Odraude's page

One of the things I like in Traveller and other sci fi is visiting and exploring planets. And nothing is better for this than a map of the surface of the planet. Traditionally, the map of a planet has been done using a form of dymaxion map. Basically an unfolded icosahedron map with hexes in each triangle. Something like this Traveller map. But there are plenty of other ways one could do maps. I was curious how Paizo was thinking about doing their planetary maps?

What is Appendix N? Appendix N is the list of recommended reading in the original DMs Guide for D&D. In it contained the books that would provide inspiration for the first role-playing game. So for Starfinder, I propose we have an Appendix N to round up great books, movies, video games, cartoons, anime, and whatever other medium that can inspire the setting and rules of this game. I have it all on a google doc so that we can access it with ease on the first page.

Here is the link to the Starfinder Appendix N. Tell me what other media items Pathfinder can pull from. It's late so I'm sure I've missed something. I'll probably open it up to more people to edit soon.

So I've been homebrewing an alternative to alignment in the fantasy game that I plan to run. I got some inspiration from a post I saw on GitP and ran with it. Here is the ruleset I have set up for my alignment alternative, Motives and Methods.

Don't worry about Detect and Smite abilities. I'll figure that out as I go along.

Thanks for any help and comments.

Hey all. I'm Odraude. I've been on these forums for awhile and I just discovered I can get into the PFMMO game I backed a while ago. Still downloading it at the moment, but just want to see who else plays so I'm not just playing by myself. My account is Opiyel.

So I'm planning on running a superhero campaign online. I have a variety of systems to choose from, but I'm not sure which ones to use. So, I'm hoping to see what advice the forums have. Here are the systems I own:

Savage Worlds with the Super Powers Companion (the newest one): Looks interesting and solid, and I've heard good things about it. I've played a Savage Worlds game, but never ran one, and never a super heroes one. Still, could be interesting.

Mutants and Masterminds: Never played this one either, but again, looks fun. I got the Core as a gift, but I don't own the other books. Also it doesn't look like they've published more in it for a while, and I don't want to commit and find out that they are doing a fourth edition. Still, the quintessential super hero game.

Marvel Superheroes (Cortex): I've actually played this one and while I love the plot points and doom pool, I do wish the the mechanics had more I could bite into. Definitely an option.

If you guys have any other options I could check out that I haven't heard about, feel free to drop them on me. I'm willing to play anything except HERO 6th (personal reasons).

Thanks again.

A bit of a thought from my ftl thread. I'm doing a space traveling and exploration game with Pathfinder and I'm interested in doing it as a hexcrawl (think Kingmaker but in space). That said, exploring space is a different beast from exploring a forested wilderness. Z axis means players can avoid obstacles. What are some ways of doing ahexcrawl in space?

So I've been quiet for a while, slowly brewing an idea for a Pathfinder game in space. One thing I haven't been able to settle on is whether I want superluminal (Faster-Than-Light) travel or wormhole travel. Both would definitely change the setting in various ways between each other. So I had some questions regarding the two. Admittedly they are kind of more involved than my usual questions, so I do apologize.

1. Which technology would be discovered first; FTL drive or wormhole drive? Or would you see them as parallel technologies that do the same thing but in different ways?

2. How would varying advancements in FTL travel look like and progress? Kind of like how we've come from the Wright Brother's plane to jets, how would FTL advance? Same question, but with wormhole technology.

3. What are some things that would inhibit FTL travel? Same question with Wormholes.

4. Would wormhole technology obsolete FTL travel? Or could the two coexist?

Thanks for any answers.

I don't normally do these survey things, but I need some people for a project I'm doing for school. So, I'm doing a menu project for my Cuisine Across Cultures class. In it, I have to write up a menu with eight entrees, cost it, and survey 50+ people to see what sells the best (and least). Below is a link to a sample menu I've come up with for a fictional, casual Puerto Rican eatery you'd see in a Downtown area of a city. Please look at the menu and post the following in the comments below:

1) Which item you would order?
2) The reason you'd order it?
3) What's the item you'd least likely order?
4) The reason you wouldn't order it?

Looking for good, honest feedback so I can edit the menu accordingly and write about it for my project. Thank you for any and all help with this project

My Menu Project

So, this is a trope you see in a lot of media, from The Last Airbender to Kung Fu Panda, and even in some of Paizo's APs. One person is "the chosen one", whether that means they are a lost heir to a kingdom, the bridge between this world and the next, or the last of a bloodline of powerful people.

So the question is, when you have a player who wants to do this, and you want to encourage it with the group's blessing, what are some good ways to go about it without invalidating and overshadowing the other players?

And for players who are interested in playing this trope, what is some good advice for doing this?

Any and all advice is appreciated :D

So I've been catching up on Legend of Korra and it has be thinking about home brewing a magic removal spell or ability. So I figured I'd crowd source some ideas from the forums here.

Some questions/advice:

1) What level should a spell that removes magical abilities be? 9th? Mythic?

2) Should it be a save or suck type of spell, or should should it be more incremental? Assuming this is used on PCs, it would suck to instantly lose ALL of your class abilities due to a failed save. Of course, there will be a way to "unlock" it again with an opposite spell, but still, that probably won't be available for awhile (just to keep the tension up story-wise).

3) What flavor would be made for removing all the types of magic? Arcane, Divine, and Occult?

Thanks for any and all suggestions.

So I was recently inspired by one of SKR's blogs about replacing Touch attacks in his new RPG. It got me thinking about how I am not really a big fan of Touch Attacks or Touch AC. So I began musing a bit on how to replace it for casters and gunslingers.

So I turned to HERO a bit, which has two options for attacking. A physical attack and a mental (or magical) attack. So I got to thinking, maybe that would be a good way to model that.

I was thinking that a spell version of BAB would be useful, using the caster level plus casting stat and comparing it to the creature's AC. At first glance, it doesn't seem unbalancing, though obviously without some mathematical theorycrafting and playtesting, it is difficult to tell. Another idea I had was perhaps BAB + spell level of spell+ casting stat. I think I prefer the former, but I'd love to see what you guys think of both.

So far, I'm really enjoying the occult classes presented in the book. While I can't really do much in the way of playtesting due to work, school, and lack of a close FLGS or group, I figured I could at least drop some good ideas for the inevitable bestiary that comes with the book.

I know that much of the late 19th and early 20th century mysticism and spiritualism is being used as inspiration for Occult Adventures. Things like the Seven Rays, Gnosticism, Ki and other Eastern arts, and some pagan materials all fit in. I was wondering if the devs had ever read the Albion Mythos by William Blake? I feel like several things in there (like the Four Zoas and their emanations) would fit in with the idea of Occultism. Would be a good thing to check out and go over the ideas of spiritual archetypes.

Another idea I had was more for the bestiary in the actual rulebook. I think it would be a great idea to have creatures that are elementals of concepts and emotions that a psychic could summon (or fight). These could be primordial social atavisms like hate, love, sorrow, and what not that could dwell in the Ethereal Planes. You could summon these atavisms with the psychic spells (T and E components, of course) similar to elementals, and these atavisms could be incorporeal creatures that can infect enemies with fear, or rage, or whatever emotion spells you can imagine (like Compassionate Ally or Unnatural Lust).

Those are the ideas I have. Thoughts, comments, concerns? This would be a good topic for other ideas if inclined.

Like the title suggests, I wanna brainstorm some awesome ways to describe how a mortal becomes a god.

1) The mortal sneaks into the Boneyard and erases their name from the book of life.

2) Deicide, which curses the murderer with becoming the new god.

3) Devouring the flesh and blood of a god in its entirety.

4) All gods are dreamers that sleep in the plane of dreams to untether themselves from the physical world and become omnipotent. You can find "your bed " in the Dreamlands, fight your way in, then rest for all eternity to become a god.

So with the Technology Guide out, it's really got me wanting to see other genres done in Pathfinder. So what are your wants in a possible (but totally speculative) Ultimate Technology,?

I'd like to see the book separated into these chapters :

Primitive Era: Stone Age and Bronze Age adventuring, with rules for low magic, sword and sorcery, Hellenistic, and sword and sandal gaming. Themes would include low magic, tribalism and animism, survival, and humans transcending from nomadic tribes to sedentary civilizations. Or on the opposite side, high magic with demigods roaming the world doing wild things. Ancient astronauts, cities of wonder that are destined to sink from their hubris, living gods.

Post-Medieval Era: Renaissance through Victorian and Edwardian and ending just during the Interwar period. Classics such as Steam Punk, Gaslight Romances, Pulp Stories, Early Soft Science Fiction, and Sword and Planet. Themes such as the difference engine, the march of industry, eugenics, imperialism, nationalism, exploration, and weird science.

Modern Era: Postwar Modernism to the Information Age. Noir, Dieselpunk, Atompunk, and Contemporary Era genres. Would deal with themes of paranoia, nuclear technology, war, and such.

Future Ara: Beyond the modern era. Science Fiction of all types, from Hard to Soft, Cyberpunk to Post Apocalyptic. Human transcendentalism, exploration, rights of non-humans (robots), oppression... sky's the limit on this one.

So, what ideas do you have for an expanded Pathfinder?

So I'm looking to brainstorm an idea for an alternate view of a CN plane. I'm trying to avoid the whole "Primordial Aspect" you see in the Maelstrom and Limbo. What are some good ideas for a CN Plane of existence?

Kicking this off for some collective brainstorming. These could be anything, from stars and planets to comets and meteors to space stations and generation ships.

1. A red dwarf star with its own planet that orbits close to an earth-like planet and causes problems for the denizens.

2. A comet that has a powerful ice elemental demigod trapped inside of it.

3. A massive cylindrical spaceship is on a course through the solar system. No telling what alien wonders await inside.

So I have two house rules I've been brewing up, thanks to reading a lot of 13th Age, D&D 4th Edition, and Marvel RPG (Cortex Heroic).

Climax Dice: The first is something I call the Climax Die. Essentially, at the beginning of combat, I set out a d4 die in view of everyone. After the first round of combat, the die grows bigger (d6, d8,) until it becomes a d12 (where it stays). A player that rolls a natural one for an attack or save causes the dice to drop by one step, while an enemy that does the same causes it to rise one step. At any time they need an extra dice, a player can grab the dice and roll it. That player can only roll once per round. They add the rolled number to the following:

• attack rolls (added before the attack roll is made
• saves (added before the saving throw is made)
• damage (not multiplied for a crit)
• AC (lasts until the beginning of their next round)

Now, when a player uses the die, it drops back down to a d4. In addition, the die that they used is added to the Danger Pool. This pool can be used by the GM in the same way, only they have no limit on dice per round. Each die must be rolled for something different. The GM can't put them all on damage, or two on AC. Once a GM rolls the die (or dice), they are removed from the danger pool. In addition, when the GM's monsters roll a 20 for an attack or save roll, they can step up the lowest value die in the Danger Pool by one. If that die is a d12, the GM instead adds a d4 to the Danger Pool. If a player rolls a 20 for an attack or save, the GM loses their lowest die. The Danger Pool starts a story arc with one d4 and at the end of a story arc, the GM empties the Danger Pool.

Recovery: This house rule uses the Wounds and Vigor subsystem in Ultimate Combat, a system I really love. Though I'm sure you can adapt this for normal HP. This is for use in a low to no magic game, where there is little to no magical healing. Players gain an amount of Recoveries equal to half their Constitution Score (round down, minimum 1). This represents a five minute break. The player heals an amount of Vigor points equal to their hit die + (character level * Con modifier). If a character is multiclassed, they use the highest of the hit dice. These recoveries refresh completely after 8 hours of rest.

For healing Wounds, a player can use the Heal skill untrained to heal the victim. The DC is 15. The medic heals a number of wound points equal to the victim's Con Bonus (minimum 1). If the medic is trained in using the Heal Skill, they can heal the victim for more. The medic rolls the victim's highest hit die and adds the victim's Con bonus (minimum 1) to see how many wounds they heal. Both uses of the Heal skill use up a single use of the victim's recovery. This healing must be down within an hour of taking damage, or else the medic cannot heal Wounds in this manner. Think of it like the Golden Hour.

So, what do you think? Too overpowered, underpowered? Thanks for any feedback. I'd love to give these a proper playtest.

Here's a Google Docs link so you can see the updated version of them.

Climax Dice and Recovery

A bit of a wordy title for a bit of a complicated question. Some back story.

So, I'm looking at religions in my current setting, which does use the standard multiple deities and polytheism/henotheism. However, I am adding an alternative religion which derives a lot of inspiration from Gnosticism. It teaches that the gods everyone worships are merely simulacra of a greater omnipotent overdeity (think Monad or Pleroma), created by a Demiurge-type overdeity who is itself a flawed simulacrum of the overdeity. The universe, the godly realms, and their afterlives are all flawed mirror images of a true heaven with the overdeity. Priests can gain powers from the Monad overdeity, while a select few heretics could gain powers from the Demiurge figure. My questions are:

1. What classes would fit best with gaining powers from the Monadic overdeity and Demiurge figure? Oracles would seem like a natural fit, but what about Inquisitors or Clerics?

2. If I were to allow clerics and inquisitors, what would be good domains and inquisitions for both the Monadic overdeity and the Demiurge figure?

Those are the only questions I have, but I'm sure I'll think of more.

So in doing some world building, I'm trying to think of a good reason why the gods and goddesses of the setting wouldn't interfere with the universe. I'm looking for something else besides a pact of non-interference or an overdeity that prevents them from interfering. Some reason why an evil god doesn't destroy good worlds, or a good god doesn't smite evil themselves. Any suggestions?

So, this August, I will be moving to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, in the Victoria Park area off Sunrise Blvd/US 1. I was hoping to find some FLGS or gaming groups near by.

Thanks again!

As the title asks, is there a spell or magic item that allows one to see ethereal creatures?

So was pondering a bit through different Latin American folklore and I wanted to see what people felt about this.

Would you allow a character (player or NPC, doesn't matter) to cast Bestow Curse on a victim to curse them with Lycanthropy? Would you feel Major Curse would be better? Why or why not?

Personally, I'd allow it as a GM since it's a big part of different lycanthropy folklore. But I want to see what others feel about this from different viewpoints.

Thanks for any and all comments.

Will there be a PDF of this book? I'd like to order it, but I'd prefer an electronic copy to the hardcover.

So here is my first foray into archetype design. Been running a Renaissance-styled, psuedo-Caribbean game for a bit and decided to try my hand at a new archetype. I present the Tercio, a fighter that switch-hits between a musket and a polearm. So far, only things I'm worried about are Tercio's Tenacity being too strong and that the feat Quick Draw is too essential to this build. Might replace Tercio's Tenacity with something that synergizes better with a switch hitter build. Accepting all comments, concerns, and questions.

Tercio (Fighter Archetype)
The tercio is a master of warfare with a pike and musket, firing opening volleys at an enemy before charging in with his weapon.
Armor and Weapon Proficiencies: The tercio loses its heavy armor proficiency and gains a proficiency in all muskets.
Sleeve Trooper: At 1st level, the tercio gains the Amateur Gunslinger feat as bonus feat and begins the game with a battered musket identical to the one gained by the Gunslinger. This ability replaces the 1st level fighter bonus feat.
Bonus Feat: In addition to combat feats, a tercio can elect to take grit feats or a gunslinger deed of his level or lower.
Pike and Shot: Whenever the tercio hits an enemy with his musket, it gains a +1 damage bonus to all attacks made by reach weapons in the following round against that enemy. Multiple attacks with a musket do not add more damage. This bonus increases by +1 for every four levels beyond 2nd and replaces Bravery.
Armor Training: At 3rd level, a tercio can add his Dexterity bonus to his musket damage. In addition, as long as the tercio is wearing light, medium, or no armor, it gains use of the following deed.

Tercio's Tenacity: Whenever a tercio is hit by a ranged touch attack, he can spend one grit point to add half his fighter level (minimum one) to his touch AC. This must be used before the attack is rolled.

This ability replaces Armor Training 1,2,3, and 4.
Weapon Training: As the fighter class feature, but the bonuses only apply when wielding firearms and reach weapons. This ability replaces Weapon Training 1, 2, 3 and 4.

EDIT: Almost forgot, this is a Commonplace Guns setting. If that helps a bit.

For noticing an invisible creature [Core Rule Book page 563], it states that it is a DC 20 Perception check and that to pinpoint a creature, it is +20 to that. It also gives a table of modifiers for pinpointing, including one for if the creature is using Stealth. So my question is, how do I apply Stealth? Is it:

A) DC 20 + (20 for pinpointing) + (Stealth + 20)

or

B) Notice DC is replaced by the Stealth check, becoming DC (Stealth +20) + (20 for pinpointing)?

If any one could answer this for me, I'd greatly appreciate it.

Oh man, the moment I've been waiting for! Can't wait for the previews!

So my players are looking to turn a fort into their new settlement. It's considered a Fort improvement (Stability +2, Defense +4) and under the Ultimate Campaign rules, it counts as one Barracks (Defense +2) and one Stables (+1 Economy). So which stats would I use? The fort's or the two separate buildings? Or both?

So I'm looking for some suggestions of magic armor and arms for my melee bard in a Jade Regent game. I was trying to think of something beyond making my +1 chainshirt into a +2 chainshirt, so any cool suggestions that fit well with the bard would be good. I'm also looking for Wondrous Item suggestions, but not as much :)

Recent topic got me thinking. If you somehow lose your dexterity while already in combat via Dex damage (such as the cockatrice's Petrification), Dex decrease (such as Bestow curse), or Dex penalty (such as the thunderstone), does it drop your order in the initiative?

Had a question about the Kickstarter rewards and the Emerald Spire dungeon. Do you get the Emerald Spire PDF if you put in $15 or more, or is it specifically for people at the $15 level? I had pledged $35 for the game invite and the PDF but now I'm not entirely sure if I get the Emerald Spire PDF. Thanks for any responses.

With the last couple months, I've been building a setting based on the New World, specifically the Caribbean and its natives. With it, I've been getting more and more into wanting to learn more about Arcadia and to even contribute more to it. I've started making a list of books on Google Drive I've either used or heard are good. As we find more, I can add it to the document. In addition, we can brainstorm on ideas for Arcadia and what it's culture and people would be like as well as what creatures from folklore we could use.

Personally, my expertise is on the peoples of the Caribbean. I've been doing research on the Taino for the last ten years, starting since I was in high school and going well through my college years. I have a small amount of books and eventually plan on visiting the Cemi Museum in Puerto Rico.

This is the list of ideas for Arcadia and bibliography of books on the Pre-Columbian Americas. I plan on keeping it updated as we post more books and ideas.

Let's get it started then!

So I've been wondering. Reading the section about cold weather (0F to 40F), it states that an unprotected character has to make the checks. But unlike the next paragraph, it doesn't mention what check a character with cold weather gear has to make. Does that mean they don't have to make a check until things get below 0F, or do they still make the Fort Saves for normal cold weather? Thanks.

With the arrival of the Animal Archive, I've been tumbling the idea of using Leadership to gain an animal companion/familiar. What would you all feel would be a balanced way to do it? For example, should the effective druid/wizard level be Character Level -3, or should it be equal to the actual Character Level? What about feats like Boon Companion or Improved Familiar?

As the title suggests, what if you used 2d10 instead of 1d20? How would it affect the outcome of rolls and such? Here is a chart that shows the statistical difference between the two. In the parenthesis are (average/Standard deviation).

...what happens to the victim? Since they are less than 5 hit die, you cant apply the Vampire template.

I remember seeing something about taking a full round action to use an aoe touch attack (like Prof From Evil Communal) to touch people around you. What page is this? Thanks.

So when your character is blinded, whether it's from pitch blackness or the blindness spell, how do adjudicate targeting for ranged attacks? Do they target the opponent and get the concealment, or do they have to pinpoint the target?

So I have been wondering what the CR of the following encounters would be. Couldn't find any examples in the books I had so I hope to hear if from you guys.

1) What's the CR of an animal companion when it is separated from it's master?

2) Same as 1, but an eiodolon that is separated from it's summoner. The Unfettered Eidolon seems to be more limited than a normal one so I wonder what the normal one would be.

3) A possessed PC. Like, a 5th level fighter possessed by a 6th level ghost sorcerer. Or possessed by a shadow demon.

4) An awakened animal with class levels.

Thanks for any help.

So I reading about some games coming out that wanted to use a more reactive dice rolling system for defense. Instead of the attacker rolling to hit, it'd be the defender rolling to dodge. If you applied this to Pathfinder, giving a 10 + Attack modifiers to the NPCs/Monsters and having the player roll a d20 and add their armor modifiers, how would that change up combat for the players? And how would it change it up for the DM?

So I am currently running an adventure in a city and I'd like to keep it in there. I'm looking for ideas on city adventures as wilderness and dungeon crawls are more my forte. I do have Curse of the Crimson Throne and Council of Thieves for ideas, but I could use more. If it helps:

One player enjoys using magic for non-combat ways. He is playing a bard currently so that would leave him open for a lot of diplomacy and sneaking around. He also can disguise really well.

One player makes fairly simple characters but he gets really into roleplaying quickly.

Two players enjoy somewhat off-the-wall character (one is a dwarf in the Dwarf Fortress sense and the other is a stonelord dwarf :p).

And one is only really interested in the hack n slash aspect. Grab loots, get better.

Thanks for any help.

So this came up in a game recently and it did get us thinking a bit. I had blinded an entire room of vikings with Pyrotechnics. When we got into the thick of the fight, we weren't sure how to deal with melee attacks when the attack is blind and probably doesn't know where you are. I couldn't find much about it in the core rules so I now come here. How does a blind attacker target an enemy?

So I am making a pretty big bad guy for my campaign. I'm looking to make him a fetchling caster that is focused heavily on shadows. He is a worshiper of my homebrew's demon lord of the night, shadows, and secrets Achyls and I would like him to be a conjurer of shadows (the creature) and shadow magic. I'm unsure what class would be the best for this, cleric or wizard? What would you all suggest?

Hello all. My Kingmaker players have entered the territory of another nation that I have based heavily on some early Slavic kingdoms. I've been scouring the three bestiaries in search for any and all monsters that are based on creatures from Slavic mythology. So far I have found:

Rusalka
Vodyanoy
Gorynych
Leshy

Sadly I don't have much time until the game tomorrow so I am hoping people can help me find some other appropriately themed monsters. Thanks.

I've been reading the vehicle rules in the Ultimate Combat book. It says that you can reach a top speed on muscle pulled vehicles (such as chariots or sleds) of twice the creature's speed. When moving as such speeds, however, does it count as hustling since you are going twice your speed? This is important for a overland movement theme I'm trying to do. Thanks.

So the GM for our Jade Regent game has a wife that will be going into labor this month and we have decided that while he is busy, one of the players would run Skull & Shackles. Now, chances are we are probably going to be a cutthroat group. I'd love to play a drunken master monk in this kind of game. However, I'm finding it difficult to combine being lawful with piracy, especially since we may lean a bit more on the Blackbeard side of piracy instead of the more swashbucklery tone. What do you quys think? Any suggestions? Thanks.

I'm currently playing around with a monk idea with the Master of Many Style and I planned on using Tiger Style along with Boar Style. However, I have a couple of questions with how the two interact, and in addition, some base questions about Tiger Style.

1. Boar Style states that when you hit with two unarmed strikes, you do the 'bleed' damage. Now with Tiger Claws, you take a full round action to make one unarmed strike, however, you hit with both strikes and do damage. Would this activate the 'bleed' damage you would get from Boar Style?

2. Tiger Claws state that if I use Power Attack with the full round action, I can add half of my strength bonus to one of the hits. Does that mean that normally, I don't add my strength to either hit. Or, does this mean that I add my strength to both damage rolls in addition to the half strength bonus on one roll?

3. Can you do Stunning Fist with Tiger Claws?

Thank you for any and all help.

So, I have finally gotten into a Jade Regent game that meets on Fridays. I am playing a bard that is a bit of a melee skirmisher. I read a bit of Treantmonk's guide then went my own way with it. Here is the level one build, not really including skills for the moment:

I designed him to be a skirmisher to help out the party's damage dealer. I surprisingly enough have the highest AC in the party, although we have a gnome syntheticist with a great deal of hit points. We also have a witch and a monk (martial artist) in the group. It's fairly rounded so far so I'm curious as to ideas for where to take my bard build come time for the third level feat and so on.

So I am trying to advance a raven and figure out its CR. It is an awakened raven and I want to increase its HD until it has 5 HD. However, looking at the tables for advancing monsters, they don't go below 1/2. So, how would I figure out the CR of a raven that now has 5 HD? Thank you.