Right now, the OPF has two "members": Paizo's organized play programs (Pathfinder Society, Starfinder Society, and Adventure Card Society), and Evil Genius Games' new OP program.
In recent days, there has been an exodus of staff from the latter as well as freelancers cutting all ties with the company, based on "ethical" or "moral" differences between the individuals and the company.
This is not the place to talk about what those issues are, or who is right or wrong, since they are irrelevant to my point.
This condemnation of an OPF member company's ethical standards causes some concern, both for volunteers of the OPF but also given the OPF's new charitable status. It is extremely easy for concerns about ethics at a charity to cause prospective supporters to look elsewhere or to pull support. Left unchecked, it can even cause government to review said charity's status if the concerns continue.
I trust that the OPF board is already investigating the issue and looking at any actions they deem necessary based on this. That's also not what this thread is about.
My main question going forward is: what process is used to vet prospective members of OPF? That should be made public, so that people who play or volunteer for one OPF program know that the same charitable organization isn't also running an organized play program that they strenuously object to.
(I personally wouldn't support an OP program where the table rules allowed GMs to exclude players based on gender, say, or where all the scenarios were written by AI. Right now I don't know whether OPF programs would be allowed to do that or not.)
Clear standards about what OPF stands for would help everyone, and can serve to foster the kind of gaming environments the OPF wants to build. (Maybe it is out there somewhere, but right now the OPF website redirects to a Paizo OP page, and I couldn't find anything on it.)
---
My experience in OPF and charities:
I am not an expert in U.S. charity law, but I have been involved in Canadian charity management for my entire professional and volunteer career in a variety of roles, and many of the rules are similar. I also spent three years working in a management role in a U.S charity. On the OPF side, I've supported Paizo's OP program for more than a decade, founding my local PFS Lodge and serving as Venture-Captain (twice) and currently as Venture-Lieutenant.
Well done! Warden spells and Snares were the things I did not like/get about the Ranger. Now PLEASE for the sake of the anthropomorphic animal ancestries find us away to do Twin Takedown and the like with claws and other unarmed natural attacks.
Try as I might, I just can't write small enough to use the session sheets that are printed in scenarios, and as an event coordinator, I often can't read the writing of those who think they can. So I made this one. Feel free to use if you like it.
While I briefly worried about using more paper than the old one, of course the old one gets printed on a full sheet anyway and half isn't used, so it's probably the same thing.
Hey folks! We're running three days of Pathfinder and Starfinder as part of Game-itoba, and you're all invited! We've got a survey for what games you want to see. Some games are already mapped out based on peoples' requests, but here's your chance to tell us what you want to play.
Sun streams through the stained glass windows in the old Cathedral of Aroden, now serving as the Almas Lodge of the Pathfinder Society. Venture-Captain Brackett’s ornate desk is covered in neatly stacked bundles of documents. Venture-Captain Brackett is seated at the desk, his hands tented thoughtfully. Behind the venture-Captain, a young man in the golden epaulets of an Andoran military officer regards you impassively.
“I need you to investigate the Irrica family of central Isger,” Brackett begins without looking up. “The Eagle Knights have finally released their documents from the early days of the Goblinblood Wars, when they fought alongside Hellknights and Druman mercenaries to contain the goblin invasion up north. Lots of interesting information in those files.”
Brackett nods curtly at the young officer. “Captain Bascomb?”
The officer steps forward and comes to attention out of habit before speaking. “The Irricas were supporters of House Thrune during the Chelish Civil War. After the Thrune family came to power, there was some sortt of conflict between the two families. One of the Thrunes who served as liaison to the Irricas did something to offend the family's patriarch. There were rumors of extortion. The Thrune agent apparently disappeared, and rumor was that the Irricas killed him using some sort of supernatural aid. The Irricas were not punished for this apparent transgression; on the contrary, the family received several lucrative contracts from House Thrune, and became quite influential regionally. The family was wiped out in the Goblinblood wars. The last of them fell defending their summer home, which was never reclaimed.” The captain nods smartly to Brackett before stepping back.
Brackett returns the nod and sums up. “So, we have a family in Isger who had some sort of "supernatural aid". This allowed them to kill a member of the Thrune family and not incur Thrune wrath, at a time when they were consolidating power and could not afford to appear weak."
Brackett's eyes narrow. "Something that could scare Abrogail Thrune into inaction is not something we want left lying around in an abandoned house in Isger. Go to the Irricas’ summer estate and try to find out what sort of supernatural aid the Irricas had. Be here and ready to leave before dawn tomorrow.”
Hey everyone! I'll post the party asap, but you should know that the GameDay was slightly delayed because many GMs just got their scenarios. We'll get started soon.
Is anyone having trouble recruiting enough players to run 10-98 at their smaller events? We would routinely run 7-8 tables for a special, but I'm having trouble filling 5 with this one (which is of course the minimum).
Of those I've talked to, the early rumors of this being a "grinder" to end your PFS1 characters' stories is still a big factor. The newer players don't have level 5's and don't want to play pregens, so that's a smaller factor.
On a related note, if you missed GenCon, come to Winnipeg August 23-25 for our Grand Convcation!
Recruitment is open for this game, which occurs as parts of PbP Gameday VIII! This is a public game, so the first 6 legal PFS characters posted will be accepted. I'd prefer to play high subtier, so level 3-5 characters preferred, but if you want to bring a level 1 you can. Please post using the profile of the PC you wish to play.
Expectations:
* everyone will post a minimum of once a day, with a detailed post that includes any combat contingencies;
* if you'll be away, you can provide me with standard operating procedure to 'bot your PC for you';
* this is a group game, so characters that work well in a group are best. :)
If you're new to play-by-post, take a look at my profile where there are some useful hints on how to make this all work. I'll be using Google Charts for combat maps, and this forum for
Personally, I prefer interesting characters with backstories, since those can really come out in a PbP game. If you just wanna roll dice, that's cool too, but if you give me story to work with I will give you story back.
Full disclosure: I wrote one of the quests in this scenario.
Game begins on August 26th. I will get the appropriate threads set up this week. We have a local con the weekend of Aug 23-25 so the starting post may go up sooner.
So, I did this on August 1 at our FLGS to get PF2 going. We had 6 players who came out to build PCs and play "The Sandstone Secret" quest. Sharing my experiences and hoping to learn from others who've done the same.
I started with Lucas Servideo's awesome character worksheet - it gives you a place to track your ability scores as you build, and includes the ability boosts/flaws for all races, backgrounds, and classes for shorthand. I hope he posts it somewhere, it really is fantastic for those who already play PF1 and want to get their PCs built quickly.
Then I explained the ability building system and the feat system briefly. I got everyone to select their race and class, and gave them class-specific character sheets from the Character Sheet pack. (Wasn't planning on doing this, but I forgot the sheets I'd printed at home, and had to buy these as a last-minute replacement). They have all the proficiency levels pre-checked, which saved a lot of time.
Guided them through their choices, and told them about free rebuilding at level 1 (so no one fixated too much on weighing every possibility). Gave them the class-specific equipment kit. Those who had their own rules could work ahead and buy more gear. We skipped factions and Pathfinder training because the Guide was so new and we couldn't access it from our location. (Plus, rebuild. We did assign factions after the game so people got their reputation. No one missed the free consumable, though.)
Not everyone had their own copy of the rules at the table; expect this, and consider not letting someone without rules play a prepared spellcaster unless you have a rulebook you can hand them every five minutes. (Again, rebuild.)
Then I ran the quest using no secret rolls, but described where secret rolls would/could be used. We had a nat 20 and a nat 1 come up as the first two rolls (both to Recall Knowledge), so I got to explain those. Explained things as they came up, rather than in advance.
I'll do a lot of things differently at our Convocation event in a couple of weeks, where we're running a bunch of these... I think it's better to let people select a class/race and then help them build a "pre-gen"-like character so they can play and try it out. More people needed to learn the rules, rather than the details of character generation. Making some decisions for them in the interests of time, and then letting them change it later, is a good idea.
I'd like to hear other ideas - any GenCon experiences that help?
Hi folks, I went onto my "Organized Play" tab to register my first PFS2 character, but there's a glitch with the Factions - there aren't any. And you can't save without selecting one.
Not complaining at all - I know it's a nutso time for you all! - just letting you know about it. Thanks!
Hi folks, I saw there wasn't a thread for this scenario... hopefully it's because it's just so well-written that there's no need for any additional questions! :) But it could also be because it's so free-form that it's too confusing, or that no one is running it. I know I learn a lot as an author from reading all the GM threads on my own (and other peoples') scenarios, so I figured I'd start this up and ask a few questions for my own edumacation.
credit where credit is due:
Thurston and John cooked up this idea and all the parameters, and then Thurston did some great development work on my somewhat confused turnover with lots of options.
So, do people find they are selecting various traits that fit the existing NPCs, or rolling randomly? Obviously each option fits a given NPC better than others - are there enough NPCs to make this re-playable without feeling repetitive? Additional encounter locations would have been nice, I'm sure, but hopefully there's enough variation within the personalities that even a repeated encounter should feel new.
Is there anything in the situations that strain credulity too much, or just doesn't flow at the table? This is the first full-on repeatable I've worked on, so anything people can share about how it's working or not would be appreciated.
Hi folks! I'll be running my scenario Death on the Ice as part of the Outpost II play-by-post convention! I'm not taking sign-ups here, all of that is through the event which you can find here.
Players who are signed up, go ahead and dot in while I get everything organized.
Wow, that's a HUGE amount of content coming this month! Thanks, everyone, for all the hard work. I won't be at GenCon, but I'm looking forward to running the new stuff at our Convocation event in late August!
I just checked in on my PCs, and it seems that many of the recent issues with the reporting system have been fixed. My PC profiles now show GM and Player credits, and you can now see your Fame score in the main list of characters without having to open up each profile. (Sorry I'm I'm late this this party, I hadn't been looking at the stuff recently at all.)
THANK YOU to whichever goblins were involved in this!
I have a group of kids who want to learn to play, and standard PFS isn't the best venue for it. (We need to run only 1-2 hours at a time, during non-bedtime hours.) On the surface, a campaign-mode module, run a couple of hours at a time at my FLGS, seemed like the best choice to do this within PFS. In addition, I foresee some kids wanting to continue to play together as a group, playing official PFS but not joining the night-time adult groups. It got me thinking about the proper way to handle youth-only* games under PFS.
I checked in with my V-C and she flagged that there have been offline discussions about youth games, and also said that Pathfinder Academy hadn't been released publicly yet. Other than that, there don't seem to be any rules regarding youth-only games.
Can anyone provide an update on the status of Pathfinder Society Academy, or any other rules/discussions about youth games under PFS? I don't want to have to un-teach some rules to kids if there is policy imminent.
Thanks!
* youth-only:
We've had lots of kids come out with their parent(s) to regular PFS, but because of the speed and information overload, many tend to just defer to their parent. Putting a group of youth peers together is likely to be a better situation for them to develop as players (and hopefully, into a GM at some point!)
I find myself with a double room booked at the Doubletree, but my regular Winnipeg crew has all opted out of the annual pilgrimage to PaizoCon (well, except Thursty, who is staying with his new bosses).
I'm looking for at least 1 person who needs a room and is willing to help defray expenses a bit... PM me and we can work stuff out. Given the late date, it will be a pretty good deal for staying at the Con hotel.
Hi folks! I'm one of the GMs who will be running this scenario in this slot - really looking forward to meeting a bunch of you! If people check in here, we can do some pre-mustering into subtiers to save time at the event. This is a great scenario, with some good investigation as well as a nice mix of combat.
Post your preferred subtier and whether you want a Core or Regular campaign table, and we'll get it figured out.
Hey folks! I'm one of the GMs running this scenario in this slot. It looks like it's full, so we can pre-muster tables of similar subtier to save time at the event. Really looking forward to this scenario - lots of investigation with a good mix of combat.
Hi folks! I am one of the GMs assigned to run this scenario during this slot. For those who haven't played, it's an evergreen with a bunch of different options to make it different each time. If you're playing in this slot, we can try to pre-muster tables of similar subtier and avoid repeating any of the options people have already played.
Check in with your preferred subtier, and also what parts you have already experienced (in spoilers, please!) so we can give everyone the best possible time at the table.
Here we go! Take a look at my profile page for some links on typical play-by-post styles, if this format is new to you.
Vailic:
20 Rova, 4711 A.R.
The streets have been busy, but the day has brought few customers. Most of the out-of-towners are here for the Swallowtail Festival, and aren't looking for any magical components or scrolls. Perhaps alchemist's kindness will sell the morning after.
Your partner, Dominic, finishes the entry in his logbook and closes it with a heavy sigh. "You know, maybe we need to diversify... there just aren't enough wizards in Sandpoint to cater to. Maybe if we spent more time on the fireworks, and less time on the written materials...? He trails off, the same way he does every time he raises the issue. Dominic is a good partner, but he's also a good friend, and won't push you too hard. Besides, things aren't that bad, yet. You almost made the rent last month, and if that Chelaxian hadn't stiffed you with silver coins dipped in gold wash, you would have even made a profit.
In the back, young Eadwig bumps into the wall again, watching the crowds out the window when he should be sweeping. "Ed! Pay attention!" Dominic groans. "I don't want another disaster like last month! Sweep up, and then you can go and check out the crowds." Eadwig seems to notice where he is for the first time, and smiles, a big friendly smile that drives young ladies into fits of giggles. He spins the broom around like a baton, grins again, and goes back to sweeping the floor.
The crowds are building, especially across the street at the Rusty Dragon, a popular watering hole. You should probably cover the windows with the storm shutters tonight - the weather seems fine,
but who knows what sort of storm may blow into Sandpoint with this crowd?
Casca & Zeldanna:
20 Rova, 4711 A.R.
After a long day on the road, you are very glad to see the village of Sandpoint appear ahead. Over the past hours the road has become almost crowded, with farmer's carts, the occasional rider, and even a brilliantly-painted circus train all sharing the route towards the Light of the Lost Coast.
You recall the old farmer you passed a few hours back, and his tale of goblins and demons and who knows what else that lives up on the Devil's Platter, the high bluff of rock that lies just south of the road. Yet nothing attacks you as you pass the strange high hill, and soon the foreboding is erased by the sounds of a friendly village preparing for a festival.
The road turns south, leading to Sandpoint's North Gate - an overly-detailed name, since it is the only part of the town that is walled, and so it is the only gate. A steady stream of people pass through the large wooden doors, held open by a pair of bored-looking guards leaning against them. The guards seem to ignore most folks, although they do seem to stop those in traditional Varisian costume and ask them a few questions. The guards don't even glance at you as you pass within the walls and enter Sandpoint. Immediately ahead is the White Deer Inn, a three-story building with a raucous common room. ON the left along the wall is a cemetery, but the main attraction is the new Sandpoint Cathedral. A massive stone edifice with amazing stained-glass windows, the Cathedral seems out of place in as rustic a place as this. Still, obviously someone feels the town merits such an architectural marvel, and you look forward to the opening tomorrow morning.
You've heard that the Rusty Dragon is a good inn, if a bit rough; the White Deer is usually more formal, but with the number of people already in its common room, you wonder if there will be any places to stay at all.
It's about 2 in the afternoon; tell me what you'd like to do for the next hour or so at the least. Also, check out the links at the top which lead to a Google Docs site that will have maps, handouts, etc.
I picked up some Hirst Arts Egyptian molds and cheap plaster, and made a 3d version of the Tomb. Since this section is PFS-sanctioned, I have run it three times already, which makes the time spent more worthwhile.
Total cost about $100 including molds, plaster, paint, etc. The minis I had. Total time: casting the bricks takes a long time because each batch needs to dry, but I did 2-4 batches a night while doing other things. Assembly and painting was only a few hours, following the directions on the Hirst Arts site. I had to take some liberties with the 45-degree angles, and also stopped building full doorways and walls as I went on - unless you have a low table, it's hard to play in the narrow spaces when the walls are up. Many of the walls were designed to be removed during play to clear sightlines.
If you haven't done 3d stuff before, it can really help to set the flavor for this AP. Even just a few bricks and props on your map looks great.
Does anyone recall when it became no longer legal to replay a scenario for credit, as long as it was with a PC of a different faction? Was it at the end of Season 2?
Auditing a PC for Seeker-level play, and I have a couple of GM credits from the same scenario on two different PCs. Reporting system shows them both as legal, without a "PC has already run this session..." flag, but I want to make sure all is correct.
We're running 8-10 tables of the season 7 specials on Friday as the kick-off of our Convocation three-day event. (Many of you could make it to Winnipeg, Canada, if you left now... still a few spaces left... we also have the Season 8 multi-table interactive on Saturday...;)
I've re-read the Guide 8 text several times, and it is completely clear to me that the entire section on pages 6-7 applies to the level 1/4/7 pre-gens, and doesn't consider the scenario-specific pregens at other levels. You can't follow those rules unless you first "Choose one of the pregenerated characters available in Community Use Package: Pathfinder Society Pregenerated Characters", and the rules for resolving death don't work unless the pregen is at level 1, 4, or 7. (For Serpent's Ire, most pregens are level 8, one is lower level, and one has no character levels at all.)
I suggest that, until new rules come out governing the pregen credit rules for Exclusive scenarios, that we default to the rules from the previous season's guide. This is the only thing that I can see which allows for consistent application of rules until this gap is dealt with, because it specifically addresses all pre-gens of all levels:
PFS Roleplaying Guild Guide Version 7 wrote:
If you play a non-1st-level pregenerated character, you choose one of your characters to assign the chronicle to at the end of adventure, and then apply the credit to your character as soon as she reaches the level of the pregenerated character played. You may not assign a Chronicle sheet earned with a pregenerated character to a character that was already at the level of the pregenerated character or higher.
(Yes, I realize it violates the likely intent of the new pregen rules, but until those rules are clarified, they don't work for Exclusives.)
Does this sound like a reasonably-defensible position? I really don't want the spectre of a possible rebuild in several months looming over these games.
Players are permitted to spend character gold to help a party member purchase spellcasting services such as raise dead or remove disease. This includes pooling money to buy breath of life or raise dead scrolls or potions for use in the game.
First, I think that the list of consumables you can pool money for is exhaustive, since it doesn't use "such as..." language?
Second, I'm guessing this means they can be purchased in advance, on spec of them being needed... What happens to these items if they are not used? Who owns them? The only solution that comes to mind is that they get sold back at half price and the money split between those who contributed (pro-rated based on how much they contributed).
Prepping this now - it's great to head back to this location, and I'm really looking forward to the flavor of this one.
Wondering a few minor things (listed in order I came across them, not in order of importance):
On the map of Azlant Ridge, what are the height differences on the excavated areas?
On the Hill Country flip mat, what is the implied height differences for the cliffs along the path?
On the map of Starwatcher Tor, at area C5, where exactly is the crack into area C12? There are some crack-like features on the map, but they don't really align with the location.
On the Chronicle (which is awesome!), with the unique item, there are a number of check boxes. Is there an implicit order to the listing, as in you must check them off in order? I don't think so, as some of them list specific prerequisites, but I just want to confirm that someone could (for example) complete and check off box #2 or 3 without first completing box #1.
A Pathfinder Society Scenario designed for levels 1–11.
At long last, the Pathfinder Society has reassembled the Numerian device known as the Sky Key. Initial tests suggest it is capable of projecting a location’s past into the present, allowing Society agents to peruse books from destroyed libraries and speak with echoes of long-dead heroes. Now that it has perfected the Sky Key’s controls, the Pathfinder Society is prepared to extract a slice of Absalom’s history and bring it into the present; however, there’s no telling what might be waiting inside—or who in the present might wish to wield the same power.
As you walk through the cavernous halls of the Grand Lodge, dozens of Pathfinders around you are abuzz with excitement. The Master of Swords, Marcos Farabellus himself, is making an announcement of major import to the Society this morning, and you have been invited to attend in person.o
You make your way into the hall and find a seat along with hundreds of others. Marcos sits on the stage near the podium, chatting with a tall, heavy-set woman with a stern face. Her lacquered black breastplate and red cloak mark her as Chelaxian, and the buzz around you indicates that she is the new representative from that country to the Pathfinder Society, replacing Zarta Dralnenn who you see witting in the crowd with a scowl on her face.
You are all sitting next to each other, so please introduce yourselves in character while I set the rest of the game up. We will begin as soon as everyone checks in.
You are stationed at the Grand Lodge in Absalom, awaiting assignment. After several days, you finally receive a summons to join Venture-Captain Drandle Dreng in his office. Arriving at the appointed hour of the afternoon, you are surprised to find instead a halfling in dark robes waiting for you in the outer foyer.
"Hello, my name is Drel," he drawls in a thick Nidalese accent, stretching his name into three full syllables. "Venture-Captain Dreng was called away, and ask me to meet you. We will wait for all to arrive."
Go ahead and describe your character's appearance and do any introductions you would like.
As you walk through the cavernous halls of the Grand Lodge, dozens of Pathfinders around you are abuzz with excitement. The Master of Swords, Marcus Farabellus himself, is making an announcement of major import to the Society this morning, and you have been invited to attend in person.
Making your way towards the main hall, you wonder why you have been selected for something that sounds so important. The Pathfinder Society has been dedicated to the exploration of Golarion for over four hundred years, and you have but recently completed your training and been allowed to join their ranks. Some of you journeyed to Absalom, the City at the Center of the World, and studied for several years to reach this point; others proved themselves worthy explorers and were recruited or granted a field commission. It is always a mystery why agents are chosen for different missions, and this one is no different.
You make your way into the hall and find a seat along with hundreds of others. Marcus sits on the stage near the podium, chatting with a tall, heavy-set woman with a stern face. Her lacquered black breastplate and red cloak mark her as Chelaxian, and the buzz around you indicates that she is the new representative from that country to the Pathfinder Society.
You are all sitting next to each other, so please introduce yourselves in character while I set the rest of the game up. We will begin as soon as everyone checks in.
Recruiting a team of Pathfinders for this scenario. Regular campaign (not Core), level 1. Apply here with the character you wish to play.
This is a roleplay-heavy scenario, and I am a roleplay-heavy GM.
New to Play-by-post? Check out my profile for expectations and links for first-timers.
New to the Pathfinder Society Organzied Play campaign? Head on over to the Pathfinder Society page and click on "Join the Society and create your character now!".
For someone who suffered through terrible puberty years, Maera has turned into quite a beauty, and, when the occasion calls for it, knows how to use it. Slight and slim, only 5 ft tall, and weighing roughly 105 lbs, she cultivates a wild, almost untameable look that sailors tend to eat right up, typically letting her long black hair fall freely about her face, and in certain light one might detect hints of blue or green within the thick locks. Her eyes are dark blue, and her skin is pale - ultimately, a deception she learned long ago. Her skin is naturally pale blue, and years of being raised by humans have taught her how best to camouflage such an obvious, startling feature. The webbing between her hands and feet, though, is harder to conceal, other than good boots and fingerless gloves, and for all that she might flirt and flit among the sailors, she rarely lets any of them get close enough to discover the truth about her flesh. As a bard, she views her appearance as part of her performance, and dresses her charms appropriately to what she knows is pleasing - white chemise, dark blue corset to set off her eyes, and flowing black skirts.
Since Ossok's death, she's taken to wearing slim black leggings, equally as fetching on her, but far more practical for the path her life is taking her, and while she's kept the corset she's altered and tailored it for comfort, fitting in nicely with her leather armor. A beautiful, white silken shawl threaded with tiny seed pearls serves as her belt, and her dark hair now is often braided and pinned up, with only a few messy locks to frame her face.
Personality:
Maera is very much like her element: changeable, adaptable to whatever currently tries to contain her, and at whim can blow hot or go cold. She tends to be, however, rather kindhearted, a trait she developed from the close bonds of her adoptive family, and no matter how capricious she can become she is ultimately very loyal to those who would have her friendship. She is not one for great anger, prone to seeking peaceful solutions to her problems, but just as water put to pressure will boil over, the watersinger's wrath is in her Nereid blood - one day something will bring it to bear, and Gods help the one in the way.
Backstory:
Maera began her life on a beach. Found by former runaway slaves from Cheliax, who came to the Shackles in the hopes of starting a life together, Nikos and Isidora found the reed basket, and the small, blue baby wrapped up in an intricate shawl within, beside the bloated corpse of an unknown man, obviously dead from drowning. Both equal parts religious and charitable, they took Maera in as their own, and the little undine would end up being the only girl amongst a brood of brothers that followed.
Nikos took to being a fisherman by trade, and when the sea was kind, as it usually was, they prospered. When her bounty failed, they were often forced to hunt inland to scrap and scavenge food to get by. Thankfully, Maera could always go back to the sea, able to swim and breathe at depths her brothers could not, and could usually find pockets of mussels and clams others overlooked, so while times were occasionally hard, they managed.
As she grew older, and learned how best to hide her features, she grew more adventurous and mercurial in temperament. Underwater shipwrecks, and their lost magical treasures, became her playground, and the docks her favorite haunts, loving the songs and stories the sailors would bring back to shore. Life proceeded without ripple or complication, and Maera was hardly in any hurry to change it - at least until the death of Nikos. It was hardly unexpected; for all that Maera brought the family luck, age still got the old salt in the end. Her mother, too, was rapidly approaching her own deathbed, and her brothers were grown men with families of their own. It was clear that while her family loved her dearly, she would outlive them all, and would need to find her own place in the world.
Str 8, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 14, Wis 12, Cha 16
Stat Increases: 4th(DEX)
Base Attack +3; CMB 2; CMD 15
Feats
(1st) Aquatic Ancestry (Undine): You gain the amphibious special quality. Your swim speed increases by +10 feet.
(Special) Harmonic Spell: Whenever you cast a 1st or higher level spell while you are maintaining a bardic performance, you can maintain the bardic performance for that round without expending one of your rounds of performance for the day. In addition, you can switch from one bardic performance to another as a swift action when you cast a spell while maintaining a bardic performance.
(3rd) Weapon Finesse: With a light weapon, elven curve blade, rapier, whip, or spiked chain made for a creature of your size category, you may use your Dexterity modifier instead of your Strength modifier on attack rolls. If you carry a shield, its armor check penalty applies to your attack rolls.
(5th) Spell Focus: Enchantment - +1 Enchantment DCs
Traits
Child of Nature: +2 Survival for Food & Water, +1 Knowledge (Nature)
Barroom Talespinner: +1 to Diplomacy and Perform. Special 1/Week Performance DC 15 Knowledge (local) grants you a +1 trait bonus on checks made to influence NPCs on the Wormwood.
Resilient: +1 Fort Saves
Trained Skills 44 (5x [6 Class + 2 Int + 1 Favored Class Bonus]+[2 Background Skills])
Backpack
Comb & Brush, Fine Hardwood
Steel Hairpins
Soap, Mild
Mirror, Small Steel
Nereid Shawl
Outfit, Traveler's
Sewing Needle
Sewing Thread
Flint and Steel
Mess Kit
Rations, Standard
Canteen
Fishing Kit
Iron Pot
Bedroll
Blanket
Feather Pillow, Linen
Wooden Flute
Ink
Inkpen
Journal
Case, Map or Scroll
Spell Component Pouch
Weapons
Shortspear
Shortbow
20 Arrows in a Leather Quiver with a Buttoned Shutter
Masterwork Rapier
Armor
Mithral Chain Shirt
Buckler
Body Items
Sharkskin Gloves - +2 Circumstance Bonus to Acrobatics and Climb
Earrings of the Siren [Pearl of Power 1/Spell Page: Saving Finale, Pearl of Power 2/Spell Page: Hydrophobia]
Necklace of Golden Coral, and Silvery Metal with Blue/Black Whorls
Flesh Chameleon: Some undines can change their coloration to match human skin tones. As a standard action, an undine with this racial trait can change her natural blue hue to match any normal human skin tone, and can revert to normal as a free action. This grants a +4 racial bonus on Disguise checks to appear human. This racial trait replaces energy resistance.
Magical Racial Traits
Hydrated Vitality: An undine with this racial trait gains fast healing 2 for 1 round anytime she submerges completely within a body of natural salt water, fresh water, or brackish water. Stagnant, poisoned, or trapped water (such as an artificial pit or a bag of holding) does not activate this ability. The undine can heal up to 2 hit points per level per day with this ability, after which it ceases to function. This racial trait replaces water affinity.
Nereid Fascination: Some undines can trace their ancestry to nereids as well as to outsiders. Once per day as a standard action, such an undine can create a 20-foot-radius aura that causes humanoids within the aura's range to become fascinated with her for a number of rounds equal to 1/2 the undine's character level (minimum 1). Targets may resist with a Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 the undine's level + the undine's Charisma modifier). This is a supernatural ability. This racial trait replaces the spell-like ability racial trait.
Senses Racial Traits
Darkvision: Undines can see perfectly in the dark up to 60 feet.
Amphibious (Ex)
Creatures with this special quality have the aquatic subtype, but they can survive indefinitely on land.
Aquatic Subtype
These creatures always have swim speeds and can move in water without making Swim checks. An aquatic creature can breathe water. It cannot breathe air unless it has the amphibious special quality. Aquatic creatures always treat Swim as a class skill.
Bardic Performances: Rounds per Day 4 + CHA + (2*4)= 15rds
A bard is trained to use the Perform skill to create magical effects on those around him, including himself if desired. He can use this ability for a number of rounds per day equal to 4 + his Charisma modifier. At each level after 1st a bard can use bardic performance for 2 additional rounds per day. Each round, the bard can produce any one of the types of bardic performance that he has mastered, as indicated by his level.
Starting a bardic performance is a standard action, but it can be maintained each round as a free action. Changing a bardic performance from one effect to another requires the bard to stop the previous performance and start a new one as a standard action. A bardic performance cannot be disrupted, but it ends immediately if the bard is killed, paralyzed, stunned, knocked unconscious, or otherwise prevented from taking a free action to maintain it each round. A bard cannot have more than one bardic performance in effect at one time.
At 7th level, a bard can start a bardic performance as a move action instead of a standard action. At 13th level, a bard can start a bardic performance as a swift action.
Each bardic performance has audible components, visual components, or both.
If a bardic performance has audible components, the targets must be able to hear the bard for the performance to have any effect, and many such performances are language dependent (as noted in the description). A deaf bard has a 20% change to fail when attempting to use a bardic performance with an audible component. If he fails this check, the attempt still counts against his daily limit. Deaf creatures are immune to bardic performances with audible components.
If a bardic performance has a visual component, the targets must have line of sight to the bard for the performance to have any effect. A blind bard has a 50% chance to fail when attempting to use a bardic performance with a visual component. If he fails this check, the attempt still counts against his daily limit. Blind creatures are immune to bardic performances with visual components.
List of Bardic Performances:
Sea Shanty (Su): A sea singer learns to counter seasickness and exhaustion during long sea voyages. Each round of a sea shanty, he makes a Perform skill check. Allies within 30 feet (including the sea singer) may use his Perform check in place of a saving throw against becoming exhausted, fatigued, nauseated, or sickened; if already under such an effect, a new save is allowed each round of the sea shanty, using the bard’s Perform check for the save. A sea shanty has no effect on instantaneous effects or effects that do not allow saves. This ability requires audible components.
This performance replaces countersong.
Distraction (Su): At 1st level, a bard can use his performance to counter magic effects that depend on sight. Each round of the Distraction, he makes a Perform (act, comedy, dance, or oratory) skill check. Any creature within 30 feet of the bard (including the bard himself) that is affected by an illusion (pattern) or illusion (figment) magical attack may use the bard’s Perform check result in place of its saving throw if, after the saving throw is rolled, the Perform check result proves to be higher. If a creature within range of the Distraction is already under the effect of a non-instantaneous illusion (pattern) or illusion (figment) magical attack, it gains another saving throw against the effect each round it sees the Distraction, but it must use the bard’s Perform check result for the save. Distraction does not work on effects that don’t allow saves. Distraction relies on visual components.
Watersong (Su): At 1st level, a watersinger can use bardic performance to manipulate and control the shape of water within 30 feet. A successful Perform check allows the bard to animate and control a 5-foot-cube of water. The watersinger can command the water to take various forms, bend, rise, fall, or sustain a shape, and can make it support weight as if it were solid ice. For example, the watersinger could create a pillar of water (to provide cover), ladder, channel, bridge, stairs, slide, and so on. The manipulated water is as slippery as normal ice. This ability cannot create forms more fragile or complex than what could be carved in normal ice. While under the bard's control, the water has hardness 0 and 3 hit points per inch of thickness. At level 3, the manipulated water gains hardness 1, and this increases by +1 for every 3 bard levels beyond that. At 5th, 10th, 15th, and 20th level, the volume affected increases by an additional 5-foot cube (these cubes must be adjacent to each other). The manipulated water retains its shape for 1 round after the bard stops spending bardic performance rounds to maintain it.
This ability replaces fascinate, suggestion, and mass suggestion.
Waterstrike (Su): At 3rd level, the watersinger can spend 1 round of bardic performance to command any water he is currently manipulating with his watersong performance to lash out and strike an opponent with a slam attack. The watersinger uses his base attack bonus and Charisma bonus to make this attack, and deals 1d6 points of bludgeoning damage plus his Charisma bonus. The attack can originate from any square of water the bard is manipulating, and the water can get a flanking bonus or help a combatant get one, but cannot make attacks of opportunity. The water can make multiple attacks per round if your base attack bonus allows you to do so. At 10th level, the water's slam damage increases to 1d8 points and the water gains a reach of 10 feet. At 15th level, the water's slam damage increases to 2d6 points. At 20th level, the water's slam damage increases to 2d8 points.
Lifewater (Su): At 5th level, the watersinger can spend 1 round of bardic performance as a standard action to manipulate the water, blood, and other fluids within a creature's body, causing the target to become sickened for 1d4 rounds. Alternatively, he may use this ability to attempt a reposition combat maneuver, using his base attack bonus and his Charisma modifier as his CMB. This ability has a range of 30 feet, only works on creatures whose bodies contain fluid, and does not affect creatures that are immune to critical hits.
This performance replaces the use of lore master gained at 5th level (though a watersinger still gains the use of lore master once per day at 11th level and twice per day at 17th).
This performance replaces inspire competence.
Inspire Courage (Su): A 1st level bard can use his performance to inspire courage in his allies (including himself), bolstering them against fear and improving their combat abilities. To be affected, an ally must be able to perceive the bard’s performance. An affected ally receives a +1 morale bonus on saving throws against charm and fear effects and a +1 competence bonus on attack and weapon damage rolls. At 5th level, and every six bard levels thereafter, this bonus increases by +1, to a maximum of +4 at 17th level. Inspire courage is a mind-affecting ability. Inspire courage can use audible or visual components. The bard must choose which component to use when starting his performance.
Bardic Knowledge (Ex)
A bard adds half his class level (minimum 1) to all Knowledge skill checks and may make all Knowledge skill checks untrained.
Versatile Performance (Ex)
At 2nd level, a bard can choose one type of Perform skill. He can use his bonus in that skill in place of his bonus in associated skills. When substituting in this way, the bard uses his total Perform skill bonus, including class skill bonus, in place of its associated skill's bonus, whether or not he has ranks in that skill or if it is a class skill. At 6th level, and every 4 levels thereafter, the bard can select an additional type of Perform to substitute.
The types of Perform and their associated skills are: Act (Bluff, Disguise), Comedy (Bluff, Intimidate), Dance (Acrobatics, Fly), Keyboard Instruments (Diplomacy, Intimidate), Oratory (Diplomacy, Sense Motive), Percussion (Handle Animal, Intimidate), Sing (Bluff, Sense Motive), String (Bluff, Diplomacy), and Wind (Diplomacy, Handle Animal).
Well-Versed (Ex)
At 2nd level, the bard becomes resistant to the bardic performance of others, and to sonic effects in general. The bard gains a +4 bonus on saving throws made against bardic performance, sonic, and language-dependent effects.
Lore Master (Ex)
At 5th level, the bard becomes a master of lore and can take 10 on any Knowledge skill check that he has ranks in. A bard can choose not to take 10 and can instead roll normally.
Watersinger Spells
0th — Create Water; 1st — Hydraulic Push, Slipstream; 2nd — Aqueous Orb, Hydraulic Torrent, Water Walk; 3rd — Fluid Form, Ride the Waves; 4th — Control Water, Communal Water Walk; 5th — Vortex; 6th — Seamantle.
Earrings of the Siren - Saving Finale, Hydrophobia (Pearls of Power 1 & 2)
