Tendentious's page

The Dance of Ruin ability requires 3 actions and states "The Vrock dances in flight..."

Does that mean that a Vrock must be flying to use the ability? If so then the Vrock will automatically fall after using Dance of Ruin as it doesn't have any spare actions use a Fly action to hover.

This reading doesn't make much sense, given the rest of the abilities description about running it over multiple rounds. But then why mention dancing "in flight?" Flavour, possibly - but as it literally can't be used as written while in flight it seems a poor description.

Is the ability perhaps missing additional detail about allowing the Vrock to hover while using Dance of Ruin?

I liked the alternatives offered in Pathfinder Unchained as relating to disease and poison. However the progress of disease in the system has no theoretical limit to the number of saving throws that might be required. You could in theory be bouncing around between Healthy and Death literally forever.

You could just include a maximum duration at which point the affliction ends, which is how poisons work. This is more or less what I've done, although I've added a few bells and whistles. The system uses the Unchained system physical and mental disease tracks but resolves the progress of the disease differently.

DISEASE

When a character is exposed to a disease and fails the initial saving throw, they enter the first phase of the disease. The three phases are: Incubation, Acute and Convalescence. The character begins at Latent/Carrier on the disease track.

Cure describes the ways in which the disease might be cured. If a disease is cured magically then the character immediately enter the Convalescence phase, and the saving throw normally made at the end of the Acute phase is considered to have been successful (see below).

The Incubation section describes the Duration of the phase, and the Effect of the phase, including the number of steps down the disease track the character progresses. Steps down the disease track should be divided evenly across the duration of the phase. Any other effects occur at the start of the phase. It also includes the effect of a successful Heal check (at the DC of the disease). The healer must spend a total of two hours tending to the patient over the course of the incubation phase to make the check. If the healer spends at least one hour but less than two, they can make the check at a -4 penalty.

At the end of the incubation phase the character makes a saving throw. On a failed save the character enters the Acute phase. On a successful save the character throws off the worst of the disease and enters the Convalescence phase. They must immediately make another saving throw to determine the progress of the convalescence phase. If the saving throw is a natural 1, then the character will relapse without the aid of a healer.

The Acute section describes the Duration of the phase, and the Effect of the phase, including the number of steps down the disease track the character progresses. Steps down the disease track should be divided evenly across the duration of the phase. Any other effects occur at the start of the phase. It also includes the effect of a successful Heal check (at the DC of the disease). The healer must spend a total of four hours tending to the patient over the course of the acute phase to make the check. If the healer spends at least two hours but less than four, they can make the check at a -4 penalty.

At the end of the acute phase the character makes a saving throw. The success or failure of the save determines the progress of the convalescence phase. If the saving throw is a natural 1, then the character will relapse without the aid of a healer.

The Convalescence section describes the Duration of the phase for a successful and a failed saving throw (if the disease is cured magically then the saving throw is automatically successful), which includes the rate at which the character’s condition climbs the disease track, and the Effect of the phase for a successful and a failed saving throw. It also includes the effect of a successful Heal check (at the DC of the disease). The healer must spend a total of one hour tending to the patient over the course of the convalescence phase to make the check. If the healer spends at least thirty minutes but less than one hour, they can make the check at a -4 penalty.

The Relapse section gives the stage on the disease track at which the relapse occurs. The character enters the acute phase. At the end of this acute phase the character makes a saving throw to determine the progress of the convalescence phase. A character will only relapse once (unless the DM decides otherwise) even if they roll a second natural 1.

BLINDING SICKNESS
Type disease, ingested; Save Fort DC 16; Track physical; Cure magical, natural
Incubation Duration 4 days; Effect 2 steps; Heal +4 competence bonus on saving throw ending the incubation phase
Acute Duration 4 days; Effect 2 steps and permanently blinded; Heal blinded while in acute phase and permanently blinded in only one eye
Convalescence Duration Success - 2 days/step to Healthy, or Fail - 4 days/step to Healthy; Effect total bed rest halves duration; Heal prevents relapse
Relapse Weakened

BUBONIC PLAGUE
Type disease, injury or inhaled; Save Fort DC 17; Track physical; Cure magical, natural
Incubation Duration 3 days; Effect 3 steps; Heal +4 competence bonus on saving throw ending the incubation phase
Acute Duration 6 days; Effect 3 steps; Heal victim may make an extra saving throw, success arrests disease at Comatose stage
Convalescence Duration Success - 2 days/step to Healthy, or Fail - 4 days/step to Healthy; Effect total bed rest halves duration; Heal prevents relapse
Relapse Impaired

CACKLE FEVER
Type disease, inhaled; Save Fort DC 16; Track mental; Cure magical, natural
Incubation Duration 4 days; Effect 2 steps; Heal +4 competence bonus on saving throw ending the incubation phase
Acute Duration 4 days; Effect 4 steps; Heal victim may make an extra saving throw, success arrests disease at Comatose stage
Convalescence Duration Success - 2 days/step to Healthy, or Fail - 4 days/step to Healthy; Effect total bed rest halves duration; Heal prevents relapse
Relapse Weakened

DEMENTIA DUST
Type disease, inhaled; Save Fort DC 14; Track mental; Cure magical, natural
Incubation Duration 2 weeks; Effect 2 steps; Heal +4 competence bonus on saving throw ending the incubation phase
Acute Duration 3 weeks; Effect 3 steps and after reaching Deranged step victim permanently deranged until receive greater restoration or heal; Heal victim may make an extra saving throw, success not permanently deranged
Convalescence Duration Success - 2 days/step to Healthy, or Fail - 4 days/step to Healthy; Effect total bed rest halves duration; Heal prevents relapse
Relapse Weakened

DEMON FEVER
Type disease, injury; Save Fort DC 18; Track physical; Cure magical, natural
Incubation Duration 3 days; Effect 3 steps; Heal +4 competence bonus on saving throw ending the incubation phase
Acute Duration 3 days; Effect 3 steps and victim is permanently weakened until receive heal or restoration; Heal victim may make two extra saving throws, first success arrests disease at Comatose stage, second success weakness not permanent
Convalescence Duration Success - 2 days/step to Healthy, or Fail - 4 days/step to Healthy; Effect total bed rest halves duration; Heal halves duration (cumulative with bed rest)
Relapse no relapse

DEVIL CHILLS
Type disease, injury; Save Fort DC 14; Track physical; Cure magical, natural
Incubation Duration 3 days; Effect 3 steps and -4 penalty on saving throw ending the incubation phase; Heal victim may make saving throw ending the incubation phase without penalty
Acute Duration 3 days; Effect 3 steps; Heal victim may make an extra saving throw, success arrests disease at Comatose stage
Convalescence Duration Success - 2 days/step to Healthy, or Fail - 4 days/step to Healthy; Effect Success - total bed rest halves duration, or Fail - total bed rest halves duration and relapse will occur; Heal victim may make extra saving throw to prevent relapse
Relapse Impaired

FILTH FEVER
Type disease, injury; Save Fort DC 12; Track physical; Cure magical, natural
Incubation Duration 4 days; Effect 2 steps; Heal +4 competence bonus on saving throw ending the incubation phase
Acute Duration 6 days; Effect 3 steps; Heal victim may make an extra saving throw, success arrests disease at Disabled stage
Convalescence Duration Success - 1 day/step to Healthy, or Fail - 2 days/step to Healthy; Effect total bed rest halves duration; Heal halves duration (cumulative with bed rest)
Relapse no relapse

LEPROSY
Type disease, contact, inhaled or injury; Save Fort DC 12; Track physical (special); Cure magical only
Incubation Duration 1 week; Effect 1 step (Sluggish – as per Dexterity poison) and automatically fail saving throw ending the incubation phase; Heal n/a
Acute Duration 1 week; Effect 1 step (Stiffened – as per Dexterity poison) and cannot enter convalescence; Heal victim may make an extra saving throw, success arrests disease at Sluggish stage
Convalescence Duration n/a; Effect Even if the disease is removed with remove disease, condition does not improve without greater restoration or heal; Heal n/a
Relapse no relapse

MIND FIRE
Type disease, inhaled; Save Fort DC 12; Track mental; Cure magical, natural
Incubation Duration 4 days; Effect 2 steps; Heal +4 competence bonus on saving throw ending the incubation phase
Acute Duration 4 days; Effect 2 steps and victim is permanently impaired until receive heal or restoration; Heal victim may make an extra saving throw, success prevents permanent impairment
Convalescence Duration Success - 1 day/step to Healthy, or Fail - 2 day/step to Healthy; Effect total bed rest halves duration; Heal prevents relapse
Relapse Weakened
 
MUMMY ROT
Type disease, injury; Save Fort DC 16; Track physical and mental (special); Cure remove curse and remove disease cast within 1 minute of each other
Incubation Duration 1 day; Effect 0 steps and successful saving throw ending the incubation phase takes disease back to start of the incubation phase; Heal +4 competence bonus on saving throw ending the incubation phase
Acute Duration 1 day; Effect 1 step and saving throw ending the acute phase takes disease back to start of the incubation phase if successful or back to start of the acute phase if failed, victim suffers all penalties from both Physical and Mental disease tracks; Heal +4 competence bonus on saving throw ending the acute phase
Convalescence Duration 2 days/step to Healthy; Effect total bed rest halves duration; Heal halves duration (cumulative with bed rest)
Relapse no relapse

RABIES
Type disease, injury; Save Fort DC 18; Track mental; Cure magical only
Incubation Duration 1 month; Effect 0 steps and automatically fail saving throw ending the incubation phase; Heal doubles duration of incubation phase
Acute Duration 6 weeks; Effect 6 steps; Heal doubles duration of acute phase
Convalescence Duration n/a; Effect Even if the disease is removed with remove disease, condition does not improve without greater restoration or heal; Heal n/a
Relapse no relapse

RED ACHE
Type disease, injury; Save Fort DC 15; Track physical; Cure magical, natural
Incubation Duration 6 days; Effect 2 steps; Heal +4 competence bonus on saving throw ending the incubation phase
Acute Duration 4 days; Effect 2 steps; Heal victim may make an extra saving throw, success arrests disease at Disabled stage
Convalescence Duration Success - 1 day/step to Healthy, or Fail - 2 days/step to Healthy; Effect total bed rest halves duration; Heal prevents relapse
Relapse Weakened

SHAKES
Type disease, contact; Save Fort DC 13; Track physical; Cure magical, natural
Incubation Duration 2 days; Effect 2 steps; Heal +4 competence bonus on saving throw ending the incubation phase
Acute Duration 2 weeks; Effect 2 steps and become permanently sluggish (as Dexterity poison track) until receive restoration; Heal victim may make an extra saving throw, success prevents permanent sluggishness
Convalescence Duration Success - 2 days/step to Healthy, or Fail - 4 days/step to Healthy; Effect total bed rest halves duration; Heal prevents relapse
Relapse Weakened

SLIMY DOOM
Type disease, contact; Save Fort DC 14; Track physical; Cure magical, natural
Incubation Duration 3 days; Effect 3 steps; Heal +4 competence bonus on saving throw ending the incubation phase
Acute Duration 3 days; Effect 3 steps and become permanently weakened until receive heal or restoration; Heal victim may make two extra saving throws, the first success arrests disease at comatose, the second success prevents permanent weakness
Convalescence Duration Success - 2 days/step to Healthy, or Fail - 4 days/step to Healthy; Effect total bed rest halves duration; Heal prevents relapse
Relapse Impaired

This issue is about to rear its head in a campaign I'm running, so I thought i'd see what people think. Here is Alchemical Allocation:

ALCHEMICAL ALLOCATION
School transmutation; Level alchemist 2
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components S
Range personal
Target you
Duration 1 round
This extract causes a pale aura to emanate from your mouth. If you consume a potion or elixir on the round following the consumption of this extract, you can spit it back into its container as a free action. You gain all the benefits of the potion or elixir, but it is not consumed. You can only gain the benefits of one potion or elixir in this way per use of this extract.

As has been pointed out elsewhere, the spell allows an alchemist with natural attacks, for the one-time expenditure of 3000gp, to get the benefit of Greater Magic Fang at caster level 20 every day, regardless of his or her own level. If the alchemist burns three 2nd-level extracts each morning, he or she gets +5 attack and damage on bite and 2 claws for the next 20 hours.

The spell basically breaks the guideline that the power/effect of a spell (extract) is based on the caster level of the person casting the spell. In effect, you have a 2nd level spell with a 3000gp focus that grants +5 attack/damage for 20 hours. Of course it's worse than that because, for example, the same spell with a 900gp focus can give you a +5 deflection bonus to AC for 18 minutes (shield of faith), or with an 1100gp focus can give you 30 points of fire resistance (resist energy).

The action economy - you have to cast the spell, draw the potion, quaff the potion, stow the potion - does mitigate the effect, but only in combat. In most cases any spell with a duration of minutes per level is cast before combat begins. And Greater Magic Fang was probably cast before the alchemist had breakfast that morning.

The correction I'm considering is simply that, when quaffed, the caster level of the potion's effect is equal to the alchemist's level. The effect of the spell on Elixirs doesn't change, as Elixirs are not level based. This would mean that the main benefit of the spell is that, with the one-time purchase of a potion, the alchemist can, in effect, cast spells that he or she wouldn't otherwise be able to cast. The effect of the potion would scale with the alchemist's level, and the alchemist would only need to acquire potions of the minimum caster level.

With this change, the alchemist can still quaff that potion of Greater Magic Fang (price 750gp) three times a day, but won't get the benefit of +5 attack/damage until he or she reaches 20th level - no-one else does, so I don't see why the alchemist should.

This change does mimic to some extent the alchemist Discovery Enhance Potion. I don't feel that the change I'm suggesting makes Enhance Potion redundant. If you want to use your extracts on something other then Alchemical Allocation then you still have your uses of Enhance Potion to improve those 1st-level cure light wound potions. Of course, a discovery like Extend Potion will synergise better with Alchemical Allocation, but then again it always has.

And, just to be clear, I wrote above that "the caster level of the potion's effect is equal to the alchemist's level" to show that the caster level of the potion itself doesn't change. A 1st-level potion remains a 1st-level potion after it is spat out.

So here is Control Water:
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CONTROL WATER
School transmutation [water]; Level cleric 4, druid 4, sorcerer/wizard 6
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, M/DF (a pinch of dust for lower water or a drop of water for raise water)
Range long (400 ft. + 40 ft./level)
Area water in a volume of 10 ft./level by 10 ft./level by 2 ft./level (S)
Duration 10 min./level (D)
Saving Throw none; see text; Spell Resistance no
This spell has two different applications, both of which control water in different ways. The first version of this spell causes water in the area to swiftly evaporate or to sink into the ground below, lowering the water's depth. The second version causes the water to surge and rise, increasing its overall depth and possibly flooding nearby areas.

Lower Water: This causes water or similar liquid to reduce its depth by as much as 2 feet per caster level (to a minimum depth of 1 inch). The water is lowered within a squarish depression whose sides are up to caster level × 10 feet long. In extremely large and deep bodies of water, such as a deep ocean, the spell creates a whirlpool that sweeps ships and similar craft downward, putting them at risk and rendering them unable to leave by normal movement for the duration of the spell. When cast on water elementals and other water-based creatures, this spell acts as a slow spell (Will negates). The spell has no effect on other creatures.

Raise Water: This causes water or similar liquid to rise in height, just as the lower water version causes it to lower. Boats raised in this way slide down the sides of the hump that the spell creates. If the area affected by the spell includes riverbanks, a beach, or other land nearby, the water can spill over onto dry land.

With either version of this spell, you may reduce one horizontal dimension by half and double the other horizontal dimension to change the overall area of effect.
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What would be the effect of casting Control Water on 10-foot deep mud? The spell description states the effect of the spell on water, but doesn't say much about the initial required state or condition of the water. Does it include mud? Ground water? The description does include the ambiguous phrase "water or similar liquid". What constitutes a "similar liquid"? Similar consistency, perhaps?

Suppose you cast Control Water on a room that's 10 feet deep in mud. A 7th-level caster can lower the water by 14 feet. If the mud is 10 feet deep, then you'd drive the water out, leaving (perhaps) 5 feet of silt behind. Alternately, if you raised the water by 14 feet, would you end up with 19 feet of muddy water (if you assume 5 feet of water plus 14 feet more, diluted by 5 feet of silt)?

Of course, if ground water is a legitimate target for the spell, then a caster would be able to create a massive flood on any open ground. A 7th-level caster would be able to raise a mass of water 70' by 70' by 14' (about half a million gallons) from any patch of moist earth - which is pretty much anywhere that isn't a desert.

As stated, their doesn't seem to be a minimum amount of water required to cast upon. Using Create Water, could you create a thin film of water across a stone floor, then use Control Water to add, in the case of our 7th-level caster, another 14 feet of depth?

My own inclination is that it's reasonable to use Control Water on mud - to convert it either to silt by lowering the water or to muddy water by raising the water. It's the sort of situation where inventive use of a spell outside of its normal application could reward a clever caster. I'd probably draw the line at raising ground water, or a film of Created Water.

Thanks for any input or suggestions.

I'd already posted this under "houserules" - I didn't realise that this message board was here.

Just hoping for some feedback. I'm converting Age of Worms to Pathfinder. Looking at the basic Spawn of Kyuss, I felt that they clearly were not CR 5, even with a fear aura, fast healing and their worm attack. Comparing Spawn to a Mummy, also CR 5, they seem woefully under-powered (AC 20 vs 11, hp 60 vs 30, DR 5/- vs fast healing 5, fear aura vs fear aura).

I lowered the Spawn of Kyuss' CR to 4 and upped their AC to 15 (+1 Dex, +4 natural) to make them a slightly more reasonable challenge. But since I had made them relatively tougher, I also wanted to outline some more detailed options for dealing with their worm attack. So here is the stat block I came up with.

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SPAWN OF KYUSS
CR 4; Know religion DC 19; CE, medium, undead; Init +1; Senses darkvision 60ft, Perception +5; Aura fear

DEFENCE
AC 15, touch 11, flat 14 (+1 Dex, +4 natural); HD 4d8+12; hp 30 (fast healing 5); Fort +3, Ref +2, Will +4; +2 vs channel energy; Immune bleed, death effects, disease, mind-affecting effects, paralysis, poison, sleep-effects, stunning, undead traits; Weakness curative transformation; Defensive Abilities channel resistance +2

OFFENSE
Spd 30ft; Melee slam +8 (1d6+6 plus worm plus Kyuss’ gift) OR melee touch +7 touch (worm); Ranged worm +4 ranged touch (worm); Space/Reach 5ft/5ft; Special Attacks create spawn

STATISTICS
Abilities Str 18, Dex 12, Con -, Int 6, Wis 11, Cha 15
Base Attack +3; CMB +7 (+8 with slam); CMD 18
Feats – Toughness, Weapon Focus (slam)
Skills – Acrobatics +1 (+9 jump), Climb +10, Perception +5, Stealth +7; Racial Modifiers - +8 Acrobatics when jumping; Languages - Common

SPECIAL ABILITIES
Create Spawn (Su) – creature killed by Intelligence damage rise as Spawn of Kyuss 1d6+4 rounds later (tiny creatures die, huge creatures become zombies); spawn not controlled by progenitor

Curative Transformation (Ex) – remove curse and remove disease (and similar effects) turn spawn into zombie on DC 14 caster level check

Fear Aura (Su) – continuous 40ft-radius effect; as fear spell (panicked); Will DC 14 negates; save also renders you immune to aura for 24 hours; CL 7th

Kyuss’ Gift (Su) – disease – slam; save Fort DC 14; onset 1 day; frequency 1/day; effect 1d6 Con and 1d4 Wis (rotting flesh and dementia); cure 2 consecutive saves; healing magic has only half effect on victim (remove disease works normally)

Worm (Ex) - worm (fine vermin, AC 10, 1 hp, leap 10ft, killed by touch of silver); on spawn’s next turn worm burrows into target (if target has +5 natural armour they are immune); before burrowing they may be killed normally; cause 1 hp damage/round for 1d4+1 rounds to reach brain; then inflict 1d2 Intelligence damage per round until victim dies at 0 intelligence; natural attacks and unarmed strikes expose attacker to 1d4 worms
Spells - worm destroyed by remove curse or remove disease (auto success); dispel evil or neutralise poison delay progress for 10d6 minutes; spells affect all worms in victim
Area-effect Spells - effective only before worm reaches brain; if target forgoes or fails saving throw cumulative 5% chance of killing each worm for each point of damage inflicted; if target succeeds saving throw chance of success is halved
Surgery - only effective before worm reaches brain; standard action; heal check with DC determined by tool used; success kills 1 worm plus 1 additional worm (if present) if every 5 points the check exceeds the DC; light piercing or slashing DC 15; one handed piercing or slashing or light bludgeoning DC 20; two handed piercing or slashing or one handed bludgeoning DC 25; two handed bludgeoning DC 30; surgery inflicts 1 point of damage (cannot be reduced or avoided); for each additional point of damage inflicted gain +2 bonus on heal check; you can only inflict damage up to the weapon's maximum base damage plus enhancement (no Strength or precision-based damage); +5 on check if patient also readies standard action; +10 on check if both surgeon and patient spend full-round action; +5 on check if using silver tool; +2 on check for each size category of surgeon smaller than victim; -2 on check for each size category of surgeon larger than victim
Torch and Fire - only effective before worm reaches brain; DC 20 heal check; success kills 1 worm plus 1 additional worm (if present) if every 5 points the check exceeds the DC; inflicts normal torch damage (1 point of fire); +2 on check for each extra point of fire damage inflicted for larger fires, alchemist fire etc

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So I may have gone a bit overboard on the details, but I liked the idea of the players getting masterwork silver scalpels specially made. Also, as they play such a significant part of the whole adventure path, I thought they should be fairly detailed.

Anyway so what do people think? Should Spawn of Kyuss be CR 5 or 4? Have I made it overpowered? And have I gone a bit nuts on the whole surgery thing?

Just hoping for some feedback. I'm converting Age of Worms to Pathfinder. Looking at the basic Spawn of Kyuss, I felt that they clearly were not CR 5, even with a fear aura, fast healing and their worm attack. Comparing Spawn to a Mummy, also CR 5, they seem woefully under-powered (AC 20 vs 11, hp 60 vs 30, DR 5/- vs fast healing 5, fear aura vs fear aura).

I lowered the Spawn of Kyuss' CR to 4 and upped their AC to 15 (+1 Dex, +4 natural) to make them a slightly more reasonable challenge. But since I had made them relatively tougher, I also wanted to outline some more detailed options for dealing with their worm attack. So here is the stat block I came up with.

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SPAWN OF KYUSS
CR 4; Know religion DC 19; CE, medium, undead; Init +1; Senses darkvision 60ft, Perception +5; Aura fear

DEFENCE
AC 15, touch 11, flat 14 (+1 Dex, +4 natural); HD 4d8+12; hp 30 (fast healing 5); Fort +3, Ref +2, Will +4; +2 vs channel energy; Immune bleed, death effects, disease, mind-affecting effects, paralysis, poison, sleep-effects, stunning, undead traits; Weakness curative transformation; Defensive Abilities channel resistance +2

OFFENSE
Spd 30ft; Melee slam +8 (1d6+6 plus worm plus Kyuss’ gift) OR melee touch +7 touch (worm); Ranged worm +4 ranged touch (worm); Space/Reach 5ft/5ft; Special Attacks create spawn

STATISTICS
Abilities Str 18, Dex 12, Con -, Int 6, Wis 11, Cha 15
Base Attack +3; CMB +7 (+8 with slam); CMD 18
Feats – Toughness, Weapon Focus (slam)
Skills – Acrobatics +1 (+9 jump), Climb +10, Perception +5, Stealth +7; Racial Modifiers - +8 Acrobatics when jumping; Languages - Common

SPECIAL ABILITIES
Create Spawn (Su) – creature killed by Intelligence damage rise as Spawn of Kyuss 1d6+4 rounds later (tiny creatures die, huge creatures become zombies); spawn not controlled by progenitor

Curative Transformation (Ex) – remove curse and remove disease (and similar effects) turn spawn into zombie on DC 14 caster level check

Fear Aura (Su) – continuous 40ft-radius effect; as fear spell (panicked); Will DC 14 negates; save also renders you immune to aura for 24 hours; CL 7th

Kyuss’ Gift (Su) – disease – slam; save Fort DC 14; onset 1 day; frequency 1/day; effect 1d6 Con and 1d4 Wis (rotting flesh and dementia); cure 2 consecutive saves; healing magic has only half effect on victim (remove disease works normally)

Worm (Ex) - worm (fine vermin, AC 10, 1 hp, leap 10ft, killed by touch of silver); on spawn’s next turn worm burrows into target (if target has +5 natural armour they are immune); before burrowing they may be killed normally; cause 1 hp damage/round for 1d4+1 rounds to reach brain; then inflict 1d2 Intelligence damage per round until victim dies at 0 intelligence; natural attacks and unarmed strikes expose attacker to 1d4 worms
Spells - worm destroyed by remove curse or remove disease (auto success); dispel evil or neutralise poison delay progress for 10d6 minutes; spells affect all worms in victim
Area-effect Spells - effective only before worm reaches brain; if target forgoes or fails saving throw cumulative 5% chance of killing each worm for each point of damage inflicted; if target succeeds saving throw chance of success is halved
Surgery - only effective before worm reaches brain; standard action; heal check with DC determined by tool used; success kills 1 worm plus 1 additional worm (if present) if every 5 points the check exceeds the DC; light piercing or slashing DC 15; one handed piercing or slashing or light bludgeoning DC 20; two handed piercing or slashing or one handed bludgeoning DC 25; two handed bludgeoning DC 30; surgery inflicts 1 point of damage (cannot be reduced or avoided); for each additional point of damage inflicted gain +2 bonus on heal check; you can only inflict damage up to the weapon's maximum base damage plus enhancement (no Strength or precision-based damage); +5 on check if patient also readies standard action; +10 on check if both surgeon and patient spend full-round action; +5 on check if using silver tool; +2 on check for each size category of surgeon smaller than victim; -2 on check for each size category of surgeon larger than victim
Torch and Fire - only effective before worm reaches brain; DC 20 heal check; success kills 1 worm plus 1 additional worm (if present) if every 5 points the check exceeds the DC; inflicts normal torch damage (1 point of fire); +2 on check for each extra point of fire damage inflicted for larger fires, alchemist fire etc

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So I may have gone a bit overboard on the details, but I liked the idea of the players getting masterwork silver scalpels specially made. Also, as they play such a significant part of the whole adventure path, I thought they should be fairly detailed.

Anyway so what do people think? Should Spawn of Kyuss be CR 5 or 4? Have I made it overpowered? And have I gone a bit nuts on the whole surgery thing?