Guardian in the Depths's page

Discussion thread established!

Players interested in participating in the Game of Mortals should read the campaign info and submit a character concept with backstory and character sheet (see creation rules in campaign info).

Six deities decide to play a Game of Mortals. They create a demiplane called the Grand Court, consisting of a central hexagon 30 miles across called the Courtyard, surrounded by six hexagons of equal size known as the Outer Domains.
Each domain has its own thematic nature.

The Fire Domain is a volcanic landscape of lava flows, walls of fire, etc, inhabited by fire creatures.

The Water Domain is an aquatic environment of coral reefs inhabited by aquatic creatures.

The Earth Domain is a cavernous labyrinth of tunnels and caves inhabited by subterranean creatures.

The Glacial Domain is an arctic landscape of ice formations and snow inhabited by arctic creatures.

The Wild Domain is a wilderness of jungles, hills, swamps, deserts, and mountains inhabited by all kinds of wild beasts.

The Urban Domain is a sprawling metropolis inhabited by warring factions of humanoids and city dwelling creatures.

Each domain is contested by multiple factions at the start of the Game of Mortals.

At the heart of the central Courtyard lies the Pantheon, a magnificent temple dedicated to the six deities who devised the Game of Mortals: Kwan Yin, Chinese goddess of compassion; Thor, Norse god of thunder; Marduk, Babylonian god of civilization; Bast, Egyptian goddess of cats; Hades, Greek god of the Underworld; and Kali, Hindu goddess of destruction and creation.

Inside this temple, sealed within a permanent prismatic sphere, is an artifact called the Throne of the Gods. Whoever first sits upon it after the prismatic sphere is dispelled is granted divine status and joins the deities as an equal!

The prismatic sphere can only be dispelled by conquering all six of the Outer Domains and installing a single Overlord in each. But only one can sit upon the Throne of the Gods and become a god-king!

Here we can discuss as a combined group the campaign as it progresses from the point of unification.

There are already 8 or 9 active players between tables 1 and 2 combined. I am opening recruitment for up to 4 more players.

Submit a fully detailed character concept including backstory and basic crunch to be considered.

In the world of Fairytale Earth, circa The Year of Our Lord 1437, two separate bands of adventurers have begun quests that have come to crucial moments, and led their paths and fates to interwine.

The Crusaders of the Catacombs have tracked the Antichrist Nero to his secret subterranean sanctum under the Roman Catacombs, while in Morocco, the Desert Jackals have liberated a number of slaves from a despotic Arab slavelord, and are poised to assault his palace with the Crusaders' help!

If the combined might of the courageous Crusaders of the Catacombs and the daring Desert Jackals is sufficient to topple the tyrannical Emir of Marrakech, the combined champions of Good will then travel to Rome to finish the Antichrist, and go on to even more legendary adventures in the wild world of Fairytale Earth!

Establishing Discussion thread...

It is the New Year of Our Lord 1437, at the dawn of the Age of Exploration, and the dawn of New Years Day. Winters have been colder and longer than usual in recent years, and folk of Scandinavia and Northern Europe whisper rumors of Fimbulwinter, the endless years of winter heralding Ragnarök, the Twilight of the Gods, the End of Days...

All the lands north of the Alps are blanketed with snow, and even the southern kingdoms of the Mediterranean Coast are colder than usual.

Table 2 has been created to accommodate a second party, as the many awesome submissions were too good for me to narrow down to only 6 to 8!

Sandbox style campaign, with a different start point than table 1;
Level 1
20-point buy
Any 10-point race published by Paizo
Any class published by Paizo except gunslinger
Max starting wealth
Max HP per level

Explore a fantasy version of Early Renaissance Earth, circa 1437!

Establishing discussion thread for Year of Our Lord 1437 PBP campaign...

To reiterate the character creation rules from Campaign Info:
Sandbox RAW
1st level to start, fast track experience
20-point buy
Any playable race published on PRD that is CR 1/3
Any class published on PRD except gunslinger
Max hp per level
Max starting wealth
Two traits from any publication on PRD

Once you have been selected to participate, you may post here and on Gameplay. Until then, please post only in Recruitment. Thanks!

Hear ye! Hear ye! Brave adventurers are sought to explore the fantasy swords and sorcery sandbox that is DM MJ’s Renaissance Earth campaign! Heroes needed!

The Antichrist, Enperor Nero, became a lich after his supposed suicide many centuries ago, and disguising himself as such villains as Atilla the Hun, or Constantine, wreaked havoc and mayhem throughout the many kingdoms of Earth throughout the ages, according to his father’s (the Devil) will. Most recently disguised as some Italian nobleman in Rome, Nero called down from the firey planet Mercury a terrible red fire dragon named Wormwood, who now lairs in Mount Vesuvius and demands annual tribute of maidens and treasure from every prince and potentate throughout Europe and North Africa. With this dreadful ally, the Antichrist leads a secret Luciferian cult with branches all over Europe, the British Isles, and parts of North Africa and the Middle East. The Maid of Orleans has been burnt at the stake as a witch, after having been captured by Philip the Good of Burgundy, a high ranking member of the Church of Lucifer, and handed over to the English (the young King Henry VI’s Lancaster uncles were also in league with the Prince of Darkness).

The world is on the brink of Apocalypse! It is in dire need of heroes!

The Rambling Litany of Saint Jove of the Hermitage

We awoke from the most hideous nightmare into another nightmare today. I just knew it were gonna be one of those bad, crummy days, where you start out by failing to wake up from a bad dream--ye just dream that ye hath been woke, only to realize you keep on dreaming bad, bad stuff...

After breaking free of the cells we awoke in, we made quick work of sondry suspicious bystanders suchs as I'd sniffed the stink o' evil on. It was me, Saint Jove of the Hermitage, the one who writes these very words; Firestarter the Sarcastic; Flintstone Lightdrinker; Monocles, with his mighty Earth breaker; Reiki the half-ogre and his pet, Chuckles; and Calisthenics, who is apparently some kind of swamp elf wizard...

It seems the gods may be trying to tell us something with the strange dreams we woke up from today, yet even now, my memory of them doth wither like the grass in winter. My mind, my damned, accursed, flawed mind... I know I be mad, and I try best as I can to understand it myself, but if I could only recall that crummy dream... something about choices--directions, and options changing ominously, a yellow fog, a withered and inhuman monster hiding in the fog... This is the part that becomes to painful, apparently. My mind, my weak, wimpy mind has covered it up for me, it seems.

So now we're still trying to suss out our confusing situation. Unfortunately, my companions seem to have minds just as foggy and befuddled as mine own at the nonce. I pray to what gods will deign to hear my humble plea that we can make some sense of it all, in time to make a difference against... whatever the dreams tried to warn us of.

Here we go. So, it seems that there is not a Knowledge (technology) skill in RAW? If a link to such a skill can be provided, then it can be used. At any rate, Lady Zal's Knowledge (engineering) check would have the same modifiers, and she could put the rank she had in Knowledge (technology) into Knowledge (religion) or another skill if desired.

Our saga begins in the Spring of 4714 AR, in the rugged, barbaric, irradiated Numeria, Land of Fallen Stars....

In the shadow of the great Silver Mount sprawls the decadent, barbaric City of Starfall....

The foul smokes of this dangerous, violent city mingle with the alien radiations of the colossal Silver Mount, a crashed vessel of some ancient starfaring race, according to legends.... haunted by the spirits of the dead voyagers, monsters from across the starry void, and strange creatures of living steel, and filled with magic from an advanced civilization....

The Mages of the Technic League have held true power in Starfall ever since the current Black Sovereign, Kevoth-Kul, formed an alliance with the technomancers in his bid for the throne of Starfall.... For decades now, the Technic League has been the true power behind the throne in the Palace of Fallen Stars.... Once a mighty conqueror, Kevoth-Kul has been corrupted by his allegiance with the cunning technomancers, who ply the barbarian king with strange ichors distilled from the Silver Mount, bedevilling and beguiling him, and enabling his decadence and escapism into his darkest carnal desires by providing new playthings....

As Kevoth-Kul descends into addiction to the unwholesome ichors of the Silver Mount, a cunning advisor whispers in his ear: Ozmyn Zaidow, Admiral of the Technic League....

The 1st-level adventurers begin the campaign as slaves of the Technic League, either convicted criminals or those chosen by lots, trained in techniques of survival and exploration of the strange metal ruins that fell from the sky so long ago. Implanted with tracking devices capable of killing them to ensure their cooperation, they are sent into lesser metal ruins scattered throughout Numeria to recover technology for their arrogant masters.

Races: Any from Core Rulebook, any featured race from ARG
Classes and Archetypes: Any from Core Rulebook, Pathfinder Unchained, ACG, UC, UM, or OA
Abilities: 20-point build
Max starting wealth
HP per level: max first; half average plus one, plus Con mod per level after 1st
*Please be willing and able to commit to posting at least once every other day; campaign will start up New Years Day 2017.*

June 1st, 1430 AD

It was a motley crew indeed that responded that evening on June the first, in the Year of Our Lord, 1430, to the clangor of a great bell falling from its mooring in the north belfry of Notre Dame cathedral. They had all been strangers to one another at that moment, enjoying tankards of beer in the common room of L'auberge du la Grotte, an inn on Isle de la Cite, just a bowshot from the cathedral.

An English knight, Alphonse Veritas.... A fugitive ninja from Nippon named Hisao.... A Norse sage and alchemist, Tyr Magnusson.... A charming Irish rogue named Paddy.... A more unlikely quartet of companions, one could hardly imagine.... Nonetheless, it was these diverse adventurers who answered the clarion call of a fallen bell that night.

Dashing out of the inn and through the cobbled streets that lead to Notre Dame cathedral, these four strangers came into the shadow of the great cathedral's facade, and as they rushed across the square in front of the three great portals, they became the latest targets of the gargoyles perched along the roof over the facade!

Though they had long been the benign protectors of the clergy and parishioners of Notre Dame, these gargoyles were lately the victims of a dark curse laid upon them by a necromancer, a traitor who had once been one of the priests of the cathedral, but now laired in a secret chamber within the subterranean catacombs that riddled the earth beneath the streets of Paris.

Now the gargoyles dislodged slate shingles, loose mortars, or crumbling pieces of architecture, and hurled them forcefully at the four approaching interlopers!

Discussion board open for Team Roma!

Here's the discussion thread for Team Paris....

All PCs for this campaign have already been submitted and accepted, so please, NO MORE SUBMISSIONS. Thank you, GM Mike

This is the PbP for Team Rome in my Medieval Eurpe PbP campaign II...,

The kingdoms of Europe suffer under the tyrannical yoke of a new overlord: a great red wyrm named Conflagratius has flown to Earth from the fiery planet Mercury to make a new lair in the caldera of Mt Vesuvius, and demands annual tributes of treasure and maidens from every realm in Europe....

The Holy Roman Empire, the Italian city-states, the kingdoms of England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, France, Spain, Greece, Turkey, Transylvania, Poland, Hungary.... All must bow before the mighty dragon or face it's fiery wrath!

Hear ye! Hear ye!

Now recruiting for a RAW 1st to 20th level Pathfinder PbP set in a version of Medieval Europe where magic and monsters of myth and legend exist....

Gilgamesh, Beowulf, Arthur, Robin Hood, et al are historical figures rather than semi-legendary or outright myths....

Artifacts such as Excalibur, the Holy Grail, and Mjolnir are real....

A great red wyrm from Mercury has flown to Earth and has taken up residence in Mt Vesuvius, and demands (and receives) annual tributes of gold, jewels, and maidens from the kingdoms of Europe....

Who will (eventually) bring an end to this fiery tyrants reign of terror (after first gaining levels chasing gremlins out of cathedrals and purging catacombs of undead)?

Kinyama is likely otherwise engaged ATM.

I like the builds, fluff, and RP so far, this is going to be fun! :)

On December 21st, 2012, the stars were aligned and the way was opened for the desperately insane dictator of North Korea to perform the vile ritual that raised the sunken city of R'lyeh from the depths of the Pacific, unsealed the tomb of dread Cthulhu, and resurrected the Great Old One, unleashing an apocalypse of unimaginable horror and madness on the world.

In a matter of days, civilization had collapsed into screaming barbarism worldwide, as Cthulhu and his monstrous spawn reveled in bloody slaughter and wanton destruction. Humanity has been reduced to scattered bands of traumatized survivors struggling to eke out stealthy existences in ravaged and blood soaked wastelands.

No race restrictions, as bio-engineering can pretty much explain any racial crunch. RAW Core races, and all races from ARG, are acceptable.

No class restrictions.

25-point buy for Ability Scores, optimizing is encouraged.

Maximum starting wealth.

Max starting hit points, one-half max plus 1 hit points each level after 1st.

This is a 32-page guide to happiness from "an anonymous stranger", who would appreciate feedback.

Nothing herein is intended to offend, and at the very least, hopefully it will provide some amusement to whosoever takes the time to read it.

Yesterday in my game, a ninja wearing slippers of spiderclimbing, fighting a number of foes in a narrow but high hallway, wanted to jump onto the ceiling over their heads and drop down into an empty square in their midst, and then make an attack on one of them.

It's my understanding that distance jumped counts as squares of movement, so the ninja, with speed 30 ft., jumped 20 feet onto ceiling, leaving him with 10 feet of movement left in a single move action.

Falling prone or dropping something is usually a free action, but in this case, the ninja was not falling prone, he was landing on his feet. Could he still make an attack in that round, even though he fell further than 10 feet? Or would that be a double move?

Here is a superhero base class I'm working on. Please feel free to make the most broken superhero you can so I can fix it! :)

I will first post the class info, then the superpowers, then power stunts.

SUPERHERO
Some are created in the laboratories of mad scientists or wizards; others are changed by exposure to unearthly forces or rare alchemical substances; still others were born as they are, perhaps because of divine blood running in their veins, or the influence of a rare conjunction of the heavens at birth. Those who use their rare gifts to protect others and fight against evil are known as superheroes; those who use their powers to dominate and destroy are known as supervillains; and those who walk the fine line between Good and Evil can be known as either, or both.
Role: The superhero is a formidable combatant, and an exceptionally versatile class. The superhero’s superpowers can potentially allow him to fill almost any role, be it front-line defender, scout, healer, crowd control, or mobile skirmisher.
Alignment: Any.
Hit Die: d10.
CLASS SKILLS
The superhero’s class skills are Acrobatics (Dex), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Fly (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (local) (Int), Perception (Wis), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Stealth (Dex), and Swim (Str).
Skill Ranks per Level: 2 + Int modifier.
CLASS FEATURES
The following are class features of the superhero.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A superhero is proficient with all simple and martial weapons and with light armor, medium armor, and shields (except tower shields). A superhero is considered proficient with attacks granted by his superpowers.
Major Superpowers: At 1st level, a superhero gains two major superpowers. An additional major superpower is gained at 10th level, and another at 20th level. Some superpowers function like Pathfinder Roleplaying Game spells or special abilities, as noted in the superpower’s description. Superpowers do not require spell components, divine foci, or materials of any kind, even if they duplicate a spell that requires them. Optionally, you can exchange a major superpower for two minor superpowers.
Minor Superpowers: At 1st level, a superhero gains a minor superpower. An additional minor superpower is gained at 5th level, at 10th level, at 15th level, and at 20th level. Optionally, you can forego a minor superpower and save it until you attain a second minor superpower, at which point you must either choose two minor superpowers, or you can exchange the two minor superpowers for one major superpower.
Power Pool: At 1st level, a superhero gains a pool of power points, super-heroic energy he can use to activate his superpowers and power stunts. The number of points in a superhero’s power pool is equal to 1/2 his superhero level + his Constitution modifier, with a minimum of 1 power point. The power pool is replenished each morning after 8 hours of rest or meditation; these hours do not need to be consecutive.
Power Stunt: At 1st level, a superhero gains a power stunt. An additional power stunt is gained at 4th level, at 8th level, at 12th level, at 16th level, and at 20th level.
Bonus Combat Feat: At 2nd level, a superhero gains a bonus combat feat in addition to those gained from normal advancement. An additional bonus combat feat is gained at 6th level, at 10th level, at 14th level, and at 18th level. Upon reaching 6th level, and every four levels thereafter (10th, 14th, and 18th), a superhero can choose to learn a new bonus combat feat in place of a bonus combat feat he has already learned. In effect, the superhero loses the old bonus combat feat in exchange for the new one. The old feat cannot be one that was used as a prerequisite for another feat, prestige class, or ability. A superhero can only change one feat at any given level and must choose whether or not to swap the feat at the time he gains a new bonus combat feat for the level.
Bravery: At 3rd level, a superhero gains a +1 bonus on Will saves against fear. This bonus increases by +1 at 7th level, at 11th level, at 15th level, and at 19th level.
Superpower Exchange: Upon reaching 5th level, and every four levels thereafter (9th, 13th, and 17th), a superhero can choose to gain a new major or minor superpower in place of a superpower he has already gained. In effect, the superhero loses the old superpower in exchange for the new one. The old superpower cannot be one that was used as a prerequisite for a power stunt, feat, prestige class, or ability. A superhero can only change one superpower at any given level and must choose whether or not to swap the superpower at the time he gains the level granting the exchange. The exchange must be equal; a minor superpower can only be exchanged for another minor superpower, and a major superpower can be exchanged for either another major superpower or two minor superpowers.
Heroic Recovery: At 9th level, a superhero can heal his own wounds as a standard action. He can heal a number of hit points equal to his superhero level by spending 1 power point from his power pool.
TABLE 1: SUPERHERO
Level Base Attack Bonus Fort Save Ref Save Will Save Special
1st +1 +2 +0 +0 Major superpowers (2), minor superpower, power pool, power stunt
2nd +2 +3 +0 +0 Bonus combat feat
3rd +3 +3 +1 +1 Bravery +1
4th +4 +4 +1 +1 Power stunt
5th +5 +4 +1 +1 Minor superpower, superpower exchange
6th +6/+1 +5 +2 +2 Bonus combat feat
7th +7/+2 +5 +2 +2 Bravery +2
8th +8/+3 +6 +2 +2 Power stunt
9th +9/+4 +6 +3 +3 Heroic recovery, superpower exchange
10th +10/+5 +7 +3 +3 Bonus combat feat, major superpower, minor superpower
11th +11/+6/+1 +7 +3 +3 Bravery +3
12th +12/+7/+2 +8 +4 +4 Power stunt
13th +13/+8/+3 +8 +4 +4 Superpower exchange
14th +14/+9/+4 +9 +4 +4 Bonus combat feat
15th +15/+10/+5 +9 +5 +5 Bravery +4, minor superpower
16th +16/+11/+6/+1 +10 +5 +5 Power stunt
17th +17/+12/+7/+2 +10 +5 +5 Superpower exchange
18th +18/+13/+8/+3 +11 +6 +6 Bonus combat feat
19th +19/+14/+9/+4 +11 +6 +6 Bravery +5
20th +20/+15/+10/+5 +12 +6 +6 Major superpower, minor superpower, power stunt

Coming next: superpowers

An old terror has returned to plague the lands that border the forbidding Yatil Mountains! The folk of Perrenland, Highfolk, Ket, and Bissel have begun to whisper with fear that Iggwilv the Archmage has returned to the Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth to reestablish her old kingdom! The first signs were a sudden rash of ill omens observed throughout those realms bordering the Yatils; then came the withering of crops, the curdling of milk, and other signs of black witchcraft; and finally, the return of Iggwilv was heralded in the capitals of the afflicted realms by black-robed witches, who delivered a dire ultimatum--accept Iggwilv as queen and goddess, or suffer drought, pestilence, and plague!

And so began the dreadful drought that has afflicted the lands bordering the Yatils for the last four months. Rats and vermin infest the cities and towns, spreading disease and draining granaries, pantries, and larders. A plague of locusts devoured what was left of the withered crops, and famine was soon felt in the afflicted lands--livestock were lost daily to starvation, and predators deprived of their usual prey.

Already reeling from the news of Iggwilv's return and the effects of her black coven's craft, the lands were to suffer even worse fates:

After the stalwart folk of the afflicted lands had resisted Iggwilv's demands for two months, a gargantuan red dragon began to ravage the countryside, burning the dead groves and causing wildfires to race across the lands. Virtually overnight, the capitals filled with refugees, and the countryside was abandoned. Many folk have fled to safer lands, and as word of the evils affecting the lands has spread far and wide, trade to those lands has ground to a halt, all but delivering the coup-de-gras to the doomed lands.

Unfortunately, the true coup-de-gras has finally been delivered:

Demons have begun to stalk the crowded streets of the cities, torturing and killing in wanton raids until they are driven off by the mightiest clerics, wizards, and other adventurers in residence. The subjugation of the afflicted lands has already begun--Ket and Perrenland have submitted to Iggwilv, and an exodus from those realms has begun, but many who try to flee are captured by Iggwilv's monstrous minions and publicly tortured to death. It seems that a second reign of Iggwilv the Witch-Queen is at hand!

This is for anyone who wants to run a PF-compatible post-apocalyptic RPG based on "the world's first sci-fi RPG". Enjoy! :)

Here is the most recent edition (as of 4/18) of R&W. Numerous edits have been made to fix errata, and the page count has been reduced by about 120 pages by reducing font and using double columns. Enjoy!

At long, long last:
Here is the final draft of my "World's-First-Science-Fiction-RPG"-inspired, PF-compatible, post-apocalyptic RPG.

Here is a ms word version for dm4hire, sketchpad, and anyone else who would like to modify a personal copy.

Enjoy!

ERRATA (thanks, Evil Genius!): On pg. 84, the last sentence of the section entitled "PSIONIC ITEM CREATION FEATS" should be replaced with: Psionic item creation feats, psionic items, and Psicraft checks are treated as magic item creation feats, magic items, and Spellcraft checks respectively.

Any other errata will be posted here as it is discovered.

One of the PCs in my game on saturday summoned a Large air elemental (CR 5), which has a speed of 100 ft., whirlwind is DC 18, and slam damage is 1d8+4. He used it to mow down several foes in a way that had everyone at the table rather increduluous (including the player who summoned the AE). By running back and forth across a line of three or four foes, the AE was able to hit each foe at least 4 or 5 times with its 100 ft. speed, forcing them to make DC 18 Ref saves to avoid being caught and a 2nd save to avoid 1d8+4 dmg on each pass.

Now imagine the same tactic used against a single foe, with the AE passing into and out of the foe's square ten times in one round (which it can do with 100 ft. speed), purposely dropping the foe (a free action) any time it gets caught in the ww in favor of forcing the foe to make a new save vs. the slam damage on every pass. If the foe makes its Ref save on half of the passes, that's still an average of 42 dmg per round. If the foe fails all of the saves, thats an average of 85 dmg per round, with the potential to do as much as 120 dmg in 1 round. Does that seem broken for a CR 5 monster?

Can anyone tell me which version of the OGL I should attach to a PF-compatible product? Thanks in advance!

Hi all, I'm working on a post-apocalyptic RPG that is compatible with PF RPG. I've read the Pathfinder Compatability agreement, and I understand what I need to do on that end, but I'm unclear on how to use the OGL. Do I need written permission from WotC? And if so, how do I go about that? Is there a form someone could kindly link for me? I know I need to copy and paste the OGL at the end of my document, but I'm not sure which version I need to use, or where to find it, and would greatly appreciate some help. Thanks!

I noticed that there is a table in the CRB giving AC for objects based on size, but there seem to be no guidelines for determining what size category a given object falls into, or am I missing it?

Here it is as a word doc, for those who would like to do a bit of editing for their personal use.

Last night, a player in my game wanted to sunder a foe's weapon. He succeeded, then asked if he could Cleave the foe. My ruling was no, because it says "two adjacent foes". But I did think it was interesting, and thought I'd post here to get other opinions. Did I rule correctly?

Here is a free, unofficial, Pathfinder-compatible edition of Gamma World, the classic post-apocalyptic RPG originally published by TSR in the 70s. It was based on James Ward's earlier sci-fi RPG (the very first!), Metamorphosis Alpha. I welcome comments, suggestions, critiques, et cetera, and especially would appreciate feedback based on playtesting! Enjoy!

http://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0BxCliOSSjOuZMjM0Yjg2NzMtZDMwYS00ZDVhLWE 2ZDAtMDViNjgyYjg3MmJi&hl=en

Can you target a square you suspect has an invisible foe in it with a cleave attack?

PATHFINDER: GAMMA WORLD
ROLEPLAYING GAME

GENOTYPES

PURE STRAIN HUMAN
PURE STRAIN HUMAN TRAITS
+2 to One Ability Score: Pure strain humans get a +2 bonus to one ability score at creation to represent their varied nature.
Medium: Pure strain humans are Medium creatures and have no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Normal Speed: Pure strain humans have a base speed of 30 feet.
Bonus Feat: Pure strain humans select one extra feat at 1st level.
Skilled: Pure strain humans gain an additional skill rank at 1st level and one additional rank whenever they gain a level.
Radiation Resistant: Pure strain humans get a +2 genotype bonus on saving throws to resist the effects
of radiation sickness.
Languages: Pure strain humans begin play speaking their native language (English in Meriga and Eukay). Pure strain humans with high Intelligence scores can choose any languages they want (except secret languages).

ALTERED HUMAN
ALTERED HUMAN TRAITS
+2 to One Ability Score: Altered humans get a +2 bonus to one ability score at creation to represent their varied nature.
Medium: Altered humans are Medium creatures and have no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Normal Speed: Altered humans have a base speed of 30 feet.
Bonus Feat: Altered humans select one extra feat at 1st level.
Skilled: Altered humans gain an additional skill rank at 1st level and one additional rank whenever they gain a level.
Mutated: Altered humans must choose at least one minor or major mutation from the list of mutations, and select one or more drawbacks from the list of drawbacks to reach a balance of 0 Mutation Points. (See Mutations).
Languages: Altered humans begin play speaking their native language (English in Meriga and Eukay).
Altered humans with high Intelligence scores can choose any languages they want (except secret languages).

MUTATED ANIMAL
MUTATED BAT TRAITS
+2 Dexterity, +2 Wisdom, -2 Constitution, -2 Intelligence: Mutated bats are agile and highly aware of their surroundings, but they are frail and less intellectual than humans.
Medium: Mutated bats are Medium creatures and have no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Normal Speed: Mutated bats have a base speed of 30 feet.
Blindsight: Mutated bats have blindsight out to 120 feet. They use echolocation to “see” their surroundings, making concealment irrelevant to them. When using their blindsight ability to “see”, mutated bats cannot distinguish color or visual contrast, so they cannot use this ability to read. Mutated bats using blindsight are not subject to gaze attacks, and are not penalized by blindness or being dazzled. Deafening attacks thwart this ability, as echolocation relies on hearing. Blindsight works underwater but not in a vacuum. Blindsight negates displacement and blur effects.
Light Sensitivity: Mutated bats are dazzled (-1 penalty on attack rolls and Perception checks) in areas of bright illumination (sunlight, flashlight beam, et cetera), but are not penalized when relying on their blindsight ability.
Low-Light Vision: Mutated bats can see twice as far as humans in areas of dim light.
Languages: Mutated bats begin play speaking the native language of local humans (English in Meriga and Eukay) and Bat, the special language of mutated bats. Mutated bats with high Intelligence scores can choose any languages they want (except secret languages).
MUTATED BEAR TRAITS
+4 Strength, +2 Constitution, -4 Dexterity, -2 Intelligence: Mutated bears are freakishly strong and tough, but tend to be clumsier and less intellectual than humans.
Large: Mutated bears are Large creatures and get a -1 size penalty to AC, a -1 size penalty on attack rolls, a +1 size bonus to their Combat Maneuver Bonus and Combat Maneuver Defense, and a -4
size penalty on Stealth checks. They take up a space of 10 feet, and have a reach of 10 feet.
They must wear Large armor and use Large weapons. Their carrying capacity is double that of a Medium creature with the same Strength score.
Normal Speed: Mutated bears have a base speed of 30 feet.
Claws: Mutated bears have nonretractable claws that function as natural weapons. Each claw deals 1d6
points of slashing damage (plus the mutated bear’s Strength modifier) and threatens a critical hit on a natural 20. Claw attacks are made at the mutated bear’s full base attack bonus, and the mutated bear can make one claw attack with each claw per round. Mutated bears with the extra arms mutation have claws on all four arms, and meet the prerequisites for the Multiattack feat.
Poor Vision: Mutated bears have weak eyesight. They take a -2 penalty on sight-based Perception checks and take a -4 penalty on range attacks for each range increment (instead of the normal -2 penalty).
Languages: Mutated bears begin play speaking the native language of local humans (English in Meriga and Eukay) and Bear, the special language of mutated bears. Mutated bears with high Intelligence scores can choose any languages they want (except secret languages).
MUTATED CANINE TRAITS
+2 Constitution, +2 Wisdom, -2 Intelligence, -2 Charisma: Mutated canines are hardy and have keen senses, but they tend to be dull-witted and uncouth.
Medium: Mutated canines are Medium creatures and have no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Normal Speed: Mutated canines have a base speed of 30 feet.
Low-Light Vision: Mutated canines can see twice as far as humans in areas of dim light.
Scent: Mutated canines have the scent ability (see Appendix 1 in Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook for rules
on the scent ability).
Languages: Mutated canines begin play speaking the native language of local humans (English in Meriga and Eukay) and Canine, the special language of mutated canines. Mutated canines with high Intelligence scores can choose any languages they want (except secret languages).
MUTATED DOLPHIN TRAITS
+2 Strength, +2 Intelligence, -2 Dexterity, -2 Wisdom: Mutated dolphins are strong and highly intelligent, but somewhat clumsy and foolhardy.
Medium: Mutated dolphins are Medium creatures and have no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Normal Speed: Mutated dolphins have a base speed of 30 feet.
Blindsight: Mutated dolphins have blindsight out to 120 feet. They use echolocation to “see” their surroundings, making concealment irrelevant to them. When using their blindsight ability to “see”, mutated dolphins cannot distinguish color or visual contrast, so they cannot use this ability to read. Mutated dolphins using blindsight are not subject to gaze attacks, and are not penalized by blindness or being dazzled. Deafening attacks thwart this ability, as echolocation relies on hearing. Blindsight works underwater but not in a vacuum. Blindsight negates displacement and blur effects.
Low-Light Vision: Mutated dolphins can see twice as far as humans in areas of dim light.
Hold Breath: Mutated dolphins can remain submerged for a number of minutes equal to their Constitution score before needing to surface for air.
Languages: Mutated dolphins begin play speaking the native language of local humans (English in Meriga and Eukay) and Dolphin, the special language of mutated canines. Mutated dolphins with high Intelligence scores can choose any languages they want (except secret languages).
MUTATED ELEPHANT TRAITS
+4 Strength, -4 Dexterity: Mutated elephants are powerful but clumsy.
Large: Mutated elephants are Large creatures and get a -1 size penalty to AC, a -1 size penalty on
attack rolls, a +1 size bonus to their Combat Maneuver Bonus and Combat Maneuver Defense, and a -4 size penalty on Stealth checks. They take up a space of 10 feet, and have a reach of 10 feet. They must wear Large armor and use Large weapons. Their carrying capacity is double that of a Medium creature with the same Strength score.
Normal Speed: Mutated elephants have a base speed of 30 feet.
Tusks: Mutated elephants have a pair of tusks that function as natural weapons. Each tusk can gore for
1d6 points of piercing damage (plus the mutated elephant’s Strength modifier) and threatens a critical hit on a natural 20. Gore attacks are made at the mutated elephant’s full base attack bonus, and the mutated elephant can make one gore attack with each tusk per round.
Poor Vision: Mutated elephants have weak eyesight. They take a -2 penalty on sight-based
Perception checks and take a -4 penalty on range attacks for each range increment (instead of the normal -2 penalty).
Languages: Mutated elephants begin play speaking the native language of local humans (English in
Meriga and Eukay) and Elephant, the special language of mutated elephants. Mutated elephants with high Intelligence scores can choose any languages they want (except secret languages).
MUTATED FELINE TRAITS
+2 Dexterity, +2 Wisdom, -2 Constitution, -2 Intelligence: Mutated felines are agile and have keen
senses, but tend to be less sturdy and less intelligent than humans.
Medium: Mutated felines are Medium creatures and have no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Normal Speed: Mutated felines have a base speed of 30 feet.
Claws: Mutated felines have retractable claws that function as natural weapons. Each claw deals 1d4
points of slashing damage (plus the mutated feline’s Strength modifier) and threatens a critical hit on a natural 20. Claw attacks are made at the mutated feline’s full base attack bonus, and the mutated feline can make one claw attack with each claw per round. Mutated felines with the extra arms mutation have claws on all four arms, and meet the prerequisites for the Multiattack feat.
Low-Light Vision: Mutated felines can see twice as far as humans in areas of dim light.
Languages: Mutated felines begin play speaking the native language of local humans (English in Meriga and Eukay) and Feline, the special language of mutated felines. Mutated felines with high Intelligence scores can choose any languages they want (except secret languages).
MUTATED MONKEY TRAITS
+4 Dexterity, -2 Constitution, -2 Intelligence: Mutated monkeys are extremely agile, but more frail and less intelligent than humans.
Medium: Mutated monkeys are Medium creatures and have no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Normal Speed: Mutated monkeys have a base speed of 30 feet.
Natural Acrobat: Mutated monkeys gain a +2 genotype bonus on Acrobatics checks.
Natural Climber: Mutated monkeys gain a +2 genotype bonus on Climb checks.
Low-Light Vision: Mutated monkeys can see twice as far as humans in areas of dim light.
Languages: Mutated monkeys begin play speaking the native language of local humans (English in
Meriga and Eukay) and Monkey, the special language of mutated monkeys. Mutated Monkeys with high Intelligence scores can choose any languages they want (except secret languages).
MUTATED ORCA TRAITS
+4 Strength, +2 Intelligence, -4 Dexterity, -2 Charisma: Mutated orcas are intelligent and freakishly
strong, but they are clumsy and aggressive.
Large: Mutated orcas are Large creatures and get a -1 size penalty to AC, a -1 size penalty on attack rolls, a +1 size bonus to their Combat Maneuver Bonus and Combat Maneuver Defense, and a -4
size penalty on Stealth checks. They take up a space of 10 feet, and have a reach of 10 feet.
They must wear Large armor and use Large weapons. Their carrying capacity is double that of a Medium creature with the same Strength score.
Normal Speed: Mutated orcas have a base speed of 30 feet.
Blindsight: Mutated orcas have blindsight out to 60 feet. They use echolocation to “see” their
surroundings, making concealment irrelevant to them. When using their blindsight ability to “see”, mutated orcas cannot distinguish color or visual contrast, so they cannot use this ability to read. Mutated orcas using blindsight are not subject to gaze attacks, and are not penalized by blindness or being dazzled. Deafening attacks thwart this ability, as echolocation relies on hearing. Blindsight works underwater but not in a vacuum. Blindsight negates displacement and blur effects.
Low-Light Vision: Mutated orcas can see twice as far as humans in areas of dim light.
Hold Breath: Mutated orcas can remain submerged for a number of minutes equal to their Constitution score before needing to surface for air.
Languages: Mutated orcas begin play speaking the native language of local humans (English in Meriga
and Eukay) and Orca, the special language of mutated orcas. Mutated orcas with high
Intelligence scores can choose any languages they want (except secret languages).
MUTATED RAT TRAITS
+4 Dexterity, +2 Intelligence, -4 Strength, -2 Charisma: Mutated rats are bright and very agile, but they
are uncouth, and much smaller and weaker than other Medium creatures.
Medium: Mutated rats are Medium creatures and have no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Normal Speed: Mutated rats have a base speed of 30 feet.
Low-Light Vision: Mutated rats can see twice as far as humans in areas of dim light.
Scent: Mutated rats have the scent ability (see Appendix 1 in Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook for rules on
the scent ability).
Languages: Mutated rats begin play speaking the native language of local humans (English in Meriga and Eukay) and Rat, the special language of mutated rats. Mutated rats with high Intelligence scores can choose any languages they want (except secret languages).
MUTATED RHINOCEROS TRAITS
+4 Strength, +2 Wisdom, -4 Dexterity, -2 Intelligence: Mutated rhinoceroses are powerful and alert, but tend to be clumsy and dull-witted.
Large: Mutated rhinoceroses are Large creatures and get a -1 size penalty to AC, a -1 size penalty on
attack rolls, a +1 size bonus to their Combat Maneuver Bonus and Combat Maneuver Defense, and a -4 size penalty on Stealth checks. They take up a space of 10 feet, and have a reach of 10 feet. They must wear Large armor and use Large weapons. Their carrying capacity is double that of a Medium creature with the same Strength score.
Normal Speed: Mutated rhinoceroses have a base speed of 30 feet.
Horn: Mutated rhinoceroses have a horn on their snout that functions as a natural weapon. Their gore
attack deals 1d6 points of piercing damage (plus 1-1/2 the mutated rhinoceros’ Strength modifier) and threatens a critical hit on a natural 20. Gore attacks are made at the mutated rhinoceros’ full base attack bonus, and the mutated rhinoceros can make one gore attack per round.
Poor Vision: Mutated rhinoceroses have weak eyesight. They take a -2 penalty on sight-based
Perception checks and take a -4 penalty on range attacks for each range increment (instead of the normal -2 penalty).
Languages: Mutated rhinoceroses begin play speaking the native language of local humans (English in
Meriga and Eukay) and Rhinoceros, the special language of mutated rhinoceroses. Mutated rhinoceroses with high Intelligence scores can choose any languages they want (except secret languages).
MUTATED SNAKE TRAITS
+2 Dexterity, +2 Wisdom, -2 Constitution, -2 Charisma: Mutated snakes are agile and have keen
senses, but tend to be frail and unfriendly.
Medium: Mutated snakes are Medium creatures and have no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Normal Speed: Mutated snakes have a base speed of 30 feet.
Fangs: Mutated snakes have fangs that function as natural weapons. Their bite deals 1d4 points of
piercing damage (plus 1-1/2 the mutated snake’s Strength modifier) and threatens a critical hit on a natural 20. Bite attacks are made at the mutated snake’s full base attack bonus, and the mutated snake can make one bite attack per round. Many mutated snakes take the venomous bite mutation.
Low-Light Vision: Mutated snakes can see twice as far as humans in areas of dim light.
Languages: Mutated snakes begin play speaking the native language of local humans (English in Meriga and Eukay) and Snake, the special language of mutated snakes. Mutated snakes with high Intelligence scores can choose any languages they want (except secret languages).

SENTIENT PLANT
SENTIENT BRUSH TRAITS
+2 Constitution, +2 Wisdom, -2 Dexterity: Sentient brushes are durable and perceptive, but tend to
have slow reaction time.
Medium: Sentient brushes are Medium creatures and have no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Slow and Steady: Sentient brushes have a base speed of 20 feet, but their speed is never modified by armor or encumbrance.
Darkvision: Sentient brushes can see in the dark up to 60 feet.
Plant Traits: Plants are immune to all mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns, and morale effects), paralysis, poison, polymorph, sleep, and stun.
Camouflage: Sentient brushes so resemble ordinary brush that they can use the Stealth skill to hide in
any terrain where brush can be found, even if the terrain doesn’t grant cover or concealment.
Languages: Sentient brushes begin play speaking the native language of local humans (English in Meriga
and Eukay) and Brush, the special language of sentient brushes. Sentient brushes with high Intelligence scores can choose any languages they want (except secret languages).
SENTIENT FLOWER TRAITS
+2 Dexterity, +2 Charisma, -2 Constitution: Sentient flowers are graceful and beautiful, but tend to be
frail.
Medium: Sentient flowers are Medium creatures and have no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Normal Speed: Sentient flowers have a base speed of 30 feet.
Darkvision: Sentient flowers can see in the dark up to 60 feet.
Plant Traits: Plants are immune to all mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns, and morale effects), paralysis, poison, polymorph, sleep, and stun.
Camouflage: Sentient flowers so resemble ordinary flowering plants that they can use the Stealth skill to
hide in any terrain where flowering plants can be found, even if the terrain doesn’t grant cover or concealment.
Languages: Sentient flowers begin play speaking the native language of local humans (English in Meriga
and Eukay) and Flower, the special language of sentient flowers. Sentient flowers with high Intelligence scores can choose any languages they want (except secret languages).
SENTIENT FUNGUS TRAITS
+2 Constitution, +2 Wisdom, -2 Dexterity: Sentient fungi are durable and perceptive, but tend to have
slow reaction time.
Medium: Sentient fungi are Medium creatures and have no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Slow and Steady: Sentient fungi have a base speed of 20 feet, but their speed is never modified by armor or encumbrance.
Darkvision: Sentient fungi can see in the dark up to 60 feet.
Plant Traits: Plants are immune to all mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns, and morale effects), paralysis, poison, polymorph, sleep, and stun.
Camouflage: Sentient fungi so resemble ordinary fungus that they can use the Stealth skill to hide in any
terrain where brush can be found, even if the terrain doesn’t grant cover or concealment.
Languages: Sentient fungi begin play speaking the native language of local humans (English in Meriga
and Eukay) and Fungus, the special language of sentient fungi. Sentient fungi with high Intelligence scores can choose any languages they want (except secret languages).
SENTIENT SUCCULENT TRAITS
+2 Constitution, +2 Wisdom, -2 Dexterity: Sentient succulents are durable and perceptive, but tend to
have slow reaction time.
Medium: Sentient succulents are Medium creatures and have no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Slow and Steady: Sentient succulents have a base speed of 20 feet, but their speed is never modified by armor or encumbrance.
Darkvision: Sentient succulents can see in the dark up to 60 feet.
Plant Traits: Plants are immune to all mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns, and morale effects), paralysis, poison, polymorph, sleep, and stun.
Camouflage: Sentient succulents so resemble ordinary succulents that they can use the Stealth skill to
hide in any outdoor terrain where succulents can be found, even if the terrain doesn’t grant cover or concealment.
Languages: Sentient succulents begin play speaking the native language of local humans (English in
Meriga and Eukay) and Succulent, the special language of sentient succulents. Sentient succulents with high Intelligence scores can choose any languages they want (except secret languages).
SENTIENT TREE TRAITS
+2 Strength, +2 Wisdom, -2 Dexterity: Sentient trees are durable and perceptive, but tend to
have slow reaction time.
Medium: Sentient trees are Medium creatures and have no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Slow and Steady: Sentient trees have a base speed of 20 feet, but their speed is never modified by armor or encumbrance.
Darkvision: Sentient trees can see in the dark up to 60 feet.
Plant Traits: Plants are immune to all mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns, and morale effects), paralysis, poison, polymorph, sleep, and stun.
Camouflage: Sentient trees so resemble ordinary trees that they can use the Stealth skill to hide in any
terrain where trees can be found, even if the terrain doesn’t grant cover or concealment.
Languages: Sentient trees begin play speaking the native language of local humans (English in Meriga
and Eukay) and Tree, the special language of sentient trees. Sentient trees with high Intelligence scores can choose any languages they want (except secret languages).
SENTIENT VINE TRAITS
+2 Dexterity, +2 Wisdom, -2 Strength: Sentient vines are nimble and perceptive, but tend to lack the
strength of other Medium creatures.
Medium: Sentient vines are Medium creatures and have no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Normal Speed: Sentient vines have a base speed of 30 feet.
Darkvision: Sentient vines can see in the dark up to 60 feet.
Plant Traits: Plants are immune to all mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns, and morale effects), paralysis, poison, polymorph, sleep, and stun.
Camouflage: Sentient vines so resemble ordinary vines that they can use the Stealth skill to hide in any
terrain where vines can be found, even if the terrain doesn’t grant cover or concealment.
Languages: Sentient vines begin play speaking the native language of local humans (English in Meriga
and Eukay) and Vine, the special language of sentient vines. Sentient vines with high Intelligence scores can choose any languages they want (except secret languages).

It sounds like a case where the entire party rolled for straight combat and no utility. Players' choices aside, who'd hire a bunch of combat mercenaries for what amounts to a covert heist? DM plot choices aside...

There are two avenues:
1: Charisma is not a party dump stat: "The Bardic Knock Spell". If you've got a high diplomacy or bluff skill in your party, and you're convincing enough, a good DM will quietly applaud the 'path less traveled'. A less good DM will simply railroad you into the grinder. You really only get once chance to simply 'ask nicely' for said map, but it's a possibility since you can at least enter the premises without raising an immediate alarm.

2: Charisma is a party dump stat. Hope that Ranger isn't just a quirky fighter and actually knows how to 'range'. Look for a back door or other path of least resistance, either inside or outside the fortification. "Fortifications" can often involve a hidden exit to the outside, or possibly a nearby cave system comes conveniently close to the basement or somesuch. If you're lucky, it'll lead you to your little vault. If you're not lucky, it'll be a sewer. If your DM is less good, you'll get railroaded into the grinder.

This sounds terrible, both as a situation to be walking into as a new player, and as a kind of game being run by a newbie DM.

Run! These are not the friends you are looking for!

Strike 1: Newbie DM running a medium-to-high level game off the cuff
Strike 2: Player playing an Evil
Strike 3: Player threatens party members and wants to exert control over new players game decisions
Strike 4: DM is cool with this.
Strike 5: Rules lawyering against inexperienced players.
Strike 6: Ambiguous rules borrowing from two different rulesets.

I don't know how to make this red flag bigger. I really don't!

The easiest way, at the start of the game, lay out what CAN be played that you are ready to incorporate into the world. Some players may balk, but the players you want are the people who stay and play.

My homebrew dates back to when I first played AD&D as a newbie GM on OpenRPG, and every game I ran, a lot of them one-offs, went into cobbling together something bigger. One of the legacies of this is a small continent, and restricted race availability due to how I had built the world and just how big a newbie I was at the time.

I've had to loosen the nuts in adapting from 2E to 3.X (which was a lot more diverse), and I'm doing it again in the latest evolutions into PF. 10 years of sporadic development, but it's still the same game world, and all the old territories, npc's, and unfinished campaign devices exist.

It's not a world built from PF RAW, but one that's been adapted to it, so there's going a lot that doesn't line up. This is different than, say, Golarion, which was designed from the ground up around the the unmitigated orgy of everyone-having-babies-with-everyone to allow everyone to jump in with whatever, and the buffet of rapidly released mechanics that didn't even exist conceptually back when I started world building. It's put pressure on me to incorporate many of them somehow, as either evolutions of the game world or having simply been there the whole time. In some cases, some content just doesn't exist or have room to. In others, it filled gaps I needed.

In my case, I can take the gaps between incomplete campaign attempts (historically seperate, but canon in some fashion) and make the world flex with new content, but I still have to say 'No' to a lot of things that may contradict precedent or larger narratives, and I am up front about it.

If I pay 10000 gp for a magic sword from the crafter CheatYaMaximus, then get it stolen soon after, and then find out that crafter BuildsItCheaper, could have sold me the same sword for 7,000 gp, but with a build-in anti-theft.
Do you really think I'll EVER take my return business to CheatYaMaximus again?

CheatYaMaximus saw you as a sucker and a newcomer, and you bit a 10kgp scam. He's not planning on seeing you again, he has enough regular business (or regular suckers) satisfied with his work to keep in business, and so far nobody's noticed the sell-and-steal game.

RPG games typically hand-wave artisan quality and gives everything a generic quantification. It also generally assumes honesty in the seller and competancy in the crafter. In reality, both of these factor in, as well as their ability to market their skills, which can generate sales despite being a lower quality. In business, you can compete (honestly) in either price, quality, or service. Successful businesses focus on one of these.

Just like how you have two gas stations across the street from one another, one selling gas for 3 cents higher, yet there are still cars being filled up on both sides. Maybe the 'higher price' is more convenient, maybe it's a higher quality, maybe their customers are convinced of one or the other. Maybe one still has a guy that runs out and cleans your window for you.

More economics.. yay. Now I gotta stab something.

I don't know of any business that wants it's products resold.

Allow me to introduce you to Microsoft, Nvidia, AMD, Intel, ATI. Their products are sold to manufacturers (chips and OS) who incorporate that into their own designs and effectively 'resell' their suppliers' product plus their own.

Allow me to also introduce you to most American car dealerships. MSRP is the manufacturer suggested profit margin. Dealerships may be associated with multiple auto manufacturers, but they aren't run by them in many cases. Dealers resell multiple different brands of cars they purchased from the manufacturers, and also resell used cars.

Tradesmen routinely buy up items or have business deals with crafter A (and B, C, and probably more) and move them to places where these items can demand a price. This works for both the manufacturer, who is able to routinely sell products to sustain a living, as well as the trader, who gets a profit in the resale. That's how Amazon works, friends! They don't make ANY of that stuff themselves!

I agree. You can make anything horrifying. For example. I have, and can, scared people with small rocks. I f'k you not. Rocks.

As the players go about, they'll undoubtedly be rolling perception to find all the little goodies you find laying about. Among them, simply mention ".. and a rock." Just one. They'll make note of it.

Whenever they do their easter egg hunt again, add, ".. and a rock." It can be a small. round, palm sized rock of no particular significance, just laying on the floor.

Eventually, this rock will receive scrutiny. If they ask if it's the same rock, respond "you can't tell" or "Maybe". Investigation reveals no alignment, magic, life, undeath. It's just "A rock."

Things will get freaky for them real fast if they decide to 'mark' the rock. The next rock they find will also have this mark. This may be an entirely different part of the world. This rock will continue to appear off and on when they make a 'room exploration' perception check. You have them hooked now and can cut back on the frequency of when this rock appears. From time to time, when they do their easter-egg hunt check, cue the return of "...and a rock."

If they destroy this rock, they find two rocks, both with the same marking. If they keep destroying these rocks, take this to Blair Witch territory where they start seeing these rocks everywhere, in small piles, on benches, hanging by moss from the ceiling. Perhaps a natural stone section of wall has a large 'mark' on it. it becomes something they immediately notice upon entering rooms, or perhaps appears in places where it wasn't a moment earlier.

Don't overplay it too fast. This should proceed over the course of several sessions. If they start getting freaked out, have these marked rocks pop up in even more unlikely places, like on shelves, on their pillows in Inns, on bars, in holy water fonts in temples. Wherever. If they look for it specifically, it's probably not there unless they already found one.

If there are NPC's around, nobody finds this strange, or there's some perfectly plausible explanation. Maybe there's one sitting on the throne when the King isn't sitting in it. Just let this rock screw with players and have fun with it. :)

Double post, but this one is VERY involved and may be a bit of reading.

It also shouldn't be put anywhere near a paladin, or anyone who is sensitive to piles of F-bombs. Be prepared for one hell of an NPC.

Bertrand the Smith

Bertrand's Blade

The problem I have with the hydra is.. well.. it's dumb as a dog turd, and usually played dumb as a dog turd.

A hydra is a god-damn vicious critter if it hits and submerges over and over, taking even a few rounds to regenerate body hp and multiply its heads, then Pounce starting movement from below the water's surface.

A hydra played away from the waterline better be a much stronger hydra, the CR4 version is better played in a favorable environment.

If you want a more dangerous hydra, either hit and run to regenerate, or have it take serious objection to the first yokel who chucks fire at him and do an overrun to the back line. Yeah, he's got 5 heads, he saw you do that, Fishstick-fingers. Now you're gonna wiggle a skid mark while it overruns the front line to eat you. Pounce+Overrun is valid in a single round if it makes that maneuver check.

What is pathetic is that a Huge creature has less strength than your average fighter.

It's not so much a monster, so much as an oddity item.. but it's a critter.

A short backstory, I had a VERY paranoid rogue. Virtually every round, turn, room, bend, or five foot step, he would roll perception. Out of sheer boredom of this, I simply responded "You see a rock."

Everytime he rolled and there was nothing to see, i'd simply tell him "You see a rock."

He became suspicious, and leery. "Is this the same rock?"

"You can't tell."
He whips out a wand of Detect Magic.
"Is it a magic rock?"
"You can't tell."

A few hours later. "You see a rock."
"Is it the same rock?"
"Maybe."
Now he's completely weirded out that he's being stalked by this tiny rock.

This is enough to freak out just about any player by itself, but he was a good sport and one of my better players. I decided, on the fly, that it was a tiny, amorphous metal-based critter with the ability to imbue metal items with the properties of other metals or low level enchants that it has touched before.

Suffice to say, he was thrilled to have a new pet rock.

Telepathy + The most annoying song you can think of

No DM's going to see that coming the first time you do it.

8 str and 8 con. Unless there's some supernatural power, she has no muscle mass and really looks like she could use a cheeseburger. She's not moving a couch across a room without considerable effort, forget about lifting her own weight over her head.

Looks alone would be 14 cha, only lower if she's socially inept or has 'issues' dealing with people. She'd probably get more than one free drink at a pub before she opened her mouth.

You can't tell Wis and Int by looking. You also actually can't tell Dex by looking, since even someone of apparent grace can still be a total butterfinger, and even a muscular person in heavy armor can have surprising reflexes and sense of self-position.

You also can't tell Con above 10, since there's no way to really tell the difference between 'healthy' and 'vibrantly resilient'. If she didn't look almost bulemic I'd cut her the 10.

If you're going by japanese RPG standards or teen-boy standards, she's straight 18-20's across the board with an AC of 20+.

If you want to see what 16+ str looks like:

The most fun adventures are ones where every magical item is something to hold on to, because it's not candy. Players seem to have been cuddled into this belief that the loot has to conform to their 'builds' and that there is a magic Amazon.com in every city where Deckard Cain runs the registers and they can simply exchange the stuff they find for what they want.

Adventures are more fun when the players get creative with the tools they're provided. You don't need 'high magic' for that. No, you can't have that flaming holy two-handed oversized greatsword you specced for. You've got a pile of holy water, a regular greatsword, and a cleric that's bleeding out because you thought the chest in the back of the room was more important.

But, I digress...

I find DM's forget my First Rule of GM'ing: Never let players know when, why, or how you cheat.

I tend to play with close groups (sadly, coworkers I have to work with), and I can't tell you how disruptive it is when the DM simply announces at some point about how he pulled punches and saved so-and-so from dying, or lays out a festival of obscene saving throws and suddenly gets a deer-in-the-headlights look when people don't pass his Save-or-Suck lightshow.

Here's what I do. I happen to be cooking an adventure at the moment so I can give a living example.

1: Player count and total gold dispersal. Generally speaking, I like to avoid them going out of control, so I go by 80% to allow me room to toss in unquantified awesomethings of my own creation. Say 4 players, 3,600 gold in 'material'.

Here's the big part...

Half of that value I embed in the terrain. I make my players very well aware that knowledge, proffession, and other 'min/max' "Trash" skills are profitable. Everything from reliefs, architecture, random stray books that may be laying about, paintings, small scupltures, etc. The dungeon would have about 1,800GP in stuff that would otherwise have no value except to those of particular proffessions. A rubbing of an elven relief painting or a mural from a lost dwarven fortification? Small gold mines for the appraising eye.

These are things that are not immediately quantifiable. I just make note of what they find, and it's up to them to find people who value their finds. Maybe it's a blacksmith hard up for scrap metal. There'll be bits of scrap strewn about in all sorts of places. Maybe it's a pile of old books where a few of them may be of some academic significance to someone somewhere. Etc. Min/Maxed and one-trick-wonders will find themselves modestly poor if they go by whatever they get off kills. I find this to keep their power in check, and try to get them more engaged in their environment other than waiting for the next initiative roll. There may be some red herrings here and there, such as a skunked keg of ancient dwarven ale, but generally, there are things to take home for the appraising eyes. I can gauge this value as I please at a later time to adjust for how the players are doing.

That leaves a very modest 1,800-2,400GP in articles to seed into more direct forms of loot. Immediately, close to half that go into consumables and mundane articles that can be repurposed into serviceable condition (torn chainmail, bent swords of exceptional quality, etc). So 900-1,200GP is enough for a few permanent magical trinkets. This I'll usually decide on the fly for whoever's having the worse luck of the session. I wouldn't tell them that, of course. A find is a find, congratulations lucky bastard.

The worst thing to do is "feed" players loot via combat and allow them to 'meet their GP quotas' that way. Most combat should be as fruitless as it is challenging, leveraging the good stuff in more reasonable (or entertainingly random, as I prefer) locations.

So.. how am I breaking down that 'embedded' loot?
Well.. lessee..
400gp in assorted blacksmith scrap metal (Prof:blacksmith/appraisal)
5x80GP reliefs (rubbings) (Appraisal/Prof:Scribe)
1x100gp ancient historical account (book) (knowledge:history)
1x100gp Abjurer research journal (knowledge:arcana)
4x100gp relief art/statue (sketch) (Prof: Engineering/history/scribe)
75gp copper chicken sculpture (appraisal)
1x100gp historical account (prof:soldier/scribe)

That's about 1500gp right there easy enough. These are things that can help add details to an environment, as well as a supplemental source of income. Remember, Players should be -interacting- with the environment. Don't look. Touch.

The best solution would be to incorporate more hazards and puzzles that don't simply resolve via napalm. Leave the combat aspects be for now, but pose otherwise impassable obstacles that may, on closer observation, be more easily circumvented by using some of the lesser used class features.

Not everything needs to resort to combat solutions. Combat solutions are very difficult to deal with if you train your party that the only way they are going to be challenged is by fighting things. Once you start having to throw enemies with immunities on the field, you're on the defensive for control.

That said, tone down your itemization, lean back more on hazards, secrets, more hazards, and probably a few extra hazards. Also, never let your party rest as a cop-out. If they're not scared and bleeding, they don't need to rest. I like brown mold outbreaks :) One campfire, a few stray spores, and an hour or so and PFWOOOFPH, so much for a peaceful rest :)

It depends on the strength of the GM and their preference.

For a while, I was so intimately familiar with the rules, the game world I created, and generating a strong narrative, I literally just lounged on the couch coming up with shit as they played along, occasionally faking rolls. I'm damn good at improvising everything, not so good at sitting down and trying to cope with drawing a dungeon like a four year old.

As far as combat went, a narrative GM should never be mapless, just perhaps without the talent or time to actually draw them out in full. The map should be in your head, and at the start of every players' turn, you should be describing their position, hinderances in terrain (walls, penalties), and relative distances to one another. If taking a five foot step would cause an archer to still risk shooting an ally in the head, you need to take this into consideration and warn the player ahead of time that this would not be an advantageous maneuver. Furthermore, if the rogue wants to flank, you have to mentally visualize the path and warn about AoO's that they may normally draw.

The important thing is that you should be able to, at a moments notice draw it all out for everyone if they feel things are too complex. It is important for the players to be able to trust you to maintain the combat field and relay to them the hazards and consequences of what they physically cannot see.

It isn't something I advise for new GM's. World building is a bit of a skill, and it helps to physically build a couple before you start winging it. I've seen bad experiences happen when novice GM's take the field with just the book and their imagination.

If you do opt for narrative, remember it's a lot harder to avoid breaking what is my number one rule: Never let the players know when, how, or why you're cheating as a GM.

Harrison wrote:

A room... WITH A MOOSE!

A room with a tile that turns whoever steps on it into a Moose!

Well.. there was this one time I stabbed a munchkin with about a dozen or so of his own baneful polymorph arrows...

Any brothel where the GM asks for a fortitude save.

Save or Suck is one of those things I find is best adjudicated by the DM more than the dice (although the dice should handle most 'doesn't really matter' scenarios). It's a test of how tuned a game world is, as well as a test of positive control the DM has over the players.

Let the players control themselves and neglectfully allow them to get too powerful, and you'll never threaten them in the slightest, SoS or otherwise. Vice versa, don't hose them with saving throws or they're going to get frustrated and seek self-control to become immune.

As I say. First rule of DM'ing. Never let the players know you're cheating. Rule number two: Cheat liberally to keep things fun. Rule Three: Never allow a player/character to become powerful enough to defeat the DM.

Monsters played properly are fun as hell.. If your monster has special abilities like movement, immunities, or range and you're taking advantage of them.

Vampires are one such critter. They should be personally harassing the crap out of the party whenever the priest has his back turned.

Dragons in an open environment should be breath harassing the snot out of the party trying to get them to break ranks. Blacks in swamps are just as nasty. Ever see a black dragon pull a crocodile move at a shoreline?

Kobolds. Kobolds are nothing if not a bottomless bag of fun and hazard, ranging from comically hapless to absolutely diabolical.

A personally fun staple monster for fresh characters are Krenshar. They're usually off-beat enough that they feel new, scary enough to make a fight feel challenging, but simple enough you can throw them out there and not have to worry about the players too much.

If (as a GM) you don't want to have to monitor the creation process, then simple point buy is good depending on how intense you plan your game to be. If you trust your players, this gives them time to plan their characters and flesh them out. On the downside, I find this provides a lot of time for power players to prep their rules lawyering. For new players, this time is a good thing.

For experienced players, I prefer a roll-on-the-spot character creation and get things rolling ad-hoc with little to no prep time. Everyone rolls their 4d6-drop-1's and they can pick among each others' roll-sets for what stats they want to use. Max HP for the first few levels, average starting gold, no magical/alchemical starting items other than class features if applicable.

This is fair since others can partake of others' fortunes, while also shaking up my anything-they-can-get-away-with munchkins *cough* I mean, coworkers I can't ditch.