Goblin

Golarion Goblin's page

275 posts. Alias of NChance (RPG Superstar 2009 Top 16).




Dunno if this should be here or the Third Party board, but here goes: Let's say I was making a 3P monster from outer space. I know I can't say "It's from Marata, the forest moon of Bretheda", but can I give it Maratian as its language and say "It's from the forest moon of a gas giant, check Distant Worlds for more planetary info"? Which is less likely to get me in hot water?


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A little bit of cross-posting from the Advanced Class boards...

My party was just about to finish the first Kingmaker book, The Stolen Lands, so I took the opportunity to test out some of the new classes. I'm running with 5 well-statted PCs, so I'm using the six player fan conversion.

Auchs

Spoiler:

Auchs
Male human brawler 4
CE Medium humanoid (human)
Init +1; Senses Perception +8
------------------
Defense
------------------
AC 16, touch 12, flat-footed 14 (+4 armor, +1 Dex, +1 dodge)
hp 38 (4d10+12)
Fort +8, Ref +5, Will +2
------------------
Offense
------------------
Speed 35 ft
Melee unarmed strike +11 | +9/+9 (1d8+10)
Special: Brawler's Flurry
------------------
Statistics
------------------
Str 20, Dex 12, Con 14, Int 3, Wis 13, Cha 4
Base Attack +4; CMB +9 (+10 trip), CMD 20
Feats: Fleet, Great Fortitude, Toughness, Weapon Focus (unarmed strike)
Skills: Perception +8, Swim +12
Languages: Common (illiterate)
Special Qualities: Maneuver Training (trip), Martial Maneuvers
Combat Gear: 2 potions of cure moderate wounds, 1 potion of lesser restoration
Other Gear: masterwork chain shirt, amulet of mighty fists +1, knight and dragon toys (45 gp), silver Stag Lord amulet (20 gp)

Base Stats: Melee unarmed strike +11 | +9/+9 (1d8+6)

Auchs used Martial Maneuvers to give himself Weapon Specialization (unarmed strike) as combat starts, which is already factored in to the damage above.

The Stag Lord

Spoiler:

The Stag Lord
Male human slayer 9
CE Medium humanoid (human)
Init +4; Senses Perception +10
------------------
Defense
------------------
AC 20, touch 16, flat-footed 15 (+3 armor, +4 Dex, +1 deflection, +1 dodge, +1 natural)
hp 84 (9d8+27)
Fort +10, Ref +10, Will +24
DR 5/cold iron
------------------
Offense
------------------
Speed 30 ft
Melee +1 longsword +12/+7 (1d8+3/19-20)
Ranged +1 composite longbow +12/+7 (1d8+8/x3)
Special: Favored Target +2, Sneak Attack +3d6
------------------
Statistics
------------------
Str 14, Dex 18, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 8, Cha 12
Base Attack +9; CMB +11, CMD 25
Feats: Deadly Aim, Diehard, Dodge, Endurance, Great Fortitude, Iron Will, Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Toughness, Weapon Focus (composite longbow)
Skills: Acrobatics +13, Appraise +1, Climb +11, Intimidate +10, Knowledge (geography) +4, Perception +10, Stealth +13, Survival +8, Swim +11
Special Qualities: Track (+4), Slayer Talents (combat trick x3, weapon training), Stalker
Combat Gear: 2 potions of cure serious wounds
Other Gear: +1 leather armor, +1 longsword, +1 composite longbow (+2 Str), 20 arrows, amulet of natural armor +1, ring of protection +1, stag's helm, cold iron band, one +1 human-bane arrow

Base Stats: Ranged +1 composite longbow +15/+10 (1d8+2/x3)

The Stag Lord is currently using Deadly Aim to take a -3 on his ranged attacks, and gaining +6 damage.

Auchs performed like a champ, elbow-dropping our cavalier from the upper floor and almost knocking off her mount. He held off the cavalier, her auroch mount, and the cleric of Gorum, dealing scads of damage bare-handed. While that was going on, the Stag Lord made the cleric his favored target (from cover and hidden) and sunk an arrow into the holy warrior's side. Luckily for the cleric, not close enough for sneak attack.

Mobility is incredibly limited due to the party wizard's web, so those engaged stay close. With a quick jab from Auchs, the cleric drops to negatives, and the cavalier responds with a yard of steel through the simpleton's spine effectively ending the brawler playtest. The Stag Lord, still hidden thanks to fantastic dice rolls, switches his favored target to the wizard and lets another arrow fly. Still standing, the wizard dumps a healing potion down the cleric's throat. The cleric, now in the positives, sits bolt-upright and hits the Stag Lord with hold person, turning the villain from threat to statuary, and then statuary to bleeding pile.

Overall, the brawler feels good. Nicely balanced between fighter and monk. The martial maneuvers, for an NPC, only really add a feat. It's nice to be able to swap on the fly, but the average NPC lasts a few rounds at most. It's something that I really want to see a PC use before I pass judgement.

The slayer has a LOT of potential for wrecking faces. Admittedly, I tried keeping him as "canon" as I could, so instead of trying some of the more interesting slayer talents, he just took more feats. I really want to toy with more of the talents. Deadly Range, Slowing Strike, and Sniper's Eye would have drastically changed the shape of the battle (if our wizard hadn't gummed up the battlefield with his web...).

All in all, the brawler and the slayer feel like a lot of fun, I just need more time to play with them.


My party was just about to finish the first Kingmaker book, The Stolen Lands, so I took the opportunity to test out some of the new classes. I'm running with 5 well-statted PCs, so I'm using the six player fan conversion.

Auchs

Spoiler:

Auchs
Male human brawler 4
CE Medium humanoid (human)
Init +1; Senses Perception +8
------------------
Defense
------------------
AC 16, touch 12, flat-footed 14 (+4 armor, +1 Dex, +1 dodge)
hp 38 (4d10+12)
Fort +8, Ref +5, Will +2
------------------
Offense
------------------
Speed 35 ft
Melee unarmed strike +11 | +9/+9 (1d8+10)
Special: Brawler's Flurry
------------------
Statistics
------------------
Str 20, Dex 12, Con 14, Int 3, Wis 13, Cha 4
Base Attack +4; CMB +9 (+10 trip), CMD 20
Feats: Fleet, Great Fortitude, Toughness, Weapon Focus (unarmed strike)
Skills: Perception +8, Swim +12
Languages: Common (illiterate)
Special Qualities: Maneuver Training (trip), Martial Maneuvers
Combat Gear: 2 potions of cure moderate wounds, 1 potion of lesser restoration
Other Gear: masterwork chain shirt, amulet of mighty fists +1, knight and dragon toys (45 gp), silver Stag Lord amulet (20 gp)

Base Stats: Melee unarmed strike +11 | +9/+9 (1d8+6)

Auchs used Martial Maneuvers to give himself Weapon Specialization (unarmed strike) as combat starts, which is already factored in to the damage above.

The Stag Lord

Spoiler:

The Stag Lord
Male human slayer 9
CE Medium humanoid (human)
Init +4; Senses Perception +10
------------------
Defense
------------------
AC 20, touch 16, flat-footed 15 (+3 armor, +4 Dex, +1 deflection, +1 dodge, +1 natural)
hp 84 (9d8+27)
Fort +10, Ref +10, Will +24
DR 5/cold iron
------------------
Offense
------------------
Speed 30 ft
Melee +1 longsword +12/+7 (1d8+3/19-20)
Ranged +1 composite longbow +12/+7 (1d8+8/x3)
Special: Favored Target +2, Sneak Attack +3d6
------------------
Statistics
------------------
Str 14, Dex 18, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 8, Cha 12
Base Attack +9; CMB +11, CMD 25
Feats: Deadly Aim, Diehard, Dodge, Endurance, Great Fortitude, Iron Will, Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Toughness, Weapon Focus (composite longbow)
Skills: Acrobatics +13, Appraise +1, Climb +11, Intimidate +10, Knowledge (geography) +4, Perception +10, Stealth +13, Survival +8, Swim +11
Special Qualities: Track (+4), Slayer Talents (combat trick x3, weapon training), Stalker
Combat Gear: 2 potions of cure serious wounds
Other Gear: +1 leather armor, +1 longsword, +1 composite longbow (+2 Str), 20 arrows, amulet of natural armor +1, ring of protection +1, stag's helm, cold iron band, one +1 human-bane arrow

Base Stats: Ranged +1 composite longbow +15/+10 (1d8+2/x3)

The Stag Lord is currently using Deadly Aim to take a -3 on his ranged attacks, and gaining +6 damage.

Auchs performed like a champ, elbow-dropping our cavalier from the upper floor and almost knocking off her mount. He held off the cavalier, her auroch mount, and the cleric of Gorum, dealing scads of damage bare-handed. While that was going on, the Stag Lord made the cleric his favored target (from cover and hidden) and sunk an arrow into the holy warrior's side. Luckily for the cleric, not close enough for sneak attack.

Mobility is incredibly limited due to the party wizard's web, so those engaged stay close. With a quick jab from Auchs, the cleric drops to negatives, and the cavalier responds with a yard of steel through the simpleton's spine effectively ending the brawler playtest. The Stag Lord, still hidden thanks to fantastic dice rolls, switches his favored target to the wizard and lets another arrow fly. Still standing, the wizard dumps a healing potion down the cleric's throat. The cleric, now in the positives, sits bolt-upright and hits the Stag Lord with hold person, turning the villain from threat to statuary, and then statuary to bleeding pile.

Overall, the brawler feels good. Nicely balanced between fighter and monk. The martial maneuvers, for an NPC, only really add a feat. It's nice to be able to swap on the fly, but the average NPC lasts a few rounds at most. It's something that I really want to see a PC use before I pass judgement.

The slayer has a LOT of potential for wrecking faces. Admittedly, I tried keeping him as "canon" as I could, so instead of trying some of the more interesting slayer talents, he just took more feats. I really want to toy with more of the talents. Deadly Range, Slowing Strike, and Sniper's Eye would have drastically changed the shape of the battle (if our wizard hadn't gummed up the battlefield with his web...).

All in all, the brawler and the slayer feel like a lot of fun, I just need more time to play with them.


Is there a list/table/thing of base skill DCs in the core rulebook? It's been too dang long and I'm trying to get a good footing for starting off a 1st level game.

RPG Superstar 2009 Top 16

Yes, the idea is swiped from Minmax's new sword in Goblins, and the name is swiped from a China Mieville novel, but look past all that. Are there any loopholes I'm missing to cover with this artifact?

Spoiler:
The Possible Sword

Aura strong transmutation; CL 20th
Slot –; Price –; Weight 4 lbs.

Description

The Possible Sword has the stats of a nonmagical longsword, save that it cannot be sundered, damaged, nor given the broken condition. When the command word is spoken as a free action, the Possible Sword takes on the properties of whatever the blade is touching. For example, if the blade was touching a +2 flaming warhammer, it would gain the warhammer's +2 bonus to hit and damage and its flaming enchantment. If touched to a headband of mental superiority +2, it would grant its wielder a +2 enhancement bonus to all mental ability scores while drawn. If used with a substance that would normally deal damage on its own, such as alchemist's fire, it adds the extra damage to the base damage of the sword, though it does not have splash damage. If used with a potion, the effects of the potion are applied to the target on a successful hit. If used with a nonmagical substance, the Possible Sword deals damage as a nonmagical sword, though it may bypass certain types of damage reduction. A sword made of water or air still deals damage, while a sword made of fire deals no extra fire damage. The Possible Sword cannot duplicate spell completion nor spell trigger items.

Destruction

The Possible Sword shatters if ever brought into contact with another version of itself.

Thanks in advance.


Be gentle...

Crown of the Kobold King -- Level 6

Spoiler:

This burnished bronze crown is adorned with blood-covered skulls.

Item Slot: Head -- 1,800 gp
Property: Gain a +5 item bonus to defenses and saves vs. powers with the fear keyword cast by dragons.
Property (Daily): Gain a +2 item bonus to AC and Will defense until the end of the encounter.

Heartripper Blade -- Level 3+

Spoiler:

A hateful and wicked looking weapon, black smoke wafts off the blade.

Lvl 3 -- +1 -- 680 gp
Lvl 8 -- +2 -- 8,400 gp
Lvl 13 -- +3 -- 17,000 gp
Lvl 18 -- +4 -- 85,000 gp
Lvl 23 -- +5 -- 425,000 gp
Lvl 28 -- +6 -- 2,125,000 gp

Weapon: Light blade
Enhancement: Attack and damage rolls.
Critical: +1d6 fire damage per plus.
Property: Whenever you reduce an enemy to 0 or fewer hit points, gain temporary hit points equal to the weapon's enhancement bonus.
Property (Daily): Whenever you reduce an enemy to 0 or fewer hit points, heal a number of hit points equal to your healing surge value plus the weapon's enhancement.

Grasp of Droskar -- Level 4

Spoiler:

This blackened iron gauntlet seethes with vile power.

Item Slot: Hands -- 840 gp
Property: Gain a +2 item bonus to Intimidate checks.
Property (Daily): Free Action. On a successful melee attack, both you and the target take 2d10 fire and necrotic damage.

Any comments or suggestions would be very helpful.

RPG Superstar 2009 Top 16 aka NChance

Ryth'a
Female lizardfolk abyssal bloodline sorcerer 15
Description: Nearly twenty five years after a rag-tag group of adventurers disrupted and defeated the plans of the would-be demigod Ssyth'ek, the marsh around tiny Quilman's Ferry has become a darker place. Ryth'a, barely four summers old when her father died, escaped the assault by being spirited away by her priestess mother, only to return after the “heroes” had plundered all they could. Intent on revenge and determined to avoid her father's fate, Ryth'a spent many long years honing her sorcerous abilities in the hidden copses of black, dead trees that were once her home. As she grew in power, something else grew along with her: The spirit of Ssyth'ek. Despite being torn asunder by the Abyssal-energies he tried to consume, he remained, though fragmented, haunting the darkened bog.
Motivations/Goals: Vengeance is not all that Ryth'a seeks. She may have plans to drown the hamlet of Quilman's Ferry for their part in killing her father, but in her desire for power, she also plans to submerge all lands beneath the swamp, expanding Ssyth'ek's ghostly influence, and taking back their land from the soft-skins. Ryth'a spends much time with the shattered spirits of her father, learning where he went wrong, and laying plans to overshadow even his great ambitions. A charismatic leader, Ryth'a emphatically believes that she can do more and go farther than Ssyth'ek ever could, armed with both his earthly knowledge and her own considerable power. She knows the isolationism of her father was part of his downfall, and has used her guile and magical abilities to broker alliances with bandits, gnolls of the Sirmium Plain, goblinoids of the Chitterwood, and demonic forces who want nothing more than to see the diabolic nation of Cheliax reduced to chaos.
Schemes/Plots/Adventure Hooks:

  • Banditry along the River Iseld has become rampant, with the few survivors telling of dark powers aiding the raiders. Evidence points to a gang of tieflings with crocodilian companions working out of Senara as the cause.
  • Thanks to the efforts of her sycophantic marsh giant companion, Ryth'a has cowed some of the Shaggras ogres to her will and is arming them for an attack on Quilman's Ferry. A lone trapper catches sight of the ogres' camp and alerts the PCs.
  • Patches of swamp have begun to appear in places where no swamp should be. Although the patches linger for only a few days, those who encounter them report sightings of a deeply disturbing frog-like visage within them.
  • An oracle has been struck with a vision of wet, murky doom. Sending for the PCs, she begins to foretell of the catastrophe, but is only able to detail vague directions before fetid water fills her lungs, pouring out her mouth and drowning her.

Ryth'a CR 15 [CR 1 {base lizardfolk} + CR 1 {2HD of nonassociated class levels} + CR 13 {13HD of associated class levels}]
NE Medium humanoid (reptilian)
Init +2; Senses Perception +0
===== Defense =====
AC 24, touch 15, flat-footed 22; (+4 armor, +2 deflection, +2 Dex, +5 natural, +1 dodge)
hp 147 (2d8+4 [13] plus 15d6+30 [84] plus 20 [toughness; 2 racial hit dice + 15 sorcerer hit dice + 3 from the feat] plus 30 [bear's endurance])
Fort +10 [+5 sorcerer HD, +2 Con, +1 cloak, +2 bear's endurance], Ref +11 [+3 racial HD, +5 sorcerer HD, +2 Dex, +1 cloak], Will +12 [+9 sorcerer HD, +2 Iron Will, +1 cloak]; +4 vs. poison
Defensive Abilities evasion; DR 10/adamantine (150 points); Resist acid 7, electricity 10
===== Offense =====
Spd 30 ft.
Melee 2 claws +13 [+8 BAB, +2 Str, +1 magic, +2 bull's strength] (1d8+5 [+2 Str, +1 magic, +2 bull's strength] plus 2d6* plus 1d6 fire), bite +7 [+3 BAB, +2 Str, +2 bull's strength] (1d4+2 [+2 Str, +2 bull's strength, /2])
*Ryth'a takes 1d6 points of damage every time she attacks with her claws.
Ranged Ranged touch attack +10
Spells Known (Sorcerer CL 15th)
7th (5/day)--greater teleport, mage's sword, summon monster VII
6th (7/day)--acid fog, chain lightning (DC 23 [+6 spell level, +7 Cha]), greater dispel magic, transformation
5th (7/day)--baleful polymorph (DC 22 [+5 spell level, +7 Cha]), cloudkill (DC 23 [+5 spell level, +7 Cha, +1 feat]), cone of cold (DC 22 [+5 spell level, +7 Cha]), dismissal (DC 23 [+5 spell level, +7 Cha, +1 feat]), feeblemind (DC 22 [+5 spell level, +7 Cha])
4th (7/day, 6 left)--bestow curse (DC 21 [+4 spell level, +7 Cha]), dimension door, enervation (DC 21 [+4 spell level, +7 Cha]), stoneskin, summon monster IV
3rd (8/day)--dispel magic, lightning bolt (DC 20 [+3 spell level, +7 Cha]), rage, ray of exhaustion (DC 20 [+3 spell level, +7 Cha]), slow (DC 20 [+3 spell level, +7 Cha])
2nd (8/day, 6 left)--bear's endurance, bull's strength, eagle's splendor, glitterdust (DC 20 [+2 spell level, +7 Cha, +1 feat]), touch of idiocy
1st (8/day, 7 left)--cause fear (DC 19 [+1 spell level, +7 Cha, +1 feat]), expeditious retreat, mage armor, magic missile, ray of enfeeblement, shocking grasp
0 (6/day)--acid splash, arcane mark, detect magic, mage hand, mending, message, read magic, resistance, touch of fatigue (DC 17 [+7 Cha])
===== Tactics =====
Before Combat If she anticipates combat, Ryth'a casts stoneskin, mage armor, bear's endurance, and bull's strength on herself, in that order. If she has time, she casts bear's endurance on Braxxog.
During Combat If outside her chambers, Ryth'a starts combat by casting acid fog from hiding while her foot-soldiers, using potions of resist energy (acid), attack en-masse. She follows up by focusing on fighter-types with ray of exhaustion, ray of enfeeblement, or baleful polymorph, while reserving feeblemind or bestow curse for spellcasters, heightening them when appropriate.
If caught inside her chambers, she begins combat by casting summon monster IV, summoning two Huge fiendish vipers and orders the snakes to push PCs into the area affected by Ssyth'ek's haunt. She then follows up with chain lightning or mage's sword, reserving greater dispel magic for those bearing obvious magic effects. Depending on how well the fight is going, Ryth'a will attempt to flank with Braxxog in order to grant him sneak attack damage. If reduced to 80 hit points or less however, she will instead summon two fiendish girallons via a summon monster VII spell to aid the marsh giant instead.
Morale While tenacious, Ryth'a does not wish to share her father's fate, and flees using greater teleport (or expeditious retreat if dimensional travel is barred somehow) when reduced to 25 hit points or less.
Base Statistics AC 20, touch 15, flat-footed 18; (+2 deflection, +2 Dex, +5 natural, +1 dodge); hp 117; Fort +8 [+5 sorcerer HD, +2 Con, +1 cloak]; Melee 2 claws +11 [+8 BAB, +2 Str, +1 magic] (1d8+3 plus 2d6 plus 1d6 fire), bite +5 (1d4+1); Str 14 [8, +2 racial, +4 strength of the abyss]; Con 14 [12, +2 racial]; CMB +10 [+8 BAB, +2 Str]; Swim +11 [2 ranks, +2 Str, +4 racial, +3 trained class skill]
===== Statistics =====
Str 18 [8, +2 racial, +4 strength of the abyss, +2 bull's strength], Dex 14, Con 14 [12, +2 racial, +2 bear's endurance], Int 11 [13, –2 racial], Wis 10, Cha 24 [15, +3 from levels gained, +6 from headband]
Base Atk +8; CMB +12 [+8 BAB, +2 Str, +2 bull's strength]
Feats Abyssal Inheritance, Augment Summoning, Combat Casting, Craft Magic Arms and Armor, Craft Wondrous Item, Empower Spell, Eschew Materials, Heighten Spell, Iron Will, Spell Focus (conjuration), Toughness
Skills Acrobatics +11 [2 ranks, +2 Dex, +4 racial, +3 trained class skill], Bluff +14 [5 ranks, +6 Cha, +3 trained class skill], Intimidate +14 [5 ranks, +6 Cha, +3 trained class skill], Knowledge (arcana) +6 [3 ranks, +3 trained class skill], Knowledge (planes) +6 [3 ranks, +3 trained class skill], Spellcraft +15 [12 ranks, +3 trained class skill] (+4 defensive casting), Swim +13 [2 ranks, +4 Str, +4 racial, +3 trained class skill]
Languages Abyssal, Common, Draconic
SQ added summonings, claws, demon resistances, hold breath, strength of the Abyss
Combat Gear +1 vicious amulet of mighty fists, 3 potions of cure serious wounds; Other Gear headband of alluring charisma +6, ring of protection +2, cloak of resistance +1, ring of evasion
===== Ecology =====
Environment Temperate marsh
Organization Ryth'a usually has a retinue of four swamp-skimmers (lizardfolk rogue 1/ranger 4), Zatha (lizardfolk cleric 5) and, unless he's been already killed by the PCs, Braxogg (marsh giant rogue 3).
Treasure In addition to her gear, Ryth'a also carries a fire opal and black star sapphire cloak clasp worth 2,600 gp.

Abyssal Inheritance
The power of the Abyss runs fiercer through your veins than others of your kind.
Prerequisite: Sorcerer 1st level, abyssal bloodline.
Benefit: Choose acid, cold, or fire. You gain resistance equal to half your sorcerer level (rounded down, max 10) versus the energy type you chose. Once the energy type has been chosen, it cannot be changed. You also gain Abyssal as an additional spoken language.
In addition, add +1 to the Difficulty Class for all saving throws against any spell you cast that was gained from your bloodline, such as cause fear. This bonus does not stack with Spell Focus.
Special: This feat can only be taken at 1st level.

RPG Superstar 2009 Top 16 aka NChance

What exactly does "Do not list abilities that appear in the Universal Monster Rules (darkvision, grab, incorporeal, rend, and so on)." cover? Are class abilities part of that also? If I made a cleric, do I need to explain the rules of channel energy?

RPG Superstar 2009 Top 16 aka NChance

Now, I'm not looking for a work around the gold limits, but if your villain has the requisite feats, can we assume that they'd be able to craft their own gear?


Ok, let's say we have an 11th level sorcerer with a black draconic bloodline. Now, said sorcerer gets his claws (pardon the pun) on a pair of +1 flaming spiked gauntlets. Assuming a Strength of 14, if he were to make a full attack with his claws, what would the damage look like?

This: 1d6 + 2 plus 1d6 acid
Or this: 1d6 + 3 plus 1d6 fire plus 1d6 acid

Does the sorcerer add extra damage from other sources to his claw damage, or is there no way to add an extra oomph the the claws?

EDIT: Does the inverse also apply? Can the sorcerer add the additional 1d6 acid damage to his gauntlet attacks?

RPG Superstar 2009 Top 16 aka NChance

The 3rd Round Rules wrote:
  • If the contestant posts in his or her entry thread during the voting period for any reason other to acknowledge feedback or to encourage people to vote for his or her submission, the contestant will be disqualified.

If PosterX says "Hey, your math is wrong in areas Q, R, and S.", are we allowed to acknowledge and refute those claims, or would that get us disqualified?

RPG Superstar 2009 Top 16 aka NChance

Ssyth'ek, He Who Devours Demons

Unique male half-fiend lizardfolk fighter 4/holy warrior cleric 7

Description: Born of the unholy union between between the tribe's former shaman and a hulking hezrou, Ssyth'ek rules over the Scything Claw tribe of lizardfolk with absolute impunity. Clearly different than other “standard” half-fiends, Ssyth'ek stands over nine feet tall, wingless, and able to exude a poisonous musk from his warty, gray skin. He stares out over his people with small eyes set forward and high upon his head, giving him more of a toad-like appearance then that of a lizard. He shows his wrath plainly, bloating and puffing up when angered, with beads of dark green poison flowing from his skin like sweat.

Clad in armor made from the scales of an immense black dragon that recently opposed his tribe, Ssyth'ek strides into battle using his claws and teeth as his favored weapons, reserving his Abyss-borne magic to gird himself before battle, but unleashing the remainder at his fleeing opponents. Despite his savage upbringing and demon-tainted blood, Ssyth'ek has a mind for strategy beyond pure barbarism, drawing enemies into traps and turning minor skirmishes into running battles with his swamp-skimmers and their monstrous crocodilian companions. His reptilian nature is decidedly evident in his cunning strategies; slow and sluggish to the casual observer, but snapping tight in sudden, vicious maneuvers.

Motivations/Goals: Ssyth'ek is a canny and ruthless leader who is no longer satisfied with the simple dominion of the surrounding swampland. He desires nothing more than to become an unstoppable, demigod-like being.

Schemes/Plots: When he assumed power, Ssyth'ek's first decree forbid the practice of the druidic faith, turning instead to a dark, primal power that answered the ruler's guttural prayers and bloody sacrifices. With the blessing of this mysterious abyssal patron, Ssyth'ek's priestesses uncovered an ancient and dark ritual that allows an idolater to feed upon the soul-essence of evil outsiders and grow in power. Using this ritual, Ssyth'ek called and consumed dretches, babaus, a vrock, and most recently a rank-and-file hezrou. Bolstered by this string of successes, Ssyth'ek plans now to call his own father, the massive hezrou Gragrorrp, so that he may devour him. Should he also succeed in this, Ssyth'ek will cease to be a mortal creature, transforming into a full-blooded demon. All that is needed are the right astral alignments, and the dark ceremony can begin.

Adventure Hook: The ritual to summon Gragrorrp is still beyond the abilities of Ssyth'ek, though fortune seems to favor the fiendish chieftain as his scouts have brought word of a human bearing the mark of a summoner that travels the tribe's estuaries. Pavius Alvonar, a Chelaxian devil-binder, is traveling through the area on a mission for his house and might employ the PCs as bodyguards for the long trek. Alternatively, the PCs may learn about the wizard's kidnapping, especially if any have ties to Cheliax, and be dispatched to rescue him.

RPG Superstar 2009 Top 16 aka NChance

The Rules wrote:

ALLOWED SOURCES:

Apart from your own original content, you are limited to using or referring to the following sources:

* Paizo's Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Beta Release, and officially released web enhancements to the Beta
* The 3.5 SRD as presented at d20srd.org
* Published content from Paizo's Pathfinder Chronicles campaign setting
* Content from the earlier round of this year's RPG Superstar contest (whether you created it or not)
* Content that is in the public domain (such as mythological references, etc.)

You may NOT use or refer to Open Game Content (or any other material) from other publishers.

Emphasis mine on what I'm asking; When it says "original content", is that limited to the wondrous items we recently submitted, or can we use other original content as long as it falls within the realm of the other allowed sources?


What with Adamant Entertainment putting out angelic and vermin lord pacts, I thought I'd try my hand at it too, so I'm working on the dragontouched pact. I'm mainly trying to adapt the dragonfire adept from Dragon Magic into 4E without coming up with an entire new class. Considering how the dragonfire adept was, essentially, the warlock with a different flavor and attack shape, a warlock pact seemed the way to go.

That said, I do have a question: I'm trying to create a controller warlock as opposed to a striker with this pact. Is that a feasible endeavor or should the controller be the sole purview of the wizard?

RPG Superstar 2009 Top 16 aka NChance

How will we be notified as per our entries? Will everyone be told at the same time, or will some be told sooner than others? Just wondering and in no way, shape, or form trying to placate any paranoia...

*whistles innocently*

RPG Superstar 2009 Top 16 aka NChance

Temporal Bracers
Aura
strong transmutation; CL 17th
Slot hands; Price 165,240 gp; Weight 1 lb.

Description
You may activate these gem-studded bracers as a move action, pulling your “future self” to the past for one round. Your future self appears in a square adjacent to you, acts as your turn ends, and may take one full-round's worth of actions. At the start of your next turn both incarnations, and any items carried by them, disappear for one round. At the start of your third turn, you reappear in the square where your future self was last standing, appearing in the nearest adjacent square if that one is occupied.

Both incarnations are subject to damage and effects, using only one hit point total. All effects of a failed save against any persistent effect, such as poisons or the scare spell, remain with you when you reappear on the third round after activating the bracers. This includes death effects and dying due to hit point or ability loss.

A pair of temporal bracers can be used three times a day, but can only be activated once every four rounds.

Construction
Requirements
Craft Wondrous Item, time stop; Cost 82,620 gp


I have a PC in my gaming group who's a half-orc, wields a non-masterwork spiked chain, and worships Cayden Cailean. The party has just started into D1, and I suspect they'll be dealing with the

Spoiler:
forge spurned
either in the next session or the one soon after.
Spoiler:
The forge spurned effectively has a +3 flaming spiked chain as per the Soul Chain ability and its 30 links. Despite the armor and attack bonus, I'm willing to put money on this PC in particular wanting to destroy it (big anti-slavery back story). So, instead of not rewarding good RP, I was debating that when the PC sunders the chain, some of the trapped spirits pass through it, imbuing it with some of their power. Looking through the Second Darkness Player's Guide, Luthier's Rapier looks like a pretty nice item. Considering that if they sold the chain (which would have repercussions all its own) they'd get 24,000 gp, an RP-based treasure that costs about 5,000 gp doesn't seem so bad. I may knock the +4 to Charisma and versus fear off until it gets fitted with a ruby, but all in all, not a bad "trade".

Any thoughts or insight would be greatly appreciated.


The quote the rage ability "Starting at 1st level, a barbarian gains a number of rage points equal to 4 + her Constitution modifier. At each level after 1st, she gains an additional number of rage points equal to 2 + her Constitution modifier." Now does "at each level after 1st" mean any class, or only barbarian levels? Does a barbarian with a 14 Con who takes a level in fighter at second level have 6 or 10 rage points?


So, I've been recently working on updating the thaumaturge base class for the PRPG, mainly due to the two prominent thaumaturges in the Rise of the Runelords AP. As such, I decided to update the given domains in the back of the "Armies of the Abyss" book. So here they are. They should be balanced with the rest of the Pathfinder domains, but I really don't know, hence my asking you, the forum goers, for your input. Thanks in advance.

Catastrophe Domain

Spoiler:
Patrons: Deskari, Groetus, Rovagug
  • 1st Level Ability - Catastrophic Pall (Su): You can give a creature a catastrophic pall as a melee touch attack. The target takes a -1 penalty to their saving throws equal for one minute. This penalty increases by 1 for every five levels you possess. A creature can only be affected by your catastrophic pall once per day.
  • 2nd Level Ability - Doom (Sp): You can cast doom 1/day per 2 caster levels you possess.
  • 4th Level Ability - Shatter (Sp): You can cast shatter 1/day.
  • 8th Level Ability - Avoid Catastrophe (Su): When caught in the area of effect of one of your own spells that allows a Reflex save for half damage, you take no damage on a successful save and half damage on a failed save.
  • 12th Level Ability - Control Weather (Sp): You can cast control weather 1/day.
  • 16th Level Ability - Earthquake (Sp): You can cast earthquake 1/day.
  • 20th Level Ability - Storm of Vengeance (Sp): You can cast storm of vengeance 1/day.

Change Domain
Spoiler:
Patrons: Haagenti, Jubilex, Valani
  • 1st Level Ability - Mutable Form (Su): You gain a +1 enhancement bonus to one physical ability score (Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution). This bonus increases by +1 for every 5 caster levels you possess, to a maximum of +5 at 20th level. You can change this bonus to a new physical ability score when you prepare spells.
  • 2nd Level Ability - Enlarge Person (Sp): You can cast enlarge person 1/day per 2 caster levels you possess.
  • 4th Level Ability - Gaseous Form (Sp): You can cast gaseous form 1/day.
  • 8th Level Ability - Control Shift (Su): You are immune to confusion or similar effects. Further, if you successfully save against baleful polymorph cast upon you, you may take control of the spell as if it were polymorph self (Treat it as polymorph self to determine duration, possible forms, and so on).
  • 12th Level Ability - Transmute Rock to Mud(Sp): You can cast transmute rock to mud 1/day.
  • 16th Level Ability - Transmute Metal to Wood (Sp): You can cast transmute metal to wood 1/day.
  • 20th Level Ability - Shapechange (Sp): You can cast shapechange 1/day.

Crippling Domain
Spoiler:
Patrons: Achaekek, Kostchtchie, Shax, Zon-kuthon
  • 1st Level Ability - Crippling Strike (Su): As a full-round action, you can make a single melee attack against an opponent with a bonus equal to ½ your caster level (minimum 1). If this attack hits, the target must make a Fortitude save (DC 10 + half your caster level + your Constitution modifier) or become dazed for one round.
  • 2nd Level Ability - Doom (Sp): You can cast doom 1/day per 2 caster levels you possess.
  • 4th Level Ability - Hold Person (Sp): You can cast hold person 1/day.
  • 8th Level Ability - Withering Touch (Su): As a full-round action, you can make a single melee touch attack against an opponent. If this attack hits, the target must make a Fortitude save (DC 10 + half your caster level + your Constitution modifier). If the target fails its save, you wither one of its limbs, bestowing either a -2 penalty to attack and damage rolls (minimum +0) or a 5 ft penalty to all movement speeds (minimum 0 ft) for one round per caster level you possess. Penalties from multiple withering touches stack.
  • 12th Level Ability - Enervation(Sp): You can cast enervation 3/day.
  • 16th Level Ability - Waves of Fatigue (Sp): You can cast waves of fatigue 1/day.
  • 20th Level Ability - Implosion (Sp): You can cast implosion 1/day.

Disease Domain
Spoiler:
Patrons: Apollyon, Cyth-V'sug, Ghlaunder, Urgathoa
  • 1st Level Ability - Sickening Touch (Su): You can cause a living creature to become sickened as a melee touch attack. This ability has no effect on creatures of higher level than you or with more HD. This effect lasts one round per caster level. Once a creature has been affected by your sickening strike, he is immune to its effect for 1 day.
  • 2nd Level Ability - Ray of Enfeeblement (Sp): You can cast ray of enfeeblement 1/day per 2 caster levels you possess.
  • 4th Level Ability - Summon Swarm (Sp): You can cast summon swarm (rat swarm only) 1/day.
  • 8th Level Ability - Disease Harbinger (Su): You become immune to ability damage or drain caused by any disease, though you still carry them and suffer any superficial effects (boils, odors, sores, and so on). Also, a number of times per day equal to half your caster level (rounded down), you can imbue a spell that deals hit point damage to be resistant to healing. Any creatures targeted by this ability cannot heal the damage dealt by the augmented spell until they receive either a heal, remove disease, or are treated by a DC 10 + half your caster level + your Charisma modifier Heal check. Once a creature has been affected by this ability, it is immune to its effects for 1 day.
  • 12th Level Ability - Eyebite (Sp): You can cast eyebite 1/day.
  • 16th Level Ability - Regenerate (Sp): You can cast regenerate 1/day.
  • 20th Level Ability - Energy Drain (Sp): You can cast energy drain 1/day.

Eloquence Domain
Spoiler:
Patrons: Arshea, Asmodeus, Belial, Nocticula, Ragathiel
  • 1st Level Ability - Graceful Caress (Su): You can touch a creature as a standard action, giving it a bonus to a single Dexterity- or Charisma-based skill check or ability check equal to your caster level. This bonus lasts 3 rounds or until it is used. Once a creature has benefited from a graceful caress, it gains no further benefit from this ability for one hour.
  • 2nd Level Ability - Charm Person (Sp): You can cast charm person 1/day per 2 caster levels you possess.
  • 4th Level Ability - Enthrall (Sp): You can cast enthrall 1/day.
  • 8th Level Ability - Divine Elegance (Su): You gain a bonus equal to your Charisma modifier on all saving throws. In addition, you may use your Charisma modifier instead of your Wisdom modifier for your Will saves.
  • 12th Level Ability - Mass Eagle's Splendor (Sp): You can cast mass eagle's splendor 1/day.
  • 16th Level Ability - Geas/Quest (Sp): You can cast geas/quest 1/day.
  • 20th Level Ability - Dominate Monster (Sp): You can cast dominate monster 1/day.

Fear Domain
Spoiler:
Patrons: Lamashtu
  • 1st Level Ability - Fearful Touch (Su): You can cause a living creature to become shaken as a melee touch attack. This ability has no effect on creatures of higher level than you or with more HD. This effect lasts one round per caster level. Once a creature has been affected by your fearful touch, he is immune to its effect for 1 day.
  • 2nd Level Ability - Cause Fear (Sp): You can cast cause fear 1/day per 2 caster levels you possess.
  • 4th Level Ability - Scare (Sp): You can cast scare 1/day.
  • 8th Level Ability - Heighten Fear (Su): You become immune to fear (magical or otherwise). Also, as a melee touch attack you can increase any fear effect that you caused in a creature. A shaken creature becomes frightened, a frightened creature begins cowering, and a cowering creature becomes panicked. This ability has no effect on panicked creatures or creatures that are not under any fear effects.
  • 12th Level Ability - Phantasmal Killer (Sp): You can cast phantasmal killer 1/day.
  • 16th Level Ability - Symbol of Fear (Sp): You can cast symbol of fear 1/day.
  • 20th Level Ability - Wail of the Banshee (Sp): You can cast wail of the banshee 1/day.

Pain Domain
Spoiler:
Patrons: Andirfkhu, Besmara, Droskar, Norgorber, Shax, Zon-kuthon, Zyphus
  • 1st Level Ability - Crueler Cut (Su): As a full-round action, you may make a single melee or ranged attack against a foe. If the attack is successful, you deal extra damage equal to you caster level and the target must make a Fortitude save (DC 10 + your caster level + Constitution modifier) or suffer a -1 penalty to attack and damage rolls and skill checks for 1 round per caster level you possess.
  • 2nd Level Ability - Chill Touch (Sp): You can cast chill touch 1/day per 2 caster levels you possess.
  • 4th Level Ability - Inflict Moderate Wounds (Sp): You can cast inflict moderate wounds 1/day.
  • 8th Level Ability - Wracking Mantle (Su): A mantle of black energy surrounds you for a number of rounds per day equal to your caster level. While the wracking mantle is in effect, any adjacent foe striking you with a melee weapon takes 1d6 points of damage +1 per two caster levels you possess. These rounds do not need to be consecutive.
  • 12th Level Ability - Harm (Sp): You can cast harm 1/day.
  • 16th Level Ability - Destruction (Sp): You can cast destruction 1/day.
  • 20th Level Ability - Horrid Wilting (Sp): You can cast horrid wilting 1/day.

Pleasure Domain
Spoiler:
Patrons: Belial, Calistria, Cayden Cailean, Nocticula, Socobenoth
  • 1st Level Ability - Alluring Touch (Su): You can touch a creature as a standard action, granting it a bonus to single Bluff, Diplomacy, Perform, or Sense Motive check equal to your caster level +1. This bonus lasts 3 rounds or until it is used. Once a creature has benefited from your alluring touch, it gains no further benefit from this ability for 1 hour.
  • 2nd Level Ability - Charm Person (Sp): You can cast charm person 1/day per 2 caster levels you possess.
  • 4th Level Ability - Hideous Laughter (Sp): You can cast hideous laughter 1/day.
  • 8th Level Ability - Ecstasy Aura (Su): You can emit a 30-ft aura of ecstasy for a number of rounds per day equal to your caster level. Creatures in the aura other than you take a -2 penalty on attack rolls and AC. These rounds do not need to be consecutive.
  • 12th Level Ability - Symbol of Persuasion (Sp): You can cast symbol of persuasion 1/day.
  • 16th Level Ability - Regenerate (Sp): You can cast regenerate 1/day.
  • 20th Level Ability - Irresistible Dance (Sp): You can cast irresistible dance 1/day.

Prophecy Domain
Spoiler:
Patrons: Nethys, Pharasma
  • 1st Level Ability - Prophetic Touch (Su): You can touch a creature as a standard action, granting it a bonus on all attack rolls equal to your half your caster level rounded down (minimum +1) for one round. Once a creature has benefited from your prophetic touch, it gains no further benefit from this ability for 24 hours.
  • 2nd Level Ability - True Strike (Sp): You can cast true strike 1/day per 2 caster levels you possess.
  • 4th Level Ability - Augury (Sp): You can cast augury 1/day.
  • 8th Level Ability - Fate Armor (Su): A swirling armor of fate can surround you for a number of rounds per day equal to your caster level. While your fate armor is in effect, you gain a deflection bonus to your AC equal to half your level rounded down. These rounds do not need to be consecutive.
  • 12th Level Ability - Divination (Sp): You can cast divination 3/day.
  • 16th Level Ability - Greater Scrying (Sp): You can cast greater scrying 1/day.
  • 20th Level Ability - Foresight (Sp): You can cast foresight 1/day.

Subterfuge Domain
Spoiler:
Patrons: Baalzebul, Norgorber, Shax
  • 1st Level Ability - Touch of Falsehood (Su): You can touch a creature as a standard action, granting it either a bonus or a penalty equal to your caster level on Bluff or Sense Motive checks for one minute. Once a creature has been affected by your touch of falsehood, it is immune to its effect for 1 hour.
  • 2nd Level Ability - Disguise Self (Sp): You can cast disguise self 1/day per 2 caster levels you possess.
  • 4th Level Ability - Alter Self (Sp): You can cast alter self 1/day.
  • 8th Level Ability - Aura of Misdirection (Su): You can emit a 30-ft aura of misdirection for a number of rounds per day equal to your caster level. You and all allies in the area gain a +1 luck bonus to your AC and a 10% mischance against ranged attacks for every 4 caster levels you possess. These rounds do not need to be consecutive.
  • 12th Level Ability - Mislead (Sp): You can cast mislead 1/day.
  • 16th Level Ability - Mass Invisibility (Sp): You can cast mass invisibility 1/day.
  • 20th Level Ability - Mind Blank (Sp): You can cast mind blank 1/day.


I'm going to be using the thaumaturge from Green Ronin's Armies of the Abyss book. Any suggestions on how to bump this class up to PRPG level?


Hello everyone. I'm going to be running a campaign using the final Alpha playtest of the Pathfinder System (we'll be upgrading to the official version next August). It looks like the campaign is gonna be mostly set in the Darkmoon Vale. That said, has anyone had any issues running these modules with the new system? I've got a party of five players, so I'm going to be bumping the encounters up some as it is already, but any specific points any other DM's could share would be most appreciated.


Will poster created content and/or beta-testing material be credited in the final release of the Pathfinder RPG? I'm not looking for anything major, just a small section at the end of the book. Is this asking too much?


...from a gnome and a half-orc.


For those of you that have/are successful game designers, what exactly do you need to do to break into the business? Unemployment compensation is surprisingly kind to me right now, so instead of trying to find another wage-slave job, I thought I'd try and do something I like. Yeah, I missed the boat with RPG Superstar (stupid me for not seeing it in time), but aside from that what do I need? Schooling? Playtest-type knowledge? Dumb luck? Any and all thoughts, suggestions, and/or et cetera will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.


[Re-posted from the General sub-forum]

Would a simple Skill Focus (Survival) be in order for creatures that would normally receive Track as a bonus feat? I'm restatting a dire badger and, while it's not terribly important, I'd like to get a semi-official answer before getting too far into the system.


Would a simple Skill Focus (Survival) be in order for creatures that would normally receive Track as a bonus feat? I'm restatting a dire badger and, while it's not terribly important, I'd like to get a semi-official answer before getting too far into the system.


If we're going to get rid of cure minor wounds, we should also get rid of inflict minor wounds simply out of a sake... purity? Regardless, an undead cleric who gets away and has sufficient time can completely heal himself without touching any spells or rebuke attempts. My suggestion is this:

Quote:

Bleed

Necromancy
Level: Clr 0
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 Standard action
Range: Touch
Target: Creature touched
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Will negates
Spell Resistance: Yes

When laying your hand upon a creature that is at or below 0 hit points and is stable, you immediately open it's wounds causing it to fall unconscious and begin dying.

Thoughts?


What background info did you give your PCs before starting any of these modules? Just how much of Falcon's Hollow did they know about?


FotSG Spoilers

Spoiler:
If a non-giant corpse was polymorphed into a giant corpse and dumped into said cauldron, which would happen?

1 - The non-giant would arise as a runeslave giant and stay that way.
2 - The non-giant would arise as a runeslave giant until the polymorph wore off at which point it would become a runeslave non-giant.
3 - The non-giant would arise as a runeslave giant until the polymorph wore off at which point it would revert back to its regular non-giant, non-runeslave form.
4 - Nothing would happen at all.


Help?


After my PCs cut through nearly every encounter during my last session, I've decided to raise the stakes a bit and beef the throne-sitting boss of the ogres up a bit.

Spoiler:
I'm thinking of giving Barl the skeletal minion variant necromancer and the animated skeletal remains of the chatty stone giant bodyguard, if for nothing else to give the party more targets than just Barl and the remaining bodyguard. A favored tactic of my PCs' is to silence a pebble, give it to the barbarian/ranger, and watch as the spellcaster screams silently. So I'm decided to return the favor by giving Barl some oils of silence which he'll pour onto the boulders that his living bodyguard will toss at the party. I've also swapped some of his feats, making him much more the caster than "fighter/mage".

Any other suggestions?


I would assume they'd be rare, if existant at all. Do we have any ideas one way or the other about draconic half-breeds?


Considering that the rosewood armor sprouts roses, would it be a viable target for an entangle spell?


Has anyone thought of beefing up Mammy Graul? My group consists of:
- A spiked chain wielding half-orc barbarian 3/ranger 4 with a war mastiff animal companion thanks to Natural Bond
- A human beguiler 6/mindbender 1 with the Mind Sight feat from Lords of Madness
- A human cleric of Desna 7 with Leadership and a 4th level warlock cohort
- A human factotum 5/chameleon 2 who can do ANYTHING
- And a gnome jester 7 whose hideous laughter spells make my DM dice rolls below 8.

After two dispel magics from the cleric and beguiler, they tore Xanesha apart and I'd like this to last a bit longer than usual. I'm thinking of swapping some stats and making her a 10th level dread necromancer. Has anyone else bumped her big fat fanny up in levels?


Long story short: Our party needs at least 60 days to craft magic items and we only have 6 available to us. Using the Great Wheel cosmology, are there any planes where times moves faster there than it does on the Material Plane (ie: 5 days there equal 1 Material Plane day)?


Long story short, I'm working on an Golarion homebrew class that has some ties to the Outer Realm (you can thank the Hounds in Pathfinder 4) that culminates with the character getting a template. I had originally thought about using one of WotC's templates, but I like keeping with the OGL spirit. Any suggestions for a good C'thulu-esque template? As a frame of reference, I have the Advanced Bestiary but I wasn't able to really find anything that fit the feel I was looking for.

Thans in advance.


Just finished the first half of Skinsaw and my PCs are soon to be on their way to the City of Monuments. I intend on bringing one of my player's siblings in as a slaver. If I recall, Korvosa is rather lenient on the slave trade, but what about Magnimar? I forget if this has been covered before, the holidays are finally starting to take their toll on my stress-addled brain. Thanx in advance.


I'm not sure if this has been covered before, but can we expect to see content from the Dragon Compendium grace the pages of Pathfinder APs or Game Mastery modules? I was thrilled when I saw all the class variants used in J1, and I'm wondering what other non-WotC "new" stuff we'll be seeing.


I'm planning on running D0 as a one-shot this weekend for, more than likely, four players. While Valeros and the gang are cool and all, I 1) have too much time on my hands and 2) like adding my own twist of things, so I'm coming up with new pre-gen characters. Here's what I'm thinking right now:

Human (Varisian) Battle Dancer 1
Half-Elf Cleric (Cloistered Cleric Variant) 1
Human Fighter (Thug Variant) 1
Elf Evoker 1

Has anyone else changed or ran D0 with a "non-traditional" party, and if so, how did it turn out? I don't want a TPK because of my bad planning/character creation.


I think this has been brought up before, but I'll ask anyway. Do you guys have a "Paizo Gallery" where we can print out some of the artwork found in the Pathfinder AP and Gamemastery Modules? My fiance is running a "Kristmas Kobold Kampaign" and the art from "Crown of the Kobold King" would be a great visual aid for the players.

RPG Superstar 2009 Top 16

In my campaign, I'm going to add something for our cleric, who seems to be getting the short end of the stick. I like the thought of flametouched iron from Eberron, but I wanted to have something that wasn't just "Here, look what I ported over from this setting for you". So I came up with celestial ore.

Spoiler:
Celestial ore is a dusty yellow ore with dark spots when mined, but takes on a shimmering golden hue with vibrant blue flecks when properly smelted. Celestial ore has Hardness 11 and 30 Hp per inch. When crafted into a weapon, it is considered Good-aligned and gains a +1 bonus on Critical Hit confirmation rolls against evil outsiders. When crafted into a suit of armor or shield, the wearer gains a +1 Sacred bonus on saves vs. the spells, spell-like abilities, and supernatural abilities of evil outsiders and undead. If crafted into a holy symbol, the cleric adds +2 to any turning check she makes. Price adjustment: +1,500 gp

Any thoughts and/or comments would be greatly appreciated.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Golarion's dragons do indeed follow the standard dragon alignments. Pathfinder 4 has a large chapter all about Golarion's dragons, in fact. But yeah; the five chromatics and the five metallics function in Golarion the same way the do in most campaigns.


My players are just about done with Burnt Offerings and I'm giving them a few weeks in-game for downtime. One of my PCs wants to organize and help sponsor a fishing contest, with first prize going to the one who catches Murdermaw. Now is "red snapper" Golarion slang for some type of huge crimson-shelled aquatic turtle, or is the famed boat-eater just a large version of what my wife made for dinner last night?


My players beat the ever-living snot out of Malfeshnekor (A well placed glitterdust from the beguiler and a roll of a 2 for the save ensured that), but still have the treasury, howling hole, and tentamort's lair to explore. I want to give my 4th-level PCs a challenge, so I'm thinking about advancing the tentamort. Now the stats in Pathfinder don't list advancement and I was wondering when the thing got to be Large-size. Can anyone help me out?


As was brought up before in other threads, the multitude of shatter-using spellcasters may be a bit of a problem for the players. I know one of my PCs, the half-orc barbarian, will have her spiked chain targeted at least once. Now, I could just put a +1 spiked chain in with the random treasure, but that feels to hokey. So instead, I came up with a legacy weapon for the campaign. Any input anyone has on this would be much appreciated.

[Notice: I don't know how to do tables on the boards, so please forgive the more than likely bad formatting.]

Spoiler:

SHACKLE BREAKER
At first glance, Shackle Breaker appears to be a sub-par example of a spiked chain, heavily rusted and only having seven spikes running along its length. However, despite these cosmetic flaws, Shackle Breaker’s spikes retain a razor’s edge. Those who unlock its power find themselves a mighty foe of spellcasters and those who bend others’ will to their own.

Nonlegacy Game Statistics: +1 cold iron spiked chain; Cost 4,350 gp. The seven spikes that run along the chain are actually pieces of a Sihedron rune.

Omen: Shackle Breaker refuses to be sheathed or stowed, instead wrapping itself around the wielder’s waist or chest. The chain’s spikes do not in any way damage or hinder the wielder, the chain does not take up a magic item slot in this manner, and the wielder may draw Shackle Breaker as a free action.

HISTORY
Thousands of years ago, before the fall of Thassilon, the empires of the Runelords spread far across what is now known as Varisia. Bending dragons, outsiders, and raw magic to their will, the runelords quickly abandoned their virtues of rule for greed, envy, sloth, and other vices of power (DC 21).

In the coastal province of Eurythnia sat Sorshen, Runelord of Lust. Her empire was one of trade and merchant traffic; both in pleasure slaves and exotic goods. One such slave was a half-elf, whose name has been lost to history, owned by the wizard Belzart. Given to cruel whims, Belzart was reviled by her “subjects” and often had slaves killed for displeasing her. The half-elf was a competent minstrel and, unknown to Belzart, warrior in his own right. Using his natural talents for seduction, the half-elf soon became Belzart’s favored slave, a status that afforded him free range throughout the wizard’s estate. It was in the hours when Belzart took to the other slaves when the half-elf began crafting Shackle Breaker. Secretly and over the course of months, the half-elf worked on his weapon, using only his former bonds and a broken Sihedron rune. When he finally finished his work the half-elf presented himself, seemingly bound and helpless, to his mistress. It was then he slew Belzart, slaughtered her guards, and freed his fellow slaves (DC 25; Humble Liberator).

The slave revolt was put quickly down and the half-elf and his weapon were cast into the sea. Shackle Breaker lay in the sand and silt for years until found by sahuagin pirates who bartered it to the half-giant chieftain Nen’Tuum. Nen’Tuum, an escaped slave in the greed-powered empire of Shalast, used the powers of Shackle Breaker to build a small fiefdom of ogres and dwarves. Eventually Nen’Tuum’s holdings caught the attention of runelord Karzoug, who personally came to see who would dare to grow so powerful under his shadow. Using guile and mollification, Nen’Tuum stayed Karzoug’s hand from destroying what he had built (DC 29; Placate Thy Enemy).

Nen’Tuum’s reign was cut short by an attack from the neighboring bugbear legions of runelord Alzanist’s empire; Bakrakhan. Seeing the rage and fury that Nen’Tuum fought with, the bugbear warlord Vurdnott took Shackle Breaker for himself, unaware of its true power. Vurdnott eventually lost Shackle Breaker to agents of Karzoug. Drawing upon its power, the runelord’s human agents bound the barghest Malfeshnekor with Shackle Breaker, keeping him inside one of Karzoug’s sentinel statues. Yet, when the end of Thassilon came, both Malfeshnekor and Shackle Breaker were forgotten (DC 34; Subdue the Demon).

LEGACY RITUALS
Three rituals are required to unlock all the abilities of Shackle Breaker.

Humble Liberator: You must defeat a slave owner who’s Challenge Rating must equal or exceed your character level and then free the owner’s slaves. Cost: 1,500 gp. Feat Granted: Least Legacy (Shackle Breaker).

Placate Thy Enemy: You must convince a Hostile enemy to a community to halt their actions. This may be done with words (a Bluff, Diplomacy, or Intimidate check) or by the offering of a gift (the total of which is subtracted from the total ritual cost). Cost: 13,000 gp. Feat Granted: Lesser Legacy (Shackle Breaker).

Subdue the Demon: You must defeat an evil outsider with a Challenge Rating that equals or exceeds your character level in personal combat. If summoned using a summon monster spell, the outsider must be defeated before the spell duration ends. Cost: 40,000 gp. Feat Granted: Greater Legacy (Shackle Breaker).

WIELDER REQUIREMENTS
Most wielders of Shackle Breaker are fighters or barbarians, but any character proficient with the spiked chain might be interested in its abilities.

SHACKLE BREAKER WIELDER REQUIREMENTS
Base Attack Bonus +5
Craft (weaponsmithing) 4 ranks
Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Spiked Chain)

"TABLE" 1-1: SHACKLE BREAKER
5th Level: Personal Cost: None; Arcane Sight
6th Level: Personal Cost: -1 Attack Penlaty; +1 cold iron magebane spiked chain
7th Level: Person Cost: -1 Reflex Save Penalty, -2 Hp; Detect Runelord Servant
8th Level: Person Cost: -2 Hp; None
9th Level: Person Cost: -2 Reflex Save Penalty; Unshackle Mind 3/day
10th Level: Person Cost: -2 Hp; None
11th Level: Person Cost: None; No More Locks
12th Level: Person Cost: -2 Attack Penalty; +1 cold iron magebane giant-bane spiked chain
13th Level: Person Cost: None; Slip the Bonds 1/day
14th Level: Person Cost: -2 Hp; None
15th Level: Person Cost: -3 Reflex Save Penalty; None
16th Level: Person Cost: -2 Hp; Mettle
17th Level: Person Cost: None; Slip the Prison 3/day
18th Level: Person Cost: -3 Attack Penalty; None
19th Level: Person Cost: None; Mental Freedom
20th Level: Person Cost: -4 Reflex Save Penalty; +3 cold iron shattermantle magebane giant-bane spiked chain

LEGACY ITEM ABILITIES
All of the following are legacy item abilities of Shackle Breaker.

Arcane Sight (Su): You can use detect magic or read magic at will as the spells, using a different command word for each effect.

Detect Runelord Servant (Su): While wielding Shackle Breaker you can detect the presence of any creature with the Giant type within 60 feet, but you must concentrate (a standard action) to do so. If any giants or giant-kin are detected, Shackle Breaker sheds an orange glow equivalent to a torch. If the giant or giant-kin possesses any type of damage reduction, you ignore it when attacking with Shackle Breaker.

Unshackle Mind (Sp): Three times per day, when you issue the command word and gesture with Shackle Breaker (a standard action), you can use break enchantment as the spell (CL 10th).

No More Locks (Su): At will on command, you can open locked or magically sealed items, as with the knock spell.

Slip the Bonds (Sp): Once per day, when you issue the command word and gesture (a standard action), you can use freedom of movement as the spell (CL 10th).

Mettle (Su): At 16th level, the wielder of Shackle Breaker can resist magical attacks with great willpower and fortitude. If the wielder makes a successful Will or Fortitude save against an attack that normally would have a lesser effect on a successful save (such as any spell with a saving throw entry of Will half or Fortitude partial), he instead completely negates the effect. If the wielder is unconscious or sleeping he does not gain the benefit of mettle.

Slip the Prison (Sp): Three times per day, when you issue the command word and gesture with Shackle Breaker (a standard action), you can teleport a short distance, as if affected by the dimension door spell (CL 15th).

Mental Freedom (Su): Shackle Breaker grants the wielder a +3 insight bonus on Will saving throws to resist mind-affecting and compulsion effects.

As I said, input is most appreciated.