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I would love it if Feats were treated the same way as Spells. Here is how it could work.

Each Class has a certain number of Feat spots available per level. You can put a Feat in a higher level slot for a greater effect.

Thoughts?

The classes we have had previewed so far have some cool abilities, like the Rogue's ability to just ignore magical effects that detect their location (such as scrying).

However, spellcasters in Pathfinder 1e have a lot of magic spells that can accomplish something similar, and sometimes broader, and frequently at lower levels than the non-caster classes obtain them.

This taints experiences I have with these otherwise-cool abilities that the non-casters get. I appreciate that a Rogue can shut down abilities to detect her, but I wish I got to play with that ability by the time a wizard is learning how to scry (and detect scrying).

What are your guys' thoughts?

I am currently running The Emerald Spire; a super dungeon.

In running the dungeon, I have come across a few issues.

What is your wisdom re: prohibiting the ability to use magic items as a method of spamming spells? The classic example is the Wand of Cure Light Wounds. By around level 5, they become a cost-efficient method for the PCs to heal themselves back to full health after every fight, which diminishes the endurance run aspect of dungeon delving.

Other examples include:
A wand of fireballs, which - if acquired at a reasonably low level - can turn many encounters into "I cast fireball; everything dies". The same goes for Sleep. And yes, creatures will eventually regularly meet the DCs; and there are creatures that are immune to Sleep; and situations where casting Fireball is bad - but they do put a cramp on the concept of the spell budget, which seems important to the balance of classes (and the resource management of dungeon delves).

Carrying wands that just have stat buffs: they don't really add anything interesting to the adventure. They just let the party run around with extra buffs to their Attributes and/or Saving Throws for several encounters; or, in the case of Haste, give everybody an extra action and several other benefits beside (and, say what you will about other buffs, Haste is the sort that most classes would want on a regular basis).

Although wands are the "worst offenders", you might get a similar effect if players carry scrolls with several castings of the same spell (or even just scribe a large collection of scrolls, particularly those where DCs or duration aren't important); or a large number of potions (with the extras carried in an extradimensional space, once that becomes reasonable). Also, I have learned that some wondrous items apparently have infinite castings of spells: for example, the Horn of Fog, which produces both Obscuring Mist and Fog Cloud, an infinite number of times per day - has recently fallen into the possession of my players, who are actually concerned that its infinite usage makes it overpowered.

This issue has come up because I am running a dungeon delve: the Emerald Spire Superdungeon. Dungeon delves are (in part) a matter of endurance, logistics, and resource management: I find consumables to be a problem in that regard because they run against that, and some of them can seriously throw off one or more of those themes.

I would like your opinion on whether my concerns are well-founded. If you need clarification of my concerns, I'll be happy to expound. If my concerns are well-founded, what would you suggest to remedy the issue?

I have considered several possibilities...
One: Prohibiting certain wands (or certain consumables in general), such as any wand that provides healing.
Two: Make consumables "single use only"; or introduce other complications (such as the classic "potion miscibility")
Three: Remove consumables entirely, and instead make them all Wondrous Items, which have a certain number of charges that may be used per day.

This is a discussion thread for the material presented in The Emerald Spire Superadventure. Bring your thoughts and questions (and answers) here.

Readers of this thread may also be interested in this companion thread, discussing the timeline of events in the Emerald Spire.

I open with several questions, which I try to answer - if you have answers for these questions (or wish to expand on what's already presented), or questions of your own, please chime in.

Hellknights
The Hellknights reached Level 10, the Magma Chamber; what's really impressive is that they apparently did it within the last 30 years. Their activities raise a few questions.

Question: When exactly did the expeditions occur?
Answer: Probably within the last 30 years, once the Hellknights established control over Fort Inevitable; Chaid DiViri was summoned by the signifier at that town. Beyond that, it is unclear. If you want to avoid some potential complications, set it more than five years ago. Otherwise, you need to account for their run-ins with Grulk, Klarkosh, and Splinterden.

Question: Why didn't the Hellknights clear out every floor of the dungeon? Surely they would have if they were interested in law, power, and discovering clues regarding the "mysterious presences" and "potent lawfully aligned magic" that were said to exist down there.
Answer: This one isn't spelled out in the book. To some extent, the Hellknights may have already been informed about the first few floors, and assumed they would not possess what they sought; a glance around those environments would probably confirm that. Their divinations, or detection spells they cast while exploring the dungeons, may have revealed an apparent lack of anything significant on the floors they explored; or they may have simply assumed that what they sought would be at the bottom - or otherwise immediately obvious. In any case, they were not there merely to adventure - and their numbers were already being whittled away by whatever they did face.

Question: How much do the Hellknights of Fort Inevitable know about the results of the expedition?
Answer: Unclear. All of DiViri's records were sent back to the Order of the Gate's headquarters. However, the signifiers of Fort Inevitable were the ones who received the divinations, and had requested the aid in the first place. They probably know, at the least, that the Emerald Spire goes at least ten floors deep; and that whatever they were seeking is probably even deeper than that. Besides that, they are likely not interested in what goes on in the first ten floors: they may know a little bit about the residents of the first nine floors (excluding those that moved in afterward), just incidentally.

The Godbox
Q: How many adventurers have made it past the Godbox?
A: The Godbox on Level 4 presents an interesting obstacle. It seals the passage to the next floor, allowing passage only to those who provide it with at least two pounds of metal. Therefore, nothing can come up from above (at least without destroying the seal, which apparently cannot be replaced); and nobody can pass through without first making the requisite sacrifice. Apparently the Godbox's memory is good, as it will always allow the same people through once they have made a single sacrifice. Consequentially, you can determine exactly how many people have passed through Level 4 by counting out the combined weight of all 150 items stuck to the Godbox, and dividing that number by 2. I have not yet done the calculation myself, but it has likely let through dozens of travelers.

Q: Why does the Godbox seal the passage to the next floor? And why does it let people through if they sacrifice metal?
A: Unclear. This probably has something to do with the Godbox's faulty programming.

Miscellaneous
Q: Why didn't Nhur Athemon visit the levels below floor 14?
A: This one puzzles me. The book implies that Nhur Athemon has had 10,000 years of occasional activity to do as he pleases, and his focus has always had something to do with the Emerald Spire itself. It's strange that he never explored deep enough to find the root. I believe the book might have hiccupped when explaining when Axis made its visit. Axis had placed a ward on the lower levels, to prevent chaos from invading from below. As written, the book implies that occurred after Nhur Athemon became a lich. More likely, Axis appeared shortly after the Emerald Spire was created. They created the seal, which disguised itself, and Nhur Athemon simply did not notice it at the time - despite his mighty power. In recent centuries, the seal waned - and when Nhur Athemon awoke once again, he noticed the weakened seal. This is what invigorated him to resume his research. He is, in fact, interested in going deeper - he had just previously not had the time, resources, or interest to keep exploring. The idea that somebody had intentionally placed a seal there, however, makes him curious. It's still a somewhat odd idea, and is based on an unexplained line in the text, which says that seeing the seal "suggested a new approach".

Q: Why doesn't Splinterden attack the troglodytes?
A: Unclear. The troglodytes are peaceful, and possess a fantastic resource (plus treasure). Perhaps Klarkosh forbade it, or perhaps they simply assumed that the troglodytes would be dangerous, despite reassurances to the contrary.

Q: How did Uzar-Kus, of Level 8, get in contact with the undine on Level 5?
A: The Spire transport tokens can be used only to get to levels on which the person knows the local sigil. Because the serpentfolk have been down here so long, Uzar-Kus' ancestors probably collected sigils for the levels above them. Ironically, the book does not mention anybody on this floor possessing a Spire transport token. A reasonable edit would give one to Uzar-Kus, to explain how he first came in contact with the undine.

Q: How did the Mistress of Thorns learn the sigils of Levels 2 - 13?
A: Unclear. Apparently she has taken captives before, but it's not clear from which floors. Perhaps she visited the other levels herself some time in the distant past; or summoned creatures to bring her captives who knew the answers.

Residents of Each Level Know the Following about the Other Levels
Level 1: The Tower Ruins know about The Cellars and The Clockwork Maze, but only by reputation. The goblins do not visit those places, but they know of the crypts and they know Klarkosh resides in the Clockwork Maze. The goblin cleric, Skizzertz, has the sigil for Level 6.

Level 2: The Cellars know about the Tower Ruins, Splinterden, and The Clockwork Maze. Thieves from Splinterden use Klarkosh's noisemakers to warn off Moon Spiders that try descending into their level. Gorloth is bound to serve Klarkosh; and possesses a Spire transport token

Level 3: Splinterden is aware of the undead and spiders in the Cellars above. They possess one Spire transport token. They are also aware of Klarkosh, who gave them the noisemakers that ward off the moonspiders, and whose agents occasionally passes through their level.

Level 4: Godhome is not precisely aware of any other levels. They know people pass through their level all the time, but little beyond that.

Level 5: The Drowned Level is aware of Klarkosh, who provided them with the sharktailed automaton in the first place; and Senethar in particular is aware of Level 8; she possesses a Spire transport token and the Sigil for Level 8; she reports to Uzar-Kus.

Level 6: The Clockwork Maze is aware of the occupants of all levels above him, because Klarkoth has passed through them; and, in later times, subjugated them. Klarkoth is also aware of the serpentfolk in the levels below him, but does not know how many floors they occupy. He is also aware that there is something below the serpentfolk, thanks to the Pech who refers to "The Great Master in the Deep". Naturally, Klarkoth possesses a Spire transport token.

Level 7: Shrine of the Awakener are aware of their brethren in Level 8 below, with whom they are at war. They are also aware of Klarkoth in the Clockwork Maze above them, and stop him from advancing. A salamander working the local forge possesses a Spire transport token that he took from an adventurer.

Level 8: The Circle of Vissk-Thar are at war with the serpentfolk on Level 7. They are also aware of the undine on Level 5 (Uzar-Kus is trying to bend them to his will).

Level 9: The Spire Axis knows the sigils for Levels 2 - 13. The Mistress of Thorns also possesses an effectively unlimited amount of Spire transport tokens. She presumably knows a little bit about all of the other floors for which she has sigils.

Level 10: The Magma Vault do not know much about the other levels. A contingent of Hellknights passed through here, and the magma dragons must have gotten their treasure from somewhere, but it is unclear how it came into their possession. Most likely wandering serpentfolk.

Level 11: The Tomb of Yarrix have been sealed away for so long that they do not know anything about anybody else. They do possess one Spire transport token.

Level 12: The Automaton Forge know of their master, Nhur Athemon, and presumably the stewart has a passing knowledge of the Pleasure Gardens. There is also a Spire transport token on this level.

Level 13: The Pleasure Gardens know about Nhur Athemon; most notably, the succubi here often teleport outside of the Spire to conduct investigations for their master.

Level 14: The Throne of Azlant knows about every level above him, and Level 15. He discovers information by scrying and employing agents like the succubi. There is one Spire transport token on this level.

Level 15: Order and Law are unconcerned with everything occurring above them, although a Kolyarut somehow wound up on Level 10 once (along with his Spire transport token). They are interested in Level 16, but do not know anything about it.

Level 16: The Emerald Root know about every level; at least, the Vault Keeper does.

This thread is for establishing a timeline of events that occur in "The Emerald Spire Superdungeon" before the adventure begins. Although the book has a timeline, it is less than a page long and omits some details that GMs may want to know before beginning the adventure.

What follows is my attempt to create a proper timeline. I have given estimates of dates where possible; events within date sections are arranged in roughly chronological order. If you have any additions or corrections, please chime in. I also intend to create a separate thread to discuss some of the adventure's logic.

Those who intend to play in the Emerald Spire Superdungeon should not read the following, as it contains spoilers.

Timeline Begins
Date: Unknown
Events
The Xiomorns, a primeval race of explorers and scientists from the Plane of Earth, lose a battle against the aboleths, and retreat from Golarion.

The Vault Keeper, Iluchtewhar, chooses to remain and attempts to create his own Vault. He is unable to control the power of a Vault Seed, and instead creates the Emerald Spire, which rises up through the earth and penetrates the surface. Iluchtewhar is imprisoned within the spire.

Date: circa 5286
Events
Nhur Athemon, an Azlanti wizard-prince, flees justice. He arrives in Avistan. There, he learns about the Emerald Spire from the natives. He is fascinated by its magical (and in particular, planar) properties. Nhur Athemon erects a green glass tower over the Spire's uppermost point; and dungeons below to access different points of the Spire and experiment on its structure. He begins attempting to turn the Spire into an arcane weapon.

Nhur Athemon becomes a lich.

The Azlanti authorities discover Nhur Athemon's location. They raid his tower and its dungeons, laying them to ruin and destroying Nhur Athemon's body. Nhur Athemon survives thanks to his phylactery. He goes into dormancy, with occasional fits of wakefulness.

Date: pre-2714 AR
Events
Various people, creatures, and organizations begin visiting the Emerald Spire. Those with an interest in culture and history mistakenly believe the Spire itself to be of Azlanti construction.

The Mistress of Thorns takes control of Level 9, the Spire Axis.

Serpentfolk scholars travel through the Darklands and discover the Emerald Spire's subterranean levels. Over the next several thousand years, they intermittently occupy various levels.

The Godbox lands in Level 4.

2,000+ years ago: The evil high priestess Yarrix establishes a lair on Level 11. She is confronted by Carsolis, a champion of Sarenrae, who slays her and seals her in a tomb.

The inhabitants of the Eternal City of Axis, sensing the creation of the Emerald Spire, arrive on Floor 15. They seal off the deepest chambers.

Date: 4214 AR
Events
The goblins of Zog occupy the Emerald Spire's ruins and the surrounding Echo Wood. They execute people by forcing them to brave the Emerald Spire's depths.

Date: Pre-4514 AR
Events
The serpentfolk turned Levels 7 and 8 into a temple, which remains occupied to the present day.

Humans establish various towns near the Emerald Spire, including Thornkeep, Southwood, and Mosswater.

An evil noble takes over Level 3, turning the natural caves into his lair. He studies necromancy until his own demise.

Derros, morlocks, troglodytes, and other creatures begin visiting the Emerald Spire's lower reaches by invading from the Darklands.

Derros enter on floor 8 and move to occupy floors 5 and 6.

Date: 4514 AR
Events
The derros' experiments on floor 5's affinity for water cause it to flood. Sometime thereafter, aquatic animals and undine spellcasters moved in. The serpentfolk of Vissk-Thar eventually turn the undine against their enemies.

Date: Pre-4614 AR
Events
The derros create the Clockwork Maze on Floor 6.

Troglodytes move in from the Darklands and form clans that worship the Godbox.

The morlocks move into Floor 9, where the Mistress of Thorns takes control of them.

Date: post-4684 AR
Events
Chaid DiViri makes expeditions into the Emerald Spire. After several successful expeditions, she finally dies on Level 10, the Magma Vault.

Gorloth, the bone priest, takes over rulership of the Crypt.

Date: 4709 AR
Events
The bugbear Grulk explores the ruins and establishes his own domain.

Date: post-4709 AR
Events
Klarkosh the Numerian Wizard explores the Emerald Spire. He makes a truce with Grulk to protect the entrance to the lower levels for Klarkosh; and similar negotiations with other inhabitants. Klarkosh establishes a lair on Floor 6.

Klarkosh begins experimenting on the Emerald Spire. He discovers a method by which he may harvest shards from the Spire, and inadvertently awakens Iluchtewhar.

Iluchtewhar pulls in creatures from other Vaults and learns how things have changed since his imprisonment.

Nhur Athemon awakens once more, and begins gathering his strength while observing levels near his own lair. He becomes aware of the serpentfolk and Klarkosh. Begins experimenting with methods to revive the dead (and undead) using the shards. Breaks the seal on floor 15, by using proteans. Axis shows up and a pitched battle begins, which becomes a stalemate.

The high priest of Ydersius - Ziszkaa - breeds hatchlings, including Uzar-Kus, who eventually takes over.

Pech, the earth fey, winds up on Level 6, and enters Klarkosh's service.

Date: 4713 AR
Events
Klarkosh begins actively defending his new home against all intruders, including parties of adventurers pursuing their own investigations of the Spire.

Date: 4714 AR
Events
The cleric Tarrin Dars establishes a stronghold on Level 3 of the Emerald Spire.

Sartoss the serpentfolk cleric breaks with his fellows on religious grounds; civil war ensues between levels 7 and 8.

The goblin cleric Skizzertz discovers a discarded automaton, which he begins repairing.

Klarkosh gives a sigil to Skizzertz, instructing him to bring any transport tokens he finds down.

New forms of undead monsters begin plaguing both Thornkeep and Fort Inevitable. Spellcasters report scrying effects from an unknown source brushing aside their normal screens and defenses. Something takes conscious control over the mysterious portals of the Spire Glen, disgorging monsters and capturing travelers far from the Emerald Spire. High Mother Sarise Dremagne of Fort Inevitable divines something about the emblem of a crown above a skull. Lady Commander Drovust seeks adventurers to destroy the "crowned skull".

Several Weeks Ago: Tiawask and Jharun visit the Emerald Spire. They are imprisoned by Klarkosh. Tiawask escapes.

Several days ago: Some intruders make it past the Crypts.

Three days ago (at least): Tiawask dies on Level 14.

Yesterday: Yoc, the xorn, finds the magma chamber, Level 10.

Concurrent: The PCs begin exploring. Iluchtewhar becomes somewhat distracted because of them.

I will be running the Emerald Spire Superdungeon. I will set the adventure in the default setting, Golarion. However, I am unfamiliar with Golarion, except in bits and pieces. I intend to read up on the setting. I was hoping, on the outset, to get some pointers to guide my reading.

So, broadly speaking...
What makes Golarion different from other fantasy settings?

Would you define Golarion as a Standard, High, or Epic Fantasy setting?

How does playing in Golarion modify the core rule book's expectations of classes and races? Mechanically? Culturally? In relation to others?

Which setting books represent the most important information a new DM should have for Golarion? Especially for running the Emerald Spire Superdungeon module? My impression is that I would be fine if I read just the Inner Sea World Guide.

I will appreciate any other general advice regarding running Golarion.

Wild Magic
Magic is inherently dangerous, especially in the hands of mortals. They draw power from chaos and shape it to their will, or fervently pray to the gods in hopes their chants will bring favor. Whatever the method used to control magic, it requires years of practice, and the smallest misstep can be the difference between a fireball and a setting oneself on fire. And miscasts do happen. A wizard uses a badly crafted focus or a bard plucks the wrong string. Even divine magic can be miscast: a cleric chants the wrong phrase and an angered god punishes him, or perhaps a trickster god or rival deity interferes with the spellcasting for mischief or malice.

Wild Magic is the result of a miscast. Because of the miscast, the spell does not go off quite as planned, if at all. The results are often spectacular, but rarely are they inherently dangerous. Sometimes, the results are even beneficial, but wild magic rarely gives something without taking something away, and vice-versa.

The Rules of Wild Magic (if you can call them that)
A spellcaster rolls on the following table whenever one or more of the following conditions are met.
• The caster rolls a 1 when casting a spell; if the spell doesn't require the caster to roll, roll a d20 anyway
• The caster fails a Concentration check
• The caster suffers Arcane Spell Failure
• The caster chooses to cast a spell without the appropriate components
• The caster, if divine, has disobeyed the caster's deity's tenets in the last 24 hours
• The spell is counter-spelled, or spellresisted
When one of these conditions is met, the caster rolls a caster level check. A level check is (1d20 + Caster's Level), with a DC equal to (15 + ((Spell Level x 2))). If the check fails, roll on the table below and apply the result.

Additionally, a DM might call for a check at discretion.

Wild Magic normally results only from spells and spell-like abilities. It may apply to supernatural or even extraordinary abilities under special circumstances. Bardic performance, for example, might be subject to wild magic, while a vampire’s bite may not.

Magic Items can trigger Wild Magic when their activated properties are used.

Wild Magic usually affects the spell's intended beneficiary, AKA, "the Bollixed". For example, if a Cleric uses Cure Light Wounds on an ally, the ally would be the Bollixed. However, if a Wizard cast a Fireball on a group of goblins, the Wizard would be the Bollixed.

When a spell invokes Wild Magic, the spell still functions as it would if it did not invoke Wild Magic, unless the result precludes it.

Any non-instantaneous effect wears off after 24 hours, unless otherwise stated. The DM may modify the duration.

Nobody can exploit Wild Magic. Any attempt to exploit the results will backfire. Purposely invoking Wild Magic for a specific result will also backfire.

Similarly, tampering with the result of wild magic is doomed to failure. At best, an insignificant improvement. At worst, things exacerbate, or it's time to roll on the wild magic table again.

The table gives examples about how many of the Wild Magic results will play out. These examples are not exclusive.

Ultimately, Wild Magic is, by its nature, unpredictable. All of the foregoing and forthcoming rules can be broken. Sometimes Wild Magic happens on a successful casting, or the duration becomes permanent, or something equally bizarre.

RESULTS
1
Absurd Equipment: A piece of the Bollixed’s equipment transforms. If the equipment is magical it remains magical, but the properties might change. The transformation may be superficial, like a steel sword becoming candy-cane colored; significant, like a helmet turning into a hat too small to wear; or just absurd, like plate mail turning into a ball gown, or a 10-foot pole becoming sausage links.

2
Aesthetics: The Bollixed’s appearance changes a little. A tattoo might form, or new piercing, or maybe a different eye color. The Bollixed might become bald, grow long hair, or grow a beard (even if female).

3-4
Age Change: The Bollixed becomes younger or older.
Child | Adult | Middle Age | Old Age | Venerable
Find the Bollixed's current age category on the chart, roll 1d4, and count to the right a number of columns equal to the result, scrolling back to the left if need be. The Bollixed's exact age is up to the DM. The transformation may affect temperament, but not memories and nature. An old and sagacious cleric who becomes a child might become hyper and irresponsible, but the cleric still knows how to cast spells, remembers religious vows, and how to behave. Conversely, a young and bold Fighter might become a crotchety old man, or a venerable sage of the sword.

5-8
Alien Behavior: The Bollixed behaves as if a stereotypical member of a different race. For example, an elf who behaves like a dwarf will become greedy, selfish, stubborn, and a drunkard.

9
Amorphous: The Bollixed becomes living liquid of some kind: blood, water, molten glass, and so forth.

10
Animate Inanimate: The Bollixed becomes an animate object, either of a normally inanimate object (like a chair), or a humanoid construct. The character gains the Construct type and may experience particular difficulties in battle and social interaction, but is otherwise normal - or as normal as a talking chair can be, in any case.

11
Backfire: The spell has the opposite of its intended effect. A Cure spell harms, a Time Stop spell stops the caster in time, and a Detect Thoughts spell lets others read the caster’s thoughts.

12-16
Bizarre Weather: Local weather conditions change in an unexpected way. It begins raining in a desert, or a heatwave hits a snowfield. Maybe a raging storm starts on a sunny day. This overrides Control Weather and similar spells.

17
Bodyswap: The caster and the caster's target switch bodies. If the caster was not targeting anybody, the caster switches bodies with the nearest creature.

18
Commentary: A voice follows, and narrates the life of, the Bollixed. The voice does not always speak, but it is eerily accurate when it chats. Sometimes it is useful, "Little did he know goblin archers were waiting in the shadows." Just as often, it says something depressing or frustrating, "Sadly, his quest was doomed to failure. He wouldn't admit it, but he knew the Duke would reject his plans." Rarely, the voice speaks loud enough for others to hear.

19
Confusion: The Bollixed mishears everybody. If told to remain quiet, the Bollixed might instead hear "We all need to shout to scare them away". Conversely, a hag disguised as a young woman might say, "I am lost in these woods, please help me," but the Bollixed hears, "I killed a girl and am wearing her skin as a disguise. Come home that I might devour you." Nor is it always so helpful or counterproductive. In either of those cases, the Bollixed might just hear, "Hey, want some cake?"

20-21
Cross-Class Cast: The caster accidentally casts an equivalent level spell from a different class’ spell list. The new spell centers on the caster, if possible, or the closest valid target. To determine the spell, find where the intended spell is, or would be, on the other class’ spell list, and take the next alphabetical spell. This spell cannot be on the same spell list as the intended spell.

22
Cursed Item: A curse affects one piece of the Bollixed's equipment. A Headband of Intelligence could become a Headband of Stupidity; a Wand of Fireballs might blow up in the caster's face; a Shield of Wave Blessing could become a Shield of Sinking. The change is not immediately obvious.

23
Dead Sense: One of the Bollixed’s senses stops working. This could be any of the traditional senses, or one of the many others, such as balance or temperature.

24
Dimensional Duplicate: An alternate version of the Bollixed appears. This alternate self has its own goals and motivations. It might be the traditional "evil twin", complete with evil goatee, or a desperate time-lost hero trying to prevent the Bollixed from suffering the same fate as itself. This alternate self doesn't disappear until its task is done or it is defeated.

25-28
Dimensional Nexus: Reality in the area bends and twists as other planes and dimensions temporarily overlap with this one. The extent and type of intrusion are unpredictable: everything on the Ethereal Plane might become substantial; the Fire and Water Planes might intersect with literally steamy results; the Plane of Time might slow down everything; creatures from Mechanicus might pop in; some parts of the landscape might be replaced.

29
Division: The Bollixed divides into two people. Each has the memories and equipment of the original, but represents only half of the original person’s personality; they exaggerate these features.

30
Energy Battery: One energy source heals the Bollixed. However, the Bollixed must have a constant supply of this energy source in addition to the Bollixed’s usual diet. This effect lasts for one month. See Starvation table.

31
External Monologue: The Bollixed no longer has an internal monologue. The unfortunate character must speak every thought. The Bollixed is unaware of doing this unless it is brought to attention, and will forget about it again in moments.

32
Focus: One, or more, of the Bollixed's senses becomes hypersensitive. For example, the Bollixed might be able to smell people from a mile away, but be easily overwhelmed by subtle odors nearby.

33
Fu-Sion-Ha!: The caster and the beneficiary become fused into a single form. If the caster is the beneficiary, the caster instead fuses with the closest person.

34
Genderswap: The Bollixed becomes the opposite sex. The transformation may affect temperament, but not memories and nature. If the Bollixed was of a race without a sex, the Bollixed assumes a sex, even changing form somewhat to accommodate that. For example, if an ooze could somehow cast a spell, and had this result, it would assume a humanoid shape that was either male or female, while still being an ooze.

35
Gone: An unattended object or structure in the area disappears. The object can be of any size, even a castle (assuming it’s empty at the time). The object later reappears in the caster’s presence the first time that would be helpful or harmful.

36-38
Halfway Here: The Bollixed shunts to either the Ethereal Plane (Astral Plane) or the Shadow Plane. The Bollixed appears to be either a ghost or a shadow on the adjoining plane, as appropriate. (If the Bollixed is already on one of those planes, shunts to either the adjoining plane, or another transitive plane).

39
Here It Is: Recall a currently unattended object or structure the caster has seen firsthand. That object is immediately teleported into the caster’s presence.

40
I See Dead People: The Bollixed can detect ghosts and other insubstantial, or invisible, creatures. However, this comes at the cost of normal vision. All insubstantial and invisible creatures count as substantial and visible. However, all substantial creatures count as insubstantial.

41
In Illness and in Health: The Bollixed becomes violently ill. This could be anything from the world's worst case of hiccups to a bizarre and dangerous mutation to a fever so bad the Bollixed wants to die but can't pass out. Ironically, the Bollixed becomes immune to all diseases and poisons, fatigue and exhaustion. Any conditions the Bollixed was already experiencing are gone. Any permanent conditions, such as parapalegia or blindness, are suppressed.

42
Language, Language: The Bollixed now speaks, reads, writes, and understands a different language, and only that language.

43
Life/Undeath: The Bollixed becomes an intelligent undead of a random type, but equivalent level, even if that undead would not normally be intelligent. If the Bollixed is undead, the Bollixed becomes alive. The transformation may affect temperament, but not memories and nature.

44
Lifebond: The caster and the beneficiary become supernaturally connected. They can read each other’s mind, know each other’s location, and each other’s status. They frequently imitate each other by accident.

45
Light Switch: The area becomes dark if there is light, or brightly lit if it is dark.

46
Living Spell: The spell gains sentience and material form. It is friendly toward the caster who created it, but has its own dreams and desires. Such a living spell may become permanent given special circumstances.

47
Madness: The caster is afflicted with some form of insanity. Anything from a crippling fear of casting magic to the sadly mistaken belief that he is, in fact, a level 12 Fighter; narcissism to schizophrenia. However, the caster gains a small reprieve because of the insanity: any mind-affecting effects currently on the caster dissipate, and the caster is immune to any mind-effecting effects while this madness endures. If the caster was suffering any other madness, it is suppressed for the duration of this effect.

48
Magical Explosion: Everything in the area takes 1d6 damage per caster level, Reflex save for half. Anything that survives is healed/repaired for 1d6 hit points per caster level. All magical effects and equipment are subject to Dispel Magic. This occurs instead of the intended effect.

49
Meet the Locals: A number of local inhabitants immediately appear in the area. The inhabitants may be people, animals, or anything else. Whatever the case, they are neutral toward all parties involved in whatever is happening. Such locals are usually average members of their species, and unknown to any of the parties. They do not disappear, or otherwise get teleported back to the place from whence they came.

50
Misplaced Possession: One of the Bollixed’s mundane possessions immediately disappears. It reappears after resting, and is now a wondrous item.

51
Mixed Reactions: All creatures reverse reactions toward the Bollixed. Hostile creatures become helpful; friendly creatures become unfriendly. Neutral characters act as if the character is unimportant or non-existent: in the best case, a guard might not care that the Bollixed walks by and into the treasure vault; in the worst case, a king might completely ignore a well-pleaded argument, no matter how high the Bollixed's diplomacy check.

52
Nemesis: Somebody else pays the consequences for Wild Magic. A farmer's house inexplicably burns down. A wizard's spell components disintegrate just before completing a ritual to become a lich. A nobleman transforms into an intelligent weasel. That person learns that the caster is the cause of the misfortune. That person, its agent, or superior, comes seeking vengeance.

53
Odd Memory: The Bollixed's memory is affected. The Bollixed might forget the last 24 hours, be unable to remember things for the next 24 hours, remember events with gross inaccuracy, or gain the curse of a truly photographic memory.

54
Paradox: Some feature of reality alters, but always in a way significant to the Bollixed. The effects may not be immediately obvious. Perhaps one’s dead parents come back to life as vampires, or one’s pet cat is now a dog. This effect is permanent.

55
Perfect Hindsight: The Bollixed has perfect hindsight. Any time the Bollixed messes up, realization comes after it is too late to change anything. Of course, this knowledge may be useful for similar situations in the future.

56
Personality Shift: The Bollixed’s own nature changes. The Bollixed acts very differently; people will notice the change. This might even change the Bollixed’s alignment. A quiet monk may become a boisterous drunk; a conniving thief could become a saint.

57
Powerful Desire: The Bollixed becomes obsessed with a person, place, thing, act, or idea. The Bollixed might spend all day working on an airship design, eat bowl after bowl of ice cream, or woo another party member.

58-61
Racial Transformation, Full: The Bollixed transforms into another race. The transformation may affect temperament, but not memories and nature. The transformation can be into anything from a chicken to a Balor. The transformation may affect temperament, but not memories and nature.

62-65
Racial Transformation, Partial: The Bollixed's race remains the same, but the Bollixed gains features of another race. A human might sprout cat ears and a tail, become as tall and green as an orc, or develop a Mind Flayer's tentacle mouth. The transformation may affect temperament, but not memories and nature.

66
Reality's Sight: The Bollixed sees the world in an idealized version of itself. A cruel-hearted, but beautiful, person may appear to be a hag; a well-loved but dilapidated temple may appear to be of sterling silver. The Bollixed is unaware about this effect without a tip-off, which can lead to awkward situations; for example, falling through the broken floor of the aforementioned temple. Even with the tip-off, the Bollixed cannot see reality as it actually is. Coincidentally, this means the Bollixed sees through illusions.

67
Rebalancing the Humours: The Bollixed loses ten ability points divided between one or more categories. The Bollixed gains ten ability points divided between one or more categories. For example, a wizard might drop from an 11 Constitution to 1, but jump from 20 Intelligence to 30. No ability may drop below 1. The lost and gained points are allocated by the DM.

68
Recolor: Everything in the caster’s vicinity is recolored: skin, hair, clothes, walls; even the air takes on a slightly different shade. This is actually an effect centered on the caster, and follows the caster.

69
Redirect: The spell targets somebody other than the intended recipient(s), or a different area, in the case of area-affecting spells.

70
Savant: The Bollixed gains ranks in a Craft, Performance, or Profession skill in which the Bollixed currently has no ranks. The number of ranks is equal to double the Bollixed's character level, and the Bollixed counts as trained in that skill. The Bollixed is compelled to resolve any situation, including combat, via use of this skill. If that by itself is impossible, the Bollixed is still compelled to somehow work the skill into the situation.

71-72
Size Alteration: Roll 1d8 and compare to the size chart. Move up a number of spaces equal to the result, scrolling back to the bottom if need be.

73
Speech Impediment: The Bollixed cannot speak normally. Perhaps the Bollixed speaks with a lisp, or only in rhyme, or emphasizes the wrong syllables, or sounding sarcastic at inappropriate moments. It is a bad idea to cast spells with Somatic components while this is active.

74
Summoning: The caster summons an extraplanar entity. This outsider is significantly more powerful than the summoner and knows it was summoned by accident. The entity is initially neither helpful nor hostile, but is open to negotiation. If the caster has something the entity wants, or promises something, the entity might be helpful. Conversely, poor negotiations or a refusal to deal with the entity will incur its wrath. It might attack now or leave to plot a more intricate vengeance.

75
Super Effective: The spell works extraordinarily well. The caster can apply a number of metamagic feats equal to (10 – Spell Level) to the spell, and ignores Spell Resistance. Furthermore, the caster can choose to roll again on the Wild Magic table in exchange for another metamagic feat. The caster can roll a number of times equal to the spell’s level. Metamagic that would affect the spell’s casting, such as Quicken Spell, are applied retroactively. If no metamagic feats would apply, the caster simply doesn’t lose the spell from memory.

76
Spellwarp: The spell goes off, incorrectly. A fireball might produce no heat, or be only smoke, or a tiny fireball, or a gigantic fireball, or do cold damage. An invisibility spell could make the target incorrectly believe he is invisible, make him permanently invisible, make everybody he touches become invisible, make everyone in the area invisible, or end prematurely.

77
Subjective Reality: The Bollixed becomes convinced of a lie, no matter how ludicrous. Ironically, the lie holds some truth for the Bollixed, if nobody else. If the Bollixed is convinced a certain demon doesn’t have damage reduction, that demon doesn’t have damage reduction – against the Bollixed. Similarly, if the Bollixed believes there is a door some place where there is not a door, then the Bollixed can open the door and walk through it, but nobody else can.

78
Taboo: The caster becomes unable to perform or refrain from some act, or is harmed if exposed to a certain thing that is normally non-harmful. The taboo somehow ironically relates to the spell that invoked this wild magic result. A wizard who cast a fireball might be unable to stand within 30’ of a source of fire. A Cleric who casts heal might be unable to touch sick people. A sorcerer who casts Mirror Image might be compelled to stare into any mirrors for one round per caster level.

79
Teleport: The Bollixed is teleported. If fortunate, the Bollixed might end up inside a nearby attic or basement. If unfortunate, the target might be teleported to another plane and need to find the way back. If extremely unfortunate, the target may teleport into a stone wall, into the bottom of an ocean, or a mile into the sky. However, even in the most dire circumstances, something will go right. Perhaps a passing roc will pick up the Bollixed, or the Bollixed can find a nearby underwater cavern with an air supply.

80
The Almighty Cantrip: The caster's cantrips become incredibly powerful, but unpredictable, as they accidentally become interwoven with the very essence of magic. Mage Hand might be able to pick up horses, but it could just as easily crush a small, delicate object. Spark might work from a distance, or it could set everything in the area on fire. If the caster doesn't possess any cantrips, the caster gains the Wild cantrip. This cantrip, when used, has unpredictable effects. It can emulate any other cantrip, but doesn't always do what the caster wants.

81
Transmutation: One unattended object or structure transmutes into a different material. A tree might become flesh, or a gravestone become steel. This effect is permanent.

82
Unlock: Any locked thing in the caster’s vicinity is immediately unlocked. If locked by magical means, it gets a saving throw. Note that this applies a liberal definition of “locked”: anybody wearing a belt finds it comes undone, buttons pop open, held touch spells immediately activate.

83
Unorthodox Companion: The Bollixed gains a loyal companion, but something is wrong with it. A kleptomaniac butler, an annoying fairy healer, a mind-reading imp who blurts the Bollixed's secrets. This effect is permanent.

84
Useless Foresight: The Bollixed knows the future of any course of action the Bollixed plans to undertake. But only a version of the future that will not come to pass.

85
Versatile Spell: The spellcaster becomes unable to cast any spell other than the spell just cast. However, the caster can now use the spell in any way even vaguely related to spirit or the wording of the spell. This spell replaces every spell slot of its level or higher. The effect wears off when the caster has used all those spell slots.

86
Visions of Our Secrets: Make note of one important private thought had, or secret held, by the Bollixed and anybody the Bollixed encounters. Upon resting, each person learns the secret of all others. The next time any of those people rest, they learn each other's important private thoughts. This happens for each person. The revelations come as dreams, and are usually vague, but can be correctly interpreted, and the people know the visions are true. The effect ends when the Bollixed rests.

87
Weird Luck: The Bollixed suffers bad luck and enjoys good luck in equal, extreme measure, alternating. For example, a powerful monster might ambush the Bollixed, but when defeated, drops 50,000 gold, but the gold belongs to an archmage, who wants it back, but feels sorry for hurting the Bollixed, and so gives the Bollixed a magic wand of great power that runs out of charges at the worst time.

88
Widespread Paranoia: Nothing seems to happen. However, everybody else is convinced something must have happened. Even people who don't know anything about the spellcaster, or even magic, will think something strange is happening when the caster is around. Best case: people credit the caster for doing well, despite the "obvious" wild magic happening; worst case: a village mob gathers to attack the "strange" person "responsible" for bad things happening.

89-98
Reroll: Roll twice on this chart and take both results. If this result is met again, apply it again. If both rolls give the same result, apply accordingly.

99-100
Truly Unexpected: Something other than the listed effects occurs. Maybe roll on the Catastrophic Table, or make a non-permanent effect be Permanent, give the Bollixed a pet dragon; whatever it is, it should be at least as bizarre as any other result.

Design Notes
The results are meant to be, overall, neither particularly helpful or harmful. There are exceptions, of course, but that small chance of something extraordinary happening is all part of the fun.

This chart is meant to apply to actual casting. I have other plans to create a Catastrophic Wild Magic table, which applies to extraordinary cases (like destroying an Artifact) and Magic Item Wild Magic, which applies to using and affecting magic items.

I chose 24 hours as the standard duration because that should be long enough for a character to really feel the good and bad of any given effect. However, in my playtesting, I find that this sometimes is a bit long with certain effects. I am considering adding a duration to each entry.

Most of the options are vague mechanically. That's intentional. I want to give more leeway to the DM in deciding the exact effects (even if the players have seen that result before and "know" what to expect). Also, the table is meant to be fun to read; if I gave everything an appropriate mechanical write-up, the table would be unwieldy in length.

I'm not terribly fond of large "empty" situations, which are relegated to rerolls. If I can think of more to add, I would. Even so, I tried to spice up the re-roll result a touch.

I realize some of the names are a bit silly, like "Fu-Sion-Ha!" and have considered something a bit less absurd, but that silliness might be just appropriate for this chart.

Thoughts?

“Without the threat of death, you can’t really be a hero.” ~Knights of the Dinner Table

In Pathfinder, how often should a PC die? How often should there be a TPK?

I want to put aside the easy answer: “it depends on how dangerous you want to make your game”.

I play in a weekly Pathfinder game, a conversion of Savage Tide. The party is level 13. We run with three players, but we have had as many as six. The only PC deaths have come from players killing off their own characters for their personal story reasons. Between all the PCs, we have had fewer than five “unconscious” conditions occur.

The philosophy of our DM is (and I am sure he will correct me if I misquote him): PC death should be a rare event, reserved for a crowning moment of awesomeness, when the death furthers the story and the player agrees to it. He is reluctant to even accept PC death for moments of great player stupidity. He dislikes the Raise Dead spell because he believes it cheapens PC death. Monsters do not attack fallen PCs and monsters will change to less effective tactics if they are doing well enough to kill the party.

Another friend of mine believes death is a routine, but mostly meaningless, event (after a few levels). Battles should be extremely difficult; PC death is not guaranteed, but should be expected. When it happens, PCs should be revived (assuming there was not a TPK).

A third friend believes PCs should never die. If a PC dies, then that is the DM’s fault. A TPK, then, is the most offensive form of DM misconduct. Ideally, a battle should be challenging, but should be surmountable without PC death. If the player is being stupid, then that is still the DM’s problem: the DM should have explained the situation better or not have put him in such a situation in the first place.

Personally, I feel like Pathfinder is meant to be so challenging that PC death is frequent. If PCs do not die, then either the DM is not clever enough, the story is too easy, or the party is overpowered. TPKs should be rare, but happen when the PCs take a risk or make a foolish choice as a group. Monsters should not pull their punches – heck, they should usually be in an advantageous area; that shows off what is cool about that monster and helps the players see why that monster was interesting enough to be put in the Bestiary anyway.

I can’t put a number on how frequently PCs should die, but (to talk in extremes) if more than three levels go by without a single PC dying, then I don’t feel challenged. I’d like to hear your ideal numbers.

This is primarily a combat game. Granted, Pathfinder is presumably easier than D&D 3.5 (more hit points, fewer death spells), but sword-swinging and spell-slinging are still what the game is about. Combat without risks is meaningless; death is a great risk that can be present in every battle (while granting that some battles might have other risks). If a PC dies in Pathfinder, it is a conceit of the game that the story goes on and, while the other PCs may mourn the loss, they can rely on a new hero to replace the fallen. With all due respect to Pathfinder’s creativity, I don’t think it emphasizes social roleplaying as much as games like Warhammer Fantasy RP (WHFRP) or World of Darkness (WoD). I know some people play atypical WoD or Pathfinder games; I’m speaking about the typical game experience.

A word on Raise Dead: This spell (and similar ones) may bother me a bit, despite my acceptance of the conceit of Pathfinder, but it is a part of the game. PCs die. They die so frequently that there is a spell to bring you back to life if you don't want to play a new character. Sure, it takes some of the bite out of PC death, but even so, such spells have their own restrictions and, I suppose, the risk of TPK should go up as levels increase. I'm not sure of that stance on Raise Dead-like spells, or whether it's even appropriate for this topic, but I will put it out there.

I considered going on about how a challenging Pathfinder game can be made, but I think that is outside the scope of this discussion. I want this discussion to be only about how frequent PC death and TPKs should be and why they should be.

Thoughts?

I was surprised to see that there are no bloodlines dealing specifically with heavenly bodies. There is the voidborn bloodline, which applies to the emptiness in space and the contemplation of its vastness, but nothing which relates to the mystic properties of the sun, moon, stars, or other properties of space.

I would like to see one. Does anybody have any ideas? Has anybody done some work on one?

By the way, I was thinking about this subject because of the campaign in which I am playing. The world has three moons, each which has its own legend and superstitions attached to it (to the point that they even have a small effect on the game world sometimes). I had thought it would be cool to create a sorcerer whose family had, according to legend, descended from one of the moons, and thought that a Lunar Bloodline (which does not exist) would be appropriate.

This is a feat chain for blind characters. Although the character will never completely overcome his blindness, with experience he learns to focus his other senses in useful ways. Please read and review.

All four of these count as Combat feats.

Sightless Focus
Benefit: Once per round, as a move action, you can attempt to perfectly locate one invisible and/or concealed target. Make a Perception check with a DC equal to 10 + target's Stealth modifier (with all usual modifiers for Perception and Blinded, except for the usual bonus for Invisibility). If you succeed, you treat the target as if the target were visible and not concealed; also, you neither lose your dexterity bonus nor take a -2 to AC against the target. This benefit lasts until the end of your next turn. If you are deafened, you lose this benefit.
Prerequisite: You must take this feat at character creation or have spent at least the previous level blinded. You do not need to be physically blind; you may just keep yourself blindfolded. If your blindness is ever cured, or blindfold removed, you immediately lose the benefits of this feat, and any feats which depend on it. You can regain the benefits of this feat if you again meet the prerequisite.

Dark Equilibrium
Your experience moving in darkness has improved your balance. You no longer need to make an Acrobatics check to keep your balance when moving at full speed because of being Blinded. Furthermore, you can reroll any check or save to keep your balance, and take the better result. Furthermore, you no longer take the penalty to strength- and dexterity-based skill checks. You do not lose this benefit if you are deafened. Finally, you can perfectly locate up to two targets, as a swift action.
Prerequisites: Level 5, Sightless Focus

Reading the Noise
Your ability to read the incoming attacks of the foes you study becomes uncanny. By listening for the swing of a sword, the flight of an arrow, or the roar of a fireball, you can predict and avoid the attack. As an immediate action, you can force an opponent you have perfectly located to reroll an attack roll they made against you and take the worse result or reroll a Reflex save against them and take the better result. Furthermore, you can perfectly locate up to three targets, as a free action. If you are deafened, you lose this benefit.
Prerequisites: Level 11, Dark Equilibrium

The Faintest Sound
You gain Blindsense, with a distance equal to (your ranks in Perception x5) feet. You automatically perfectly locate everybody in range of your Blindsense. If you are deafened, you lose this benefit.
Prerequisites: Level 15, Reading the Noise

Design Notes
My goal is to create a feat chain that enables a blind character to function, even excel in special ways, without completely removing the drawbacks of being blind. A blind character who could function normally and gain benefits would be more powerful than first glance suggests; blind characters don't care one way or another about darkness effects, gaze attacks, blinding attacks, most illusions, and some other effects. It takes all four feats to overcome most of the problems.

The first feat is plenty powerful in its effect, but leaves the character vulnerable to other enemies unless he is careful. The later feats improve on the core concept, partly because combat itself becomes more dangerous and partly because characters with a medium-to-good BAB may want to attack more than one opponent.

The second feat turns the primary effect into a swift action and extends it to two targets. The swift action effect is almost powerful enough in itself, but several classes (Magus and Monk, for example) use their swift actions for important actions. I added the balance feature, which is useful, if circumstantial. Nifty if a spellcaster uses an effect that knocks you prone (Sirocco, anybody?) and it also encourages these characters to make some risky acrobatics checks. When you can roll twice, why not go sliding down the ropes on a rocking pirate ship in stormy water?

The third feat is a touch disappointing. I like the effect; it's powerful, it's thematic. But I hate having that "or" in there. I thought about limiting this just to attack rolls, but I was inspired by the rogue's evasion ability to add something in there that could apply to magical attacks as well. I think that makes this very tempting, especially when I'm of the mind that people are usually more concerned with offense than defense. A defensive feat needs to be good. But still... also, I'm not entirely married to the name. Finally, the core feature improves again here, and it's about as good an improvement as the second step: because the check is now a free action, it doesn't take anything away from the other actions and extending it to three people is sometimes useful. I considered making this feat say "you can ignore somebody's dexterity bonus and treat them as flat-footed as an immediate action", but a person's ability to dodge is as much about their ability to move as it is about your ability to predict their movements.

The fourth feat is powerful, but I felt it was balanced for a point when spellcasters can regularly fly, teleport people to other dimensions, give themselves blindsight 40, stop time, or destroy a three mile radius with a tornado. I originally called it blindsight, but I felt that was excessive, especially given the potential range. By the way, note that the greatest range is equal to the first range increment of a longbow. Nice that it works out that way, I think.

Come to think of it, I'm not entirely sold on "Sightless Focus" for the first feat's name. Sounds a touch pretentious, but not sure what I want to change it to. "Blind Warrior" sounds a bit too simple and suggests a melee character; in my original concept, this was a feat chain for archers, inspired by the idea of a zen archer who blindfolds himself. Also considered "Way of the Blind", but again, pretentious?

A note to Blind-Fighting: Blind-Fighting isn't as powerful as this, but it also does not come with a debilitating and permanent condition like this. In a room with five enemies, where four are visible, and one is invisible, the blind character is in more trouble. Also, the blind character still needs to succeed at a perception check; against some opponents, and in some circumstances, this is difficult. You also need greater investment in this chain to complete it.

I made the perception check a flat check, but one without the invisibility modifiers, because I wanted the check to be possible, even at level one. I'm also assuming the character is using some special training, or unusually focused sense, to make the check, to explain why the invisibility modifier or an actual stealth check does not factor in. I set it at 10+ because, well, if it works for Caster Level, why not Perception? (Heh, except Perception can get a higher bonus; but then again, so can stealth modifier).

I've considered adding in something to account for bards. As it stands, sometimes a blind character won't be able to get any benefit from a bard song, because some require the target to see the bard to get the effect. And, on the other hand, blind bards have a 50% chance of failure to perform a bardic song with a visual component. Maybe add something to feat one, or change feat three.

I would like some rules clarifications about Dominate Person (and related powers). For the purposes of my examples, assume the phrasing is as specific as possible to get the exact intended command, unless I say otherwise.

1) A successfully uses "Dominate Person" on B. A orders B to "stand guard and do not leave that spot until I return." A then leaves the presence of B. C finds A and kills A. Does the "Dominate Person" spell immediately end or does the command continue until the spell's normal duration ends?

2) As the previous example, but while B stands guard, a dangerous earthquake happens. B expects that he will die if he does not leave. However, the command to "stand guard" command was not clearly suicidal when it was given. Will B leave?

3) A sees B fail an athletics check and fall prone. A uses "Dominate Person" on B and tells him to do exactly that again. Does B make a new roll or does B automatically fail his roll?

4) A sees B get a critical hit. A uses "Dominate Person" on B and tells him to strike that way again. Does muscle memory take over and force B to get a critical hit? What if it's not a critical hit, but a natural 20 on a mundane task, like forging a document, using a magical device (UMD check), or crafting an impressive sword?

5) A uses "Dominate Person" on B. A tells B, "Go to Ye Olde Chicken Shoppe' and buy me a fine chicken." However, the chicken shop is very far away and B needs food badly. He encounters C, a garrulous merchant with a food cart. Will B engage in conversation with C to get food? Will B just try to take the food? Can B haggle (assuming he doesn't have enough money to afford any of the food)? Will B sound like himself? Assuming B doesn't starve to death, and does make it to the chicken-seller, can he haggle or be creative about obtaining the chicken or assessing its qualities? Or is he, in entirety, entirely bland and uncreative?

6) B, a magus, is in a party with C and D. He also has a party member, E, who is back in town. A uses "Dominate Person" on B. A tells B, "Fight your allies" (this one is intentionally vague). How will B fight? Will B just swing his sword? Will he use his spells? If he uses his spells, will he use them creatively? Will he fight plainly? Will he fight like a fanfiction version of himself (using his tactics, but uncreatively and with no invention or innovation)? Will he use his regular guile? Suppose he recognizes D as a party member, but does not think of D as an ally. Will he understand that the dominate command was supposed to refer to D, and thus attack, or will he refrain? If B kills C and D, will he then go back to town and find E, to kill him too? Supposing B does use his spells, and he exhausts himself; would he rest to regain his spells before confronting E?

7) Does a person under the effects of "Dominate Person" consciously understand he is being dominated? Subconsciously? Does he recall being dominated? Is it a blur? Does he rationalize it as voluntary action? Does he completely forget what happened?

8) You are a druid in a party with Fighters who made Wisdom their dump stat. After you shake your head and sigh in frustration, what do you advise them to do before entering the "Castle of Vampires Overly Fond of Dominate Person"?

I do not understand the mechanics behind movement through solid earth. Please analyze my thoughts and questions.

If a creature with tremorsense 60 ft. is standing on solid ground, and there is a cave 30 feet below him, can the creature sense the location of that cave? Why? Tremorsense enables you to pinpoint the location of anything in contact with the earth. However, it is silent about whether you know information about the earth itself.

If a creature with tremorsense cannot detect the features of the earth around him, then that creature is blind for the purposes of moving through earth. This means that Earth Elementals must make an Acrobatics 10 check every round to keep moving through earth at full speed. (One might argue that Earth Glide says you move as easily as a fish through water, but water doesn't blind you and a blind fish is still a blind fish)

A creature with tremorsense can pinpoint a creature's location, but apparently that does not remove the penalties for blindness (the wording is similar to blindsense). Therefore, an earth elemental striking from within the earth, into a cavern, takes the usual penalties for being blind.

A druid which turns into an earth elemental does not explicitly gain elemental traits. Therefore, a druid presumably needs to breathe. If I understand correctly, then a druid must hold its breath whenever it is moving through solid earth, unless the druid has a way to bypass that restriction.

If a creature with Earthglide stays in the earth, adjacent to a cavern wall, then how is the creature affected by things dependent on sight? Can I occupy the earth, only poking my face out of it when I am making an attack (to negate blindness penalties) and moving (to keep an eye on features of the cavern), then duck my face back in and avoid gaze attacks?

Related to that, if I am in a square of earth, and somebody attacks that square of earth, do I take damage?

In Ultimate Magic, the Cave Domain's 4th level spell is "Blackwing Host." According to the asterisk, it is a new spell found in Ultimate Magic.

I cannot find the spell in the book. A search does not even turn up the term "blackwing."

I checked the Pathfinder SRD, in case the spell's source was mislabeled, but the spell is not there, either.

Where is the spell listed? Is it mislabeled? Did a clerical error leave it out of the book?

I would also like to know what the spell (or the spell that should be in that slot) does.

Back around February, many of the core classes listed on the Pathfinder SRD had a new alternate class feature listed. I have since checked again, but those class features are now gone. What happened?

The alternate class features included (going by memory)...
A Calm Rage for the barbarians, which increased dex and wisdom instead of strength and con
An ability for bards to be better melee combatants
A wall climb for monks which replaced feather fall
Elemental domains for clerics which gave them a series of elemental spells as they gained levels
An animal companion for fighters which replaced either weapon or armor training (depending on how good you wanted the companion to be)

I know that those features were not in the APG.

I think many of these alternate class features are both mechanically sound and flavorful. If they are fan-made, it's a good sign of the community's creativity.

Whether or not these are official alternate class features, I would like to know where I can read them again.