Korgoth's page

I don't know, I see ghouls as "liberated" undead. As a living being, they feasted on human flesh in secrecy and fearful pleasure. Now that they no longer have to put up a facade of humanity, they are free to indulge in their blasphemous desires. The way I see it, ghouldom could go two ways; the Pickman way, where they have all eternity to indulge their appetites and infinite time to pursue other pursuits, or as a curse, where no matter how much they eat they still hunger for more. The latter would produce feral, cunning creatures that take as many people as they can, possibly haunting the outskirts of civilization in cannibalistic wolf-packs. The former would be more suited to BBEGs, or antagonists (as opposed to mere threats) to the PCs.

So, you're about to start a new character...and you're already picking out your prestige class?

What if your character encounters a sincere challenge to their faith? What if they somehow end up foregoing the cloth altogether down the line in favor of the law of the sword?

Does your GM allow you to just "pick" a prestige class"

Wow....

There's no problem with that, so long as it's to make an unusual combination work or RP reasons. Straight rogue/clerics (or anything/spellcaster) are terrible at high levels. They lose out on the higher level spells and the ability to hit things, and their low HD means that they have terrible HP (although cleric levels would help with that.) If they later want to change their mind, there's no reason that they can't. However, I do have a problem with "OK, so I'm taking 3 levels of fighter, 4 of barbarian, and then frenzied berserker followed by exotic weapon master and dip into witch hunter for 2 levels for the saves and mettle, and then...."

More of an adventure idea, but... What if a freshly risen ghoul uses fear and the loyalty of his family to stay hidden? "Grandpa Zack dosn't leave the basement for... health reasons." Most people would take this at face value, particularly if the family plays it off as an eccentric old relative. Over time, as he drags the family deeper and deeper into complicity with his cannibalistic habits, he corrupts them to the point where they, too, rise as ghouls when they die. Over generations, that could lead to the single scion of a once noble family hiding hundreds of years of ghouls in basement warrens. Ruled by his underground masters, he makes the mistake of luring a plot hook (PC's family, friend, etc.) into the clutches of his elders. Upon his capture and execution as a serial killer, the ghouls no longer have a link to the outside world and have to hunt for themselves (or, they grieve for the ignoble death of their offspring and seek revenge on the populace.), leading to a huge increase in the numbers of unexplainable disappearances.

Ghouls are undead (and in my book, undead means immortal.). They are patient. They can convince the children that they mean no harm and wait until those who know better are dead, from natural causes or otherwise. And then... "I'm so lonely, child. How would you like to bring me a friend?"

Frightened and panicked are more or less the same thing, though. Either way, the encounter is either over or significantly less difficult. I'd make it
1: make cha bonus creatures shaken
2: Make cha score creatures shaken
3: Make all creatures within 30 ft shaken and one creature frightened.

Also, intimidate is a straight skill check, DC 10+HD+wis mod, there's no will save involved. Also, you could raise the levels to 9 and 14 and have it be make creatures within shaken and 1 creature frightened, and at 14th level have it be creatures within 60 ft shaken and cha bonus creatures frightened. (I just picked these numbers out of the air, they really don't mean anything.) I like the rest of the skill uses, and the noble pool limitation means that they can't be tossed around like candy, which is good, because high level characters have obscene skill bonuses.

After looking over the noble class some more, a couple things popped out at me. First is the intimidate skill use. The first use is fine, but making ALL opponents frightened or panicked is terribly broken. I could see using it as a targeted ability to make a single shaken enemy frightened, but making everything within 120 feet run from you... regardless of level, thats obscenely powerful. Also, I would just drop the profession (noble) thing. I understand the idea, but balancing that out would be a nightmare. As it is, it lets a 3rd level character get up to 5,000 gp (almost double the average wealth). I love the class concept, though, and I might use it for a villain in my Iron Heroes game. I haven't posted anything about it here, mostly because I don't feel like explaining the rules and stuff. I can put some of the fluff up here if you want, though. As it is, the party is totally dysfunctional, although they finally have a kind of common goal now.

Looks nasty!

Most epic levels have True Seeing up, so Blur won't matter....might want to change that to Improved Blink. ;-)

And I think your spell DCs are a little off: 10 + spell level + 25 (Cha bonus). Unless their Charisma is supposed to be 50 and 40.

Don't forget to pre-stat out the Balors!

Are the PCs ACs in the 50s? If they're only in the 40's, I would increase the Power Attack a bit. Or pre-stat different values of Power Attack (0, 5, 10, 20?).

Also, most epics are Mindblanked as well. Might want to check what abilities that nerfs.

And the PCs might just teleport across the chasm.....unless a Dimensional Anchor is going on.

Aah, thank you. I really don't remember the PCs stats, but the ACs range from around 40 to over 80. The party has no arcane spellcaster, so I don't have to worry about spells at all - the cleric is kept busy healing the 3 melee characters. Anyway, if they did teleport - it has those power attack values for a reason. I'm thinking of having it riding an iceberg into a city to break it open and release whatever's inside. I was thinking BBEG, but now I'm going more along the lines of evil artifact, so the fight can move into there once the berg smashes into the city.

Wow. That is long, and it is late. I'll read it more fully later (at school) but just glancing over it it seems really cool. Like a useful bard. I like the new uses for skills, but its kind of overwhelming right now. (Diplomacy and bluff - I see echoes of the Marashima Rakshasha.) At a glance, I would love to play one of these guys.

I've been up late tonight starting work on an epic level "reunion adventure" for my frostfell group. Everyone's coming back for spring break, so I decided to make a one-shot for them using their level 20-some characters. I think that they are going to be targeted by an Infernal and his Brachusus (CR 23 wolves) minions. Any ideas for motivation, location, etc? I just finished doing stats for the Infernal.

Fenrir, Infernal
Large outsider (evil, Chaotic)
Unholy aura and blur active
Hit Dice: 40d8+360 (680 hp)
Initiative: +11
Speed: 80 ft, fly 240 ft (perfect)
AC: 54, 20% miss chance (+7 dex, -1 size, +34 nat, +4 deflection, 1d6 str to good creature if it hits, DC 38 fort negates)
Base Attack/Grapple: +40/+60
Attack: claw +44 (6d6+28)*
Full attack: 2 claws +44 (6d6+28)*, bite +42 (4d8+20+spell drain)*, 2 wings +42 (2d6+20)*, tail slap +42 (4d8+28)*
*12 point power attack
Space/Reach: 10/10
Special Attacks: improved grab, spell drain, learned spell immunity, spell-like abilities, summon fiend
Special Qualities: Abomination traits, regeneration 30, SR 38, DR 20/epic, resist fire and cold 20, abomination traits
Saves: Fort +35, Ref +33, Will +34
Abilities: Str 44, Dex 25, Con 28, Int 22, Wis 26, Cha 40
Skills:
Feats: multiattack, power attack, quicken spell-like ability (greater dispel magic), quicken spell-like ability (greater teleport), automatic quicken spell-like ability, intensify spell-like ability (fireball), Multispell, improved natural attack (claw), combat expertise, improved trip (+20 on check), combat reflexes, improved int, deflect arrows, blind-fight
CR: 26
Alignment: C-E
Treasure: 4 pillars w. symbol of pain on them,

Improved grab (ex): If an infernal hits with a tail slam attack, it can start a grapple without provoking an attack of opportunity. It usually takes a –20 penalty to maintain the hold as a free action, dealing automatic tail slap damage each round it maintains the grapple.

Spell Drain (Su): If an Infernal hits with a bite attack, the victim loses one of their highest level prepared spells or unused spell slots. The victim chooses which spell to discard. If the victim has no spells left (or if they cannot cast spells in the first place) they take 2 points of intelligence damage.

Learned spell immunity (su): An Infernal cannot be affected by the same spell cast by the same character twice. The Infernal is forever immune to that spell, so long as it is cast by that same character.

Spell-like abilities (CL 26, DC 30 + spell level): At will: Animate dead, blasphemy, create undead, greater dispel magic, improved invisibility, polymorph, read magic, scrying, symbol of death, symbol of insanity, symbol of pain, symbol of sleep, telekinesis, greater teleport, unholy aura, unholy blight, unhallow, wall of fire.
Quickened at will (2X round): Blur, charm person, detect chaos, detect good, detect law, detect magic, darkness, deeper darkness, desecrate, fear, fireball, hold person, magic circle against good, major image, produce flame, pyrotechnics, suggestion,
3/Day: Quickened dispel magic, quickened greater teleport, Intensified fireball (120 dam)
1/day: Fire storm, hellball, implosion, meteor swarm.

Summon Fiend (Su): summon 4 balors 1/day

Abomination traits: Immune to polymorph, petrifaction, immune to mind affecting and normal poisons, true seeing, blindsight 500 ft, telepathy 1000 ft.

Regeneration: Good and lawful aligned weapons deal normal damage.

Tactics: Uses fireball and pyrotechnics combo to deal damage and blind. Also drops pillars with symbols of pain around itself (effects stack). The Brachyurus’s stay out of range of the symbols and single out one character to attack.

Its a nasty lil bugger. I'm thinking of putting it across a chasm or something from the PCs, so they have to use flight to cross the gap, and it can use its quickened greater dispel magic to drop them like stones. Other than that I have no clue what its going to do.

Reminds me of god of war. I think there was a dragon magazine with stats for the blades of chaos somewhere.

That could be nasty. Two-weapon fighting at 11th level = never mind, energy drain is limited to once per round. I would probably use that PrC with some of the dread undead templates in Green Ronin's advanced bestiary.

What do you think I should do with the SHOGGOTH bone? I need advice, I'm kinda stuck in a rut here.

Well, as people have said, this is more an NPC item, and that's fine with me. Really, the only way I could see a PC swallowing this thing is if the action would be in character, they are at low hp, and everyone else is dead. Just a nice little "screw you" to the BBEG. This would be an interesting item to hand out at low levels... a lot more PC death, less attachment to their characters, and not enough money to afford a resurrection. Plus, the effects could be devastating instead of merely annoying.

First thought: shoot the hook from a crossbow. Second thought: that's awesome! I like this one, it doesn't have an immediate "gotta have it" use, but think about it and the possibilities are endless.

I like it. It works as a counterweight, ballast, defense option, (put a table in front of the door and sprinkle some of this on it), damage increaser for falling objects, way to cheat in a weightlifting competition, and combat item! The uses are unlimited - who hasn't wanted gravity in a can?

I like it! Monks don't have a lot of ranged attack options, and this is a nifty item that also opens up tactical paths ("Hey, Ryu, blow a hole in the zombie front line, for us, will ya?"). Bull rush attacks are underused by PCs, at least in my experience, so I like this one.

I'm running an Iron Heroes game where it's almost impossible to kill PCs (there's no resurrection or magic in general, so falling to less than -10 is not always fatal, but incapacitates them for a day or so.). So, as a result, I plan to post here when I knock a PC to -10 or below. Feel free to call me on this if you feel it's "cheating".

PC name: Cain Nightroad
Class: Executioner (combat rogue type) 1
COD: First encounter, ambushed by goblins. He tried to climb up a cliff to attack goblin archers and got flasks of burning oil dropped on him for his trouble. Knocked unconscious, let go and fell 15 feet, dropping him to -12. Several rounds of bleeding later, he was rescued, stabilized, and ready for his second "death" in the next fight.

PC name: Cain Nightroad
Class: Executioner 1
COD: Sneak attacked an ogre child, got charged by its mother, dodged the blow, and then tried to circle around it. I rolled a 19 on the AoO for 3d6+11 damage and one-shotted him to -14.

Well, we ran my Iron Heroes game for the first time friday. It was pretty good, they fought hordes (30+) of goblins that used tactics, and a group of ogres. The guy who played an executioner was kind of salty because he got knocked unconscious within 2 rounds in both fights (the second one was his own damn fault, he tried to circle around an angry ogre mother whose son he had just killed), but it was fun. They ended up in Keyport, and I came up with an on the spot adventure for the executioner. If you want I can post a scan of the Keyport map and a list of places.

The flavor of magic in this game is very Lovecraftian (the mouthless arcanist cast buff spells that really freaked their targets out, and had a bulls str backfire. The fighter ended up a slavering knot of muscle that attacked a random target each round until he was knocked unconscious.). Since I gave both other players little side adventures that tied into their backstories, goals, etc., I decided that he needed love too. I decided that he will be the only one to get magic items on a regular basis, but they have drawbacks and only affect spellcasting. So, for this one, I have the following:

It is the obscene toad-thing gibbering in the darkness, it is the accursed flesh that no arrow may pierce or fire burn, it is the slavering cancer, the sire of those things that writhe in dead men’s eyes, it is SHOGGOTH, the crawling terror! I would have my body rent and my soul shattered rather than carry his taint upon me!

THE SHOGGOTH-BONE

This lump of ivory is about the size of a man’s palm. It is greasy and cold to the touch, and feels much heavier than its size would indicate. It is not carved or shaped, but its shape is horribly reminiscent of some squat thing sitting on its obese haunches. Protrusions that could be eyes were it not for the number of them stick out from the “head” of the thing.

This item is a fetish, an object that resonates along a certain aetheric frequency when mana is focused upon it. Three times per day, the carrier of the item can use the Conjuration school of magic as if it was his primary school. However, any objects created have a certain twist of design to them that makes them particularly repellent to look upon. Anyone using one must make a will save (DC equal to channeling check DC) or be sickened for as long as he touches the object and for 1d6 rounds after. Any creatures created have the ooze template applied to them (AB p. 192). However, calling on the SHOGGOTH’S power is a danger to body and soul; any failed channeling check results in a major disaster.

The SHOGGOTH was the oldest and most cunning of those servants created by the long-lost race of Kadath, who perished at the hands of their amorphous slaves uncounted eons ago. As time wore away at their plastic flesh, they faded from the surface of the Earth, retreating into the deepest ocean abysses and slithering between the roots of mountains. One remained, however; the SHOGGOTH, worshipped by the twisted and blasphemous people of the far plateau of Leng, where they gorge on cannibalistic feasts beneath the watching Yellow Sign. Immortal, unkillable, he ruled with an iron limb for millennia, until his people had all died and their bones turned to dust in that unhallowed soil. Still he sits, fossilized in sloth, waiting for men to return and pay grotesque obeiscance to his gluttonous form, for there are always fools. One such fool stole this, the knuckle-bone of the SHOGGOTH. Of course, without a skeleton or fixed form to be stolen from, that legend is hard to believe, but it undoubtedly has a small portion of that thing’s profane power.

This totem has passed from one doomed hand to another throughout the centuries. The last known owner was the Archmagus Oribil, who perished when his floating tower ran afoul of a Thunder Spirit. His assorted remains and possessions rained from the sky for three days, scattering magical artifacts in the wake of a vicious hurricane. Since then, the item has been unheard of.

I need help on how he can acquire this item inside a major city. I know that the first clue that it is nearby will be a plague of albino frogs in the blocks surrounding the artifact, but I don't know where to go from there. A couple ideas I have been kicking around are:
The artifact is held by a guy who has no idea what it is, but he is slowly falling under its corrupt spell. He spends his days crouched in front of a homemade altar, weaving arcane symbols in the air with a stick of incense.
Or, it has been taken by a Priest of Saint Cuthbert, with the intent to destroy it. However, instead of delivering it to the Church for disposal, he took it home because it was "too dangerous" to entrust to anyone but himself. He now spends his days researching corrupt lore, telling himself that it is all to find a way to destroy the idol. This could end up turning into a spellcaster duel as the priest accepts the power of the SHOGGOTH (yes, it must always be in all caps) and it empowers him with otherworldly power.

What do you think?

I had a skeleton barbarian in my pathfinder game. What we did was to eliminate bonus hp, set the rage duration, and eliminate the point cost for being in a rage. It worked pretty well, because he had massive strength and DR but terrible hp, so he ended up being pretty balanced. Since he didn't get morale bonuses to will saves, his save sucked... which is bad if you're the target of a control attempt.

Congratulations, that sounds awesome! The problem I've always had with single BBEGs is spreading the damage around enough to make sure that everyone is in some kind of danger (otherwise at high levels, it's "wake me when its my turn."), and that would be even harder with 8 PCs. It sounds like you did it, though.

The classes are the standard ones in the Iron Heroes book. You know, I hadn't thought about the necessity of eating for him... did you see that south park episode where cartman bet kyle he could reverse his digestive system? It's not going to be anything like that.

Its been a while. I'm trying to get stuff ready for the first adventure of my Iron Heroes game next week, but due to computer issues and general busyness I havn't been typing things out. I did get everyone to make a character with good backstory, so that worked out pretty well. Just to make this worth the post, here's what I gave them about the world (as well as a copy of the map, I think there's a link to a pic of it somewhere on this thread.)

The world of the Crimson Coast

HISTORY

“Out of the mists came a people with no name.

They rode great ships, rigging creaking, decks awash, wallowing through the waves, each whitecap an omen of doom.

On these ships were great men – or so they claimed, dressed in the furs of royalty.

And on the ships were poor men – or so they were told, dressed in rags and hunger.

And they all dully watched the waves, rich man and poor man alike; no remembrance of the past, no hope for the future. A people without memory, they slogged through the waters on ships they could not steer, full of items they could not use.

As food ran out, some ships turned to cannibalism; and they slipped out of sight, lost from the fleet, carrion-crows swarming their decks.

The sea claimed others; this time, the wave did swamp the deck, this time the timbers did break. And the passengers went down for the third time, drowning in ignorance and anonymity, choking on saltwater and gasping futilely for memory.

And so it came to pass that out of four hundred ships, seven sighted a coastline and gladly dashed themselves to pieces on it. From the surf, the men dragged themselves upright, wreathed in seaweed and dripping seawater. And standing on that broken and barren beach, they looked up at the leaden sky, and it smiled a blessing on them. From that hopeless position, they overran this land, conquering with sword and spell; and they were wreathed in gold and bathed in blood.

Subjugating the natives, inheriting a five-thousand year old culture, they carved out a place for themselves from this savage land, and passed it onto their children as they aged and died. These children, lacking the divine spark of their parents, forged themselves a new identity and consolidated their power. Yet now, nearly one hundred years after our forefathers made land, our position is far less solid than any admit, even to themselves. Native unrest, Gnoll pirates, and savage monstrosities besiege us on all sides. It is our generation that will determine the legacy of our people; whether we rule triumphant or are driven back into the seas from whence we came. Our fate is in your hands.”

Introduction to Tactics and Stratagems: a Textbook for Peace and War, required reading for all Armadan children over the age of eight.

HISTORY

The Crimson Coast has a history as sanguinary as its name. For over 5,000 years the Olmtec people ruled the area, a decadent aristocracy supported by the crushing weight of tradition and theocracy. Despite the high taxes and overwhelming excesses of the ruling class, the fertile soil and bountiful seas kept the people from starvation. A complacent state, the empire was overseen by a large middle class of bureaucrats who did their best to insulate the affairs of the kingdom from the whims of a corrupt, incestuous nobility. This divided state of affairs, however, was brought to a crashing end by the arrival of the Armadans, a pale-skinned people washed up upon the shores. Numbering less than 7,000 in all, they landed at the Hook in 5577 G.E. (Golden Era, counted from the founding of Keyport), and soon controlled almost all of the Nemidian Highlands. By the time the oracles had been consulted, the advisors interrogated, the omens interpreted, and the emissaries sent to investigate, the Armadan Army was a day’s march away from Keyport. Wielding powerful magics, they crushed the purely ceremonial Olmtec army and seized the throne within a year of their arrival.

That same sense of ruthless efficiency applied to their peacetime dealings, as well. At first, the Olmtecs were welcoming of their new rulers, who stripped away corruption, swaths of bureaucracy, and the suffocating traditions that impeded progress. However, as it became clear that the exploitation of their land for personal gain was the driving force behind this relentless ambition, the Olmtecs began to resist the calls for more gold, more furs, more everything that came from the occupied pyramids.

Things came to a head in 18 C.A. (Conqueror’s Age, counted from the landing at the Hook), after the Mandella family won their power struggle with the Montressors and could now devote all their time to economic matters. As they demanded more production from their gold mines, they ran into opposition from the Priesthood of Taxitichitil. Decrying the new quotas and abolishment of sacrifices, the Priests incited a rebellion among the miners.

At first, only those who were personally affected by the gluttonous policies of the Armadans joined the revolt, but the leader, Chalbecto, was able to tap into a deep undercurrent of cultural resentment, and soon engineered a popular uprising amongst the Olmtec. A gifted orator, he stoked religious and racial tensions into a firestorm of rage. The Armadans did not take the “native unrest” seriously at first, and suffered several humiliating defeats, as their Olmtec conscripts deserted them during battle. The tide turned, however, when the Church of Saint Cuthbert got involved.

The Church of Saint Cuthbert was a military sect, one of several Armadan religions, and was responsible for securing and expanding the borders of their new kingdom. They stayed out of the Olmtec Rebellion at first, with their leader, Father Trace, resisting government calls for aid. He finally agreed to help after signing a secret treaty with Raul Mandella, stating that the Church of Saint Cuthbert would be the only religion recognized by the government; that the Church would not be taxed by the state; and that the Church would take command of the Army. After these terms were accepted, Father Trace and the Crusaders of Saint Cuthbert joined the war and won it. The rebellion was broken within three months; the armored clergy of the God of Retribution crushed any and all forces arrayed against them. After an almost genocidal campaign, the Church then began to solidify its power. Declaring the Olmtec Gods and Priests “Instruments of unrest and rebellion”, they outlawed their worship and mandated that all Olmtec clergy and government workers publicly renounce their faith. They also set into law the superiority of the Armadans over the Olmtecs; no Olmtec was allowed to own armor or a weapon, Olmtecs without proof of employment could be arrested and added to a “public works crew”, and, “due to their natural savagery”, any Armadan who killed an Olmtec was presupposed to have acted in self-defense.

To this day, the Clergy of Saint Cuthbert are still the main police force of most major cities. They have outlawed any magic or worship of other Gods, with a large “Inquisitorial and Compliance Division” enforcing those strictures. The section of clergy that most people have contact with are the Canabarillos, wandering Priests/officers of the law. The Canabarillos are the beat cops, patrolling the streets and taking justice into their own hands when necessary. For protection, whether it be guarding a city gate or a member of the royal family, the Church has the Seguridados. Less lenient than the Canabarillos, Seguridados show no mercy to lawbreakers or suspected lawbreakers. Even more feared than the Seguridados, however, are the Mechadors, the full-plate clad elite of the War God’s earthly servants. Only called upon in crisis situations, the Mechadors are a battlefield unit and make no attempt to hide it.

Ever since the Olmtec Rebellion, and the truly brutal crackdown that followed, the Armadans and Olmtecs have existed in a state of high tension. The Olmtecs, plunged into poverty by crippling new taxes levied to support the police state, now refer to Armadans as “Guacandos”, meaning “pig rapists”, and a strong underground rebellion movement flourishes in the slums. Almost all cities are surrounded by a ring of despair; acres of slums have been created by Olmtecs displaced by Guacando land barons, who now farm vast plantations using a system of sharecropping and wage slavery. The Armadans, on the other hand, believe that the Olmtecs are little better than animals, who need the restrictive laws that were put in place to protect them from themselves. Without their progenitor’s talent for magic, the Armadans live in fear of an Olmtec uprising, and ridicule and oppress them to try and prevent such an event from happening. The long-term prognosis for this society is not good, but even most Olmtecs do not want to see it collapse; no matter what else happens, the end is guaranteed to be bloody.

The current year is 97 C.A., 5684 G.E. Years have 365 days, and are divided into 18 months of 20 days each and five festival days at the end of the year. According to Olmtec tradition, the festival days, also known as Wayeb, are a time where the bounds between the spirit world and the human world dissolve. For that reason, the people celebrate the return of their ancestors, while the priests offer human sacrifice to appease the malign spirits that force their way into this world. (The church of Cuthbert has outlawed the sacrifices, of course, but the festivals continue. Purveyors of livestock do a great business this time of year, as most families that can afford it buy an animal sacrifice to ward off bad luck and evil spirits.)

Olmtec Mythology

The Olmtec have a polytheist faith, offering prayers to whatever deity has both the power to help them and the inclination to use it. They believe that every time a human creates something, a spirit is trapped within by the process and that Idols, in particular, have strong guardian spirits. Over time, family heirlooms can acquire both sentimental and spiritual value, and the Olmtec often speak of everyday occurrences as metaphysical, fatalistic happenings. Their gods have no set alignment of “good” or “evil”; rather, they have different aspects, all part of the unifying personality of the god. There are two main deities, Taxitichitil and Nahearamartec, Goddess of the Earth and God of the Sea.

Taxitichitil, known as Taxis to the young and the Guacandos, is the nurturing earth that farmers pray to to bless their crops, and is also the face of inevitable death and decay that the sick and aging wear warding charms against. She is a slothful yet benign deity, but when her rages happen they are terrifyingly destructive, and she is as slow to forget as she is to act. Miners always have at least one altar dedicated to her, and whenever possible they hire a shaman to interpret omens and avert any possible disaster.

Nahearamartec, on the other hand, is an arrogant, fickle God. Sacrifices to him are an appeasement, and carry no guarantee of good fortune. Lord of the crushing wave and thunderous tempest, he is also the God of fishermen and full nets. Appearing chaotic and random at first glance, his actions have a depth of thought behind them as deep as the open ocean, and are as inexorable as the currents and tides.

As befits the King and Queen of the Gods, Taxis and Nahar have far more aspects and powers than described here. However, there is a class of deities that have only one main concern. Some examples are:

Hueptosalxis, God of violence. Prayers to him are offered before battle, and calling upon him in any kind of fight signifies an intent to seriously injure your opponent, at the very least. Saying his name out of combat is both bad luck and a social taboo. Professional fighters sometimes have his symbol, an obsidian-edged warclub, tattooed sideways across their knuckles so that its segments are joined into a complete shape when they make a fist.

Tarakikil, Goddess of the dark and those hiding in it. Patron Goddess of thieves, silent prayers to Tarakikil are offered by those who wish to keep a secret a secret.

Kikili, sister to Tarakikil and Goddess of vigilance. Kikili has a strong protective aspect, and prayers to her are usually carved into the lintel above doors. Kikili is also the guardian saint of policemen everywhere.

Not all Gods relate to humans, however. Nature spirits also are revered, both as part of Taxitichitil and in their own right. Mostly rural and uniquely regional, one that gained national prominence was Zactosar, the Jaguar God. The Olmtec ruling caste claimed to be direct descendants of Zactosar, and thus divinely ordained to rule. Their divine guardian showed no sign of helping them in their humiliating war against the Guacandos, but stories tell of undiscovered palaces overgrown with vines deep in the Bloodwood, guarded eternally by huge jade jaguar idols. Even the Yuan-Ti will not dare to tread in those monstrous shadows, for they still enjoy divine protection, and the first sound a hunting jaguar makes is your last gasp.

PLACES

Keyport

Keyport is the capital of the Empire, the heart of society. Keyport was the capital of the Olmtec empire as well, and the three great ziggurats of government have stood for nearly 5,000 years. Today, however, the city is surrounded by vast slums of Olmtecs, forced off their land, who came to the city in hope of a better life. They didn’t find it.

The Hole

The Hole is a huge freshwater lake, lying at the center of the savannas of the Hollow. Water from the Hole is transported via aquaducts and canals to Keyport and the Armadan plantations. No sounding line has been able to find the bottom, and the lake has just as many dangers and mysteries as the sea.

Salthook

Salthook is a new city, built at the site of the first Armadan landing. It is the center of science, and the one place on the crimson coast where Arcanists can freely ply their trade. The tradeoff is that it is one of the most paranoid and restrictive places in the land. The city is surrounded by a great wall, and no Olmtec is allowed inside. Visitors must get special passes to enter, and no one can move into Salthook. If they want you, they will come get you, and you will have very little say in the matter.

The Eye

The Eye is the massive whirlpool that protects the Cove from the Royal Navy. Legend says that the Eye is formed by the thrashings of a vengeful water God, nailed to the seafloor by Kakelahimi, the magic spear of Yata-Hari. The legend says that the God rose up to flood Keyport at its founding, and for seven years it swept anything the Olmtecs tried to build into the sea, before Yata-Hari arrived to challenge it. Their battle raged for three days and nights, creating a great hurricane that pounded the coast. It finally ended when, as the God rose up into a waterspout to channel the fury of the storm into himself, Yata-Hari threw his spear, piercing the tornado and impaling itself into the God’s heart. Not yet dead, the God fell back into the sea to try and regain his strength, but Yata-Hari followed, and in an underwater battle, nailed the God to the seabed with his spear. When his drowned body washed up on shore, Yata-Hari was canonized as a God, and his was the first body entombed in the Catacombs of the Jaguar King.

The Catacombs of the Jaguar King

Wherever thieves and grave-robbers gather, tales are told of the Catacombs of the Jaguar King. Supposedly located beneath Keyport, these haunted tunnels are said to hold the remains and treasure of every single Olmtec King from their 5,000 year old reign. Of course, no one has ever found it, and the stories are full of grotesque curses and punishments for those that do. The Armadans tried to find these chambers soon after their arrival, even digging a huge mine shaft into the palace courtyard, but found nothing, and eventually abandoned the project due to the continual cave-ins and floods.

The Cove

The Cove is the home of pirates, freebooters, smugglers, criminals, exiles, castoffs, beggars, thieves, drunkards, and other undesirables. Anyone unable or unwilling to conform or function in normal civilization is welcome here, in the chaotic vital scrum of a city of villains. The Cove was founded by Enzo Hauman in 19 C.A., starting life as a modest shipyard built on a silt isle in the delta of the Bloodwood river. As the pirates who used Enzo’s ships spread word of this new haven, more and more riffraff came, sinking pilings into the riverbed and building pawnshops, taverns, whorehouses, inns, and counting houses. The island, however, cared not a whit about the plans of its inhabitants, and, heedless of curses and shorings, began to erode. The city would have died within 20 years of its birth had not Enzo Hauman, from his deathbed, ordered the greatest engineering project the world had ever seen. He sent teams of hunters deep into the jungles to capture Tusker elephants, creatures of such colossal stature that they ate from the canopy of the trees, 150 feet in the air. Enzo then built a great framework for the city, linking the patchwork buildings together in an unbreakable grid. He tore out the old pilings, replacing them with new ones that slid along the timbers of the framework, and hooked the city to the Tuskers. Now, whenever the island moved, the city could as well, with the elephants towing it onto new pilings. Sixty years after Enzo’s death, his greatest accomplishment still stands, standing firm against its enemies and moving with the sluggish, inexorable moods of the river. The Tuskers have been trained as both beasts of burden and mobile war platforms, should any force ever attempt to come out of the Bloodwood. The only major settlement to openly defy the Crown, The Cove is haven to anyone seeking an escape from the brutally restrictive social order of the Armadan kingdom. Anything goes in The Cove, but large amounts of money naturally form a thick carapace of security, and there is a lot of money in a city of thieves.

Due to the Cove's rigid superstructure, building outward has mostly stopped; instead, businesses expand by going up. However, due to the cost and danger involved, most people looking for a place to live have turned to houseboats instead. Anchored to the sides of the city, these people have the best of both worlds: access to the city, and the freedom to cut loose and roam the waves, fishing or stealing from fishermen.

The Gnoll Pirates

The Gnolls inhabited the savannas of the Hollow long before the ancestors of the Olmtecs drove them off, exiling them to a nomadic seafaring life on the constantly shifting islands of the Boneyard Archipelago. There, they carved out a meager existence as fishermen, enslaving merfolk to aid them, and occasionally trading with Yuan-Ti. When times got truly desperate, they hired themselves out as mercenaries, although their natural sloth kept this practice to a minimum. Their entire lifestyle changed, however, in 17 C.A., when Enzo Haumen, master shipwright, was exiled into the Bloodwood for his support for the Montressor family, who lost their power struggle with the Mandella clan, rulers of the Crimson Coast to this day. The Montressors and their supporters were shipped off to the island of King’s Loss, but anyone who had shipbuilding expertise was instead sent into the Bloodwood, where they were captured by a group of Gnolls getting fresh water from the river. Despite being enslaved, Enzo was able to rouse the Gnoll’s curiosity with his promises of being able to build ships capable of defeating the feared warships of the Royal Navy. From the first merchantman captured by the Haumen’s Revenge, the Gnolls have been the scourge of the seas. Enzo Shipyards founded The Cove, and is now run by Carlos Haumen, the grandson of Enzo. To this day, the greatest status symbol a buccaneer can have is an Enzo ship, able to outrun clipper ships and outfight Men-O-War.

CLASSES
The various PC classes all have different backstories, as gaining levels in them is not something one can do without training.

Archer
Bows are an Armadan invention; the Olmtecs used spears and slings for both warfare and hunting. Archers on the Crimson Coast are either Armadan frontiersmen, who pick up a bow to defend their homes and families, or pirates, who use their skills to soften up ships before boarding. Either way, Archers tend to find and stick with others of their kind, as they are vastly more effective in a group.

Armiger
Armigers are always Armadan, for two reasons. First, Olmtecs are forbidden to own weapons or armor (and most cannot afford either, anyway), and secondly, warriors who wore armor were regarded as cowards in the days of the Olmtec empire. Most Armigers are Priests of Saint Cuthbert, but some blacksmiths have been known to keep a suit of full-plate stashed away for their own use.

Berserker
Berserkers are almost never Armadans; losing control of oneself can be a fatal mistake in their culture, and the cults of Hueptosalxis do not accept non-Olmtecs. Without their training, a would-be berserker is just a raving menace. With it, he is a thunderous engine of destruction, and for that reason the cults are banned. They use hallucinogenic plants and brutal endurance training to teach initiates how to focus their rage. Half of those they accept die in the process.

Executioner
Executioners can be any race, gender, creed, or size, but the one thing they all have in common is a fanatical devotion to the government. Young children are selected, stolen from their parents, and indoctrinated in killing and obedience. After 12 years of increasingly difficult training in secret chambers hidden in the royal ziggurat, they are sent out on their final test – to hunt down and kill their parents. Only then are they inducted into the elite fraternity of assassins that protects the government from the shadows. Any Executioner who flees can expect to be hunted for the rest of his short life – the Brotherhood has no mercy on those who betray it.

Harrier
Harriers are usually Olmtecs who learned their battledancing techniques from the Claws of Zactosar. The Claws of Zactosar is a revolutionary group formed by a corps of elite bloodsport entertainers, whose agile gladiatorial fights entertained the nobility of the previous regime. Now, they teach youths their lightning combat style in preparation for the war that is sure to follow the collapse of the kingdom.

Hunter
Hunters are a unique homegrown phenomenon. Trackers, explorers, scouts, Hunters live beyond the edges of civilization. For every 20 men who venture into the wild to make a living, there is one who feels it pull at his soul. Hunters are those who follow that call, and survive. The best of the best, they are the masters of the wild, and everything that lives in it.

Man-at-Arms
Men-at-Arms are those, who by skill or practice, are more at home on the battlefield than anywhere else. There are many soldiers, many mercenaries, many bodyguards, but most of them look at their professions as a job, taken for pay. Men-at-Arms fight because they must, they are driven to kill. Whether they hide it behind a creed, or revel in senseless slaughter, Men-at-Arms bring war with them and leave corpses in their wake, masters of the art of warfare.

Thief
Thieves are made by the streets. The urchin who can both pick your pocket and then convince a watching Canabarillo that it was the shop-keep is destined to become a thief. The cream of the underworld, they rise to the top and then spend their time trying to ensure that no one else makes it up. Thieves are as varied as the items they steal, but anyone competing in their area is going to get a knife in the back. There is no honor among rival thieves.

Arcanist
Arcanists do not exist. The Church of Saint Cuthbert officially denies that magic is real, claiming that those who exhibit strange powers are possessed, and need to be exorcised. Few survive the process. Magic can crop up anywhere, but those who have Armadan blood in them are far more likely to have it. Those who want to learn more about their power and can keep it a secret become Arcanists. In Salthook, the government keeps a “stable” of Arcanists disguised as scientists and researchers, and there are rumors that the exiled Montressor family, on the isle of King’s Loss, has strong arcane tendencies.

One character is a spear fighter who believes that he is the reincarnated hero who nailed the water god to the ocean floor, the other is an executioner of saint cuthbert, and the third is an escaped experiment arcanist from king's loss who has no mouth. Should be interesting.

Zurai wrote:

Favored classes with no mechanical backing would be useless wastes of text; thus, bribes, rather than punishments.

I would argue that favored classes are a waste of text regardless. In a DnD campaign, players are rolling Heros, which in and of themselves are already beyond the norm. Why should your heroic wizard be just another memeber of the High Mage Academy class of '08? If you want elven wizards to be common, then populate your NPCs as such.

Use of "incentives" to get players to fit your vanilla campaign ideas reeks of the same strategies lame DMs use to railroad PCs into following the plot.

As for new players, if the newbie wants to roll an Orc Wizard and it works out horribly, why is it better that his friend can tank at first level with his halfling rogue (due to the bonus HPs) All the new player would learn is that this wide an varied game really just wants you to conform to certain ideals.

I have never understood favored classes. There are certain things that some races are bad at, yes (Dwarf sorcerers), but that generally means that people don't play them. There shouldn't be any bonuses for favored classes.

One of the points of Pathfinder was to make it so that you don't have to take a PrC or multiclass to have an effective character. The HD boost for rogues really helps with that in my experience.

What about this feat tree for clerics? (This is assuming that the heal and turn abilities are split off from one another.)
1st level: take a feat to either increase dam/heal by 1d6 or increase will save by +2. (can only be taken once, so you can't take the feat 2X and gain both benefits)
5th level: lets you combine heal and turn into one full-round action.
10th level: improved 1st level feat; either an additional 1d6/+2 or get the lower benefits for the other use of channel energy.
15th level: channel as a move action; can't combine turn and heal effects with this usage. This would let clerics both heal and cast something else, which was a big frustration for the cleric in my game. Also lets combined effects be used as standard action?
20th level: Gain turn/control as permanent 10 ft radius effect. Any undead entering it are affected as though you had turned/rebuked them. (maybe you glow, so there's a clue to let BBEGs know that the cleric has a radius of pain?)

I'm just throwing this out there, as there aren't many feats designed for clerics. What do you think?

I don't think its that big a problem. The reason I play D+D instead of WoW or something (Ok, one of the many, many reasons) is that you can do things like that - its not "oh, the only way to get through this is to solve this ridiculous puzzle." What you guys are forgetting is that D+D is dynamic. While the PCs tunnel through his walls, the thing(s) that live in the dungeon should be either setting up all kinds of nasty traps on the other side or attacking en masse, without giving the PCs the kindness of waiting in their little rooms to be taken on one on one. Time is the number one enemy here, and if it's a situation where there are no guards to stop them (like the treasure vault), then and only then should the walls be almost impossible to break down. In practice, too, these things are difficult. A hewn stone wall (possibly the most common type in underground dungeons) has 540 hp. Magically treat that and it become 1,080 hp per 10 ft section. To make a human-sized hole would still require over 250 points of damage with hardness 16, putting that out of reach of pretty much everyone under 14th level. And by that point, a character is strong enough to do things like shatter wood walls in six seconds.

EDIT: Oh, and Dwarven Pirate, we ended up houseruling that any fall where you reach terminal velocity was automatically fatal. We did the math and it took like 600-some feet and 2-3 rounds, although don't quote me on that, it was a while ago.

Korgoth wrote:

I also favor leaving spellcasters at d4, but rogues NEED that extra hp boost. With flanking, etc, they work best in melee, but can get slaughtered with a full attack, and they don't have many defense options.

A smart rogue does the old "stick-and-move" deal and/or makes sure he attacks when others are flanking the big bad guy so the big bad guy has to make a choice who to attack, either the annoying rogue who just stuck him in the kidney for 62 points of damage, or the beefy barbarian thats about to rage full attack on him next, or the fighter who is just salivating and waiting for his turn to full attack.

The way it always worked in my games was this: First, BBEG stops two-weapon using barbarian with wall of stone, hold person, something like that. Next, fighter and rogue close to melee. Fighter uses improved combat expertise to tank, loses any ability to hit BBEG. Rogue flanks with tank, sneak attacks for lots. Ranger shoots bow for lots. Next, BBEG ignores useless tank and takes on either ranger or rogue, usually rogue because ranger is out of range. Rogue either dies or runs. At this point, the barbarian has usually gotten past whatever obstacle there was and engages BBEG in full-attack fight. If the barbarian didn't kill it, then the ranger pinging away would, just as the rogue got healed back up to take part in the fight. End result: Rogue did damage but still felt useless. Admittedly, that may have had a lot to do with the chosen tactics of the party, but I still favor a little combat boost. Clerics get better HD than rogues, wear heavy armor, but almost always end up supporting the melee fighters from a distance.

I like your DR system, trapsense was always garbage.

I really noticed the AC problem in 3.5. Anything that the three full BAB classes in my game could be challenged by was impossible for the rogue to hit. One thing I did was make creatures with high dex, so the rogue can catch them flat-footed and actually hit, but that was kind of a fudge. I might do something where rogues can give up 1d6 of sneak attack to get a +2 or +4 bonus on a sneak attack-able attack roll. Its not so bad for druids and clerics, because they can buff themselves up to be around par with the fighters if they need to (But they mostly run back and forth, tossing around heals).

Kor - Orc Scrollkeeper wrote:

I really like how Pathfinder has tied a class' HD to their Attack progression type.

Blech. Not me. Not by a long shot. For some reason I like arcane spellcasters with crap for hit points. I like rogues to have a little more than arcane spellcasters, but less than clerics. I like clerics having a bit more than rogues and a bit less than fighters. I like fighters having a bit more than clerics, but less than barbarians. You get my point. Oh, that and because, to me, class hit dice are sacred cows. A wizard (or magic-user) has *always* had d4 hit points. A fighter has *always* had d10 hit points. I'm a cranky, crotchety old dude who just doesn't feel the hit die bumps in PF is needed. However, its easily enough fixed, which is what I have already done, so I won't complain overly much.

I also favor leaving spellcasters at d4, but rogues NEED that extra hp boost. With flanking, etc, they work best in melee, but can get slaughtered with a full attack, and they don't have many defense options. Spellcasters, on the other hand, got so much love its a wonder they don't have "sparkles" as a class feature. With a few exceptions, I always thought that the multi-classing system for casters was the most balanced. You want those fancy abilities, but is it worth crippling your spell progression? I like the sorcerer bloodlines and wizard school benefits, because they make it much easier to find that "extra" thing your caster can do, but it's either that or d6 hd for me. Or, what if you could give up your bloodline, etc, to get d6 hd? In essence, you sacrifice your arcane power for the ability to survive.

No offense, but I don't like headshot. It would be good as a fixed number, like duelists have, but the math for adjusting hp based on the reduction in con is a DM's nightmare. Plus, at high levels, that becomes very broken. Using a +2 flaming collision (+5 dam, +2 ability) +4 str composite longbow, you get: 3d8+1d6+33 plus favored enemy bonuses. Taking average rolls, that's 50 damage, which comes out to 13 points of con damage. Thats 6XHD damage, which is half the hp of most creatures. Maybe if it was like vorpal, where it only activates on a natural 20, because RAW you can get a light crossbow, rapid reload, rapidshot, and improved crit and have 5 chances per round to make a 17-20 crit and more or less insta-kill anything out there.

Kaisoku: I really like your mounted combat style. What if the ranger also got better animal companion benefits, so he could ride his faithful steed into battle? That may seem like a paladin ability, but I like the idea of a halfling riding a dire bat swooping down from the sky to poke holes in his enemies. It also opens up the door to dwarven rangers riding rhinos, and elves mounted on great cats. What if, instead of 1/2 ranger level for the animal companion, it was ranger level -3? That way, a 7th level druid could have a bison as a mount, a 10th level ranger could have a rhino, a 13th level ranger could ride a megaraptor, a 16th level ranger could ride a dire bear, and a 19th level ranger could have a t-rex.

I was going to use this concept (a ranger who rode her animal companion and dual-wielded lances), but I did the math and learned that her mount would have ~45 hp at 10th level. For a frontline combatant, that's suicide, particularly with an AC of 16.

And to the person who said that rangers don't use crossbows: Yes they do. I ended up making a dwarven crossbow archer who crushed any human that came across his path.

I like the classes! I never liked the hexblade, but you did a good job of revising it.

Blah. Just submitted my item, and I've got post-submission blues. Personally, I'm the type who would rather design a feat to do something cool rather than make a magic item, but whatever! Think positive thoughts, right?

EDIT: I think that might be one of the reasons I like Iron Heroes so much; any 3.5/pathfinder character is gimped without his gear. Not "gear" but HIS gear; that +2 collision greatsword that he has all the weapon specialization feats for, the +4 adamentine fullplate, because anything else in the heavy armor catagory sucks, and the +2 animated heavy shield to boost his AC. Half the time as a DM, you put a great weapon in as part of treasure, only to have it sold for cash to pump up existing gear. So what if it's not optimized to your liking? It's a +8 weapon, for god's sake! And any mission where you try to make them forgo that stuff and rely on their wits they whine about. RANTRANTRANTRANTRANTRANT!!!!11!!!!!1

Sigh. At least the only PC I play regularly is a sorcerer, so I don't have to worry about becoming that type of player myself. And my cleric just gave up 30,000 gp (all his share of the treasure, at 9th level too) for RP reasons, so I feel a bit better about myself. It almost erases the time I cajoled the DM into letting me keep my armor on through a shipwreck (and I was sleeping in it, too.)

I should really have read this thread before I submitted my item. Oh well; as the sports teams in Cleveland have taught me, "there's always next year!"

Holiday special: It's a wonderful migus
Rudolph the red-nosed migus
Migus (starring Will Ferrell as a man who was raised by migri and believes he is one of them.)
Charlie Brown christmas, starring snoopy as the migus

Oh wow, I need to look at these... later. I need to get some sleep, but I need to get my RPG superstar item done too. Haven't worked on my Iron Heroes game, either.

PC name: cousin Skeeter (AKA Duncan "Dunkin" Jay Jammers)
Class: Pathfinder bard 5
COD: Hit by a disintegrate by a chronotyn and failed his save. 24d6 damage.

well, instead of using fake auras all the time, why not have stacked traps? The party detects and disables the wail of the banshee trap, feels pretty good about it, and then falls into the simple pit trap right behind it. Also, I don't believe antimagic field has an aura, so throw one of those down there and make them fight a black pudding. (only use this once, and at high levels where they can usually make the save, because it is so freakin annoying.)

As far as the breath goes, my friend played a dragonfire adept once with entangling breath. It wasn't very effective. I wouldn't worry about it; with the resist energy invocation, it's like an archer with precise shot. (ie, they can hit enemies that their comrades are in melee with.) How much damage does his breath do? (I remember it was around 2d4 at 3-4th level, but it was a while ago.)

Merry christmas! My computer broke again, but I'm back online. The PCs beat the chronotyn tuesday. They got it down to ~12 hp in 2 rounds, but it then fled outdoors and proceeded to annoy the hell out of them. It used its turn undead to control the skeleton barbarian, which kinda screwed the party, but the monk beat the skelly to exactly 0 hp (technically killing him, but I made PC allowances, letting him be "unconscious" instead. He still didn't have negatives to go into, though, so he was really lucky.). Then, a time vortex spawned around the chronotyn, and I rolled 100 on the d% to see if it was future or past. That 100 meant that the party had to fight the CR 19 full grown chronotyn for 1 round, and it almost killed the rogue (sonic burst for 8d6, made the DC 26 ref save for half and ended up with 4 hp left) and killed cousin skeeter, who had been nailing him with a ring of shooting stars I gave them, with a disintegrate. All this time, the chronotyn is around 10 hp. The rogue finally killed it with a sneak attack as it reverted to its normal self from the full-grown version.

The rogue ended up falling victim to that soul-stealing trap I mentioned earlier, but it all ended up ok. The skeleton tore his way free from the rogues body, killing addersmith, but the monk (the only surviving member of the party) grabbed his skin, stuffed it with everyone's gear, and ran off. The rogue ended up in the body of a pawnbroker who the monk was selling their stuff to, and became a shadowy underworld figure. The skeleton declared war on humanity and became a undead mercenary captain.

I like it! A warrior type who uses cha, I know someone who would love to play one of these guys. A couple concerns: The diplomacy and handle animal uses should function more like sanctuary, in my opinion, OR you can only use it against a particular creature once per combat. Or both. Critical strike should be a critical threat, specifically with a melee weapon (since I'm assuming that the flavor is that you have the drop on your opponent), possibly only a Katana, and it should only be in the surprise round of combat. I have visions of a rogue/samuari weilding a scythe popping out of hiding every round to score a X4 crit, and that's just.... For greater critical strike, you could make it an auto-crit.

I like the combat style and mettle. Quick Ki is really good, it rewards people who stick it out with the ability to dodge 8+cha attacks in one round. I might give them 6 skill points per level, just because they use skills for most of their class features, and I at least would want to put a couple ranks in other things.

Well, here it is: The Cove. I really don't have much to do but type up D+D stuff and wait for my jaw to heal, so I'm probably going to have more later today/tommrow.

The Gnoll Pirates

The Gnolls inhabited the savannas of the Hollow long before the ancestors of the Olmtecs drove them off, exiling them to a nomadic seafaring life on the constantly shifting islands of the Boneyard Archipelago. There, they carved out a meager existence as fishermen, enslaving merfolk to aid them, and occasionally trading with Yuan-Ti. When times got truly desperate, they hired themselves out as mercenaries, although their natural sloth kept this practice to a minimum. Their entire lifestyle changed, however, in 17 C.A., when Enzo Haumen, master shipwright, was exiled into the Bloodwood for his support for the Montressor family, who lost their power struggle with the Mandella clan, rulers of the Crimson Coast to this day. The Montressors and their supporters were shipped off to the island of King’s Loss, but anyone who had shipbuilding expertise was instead sent into the Bloodwood, where they were captured by a group of Gnolls getting fresh water from the river. Despite being enslaved, Enzo was able to rouse the Gnoll’s curiosity with his promises of being able to build ships capable of defeating the feared warships of the Royal Navy. From the first merchantman captured by the Haumen’s Revenge, the Gnolls have been the scourge of the seas. Enzo Shipyards founded The Cove, and is now run by Carlos Haumen, the grandson of Enzo. To this day, the greatest status symbol a buccaneer can have is an Enzo ship, able to outrun clipper ships and outfight Men-O-War.

The Cove

The Cove is the home of pirates, freebooters, smugglers, criminals, exiles, castoffs, beggars, thieves, drunkards, and other undesirables. Anyone unable or unwilling to conform or function in normal civilization is welcome here, in the chaotic vital scrum of a city of villains. The Cove was founded by Enzo Hauman in 19 C.A., starting life as a modest shipyard built on a silt isle in the delta of the Bloodwood river. As the pirates who used Enzo’s ships spread word of this new haven, more and more riffraff came, sinking pilings into the riverbed and building pawnshops, taverns, whorehouses, inns, and counting houses. The island, however, cared not a whit about the plans of its inhabitants, and, heedless of curses and shorings, began to erode. The city would have died within 20 years of its birth had not Enzo Hauman, from his deathbed, ordered the greatest engineering project the world had ever seen. He sent teams of hunters deep into the jungles to capture Tusker elephants, creatures of such colossal stature that they ate from the canopy of the trees, 150 feet in the air. Enzo then built a great framework for the city, linking the patchwork buildings together in an unbreakable grid. He tore out the old pilings, replacing them with new ones that slid along the timbers of the framework, and hooked the city to the Tuskers. Now, whenever the island moved, the city could as well, with the elephants towing it onto new pilings. Sixty years after Enzo’s death, his greatest accomplishment still stands, standing firm against its enemies and moving with the sluggish, inexorable moods of the river. The Tuskers have been trained as both beasts of burden and mobile war platforms, should any force ever attempt to come out of the Bloodwood. The only major settlement to openly defy the Crown, The Cove is haven to anyone seeking an escape from the brutally restrictive social order of the Armadan kingdom. Anything goes in The Cove, but large amounts of money naturally form a thick carapace of security, and there is a lot of money in a city of thieves.

Due to the Cove's rigid superstructure, building outward has mostly stopped; instead, businesses expand by going up. However, due to the cost and danger involved, most people looking for a place to live have turned to houseboats instead. Anchored to the sides of the city, these people have the best of both worlds: access to the city, and the freedom to cut loose and roam the waves, fishing or stealing from fishermen.

Yes I did. I kind of used that idea for The Cove, city of pirates, which I'll try to post up later today.

I'm on a roll today; here's some world history from the Armadan point of view.

HISTORY

“Out of the mists came a people with no name.

They rode great ships, rigging creaking, decks awash, wallowing through the waves, each whitecap an omen of doom.

On these ships were great men – or so they claimed, dressed in the furs of royalty.

And on the ships were poor men – or so they were told, dressed in rags and hunger.

And they all dully watched the waves, rich man and poor man alike; no remembrance of the past, no hope for the future. A people without memory, they slogged through the waters on ships they could not steer, full of items they could not use.

As food ran out, some ships turned to cannibalism; and they slipped out of sight, lost from the fleet, carrion-crows swarming their decks.

The sea claimed others; this time, the wave did swamp the deck, this time the timbers did break. And the passengers went down for the third time, drowning in ignorance and anonymity, choking on saltwater and gasping futilely for memory.

And so it came to pass that out of four hundred ships, seven sighted a coastline and gladly dashed themselves to pieces on it. From the surf, the men dragged themselves upright, wreathed in seaweed and dripping seawater. And standing on that broken and barren beach, they looked up at the leaden sky, and it smiled a blessing on them. From that hopeless position, they overran this land, conquering with sword and spell; and they were wreathed in gold and bathed in blood.

Subjugating the natives, inheriting a five-thousand year old culture, they carved out a place for themselves from this savage land, and passed it onto their children as they aged and died. These children, lacking the divine spark of their parents, forged themselves a new identity and consolidated their power. Yet now, nearly one hundred years after our forefathers made land, our position is far less solid than any admit, even to themselves. Native unrest, Gnoll pirates, and savage monstrosities besiege us on all sides. It is our generation that will determine the legacy of our people; whether we rule triumphant or are driven back into the seas from whence we came. Our fate is in your hands.”

Introduction to Tactics and Stratagems: a Textbook for Peace and War, required reading for all Armadan children over the age of eight.

Maybe, but they can reverse it by running into a vortex of the opposite kind.

Korgoth wrote:

What would you recommend as a name for the "boat people"? Kind of spanish flavored, but other than that anything goes. (I just spent 20 min in a fruitless search for a name so I could complete the opening sentence of some flavor text.)

Armadans? Armadians? Fleetfolk?

I like Armadans. Thanks!

The votexes appear randomly, so I don't think there should be a save, since the chance of a PC being caught in them is very low. They can appear within solid objects, and age them accordingly (permenently). They do not need line of sight, since it's an uncontrolled, nontargeted effect. The adamentine just allows it to chuck its feathers and do damage with them. This is the penultimate encounter of the game, so I'm not too worried about unbalancing things. They could collect enough feathers to make 1 suit of med armor, one 2-handed weapon, or 2 1-handed weapons.

It is using pathfinder rules, and I might lower the con score of the just hatched one. The older version has recovered from its time spent in undeath, but it would make sense for the newly born one to have a poor fort save. I kind of fudged the HP math, just to make it easier to juggle three different versions of the same creature.

This should be the map for my Iron heroes game: http://www.flickr.com/photos/33404658@N03/3113899040/

Here's the stats for the chronotyn. It starts as the juvenile version, and changes to either of the others whenever it enters a time vortex.

Juvenile Chronotyn
Medium Magical Beast (extraplanar)
Hit Dice: 7d10+45 (85 hp)
Initiative: +7
Speed: 20 ft, fly 60 ft (good)
AC: 15 (+3 dex, +2 nat)
Base Attack/Grapple: +7/+11
Attack: Rake +11 (1d4+4) or feather flurry +11 (1d10+4, 19-20/X2)
Full attack: 2 rakes +11 (1d4+4) and bite +6 (1d6+2) and 2 wings +6 (1d4+2) or feather flurry +11/+6 (1d10+4 19-20/X2)
Space/Reach: 5/5
Special Attacks: Feather Flurry, Time Vortex
Special Qualities: Grace of the Grave, Dual Actions, Cold, acid, electricity, and fire resist 10, LLV, sonic immunity, SR 17
Saves: Fort +8, Ref +8, Will +6
Abilities: Str 18, Dex 16, Con 16, Int 18, Wis 14, Cha 20
Skills:
Feats: Toughness, improved int, weapon focus (feather flurry), Iron Will
CR: 7
Alignment: NE
Treasure:

As you clamber up the spiral staircase into this tower room, you can see that a large jar glowing with a green light floats about 5 ft. off the ground in the middle of the room. Inside, an indistinct dark shape writhes, throwing itself at the walls of its prison until it blasts through, scattering glass and green ooze everywhere. Dripping with necromantic afterbirth, it spreads its dusky metal wings and unfurls its arms and talons from a fetal position. A bird-like head snaps up, staring at you, its large black eyes full of hate and malign intelligence.

Feather Flurry (ex): A Chronotyn can launch its adamantine feathers at foes within 60 feet. This attack counts as a ranged attack.

Time Vortex (su): A Juvenile Chronotyn swirls with uncontrolled chronological energy. Every round, at the end of its turn, 1d6 vortexes are randomly formed, using the missing with a splash weapon chart with the Chronotyn at the center. The vortexes are 10 ft wide and appear 1d10X5 feet from the Chronotyn. There is a 50% chance that the vortexes open into the future and a 50% chance that they open into the past. Any character who enters a vortex automatically and permanently changes one age category, aging if it is a future vortex and growing younger if it is a past vortex. The Chronotyn changes forms if it enters a vortex, although it is not a permanent change. The Chronotyn’s hp does not change. Old vortexes disappear whenever new ones form.

Grace of the Grave (ex): Due to its time spent in an undead state, this Chronotyn uses its charisma modifier on hp in place of its constitution mod.

Dual Actions (su): As a creature with two separate brains, a Chronotyn can take two rounds worth of actions on its turn.

Preserved Chronotyn
Small Undead
Hit Dice: 7d12 (85 hp)
Initiative: +7
Speed: fly 20 ft (perfect)
AC: 20 (+1 size, +6 dex, +3 nat)
Base Attack/Grapple: +3/-6
Attack: bash –1 (1d4-5)
Full attack: bash –1 (1d4-5)
Space/Reach: 5/0
Special Attacks: Fascination Aura, Vitality Drain, Channel Negative energy
Special Qualities: Dual Actions, Undead traits, Unholy Grace,
Saves: Fort +7, Ref +3, Will +7
Abilities: Str 1, Dex 22, Con -, Int 16, Wis 14, Cha 20
Skills:
Feats: Improved int, ability focus (fascination), Improved Turning, Selective channeling
CR: 7
Alignment: NE
Treasure:

Inside the thick glass jar that floats in front of you, a small dark shape lies curled, begging closer observation.

Fascination Aura (su): Anyone within 20 ft of a preserved Chronotyn must make a DC 20 will save or stare slack-jawed at it, losing all actions. Vigorously shaking a Fascinated creature as a full-round action allows it to make a new save, but otherwise only an overtly hostile action by the Chronotyn or its allies can free a victim from the compulsion.

Vitality Drain (su): a Chronotyn can permanently drain 1 point of constitution from a creature within 20 feet as a standard action. A DC 18 fortitude save negates this effect. A Chronotyn heals 5 points of damage for every point of con drained in this manner, and using this ability does not break the Chronotyn’s fascination aura.

Channel Negative Energy (su): As a pathfinder cleric whose level is equal to its hit dice, see p. 149 pathfinder, 8/day, will DC 20

Future Chronotyn
Medium Magical Beast (extraplanar)
Hit Dice: 7d10 (85 hp)
Initiative: +3
Speed: 20 ft, fly 60 ft (good)
AC: 18 (+3 dex, +5 nat)
Base Attack/Grapple: +7/+11
Attack: Rake +13 (1d4+6) or feather flurry +11 (1d10+6, 19-20/X2)
Full attack: 2 rakes +13 (1d4+6) and bite +8 (1d6+3) and 2 wings +8 (1d4+3) or feather flurry +11/+6 (1d10+6 19-20/X2)
Space/Reach: 5/5
Special Attacks: Feather Flurry, Time Vortex, spell-like abilites
Special Qualities: Dual Actions, Cold, acid, electricity, and fire resist 10, LLV, sonic immunity, SR 17
Saves: Fort +8, Ref +8, Will +6
Abilities: Str 22, Dex 16, Con 16, Int 18, Wis 14, Cha 20
Skills:
Feats: Power Attack, Improved Bull Rush, weapon focus (feather flurry), Iron Will
CR: 7
Alignment: NE
Treasure:

The sickly looking bird in front of you suddenly shimmers, visibly growing. Its dusky feathers gleaming, the creature carries itself with a new-found arrogance. Arcane sigils glow faintly along its fingers.

Feather Flurry (ex): A Chronotyn can launch its adamantine feathers at foes within 60 feet. This attack counts as a ranged attack.

Time Vortex (su): A Chronotyn swirls with uncontrolled chronological energy. Every round, at the end of its turn, 1d6 vortexes are randomly formed, using the missing with a splash weapon chart with the Chronotyn at the center. The vortexes are 10 ft wide and appear 1d10X5 feet from the Chronotyn. There is a 50% chance that the vortexes open into the future and a 50% chance that they open into the past. Any character who enters a vortex automatically and permanently changes one age category, aging if it is a future vortex and growing younger if it is a past vortex. The Chronotyn changes forms if it enters a vortex, although it is not a permanent change. The Chronotyn’s hp does not change. Old vortexes disappear whenever new ones form.

Dual Actions (su): A chronotyn can take two rounds of actions on its turn.

Spell-like Abilities (su): CL 7: At will: Magic Missile, Grease (DC 16), Color spray (DC 16). 3/day: Hold Person (DC 17), haste, shout (DC 19) 1/day: stoneskin (DR 10/adamentine, 70 dam).

What would you recommend as a name for the "boat people"? Kind of spanish flavored, but other than that anything goes. (I just spent 20 min in a fruitless search for a name so I could complete the opening sentence of some flavor text.)

Damnit, I might have to change the name. Oh well. More up later this week (or not, now that I think about it - I'm getting my wisdom teeth out monday.)

Alright, I decided to bite the bullet and get back to work on my Iron Heroes game. The Olmtec are the native people subjugated by the invaders, who they call the Guacando. The Guancando call themselves the Anansi, which means "lost tribe" in the Olmtec language. Here's a bit on the various non-interventionist gods. (with no divine magic, religion is a lot more "realistic" in Iron Heroes - no more smiting.)

Olmtec Mythology

The Olmtec have a polytheist faith, offering prayers to whichever of their deities has both power and the inclination to use it to help them with their predicament. They believe that every time a human creates something, a spirit is trapped within by the process. Over time, family heirlooms can acquire both sentimental and spiritual value, and the Olmtec often speak of everyday occurrences as metaphysical, fatalistic happenings. Their gods have no set alignment of “good” or “evil”; rather, they have different aspects, all part of the unifying personality of the god. There are two main deities, Taxitichitil and Nahearamartec, Goddess of the Earth and God of the Sea.

Taxitichitil, known as Taxis to the young and the Guacandos, is the nurturing earth that farmers pray to to bless their crops, and is also the face of inevitable death and decay that the sick and aging wear warding charms against. She is a slothful yet benign deity, but when her rages happen they are terrifyingly destructive, and she is as slow to forget as she is to act. Miners always have at least one altar dedicated to her, and when possible they hire a shaman to interpret omens and avert any possible disaster.

Nahearamartec, on the other hand, is an arrogant, fickle God. Sacrifices to him are an appeasement, and carry no guarantee of good fortune. Lord of the crushing wave and thunderous tempest, he is also the God of fishermen and full nets. Appearing chaotic and random at first glance, his actions have a depth of thought behind them as deep as the open ocean, and are as inexorable as the currents and tides.

As befits the King and Queen of the Gods, Taxis and Nahar have far more aspects and powers than described here. However, there is a class of deities that have only one main concern. Some examples are:
Hueptosalxis, God of violence. Prayers to him are offered before battle, and calling upon him in any kind of fight signifies an intent to seriously injure your opponent, at the very least. Calling to him out of combat is both bad luck and a social taboo. Professional fighters sometimes have his symbol, an obsidian-edged warclub, tattooed sideways across their knuckles so that its segments are joined into a complete shape when they make a fist.

Tarakikil, Goddess of the dark and those hiding in it. Patron Goddess of thieves, silent prayers to Tarakikil are offered by those who wish to remain hidden. Mentioning her name out loud is an implied admission of guiltiness, but almost everyone has beseeched her for something, be it as trivial as a schoolyard secret they want to stay a secret.

Kikili, sister to Tarakikil and Goddess of vigilance. Kikili has a strong protective aspect, and prayers to her are usually carved into the lintel above doors. Kikili is also the guardian saint of policemen everywhere.

Not all Gods relate to humans, however. Nature spirits also are revered, both as part of Taxitichitil and in their own right. Mostly rural and uniquely regional, one that gained national prominence was Zactosar, the Jaguar God. The Olmtec ruling caste claimed to be direct descendants of Zactosar, and thus divinely ordained to rule. Their divine guardian showed no sign of helping them in their humiliating war against the Guacandos, but stories tell of undiscovered palaces overgrown with vines deep in the Bloodwood, guarded eternally by huge jade jaguar idols. Even the Yuan-Ti will not dare to tread in those monstrous shadows, for the first sound a hunting jaguar makes is your last gasp.

I'll have more on religion and culture soon, if you want to see it. The Anansi, by the way, worship a Saint Cuthbert who's main aspect is protecting the native people from their own folly by sending his emmissaries (the Anansi) to guide them and show them the one true path.

(Oh yeah, I stole the name for the Bloodwood from your posts. It's the jungle to the south where lizardfolk and Yuan-Ti wage guerilla war upon each other.)

Anyone remember the monkeypants from last year? Great stick, by the way. Might have go to the ugly tree and carve my own.