I'm posting this here for both reference and if anyone has feedback or questions, just post here. I'd love a discussion about any part of what I have.
Shadowdancer Fluff:
SHADOWDANCER
Civilized folk have always feared the night, barring themselves behind doors or comforting themselves with bonfires when the shadows grow long, rightfully wary of the creatures that prowl the darkness. Yet long ago, some learned that the best way to conquer an enemy is to embrace it. These were the first shadowdancers.
Shadowdancers exist in the boundary between light and darkness, where they weave together the shadows to become half-seen artists of deception. Unbound by any specified morality or traditional code, shadowdancers encompass a wide variety of adventuring types who have seen the value of the dark. Spellcasters use their abilities to safely cast spells from hiding and then move quickly away, while classes devoted to hand-to-hand combat enjoy the ability to attack foes with the element of surprise. Some even take the name of their kind quite literally, becoming eerie and mysterious performers and dancers, though more often the temptation presented by their talents with deception and infiltration causes shadowdancers to turn to lives of thievery.
Role: Shadowdancers adventure for a wide variety of reasons. Many adventuring parties find shadowdancers valuable members of their teams due to their incredible stealth and ability to surprise enemies with lightning-quick attacks where they're least expected. For this reason, their services are often sought out by those groups in need of scouts or spies.
Alignment: Because of their nature as visually duplicitous tricksters, shadowdancers do not fit comfortably into the lawful category, as many use their talents to avoid the eyes of legitimate authority. Yet though they are allies of darkness, shadowdancers are neither inherently evil nor predisposed to good. To them, the darkness is simply the darkness, without any of the usual moral connotations made by the unenlightened.
Shadowdancer Mechanics:
Hit Die: d8.
Base Attack Progression: Medium
Fortitude Progression: Poor
Reflex Progression: Good
Will Progression: Good
Requirements
To qualify to become a shadowdancer, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.
Skills: Stealth 5 ranks, Perform (dance) 5 ranks.
Feats: Dodge, Mobility.
Class Skills
The shadowdancer's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Acrobatics (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Diplomacy (Cha), Disable Device (Dex), Disguise (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex),Perception (Wis), Perform (Cha), Sleight of Hand (Dex), and Stealth (Dex).
Skill Ranks at Each Level: 6 + Int modifier.
Class Features
All of the following are features of the shadowdancer prestige class.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Shadowdancers are proficient with the club, crossbow (hand, light, or heavy), dagger (any type), dart, mace, morningstar, quarterstaff, rapier, sap, shortbow (normal and composite), and short sword. Shadowdancers are proficient with light armor but not with shields.
Darkvision (Ex): A shadowdancer gains darkvision out to a range of 60 feet. If she already has darkvision, the range increases by 30 feet.
Sneak Attack (Ex): This is exactly like the rogue ability of the same name. The extra damage dealt increases by +1d6 at 1st level and every three levels thereafter (4th, 7th, and 10th). If a shadowdancer gets a sneak attack bonus from another source, the bonuses on damage stack.
Shadow Jump (Su): A shadowdancer can teleport to a nearby space as a move action as if using dimension door provided both the starting and ending locations are areas of dim light (her own shadow does not count as an area of dim light). The shadowdancer may still take actions after this movement. This movement does not provoke an attack of opportunity. The shadowdancer must be able to see the space she is moving into. The shadowdancer may not take other creatures with her when she uses this ability. The shadowdancer may move 5 feet for every class level she possesses each time she uses this ability. The shadowdancer may use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + her charisma modifier. At 10th level, the shadowdancer may use this ability as a swift action.
Dancing Shadow (Ex): A shadowdancer adds half her class level (minimum 1) on all stealth and perform (dance) checks and may make perform (dance) checks in place of acrobatics checks.
Shadow’s Grace (Ex): Beginning at 2nd level, a shadowdancer may make a perform (dance) check to replace a saving throw or her AC as an immediate action, even after the results of her original saving throw or the enemy’s attack roll have been revealed. She may use this ability once per day at second level and an additional time per day every four levels thereafter (for a maximum of three times per day at 10th level).
Evasion (Ex): At 2nd level, a shadowdancer gains evasion. If exposed to any effect that normally allows her to attempt a Reflex saving throw for half damage, she takes no damage with a successful saving throw. The evasion ability can only be used if the shadowdancer is wearing light armor or no armor.
Uncanny Dodge (Ex): At 2nd level, a shadowdancer cannot be caught flat-footed, even if the attacker is invisible. He still loses her Dexterity bonus to ACif immobilized. An shadowdancer with this ability can still lose his Dexterity bonus to AC if an opponent successfully uses the feint action against him.
If a shadowdancer already has uncanny dodge from a different class, he automatically gains improved uncanny dodge instead.
Hide in Plain Sight (Su): At 3rd level, a shadowdancer can use the Stealth skill even while being observed. As long as she is within 10 feet of an area of dim light, a shadowdancer can hide herself from view in the open without anything to actually hide behind. She cannot, however, hide in her own shadow.
Shadow Illusion (Sp): When a shadowdancer reaches 3rd level, she can create visual illusions. This ability functions as silent image, using the shadowdancer's level as the caster level. A shadowdancer can use this ability once per day for every two shadowdancer levels she has attained. The DC for this ability is equal to ½ the shadowdancer’s class level + her charisma modifier.
Shadow Call (Sp): At 4th level, a shadowdancer can create creatures and effects out of raw shadow. This ability functions as shadow conjuration, using the shadowdancer's level as the caster level. A shadowdancer can use this ability once per day at 4th level, plus one additional time per day for every two levels attained beyond 4th (2/day at 6th level, 3/day at 8th level, and 4/day at 10th level). Upon reaching 10th level, this ability functions as greater shadow conjuration. The DC for this ability is Charisma-based.
Shadow Dancing: At 4th level, a shadowdancer gains the ability to use bardic performances as if her bard level were equal to her class level–3. Levels in this ability stack with levels in any other class that grants a similar ability to determine her bard level. The shadowdancer also gains one additional performance type.
Inspire Cowardice (Su): A shadowdancer can use her performance to inspire fear in her enemies, deteriorating their will and weakening their morale. To be affected, an enemy must be within 30 feet of the shadowdancer and be aware of the shadowdancer’s presence but not necessarily be able to see her. An affected enemy takes a -1 penalty on saving throws against fear and figment illusions, attack rolls, and damage rolls. This penalty increases by -1 when the shadowdancer reaches an effective bard level of 5 and every 6 levels thereafter, to a maximum of -4 at 17th level. Inspire Cowardice is a mind-affecting ability. Inspire Cowardice can only use visual components.
Defensive Roll (Ex): Starting at 5th level, once per day, a shadowdancer can attempt to avoid a lethal blow. This functions as the rogue's advanced talent of the same name.
Improved Uncanny Dodge (Ex): At 5th level and higher, shadowdancer can no longer be flanked. This defense denies a rogue the ability to sneak attack the shadowdancer by flanking him, unless the attacker has at least four more rogue levels than the target has shadowdancer levels.
If a character already has uncanny dodge from another class, the levels from the classes that grant uncanny dodge stack to determine the minimum rogue level required to flank the character.
Slippery Mind (Ex): At 6th level, a shadowdancer becomes resilient to enchantment spells. This functions as the rogue's advanced talent of the same name.
Shadow Walker (Sp): At 8th level, a shadowdancer gains the ability to cast Shadow Walk as a spell-like ability once per day, treating her class level as her caster level.
Improved Evasion (Ex): This ability, gained at 9th level, works like evasion (see above). A shadowdancer takes no damage at all on successful saving throws against attacks that allow a Reflex saving throw for half damage. What's more, she takes only half damage even if she fails her saving throw.
Shadow Master (Su): At 10th level, whenever a shadowdancer is in an area of dim light, she gains DR 10/— and a +2 luck bonus on all saving throws. In addition, whenever she successfully scores a critical hit against a foe who is in an area of dim light, that foe is blinded for 1d6 rounds.
"The world is a different place depending on through which fire you're looking at it. When that fire is literal, you will know our pain."
-Ancient Manuscript
The end of everything we strove to achieve has become nothing more than a distant memory. No one alive now knows what it was like before the hammer fell. The few remaining—those who have the peace of mind to care—are only glad they weren't there when it happened. The world has since been tossed into chaos, civilization struggling to regain its footing, but many would have you believe that such a calamity is just what the world needed. That whatever god or gods that may watch over it were the ones that pulled the trigger on the Earth they knew before. Maybe that's true. But then, maybe people just don't want to believe that mortal men could be capable of that much destruction.
The disaster was, inevitably, brought about by the very same ambition on which intelligent life prided itself. The end arrived with nuclear war and brought along an apocalypse that rivaled the great extinctions of history. In its wake, the world lost more than just buildings. Sapience lost all but the basest instincts of survival. With time, it became clear that life was still possible—though chaotic and fleeting. Though almost forgotten, the disaster left lingering traces on the generations that rose in the new world. Knowledge of the world before was hardly passed down from those who remembered, but what stories that survive became warped with time, until the historical picture of the old world was barely comparable to the original. Things such as technology and magic are regarded as evil, as the knowledge of them is long lost to so many. In a world where the unknown could mean instant death, such mysterious powers are rejected and feared.
"Historians are, I suppose appropriately, a thing of the past. For the past several thousand years, civilization has been on its knees. Maybe it's that we're finally remembering who we are, or finally forgetting what we had become. What had always intrigued me about our history is the maintenance of what it was that truly set us apart from animals - technology. I mean more than hitting rocks against shellfish for food. From what I've gathered, we've salvaged all we could from the old world and when it finally ran out, the few of us who bothered to remember how it all worked were hailed as witches. And for some strange reason, we certainly were having none of that."
-Reginald Blackwater, Renowned Scholar of Feinhold, Kingdom of Grigoria.
Thousands of years of living with the mistakes of past generations is difficult. If those mistakes were so large that the majority was slapped into irrational disbelief, it's impossible for the world to do anything but start over. It's impossible for them to stand again without first accepting that they have legs upon which to do so. How does an entire world begin to start over? How do the sapient races regain what they had spent so long constructing—or even believe in such a possibility? And—perhaps the question most important—after the end of all that our minds had worked together to create…what remains? We face now the uncertainty that no change in our world can ever remove: the veiled and uncarved path of the future.
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This is kind of an interest check and recruitment all in one. If I get enough submissions, yay! If not, well I guess that answers the interest question.
*Ahem*
Hello everyone, and welcome to the recruitment for my completely homebrew Hammer to Fall campaign! The world in which this campaign is set, Aciem, is one that is completely of my creation and incidentally is the world in which a system I created is set, but no worries! I plan to run this PbP using the Pathfinder system. I would just really like to flesh out various points in the timeline of this setting, and I haven't really touched this particular part. Anyway, onward!
There's probably some information you'd like to know before getting into it much further. Allow me to expand a little.
Very Basic Timeline:
0e0a0: Creation: There are no indicators that any life as the world knows existed before this point, many of the world's religions and great thinkers believe this was the creation of the universe. Writings exist from this point forward, but the sources are incredibly scarce.
Approximately 0e0a100: The final collapse, as it is often referred to in what few texts there are from this time, refers to a happening involving the rise and fall of some creatures of mythical power. No one knows who they were or why they're gone, but some religious leaders believe these writings are referring to the gods that created or cleansed the planet ascending to their respective planes.
0e0a100 - 2e5a0: The Isolation Period: During this time, people were scarce. Communities rarely lasted longer than a few years. The world was a dangerous place and the people that inhabited it were even more dangerous. Knowledge of technology and magic were rare and those that had it, used it for evil purposes.
2e5a0: The Rise of Man: The first kingdom to rise, Minimuse, did so during the fifth age of the second era, though it is argued when exactly during this age it rose. This represents 10,875 years since creation. The kingdom quickly outlawed magic and advanced technology, citing its use as inherently evil. Civilization since has followed suit.
2e7a89: Amrocia Splits: Amrocia, once a large section of land claimed by the Kingdom of Minimuse, kicks up a rebellion against the massive kingdom only 339 years after its formation. As expansive of a kingdom as Minimuse was at the time, affairs grew strained between the mostly human grasslands of the Amrocian area and the multicultural Minimuse lands governed by mostly other races despite the rise of humans first.
2e8a05 - Present: Border Rifts: Since the formation and splitting of several more kingdoms on the continent of Thelnor, war is ever prevalent. There are no set borders between each kingdom, instead there are long patches of land dozens of miles thick between each kingdom known as rifts. These are dangerous places where battles happen and thieves take advantage of the complete lack of law.
Setting Notes:
1: Technology level is extremely fuzzy. The campaign is set around 11,000 years after what was essentially all out nuclear warfare and magical EMP warfare. It's a medieval campaign, but cars and guns exist (Commonplace Guns rules, though guns aren't exactly commonplace). Higher levels of technology is often mistaken for magic, which brings me to my next point;
2: Magic is widely untrusted. This is a low-mid magic campaign. Will you be burned at the stake for casting spells or starting a motorcycle? You never know about some communities.
3: Religions are an interesting topic. You can essentially get away with believing whatever you want, but there are major religions in the world. If you have further questions, let me know.
4: There's an additional knowledge skill called Knowledge (Technology) and it's used to identify old-world technology like cars, guns, and machinery. A similar craft skill must be used to salvage or duplicate this technology. Drive is also a skill that is Dexterity based.
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Character Creation
Level 1 characters, average starting wealth;
Any armor purchased can have its base price increased by 50% to have half of its armor bonus (rounded down) apply to AC against touch attacks made by firearms.
Races:
"Funny what some time and isolation can do to the human race."
When the world was destroyed in 0e0a0, humans were the only race on the planet. 11,000 years in isolation and genetic mutation (whether natural or irradiated) has created many different breeds of human.
Core, featured, and uncommon races are allowed. Though being too strange could have implications in game.
Classes:
"There is more to learn in the world than you see, and more see in the world than what you fight."
All Paizo classes are fair game. I might be open to some 3pp classes, just message me and I'll have a look at it. Machinesmith is one such class.
PM me to let me know if you plan to be a gunslinger or use any of the gunslinger's abilities (from the Character Twist below)
Ability Scores, Hitpoints, and Skills:
"We hate to admit it, but we aren't all born equal. Some people deserve respect. Some are the reason those people are respected."
25 Point-Buy, nothing lower than 7 or higher than 18 before racial modifiers.
Start with maximum HP, every level after first will yield maximum minus 3 HP.
Unchained background skills are in play.
Add Knowledge (Technology) (Int), Electronics (Int), and Drive (Dex) to the skill list. Armor check penalty applies to Drive.
If your class has Knowledge (Arcana) or Knowledge (Engineering) as a class skill, you also have Knowledge (Technology) as a class skill. If you have Spellcraft or Use Magic Device as a class skill, you also have Electronics as a class skill. If you have Ride or Knowledge (Technology) as a class skill, you also have Drive as a class skill. This only applies if those skills are on your class skill list, not if you use a trait or other means of getting the prerequisite skill on your class skill list (though if you use a trait or similar method, you may choose to add Knowledge (Technology), Electronics, or Drive instead of the prerequisite skill).
Languages work a bit differently in this setting since the general education level is very low. You begin play able to speak your normal number of languages, but not read or write them unless you give up the ability to speak another language in its stead. For example; if you start with Common and Dwarven, you can only speak both. However, if you'd like to read and write in Common, you can give up Dwarven altogether. Designate languages you can also read and write like this: Common*. Keep in mind that this also means that it takes two ranks in linguistics to learn to read, write, and speak a language now instead of only one.
Finally, you may never take a 10 on knowledge checks unless you have a special ability that says you may.
Traits:
"There's no denying it. This world makes you who you are. The part we see is the part that remains in it even now, and that's the part that matters."
2 + 1 Campaign (Out of the following)
Drawbacks allowed for one additional trait.
Campaign Traits:
Driver: Gain a +1 to all Drive and Craft (Mechanics) checks and you may always treat Drive as a class skill. Additionally, for you, the action required to control a vehicle is one step lower than usual (normally it's a standard action to maneuver a vehicle by turning, stopping, etc and a move action to maintain the vehicle's direction and speed).
Rift Bandit: Gain a +2 trait bonus to initiative and begin play with an additional 100 gp.
Rift Soldier: You aren't flat-footed during a surprise round that you don't get to act in or before you get to act at the start of a battle. Additionally, you gain a +1 trait bonus to AC against opponents that are flanking you.
Ruin Delver: Gain a +2 trait bonus to Perception, Survival, and initiative while in the ruined cities of the old-world, as well as a +2 trait bonus to saves against Warding of the Gods. You may also ignore the difficult terrain presented by ruined roads and buildings.
(Note: Warding of the Gods is radiation poisoning from the radiation still present throughout the world - especially the ruins of heavily destroyed areas.)
Scholar of Old: You gain a +1 trait bonus to all Knowledge checks and Knowledge (History) is always a class skill for you.
Secretive Witch: You may cast spells with verbal components without drawing attention to yourself with a DC (10 + double the spell level) Bluff check. Likewise, you may cast spells with somatic components without drawing attention to yourself with a DC (10 + double the spell level) Sleight of Hand check. A spell with both only requires a roll of one or the other. Allies may use aid another on this check by distracting would-be observers. Circumstantial bonuses and penalties may apply.
Tech Savvy: Gain a +1 trait bonus to Knowledge (Engineering), Knowledge (Technology), and Electronics. One of these is always a class skill for you. Additionally, once per day, you may temporarily repair a piece of old-world technology. It functions as normal for one hour/level before returning to its original state.
Witch Hater: Gain a +1 trait bonus on all saves against spells and spell-like abilities and a +1 trait bonus on all damage rolls against creatures possessing spells, spell-like abilities, or who are using any old technology.
Added Character Twist:
"Pay attention to those around you. Those unlike yourself. Your enemies. Learn from them."
Choose one ability from any class that scales with your level (such as a rogue's sneak attack, bardic knowledge or one bardic performance, a teleportation specialist wizard's Shift ability, etc). You have this ability. It does not stack if you gain this ability yourself (being a rogue and taking sneak attack does not double your sneaky dice, it is just a pointless choice). You grow in this ability as you level as if you were taking levels in the class that normally has the ability, even if you multiclass. If this ability is usable 3 + physical stat modifier times per day (or similar) or a DC based on a physical stat, you may choose any physical stat modifier to use. The same goes if it is an ability that depends on a mental stat, you may choose which mental stat. You could, for example, use Charisma instead of Intelligence for the wizard's Shift ability. You could also use Dexterity instead of Constitution to determine rounds of rage you get per day for the Urban Barbarian's Controlled Rage.
Things to note: If you are curious if a given ability is up for grabs using this character twist, just ask. The answer will likely be yes, but there may be things I've overlooked. I will allow you to use this ability to lock in a higher HD, but it will simply always be one step higher than your normal HD (wizards get d8 and if that same wizard multiclasses into alchemist, she will get d10) and, for obvious reasons, barbarians can't benefit from this use of the ability. Same goes for BaB (increase one step, doesn't affect full BaB classes), skill points (+2 skill points, doesn't affect rogues), and any one save (doesn't affect a save that is already good, is lost on monks).
You can't use this to become a spellcaster, gaining a choice of abilities every other level (like rogue talents, bonus feats, or rage powers) cannot be taken with this ability, though you may pick up the effects of any of those that individually apply.
Houserules:
"My house, my rules."
Just a few of houserules on things that have always annoyed me.
-I like crafting. Making Craft Work is something I'm going to be using in this game if anyone wishes to craft. This may also just be totally up to my discretion depending on the item.
-Combat Expertise requires +1 BaB OR 13 int.
-Point Blank Shot and Precise Shot are one feat called Precise Shot.
-Improved Overrun, Sunder, Bullrush, etc are all one feat called Power Maneuvers and require Power Attack OR Combat Expertise.
-Improved Trip, Disarm, Dirty Trick, etc are all one feat called Finesse Maneuvers and require Piranha Strike OR Combat Expertise.
-All rogues, bards, investigators, monks, and swashbucklers begin with Weapon Finesse as a bonus feat.
-All Weapon Focus feats or similar feats that affect only a single weapon instead affect a fighter weapon group.
-I will be giving out teamwork feats as the game progresses to represent the party learning to work together. That's worth keeping in mind.
-I am quite flexible about refluffing things. As long as it functions mechanically the same as something you have on your character sheet, within reason you can fluff it however you like. When in doubt, you can always ask me.
Hey there, I'm turning up nothing with searches, but I'm willing to bet this has been asked before. I'm also not so sure myself.
The question is; If an alchemist has the infusion discovery and passes an extract off to a raging barbarian with the superstition rage power, does the barbarian need to save when he imbibes it?
My main hang up is that the Alchemy ability of the alchemist is supernatural (though I understand that the intent could be for all of the abilities granted by Alchemy other than extracts are (Su), which would still make sense since the Spells ability of casters is usually not accompanied with any qualifier). Since the barbarian needn't save against (Su) abilities, and the ability itself says that extracts behave like spells, but not that they are spells or even that they are "like" spells, I'm lead to believe that a barbarian need not save against extracts. I'm sure I'm wrong though.
