Ooooh, thanks! Sorry to forget that.
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"OOOOOOhhh, deary" Tik's whiskers stand on end, and he looks left and right, scanning for both foes and sources of cover, should another fireball come in.
Tiknesr cranes his neck, but stays behind Arrus. "Wooden coins with the Symbol of Mammon on them. Shall we assume someone just got murdered?"
Ahhh, thanks! Apologies, lots on my mind nowadays.
When they hear a collective gasp from the room next door Tiknesr giggles, a bit nervously. He makes sure that he stands just behind Arrus (a bit further back from the door) and his oversized ears twitch toward the sounds of commotion.
Cool! I'm still here. MonkeyGod knows I've been a bit busy/overwhelmed myself, but that's already starting to improve and I still hope to be an active player here.
"Teeheeheeheeheehee. Clever. Results, as ever, are what matters. Though if there happens to be a little suffering...well...what's the harm in enjoying it, eh? It would be a shame to let the poor thing's suffering go to waste, don't you think? Who does that benefit?" Tik's rat familiar comes crawling out of his sleeve, and Tik feeds it a hunk of bread crust.
Ray, we've been ad-libbing a potential ysoki sub-theme in Gameplay. I have no attachment to it...it can all go to pieces in the background, and I'll be fine...but if it catches your imagination, I'm happy to run with it too, in some way or another.
Tik shrugs, scratches a dandruffy patch on his throat, and takes another large bite of cheese and bread. "It's a fair question...and a clever idea. Though I'd have to leave the negotiations to someone else. Still, if it's 'Lord Lodros Mhartis'–he says in a mocking voice–that's leading the charge, that serves the goal of getting the sewer Xvarts focused on the surface, and possibly in need for some alliess."
Arrus seems stunned for a moment, then recovers quickly. I... will try to pronounce that correctly in time. Huh. He didn't mention you. But then... we just started this little venture. Tiknesr nods. "It's a fairly common surname, really. Among ysoki. Just click your tongue against your teeth a few times–like so–and then, well, for humans it's a bit of a slurping sound. Like sucking a wide noodle into your mouth." ”Hunt the cannibal Witch – seek-and-destroy the insane serial killer, before she feeds again!” As he hears the voice outside the window, Tik gets a brief look of terror on his face, scanning the room anxiously for foes and exits. Oooohhh...it's little humans, playing some stupid game. He glowers at the child under his table, and still seems a touch ruffled after he's gone. . . . His ratty ears perk up at word of an attempt to clear the xvarts, gremlins, and kobolds from the sewers. He tilts his head toward that conversation, and says, "Pssst. Hear that? Might be a way to get a bit of coin, and also a bit of prestige, eh? And I certainly have no love for that damned Whitechin; he's the reason we ysoki have never been able to establish ourselves in these sewers ourselves." Lore?:
Tiknesr enters, head down, hoping–despite his notable appearance–for the 'invisibility' granted by default to those assumed to be slaves or servants. He orders some cheese and bread, and a glass of his own, and sits down on a high stool beside the bigger ones. He spreads a generous slab of cheese onto the crusty bread, rapidly devours it (his teeth merrily chattering the whole while) and then licks his lips. He hands a crust of bread to a small rat that sticks his head out from Tik's broad sleeve. "Aaaah, you must be Arrus. Renzo mentioned you. Tiknesr Th'th'th'th'slifp, at your service." The little rat-man holds out a small, soft hand to shake. "Time to begin planning some revenge eh? Let's begin then! Heeheeheheeheehee."
Now now, no need to be unpeasant. ;-)
Ahhh yes, repairs/healing. I see it's often discussed for this archetype, since the archetype doesn't really give a way for it to be repaired between L1 and L4. Half the posts suggest houserules, e.g. 'Yeah talk to your DM about it. I'd probably allow Knowledge Engineering to function as a pseudo "Heal check"' One option that does is fast healing. That leads me to a Q about Infernal Healing, which requires a drop of devil's blood. I assume over play, before too long, we may collect plenty of devil's blood in Westcrown. Until then, perhaps it's available for sale? Any notion of the cost for a drop of blood?
OK, my profile is up to date...except I didn't add a construct companion yet, pending DM decision. (Either way is fine.)
I have no idea what mechanics are involved in that build -- I only hope that it ends up similar to a Druid's Animal Companion, Summoner's Eidolon, or Tinkerer's Construct. As opposed to some grossly overpowered thing that wildly outshines the other PCs. Thanks! The details are all in the archetype I linked but yeah, it's just a vanilla animal companion...plus most of a construct's normal immunities. My plan is 90% just to ride it around, and hopefully stay *away* from melee. I think Craft Construct is okay as long as you're using it to make and repair your mechanical mount. I'm only against the crafting Feats because of PCs with 1/2 price gear overwhelming the CR-appropriate Bestairy encounters (and sometimes the time involved in making (improving) weapons, wondrous items, and such. But for the Construct, it's fine. Hmmm, I think the only point of Craft Construct would be to make constructs...which I'm totally fine to not do. In that case, are you OK with taking the archetype but replacing Craft Construct with - Craft Scroll (to sub in a less controversial crafting feat)- A bonus feat - No bonus anything...just don't take way the L4 discovery Craft Construct would normally replace? Thanks,
Thanks for all your answers! One more question: I'm looking at the Construct Rider Alchemist Archetype which gets Diminished Extracts and trades away Brew Potion, Mutagen, and the L4 Discovery (a pretty steep price!) for a Animal Companion with the Construct type, plus (at L4) the Craft Constructs feat. I honestly haven't looked into Crafting Constructs yet–and it's not the reason I'd take the artifact (I'm thinking of riding around on a magic-mecha-rat-wolf)–but I was curious: I know you've banned most item crafting. I could see any of:
Thoughts?
Finishing skills and other last details for Tiknesr. which of these are class sklls for Witch and/or Alchemist:
Thanks!
Ray, any opinions about what the ratfolk presence is like in Cheliax, and Westcrown in particular? Is there an under-city ratfolk community down in the sewers? If not, perhaps Tik's mother fled from [place where there are more ratfolk] when she was betrayed by her coven, and she took up employment for House Arvanxis...leading to Tik being born here?
I ask because the drawback of Infernal Contract (linked above) is:
If I can use Heal as much as I want, that's no drawback at all...except perchance some day if someone happens to surprise us while I'm preparing spells. (I don't know that that's a big deal either way, but at least want to be upfront about it.)
Oh dear. Abraxas does seem to fit!...and could bring some interesting complications at some point. That makes me think I might want to take Infernal Contract as well...which brings me to a house rule clarification: F) As a Full Round Action (provokes) you can use the Heal Skill to treat wounds. You can use the Skill to heal 2 Hit Points at DC 16 and an additional 2 HP for every five DC points (4 HP at DC 21; 6 HP at DC 26; 8 HP at DC 31, etc). ^
Oh, I was just looking back at your skills homebrew. You give 3 background ranks / level...but many of the Unchained background skills you've beefed up and made "foreground" skills, right? e.g. Appraise, Heal, and Linguistics are not background skills anymore, right?
Tiknesr Th'th'th'th'slifp
Main roles:
Happy to use casting (and eventually extracts) as buffs and debuffs...and if we find we need more of a frontline, I could possibly go into summoning, though that's not my intent right now. * If you're curious, "Th'th'th'th'slifp" is by pronounced by tapping the tongue against the teeth noisily four times and then slurping. Seems to me like a very Ysoki kind of name.
I'm 100% cool with one FCB (and it's what I've seen most in gestalt). Just curious and wanted to make sure I understood, since I've seen DMs go either way. Traditional racial spells limited by race? (e.g. blend, or windy escape)? I'm kind of a fan of opening all spells to all races (and it feels in keeping with your racial stat ruling...but happy to follow whatever your lead is here. BTW, I tend to lean with Talia on crit multipliers. I'd personally vote to keep them as is, or else to make more substantive changes (otherwise there's a real incentive to go pick/scythe, and a real penalty for going scimitar).
Two traits? Third for a drawback? Only one favored class? Or ability to take a FCB from both sides of the gestalt?
Thanks! I particularly like the race thing. I'm always sad that Gnomes are such subpar alchemists (and love that now a halfling fighter or a dwarven bard is doable). To clarify, for languages, let's say I wanted to learn Thassilonian, are you saying it still only counts as 1 of the 2 languages, but can't be taken before L4? Or are you saying that it "costs" 4 language slots (so after spending 2 pts, I could learn elven, dwarven, orcish, and halfling...or instead of those four, learn 1 ancient language?
I use my campaigns tab to track things to keep up to date on. If there's a way to get a thread to show up on that tab without dotting in gameplay, I don't know of it. (I do know there are other ways of tracking threads...but this is the one I tend to go to regularly).
I don't think anyone NEEDS to dot now (and if you do, it can be with a name like TBD-123). I just requested it since it's the way I like to track threads.
"Gaaaauuh!! I'm dying." the rat-man cries out. "Aww, quit your whining, you're not dead yet." replies Aroden, crawling out of Tik's backpack.
He tries to tap Tikneser with a healing wand...which does nothing. "Hehehehe, OK, maybe you are about to die." sneers Tik's man-faced familiar. Tiknesr grimaces and considers fleeing but decides to stay on the offensive instead. He pulls a rotten egg out of his pocket and throws it in the middle of his foes, chanting an arcane phrase and then continuing to cackle.
Seeing two blasts coming his way, Tik manages to roll up into a ball. While he avoids the worst of the blasts, the air around him still fills with the smell of burnt hair. "Mrrrnph. I think I enjoyed dancing in one of theirs' bodies better." he grumbles.
Tik gives a chilling sideways glance at the rider and the gold dragon, and then breaks into his chortling laugh again.
Tik-in-boots takes his occupied body's dagger and puts it through his own eye. As that body dies, his soul goes back to his own body and he rejoins the group. "Hehehehehe ho ho ho ho ho. Not bad work, eh? Nice job, everyone. Let's see what the commander has to say..."
Tik spits with frustration when his hex doesn't take hold, but tries once again, chuckling at the thought of
Tik-in-boots curses and spits as he takes the full brunt of the freezing blast. With a shudder he points a finger up at the sorcerer and giggles, sing-songing, "Peel your nails and pound your brain / Time to learn to deal with pain!"
Tik sees that one of the raiders is about to get inside. Wanting to prevent it, he steps up and attacks him, holding his bastard sword in two hands and swinging with all the might his borrowed body can muster.
Tik-in-Boots hustles over to the doorway and then casts a Web over the assailants.
The confused hydra stays still and makes a bizarre gargling worgling howling noises. The writhing black tentacles continue to try to grapple everything within reach. Meanwhile Tik-in-Boots chants a new spell and a huge ball of fire bursts on the two hydras and those around them.
A familiar sneering grin curls the lip of the Triaxian. His voice singsongs, "Blackened limbs, like Gods of Old / Rise from soil, my foes to hold!" As he casts, massive black tentacles rise and attempt to hold down the hydras and the soldiers around them.
Still 'wearing' the body of the Triaxian warrior, Tik looks down toward the hydras and the people around them and chants, "Piggie's head up squirrel's hind / Ooops it's time to lose your mind!"
Take care. We understand.
I have the following spells prepped: Witch Spells Prepared (CL 10th; concentration +17):
Perhaps when they first get to be 200' away--which might be now, I'm not sure?--I Magic Jar over there. I might get lucky and end up in a hydra, but even if I don't, I end up in someone who's as high HD as the hydras. Then I cast Confusion to try to create mayhem. Then I either use my high HD body to start attacking the hydras, or else I use spells like tentacles, stinking cloud, and sleet storm to slow'm. What do you think? Any other suggestions? I don't have a great way to get y'all there, except perhaps with Shadow Conjuration...but also this seems like more of a ranged fight because there's an enormous horde out there that would likely overwhelm us. DM, if you would:
Speaking in the voice of the burly Triaxian he's possessing, Tik says, "Aroden, can you bring my gem closer to the wall, until those cryohydras get closer? "And...one or more of you might want to kill the warrior body I'm in, otherwise it'll regain it's senses when I move on to another body, and that could be...inconvenient, eh? "Heheheheheh ho ho ho ho ho, hee hee hee hee hee." He kneels and bares his neck. "Go ahead. He won't feel any pain, I don't think...and I always find pain in others' bodies fascinating. "By the way, when those towers get close enough, I'm going to try to cause a bit of trouble over there. Wish me luck...and please do keep my body safe!"
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