Well, a world without drama is a rather boring world to adventure in. Kobolds, gnomes and halflings living together in peace is a nice twist. How about another?
Two thoughts that come to mind right off are evil elves and evil dwarves. Elves is this world could be tricksters, devious liars and troublemakers that enjoy spending their time causing trouble and chaos. They aren't violent, usually, but they are malicious and don't care what or who get damaged in the pursuit of their fun. Dwarves are evil, sadistic conquerors. Regimented, domineering, cruel, covetous and militaristic, they take what they want, and they want just about everything. They march across the land in their highly disciplined armies violently subjugating everyone who refuses to voluntarily bow to dwarven rule. Once rule is established, populations are enslaved and set to toil for the Greater Dwarven Good in highly organized work camps. Life is harsh under their rule, but not thrown away unnecessarily, as slaves are seen as prized possessions.
Or, something more odd. Let's see, how about we use medusa. Medusa are stern yet fair authoritarian leaders, ruling over a vast empire. They are rulers and judges, using their gaze as corporeal punishment for their justice systems. Prisons consist of workhouses where inmates are petrified then animated to work of their punishments as mobile statues doing heavy manual labour. Prisoners are sentenced to a term, with capital cases being permanently petrified, others returned to flesh after working off their terms. As in human lands, there are fair rulers and corrupt rulers. Some of the corrupt rulers use the punishment system to create a slave labour force for their own enrichment. The empire is a conglomeration of semi-independent fiefdoms united under one central ruler. (That ruler could be known or shadowy, a dragon, a devil, a powerful mage, or something even more odd like a powerful lawful fey or aberration. Let your imagination out to play. :) )
Just a quick thread-jack, but how does the math work out for the 150% damage swarm trait vs. the 50% damage of Evasion. Does the Evasion trump the vulnerability? Do you split the 150% to 75%?
I'm running a campaign with a BBEG dragon who is breeding with a tribe of kobolds to create half-dragon kobold spawn. It gives the devious little buggers a big boost to their lethality, as well as makes for a priceless reveal the first time a "kobold" breathes at them or takes more than a single hit to take down. >:D
Add on some character levels for the leaders and you have a very nice scaling monster type for the party to deal with.
1) Spelljammer, but a little more serious. I loved the elves/orcs war, neogi and illithids, but the giant space hamsters, and other comedic toys kinda detracted from the feel.
2) Ravenloft. Love horror games, especially subtle horror.
3) Dark Sun. Underdogs fighting against corrupt, near-godlike rulers in a post-apocalyptic setting? Yes please!
4) Planescape. Intrigue, machinations and the power-mad fighting the crazy-mad! You had me at "intrigue"...
You've heard of people sometimes having a monkey on their back? How about an evil little monkey that uses you as a source for it's magic? A demonic little fey that rides you like a beast, hollowing you out while making you love it.
As an aside, is there a way using Google Drive to update a file without having to fix it offline then upload a new version? I just invalidated the link in the above post, which is likely to cause some confusion.
In the game I'm currently running, I started off using XP. I was keen to try giving out XP rewards for role-playing, backstory creation, player involvement and probably a few other things I've forgotten. This led to a couple players being interested, and a couple more who either didn't want to spend the time or thought the other players "had more to offer, so we'll fall behind no matter what!" After tweaking, adjusting and altering, I finally just tossed out the whole system. Now, every few sessions I just tell the whole group they've gained a level. No one has complained in the slightest. I find the characters are more interested in leveling than actually tracking XP.
I handle loot the same way. I allow the players to choose their new items according to the Wealth by Level table in the book when they level. They give me their shopping list and I find a story method to insert it into the game asap. This, combined with the GM-fiat leveling, has made sure that everyone is equal in level and equipment. It has led to a much more cohesive, effective and happy group.
I also have a "core" group of 4 players that make almost every game. I have another group of 2-4 players that come most games, but will often be forced to miss a game or two for various reasons. On those nights, I either play without them, or in the recent case where I am stuck on a scene that requires the attendance of two key players who haven't been able to make it to the last two sessions, I run an alternate game. I did a one shot the first time and the second I let a player take the GM reins and played myself for a change. (I am our sole GM otherwise.) So I guess what I'm saying is look into running two games, one for all the players and one for the core group. Play one when all can make it, play the other when only the regulars show up.
Actually, his CR is at least 14 with the added templates, although I'd be tempted to jack it up one more. That would give him a SR of 25. Now, I've done very little gaming with SR involved, so I admit I have no idea how hard that would be for an average 13-15th level spellcaster to beat, but it does lower the odds of him becoming a happy-go-lucky packhorse. Combine it with the Cap of the Free Thinker and he gets two shots at that saving through. Yeah, two shots with a +7 is still lousy odds, but it beats only one shot at making it. Since he won't be casting wish anytime soon, maybe he'll take a few levels in fighter next, take the unbreakable archetype for some Will save bonuses.
And him and Creshkin would be an awesome pair, although I think it would be more like a star and planet. A deadly, black hole of a star with a vicious little death-dealing planet.
Oops, speaking of inescapable grasps, just noticed Drogar's CMB and CMD are way off. I'll have to fix that later. For now, it's beddy-bye time!
Drogar is a vicious, murdering beast, but deep down he's just an immoral killing machine. Hmmm, that came out wrong. Let's explain that a different way...
Drogar is the result of a half-fiend ogre and an orc slave. He gained attention when he killed his mother during birth, by stretching in the birth canal. When he killed his father in a fit of childish temper when he was six, that was when the glabrezu Neshmelzeth, the demon which sired Drogar's father, took notice. Grooming him for years until the young ogrekin was willing to accept the demon's possession, Neshmelzeth is in awe of the the sheer power in the young ogre-kin. Guiding him in various ways to develop, refine and hone that physical strength, Drogar has become an immensely powerful killing engine. But, despite the demonic coaxing and being demon-possessed, Drogar himself merely wants to have fun and explore. Killing is simply something that Drogar is very, very good at, but its not something he's very interested in. But he's not very bright without Neshmelzeth and he knows it, so he usually goes along with his Grandfather's suggestions to make the Old Man happy. For what's a few lives in the face of a Grandfather's smile?
He's finished and he's 52 Str (56 with rage) at level 9, CR14-ish. Sadly, he'll never cast wish as a spell, but I could always give him Scribe Scroll and have him craft wish scrolls. (He is possessed by a demon that can cast it, after all...)
His will save is horrible even with boosting and his AC could be better, but I'm happy. You better take him down fast, because he'll definitely take YOU down fast if he gets his hands on you. ;)
I'll post him as soon as my internet stops being a pain and let's me upload the file to Google. >.<
I am looking at adding the half-fiend template to a creature with levels of barbarian. The racial base speed is 30', which is raised by the barbarian levels to 40'. Which to do use for the fly speed? I'm guessing the racial 30' speed, since it's an inherent template. But what if it was an acquired template, gained after the barbarian levels?
I got him up to 48 Str with a +4 belt, but he's too broke for the +6. I would like to get him to 51 Str, just for kicks. (I doubt he'd actually be able to cast wish at any point, but it would be fun to get him up there.) I could just use a bull strength, but I'd prefer an always on effect to get him over the top. Any traits/cheap items/other methods out there? BTW, raging puts him over the top, but he doesn't have the Moment of Clarity power, so that won't work.
I have an idea for a BBEG. He started off as just an ogre-kin orc, but then I discovered the [url=http://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/templates/demon-possessed-creature-template=Demon-possessed creature[/url] template and loved it. I was thinking that it would stack well thematically with the half-fiend template, since a creature with demon blood already flowing through it's veins would be that much ore likely to be susceptible to a demon possession, right? But here's where my problem comes in. How do all these templates stack up? (pardon the pun)
Demon-possessed is acquired and half-fiend is inherent, so no conflict there. But what about the ogre-kin, which is another inherent? As I understand it, the only restriction to stacking templates is that the prerequisites must be legal. I realize stacking all these on will screw with the CR mightily, but are there any restrictions to stacking templates that I'm not aware of? The order of templates, if it makes a difference, is ogre-kin, half-fiend, demon-possessed.
For the curious, I'm putting it on a melee build Dragon Disciple. Build so far is Barb2/Ranger2/Sorc1/DD4. This would make him CR9, correct? (I use 25 points builds and PC wealth for my bad guys. I think that makes the result CR=HD. Or should that be CR=HD+1?) With the addition of Ogre-kin(+1), Half-fiend(+2) and Demon-possessed(+2), the result would be CR14. (I'll post a completed build later.) Does this sound right for all the additional bumps? Makes this guy a real glass cannon, but oh, what a cannon!
Also, I'm not done building him yet, but I think his Str will be very close to the magical 51 Str required to cast Blood Money for Wish. Just tossing that out there... ;)
Ehhh, Ravener and Lich aren't an issue sinc etheir Template has explicit restrictions on who qualifies.
I mean, still bad, since every dragon the Ravener kills becomes a Ravener, and every 11th+ level caster the Lich kills becomes a Lich, but not "Welp I killed a village now I have an army" bad.
Just roll into a random peasant village, kill everyone because their lack of magic weapons (or relative lack and the lack of anyone skilled enough to do jack to you) makes them helpless against you, and BAM!
Army of DREAD Wraiths.
Then they go out, and ravage the countryside, creating an army of regular wraiths while Mr. Sovereign create more Dreads.
It's the Shadowpocalypse on fast forward and 'roids.
Mother. Of. God.
Those ability score bonuses.
Wow. Yeah. Nasty.
Although, the Dread Wraith Sovereign would really have to work at it to kill the peasants using CON drain or touch attacks, considering it has a 30' 2d6 cold aura. Most of it's victims would be dead from cold before it could kill them with drain attacks. But still, if it put it's mind to it, wow, that's one nasty-a$$ army!
Not worst crit, but weirdest. It was a 1st ed game, attacked a guy with a longbow, nat 20. Rolled again, another 20. DM rolls on custom chart (as he did for dual 20s), rolls "severed left big toe". Damage was enough to one-shot him. I shot him in the foot and he died. O.o
Huh. I just had an NPC get baleful polymorphed into a rat. He's going through all kinds of hell at the moment, so I'm thinking this might be a cool to do to him. >:)
I have adventurer's armory so unless it's been errata'd or FAQ'd, the only change from what I've read the original version was "non-masterwork". Unless you can point me to a source that says otherwise it is a viable option if you never want a "good" exotic weapon (good meaning masterwork or magically enhanced).
Joex The Pale didn't cite an official source, so in case you still doubt - It was officially changed by Paizo. The latest version of the Adventurer's Armoury says:
"Heirloom Weapon: You carry a non-masterwork simple
or martial weapon that has been passed down from
generation to generation in your family (pay the standard
gp cost for the weapon). When you select this trait, choose
one of the following benefits: proficiency with that specific
weapon, or ...."
If you go to the Paizo Store's page for the Adventurer's Armoury, there's a link to the official errata. Or if bought the PDF copy from Paizo, you can download the current version.
While I'm not arguing your point, mainly because you're agreeing with me, I provided a link to the write-up on the website. Since when is that not considered an official source? :\
Or, maybe he declared a fast rising PC as his arch nemesis. As long as he didn't actually try to kill the PC, he'd gain levels with no risk. Level 20, here we come! :D
@Ravingdork: Yes, the Lantern lodge has a trait (called Weapon Style) that grants proficiency in one weapon normally used by monks such as kama, sai, nunchuku or shuriken.
I'm not sure if you are limited that specific list or if it granted proficiency with any weapon a Monk is proficient with (such as Temple Swords), or any weapon with the Monk special quality, that Monks are not proficient in (such as Kama, Double-Chained).
@Joex The Pale: I don't have Adventurers Armory but I recall seeing discussion on the boards regarding how that trait got nerfed... Could be that pre-nerf it included exotic weapons.
I have adventurer's armory so unless it's been errata'd or FAQ'd, the only change from what I've read the original version was "non-masterwork". Unless you can point me to a source that says otherwise it is a viable option if you never want a "good" exotic weapon (good meaning masterwork or magically enhanced).
I got my copy from the website. Simple and Martial only, according to there. You could always upgrade that weapon, by the way. Get masterwork transformation cast on it to upgrade it to masterwork, then enchant as usual.
Heirloom weapon trait (less than ideal since it only counts for that specific weapon passed down and not others of the same weapon type--so, for example, wouldn't work at all for dual wielding) (This is from adventurer's armory and is the only thing listed not from any of the core books)
"You carry a non-masterwork simple or martial weapon that has been passed down from generation to generation in your family." Does this include exotic martial weapons?
No exotic weapons, only simple and martial weapons. Sorry, this one won't get you what you're looking for.
My question on this subject is; are the rest of the bard's allies able to cash in on this "counts as flanking" thing? If the bard nails a guy standing behind the guy attacking his fighter buddy with this, does fighter buddy now get a flank bonus?
Personally, I see no problem with Ghost Touch on a net. The only reason I can see for putting the ability on the melee list but not on the ranged list is that ranged weapons don't do the damage, the ammo does (hence, it's on the ammunition list.) Since the majority of thrown ranged weapons can be used as melee weapons, thence making them eligible for the enchantment, I don't see any problem with allowing it on a net as well.
The net is kind of a corner case, as one of the very few weapons I can think of that is a ranged-thrown weapon that cannot be normally used as a melee weapon, therefore the Devs didn't think to add in special rules concerning the different types of enchantments and how they would interact with this specific weapon. The only other ranged-thrown weapon that I can think of that can't be used melee is shuriken, which are treated as ammo, and therefore can be enchanted with Ghost Touch as such. I don't think it's a rules balance thing, I think it's an oversight. Can anyone think of a reason why Ghost Touch on a net would be overpowered to the point where it would be deliberately left off as a choice?
Model it after a rat swarm, but add zombie templates (or perhaps a few with skeleton templates)
You have no idea how happy you made me with this imagery! Undead rat swarms! I love it! Sure, they're tree rats, but the thought still counts. I'm so stealing this! :)
PS: Did you like the movies I suggested in the other thread?
Ok, watched the movie. I liked it for the imagery and will be stealing some parts for use in game, although I found story was a bit flat. I see there's a remake, I'll see if I can watch that one and hope that they did an update and not just add bloody special effects like they so often do with remakes.
Now, the party will be facing off soon against this bad boy. The rats have become a nuisance to large to ignore and they have been tasked with getting rid of them. So they are gearing up with anti-swarm items (they just leveled and I'm allowing them a shopping spree with open books, advice/suggestions welcome) and preparing to enter the sewers to track it down and destroy it. This will be an epic (5+ level) encounter for them, and I want it to be memorable. They are already creeped out by the creature itself and are dreading having to face it (thanks all for the suggestions there!) and I was wondering about tactics, habits or anything else that could help make this a wild ride.
They've added a couple players, so now the party numbers seven. Human Earth druid, half-elf fighter, kitsune sorcerer, human monk, half-ogre arminger, and dwarven cleric. Fighter will be using flaming two-handed greatsword with swarmbane clasp, druid is looking up AoE spells and bought some dragon breath potions. Sorcerer added a Spellpage with fireball, arminger plans on just soaking up insane amounts of damage and monk is still in process of shopping. Any Druid or Cleric spells I should suggest to the party?
I was recently talking with a player about her Druid and how she could be more effective against swarms. We were lamenting the fact that her Earth domain ability was single target and therefore useless, since she could spam them like nuts. This brought us around to a way of changing the SLA effect to another attack style, such as short range spray or stationary puddle. I thought of a feat. Something that would allow the caster to change the attack style from dart to spray to puddle as they wished every time they manifested the ability.
So the 30' range 1d6+1/2 levels dart could be instead a 5' puddle dealing 1d4 for level/2 rounds or a 5' spray dealing 1d4+1/2 levels fan effecting 3 connecting squares adjacent to caster.
What say you all, would this be worth a feat? If so, would this be over/under powered? It looks balanced to me, but since I came up with it, I might be a tad biased. ;)
First off, for your mithral bunny, look up Quicklings and try using them as the base creature. 120' per round, now THAT'S crazy fast!
Secondly, have the heart of this region be some sort of creation forge that caused all the new "lifeforms" in the first place. Clockwork creatures can't roam to far from its emissions or they become normal animated objects, nor can they approach too close or risk becoming undone by an overload of the unstable magic. Then you could have the doors be some enchanted wood or stone, no risk of being munched on by your apex predators.
Last, cool idea! I might just steal this to pop into mine! I have a similar area where two sides of an ancient war still fight centuries after everyone died. One side used undead, other side used constructs. Replication mechanics put into place keep the armies fighting even though any real sentience died out long ago.
Can you cast Make Whole on someone's Dragonhide armour and turn it into a dead dragon instead of a repaired armour?
No. You would merely repair the armor. Otherwise, whenever you used the spell, you'd turn paper back into wood, steel back into rock, cloth back into wool, etc. That would be a cool spell, but it would be far higher level than Make Whole.
Mending wouldn't do it, and looks like Make Whole won't either. Mending just repairs breaks and cracks, but all the parts need to be there. Make Whole functions as Mending, just with more hit points restored. These two spells could restore a battle damaged hide, or a corpse hacked apart for transport, but they couldn't replace missing hide.
Purify Food and Drink looks like it would work with the meat to make it edible. (Although as a person I would have a problem with feeding people purified meat from a rotten corpse! o.0) But as a way to make the hide of the corpse usable for item creation? I would have to say no to that one.
The spell Restore Corpse looks like it was designed to aid necromancers in creating/altering undead, not allow a party to kill one dragon and use it to outfit an entire army with Dragon Scale armor. Although having local cleric to kill a cow and feed his village with it for months during a crisis would be an acceptable alternate use, I suppose. :D
Yes, I did search the forums and found a couple of threads that gave contradictory advice and were 2-3 years old. I found nothing dealing with natural attacks and I am not familiar with them from a PC perspective. So, I decided to post a fresh question, since there might have been rules changes/clarifications (SLA early entry, anyone?) that could have changed the advice given earlier.
Ok, so consensus is natural attacks = weapon damage. (I was leaning that way myself, good to know I was right.) Energy attacks on weapons do energy damage but not weapon damage, correct? Swarms can stack to interact with targets, but not stack with each other to combine damage.
I was on target with all but the last point. Good thing I didn't kill anyone with that boo-boo, or my players wouldn't be happy with me.
This has been a fascinating read, but it is ever so slightly off the mark. I am asking if the bonuses that would apply to a bull rush would apply to the free bull rush you get with Shield Slam. I ask this because in this weird corner case, the player in question actually has a higher bonus to his bull rush CMB check then to his attack roll. So, instead of wanting to substitute the roll, he's wondering if he has to substitute the attack roll for his CMB check, or at least apply his modifiers to the check (not to the actual attack roll, though, he agrees that wouldn't be right).
So, to clarify and re-focus the question at hand, here it is in two points;
1) Can the bonuses to a bull rush apply to the free bull rush (maneuver only, not initial attack) given by a successful Shield Slam attack?
2) If not, if the characters wishes to, can they forgo the substitution and make a CMB roll as normal, with all the bull rush modifiers in place?
I clarify this so that people can FAQ it if they wish. I have made a decision to allow the synergy to happen in my games, as it looks like all the feat does is allow the free bull rush and remove the requirement to roll for a CMB check. So the original roll is made, attack bonuses are added for the attack resolution and, if the attack hits, bull rush bonuses are added to the same original roll to resolve the bull rush. Does this sound fair to people? Am I missing something?
Yes, it is. It's a real tank and he's having a fair bit of fun with it. Here's a link.
The class is very powerful defensively and has helped the party stay alive in situations where I thought they might lose a character or two. Limited offensive ability helps balance the class out, I think. Some people don't like it, but I do. It allows me to toss stronger foes at the party without worrying too much about killing them all. :)
As the title says. It says in their description that diminutive or fine swarms do not take weapon damage. Does that include natural attacks? What about weapons with elemental effects on them? What about spells that emulate weapons, like Flame Blade?
On a related topic, it seems that swarms can occupy space with another creature. This looks like it means that you could stack multiple swarms into on square and increase the damage they do in that way. Stack enough swarms and damage can get deadly quick. What say you all on this stacking? Legal? Limitations?
You grow flesh on a decomposed or skeletonized corpse of a Medium or smaller creature, providing it with sufficient flesh that it can be animated as a zombie rather than a skeleton. The corpse looks as it did when the creature died. The new flesh is somewhat rotted and not fit for eating.
Emphasis mine. I would say that the bolded section could easily be expanded to include the scales being unfit for armor. Sorry guys, no dragonscale factory corpse for you. :)
I have a player with an Arminger who is interested in taking Shield Slam. He has a class ability that allows him to use a polearm and a shield at the same time, so he wants to be able to shield bash people and bull rush them back out where he can hit them with his polearm. It's a good build idea and Shield Bash would fit great. I do have a question about it though. I have an opinion on it, but I would like other inputs and don't want to prejudice the jury. ;)
Here's the ability in question I want advice on.
Arminger abilty Slam:
Slam (Ex): An armiger with this talent throws himself bodily into foes and barriers, trusting his armor to protect him. The armiger gains a bonus to all CMB checks made to bull rush or overrun foes, and to Strength checks made to break open doors and gates. This bonus is equal to his total armor bonus plus shield bonus, to a maximum of his class level.
And here's the feat description.
Shield Slam:
Shield Slam (Combat)
In the right position, your shield can be used to send opponents flying.
Benefit: Any opponents hit by your shield bash are also hit with a free bull rush attack, substituting your attack roll for the combat maneuver check (see Combat). This bull rush does not provoke an attack of opportunity. Opponents who cannot move back due to a wall or other surface are knocked prone after moving the maximum possible distance. You may choose to move with your target if you are able to take a 5-foot step or to spend an action to move this turn.
The bolded portions are the sections I am a tad fuzzy on. Would the bonuses from Slam still apply to the bull rush attempt made using Shield Slam, since the feat changes the mechanics slightly?
This looks like a continuation of this thread. There is a lot of back story and other ideas there.
As to the laboratory, it is not humanoid. Tables are OK, but chairs are out. It is at best in darkness, and often pitch black. Shelves are everywhere, at all heights. Some areas require you to squeeze to get into. Some require you to duck unless you are small. There are jars of semi-identifiable people parts scattered about. [Think of Dr. Frankenstein's lab.] There are some creatures caged up, including at least one sentient. Could have a small "humanoid" as a "familiar", or perhaps a monkey or vanaran (? monkey-man). Doorways are not square. Could have holes in the wall for extra storage, like bags of holding, but not extra-dimensional.
As rats tend to scavenge, I could see it using another creatures lair after defeating (consuming?) it. I do not see it creating a lair beyond making paths here and there. As it is likely not going to be accepted in normal society, I could see it masquerading as a mysterious stranger in the sewers and gain followers from the others that wander into its domain. Such followers would do its bidding above ground. If the hostage druid dies, I could see a Norman Bates "Psycho" recreation of the druid.
I like all this imagery, but I was actually looking for an actually location in the sewers that I could put all this cool stuff. Think an open gallery in the middle of a host of other galleries would be the place, with all this stuff located in nearby pillars? Should I excavate a "den" under the galleries and place it there?
Cevah wrote:
Remember, it understands the eat-or-be-eaten world, but has little concept of merchandise or ownership. It has simple needs: food. It has gained complex wants" magic. It is Neutral in outlook, as it used to be just simple animals. Its experience has given it differences, and those differences should show up in ways different that civilization would expect.
Hmmm, I didn't think that it would come from a neutral perspective. I will have to revisit it's motives and drives with that in mind, thanks!
Cevah wrote:
PS: Did you like the movies I suggested in the other thread?
I could only find one online that I could download (Willard, 1974 version), but I haven't yet been able to watch it. I will make an effort tonight, if I can get it to work. I did read the IMDB synopsis on all the rest though. I like Willard the best of those I read, I think it has the most relevance to the creature I am envisioning. I'll let you know what I thought of the movie soon.
A mouse skeleton that glows like a Light spell and will run up and down any hanging rope or chain it is placed on. Light color can be changed from white to red, blue or "black" on command. Completely harmless, AC10 and 1HP.
I want to play a fighter with these now. That would be fun. "Healing? No thanks. I'll just stand here and look stoic for a few minutes, that'll fix me right up..."
Oooh, hit-and-run types, ring of invis and these boots. Fight until half hp, invis and run off to heal for a minute, come back and kick more ass. Excuse me, I have an encounter to write...
