TheNightmareOne's page

Specifically, this clause:

The spirit gains 3 points of influence over his body, to a maximum of 6 points. Since he is his own possessing spirit, he doesn’t lose control at 5 or more points of influence, though he still suffers the legend’s influence penalty as normal at 3 or more points of influence.

I get that the medium (which I'll refer to as X, meaning the inhabiting spirit of the character) having a higher influence over his own body (spiritless without assistance, henceforth Y) is good and that he invites a legend (Z) in there with him, I'm just a little fuzzy on what else happens. Looking at it as-is, it reads to me like he (X) and the spirit (Z) have two different influence totals, but there is no clarification in-text. If they have two different influence totals, who gains the 3 points of influence when he channels a legendary spirit? Was the intention of this to make the medium immediately suffer the influence penalty from the legendary spirit, because that kind of looks like what it means if the legend is the one that gets the 3 influence when it's channeled.

So...X is the only one who gains and loses influence over his body? Do I track the legend's influence separately, but suffer no penalties when it has 5 or more influence over the body? Does "The spirit" (at the beginning of the quote) refer to the Medium's spirit, X, or the spirit of the legend he's channeling, Z?

Basically hoping for writer confirmation one way or the other on this-I'm kind of turned around.

Context: I am building a boss monster to put up against a group of four or five 11th level PCs with 1 mythic tier. Yes, I know that's not the advised mythic progression, story reasons. The campaign will have no full casters (ban hammer; it's a long story, but also story reasons). What I want to know is: fully healed and rested, do they have any chance of beating this thing? Specifically, what tactics would work against it? I am concerned it might be a bit too much to handle knowing nothing about it going in, and I'm open to advice on how I could balance it/subtly warn the PCs about the looming figure in their future.

Mythic Rune-Carved Lifespark Tiberolith (Bestiary 4 259, Ultimate Magic 115, Advanced Bestiary 191, Mythic Adventures 225)
CR 12/MR 5; XP 19,200
N Huge Construct (mythic)
Init +1/-19; Senses Darkvision 60ft., low-light vision; Perception +0
DEFENSE
AC 30, touch 9, flat-footed 29 (+1 Dex, +21 natural, -2 size)
hp 161 (13d10 + 90); fast healing 10
Fort +6, Ref +5, Will +4; -2 vs. mind-affecting effects; Second Save
DR 10/adamantine, bludgeoning, and epic; Defensive Abilities Block Attacks, Rune-Carved, Spell Trap; Immune acid, construct traits; Resist cold 15 fire 15, electricity 30, sonic 15; SR 29
Weaknesses Healing Immunity
OFFENSE
Speed 30ft.
Melee 2 Slams +21 (3d8 + 20/19-20)
Space 15ft; Reach 15ft.
Special Attacks Corrosive Strikes, Mythic Power (5/day, Surge +1d8), Rune of Agony, Rune of Terror, Shockwave
STATISTICS
Str 28, Dex 13, Con -, Int 7, Wis 11, Cha 1
Base Atk +13; CMB +24 (+28 Bull Rush); CMD 35 (39 vs. Bull Rush)
Feats Ability Focus (Shockwave), Awesome Blow, Great Fortitude, Improved Bull Rush (M), Improved Critical (Slam), Power Attack (M), Weapon Focus (M, Slam)
Skills Craft (stonemasonry) +14
Languages Common
SQ Accelerated Repair, Keyed Domains (Artifice and Rune), Open Mind, Spirit Within
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Accelerated Repair (Ex) As a full-round action, a lifespark construct can heal damage by jerry-rigging itself. The construct attempts an appropriate Craft skill check (DC 10). With a successful roll, the construct heals itself of 1d4 hit points of damage per number rolled above the DC. Accelerated repair provokes attacks of opportunity. If it wishes, the construct may make a standard effort to repair itself, but without the standard repair cost. This repair takes 1 day of constant work.
Corrosive Strikes (Ex) A tiberolith reduced to 30 or fewer hit points leaks acid, and deals an additional 1d6 points of acid damage with its slam attacks.
Healing Immunity (Ex) A lifespark construct cannot be affected by spells with the healing descriptor unless the spell specifically states it can affect constructs.
Keyed Domains (Ex and Su) The creature has fast healing 10 (from the Artifice domain) and is rune-carved (from the Rune domain). Whenever the creature takes energy damage or energy damage fails to overcome its SR, for the next round, its attacks deal 2d6 points of damage of that energy type. If more than one type of energy attack occurs in a round, roll randomly to determine what kind of extra energy damage it deals.
Open Mind (Ex) Lifespark constructs lack constructs’ usual immunity to mind-affecting effects, and in fact take a -2 penalty on saving throws against mind-affecting effects.
Rune-Carved The creature has been enhanced by the rune-carved construct modification. The Rune of Agony triggers the first time the creature takes damage. Creatures within a 20-foot-radius spread must succeed on a DC 17 Fortitude save or suffer from wracking pains that impose a -4 penalty on attack rolls, skill checks, and saving throws for 1 minute. On a successful saving throw, the creature takes the penalties imposed by the rune for 1 round. The Rune of Terror triggers the first time a creature moves adjacent to the creature, and creates a 20-foot-radius spread of necromantic energy that panics creatures within it for 1d4 rounds (Will DC 20 shortens to shaken for 1 round).
Shockwave (Su) Three times per day, a tiberolith can unleash a burst of electricity. This blast deals 12d6 points of electricity damage to all creatures within 30 feet (Reflex DC 18 half). A tiberolith is immune to its own shockwave and that of other tiberoliths. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Spell Trap (Su) When a tiberolith is targeted by a spell that allows spell resistance and its spell resistance fails to protect it against that spell, the spell instead becomes trapped in the tiberolith’s magical runes. The runes can only trap one spell at a time; if a second spell would become trapped, the first spell affects the tiberolith normally (including allowing a saving throw, if appropriate) and the second spell is trapped. A trapped spell dissipates harmlessly after 24 hours.
Spirit Within (Ex) Certain spells that rely on the existence of a creature’s soul- namely astral projection, clone, magic jar, and soul bind- can affect lifespark constructs. No other necromantic effects affect lifespark constructs, and they are still immune to death effects. Though they cannot be raised or resurrected, they can be reincarnated as described by the reincarnate spell.
Mythic Feats Mythic Improved Bull Rush grants a +2 bonus on checks to bull rush and to CMD against bull rush. Furthermore, the user can make an attack of opportunity against any creature that attempts to bull rush them, unless it also has this feat. Mythic Power Attack improves the bonuses by +1, and the bonus damage is doubled on a critical hit before being multiplied by the weapon’s critical modifier. The user can expend one use of mythic power when they activate Power Attack to ignore the penalties on melee attack rolls and combat maneuver checks for 1 minute. Mythic Weapon Focus doubles the bonus from Weapon Focus. As a swift action, they can expend one use of mythic power to gain a +2 bonus on attack rolls with the selected weapon until the end of their turn.

Rasputin Must Die! did something that no previous Adventure Path has made me do- want my PC to die so I could build someone from Earth, 1918. However, lacking an adventuring group, I thought I might just drop him here. My thought was that he could be a replacement for Dmitri in area D4- a man who has given his life to first the war, and then to Rasputin's unholy allies.

His name is...

Aleksei Vasiliy Molokov
Human Fighter (Trench Fighter) 9/Assassin 2/Shadowdancer 2
LE Medium Humanoid (Human)
Init +5; Senses Darkvision 60ft., Perception +16
DEFENSE
AC 16, touch 16, flat-footed 10 (+5 Dex, +1 Dodge)
hp 102 on average (9d10 + 4d8 + 35)
Fort +10, Ref +10, Will +5; +2 vs. Fear, +1 vs. Poison
Defensive Abilities Bravery +2, Evasion, Improved Uncanny Dodge
OFFENSE
Speed 30ft.
Melee +1 Scimitar +15/+10/+5 (1d6 + 4/18-20)
Ranged Mosin-Nagant M1891 Rifle +18/+13/+8 (1d10 + 6/x4) or Mosin-Nagant M1891 Rifle +16/+16/+11/+6 (1d10 + 6/x4) with Rapid Shot or Nagant M1895 Revolver +17/+12/+7 (1d8 + 6/x4) or Nagant M1895 Revolver +15/+15/+10/+5 (1d8 + 6/x4) with Rapid Shot
Special Attacks Death Attack (DC 13), Grit (1), Poison Use, Sneak Attack +1d6, Trench Warfare (Revolver, Rifle), Weapon Training (Heavy Blades +2, Firearms +1)
STATISTICS
Str 13, Dex 20, Con 14, Int 12, Wis 10, Cha 8
Base Atk +11; CMB +12; CMD 27
Feats Amateur Gunslinger (Gunslinger’s Dodge), Clustered Shots, Combat Reflexes, Deadly Aim, Dodge, Mobility, Point-Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Quick Draw, Rapid Shot, Skill Focus (Stealth), Weapon Focus (Rifle)
Skills Acrobatics +15, Bluff +12, Disguise +10, Perception +16, Perform (dance) +4, Sleight of Hand +16, Stealth +27, Survival +6
Languages German, Russian
SQ Deeds (Gunslinger’s Dodge), Hide in Plain Sight
Gear It is assumed Aleksei arms himself with at least a mosin-nagant M1891 rifle, a nagant M1895 revolver, and one of the headless cossacks’ +1 Scimitars. Ammunition is likely not an issue given how plentiful it is around Akuvskaya.

I built Aleksei here with the elite array, but his stats can be beefed up as necessary for your campaign; just keeping Dex his highest stat is really the only priority. Ditto his HP: I used the average for the rolls. Fixing him up with some gear mid-campaign should be simple enough with the mercane Zilvazaraat at the PCs' beck and call; even armed only with scavenged Russian gear, he can contribute well to most combats between now and campaign's end.

Aleksei was recruited in 1910 at the young age of 17, but being from a poor household, clung to the soldier's life with startling ferocity; devoted to the state that saved him from starvation, he made of himself an exemplary soldier, with a particular talent for unorthodox tactics; his superiors noticed his devotion and talent for subterfuge, and in 1915 made him a recognized irregular: excused from standard duty, he instead infiltrated enemy encampments to assassinate officers, sabotage supplies and weapons, and gather intelligence. During the war, he met a handful of individuals that would change his life forever, not least of which was an old Russian woman with iron teeth, who taught him to hide in others' shadows. As his effectiveness as an assassin became nearly unprecedented among the Russian forces, Aleksei's superiors turned their heads to the fact that he could literally disappear from sight in anything less than full illumination. Humble (and never good at making a good impression), Aleksei never attracted the notice that was due him until he was sent to Akuvskaya; one of the nosferatu Brothers Three noted his potential, but Aleksei shook their domination a little more frequently than they were comfortable with, so they are using him as food instead. When the PCs storm the prison camp, he asks that they take him with them; confronted with their conveyance, he instantly recognizes the Baba Yaga from tales he was told (and a suspicion that his wartime mentor was the crone herself) and instantly rallies to their cause. Assuming the PCs can use the hand, he joins them and serves their cause with the same vigor he brought to the Army.

Obviously, his training as a modern soldier gives him the trench fighter archetype from page 67 of the same volume. He's got some unusual skills for a soldier, but they all build into the role he makes for himself, eventually making him a talented infiltrator despite dumping Charisma. Despite the roguish multiclassing, he is still very much a ranged combatant. The weapons training for heavy blades is more to reflect the fact that he has been trained to fence with a contemporary weapon than out of any sense of optimization; that can be changed easily to up his firearm-related game. Similarly, the presence of Death Attack rather than the more sophisticated slayer or ninja Assassinate Advanced Talent is meant to show that he was in fact rank and file before he started doing "special" work; if the lack of optimization bothers you, take solace from the fact that the Assassin levels cost him relatively little in combat effectiveness. If the 6th-level soldiers in RMD are hardened veterans, he can still pull off the assassination of various high-level officers (many of whom would likely have aristocrat levels in addition to, if not rather than, fighter ones) with some ease, and sneak out of camp totally undetected with HIPS. Like the heavy blades specialization, they are story-based and can be changed if it irks you.

His relative lack of optimization is easily made up by his use of modern firearms; the ability to hit touch for the first five range increments makes him dangerous to basically everything else the PCs might face in the campaign, and between his Stealth modifier and Hide in Plain Sight he makes an excellent scout. While his Sneak Attack is a pittance, nothing likes getting four (touch attack!) rifle rounds with Rapid Shot, Deadly Aim and Clustered Shots from a surprise-round attack. As long as he loots the hell out of the prison camp, he should never have issues with ammunition. To offset his lack of Rapid Reload, Quick Draw and a brace of extra revolvers should serve to keep his damage adequate; he deals nearly equal damage either way (1d10 to 1d8 isn't much of a loss).

Advancing him is to personal taste; he gains little by advancing in either of his current prestige classes, and gunslinger is less than optimal, but otherwise as long as he picks a full-BAB class he'll probably be able to railgun things to death between now and the end of the AP with little trouble.

*clears throat* So, I'll just leave him, shall I? Better sitting around on the forums than quietly moldering away in my Reign of Winter file.

I know you folks like a challenge, so I figured I'd crowdsource this one on account of Paizo not having rules to cover it.

A little background: my pet project is a campaign setting where Nethys...dies/is killed. And they take with them the ability to craft new magic items, access to mythic power for mortals, and most importantly all spellcasting for full casting classes. Arcanists, Clerics, Druids, Oracles, Shaman, Sorcerers, Witches, and Wizards all completely lose their ability to cast spells. They keep their other class features, like witch hexes and the cleric's channel energy and domain powers, but no casting (the clergy of Nethys gets it worse; they all either die or lose their minds from divine backlash).

My query, then, is this: I am designing a nosferatu villain to be one of the BBEGs for a campaign. He is a follower of the Horseman of Pestilence, and was a cleric and souleater before the Fall. So when the PCs meet him, they face a villain with no spellcasting but with his domains, channel energy, and supernatural powers from the Souleater prestige class intact. I'm thinking of pegging him at (human?) Nosferatu Fallen Cleric 5/Souleater 10 (or thereabouts), but his CR can't be 16- it simply wouldn't make sense without his spellcasting, upon which the Souleater class builds very heavily. So, what do you think?

Other suggestions on how to optimize him in the face of this are welcome, of course, but he'll have at least two wasted feats (probably Combat Casting and Empower Spell) that were, when he took them, perfectly valid.

OK so my party's gonna be about 8th level when they fight these guys (and yes, there are multiples of them), and as far as I know I'm only gonna have two players. I don't know what classes they're planning on yet. Also they're fighting these buggers inside, and odds are neither side is going to be aware of the other before combat actually begins. I just want to know how badly I'll murder my PCs if they dare to get into melee. Basically, should I tone them back some?

Orc Degenerate [Raging]
CR 4; XP 1200
Orc Ogrekin Barbarian 4 (Bestiary 2 204)
CE Medium Humanoid (giant)
Init +1; Senses Darkvision 60ft., low-light vision, Perception +0
DEFENSE
AC 14, touch 9, flat-footed 14 (+5 natural, +1 Dex, -2 rage)
hp 54 (4d12 + 28)
Fort +10, Ref +2, Will +1
Defensive Abilities ferocity, trap sense +1, uncanny dodge
OFFENSE
Speed 40ft.
Melee Falchion +13 (2d4 + 21/18-20), bite +7 (1d4 + 9)
Special Attacks Rage (14 rounds/day), rage powers (animal fury, raging climber)
TACTICS
During Combat Degenerates simply aren't smart enough to make use of sophisticated tactics. They charge into battle, swinging their Falchions, Power Attacking and screaming their lungs out. They will give chase to fleeing opponents.
Morale Orc Degenerates do not retreat or surrender; the thought of either never occurs to them.
STATISTICS
Str 30, Dex 13, Con 22, Int 6, Wis 10, Cha 4
Base Atk +4; CMB +14; CMD 25
Feats Power Attack, Weapon Focus (Falchion)
Skills Climb +21, Survival +7
Languages Common, Orc
SQ Deformities (thick skin, weak mind), fast movement
Gear Falchion
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Ferocity (Ex) An orc remains conscious and continue fighting even if its hit point total is below 0. The creature is still staggered and loses 1 hit point each round. It still dies when its hit point total reaches a negative amount equal to its Con score (in this case -18).