Monkeygod: Dot the gameplay thread sir! And have you finished updating your character?
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Again, I apologize for falling asleep in my chair last night before I could post gameplay and discussion! Thank you all for bearing with me through the last few days. Now, on to the questions that I read in recruitment! My girlfriend's character is a caster/alchemist, so she will cover one of the missing roles. Lythirra and Penance: You may link to each other and bounce healing around, yes.
I apologize for falling asleep this morning before I could post gameplay and discussion! Thank the holy D20, however, my sleep schedule is finally fixed! I will answer your questions in discussion.
This thread is obviously where people discuss things out of character!
Okay everyone, I'm back! Now on to selections. I bumped the number of applicants to seven which is, oddly enough, what the AP intended on both sides (The Seven Siblings of the Lost House and the Seven Dwarves showcased this early on). Two slotted players Yvhul'ku the Mind Flayer Lythirra, Apostle of Joy Penance Jevar T'soryn Nhilune Rilyn'rahel I am aware that this puts the group at containing THREE sneaky types, but stealth is important in the Azathyr and each one is unique in how they go about their work. There were so many good applications that it was truly hard to choose even such a relatively large group. I commend everyone on their characters, as they were all excellent. Those who were selected, dot the gameplay thread and confirm that you are completely finished ironing out your character. One everyone has checked in, the campaign will begin.
Okay, I will give Tark and Javell until 8:00 PM EST tomorrow to post characters. After that, I will make my selections.
Recruitment ends in roughly 12 hours! I assume everyone is finished with their concepts?
Yvhul'ku the Mind Flayer: They only gain STR to damage, not STR x1.5. I think that was just because, you know, Cthulhu is who he is. Nhilune Rilyn'rahel: True enough, but given that the Mind Flayer's as a race have bonkers mental scores, I think this should keep down on the 'stunlock everything' type shenanigans.
Monkeygod: It's a capstone, so it's meant to be powerful. I do see your point about the length. Editing that now. EDIT: Nuked Thought Incarnate: 1. Made the rounds per day much less. 2. Added the stipulation that extra effects on Psionic powers do not have reduced cost. 3. Changed immunity to effects that require Will saves to a +4 bonus and the ability to not fail mental tasks on a natural 1.
So, thoughts on that awesome Mind Flayer race/class? I created it in 2 hours, playtested it, and did minor tweaks for. It is roughly the equivalent, by itself with no optimizing, of a semi-optimized character, which is kind of how Mind Flayers work.
Okay, so here is the long-promised Mind Flayer racial class! Mind Flayer Racial Class:
Racial Stuff
-------------------------------------------------------------------- Size: Medium Type: Aberration Racial Modifiers to Ability Scores: -2 STR, -4 CON, +4 INT, +2 WIS, +2 CHA Base Speed: 30 ft. Darkvision 60 ft. Natural Weapons: 4 Tentacles (1d4) Improved Grapple (Ex): To use this ability, a mind flayer must hit a Small, Medium, or Large creature with its tentacle attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. If it wins the grapple check, it establishes a hold and attaches the tentacle to the opponent's head. A mind flayer can grab a Huge or larger creature, but only if it can somehow reach the foe's head. If a mind flayer begins its turn with at least one tentacle attached, it can try to attach its remaining tentacle with a single grapple check. The opponent can escape with a single successful grapple check or Escape Artist check, but the mind flayer gets a +2 circumstance bonus for every tentacles that was attached at the beginning of the opponent's turn. Mind Blast (Psi): This pseudo-psionic attack is a cone 60 feet long. Anyone caught in this cone must succeed on a DC (14 + Charisma modifier) Will save or be treated as Staggered for 1 round. The Illithid may use the ability every 1d4+1 rounds. Extract (Ex): If the Mind Flayer has all four tentacles attached to an opponent, it may attempt to extract the opponent's brain. This process takes 5 rounds, each round dealing 1 point of acid damage. On the fifth round, the foe's brain is extracted and it dies. Only creatures of small, medium, or large size with brains that would be negatively impacted by the loss of a brain are affected by this ability. Those slain by this power are not treated as intact for the purposes of Raise Dead. Automatic Languages: Undercommon (Racial Language), Aklo, Common ==================================================================== Fluffy Stuff
Average Height: 5'9"-6'3" Average Weight: 110-160 lbs. More information on Mind Flayers can be found here. ==================================================================== Class Stuff
BAB: Medium progression Saves: Bad FORT and REF, good Will Skill points equal to 4 + Int modifier (minimum 1) per Hit Die. The following are class skills for aberrations: Acrobatics, Climb, Escape Artist, Fly, Intimidate, Knowledge, Perception, Spellcraft, Stealth, Survival, and Swim. Weapon Proficiency: Proficient with its natural weapons (Tentacles) and with all simple weapons. Psionics: At 2nd level and every other level afterwards, the Illithid gains a level of manifesting ability, though nothing else, from a psionic class of their choice. This does not stack with existing levels in a psionic class, if any. 1st Level: Psionic Levitate (At will), Telepathy (100 ft.) 2nd: Psionics level 3rd Level: Alien Mind (Ex): The Illithid mind is cold and alien, working in ways that are unnatural. The Illithid gains +2 to all Will Saves and may make checks each round it is under the influence of a Mind-Affecting effect to break free, even if the duration is permanent. This does not apply if the effect was created by an Elder Brain. 4th Level: Psionics Level 5th Level: Powerful Mind (Ex): +2 to any mental ability score. 6th Level: Psionics Level 7th Level: Mind Blast (Psi): The Illithid's Mind Blast is upgraded, treating all creatures failing their save as Dazed for 1d4 rounds. 8th Level: Psionics Level 9th Level: Extract (Ex): The Illithid's Extract is upgraded, taking only 3 consecutive rounds to extract a foes brain. In addition, each round of the extraction deals 1d4+CON in acid damage to the foe. 10th Level: Psionics Level 11th Level: Towering Mind (Ex): +2 to all mental ability scores. In addition, the Illithid may use Suggestion a number of times per day equal to their INT modifier. 12th Level: Psionics Level 13th: Detect Thoughts (Psi): Treat as the spell, though the effect is psionic in nature and thus is unaffected by effects that interfere with magic. This ability does not work on other Aberrations, as their minds are too complex to delve into. 14th Level: Psionics Level 15th: Mind Blast (Psi): The Illithid's Mind Blast functions at full power, Stunning all creatures failing their saves for 2d4 rounds. 16th Level: Psionics Level 17th: Perfected Mind (Ex): +4 to one mental ability score. In addition, the Illithid may use Charm Person a number of times per day equal to their INT modifier. 18th:Psionics Level 19th: Extract (Ex): The Illithid's ability to extract brains is at it's pinnacle, taking only two rounds to extract and dealing 1d12+CON points of acid damage each round that it is extracting.
20th: Psionics Level, Thought Incarnate: The Illithid's powerful mind may shed itself of the flesh for a number of rounds per day equal to 10+the manifesting stat of the manifesting levels chosen at first. While in such a state, it and all of it's equipment is treated as incorporeal. In addition, it may manifest Telekinesis at will. The Illithid gains a +4 bonus to all Will saves and does not automatically fail when using mental abilities on a natural roll of 1 in this state and it's Manifester Level is increased by +4 while in Thought Uncarnate form. Ilcythia Vyrakin: Sure, why not go after that Feat? LAB Rat: You may reflavor that Trait. Also, these Illithids are basically the same as D&D's, so you are correct in your racial assumptions.
Ashe: Yes, I saw your application. It's quite solid. I usually refrain from commenting on individual characters unless a direct question is asked, unless there is an amusing anecdote or something to be said. JoshB: I don't think that's a problem, primarily because the guy GM'ing it said that natural variance between characters could just be explained as the innate variance among even angels of the same choir. I just want to see what kind of craziness happens with the PCs! I myself am planning on either making a former angel of purity who fell when his zeal to redeem the wicked became a sort of mad drive to burn the sin from all creation or an angel of death who fell in love with a wicked human sorceress and taught her the forbidden secrets of life and death, falling after his involvement was discovered in the aftermath of her failed conquest of the known world.
Bigrig107: Sorry to hear you withdraw! Good luck in your campaigns though! Kelmourn Dravir: One of the slotted PCs is using an Alchemist as part of her gestalt, plus Lythirra is a partly a Vitalist. Neither are affected by Spell Resistance. Now time to work on an interest check that is completely, thoroughly batsh*t crazy for a buddy of mine, to gauge preliminary interest before he joins the boards. It's a TRISTALT Pathfinder campaign where the PCs play as fallen celestials in the Nine Hells in a Kingmaker-esque freeform storyline. The PCs will be able to build their form like an Eidolon and will have a pool of Fiendish Power, which they can then spend on fiendish abilities drawn from a plethora of books (Body Flames, Infernal Contract, or Hellstorm, anyone?).
Nilonim Overseer: I have no issues with you re-flavoring Purple Duck Games's Medium class as being psychic as opposed to arcane. It makes much more sense in the context of the game given that you are focused on spectral undead rather than outsiders. Seth86: You may add poison to your character's bite. Simply use the ARG rules for it. Lythirra, Apostle of Joy: I allow the retraining of Feats as several classes gain things that make earlier choices redundant, even if they were the best option to take at the time. Also, despite the fact that I often choose to refrain from commenting on character concepts and backstories unless asked, I feel your backstory reflects the eventual descent that many Kuthites go through. They have some tiny flaw that the darkness exacerbates, then they go through a terrible loss and the only way they can cope is trying to fill the emptiness in their heart with suffering. Eventually, they bury their own inner suffering deep enough where they are not cognizant of it, even if their mind tries to remind them of it. I think you got that vibe! Vhaelkyn the Whisperer: You may make the changes to the feat that effects Devastating Touch. You may also re-flavor Weapon of Peace. TarkXT: That sucks! If you get it fixed before recruitment closes, I will give you a little extra time to finish. I will not penalize you for Force Majeure type events. Kelmourn Dravir: I always hand waive restrictions on selecting Exotic Weapon Proficiency, as it makes little sense. You may select it at first level.
Adahn_Cielo: 1. I will continue the campaign by using a combination of heavily altered portions of modules from my collection of 100+ Dungeon magazines combined with some of the cool stuff from the homebrew threads AND some of my own homebrew, the latter of which may make it into the game anyway, as I have already changed 3 boring, at least compared to the other, hex encounters with much more flavorful ones. 2.My GMing style is quite unique or so I have been told. I am not a rules lawyer for one and tend to bend rules in ways that make more sense and provide the greatest possible freedom for myself and PCs to use our characters. An example is, for example, if a character has fallen off a cliff and is within sword reach of the cliff wall, I will allow them to try to stab into the wall with a non-reach weapon that could conceivably do so, potentially saving them from a messy death if they both make the attack roll against the cliff AND pass a strength check to hold on to their weapon. Another example is that the if the PCs come across a small flooded corridor but do not want to swim, the party caster can burn fire spells, they can slowly drain portions of the water by boiling it into steam, which has the added benefit of scalding any creature in the water or the air directly above it. If a PC or NPC could conceivably do an action and it makes sense given their abilities and such, but is not supported by explicit rules, I will probably rule that that it works. I am a tough but fair GM who throws meaningful encounters at you but not any more than you can handle, at least not without some forewarning or means to escape. I also roleplay creatures and NPCs in and out of combat based on what their stats and personalities would suggest. I am not going to run an 8 INT as a master tactician, nor am I going to run a 30 INT Lich as a simpleton without fallback plans. I believe in the balance of roleplay and roll-play, although I tend to favor a good story over a good combat, especially since that is what PBP facilitates. I will handle secret rolls in secret, with those selected rolling 'reserve' secret saves, each of which will be listed under campaign information so they can be struck from the list as they are used by me when determining passive uses of Perception, Sense Motive, ect.
I have a great deal of knowledge regarding Pathfinder, excepting the newest FAQ nukes, which I am disregarding. I am not one of the GMs that get butthurt by 3PP material, but I am limiting it, and yes that pretty big list of allowed material IS my version of limiting, in this campaign so that people aren't paralyzed by indecision regarding their class selections. Does that adequately answer my GMing style? Monkeygod: Of course! Lythirra, Apostle of Joy: Yes, we can work on that. Pain Taster is SLIGHTLY underpowered for a prestige class, in my opinion, so just PM me your altered version and I can help you make it playable. Duderlybob: Were they not posted somewhere? Haruhiko88: That would work. You may select the Drow FCB for Alchemist. As for how Multitalented works, it counts any two classes as FCBs, even if they are on opposite sides of the gestalt. That means double FCBs, basically.
The Pale King: I believe they have an appropriately-sized one somewhere on the SRD, because I think I saw one. Monkeygod: Skill Unlocks and Stamina rules are allowed, but the poison/disease rules only work with certain poisons and diseases in the game, due to how deadly the new rules can be and the fact that there are LOTS of poisonous creatures underground. Don't want a TPK because of 3-4 spiders, now do we? Also, just as an interesting little tidbit, I convinced someone to open a tristalt game! Text me in a bit, because I want to discuss things with you on which campaign that he's offering that we want to play. LAB Rat: 1. No, they are allies, at least as far as two scheming, manipulative races can be allies. 2: -2 STR, -4 CON, +4 INT, +2 WIS, +2 CHA. 3. The Savage Species class in 3.X spliced with the Psychic class from Paizo, since the 'flayers had what was basically arcane psionics, which is what the Occult Adventures playtest sort of has. HighonHolyWater: Since Orcs and Kobolds got the short end of the ARG stick, I will allow the Cave Creature template. 8 RP is just pure nonsense for a creature as powerful and universally feared and loathed as the Orc. Just as a notation, there are a few clans of Albino Orcs in the campaign. They already have a template that is very similar. Perhaps you are one of them? To give you an idea on their vibe, they are sort of similar to the Blackrock Orcs from World of Warcraft, at least in personality.
Seth86: Use the ARG Drider and have it take up one level of the gestalt. TarkXT: Understood. I await his posting! Philo Pharynx: Drow on Golarion mostly worship evil deities. Most people assume they only worship demons, but this is not the case. There are instances in Golarion canon where they worship other deities. In fact, in the Black Desert, there is a whole house of Drow that worship Urgathoa! I know my Golarion lore. :P Bane88: Just checking for confirmation, but you mean DSP's Dread psionic class focused on fear, right? I ask because someone, I think, made a Sorceror/Rogue hybrid class called Dread as well. Nhilune: Just submit both versions and I will discuss it with Monkeygod. Or, for that matter, PM him and discuss it directly! Rorek55: The 'male Drow scheming to take power' trope is definitely something that I have no problem with. It can indeed work, assuming that you are savvy with your alliances and your conquests. Wondering_Monster: They are not proficient with the Elven Curve Blade. You do, however, have those bonus Feats at first level, which were intended to help flesh out PCs at first level. The Pale King: Of course riding geckos are fun! Who doesn't want to ride along the ceiling of a cave on a giant albino gecko? Did I miss any questions?
Apparently the forums are really good at eating posts, as my replies are not here. Here are my replies to your queries, round two! DRIDERS AND AZATHYRIAN MYCELOIDS ARE ALSO OPTIONS FOR PLAYER RACES! Seth86: I will post the link to the document in roughly 16 hours. I have a few things to do in the meantime and it's a LOT to post! I will state that it is a 10-level class whose capstone is the lethal Extract Brain power. You have it in a lesser form at the beginning, requiring 1d6+4 consecutive rounds attached before you can extract, each round dealing a small portion of acid damage. It is well-balanced, considering that your BAB is utterly abysmal and that you need to have ALL FOUR tentacles attached for each of those rounds before you can suck out their brain. Driders would indeed be options. I forgot to mention those, unfortunately. JJ Jordan- Fungal Jungle is rather catchy! To answer your question though, these are Golarion Drow, so the males are still below the females. In all fairness though, they have MUCH more power than the lowly scrubs from the various D&D worlds. In Golarion, male Drow are seen as weaker and less capable than the females and can never occupy the highest echelons of power, at least that's how it has been for millenia. The Emerald Duke: Half-Drow are allowed. I noted them in the Races section on the first post, but that post had a lot of text, so you probably missed it. I had to reread it several times and add information that I missed before I posted it. Cuan: That background is fine to me! It also makes sense, because he would have a reason to cling to the outcasts. After all, their superiors discarded him after he gave them what they wanted and who wants a sacrifice like the one he made to be for nothing? Mimesyne: You mean the Chakra feats from Occult Adventures or some other ones? The Pale King: Mounts available for Cavaliers include giant spiders, riding geckos, dire bats, and other, similar creatures. Any of those I specifically listed interest you? Aqua-Thor: Given how that is thematically similar to Pact Magic and I have the PDF, it is allowed. I am hesitant about allowing the expanded material from the supplements, however, since I do not own those. TarkXT: Is your gestalt character one of the approved races or can it be retooled as one? Wondering_Monster: All Path of War material is allowed. Playtest material for Path of War is also allowed, though you will need to make any requisite changes once the final files come out. Gilvesh- My preferred medium for character profiles is an alias, as it makes it a bit easier for me to connect your character with their name and such. Something about seeing the name and picture, then clicking on them and bringing up all their information just helps make it easier, you know? HighonHolyWater: To the tune of "ORC MAN SAY IT CLOBBERING TIME!!!" scary/strong/stupid? Thunderbeard: I hope the posting rate is 2-3 posts per day, but I will settle for 1-2. There is a lot of exploration that can be covered but, as with all Kingmaker type APs, it is all up to the PCs. I will say that it is wise to explore each hex fully, as there are a LOT of things to find, some of which aids the PCs, some of which aids their burgeoning kingdom, and some which are completely useless but still interesting to find. I am going to handle the actual kingdom building discussions and roleplay on another thread though, so things can be separated a bit easier for future reference and such. Rorek55: Not most, but definitely more than is usual for a campaign.
Hello everyone! I'm here on the messageboards to run a Throne of Night campaign for two friends and three or four other people, to be selected in around seven days after this post is placed on the messageboards. One of the two slotted characters is an established poster on these messageboards who can vouch for the quality campaigns that I run. I'm sure that many of you know the one known as MonkeyGod, right? That's him! Now, what is the campaign setting about, you may ask? It's a lot to explain, so I will just paraphrase the setting and put some fluffy stuff, torn straight from another Throne of Night campaign recruitment I found on the boards. Throne of Night is a Kingmaker-style campaign set in the Azathyr, a vast region in the Darklands under the surface of Golarion. In this campaign, you will play as a Drow or one of their select servitor races or allies. You begin as the lowly scrubs of a cruel Drow Baroness who are commanded to seize the Svirfneblin town of Fasturvalt by any means necessary for your lady. But power is a fickle thing in the Azathyr and even the mightiest can fall to plots, poison daggers to the back, or the edge of a sword. Only through a combination of subjugation, conquest, and strange alliances can you rule this realm of eternal night. Do you have what it takes? Or will you just be another corpse for the scavengers to feast on? The Azathyr and Vothys:
The drow call this entire region of the underworld the Azathyr (pronounced ah-zah-theer rhymes with fear). It means web, so named for its many labyrinthine passages. The Azathyr is vast. These upper reaches are only a small part of that dominion. And yet they are critical enough to warrant watching. Thus was a small outpost on the very edge of drow influence built here many years ago.
This outpost is Vothys. Vothys (pronounced VAH-this) is a minor outpost of the drow city-state of Taaryssia (pro. TAH-rissia). It controls access to the lower regions. It secures the entire area including the vast Fungal Jungle. It ensures that neither the deep gnomes nor anyone else can infiltrate the drow holdings beyond. And yet absolutely no drow wants to be here. The most remote and forgotten installation of the drow empire, to be stationed at Vothys is to be banished here. Vothys resembles a tall tower carved of black stone with numerous barbed protrusions, a spiked and crenelated spire like some dark crown, and an adjoining tower about half the size of the actual spire, both structures featuring demonic statuary interspersed throughout the architecture and are lined by a well-defended wall with a single gate allowing entry. Surrounding the ground around the main spire is the Garden of Barbs, a stonecrafted area of stalagmites and barbs of sharp stone created by Drow lithomancers back in the days when Vothys was a semi-prestigious location for the nobles. The stalagmites are carved with images of the Drow's enemies being impaled, various runes sacred to dark entities across the planes, and other, more depraved imagery. Apart from the obvious living and dining quarters of the outpost, there is also a slave camp of Kobolds beneath Vothys, Leopard kennels, numerous alchemical laboratories, the usual torture chambers, and the 'throne room' of the Baroness. Stuff You Should Know About the Azathyr:
1. Travel is slow. Each hex represents a vast amount of space. A hex is eight miles across or approximately 55 square miles. Caverns, with their shifting elevations, winding indirect passages and ease of getting lost always count as difficult terrain for overland travel unless everyone in a party has a climb speed and is native to the underworld.
Small parties of unarmored Drow could manage one and a half hexes, but even one armored individual with them slows them down to again one a day. And larger bands have little hope of traveling more than one hex a day. Every hex you traverse takes a full day of travel. The passages of the underworld are not level, and while some are more difficult than others, this simplification better approximates average travel times. Even in the comparative wide open spaces of the Fungal Jungle, this rule still holds. The floor of that vast cavern is anything but flat and the giant mushrooms that grow everywhere can be slow to circumnavigate. Three types of passages are shown on the hex map, which shall be included in the Campaign Information tab once the campaign starts in earnest. These are: -Major Passages (double line): These wide passages are consistently twenty feet across or even wider. Huge creatures can pass without issue. -Secondary Passages (single line): The passages are ten feet across. Large creatures can pass without issue. -Minor Passages (dotted line): These passages are traversable by medium sized creatures but often only just. Often not level, travel times are doubled. Large creatures and wagon caravans cannot take them. 2. This is a world without the sun. Darkness is the norm in the Azathyr and everything down here has adapted to that fact. Anyone without darkvision (or similar non-light based senses) is at a serious disadvantage. Using fire or magical light attracts every sort of predator and signals to intelligent opposition that you are outsiders. Most enemies will use magic to counter magical light and try to extinguish torches and lanterns, realizing that such blindness creates serious problems for their enemies. 3. Water is not a problem. The Azathyr is located beneath a great forest and water filters down through the cave almost everywhere. Many cave walls are wet. Water drips and small pools are the norm. This water is largely fresh and fine to drink. In short, water is not a problem unless specifically noted. 4. Food is a problem. Every living thing in the Azathyr struggles to find enough food. Starvation is a constant threat and even in the sprawling fungal jungle, food is not easy to acquire. Many of the mushroom that grow there are either not very nutritious or genuinely poisonous. Randomly eating mushrooms is surely asking to die. That said the staple diet of the underworld is the mushroom. About a hundred different varieties of mushrooms are commonly eaten in the Azathyr from the common button to fire-caps to yellow frills and brown-heads. These mushrooms are consumed by almost every inhabitant of this region and provide a solid base for their diet. These mushrooms consume everything that dies underground. In the case of the Fungal Jungle that great cavern was once a sprawling bat cave before it got sealed up by seismic activity millennia ago. The mushrooms thrive on ancient guano hills that are in places hundreds of feet deep. Further, the giant mushrooms of the fungal jungle (and the Deep Gnomes’ mushroom fields) produce spores in such vast quality that they can be collected and milled into a sort of flour that can be baked into spongy grey bread known in Undercommon as Veska or mushcakes in the common tongue. Mushcake is hardy and nutritious but has an earthy flavor that is definitely an acquired tasted for surface dwellers. There are even species of mushrooms that can be brewed into sweet wort. That wort can be fermented into beer. These “black beers” are very alcoholic and dark in coloration. Their flavor closely resembles an oatmeal stout - malty, sweet and perhaps slightly bitter. They have a unique musky aroma that those born on the surface sometimes find off-putting. But the Azathyrians themselves relish these black brews and every race proudly brews their own variation. Black beer can be further distilled into a hard liquor. These home-made “shines” are made a thousand different ways. However, if you triple distill the beer, you end up with night whisky. This powerful stuff is black as ink and, if well-made, smooth as silk. The finest night whisky comes from the drow city of Taaryssia. The drow sometimes lace their whiskey with powerful hallucinogenic extracts. But as nourishing as mushrooms are, most species of the Azathyr also need animal protein. The Deep Gnomes raise eyeless cave fish in their stock lake. Here is the secret to eating them – they must be eaten raw and whole. By eating them this way, the valuable vitamin C in their organs is not destroyed by cooking. Of course, the Svirfneblin do not understand why this works. They simply relish a small cave fish quickly scaled, soaked overnight in a peppery-salty sweet candycap vinegar brine and eaten whole the next day. Needless to say, surface dwellers often consider this ‘delicacy’ revolting. The fungal jungle also supports lizards, salamanders, cave crickets and pteranodons all of which may be eaten. But most prized of all, and very rare, are the cave auroch. It was likely the duergar who originally bred this species of miniature cattle for the depths. Whatever the source, these cattle are often treated as more valuable than gold. They graze on mushrooms and produce meat, leather, milk and beef tallow just to name a few. Wild herds are very rare, but a large free herd does yet supposedly wander the fungal jungle. This valuable resource, if true, as yet remains unclaimed. Food imported from the surface is eagerly sought and ludicrously expensive when you can get it at all. Honey, wine and dried fruits and meats are particularly valued and fetch at least five times their surface cost. 5. Everything is unfamiliar to you as a player. The Azathyr will be a constant source of weirdness and wonders for you as a player. This is an incredibly isolated ecology. Virtually every animal and fungus found here is found nowhere else, to say nothing of the alien locales. 6. There is no weather. The Azathyr is a fairly constant 60 F/16 C. Certain areas are warmed due to geothermal activity and those will be noted. But for most areas there is nothing equivalent to surface weather. It is always dark, damp and cool. Most dwellers here like it this way. The Fungal Jungle by the way does have weather of a sort, but that will be discussed when it becomes necessary. 7. Wood is scarce. Another surface commodity that the PCs may take for granted is wood. Wood is a precious and rare commodity that must be imported from above. Wood items are rarely available for sale at all, but when they are they usually fetch ten times their list.
8. Metal and stone are not scarce The Azathyr is blessed with rich deposits of iron and marble. Items surface dweller would never dream making out of such materials commonly are in the underworld. For example on the surface, hammers always have wooden hafts. In the Azathyr, hammers are often entirely metal perhaps wrapped with leather to avoid conducting heat. Another example – every Deep Gnome peasant in Fasturvalt lives in a house made of carved marble. This is not because of the beauty and opulence of the stone (though it is lovely). Instead, this is because marble is easily acquired from the nearby quarry and the Svirfneblin are masters at working it. 9. The Azathyr is a wild and lawless place. There is no central government in the Azathyr. No great empire unites the disparate peoples of this region. When you leave a town or city, you are on your own. Even the so-called Gnome King’s Highway that connects to great Svirfneblin cities outside of the Azathyr is not routinely patrolled. This anarchy has two effects upon almost anyone the PCs meet for the first time. First, strangers are always regarded with suspicion and caution. Weapons are kept at hand and a fight is expected. Second, people who don’t want a fight are often very polite and formal in their speech. They know that a single slight could start a deadly battle and so they seek to head off such confrontations by being pleasant. The closest thing that there is to a central power is the drow vault of Taaryssia. It is very distant from where the PCs begin the campaign and the Drow are disinterested rulers. Almost all of the Azathyr is a wilderness. Perhaps it will be the PCs who will change that and bring law to this sunless borderland? Only time will tell. Still interested? Read the character guidelines then and let's see if you have what it takes to survive in the Azathyr! Character Creation Level: Gestalt 1 Ability Scores: Focus and Foible alternate system. Set one score to 18, before modifiers, one score to 08, also before modifiers. Then, after that, set all of your remaining stats to 10 and raise them as you desire with a 18 points to distribute on a one-for-one scale (i.e., it takes 8 points to cap out an attribute). Optional Alternate Racial Modifiers for Drow:
These are optional, but you may substitute the traditional Drow ability score modifiers with one of these select sets.
1. Cruel Slaver: You are enslaver of the helpless and slayer of any who oppose your clan and cause. However, as mighty as you are, you are also reckless and overly quick to anger. Benefit: +2 Constitution, +2 Strength, -2 Wisdom 2. Devotee of Dark Powers You are a follower of a wicked or even demonic faith and are destined to lead a cult to great and terrible glory. Benefit: +2 Charisma +2 Wisdom, -2 Constitution 3. Master of Arcane Secrets You would use your great intelligence and experience to lead yourself and your clan to dominate all others. Benefit: +2 Intelligence, +2 Charisma -2 Constitution 4. Silent Killer You are a born assassin, ready to slay for family, your cult or perhaps even for the sheer pleasure of the kill. Benefit: +2 Dexterity, +2 Strength, -2 Charisma 5. Treacherous Infiltrator There is no lie you cannot sell, no lock you cannot pick and no enemy you will not strangle in their sleep. But in a straight fight, you are out of your element. Benefit: +2 Dexterity, +2 Charisma, -2 Strength 6. Drow Exemplar You believe in pushing yourself to the limits, becoming the best that you can be without giving up anything in return. Benefit: +2 to any score Race: Drow are the obvious choice for this AP, along with any offshoots like Half-Drow or Tieflings. However, Drow allies and servitor races, such as Derro, Deurgar, Kobolds, Orcs, and even Mind Flayers, who of course necessitate a racial class as part of their gestalt so that they can gain all of their powers, are all options. Class: Any Paizo class, even the Ultimate Intrigue, Occult Adventures, and Pathfinder Unchained classes being allowed, the sole exception of which is the Gunslinger. As for third-party materials, I am allowing Dreamscarred Press's Psionics and Path of War material, as well as Radiance House's Pact Magic, Kobold Press's classes, and the Warlock alternate Oracle class from Into the Breach: The Oracle supplement. *Antipaladin note: Antipaladins are not restricted to Chaotic Evil and, indeed, may be of any alignment. As with the Paladin in normal campaigns, you must work with me to help create a code of conduct for yourself, though I imagine that it will be very flexible. That's one of the perks of being evil... none of your dark masters are likely to hold you to high standards in an array of fields, just a few specific ones. *Pet note: Classes that grant 'pets', such as Animal Companions and Familiars, will have an alternate list to choose from. Traits: Two regular Traits, a Campaign Trait, and you have the option of a fourth available Trait if you take a Drawback to counterbalance it. Skills: You gain two additional Skill Points at first level and every level thereafter. Whatever Skill these points are put into at first level become class skills. Feats: You gain THREE Bonus Feats at first level. The Azathyr demands versatility and these will help you reflect this. I am, however, banning Leadership, due to the fact that kingdom building is already implemented in the AP and Leadership really just feels like a power grab. Hit Points: Maximum, because who really wants to roll their hitpoints? Starting Gold: 750 GP. Crafting: You may take crafting feats, including Craft Construct, but must handle the actual crafting between adventures. |