What the hell? You totally changed this..." They encounter tieflings and get their asses beat, come back and get ambushed by Grimlocks (yeah the Cult is below the whispering cairn)...3 party members are at negatives, two are exactly at '0'...the two remainign grims roll lousy on sense motive and the halfing barbarain with his greatsword and one of two clerics of saint cuthbert roll great on bluff....when the grims leave for assistance, the '0' hp folk use tiefling potions to revive and run away with the rest of the party. But it still pisses me off they neglected to tell me half the party has read the entire first adventure....three of the guys are descent players who just want to have fun, but a few are critical of how the adventures running since they would handle a few NPC diffrently...should I continue the game or no? I'm running the game for local players as well on opposite weekends, so I have an easy out...
These two critters would be great to throw into Greyhawk for the PC's to battle...they just look cool and it would be intresting to see them try to kill PC's as well as ebon aspect folk....lol especially the Hand...and squat dwarf sized humanoid with a giant hand for a head would be great to 'grab' the player's attention....
Lol I have a player in AoW who's paladin keeps lying...The three adventureres from greyhawk arrive at the mine shack and ask if the PC's know where the cairn is. "Nope...no idea where it might be" shouts the paladin. Blam....Pelor sucks 100xp as a penalty for lying (It was spur of the moment ruling but god it was funny and felt appropriate)..."I'm keeping my mouth shut...I need my xp". not 10 minutes later the Paladin again lies his arse off at the Ferril Dog and blam loses another batch of Xp. 'Firk Ding Blast' is a good summerization of his reaction..."Damn it, it's hard to be a paladin!" I think he gets the point....this is a good way to keep him in line until he really violates his creed majorly. |