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Having finished running Strange Aeons a while back, I'm starting to gear up to run a new campaign. I had it narrowed down to Curse or Hell's Rebels, and after presenting abbreviated pitches to some of my potential players, there seems to be a slight preference for Curse--so time to buckle down and start getting a handle on how I'll be running it!

I've GMed Curse before, but I ran it pretty straight out of the book those times, besides some stat block rewrites. I'm feeling a bit more ambitious this time around, and I've got a particular theme in mind. I'm planning to run a gestalt game where all players mix a progression of Vigilante levels with another class, developing into Korvosa's own team of superheroes. But that's definitely going to require rewriting and reworking more than a few sections. One that immediately comes to mind is reworking the quests in Edge of Anarchy (and to a lesser extent Seven Days to the Grave) to be more self-motivated than *directly* working for the state, emphasizing a more Commissioner Gordon type role for Cressida Kroft--but I don't want that to come at the expense of the opportunity to get Ileosa and Sabina's faces on-screen before it becomes obvious Ileosa is the antagonist.

I also want to expand the roles of various minor and one-arc villains like Lamm, Rolth, 'Emperor' Pilts, Bahor, Andaisin, Cinnabar, and the Cinderlander to create the feeling of a proper comic book rogue's gallery. I'm inclined to take some inspiration here from Inspectre's magnificent thread pn these same forums (linked here), especially making Lamm the main arc villain of the first book, and possibly Andaisin's zombie apocalypse version of Blood Veil. But I am torn if I want to also adapt their more sympathetic version of Ileosa. It's a fascinating conceit, and one that gives the lesser villains a chance to shine--but on the other hand, the way Ileosa's envy and vanity leads to the creation of the Gray Maidens is a character beat that's right at home in the superhero genre, and if the players lean into their secret identities, that might make for fewer opportunities for them to get to know a 'normal' Ileosa before Kazavon gets his fangs in her.

So, yeah, lots I'm still going back and forth on, so if anyone has suggestions, advice, or ideas--whether on any of the specifics I've named, or more generally on running gestalt games or tailoring the story more towards superhero genre conventions, I would love to hear it!

So, there's this idea that's been in my head for a while, of running a gestalt-style campaign where all the players take Vigilante levels on one side of their build, really lean into a 'party as superhero team' idea. Having recently wrapped up a long term campaign, and now getting the itch to DM again, I'm trying to decide what the right AP to use for the concept would be. The various urban campaigns--Curse of the Crinson Throne, Hell's Rebels, and War for the Crown--seem like obvious choices, but if the party's going full four-color heroics, there might be something to a more gonzo tale with higher stakes. Curious if the community has any opinions, suggestions, or advice!

Since the Yellow Sign spell functions similarly to Symbol of Death, does it inherit Symbol of Death's HP limit for how many creatures it can affect on activation?

I'm running a Strange Aeons game on Roll20, and we're starting What Grows Within next session. Does anyone have suggestions for battlemaps I could use for some of the semi-random encounters in the streets of Neruzavin, like the ambushes by Seeded creatures, or the fungal Juggernauts?

So, my group is just starting in on Dreams of the Yellow King, and I need a bit of advice to plan for the final encounter. I've already got stats for the Nightmare PCs--except that I've also just taken on a new player, whose character is unconnected with the amnesia backstory. Since his memories we're never sacrificed, he presumably wouldn't have a Nightmare doppelganger. Any suggestions on how I should adjust the final encounter to account for his presence?

So, my players have just fled the grounds of Iris Hill to rest after clearing the outbuildings and the first floor of the manor. Iris Hill was already on alert for the PCs before this first sally, after Risi escaped a failed attempt to kidnap them. I'm looking for advice on how Melissen will respond to the intrusion. She had pulled some of her forces back to her inner sanctum already, to guard against the PCs teleporting right into her midst via Star Stelae, and will probably want to maintain at least some of that guard.

Forces she has remaining:
* A Deep One Hybrid witch ally (expanding on the character of Lysie Brilt in the Thrushmoor Gazetteer)
* Her Byakhee
* Weiralai
* Risi Nairgon
* The Keeper of the Yellow Sign
* Rumatri the Penanggalen
* The Manananggal was forced to flee by Chill Touch-induced panic, but could likely return
* The Star Vampire
* Two kuru thugs
* Two cultists (plus as many as may be secretly out and about in Thrushmoor)

One thing I've considered is if she should make an open attack on Thrushmoor while the PCs are resting outside town, trying to gather up as many sacrifices as she can in one fell swoop, and thin her forces a bit from that effort. Or just a hunting party that (coincidentally) only catches up to the PCs after they've had the chance to rest?

Thoughts?

So, reloading requires a free hand. Weapons lke bows have the 1+H quality, indicating they take two hands to fire, but you can freely use one of those hands in between shots for reloading. Crossbows, excepting hand crossbows, are 2H weapons as well as having the Reload quality, meaning they take one or more actions to reload. Since they lack the 1+H quality, does this mean that you need to spend actions on shifting your grip as well as on the reloading itself?

So, reloading requires a free hand. Weapons lke bows have the 1+H quality, indicating they take two hands to fire, but you can freely use one of those hands in between shots for reloading. Crossbows, excepting hand crossbows, are 2H weapons as well as having the Reload quality, meaning they take one or more actions to reload. Since they lack the 1+H quality, does this mean that you need to spend actions on shifting your grip as well as on the reloading itself?

Relatively few of a Paladin's Class Feats are actually contingent on keeping to the Code, and there are very few levels where a Feat that would be lost if the Paladin falls is oyour only option (and those are easily covered with Multiclassing feats). So you can play a Paladin of any alignment who completely ignores the Code, and you'll give up Lay on Hands and a magic mount/shield/weapon, but you'll still be able to have Divine Grace add to your saving throws, gan angelic wings at high level, have various bolstering divine auras, and sense the presence of Evil. Even the feats that add an extra tenet to the Code remain useful, since their mechanical effect (with the exception of the Oath of Vengeace) is to increase the usefulness of Retributive Strike against a certain class of enemy.

On the whole, I think this is a feature rather than a bug, but there it is.

Let this be a place where all and sundry can propose and get feedback on ideas for Favored Class Bonuses for race/class combos that Paizo hasn't given any love yet.

FOr myself, I've particularly been thinking about further reinforcing the obvious synergy between Reptoid and Mesmerist. Would a 1/6 boost to the Mental Potency bonus be too powerful, do you think?

So, I hope to start running a Strange Aeons game in the near future, and my prospective players seem to be in agreement on a somewhat ambitious project to reinforce the hook of the fugue state (and perhaps ease the burden on the newer players to some degree). To that end, I've spent the day brainstorming some character concepts, and I think I've come up with an interesting assortment that should give my players a good selection--but many use concepts I haven't played around with too much yet, so any advice the forum can give me would be greatly appreciated. Especially as, in addition to the 1st level sheets I'll be letting players choose from, I also need to prepare their seventh level nightmare duplicates.

The concepts are as follows, and I'm aiming to build them on a 15 point buy:

1) Halfling Kineticist beginning with an Aether focus. Purchased by Lowls in Okeno, serving as his porter (because Lowls is exactly the sort of man who would want the novelty of his cases being telekinetically carried), and possibly as an agent when he needed rare esoterica illicitly acquired. Looking at Twitchy as the campaign trait, and would likely tie him to the equipment hidden at the pier--preparations for an escape plan he never got to enact before the ritual.
2) Reptoid Mesmerist. Maybe I'm being too clever for my own good here, but I'm thinking of trying a 'format screw' here. When she awakens from the fugue state, she's in her human form, and has no idea that she isn't, in fact, human, and the sheet would reflect that. The player might notice they've got some unusual abilities, and I'll drop hints like stressing that they're feeling more sensitive to the temperature than the others and such. Build-wise, I was thinking that Reptoid ability scores might suggest having some melee capability in addition to a stare/casting focus, but I'm not sure that giving up Touch Treatment to go Vexing Daredevil would be the best choice for a party that's going to be by design lacking in full casters, making condition removal effects perhaps more valuable. Likely has Enduring Stoicism for her campaign trait to reflect the odd workings of her reptilian brain.
3) Human Occultist of Kellid descent--mixing a bit of savage pagan tradition into his scholarship reinforces starting him off melee focused with Transmutation and Abjuration implements. Thinking of making him a Haunt Collector, encouraging the player to take a Haunted Conjuration implement with a Champion Spirit at level 2. He was a bodyguard and occult adviser for Lowls, and Red Destiny was likely one of his implements. May have worshiped Tsathoggua, given Kellid ties to the Old Cults and short swords being Father Night's favored weapon. Campaign Trait: Ritualistic or Methodical Mind.
4) Half-Elf Investigator. I can't quite decide if I should run with the Empiricist or Psychic Detective archetype for this one. Formerly employed with the Sleepless Agency, he fell in with Lowls' research while pursuing the mystery of a period of missing time in his memory--the result of being mind-swapped with a Yithian during the period.
5) Pitborn Tiefling Spiritualist with the Fractured Mind archetype. This is one where the flavor of the archetype rather makes me want her pre-fugue self to be a different class--now manifesting a fragment of that self as a Phantom. Perhaps a summoner, the ordeal of the sacrifice unmooring her from her Eidolon? In any event, I'd like her to be able to mix it up in combat directly alongside her Phantom, having been one of Lowls' more brutal and sadistic thugs pre-fugue, with the Pugnacious campaign trait. But now, that abyssal fury is split off from her to be embodied as her Phantom.
6) Human Bard of Varisian descent--again, uncertain of the archetype, currently considering Archivist, Studious Librarian, or perhaps Archaeologist. A Desna devotee employed for her scholarship on the Dreamlands, she failed to realize until too late the influence the forces of the Dark Tapestry had over Lowls--and while she can no longer *remember* the error, Desna's influence ensures she knows that she made one which must be corrected. Campaign Trait-Driven by Guilt or Foe of the Strange.
7) Ancient-Born (Nosferatu-descended) Dhampir Inquisitor of Saerenrae. Bitter and cynical from an outcast life, he had fallen in with a cult of Nyarlathotep and aided Lowls' research in pursuit of Nyarly's interest in provoking humanity to self-destructive action. Caught in the backlash of his success and now unable to remember those actions--nor the years of isolation that made him the monster he was--he has a Saerenrae-granted opportunity at redemption. Thinking of giving him the Birthmark trait along with the True Devotion campaign trait. Of course, when he gets the chance to see his patient records, he'll see he didn't have the 'birthmark' when admitted, and while the holy symbol that he finds in his personal effects is an ankh, it's rather more sinister-looking than a Sarenite ankh--and it appears to be hung upside down.

Thanks much for all your help in advance, everyone!

I hope to gather a group to begin Strange Aeons in the near future--and to that end, I wanted to ask the forum's general advice on how to handle the Whisper Out of Time, which despite lots of *really* cool stuff seems to be a notably weak link in an otherwise excellent Adventure Path. Much digital ink has already been spilled on how the conclusion to the explorations of the Mysterium can seem anti-climactic, with little necessarily encouraging the PCs to face the Keeper and receive the final vision--and at that, the question of why Kaklatath had to first direct them to the Mysterium and only then obliquely tell them to find her in Okeno. Even more has been noted about how the assault on Biting Lash's fortress seems less than challenging for a group of 12th level characters, and how all the dealings with gnolls and Okeno in general seem perhaps a bit out of theme.

Whisper Out of Time is also where a potential problem I see with the thread of mystery driving the chase after Lowls could come to a distinct head. To wit, it seems like it would be rather easy for PCs to get ahead of themselves so far as their next destination, or perhaps feel like they're getting the same information over and over. In Thrushmoor Terror, they find a map of Lowl's route at least as far as Katheer, and a note from Miacknian Mun explicitly identifying that Lowls is after the Necronomicon in Katheer's Mysterium. This is also the major revelation from the Mad Poet in the Dreamlands--though the return of the PCs memories and perhaps the revelation that Lowls specifically seeks Neruzavin should keep that from feeling like a waste. But given that Lowls has a notable head start, it seems fairly likely that the PCs might be tempted to try and bypass the boat journey to Cassomir (and thus, the whole wonderful Dreams of the Yellow King) or even go directly to Katheer. And if they do go to Cassomir and search Mun's residence, they could find clues pointing to Biting Lash in Okeno and try to skip ahead there to intercept Lowls.

In short, I feel like I need to get a very solid handle on what clues should come where and what adaptations I need to make to Whisper Out of Time, and I hope the forum can advise me!

I've got a druid player asking if he can use his Wild Shape to turn into an animal which has had the Dire Template applied to it. As I recall, the general rule is that you can't Wild Shape into templated creatures, but he argues that many valid Wild Shape forms are already at least effectively templated creatures, and that due to Pathfinder's polymorph nerfs, the only bonus he would get from the Dire Template is making a creature a particular size for Wild Shape purposes. What say you, forumites?

What other GMs have/are planning to implement special rules and restrictions on character creation to better fit the Lovecraftian themes? I'm considering a 15 point buy and disallowing both full casters and full BAB classes, leaving a core of 3/4 BAB, 6th level casters which includes some of the best thematic fits like Investigators, Alchemists, Inquisitors, Bards, and the Occult classes. I'm also tempted to simply pregenerate characters to take best advantage of the amnesia subplot

I think I also remember seeing somewhere around here someone had devised a subsystem where points were allocated to determine things like how badly they were still reeling from the fugue state when they awoke, how much starting gear they actually had on them and such.

I'm eager to hear everyone's thoughts and schemes!

Can Wall of Force be shaped into a circle?

In a couple sessions, my players will probably be reaching enough Scrapworth to be summoned to a duel with Helskarg, so I'm trying to brush up on the Vehicle Rules to make sure it's as memorable an encounter as it should be. I'd appreciate any advice that forumites have on vehicle combat in general and running Helskarg in particular. A couple questions off the top of my head--by my reading, the Ogres get cover from attacks from outside the chariot, even though they're just harnessed to the thing. is that accurate? Also, are there any rules for damaging somebody by dragging them behind your chariot, as Helskarg's main tactic would seem to be?

Am I the only one who sometimes looks at Golarion and thinks it would be coherent, even improved if, instead of sort of Renaissance era, it was sort of Victorian/Industrial Rvolution? Lots of setting elements have always struck me as inclined that way, given Paizo's affinity for Pulp. Action-adventure Egyptology in Osirion, colonialism in Sargava and the Mwangi Expanse, the Wild (make that Weird) West in Alkenstar...not to mention lots of the fashion choices in the art. Maybe it was just the analogies to Fagin in the character of Gaedren Lamm in Curse of the Crimson Throne, but Korvosa always made me think of Dickensian London. Plus of course, Gunslinger--and to a lesser extent, Investigator--fit better in that general time period.

Anyone ever toyed around with this? To what extent do mechanics and setting details need to be altered for this sort of theme?

Now, generally, my preferred fix for Gunslingers and firearms is to use the Heroes of Alvena ruleset, where, among other things, they don't target touch AC. But it occurs to me--if one took it as a design girl that guns *do*interact with AC specially, perhaps instead of touch, they should target Flat-Footed AC?

The thing is, while guns do have significant penetrative power, so do crossbows, even longbows for that matter, and armorb of some form, be it an elephant or rhino's tough hide, full plate against early firearms, or a Kevlar vest, armor of some stripe has and does often stop small arms fire. What doesn't happen in real life is *dodging* bullets, as they generally move with an excessive amount of velocity.

From a game balance perspective, hitting Flat-footed is generally a lot less impressive than hitting touch. In some cases, it's everything, while in others it can be literally nothing.

Thoughts?

It's deeply unfortunate that 'Batman' has become the title for the Wizards and other Tier 1 casters who have an answer for everything. Really, Batman should be what we strive for martials to be--by dint of sheer training, skill, relentless determination, and, yes, some gear and gadgets to make up the difference, becoming a force to be reckoned with, despite having no true superpowers of his own. Now, Paizo has touched on this design space with the Slayer, and they're clearly trying to fairly directly emulate Batman with the Vigilante, especially the Stalker specialization. But the more and more I think about it, the more it occurs to me. Perhaps the simplest Batman is smashing the Fighter and the Rogue together wholesale. Especially if things like Stamina and Skill Unlocks from Unchained are in the mix, a gestalt Fighter/Rogue has a fairly vast array of mundane tricks at his disposal, and could bring the concept of a highly trained and adaptable combat generalist to a higher tier.

Some of my biggest concerns:
* Is it too much? I don't think it's by that much if so, but I can certainly see, for example, that a Fighte R's already solid damage output may not need full sneak attack in the mix.
* Of more concern, while the stealth ability Rogues bring to the table are sensible for the Batman concept, it may not be what everyone wants out of it. On the one hand, one need not take the skills if they're not of interest, but it may be appropriate to make plans for archetypes and alternate class features.
* Might want to move Rogue Dex-to-Damage from an auto-get to a trick or feat?

What does everyone else think? Should one just stick to the Slayer for this sort of concept? For some further context, I've been digging for a while on the idea of a campaign with no arcane or divine magic, but heavily employing Dreamscarred Psionics and Path of War--but I also like the idea of a class with a customizable chassis like feats every level. Hire do you think this would stack up in such an environment?

A place for me to ask various questions about Unchained in one place.

1) The Automatic Bonus Progression rules state: "Any weapon, armor, or shield special abilities on attuned items count against a character’s
enhancement bonus from attunement. To determine an attuned magic item’s enhancement bonus, subtract the cost of its special ability from the enhancement bonus granted by attunement. (This applies only to special abilities whose cost is equivalent to an enhancement bonus, not to those that cost a flat amount of gold pieces.) For example, if a character with a +3 enhancement bonus from weapon attunement wields a keen scimitar, she subtracts 1 point of her enhancement bonus (for the cost of keen), leaving her with a +2 keen scimitar. If a character doesn’t have enough of an enhancement bonus to afford the special ability (such as a 4th-level character with a vorpal longsword), she can still use the weapon’s power on its own, but the weapon gains no enhancement bonus."

Am I reading this correctly? Under this system it's impossible to have a +10 equivalent weapon? Even at 20th level, a weapon with a +5 ability will never have any Enhancement bonuses to hit?

Relatedly, how does Automatic Bonus Progression interact with ability's like a Paladin's Divine Bond or a Magus' Arcane Pool which can add temporary enhancements to a weapon?

2) Rank 10 Acrobatics Skill Unlock: "With a successful DC 20 Acrobatics check, you treat an unintentional fall as 10 feet shorter plus 10 feet for every 10 by which you exceed the DC, and treat an intentional fall as 10 feet shorter for every 10 by which you exceed the DC."

Doesn't this make it easier to reduce the damage from an unintentional fall than an intentional one, effectively a DC 30 for the latter?

3) Under the Skill Groups option, is it intended that selecting the Scholarly Group means a character is trained in *every* type of Craft and Profession skill, and the Social group means you are trained in every type of Performance? Certainly, it won't break the game, but it does seem a little odd, and the only part of the Skill Groups system that makes me a little leery.

There's been a lot of talk lately about the Eldritch Guardian, which is a very fine and flavorful fighter. But for my money, the coolest thing from the Familiar Folio is the Spirit Binder wizard. It hasn't passed wholly without comment, but it hasn't gotten the same level of attention. As I totally want to play one at the next opportunity, I thought I'd make a thread specifically for them.

The basics are clear enough--your dead loved one should have been a paladin or perhaps a Ranger, for full BAB and two good saves. Mauler is an obvious archetype choice, but if you wish to be able to communicate with your loved one's spirit, what other archetypes work? Valet for Teamwork Feats in addition to the feats you give it at 5th, 10th, etc.? There's something flavorful to Figment, perhaps, but is it any good?

What feats should you give the Familiar, since it only gets a handful--though still more than a normal familiar, of course. Thematically, it would be great for them to be feats a Paladin or Ranger might have taken in life.

Also--Spirit Binder Familiars are noted to be able to be of any alignment, even those diametrically opposed to the Spirit Binder. How does this interact with the alignment requirements for taking various Improved Familiars?

I've had bouncing around in my head for a while the idea of reordering what various casters use as their casting stat, to improve thematics. To wit:

Charisma based magic is based on dealing with another being who grants you power. Summoners and Paladins still use it, but now Clerics and Witches are Charisma based as well. Bards also keep Charisma--their magic is based on performance and deception--of others, or the universe itself.

Wisdom is still keyed to Druids, as their nature magic isn't tied to any kind of a pact, so much as a deep understanding of the natural world. It is now also the key start of Sorcerers and Oracles, whose magic is inherent to them and cast on instinct.

Wizards and Magi maintain Int-based casting, representing focused formal study in magical theory.

Not something I've ever tried to implement, just something knocking about in my head. Thoughts?

I'm about to begin running Iron Gods, with the first session two days from now. To that end, I'm soliciting ideas on wags of foreshadowing Unity's end goal and bringing more to the forefront the fact that Ozmyn Zaidow is a puppet of Unity, neither of which are made very explicit in the adventure itself, as opposed to DM knowledge.

I recall seeing someone post an idea about the Technic League constructing broadcast towers to carry Unity's signal, for example. Perhaps Zaidow might be conducting experiments in cybernetic brainwashing, and have some programmed fanatics as guards. Probably Zaidow and perhaps a handful of other League Captains should have holy symbols of Unity.

What are your suggestions?

So my understanding is that tech firearms generally expend a charge for each shot made--so the more iteratives you have, the faster you need to put a new battery in your laser pistol. This leads me to a question about the Techslinger archetype's Covet Charge Deed:

"At 1st level, a techslinger can spend 1 grit point to use 1 charge fewer than normal when firing a technological weapon (minimum 0), as long as the weapon has enough charges remaining to be fired at least once. This deed replaces deadeye."

I'm uncertain as to whether the wording allows a Techslinger to spend that grit on every one of his iteratives if he likes--thus allowing an 11th level Techslinger to never lose charges on a tech firearm by way of the Signature Deed feat--or if the wording is intended to make one point of grit apply to an entire attack sequence, such that a Techslinger with Signature Deed (Covet Charge) would always expend charges equal to n-1, where n is 'number of attacks made'.

I would *like* to believe the former, but I worry it's too good to be true. On the other hand, the latter seems a bit underwhelming.

Having recently finished my initial readthrough of the ACG, I see no reason whatsoever that Swashbucklers should be consigned to a vastly worse version of Divine Grace. I'm making an executive decision that in any game I run, Charmed Life and Divine Grace will simply be two names for the same ability. This does, however, leave gaps in a Swashbuckler's level progression a 6th, 10th, 14th, and 18th level. Does anyone have suggestions for what could fill those newly dead levels?

Has anyone put all the exploration maps from the various books together as one large map? I'm just going to be starting my players into Varnhold Vanishing soon, so I need to figure out where that map goes in relation to the Greenbelt.

The finale of Jade Regent is effectively a war to reclaim the throne of Minkai; it would seem the perfect opportunity to employ Ultimate Campaign's Mass Combat rules; my players seem very jazzed about the possibility of leading armies, and a friend has sent me some suggestions for opposing armies for them to face. My questions for the forum are threefold:

1st) Do those who have run a lot of mass combats have any advice for a GM new to them on pitfalls to avoid, alterations to make, and other ways to make the experience as excellent as possible?

2nd) Mass Combat rules, particularly logistics and the growth of the army, are closely tied to Kingdom Building rules. Does anyone have advice on decoupling the two?

3rd) I've incorporated the Ruby Phoenix Tournament into my games, and as it approaches its conclusion, I need to decide on a prize for the players. My current thought is an artifact which will provide bonuses to Mass Combat--a powerful boon to characters intending a revolution, but which would not meaningfully affect individual power level. Any advice on what would be appropriate powers for such an item?

Thanks all for your assistance!

I'm building a gang of Thundercallers for my party to tangle with, and I wanted to clarify a rule. All messageboard posts I've found on the Thundercaller have been concerning their Sound Burst performance, but I'm curious about their ability to Call Lightning. Namely, someone who casts the spell the performance is based in needs to spend a Standard action to call down each bolt. The performance, on the other hand, reads "The lightning storm lasts for as long as she continues her performance, calling down one bolt of lightning per round."

Since continuing a Bardic Performance is a free action, that reads to me that, so long as the Tundercaller keeps spending rounds of performance, the bolt happens automatically each round. Am I misunderstanding?

I'm looking into adding mythic ranks to some monsters that don't already have Mythic conversions done for me. To that end, I'm trying to deconstruct some of the existing conversions to get a better understanding of the process. I'm currently looking at the Mythic Nalfeshnee, since it's similar in power and concept to the monsters I'm converting (similarly CRed evil outsiders).

Now the table tells me, when I give a monster 7 mythic ranks, as with the Nalfeshnee, it gets 8 mythic abilities (MR+1). I'm having trouble accounting for them all on the Nalfeshnee. Two are called out--Demonic Knowledge and Touch of Chaos. It also appears to have gained Fast Healing, the ability to make a Steal maneuver when it hits with its claws, and it appears that adding its tier to initiative would fall into this category, as not all Mythic monsters share that trait. That still leaves three abilities unaccounted for. Do several of these count as two?

Can the Aurora Borealis created by a Starsoul sorcerer be created in a circle? The ability reads:

"Aurora Borealis (Sp): At 9th level, you can create a sheet of cascading colors. This power acts as a wall of fire, but it inflicts cold damage and does not radiate heat. However, one side of the aurora designated by you fascinates creatures within 10 feet, up to a maximum of 2 HD of creatures per sorcerer level. A Will save negates this fascinate effect. The save DC is equal to 10 + 1/2 your sorcerer level + your Charisma modifier. You may use this ability for a number of rounds per day equal to your sorcerer level. These rounds do not need to be consecutive."

Is 'sheet' to be taken as flavor text, or as a specific rule overriding the fact that it otherwise functions as Wall of Fire, which can be made circular?

By my estimates, my group is going to finally finish crossing the Crown of the World in the next 2 or 3 sessions, so it's time I kicked my planning into high gear for Forest of Spirits. One thing I know for sure is that I want to run the Ruby Phoenix Tournament. Nothing says 'Welcome to the Orient' like a martial arts tournament, plus, I've statted up some Avatar-inspired teams to it them against, and running the tournament will allow me to abbreviate the long slog of the Pagoda of Withered Blossoms/Munuskaru's Penance. But I'm definitely going to have to do some integration work.

Currently, my idea is to have the tournament occur during their stay in Hongal, with Prince Batashaikar recruiting them to replace a team he had sponsored--whether on an idle whim after the outlanders impress him when he requests their entertainment, or because some 'accident' has befallen them--most likely, there's a prize in the Ruby Phoenix's horde that the Five Storms want, and their agents are working to rig the tournament. Perhaps the item in question can be tied to the Pagoda and Munuskaru in some way, to tie the adventure together. That way, I can still play up Batashaikar's caprice, and even if the PCs feel uncomfortable, Miyaro can show up to give them an idea of what's going on, and explain why they need to win the tournament. But what item would that be, precisely? Maybe something which would allow entrance to the Pagoda of Withered Blossoms? Perhaps Munuskaru was not simply abandoned, but left with the instructions to breed an army to rise up and support the Five Storms once their plan comes to fruition? I suppose the prize I point the PCs too, and the one the Five Storms are trying to acquire need not necessarily be the same.

As to the setting of the tournament itself, it could be analogous to the Olympics, with different nations of Tien Xia hosting every year. But one idea I've been playing with is the concept that it's actually held on a demiplane created for the purposes of testing would-be champions.

Thoughts, anyone? Any suggestions for the tournament, or for how best to abbreviate Munuskaru's Penance?

My group will be arriving at Dead Man's Dome in our next session, but I'm not really sure how to run it, since I'm not using Caravan combat rules. Has anyone else encountered this same problem? Any advice? Should I simply run it as straight combat with a boatload of hoarfrost spirits and frostfallen creatures? I don't suppose with the advent of Rasputin Must Die! that anyone's created troop statblocks for a gang of undead? Should I stat the Dead Man up as a ghost fighter or samurai, or simply as a souped up Spiritual Ally?

So, Wrath of the Righteous is designed to be a Mythic path, and there's already been a lot of discussion about turning Reign of Winter mythic, since it was coming out as Mythic Rules were firming up, and brings in a taste of them in the backmatter of the final adventure. But I'm sure there are other Paths in which an adaptation to Mythic rules would be very thematically appropriate. Which ones do you think would be a good fit?

The one that leaps instantly to mind for me would be Jade Regent. I'm too far into my current game of it to incorporate mythic now, but the epic scope of the journey really lends itself to mythic storytelling. The discovery of the Amatatsu seal would be the moment of ascension,thePCs invested not only with the right to rule, but with a spark of power and inspiration from Shizuru to vanquish those who have sought to pervert the divine mandates that have guided Minkai. Also, this would allow making the evil rulers in the Well of Demons and Anamuromon more powerful and unique than standard members of their creature types, whether with class levels (possibly with Mythic tiers), or Mythic ranks, which would be incredibly flavorful. Anamuromon should be more than a standard wind yai with non-standard equipment!

Kingmaker has some interesting potential, particularly given the nature of the final module, though I think this one might be a case where the PCs would face Mythic foes without necessarily becoming Mythic themselves. Instead of a giant owlbear, they might well be facing The First Owlbear in the second module.

Curse of the Crimson throne...probably not so much. I might make Ileosa mythic, though I'd be as likely to say gaining mythic tiers would be the result of her successfully completing her blood ritual. The cursed creature guarding Serithtial might also have Mythic Ranks, having been directly transformed into that state by Zon-Kuthon. If I did make the PCs mythic, they wouldn't gain many tiers. Appropriate places to gain tiers might be the defeat of the Cult of Urgathoa, the recovery of Serithtial, and recapturing Castle Korvosa for the rebellion.

The Oracle of Stone's Clobbering Strike Revelation allows him to make an automatic trip attempt anytime he hits with a spell that requires an attack roll. I presume that means spells where you make an attack roll when you cast the spell, and not attacks with a weapon granted by a spell, such as Magic Stone? What about Spiritual Weapon, which creates a weapon which attacks on its own as part of the spell?

Say you're a monk who wears an Amulet of Mighty Fists which makes your unarmed strike Flaming. Say you then take the Elemental Fist feat, and choose to use it to deal fire damage. The text of Elemental Fist reads "...On a successful hit, the attack deals damage normally plus 1d6 points of damage of the chosen type."

In this event, your attack normally deals (assuming you're 11th level) 1d10+Str+1d6 fire. With Elemental Fist, would it be 1d10+Str+2d6 fire? Or would you have to choose a different element, and deal 1d10+Str+1d6 fire+1d6 electric?

The summoner in my game tried out his Maker's Call ability for the first time the other night, and we found ourselves disagreeing over whether the eidolon could act after the ability is used. For reference:

"Maker’s Call (Su)

At 6th level, as a standard action, a summoner can call his eidolon to his side. This functions as dimension door, using the summoner’s caster level. When used, the eidolon appears adjacent to the summoner (or as close as possible if all adjacent spaces are occupied). If the eidolon is out of range, the ability is wasted. The summoner can use this ability once per day at 6th level, plus one additional time per day for every four levels beyond 6th."

My argument: Dimension door prevents you from acting after using it, and Maker's Cal makes no statement of exception.

His argument: Other people who travel through a dimension door with a caster are not disoriented and can act normally. Since he's 'casting', the eidolon is 'just passing through', even though it's the only one using the dimension door effect.

Thoughts?

I've got a character creation session upcoming for Rise of the Runelords, and the character I'm most leaning towards is an Archaeologist Bard, primarily focused on using a whip to inflict combat maneuvers on enemies from a safe distance away. But first I've got to figure out how to allocate my pretty starkly limited feats. Lingering Performance is a must to really get maximum mileage out of Archaeologist's Luck. I need to take the Whip Mastery line at least to the second feat, which will require Weapon Focus to qualify. Improved and Greater Disarm and Trip are four feats necessary to keep my CMB up to snuff, and further require Combat Expertise for a prerequisite. And Skill Focus (Disable Device) would be awfully nice to make up for the lack of it being an actual class skill. Any advice would be most welcome.

For reference, it's a 20 point buy game. I'm currently thinking a human with a point spread something like

Str: 14+2=16
Dex: 14
Con: 12
Int: 14
Wis: 8
Cha 14

Mounted Skirmisher allows a rider to makea full attack in the same round his mount moves, provide it moves a distance no further than its speed. Presumably this would allow the rider to charge while mounted and make a full attack.

Ride-By Attack reads as follows: "When you are mounted and use the charge action, you may move and attack as if with a standard charge and then move again (continuing the straight line of the charge). Your total movement for the round can't exceed double your mounted speed. You and your mount do not provoke an attack of opportunity from the opponent that you attack."

Does this mean that, if you have both feats, and your charge distance does not exceed your mounted speed, you can make full-attacks with Ride-By attack?

I know, my title must seem like I'm in the mouth of madness, but hear me out:

I've often found the monk's situational BAB somewhat irksome. I can see the appeal, but I also feel like, since it boosts their base attack for everything except standard action attacks, one might as well give them a full BAB. And yet, irksome as I find it, I think it has a conceptual appeal for the other weakest class in D&D, the rogue.

What if we made an addition to the sneak attack line, stating that the rogue used a full attack bonus when attacking an opponent he flanks, who is denied their Dexterity bonus, or who is suffering from an impairing condition such as sickened? It seems to me it would further encourage rogues to fight dirty, prey on the weak, and take advantage of positioning, and give them a boost in combat even when they can't bring their bonus damage into play.

Too much? Not enough? Solving the wrong problem?

I'm setting up a campaign right now, and would like to make the Hound Master Cavalier available to my players. Unfortunately, the links I have to it don't seem to be working. Is there still a place I can find the write-up?

So, I'm in the planning stages for a campaign I intend to run, and I'm putting together write-ups for the various races; I got to Tieflings, and took a look at the Fiendish Heritage feat, intending to decouple its effects from the feat, and simply make it an option Tieflings choose at character creation. But in looking it over, I realized many of the ability score bonuses associated with specific fiendish heritage seemed a little arbitrary.

For example, demon-spawn tieflings get +2 Strength, +2 Charisma, and -2 Intelligence. That mostly works, but succubi aside, the bonus to Charisma seems a little out of place. Especially when juxtaposed with Devil-Spawn tieflings, who get+2 Constitution, +2 Wisdom, and -2 Charisma. The defining modus operandi of devil-kind is trickery, deceit, temptation, and lopsided deals. The mental stats I associate with them are Intelligence and Charisma, not Wisdom--and it certainly doesn't seem kosher for the average devil-spawn tiefling to have 4 fewer points of Charisma than the average demon-spawn tiefling.

Then there's oni-spawn tieflings. +2 to Strength is fair enough...but since oni are known for trickery, disguise, and hedonism, +2 Wisdom, -2 Charisma seems exactly the inverse of what it should be.

Anyone else share these sentiments? Anyone have suggestions for changes?

The 3rd level Brutal Slash ability of the Sword Saint Samurai archetype in the Dragon Empires Primer claims to replace the samurai ability 'Mounted Charge'. Except that isn't a samurai ability. Is it meant to replace their 4th level Mounted Archer ability (and come a level early, at that), or to replace the normal 3rd level Samurai ability Weapon Expertise?

I'm looking at equipping a Huge giant with a Lucerne Hammer; one of these sized for a medium creature does 1d12 damage. There are a few other weapons in this category, most notably the Greataxe.

The hitch: 1d12 is nowhere to be found on the damage die progression by size given under Improved Natural Attack. I have no idea how big a damage die a Large Lucerne Hammer does, let alone a Huge one. Does anyone know?

Are the bonuses to AC and ability scores provided by the Giant template in addition to or instead of the ones listed in the Size changes table? The table lists Medium to Large as providing +8 Str, -2 Dex, +4 Con, and +2 Natural Armor. The template tells me to give a Giant creature +4 Str and Con, -2 Dex, and +3 natural armor, and to increase the creature's size one step. Does that mean that a normally Medium creature with the Giant template gets +12 Str, -4 Dex, +8 Con, and +5 natural armor over its normally sized counterpart?

General question: Since double weapons are wielded in two hands when attacking with both ends, if you Power Attack while TWF, do you get the -1/+3 benefit as if it was two handed? If so, does it apply to both ends?

Specific question: I'm in the midst of converting Curse of the Crimson Throne into Pathfinder for my home group, and I'm working on Krojun right now. Krojun has a feat called Thunder and Fang which allows him to dual wield an Earth Breaker (a normally two-handed weapon) with a Klar, treating them as a double weapon. What bonuses does he use when he Power Attacks with this combination?

I was looking over all the info on the Sunken Queen and Runelord Sorshen provided in the final part of the adventure, and a couple things popped out at me:

1) The Sunken Queen was built to require Fly spells to get around--Transmutation magic, in other words.
2) Ileosa used the Everdawn Pool, the masterstroke of Sorshen's magic, to create Dread Wraiths--a Necromantic effect.

Problem: as the Runelord of Lust, Sorshen was completely incapable of using Transmutation or Necromancy.

Anyone have an explanation for this?

These days, when I'm bored, I make conversions. I decided to turn Nualia into an Antipaladin for the heck of it. (Yes, a somewhat questionable decision by the RAW, since Nualia, being formerly dedicated to Desna, could not have been a Paladin before her fall. But I figured Lamashtu would be just as happy to turn Cleric of Desna levels into Antipaladin levels, given their rivalry.) I'm pretty proud of the result. Is it maybe too good?

Nualia
CE Female Aasimar Antipaladin 6 [Medium Outsider (Native)]
Initiative -1 Senses: Darkvision 60 ft., Perception +5
Auras: Cowardice (All enemies within 10 ft take a -4 to saves vs. fear, or lose fear immunity)

Defense
AC 15 (+6 Armor, -1 Dex), Touch 9, Flat-footed 15
When smiting, gains a +4 deflection bonus
HP 53 (6d10+18)
Fort +11 Ref +5 Will +12
Defensive Abilities Unholy Resilience, Plague Bringer (Immune to the negative effects of diseases)
Resist Acid 5, Cold 5, Electricity 5

Offense
Spd. 20 ft. (Reduced from 30 ft. base speed by armor)
Melee +1 [Keen] Bastard Sword +9(1d10+8/17-20) and
Claw +2 (1d6+5)
Ranged Composite longbow +5 (1d8+3/x3)
Special Attacks: Smite Good (1/day, gain a +4 to AC and attack rolls, and +6 against a single Good target for the duration of the encounter), Channel Negative Energy (3d6 in a 30 ft. burst; Will save DC 17 for half; consumes 2 uses of Touch of Corruption), Touch of Corruption (7/day touch attack for 3d6 damage. DC 17 Fort save, or be Shaken or Staggered at Nualia’s option)
Special Abilities: Aura of Evil, Detect Good, Fiendish Boon (As a standard action, Nualia may add Flaming, Keen, or Vicious to a weapon she wields for 1 minute.)
Spell Like Abilities: Daylight 1/day
Spells
1st—Cause Fear (DC 15), Murderous Command (DC 15)

Tactics
Before Combat: When Nualia knows combat is imminent, she employs Fiendish Boon to make her Bastard Sword Keen, the better to rip her foes asunder for the glory of her Mother.

During Combat: Nualia activates her Sihedron Medallion as a free action to gain the benefits of a False Life spell on the first round of combat. She tag-teams with her Yeth Hound with ruthless efficiency; she particularly enjoys using her Touch of Corruption to leave foes Shaken, so that the hound’s Sinister Bite can leave them cowering. Nualia prefers to use her Smite against clerics or paladins, against whom she doubles her smite damage on the Bastard Sword blow. If the party contains an Aasimar or a cleric of Desna, this reminder of her past drives Nualia into a rage; she will attack such a party member to the exclusion of all other targets. She employs Power Attack on every blow unless hitting proves routinely difficult; this preference is reflected in her stat block.

Morale: Nualia fights to the death.

Statistics
Str 16 Dex 8 Con 14 Int 10 Wis 16 Cha 18
BAB +6 CMB +9 CMD 18
Feats Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Bastard Sword),Lamashtu’s Mark, Power Attack, Weapon Focus (Bastard Sword)
Skills Diplomacy +4, Intimidate +13, Knowledge (Religion) +9, Perception +5
Languages Abyssal, Common, Celestial, Goblin
Gear +1 Breastplate, +1 Bastard Sword, Sihedron Medallion, Mwk Composite Longbow with 20 arrows, Holy Symbol of Lamashtu (valued at 100 gp for its materials), 7 pp, 5 gp

It struck me just recently that the Summoner would probably make considerably more sense as a class if it was adapted into a psionic class using the Psionics Unleashed rules. It's never quite made sense to me that the Eidolon is an extraplanar creature when it has no apparent home plane that you can travel to, doesn't necessarily look like any known creature, and can be altered by the Summoner. That gap in fluff goes away immediately if the Summoner is psionic, and literally unleashing Monsters From the Id. Does anyone have suggestions to help make this adaptation?

Just ran the Harrow Deck of Many Things the other day, and Trinia (the party Paladin's Cohort and lover) drew the Vision, meaning she will receive two prophetic visions. One is true, and one lies, but she has no idea which is which. Trouble is, I haven't the foggiest idea what to make either one of them. Anyone have any suggestions?