Hey there! I was playing around with Monk archetypes, and I came up with a fun earth-themed dwarf monk. I did a write-up on my blog here:
Enjoy!
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Hey there! I just wanted to share some exciting news with the community: my game studio's game just launched on Kickstarter! It's a cooperative storytelling game designed by my wife and our friend, and is a boardgame/rpg hybrid playable by kids as young as five. Here is a link: Thank you!
Hey there! Any Paizonians going to PAX Prime? I'm going there, and while I will be demoing a game at the Game Salute booth a great deal of the time, I would like the chance to meet some of the Paizo community. If you see me, say hi! If you want to track me down, tweet at me: I'm @coffeeswiller on Twitter. Who's going to be thee?
Hey there! If you're at GenCon, I recommend popping over to the Game Salute booth and checking out my wife's upcoming game, Story Realms! It's a boardgame/RPG hybrid with stunning art that plays in about an hour. Here's the BGG entry: http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/127324/story-realms It's an excellent game and it plays wll with kids 5+, too, while still being fun for veteran roleplayers.
Hi there! My game design studio, Escapade Games, has an exciting new game coming to Kickstarter: Story Realms! Story Realms is a cooperative storytelling game that combines elements of a roleplaying game and a boardgame, and has a simple resolution system. So simple, in fact, that it can be played with the younger crowd. Here is some info: Art previews
Interview with designer, from Wired GeekDad
BoardGameGeek entry
I hope you take the opportunity to check it out! Randy
Hey there! I created a nasty little assassin that PCs wil have a hard time tangling with. Lucia Calderon is crafty, manipulative and... eight years old. There is, of course, more to her identity than that. But what will PCs do against a villain they can't fight outright?
Hey! My wife and a friend are working on a new RPG/storytelling adventure game called Story Realms. We're running a Kickstarter campaign starting next month. Right now, we're getting final art trickling in from our awesome art team. Here's a post on our blog with a couple pics: http://growingupgamers.blogspot.com/2012/07/story-realms-preview-adventurin g-kits.html If you want to know more about the game, here's an interview with my wife by the Wired GeekDad blog: http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2012/05/story-realms-angela-hickman-newnham Thanks for checking it out!
The Growing Up Gamers blog just posted an an article about our upcoming storytelling adventure game, Story Realms! We talk a bit about making characters in the world. Story Realms is a kid-friendly game that incorporates elements of board games and roleplaying games. here's a link: http://growingupgamers.blogspot.com/2012/05/stepping-into-story-realms-maki ng.html Enjoy!
I love flipping through book and coming up with new and intersting ways to combine things. As a result, I was thinking of a character concept. Has anyone played anything like this before? What do you think of its viability? Gunslinger 1/Wizard (Foresight)5/Eldritch Knight x
Looking for some feedback on the build. I didn't do ability scores, just looking at the class/feat structure.
I have always loved cracking open a new rulebook for a roleplaying game and imaging all the possibilities. A true geek at heart, I revel in the opportunity to imagine all the neat characters I could come up with. Heck, I’ve even based satisfying character builds completely around a suboptimal feat, or optional class feature. This doesn’t always yield viable characters, but sometimes, gems emerge. Please note that this is not a "character optimization" post. This character is one of those, “If I got the chance, I would love to play this…” kinda guys. Well, I say guy, but this could easily be made into a lady. Heck, I’ll even make this example female. This is one tough cookie… and a frustrating one to get in a tangle with. With a moderate Western theme, Etta Skaalsdottir is packing a nasty six-shooter, and is more than ready to go bare-knuckle on anyone who gets in the way of her service to Cayden Cailean (which mostly consists of drinking). She is a 5th-level Pathfinder character hailing originally from the city of Alkenstar, in the Mana Wastes of Golarion. For those interested in that sort of thing, she has a 25-point ability score buy. ------------------
“Her language brings color to the world, and her scowl can move mountains…” –Daern Calder, dwarf pyromancer Chotic Good Medium humanoid (human)
Playing Etta Originally hailing from the Mana Wastes, Etta Skaalsdottir is a force to be reckonened with. Most folks, especially those who know her, give her a wide berth. Her foul temper is matched only by her foul mouth, and she rarely hesitates to give anyone a piece of her mind if she feels inconvenienced in any way. Even those who would consider her a friend knows enough to tread lightly around her, as she is far more intimidating than someone of her size and build ought to be. Even burly half-orcs sense it’s a bad idea to mess with this waifish woman who looks like she hasn’t eaten a full meal in weeks, despite evidence on her poncho to the contrary. The streets of Alkenstar tempered this fair-haired fighter, and she can –and did- fight bare-knuckled with the worst those streets had to offer, and she has the scarred knuckles and crooked nose to prove it. By the time she was a teenager, she was already fighting for loose copper to keep her and her “family” of orphans fed, and eventually became a pretty good bareknuckle boxer. At seventeen years old, she pilfered her first pistol and became adept with that, as well, eventually hiring herself out as a caravan guard. An ill-fated mission to Nex ended with her half-dead and forcefully teleported to Varisia. An ambush by spell-wielding highwaymen awoke some of the latent magical scars of that land, and Etta believes herself to be the sole survivor of that mishap. Etta now is based loosely in Magnimar, and through aid to the orphans of that city, discovered the faith of Cayden Cailean and has become one of his champions. Already a “practitioner” of most tenets of his clergy (drinking, foolhardiness and service to the downtrodden… but mostly just drinking), she was anointed an inquisitor in his name. She provides monetary support to the orphanage in Magnimar, and those who find themselves there might just see some of the few genuine smiles Etta has to offer. The Build I like to think of the various classes of the Pathfinder roleplaying game as building blocks that you can make the characters you want. In this build, it all fits together thematically as well as mechanically. The Martial Artist archetype for the monk class is a non-ki using version, and it also does not have an alignment restriction. This makes sense for Etta's background, since she's a street tough who is most assuredly not from a monastic tradition. The level of gunslinger provides the basic necessities of using firearms, as well as basic deeds and Grit. And inquisitor is just a fun and interesting class. Put together, these kind of make a rough, fist-fighting gun-toting brawler. Combat In combat, Etta is a confusing foe who gets in the middle of the action and harries her foes. Most players go out of their way to provoke as few Attacks of Opportunity (AoO’s) as possible, but this is not how to play Etta. The Panther Style feat chain allows her to retailiate against AoO’s with an unarmed strike before the opponent’s attack is resolved. You heard me right… before. At 5th level, 1d6+2 damage isn’t a great trade-off for whatever a melee juggernaut is able to do against you, but most likely, Etta is going to run through a crowd of goons, take some lumps, and then pop a shot off at the biggest threat, and hopefully park it near an enemy spellcaster. Since she has Stunning Fist, she may also declare one of those retaliatory strikes a stunning attempt. With a gun, Etta is pretty good, too. Firearms in Golarion ignore armor bonus in the first range increment, and Gunslingers can extend that range with Grit points via the Deadeye Shot deed. A favorite tactic for Etta is the Dirty Trick. This is a very useful combat maneuver, and can cause a variety of status conditions that last for 1 round plus an additional round per 5 points her CMB roll exceeds the enemy’s CMD, though can be remedied with a Move-equivalent action by the recipient. Since she didn’t invest in nor qualify for the feats Combat Expertise and Improved Dirty trick, she’ll provoke AoO’s for doing this, but most likely the opponent will already have used this to attack her for moving (and thus, will not have another attack to make unless he has Combat Reflexes). This great thematically as well as mechanically, since we’re billing her as a dirty fighter. Etta eats arcane spellcasters for lunch, if she can get to them. The Spellkiller Inquisition grants her the Disruptive feat (meaning the DC to cast defensively increases by +4), as well as the ability to give them the Staggered condition upon hitting them (even at range!) if Etta has defeated another opponent previously in the encounter. Once she is adjacent to them, using Dirty Trick to make them Deaf, Blind, Entangled or Sickened is good, especially if she has already provoked an Attack of opportunity and used Panther Claw. Another option is to use a Move action to provoke the AoO, then ready a standard action to shoot them if they cast a spell… and announce nonchalantly that she will do so. Advancement Etta should continue advancing as an Inquisitor for the rest of her career. To keep pace with her party’s damage potential, she’s going to need to get the Bane class feature, and use her Judgements well. Since Inquisitor is her favored class, she will get the favored class bonus and she should always take the extra hit point; her tactics usually get her damaged every encounter. Additionally, the spellcasting helps… especially for quick first aid in combat. For feats, her best next feat is Step Up. This allows her to take a 5ft. Step when adjacent to an opponent that does. This will truly make her the bane of spellcasters, since a typical tactic is to take a step away to avoid attacks of opportunity or the risk losing a spell due to a failed Concentration check. Grit feats are good investments, too, but most have feat prerequisites that may be hard to meet. Toughness is also a decent choice, given her "in the thick of it" style. Variants The easiest variation is a reskinning... just change the theme and make it a Lawful Evil mage assassin. It would make a great foil to a party's primary spellcaster, particularly arcane caster. Or swap out the Point Blank Shot for the Grit feat No Name, change the alignment to Chaotic Neutral and you've got a Clint Eastwood/spaghetti western style antihero. A very interesting variant would be to swap out Point Blank Shot with Dodge, take Mobility as your next feat and get into the Shadowdancer class. This would make for an even more frustrating combatant, as well as set the character up for some of the better Grit feats. Nifty, huh? What do you think of the character? Let me know! I originally posted this on my blog here.
Hello, all! I blog at Growing Up Gamers, and I wanted to announce a contest we have going. We are giving away several boardgames (3 so far, likely more to be added!) for people who can identify the most games in our blog's background picture! So, pop by, test your knowledge and win! Here is the link: 10 Posts to Get To Know Us.... and a Contest! Good luck!
Growing Up Gamers is having a boardgame contest to celebrate our 100th post, and our upcoming game being published! 10 Posts to Get To Know Us.... and a Contest! Good luck!
Yesterday was the birthday of Dr. Seuss. His books figured very prominently into my childhood. My favorite has always been The Lorax. This is a story about a businessman moving into the idyllic land of where the Truffula Trees grow. This businessman, the Once-ler, decides to set up shop and make garments from the tree tufts called thneeds. After making his first thneed, the Lorax appears from the tree's stump and tells the Once-ler he speaks for the trees. The Once-ler blows him off and calls in his family and upscales his operation. Soon, the animals no longer have food, and the air and water get polluted. Eventually, the Once-ler chops down the last of the trees, and the Lorax leaves. The Once-ler is sorry for what he has done, eventually, and bestows the last of the truffula seeds to a young boy who visits and asks him to grow the trees again and protect them. It's a classic story of environmentalism, and is particularly relevant today. So what does that have to do with gaming? Well, very little. But I'm going to make it relevant. Using the Pathfinder rules, I created a familar character who would love to come a-visiting Golarion, or whatever campaign world you run! He's shortish.
The Lorax Male Gnome Oracle (Wood) 8
I used a Gnome as his race, mainly due to their feylike nature. Though a Druid would have been a good choice for class, I went with a Wood Oracle. The fatalistic flavor of the class seems to do well for the character, and gives some good nature-based abilities. I made him high enough level that he could get Air Walk as a spell, so that he can make his sad departure by lifting himself up by the seat of his pants at the end. And what would the story be without supporting characters? Here is a write-up for the Brown Bar-ba-loots, who frolic about in their bar-ba-loot suits! And, under the trees, I saw Brown Bar-ba-loots
Brown Bar-ba-loots
STATISTICSStr 9, Dex 13, Con 10, Int 4, Wis 9, Cha 8
Brown bar-ba-loots are a peaceful race of furry humanoids who frolic in forests. They have no natural predators, and usually can be seen lazing about, frolicking or eating Truffula fruit. Also, here is a magical location that these guys can live in... Those trees!
Truffula Grove Truffula Groves are magical places, and are usually teeming with life. Animals, particularly fey, love the sweet fruit they produce. Additionally, the fruit itself bestows the effects of the spell Sanctuary upon those who eat it while they remain within 20 feet of a Truffula tree. The tufts of the truffula trees may be used to make garments that bestow the wearer with Endure Elements, and occupies the Cloak slot, although their bright coloration applies a -2 circumstance penalty to Stealth checks. Well, I hoped you liked my little homage to Dr. Seuss. I'll leave you with another quote: Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind. - Dr. Seuss This originally appreared on my blog yesterday... The Lorax, Pathfinder-style!
Portland, Oregon gamers! Come join us for the Rainy Day Games Game Day! Rainy Day Games Game Day and Auction! Games & a huge game auction!
In a blog post, I convert the Arcane Archer to a divine-themed bowman: Enjoy! Randy
Hey, everybody! My five year old daughter Katie decided at the beginning of the year her goal was to play 100 different board games. She's currently met 25% of her goal! Way to go, Katie! Here's her progress report (in her own words!): Be sure to leave a comment to congratulate her on her awesome progress! Randy
Our blog is hosting a giveaway! The awesome people of NorthStar Games has provided a copy of their latest game, Say Anything Family, for us to give to a lucky reader! GIVEAWAY: Say Anything Family! Good luck! Randy
Hey there! I'm designing a board game. It's a fighting/area control game called Princess of the Hill. The theme is about princesses dueling it out to maintain control of the high spot. Thematically, kind of a combination of Lunch Money, the Paper Bag princess and Street Fighter II! Drop by and offer feedback: Enjoy! Randy
Hello, all! I wanted to get some opinions on a character. I decided for my next campaign, to play a Zen Archer Monk/Inquisitor. I got some pretty nice ability score rolls (great news for a MAD class!) and am excited. Here it is: Hallyr, Lawful Good Elf Zen Archer Monk 1
Skills: Acrobatics, Climb, Perseption, Stealth, Survival, Knowledge: religion, Craft: Bowyer
Traits:
Equipment (of note):
Alternate Racial: Silent Hunter (replaces Elven Magic) I was going to take the next level as Inquisitor, and take the Healing domain. Additionally, if my group allows (and we reach a level high enough), I was considering a prestige class I created, the Sacred Arrow. Thoughts for advancement? Randy
This article appeared on my Comast News page: Romania may get even tougher on witches http://www.comcast.net/articles/news-general/20110208/EU.Romania.Witches/ For a bit of fun, Paste it into Word and do an Edit > Replace on these words: Romania > Cheliax
...and convert all currency to Gold pieces. Then read. ;) Randy
Hello, all! I retooled the Arcane Archer prestige class as a Divine-based archer. I modified some of the abilities to make them more thematic for a divine character. So... thoughts? Please pardon the formatting of the table. Pasted from Word. The main change on table, beyond the changing of ability names, is that Good saves are Ref and Will instead or Fort and Ref. SACRED ARROW Elves or half-elves who seek to perfect the use of the bow in service to their deity sometimes pursue the path of the Sacred Arrow. Sacred Arrows are masters of ranged combat, as they possess the ability to strike at targets with unerring accuracy and can imbue their arrows with powerful spells. Arrows fired by Sacred Arrows smite the enemies of their faiths. At the height of their power, Sacred Arrows can also deliver the blessings of their deities via their arrows, as well. Those who have trained as both rangers and clerics excel as Sacred Arrows, although other multiclass combinations are not unheard of. Sacred Arrows may be found wherever elves travel, but not all are allies of the elves. Many, particularly half-elven Sacred Arrows, use elven traditions solely for their own gain, or worse, against the elves whose very traditions they adhere to. Role: Sacred Arrows deal death from afar, winnowing down opponents while their allies rush into hand-to-hand combat. With their capacity to unleash hails of arrows on the enemy, they represent the pinnacle of ranged combat. Alignment: Sacred Arrows can be of any alignment, though as elves and half-elves tend to be free-spirited, they are rarely lawful.
Hit Die: d10. REQUIREMENTS To qualify to become an Sacred Arrow, a character must fulfill all the following criteria. Race: Elf or half-elf.
CLASS SKILLS
TABLE: SACRED ARROW
CLASS FEATURES
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: An Sacred Arrow is proficient with all simple and martial weapons, light armor, medium armor, and shields. Spells per Day: At the indicated levels, an Sacred Arrow gains new spells per day as if he had also gained a level in an divine spellcasting class he belonged to before adding the prestige class. He does not, however, gain other benefits a character of that class would have gained, except for additional spells per day, spells known (if he is a spontaneous spellcaster), and an increased effective level of spellcasting. If a character had more than one divine spellcasting class before becoming an Sacred Arrow, he must decide to which class he adds the new level for purposes of determining spells per day. Enhance Arrows (Su): At 1st level, every nonmagical arrow an Sacred Arrow nocks and lets fly becomes magical, gaining a +1 enhancement bonus. Unlike magic weapons created by normal means, the archer need not spend gold pieces to accomplish this task. However, an archer's magic arrows only function for him. In addition, the Sacred Arrow's arrows gain a number of additional qualities as he gains additional levels. The elemental, elemental burst, and aligned qualities can be changed once per day, when the Sacred Arrow prays for spells or, in the case of spontaneous spellcasters, after 8 hours of rest. At 3rd level, every nonmagical arrow fired by an Sacred Arrow gains one of the following weapon qualities: Merciful, Ghost Touch, Undead Bane, (Aligned) Outsider Bane (chosen alignment must not be either component of patron deity’s alignment) At 5th level, every nonmagical arrow fired by an Sacred Arrow gains the distance weapon quality. At 7th level, every nonmagical arrow fired by an Sacred Arrow may gain one of the following elemental burst weapon qualities: flaming burst, icy burst, or shocking burst instead of one of the qualities in the Enhance Arrows (Righteousness and Retribution). At 9th level, every nonmagical arrow fired by an Sacred Arrow gains one of the following aligned weapon qualities: anarchic, axiomatic, holy, or unholy. The Sacred Arrow cannot choose an ability that is the opposite of his alignment, or the alignment of his patron deity (for example, a lawful good Sacred Arrow could not choose anarchic or unholy as his weapon quality). The bonuses granted by a magic bow apply as normal to arrows that have been enhanced with this ability. Only the larger enhancement bonus applies. Duplicate abilities do not stack. Align Arrow (Sp): Every nonmagical arrow fired by a Sacred Arrow is aligned, as per the spell Align Weapon. For the purpose of overcoming damage reduction, the arrow is treated as Good/Evil/Lawful/Chaotic (only one). The Sacred Arrow may not choose an alignment opposite his own, or of his patron deity. Therefore, a Lawful Neutral Sacred Arrow of a Lawful Good deity could not choose Evil, for instance. Seeker Arrow (Sp): At 4th level, an Sacred Arrow can launch an arrow at a target known to him within range, and the arrow travels to the target, even around corners. Only an unavoidable obstacle or the limit of the arrow's range prevents the arrow's flight. This ability negates cover and concealment modifiers, but otherwise the attack is rolled normally. Using this ability is a standard action (and shooting the arrow is part of the action). An Sacred Arrow can use this ability once per day at 4th level, and one additional time per day for every two levels beyond 4th, to a maximum of four times per day at 10th level. Disruption Arrow (Sp): At 6th level, a Sacred Arrow can launch an arrow once per day at an undead target, granting it the disruption quality, except that the Save DC is 10 + half the Sacred Arrow’s class level + the Sacred Arrows Wisdom modifier. Using this ability is a standard action (and shooting the arrow is part of the action). An Sacred Arrow can use this ability once per day at 6th level, and one additional time per day for every two levels beyond 6th, to a maximum of three times per day at 10th level. Hail of Arrows (Sp): In lieu of his regular attacks, once per day an Sacred Arrow of 8th level or higher can fire an arrow at each and every target within range, to a maximum of one target for every Sacred Arrow level she has earned. Each attack uses the archer's primary attack bonus, and each enemy may only be targeted by a single arrow. Arrow of Life (Sp): At 10th level, once per day the Sacred Arrow may fire an arrow at a target as a touch attack. If it hits, the arrow does no damage but instead acts as a Heal spell cast at the Sacred Arrow’s effective caster level. Feedback? Randy
The Good Old RPG Days: Angie of Growing Up Gamers shares about her first DM and early RPG experiences. Enjoy! Randy
My wife wrote a pretty good article on teaching games to kids. Here it is: Enjoy! Randy
Just thought I'd share a pic of my family's board game collection on our blog... ANyone else want to share theirs? Randy
Hello there! On our family gaming blog, Growing Up Gamers, we have a new post: Teaching Games to Kids
Enjoy! Randy
I wanted to clarify the prerequisites for a couple of the feats in the Two-Weapon Fighting feat tree, Double Slice and Two-Weapon Rend. In both the feat charts (PFRPG book and PRD), they do not have Dexterity requirements. In both of the descriptions, however, they do have Dexterity requirements. Which are correct? I didn't know if they were included in the description as implied requirements (since normally, you would have to have that ability score to take it), or if they are actual requirements. The question may seem nitpicky and irrelevant, but I play a Ranger with a low Dexterity, and I was considering the possibility of taking these. This seems like the only time the issue of those prereqs would ever come up. |