It's all gone very quiet in Golarion!
Shall we move onto the bandit camp?
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You guys need to send me your new addresses (probably not on a public messageboard). This is the year I get around to sending Christmas cards again. Probably.
Looked at the spreadsheet. All the numbers made my brain hurt. I'm happy to use it, though. One question: does Guðrún's modifier to track include the +2 for her favoured enemies? I'm at +9 (1 rank +3 class skill bonus +2 Wisdom +1 ranger track bonus +2 favoured enemy) when tracking humans, before Sanglamore and Rhaegal work their mojo.
I think Steve and I could keep going for a few more days yet!
Daniel: as combat seems imminent, can I ask how you want us to do it? Do we type the attack rolls and damage rolls in the same post to save time? Then the damage roll can just be ignored if we miss? What happens if we score a critical threat? Do we add a follow up post more numbers, or do we go back an edit the previous post if we can? I assume there's some sort of time limit on editing previous posts? If we edit a post with die rolls in, are the die rolls then changed when the post is updated? Actually, I figure the last one out foy myself.
Very happy.
So assuming Guðrún lives until second level, she would gain 6 additional hit points instead of rolling 1d10? Or could I choose to take the six or roll the d10? Or did you mean something else entirely?
Nice map, by the way!
I think I'd have prefered something with more vivid red hair, and without the metal armour, but I am very fond of that expression.
Looks good!
On balance, I think that this is my favourite of the organisations. It provides just the right amount of information for a GM - enough to get my imagination firing, but not too much that it becomes prescriptive. Who is Rayna Tellos? Why does she have this 'gift'? Why does Calliana need to use her? Why hasn't Shelyn noticed what's going on? What happens if Calliana can't control the excesses of her choir? How could the situation be saved without tarnishing Shelyn's church? All of those are fantastic hooks to hang an adventure off. Getting the PCs involved in something like this would be no problem at all. The challenge in such an adventure may not be working out what Calliana is up to, but stopping her without dragging the whole of Shelyn's Taldon church down with her. Not to mention saving Rayna... assuming she deserves saving of course. And it's so well grounded in Golarion isn't it? Can you think of better combination of adversaries than Shelyn and Sifkesh? Calliana's motivations are utterly in sync with her mistress. Taldor is a country that's lost its greatness, and its perspective. It's the perfect place for Calliana's little scheme. There's a lot of thought gone into this entry. It deserves to get through to the next round.
The mechanics you suggest would work just fine but, for me, you've taken away the power's flavour and purpose. A paladin following the Astral Weapon paragon path is an enforcer for his god. He should have powers that reflect this role. Simply upping the damage and imposing a penalty on the saving throw, doesn't tell me that this is the power of an Astral Weapon. It's generic enough to be the power of any spellcaster. If it was me (and now you've pointed this out, I'll be changing the power as well) I would leave everything unchanged except the first line of the Special entry. It would instead read: "If this attack kills one or more creatures who serve a power antithetical to your god, roll 1d20." I don't know what pantheon you use in your own campaign, but all gods tend to have mortal enemies. This power should be more effective against the followers of enemies of your god. An example from the standard 4e pantheon would be a paladin of the Raven Queen using this power against followers of Orcus. If she kills any then she rolls to see if she can use this power again. My advice would be dispense with the reference to alignment, and instead think in terms of the driving goals and hatreds of the god that grants the paladin these power. Hope that helps, Neil.
Its really not a perfect solution but maybe you can work together with your player and have him trade off things like powers to get some of this stuff? That's my thought exactly. At the moment, I am have two choices: I treat "Mineralised Dwarf" as a race in its own right. At first level Brack would have got all the racial abilities common to all dwarves and then after that, he can choose racial feats to flesh out the rest of his powers. Mineral Warrior is a paragon path. This gives access to certain paragon path features (that might be a more appropriate place for some of these abilities), as well as powers. I could also create feats for some of the powers that were not covered elsewhere. What I'm not sure is which one would be best, and how I convert the Mineral Warriors abilities into 4e feats, powers and features. I'm not at home at the moment. I'll try creating a paragon path this evening and post it here to see what you think.
Help?What is the characters personality? What role does he play in the party? I would recommend not templating him. Have him stick to core class and paragon paths for now. You want to recreate the flavor, sort of like a vegitarian hamburger (This tastes close to the same, but I know its slightly different). The dwarf, Brack, is the party tank. He's an unstoppable melee machine that the rest of the party fear will one day be mind-controlled and used against them. As far as the fourth edition archetypes are concerened he is every inch a Defender. But, his signature ability since first level (way back in 2000) has been to attack with a dwarven battle axe in each hand. The only way to retain two-weapon fighting in any meaningful way in fourth edition is for Brack to remain a ranger. You're right - I don't want to put a template on him. There aren't any rules for 'templating' PCs, and that has a large chace of throwing off the delicate balance between the classes.
Hello all, I am in the process of converting a 12th level third edition party to 4e, and I was hoping you might be able to help me with some of the details. The dwarf ranger is sporting the Mineral Warrior template from the FR sourcebook, Underdark. I'm at a bit of a loss as to the best way to proceed. For information, the Mineral Warrior template grants the following: Attributes: Str +2, Con +4, Int -2, Wis -2, Cha -2
Special Attacks: Earth Strike (Ex): Once per day the character adds its Consitution modifier to its attack roll and deals +1 damage per character level. Special Qualities: Darkvision (Ex): Range of 60 feet or base creature if superior.
So, what's the best way forward? Fourth edition templates are solely the domain of the DM. For PCs this will have to handled as either racial feats, racial powers or a paragon path. Which ones are best, or should I use a mixture of them? Attribute modifiers, bonuses to natural armour and damage reduction don't really have an analogue in fourth edition. I could give him Resist 5 to all, but that's very powerful and few creatures have that sort of defence. But I do want to recreate a character that feels the same as the old one, even if it doesn't quite do all the same things. Help?
I'm really enjoying this thread, largely because I'm also finding it impossible to rationalise the use of non-magical martial exploits. My reasons aren't any different to those already raised, so I won't bother to repeat them. However, I do have some potential solutions that I thought I might share. I'll preface this by saying that I haven't played 4e yet. I've been finishing up my 3.5 campaign, but now I'm itching to try the new rules. However, I'm big on verisimilitude. Everything has to make sense to me. If I can't justify it, then I don't use it. That's why I've never used the "Vancian" spellcasting system for D&D. I'm feeling the same way about martial exploits. Now, when I play 4e for the first time I will use the rules as they are written. It may be that after a couple of sessions I have an epiphany, and suddenly this isn't a problem any more. I hope so, because it's always so much easier to use the rules as written than make up your own. So, after that lengthy preamble here are three potential solutions for all of us that consider this a problem: 1) Power Points Work out how many encounters you are likely to throw at a party each day. That's how many power points it costs to use a daily power. Encounter powers cost one power point. Price utility powers as if they were daily powers, regardless of whether they are encounters or dailies (this gives you more scope to use them multiple times outside encounters). At-will powers don't have a power point cost. For example: If you expect your party to face three encounters every adventuring day, then Daily Powers cost 3 power points. This would produce the following power points at levels 1, 11 and 21: Level 1: 1 encounter, 1 daily = 4 power points
You can spend power points as you wish, so a 21st level character could use a daily power (any daily power) up to ten times per day, or the same encounter power 31 times per day. Power Points are regained after taking an extended rest. While you can easily justify power points for spellcasters (these classes have a limited reserve of magical potential each day, that they recharge after six hours of rest) it is still a little abstract for martial characters. Still, all you have to do is come up with a rationalisation of what power points represent for fighters and you're good to go. 2) Hit Points Each encounter, daily and utility powers has a point cost. You can determine the point cost using the same method as for Power Points, or come up with a different mechanic to ration the use of powers in the game. You might even give at-will powers a point cost. However, in this version you pay the cost from your hit points, and not from another pot of power. Hit points are already abstract, and one of the many things they represent in 4e is fatigue. In this system we're saying that using any power causes you a degree of fatigue and this is represented in hit point loss. You can still get hit points back from healing surges and healing magic, so you can pretty much guarantee that all encounter and daily powers are available all the time. However, in combat you will be continually weighing the efficacy of using a power (and taking damage) against not using the power and not taking damage. 3) Healing Surges The rules for "Starvation, Thirst and Suffocation" on p159 of the 4e DMG can be adapted to manage the use of powers for all classes. However, I've excised the need to make an Endurance check as that would just slow the game down. In this variant, powers are still divided up as being usable at will, per encounter and per day. If you want to use a power beyond that (use a daily power more than once in the same day, or an encounter power more than once in the same encounter) then you can do so, but you lose one healing surge. If you are out of powers and out of healing surges then you can't get any more powers. Healing surges return after a period of extended rest just like they always do. Okay, so there we have it. Three different ways to handle powers that don't rely on the at-will/per encounter/per day mechanic. Not everyone's cup of tea to be sure, but are they helpful for those of us who want to house rule this element of the game? And importantly, will they work? Characters are far more versatile and therefore far more powerful. But these rules have to apply to Monsters and NPCs as well, so the stakes have been raised on all fronts. If you are using variant #3 then monsters would have to have the same number of healing surges as PCs to make it fair. Thoughts?
Hi all, PHB2 is going to be out 17 March according to Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Players-Handbook-D-Core-Rulebook/dp/0786950161/ref=sr _1_8?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1214412603&sr=8-8 (sorry, I'm not proficient enough to get hyperlinks to work) 224 pages and $34.95 (£19.99 here in the UK) Same price and page-count as the 4e DMG. Adventure P3 will be out the same day. Neil.
Hi all, Seems that everything gets released a day later in the UK. Can I ask those of you that have the module: is there a link and/or code printed in the book to get an electronic copy of the adventure? There was some talk of this a while back as a feature that would be distinct from the D&D Insider. Has anything like that materialised? Thanks, Neil.
1) Do you plan to convert to the new edition of D&D? Short answer: Yes. Long answer: My weekly game ends in June, and will be replaced by a 4e campaign. My ongoing bi-annual campaign will remain 3.5 a little longer - until I get some official stats for monks, bards, druids etc. and can convert it properly. 2) If Paizo converts its RPG products to 4.0, how will that affect your purchasing patterns for our products? I would be much more likely to buy them. 3) If Paizo does not convert its RPG products to 4.0, how will that affect your purchasing patterns for our products? I almost certainly wouldn't buy anything. Cheers! Neil.
The thing I'm most curious about in the new edition is the cleric. In third edition clerics of different gods are little more than the same person wearing a different hat - powers, spell lists and abilities are almost identical regardless of who they happen to worship. I've always thought this was just plain wrong. What will fourth edition do to differentiate between two clerics who worship different gods? Will there be meaningful differences in their powers and spells they can cast? Many thanks! Neil.
At your Eminence's request I was present for the final negotiations with this Bloodbound Decrier. The creature has accepted your contract and agreed to the task. I am confident your enemies will not survive its pursuit. This monster could look an ogre in the eye, yet tempers its might with military discipline. It is the master of a pack of ravening horrors that can empty a man of his lifeblood in seconds. And yet, it takes no joy from its work. Its eyes are dead. It stood, gazing at the horizon, and when I enquired what it was looking for it fixed its stare on me. "Only death," it said. "Only death." Thematic Link Imagine the soldier equal parts honour and shame and you have the Bloodbound Decrier. Amoral mercenaries who sold their prowess to any bidder, their greatest weapons were the packs of ravenous haemogoblins that strained at their leash, impatient to tear and consume. The Bloodbound cared nothing for cause, until the day they were commissioned to destroy their own homeland. But a contract is a contract, and the Bloodbound valued their integrity more than their home, their families or their future. After all was laid to ruin, the Bloodbound were sundered. Their ancient orders broken, the Bloodbound Decriers dispersed across the world, the sycophantic haemogoblin packs at their masters' heals. Their guilt and shame was terrible. Even as they continued to sell their swords, they plotted to end their torment Using fell rituals, the Bloodbound conjured forth spirits within the withered husks of their victims. Thus were born The Bloodless, the great avengers empowered to hunt down the hunters. The Bloodbound will not go quietly, it is not their way, but this is nonetheless a fight they hope they lose. CR 9
DEFENCE AC 24 (+8 masterwork full plate armour, +7 natural, -1 size)
OFFENCE [b]Spd 40 ft. (30 ft. in plate armour)
TACTICS Before Combat Bloodbound Decriers almost exclusively attack through their haemogoblins. Before combat they will cast status on each of their charges. During Combat The Bloodbound Decrier will attempt to remain hidden while his haemogoblins fight. He will cast bless in the first round of combat, and then watch the condition of the haemogoblins by way of the status spell. If any are in immediate danger of death, he will used shield other to save them. The Bloodbound Decrier will only enter combat if it looks as though his haemogoblins are faring badly. He will charge into combat using his Improved Bull Rush feat to get to badly wounded haemogoblins or powerful enemies without provoking attacks of opportunity. He prefers to engage in melee than to fight from range. If fighting without his haemogoblin pack, then the Bloodbound Decrier will cast bless on himself and try to attack from surprise, putting down any opposing spellcasters as quickly as possible. He will use his Power Attack feat only if he is sure of his enemy's defences. This is often a tactic for round two of a combat, once the Bloodbound has had the chance to assess his enemies' strengths. Morale Bloodbound Decriers are fearless. They do not go out of their way to avoid death: they embrace it. In battle, their tactics will serve the best interests of their current contract. Although they would prefer to save the haemogoblins from harm, they will fight to the end if they must. STATISTICS Str 22; Dex 10; Con 18; Int 14; Wis 16; Cha 17
SPECIAL ABILITIES Aura of Fearlessness (Su) A Bloodbound Decrier is immune to fear (magical or otherwise). Haemogoblins within 10 ft. of the Decrier also share this immunity. Haemogoblins beyond this area, that still have line of sight to the Bloodbound Decrier, enjoy a +4 morale bonus on saving throws against fear effects. This ability is dependent upon the Decrier's personal aura and presence. It only functions when he is conscious. Dark Blessing (Su) The Bloodbound Decrier gains a bonus equal to his Charisma bonus on all saving throws. Enduring Rapport (Ex) The Bloodbound Decriers have forged a close, almost symbiotic, relationship with the haemogoblins. Bloodbound train the otherwise untrainable, and have been accepted into the packs in return. Haemogoblins will always seek to aid a Bloodbound Decrier in distress. Tears for the Bloodless (Su) Once per week, a Bloodbound Decrier may weep genuine tears over the body of a thinking humanoid sucked dry by the haemogoblins. This corpse embodies the Bloodbound's loss, and the need for vengeance of those that were killed. Within seven days the corpse will rise again as one of The Bloodless and begin to hunt down the Bloodbound Decrier that created it. ECOLOGY Environment any land
There are legends that they were once human. A cadre of warriors humbled by more powerful opponents, who knew just enough to treat with alien intelligences from beyond the void. They bargained for power and sealed the agreement in blood. They were human no longer. They were the Bloodbound. They grew in size and power. Their faces becoming a distorted mockery of a human countenance. Now standing almost ten feet in height, and weighing more than 700 lbs they became the force they always aspired to be. But the bargain had changed them more than physically. They had some of the resistances and the magic of their diabolic patrons. Their lifespan was greatly increased. The payment for this power was high. The Haemogoblins The numbers of Bloodbound increased in the years that followed, and they made a lucrative living as mercenaries. On a contract to an area of vast grassland, some of the Bloodbound discovered a cache of haemogoblin eggs. Having witnessed the ferocity and the power of the haemogoblins first hand, they desired to add these rank creatures to their arsenal. They took the eggs and raised the young, and they did what no-one could anticipate: they tamed them. As the constant killings took their toll on the Bloodbound's psyche and their soul, they retained their perverse affection for the haemogoblins. Treating the deadly killers as favoured pets, doting on them and even naming them. The Bloodbound were accepted into the packs, and they became packhandlers bending their innate magic to protect the haemogoblins and direct them to the choicest prey. The Dispossessed The price for the Bloodbound's power was their home. So rigid and unbending was the set of rubrics and laws that the Bloodbound lived by, they could back out of an agreed contract even when they were turned against their own people. After the destruction of the Bloodbound's nation of Caenaern, the Bloodbound turned their back on their pact. They became Bloodbound Decriers, and no more would they treat with these foul entities. But these entities had made the Bloodbound Decriers virtually immortal, and too powerful to expect death on the end of a sword. Stricken by what they done to their people, nursing a death wish but forbidden form suicide by their rigid believes, the Bloodbound made one last foray into the black arts to get a measure of justice for their people. Using their knowledge of the waking dead, they were able to impart a little of themselves into the dead husks of their victims. A little of their righteous rage was given spirit and ambulation. These were the Bloodless. The Bloodbound Decriers created their own killers and, as they set off into the wider world, they wished them well. The Bloodbound Decriers seldom work together in these days. One Decrier and a pack of haemogoblins sell their services to warlords and emperors. They are happy to take on the most dangerous assignments in the hope they are killed. The Bloodbound always has one eye to the sky, waiting for justice to find them. For the PCs The Bloodbound cares nothing for causes, but sometimes it finds itself fighting on the right side. Perhaps a desperate lord of questionable moral fibre has employed a Bloodbound Decrier and its pack as part of its defences against an even greater menace. The party may find itself expected to work with the fatalistic Bloodbound, and be forced to consider whether the ends justify its brutal means. CR 6
DEFENCE AC 17, touch 12, flat-footed 15 (+2 Dex, +5 natural)
OFFENCE Spd 40 ft.
TACTICS Before Combat Haemogoblins use stealth to place themselves within charging distance of a victim. During Combat Haemogoblins break from cover and charge their opponents, using their pounce ability to make full attacks in the first combat round. They will mob opponents if possible; four haemogoblins can attack a single medium-sized target. In the wild the hunt is a free-for-all with few tactics after the initial charge. Haemogoblins will attack the nearest available foe. Although they may gain flanking bonuses from their fellows, they do not work together or seek these bonuses out. Once a haemogoblin has established a grapple and begins to drain blood, it will remain attached to its target until all the blood is drained, or until it is satiated. Satiated haemogoblins withdraw from combat, those that are still hungry will attack the next nearest victim. A trained pack shows more discipline and tactics. Bloodbound Decriers intelligently direct the haemogoblins to attack specific foes; spellcasters are attacked first. If multiple haemogoblins are attacking a single foe with high defences, all bar one of the haemogoblins will use the aid another action to give their fellow a bonus to attack and grapple rolls. Handlers compel satiated haemogoblins to continue to fight, although they can no longer use their blood drain ability once they have had their fill. Morale In the wild, haemogoblins will retreat from combat if they have lost more than 75% of their hit-points; or if over half their pack is either dead, or has fled. A haemogoblin under a bloodfrenzy (see below) will not retreat until it has restored its Con to its normal level. A haemogoblin within the range of a Bloodbound Decriers's aura of fearlessness will fight to the death STATISTICS Str 12, Dex 14, Con 12, Int 3, Wis 16, Cha 10
SPECIAL ABILITIES Blood Drain (Ex) A haemogoblin that pins a target drains blood from its victim, inflicting 1d4 points of Constitution damage each round the victim remains pinned. This damage is added directly to the haemogoblin's own Constitution score, so a haemogoblin that drains 4 points of Con from a victim sees its Con increase to 16. This increase in Constitution improves hit points, saving throws and other statistics accordingly. A haemogoblin can drain constitution points equal to its normal Constitution score before becoming satiated. An average haemogoblin has a Con of 12, so once it has drained 12 points of Con it is satiated. Satiated haemogoblins cannot drain any more blood, and become docile unless spurred to action by their handlers. A victim completely drained of Constitution is little more than a collection of bones and dessicated organs in a flesh bag. Nothing more sinister happens to the body unless a Bloodbound Decrier directly intervenes to create one of The Bloodless. Bloodfed (Ex) Haemogoblins exist solely on blood. Their dun and translucent bodies swell with blood until they are a deep red. As that blood is absorbed into their system, so the red begins to fade. A haemogoblin loses one point of Constituion per day without feeding, and it will continue to lose Con until it dies. A satiated haemogoblin is therefore forced to feed once every twelve days. Bloodfrenzy (Ex) A haemogoblin whose Con falls to less than its normal level due to lack of blood enters a state known as Bloodfrenzy. Such haemogoblins are crazed for blood, and may feed on one another if there is no handler to control them. Once a bloodfrenzied haemogoblin has drained sufficient blood to restore its Con to its normal level, then it reverts to its normal behaviour. Improved Grab (Ex) If a haemogoblin hits with its bite attack it deals normal damage and attempts to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. No initial touch attack is required. The haemogoblin may attempt an improved grab against opponents of medium size or smaller. It then has the option to conduct the grapple normally, or simply use its mouth to hold its victim. If it chooses to do the latter, it takes a -20 penalty on grapple checks, but is not considered grappled itself; the haemogoblin does not lose its Dexterity bonus to AC, still threatens an area, and can use its remaining attacks against other opponents. Each successful grapple check made by the haemogoblin in successive rounds automatically deals bite damage. If the haemogoblin pins its foe, it drains blood from the victim, inflicting 1d4 points of Constitution damage each round the foe is pinned. When a haemogoblin gains a hold after an improved grab attack, it pulls the opponent into its space. This act does not provoke attacks of opportunity. It can even move (possibly carrying away the opponent), provided it can drag the opponent’s weight. Pounce (Ex) When a haemogoblin makes a charge, it can follow with a full attack. Scent (Ex) Haemogoblins can detect opponents by sense of smell, generally within 30 feet. If the opponent is upwind, the range is 60 feet. If the opponent is downwind, the range is 15 feet. Strong scents, such as smoke or rotting garbage, can be detected at twice the ranges notes above. Overpowering scents such as skunk musk or troglodyte stench, can be detected at three times these ranges. Haemogoblins can also detect the scent of blood at three times the base range. The haemogoblin detects another creature's presence, but not its specific location. Noting the direction of the scent is a move action. If it moves within 5 feet of the scent's source, the haemogoblin can pinpoint that source. Because the haemogoblin also has the Track feat, it can follow tracks by smell, making a Survival check to find or follow a track. The typical DC for a fresh trail is 10. The DC increases or decreases depending on how strong the quarry's odour is, the number of creatures and the age of the trail. For each hour that the trail is cold, the DC increases by 2. The ability otherwise follows the rules for the Track feat. Creatures tracking by Scent ignore the effects of surface conditions and poor visibility. Skills (Ex) Haemogoblins have a +4 racial bonus on Hide and Move Silently checks. Haemogoblins have a +4 racial bonus on Survival checks when tracking by scent. If the target is bleeding, the Survival bonus improves to +12. ECOLOGY Environment Temperate or Warm Plains, although packs handled by Bloodbound Decriers could be found in any land.
They are the most despised and feared pack hunters of the plains. Haemogoblins are not of true goblin stock. They are humanoid ticks about the size of a man. Their bodies are bloated sacks, that sag over their four chitinous limbs. The flesh is translucent, tinted an unwholesome shade of brown; the misshapen organs are plainly visible beating within. Haemogoblins live to feed, and they feed exclusively on blood. They possess a maw filled with hundreds of tiny teeth that they use to burrow into their victims, take firm hold and then suck the lifeblood from them. As a haemogoblin feeds, blood fills its bulbous body, concealing its innards in a wash of scarlet. Although animalistic, there is enough intelligence in a haemogoblin to delight in sadism. They prefer to hunt and consume prey that is aware of its fate. The screams of horror as a victim watches its blood decanted into this loathsome creature is the closest the haemogoblin comes to joy. If they cannot get sentient food the haemogoblin will eat anything, but it must eat. Without a steady supply of blood it will quickly wither and die. A haemogoblin can go from satiated to starving in minutes. Society Haemogoblins live in packs of up to twenty-four in number. They cooperate in the hunt to bring down larger prey, but beyond that their hunt is chaos as each haemogoblin attempts to drink its fill. Haemogoblins are hermaphroditic. All members of the pack will lay their eggs in a secluded spot in early Spring, and then abandon the young to fate. Although haemogoblins have no need to find a mate, their wild packs are still gripped with unending battles for dominance. The most powerful can intimidate its fellows into allowing it to eat first, and that is a prize worth fighting, dying and being eaten for. The Bloodbound Masters No description of the haemogoblins is complete without mentioning the Bloodbound, who long discovered a strange affinity for these creatures, and began to domesticate them and use them for their own ends. For their part, the haemogoblins thrived under the care of the Decriers, whose lifestyle was always able to offer them a steady supply of blood. It was the haemogoblins that helped the Bloodbound to destroy their own people, although these rabid creatures were incapable of feeling the remorse that haunts their masters still. When the Bloodbound left the plains in search of employment, the haemogoblins went with them. The Bloodbound is their packleader, who has imposed order on to the pack where none existed before. They are a hideous and terrifying resource, that only a Bloodbound Decrier could love. For the PCs While in a market the party wizard discovers a barrel of haemogoblin eggs for sale. He cannot buy them because they are promised to another, and the shopkeeper will not reveal the identity of the customer. The buyer is a Bloodbound Decrier seeking to replace fallen members of its haemogoblin pack. An attempt to deny him the eggs will not be tolerated. CR 10
DEFENCE AC 24, touch 14, flat-footed 20 (+4 dex, +10 natural)
OFFENCE Spd 20 ft., Fly 30 ft. (clumsy)
TACTICS Before Combat The Bloodless applies its dodge bonus against attacks by its target, or most powerful target. It attempts to attack from above using darkness, the weather or its illusion magic as cover. It will always cast invisibility on itself before combat to ensure its first attack comes from surprise. During Combat The Bloodless attacks from the air, seeking to avoid devastating melee attacks. This is a tactic that serves the creature well against the Bloodbound and its haemogoblins. Using its Hover and Improved Flyby Attack feats, the Bloodless can swoop down upon its target, make a single attack, and then get out of reach of any reprisals, all without provoking an attack of opportunity. If battling foes with powerful range attacks, then the bloodless quickly closes to melee with spellcasters or archers, counting on its invisibility damage reduction to protect it long enough for its energy drain to deny its enemy access to its most powerful magic. If badly wounded in combat, the Bloodless will retreat and allow its fast healing ability to restore its lost hit points, before returning at full health. Morale The goal of the Bloodless is to destroy the Bloodbound Decrier. In a battle against a Decrier it will fight until it is destroyed. In a fight against anything else, the Bloodless considers will flee if it believes there is little chance of victory, or it it likely to perish in the fight. STATISTICS Str 14, Dex 19, Con --, Int 14, Wis 14, Cha 14
SPECIAL ABILITIES Energy Drain (Su) On a successful melee attack roll, the Bloodless bestows two negative levels. It gains 5 temporary hit points for each negative level it bestows. ECOLOGY Environment any
The bloodless are the desiccated husks of haemogoblin victims, given unlife and purpose by the Bloodbound Decriers. With nothing but dry flesh and crumbling bone to support them, they can only move on the ground by crawling. The curse that animates them also grants them the power to fly, but it is not a smooth and graceful slight. They jerk forward in a sudden and unsettling manner. When still, they hang unnaturally, resembling a marionette with its strings cut. During their creation, the person the Bloodless once was, is completely overwritten. The Bloodless magically learns of the destruction of the Bloodbound's nation of Caenaern. They feel the loss as if they lived through the fires and the deaths, and they place the blame firmly at the door of the Bloodbound themselves. They are instruments of vengeance fuelled by sorrow, conscience given form, and they are determined to destroy the 'their' nation's destroyers. The Bloodless have given them the perfect tools for the job. The Bloodless are intelligent, and are quite capable of planning and executing complicated schemes to locate and destroy the Bloodbound Decriers. They have no qualms with working with their own kind, and sometimes several Bloodless might team together to oppose a particularly powerful Bloodbound. Scholars believe that in creating the Bloodless, the Bloodbound imprinted a little something of the being it was before it embarked upon its fell pact centuries ago. And so the Bloodless recognises something of itself in the Bloodbound, and this only heightens its desire to see the thing dead. The death of the Bloodbound Decrier that gave the bloodless unlife is a glorious moment. The Bloodless momentarily returns to living flesh, remembering both its own life and the glories of Caenaern past. For the PCs The Bloodless uses its powers of charm and illusion to get close to the PCs and find out what they know about a Bloodbound in the area. It may offer aid to the party in exchange for this information, and even steer the activities of the PCs, using them as hapless pawns to wear the Bloodbound down. When the nature of The Bloodless is revealed, it will be hard for the party to pick a side.
I really wasn't expecting to get this far!
Now that the voting is over can I please say something that has been burning a hole in my side for the last week... SixTEEN. It should have been sixteen children in Hetty's little club, not sixty. It was sixteen in every draft. Quite what possessed me to write sixty is anyone's guess. Of course, now everyone's going to say they only voted for her because of the ridiculous number of sycophantic infant minions right? Neil.
Hello all. This is my first post on the Paizo boards. My apologies for seeming rather reticent until now. I've just moved, and I've been without internet access for three weeks. It was a long, hard three weeks... Anyway - my thanks to everyone who took the time and trouble to comment on my previous entries. I am slowly reading back through all the previous posts, as well as the other contestants' country and wondrous item submissions. I've found plenty of good ideas for my own campaign. My villain has now been subitting with over two hours to spare. Although I think I'm at a bit of an advantage living in the UK, as midday Pacific time is 8:00pm for me. I feel as though I get a whole extra day. Now, I really should think about starting my Christmas shopping. Good luck, everyone! Neil.
HENRIETTA "HETTY" MILLER, Murderous Midwife CR 3 Female Human Expert 1/Rogue 3
DEFENSE AC 14, touch 11, flat-footed 13
OFFENSE Spd 30 ft.
TACTICS Before Combat Hetty will not fight a fair fight; she prefers to flee and fight again at a time of her choosing (see Morale). She will secretly follow her target(s) and work out the best place for an ambush, perhaps laying clues and rumours to lead them into a twisted labyrinth of narrow alleyways that she is intimately acquainted with. If she cannot manage that, she would set fire to her mark's home or dwelling, and hope to pick him off in the ensuing chaos. During Combat Surprise round: Hetty attacks, inflicting sneak attack damage on her target. Round one: Hetty would hope to win initiative, and attack the same target again if it is still standing. Round two: Hetty would hope to withdraw, having killed her target. If the target still stands she would stay or leave depending on how wounded the foe is, and how close his allies are. She would have planned her escape route in advance, and use the terrain (narrow alleyways, abandoned tenements) to stay one step ahead of pursuers. It would be her intention to pick off a larger party one by one. Morale Hetty knows her physical limitations. If discovered before she can sneak attack, Hetty will flee. If she spends more than one round facing two opponents, she will flee. If faced with more than two opponents, she will flee. Only if she is fighting to defend her family of stolen children will she fight to the death. STATISTICS Str 14, Dex 13, Con 8, Int 16, Wis 12, Cha 15
Note, the ten skills selected as class skills for the level in Expert were: Bluff, Diplomacy, Gather Information, Heal, Knowledge (Local), Knowledge (Nature), Listen, Profession, Sense Motive and Spot. Languages Common, Dwarven, Elven, Halfling
SPECIAL ABILITIES Sneak Attack (Ex) If a Hetty can catch an opponent when he is unable to defend himself effectively from her attack, she can strike a vital spot for extra damage. Hetty's attack deals extra damage any time her target would be denied a Dexterity bonus to AC (whether the target actually has a Dexterity bonus or not), or when she flanks her target. This extra damage was 1d6 at 1st level, and it increases by 1d6 every two rogue levels thereafter. It is currently +2d6. Should Hetty score a critical hit with a sneak attack, this extra damage is not multiplied. Ranged attacks can count as sneak attacks only if the target is within 30 feet. With a sap (blackjack) or an unarmed strike, Hetty can make a sneak attack that deals nonlethal damage instead of lethal damage. She cannot use a weapon that deals lethal damage to deal nonlethal damage in a sneak attack, not even with the usual -4 penalty. Hetty can sneak attack only living creatures with discernible anatomies—undead, constructs, oozes, plants, and incorporeal creatures lack vital areas to attack. Any creature that is immune to critical hits is not vulnerable to sneak attacks. She must be able to see the target well enough to pick out a vital spot and must be able to reach such a spot. Hetty cannot sneak attack while striking a creature with concealment or striking the limbs of a creature whose vitals are beyond reach. Trapfinding (Ex) Hetty (in common with all rogues) can use the search skill to locate traps when the task has a Difficulty Class higher than 20. Because Hetty has no ranks in the disable device skill, she cannot attempt to disarm or bypass magical traps (at least, not successfully). Trap Sense (Ex) Starting at her third rogue level, Hetty gains an intuitive sense that alerts her to danger from traps, giving her a +1 bonus on Reflex saves made to avoid traps, and a +1 dodge bonus to AC against attacks made by traps. These bonuses would rise to +2 should Hetty reach sixth level as a rogue, to +3 at 9th level, to +4 at 12th level, to +5 at 15th level, and to +6 at 18th level. DESCRIPTION The young mother could feel her life bleeding from her. She reached out, desperate for one last touch of her baby. Hysterical in death. Wheezing painfully, the midwife leaned her grotesque bulk over the crib and lifted the newborn from its sleep. She muted the infant's cries against her corpulence. "There, there," she soothed, "You are safe. You are my child now." Henrietta Miller was bedridden for most of an unhappy childhood. Timid, naïve and disabled by obesity she was ridiculed and hated. No detractor was more vitriolic than Hetty's father, who saw her as a constant reminder of the wife he lost. Only infants treated Hetty without prejudice, and she vowed to dedicate her life to their care. Hetty's father mocked her aspirations, and in the heat of the ensuing argument Hetty stabbed and killed him. In murder came epiphany, and Hetty realised her parents were to blame for her broken life. She was determined that no child should suffer as she had. Hetty does not see herself as a midwife: she is a judge. The women who come to her for succour and relief are weighed in the balance – do they deserve this child? To those she deems worthy, she is a charming and compassionate companion. To those she deems lacking, she is a horror. Ideally, Hetty will use her skills to slip a newborn a tonic that will make it appear dead. When the grieving parents have accepted her platitudes and departed, she awakes the child and takes it as her own. If she cannot be subtle, then she will be murderous. She will not risk being discovered. Hetty is not above taking a child, and burning the parents to death in their home to cover her tracks. Sixty stolen children live at the old mill, in the industrial warren where Hetty grew up. She frightens them from the real world with tales of its evil. The children love and trust her implicitly, she is their mother after all. It has been five years since she started this course, and the oldest are becoming curious of the outside. What happens when 'her children' prove as fallible as their parents? The PCs could meet Hetty while attending a pregnant companion, NPC or cohort. This would personalise the horror of what is to come. PCs are likely to consider Hetty as little more than colourful comic relief at first. She would be very wary of PC clerics. If the PCs succeed in rescuing the stolen children without killing Hetty, the midwife becomes a very different type of villain. The PCs would have taken her family from her. She would not rest until she returns the favour. Hetty is designed as a foil for first or second level adventurers; against a higher level group she should remain two levels ahead of the PCs. From level six she multiclasses into assassin to heighten her skills, and use spells (such as nondetection) to fool PC spellcasters.
"When did it come to this? How did we so completely lose our way? If the noble warriors of the past lived today, surely they would take up arms against us! For Celestar and the East! For the memory of greater days! Down with the Basilica, down with its invisible evil and down with its puppet king!" Prelate Solomon Karr shortly before his execution. Capital: Ardennia Port (30,800)
Ruler: His Youthful Eminence, King Raphael X
History Three generations ago Vramaire was a peerless enemy of Evil. An abomination known as the Eater of Men had arisen in the orclands of the West, and attacked without warning or provocation. Thousands died, and thousands more suffered horrible torture and violation at the hands of this dark enemy and his orcish horde. As the Vramari battled valiantly to contain the threat, daring diplomats of the undercourt brokered peace between far off nations, and brought them together in a grand alliance against this cancerous blight that sought to consume all things. After a time, there was victory. Peace was not easy for the Vramari. The entire nation had militarised; courage, belief and righteous zeal had sustained them when food and hope ran short. Even the Celestarum, the church of their giving and beneficent goddess, had armed itself. Celestar was now depicted as a warrior maiden with fire in her heart, forced to battle in defence of her chosen people, forced to do terrible things for the greater good. Perhaps it was an inability to let go of their hatred that led Vramaire down a darker path. Perhaps years of depredation had simply hardened the hearts of a once welcoming and tolerant people. Whatever the reason, the Vramari now mistrusted where they once trusted. Their suffering had bred suspicion, and they vowed never to allow an enemy to inflict such losses on Vramaire again. There was a desire to punish, and to lay blame: and at the centre of things was the Argent Basilica. During the war, the Basilica had performed admirable work. A strange hybrid of political and clerical orders, it had sent its zetetic priests into the field as spies and missionaries. In peace, the zetetics turned their steely gaze on the Vramari people. The Basilica, like much of Vramaire, had become gripped with an unshakeable belief in its own virtue. They were a chosen people. Had they not held the line when others quaked in fear? Was it not their hand that had finally struck down the Eater of Men? Did not the other free peoples of the world owe them everything? With such logic as this, it is not difficult to accept all that has happened since then: the outlawing of all religions except the Celestarum; the expansion into godless lands; the enslavement of the orcs. Each new atrocity done in the name of a gentle god, and each done so subtlety and with such organic reason that even the people of Vramaire themselves accepted it unquestionably. Vramaire Today Today Vramaire is a vast land, stretching from the Emerald Reaches in the south, to the Orcish Steppes in the north. It is a human nation, with a large orcish minority who are almost exclusively slaves. A community of dwarves known as the Masters of Thekk dwell in the Iron Hills to the far east, but with that exception very few other thinking races call Vramaire home. Vramaire is a harsh and unforgiving country, still cloaked in the delusion of righteousness and respectability. The people remember their glory days, and believe all other nations to be in their debt. They are proud, and mistrustful of strangers. Foreigners are not welcome, and dissension is firmly crushed. Zetetic priests have ultimate authority to arrest, detain, torture and execute troublemakers. Orcs have no rights, and are put to the most menial and degrading tasks imaginable – in retribution for the crimes of their antecedents. The Argent Basilica is the real power; the triumvirate and the king really answer to Proctor Melchior Vane, who considers himself on a divinely empowered mission. There are few opponents to his will. A knightly order of paladins led by the exiled Sir Loxlow Burroughs believe that the country has changed so much that it must be the result of malign magical interference. He searches the country for the "source", and sees the Eater of Men behind every corner. The only credible resistance is led by the enigmatic Elloe, a beauteous bard from the recently incinerated College of Rivenmouth. She has no real force of arms, but has masterminded a large leaflet and broadside campaign, and introduced many seditious songs into the local vernacular. DM's Secrets Gazzak Kahn is a brutal and charismatic orc, working to free his people by any means necessary. His indiscriminate butchery of Vramari would seem to rule him out as an ally of any sensible revolutionist. Sir Loxlow believes to have uncovered the source of corruption in the Wytchwood nine miles east of Verity. A force of a dozen knights entered the woodland seven nights ago and have not returned. The Theologians of Thekk are questioning why Celestar should continue to grant clerical powers to a Celestarum that has so completely lost its way. They suspect a malign deity has supplanted the weeping goddess. Genealogical research has revealed Melchior Vane has an orc ancestor. By his own law, he would be stripped of his titles and cast into slavery. Various groups are clamouring to prove this assertion. Gazzark Kahn is said to hold an artefact that only functions for one of orcish blood. Could Kahn hold the fate of Vramaire? What would be his price?
The Shroud of old Souls A seemingly unremarkable burial shroud woven of coarse white fibres. If the shroud is held close a faint susurration can be heard. If the Shroud of Old Souls is laid over the body of any dead creature of medium-size or smaller, the essence of that creature is imprinted into the fabric. The outline of the creature's body is faintly visible on the inside of the shroud. Once imprinted, the shroud can be used instead of a body for the purposes of raise dead and similar magic. The amount of time a creature has been dead has no effect on the power of the Shroud. Any attempt to raise or resurrect an imprinted creature will succeed regardless of the length of time the creature has been dead, as long as the deceased is willing. The Shroud of Old Souls can only contain one imprinted creature at any time. If the dead creature is resurrected by another means before the shroud can be used, then the imprinted image fades from the shroud and item can be used again. Moderate necromancy; CL 9th; Craft Wondrous Item, gentle repose, raise dead; Price 36,000 gp; Weight 1 lb |