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Unoriginal as it is, I am thinking about making my next PC a copy of the character Kaladin from Brandon Sanderson's stormlight archive.
Mechanically, He is a human spear fighter with a ton of abilities to magically enhance himself and has an air spirit follow him around.
So I was thinking maybe Cavalier (Order of the dragon, Standard Bearer Archtype) 1 / Bard (Arcane Duelist) X using a long spear. Straight arcane duelist might be another option. Trying to work in an air elemental familiar would be a plus but probably isn't feasible.
I would want him to be a solid gish type that would hopefully be able to go toe-to-toe with other melee classes if his buffs are up.
I am putting a build together right now and will post later, but would appreciate your thoughts.
Really awesome idea, based on a very immersive and interesting series. Where did you finally land?
I'm running a scenario tomorrow where it is possible that the NPC villain will cast the "Fury of the Sun" spell on a PC who already has "Endure Elements" running. My current interpretation is that FotS will overwhelm the protection of "Endure Elements" as if it is not there, and the PC will have to save as normal.
I base this interpretation from how the Darkness/Light spells work (e.g. Higher level darkness spells overwhelm lower level light spells).
Since I have some rule lawyers at my table, I want to see if there is general agreement with how I'm ruling it. If not, I'm hoping someone can point out the rules/interpretations that counter my view.
Thanks!!
Spell Descriptions for Easy Reference::
Endure Elements (LV 1 spell):
A creature protected by endure elements suffers no harm from being in a hot or cold environment. It can exist comfortably in conditions between -50 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit without having to make Fortitude saves). The creature’s equipment is likewise protected. Endure elements doesn’t provide any protection from fire or cold damage, nor does it protect against other environmental hazards such as smoke, lack of air, and so forth.
Fury of the Sun (lv 2 spell):
You curse the target to suffer unbearable heat. On a failed saving throw, the target is immediately subjected to severe heat, takes 1d4 points of nonlethal damage, and is suffering from heatstroke (fatigued). The target must save every 10 minutes as normal for severe heat (starting at DC 15 rather than the DC of this spell). Because this heat is internal, the target cannot avoid it using the normal methods for escaping heat dangers such as Survival checks or finding shade.
I didn't take your tone as harsh or angry, just direct. But, I think it's wise of you to clarify since a lot can be lost in translation when you deal with only the written word. :)
I only feel partially bad for the Bard, as I specifically pulled the Player aside and told him that he would have a tough time as a bard (based on the number of mind-immune creatures) and encouraged him to consider another class. However, he choose to forge ahead so I'm playing the mod out as is.
Here's a link to my map (first time using dropbox, so not 100% sure it will work). It's nothing amazing, though I was pleased at how the dead whale turned out. :)
Note that we didn't have time to finish the encounter, so the picture reflects where we left off:
In case you are interested in what's happening in the screenshot:
The party opted for a charge-in approach, which perhaps isn't the best strategy to handle it, considering they were warned by a city guard that a number of the insurgents were holed up in the fortress. I'd also had Umagro and his crew capture a number of hostages, and proclaim they would sacrifice one every hour until the city released a set number of slaves (and when they approached the place, the party saw the body of one hostage in front of the company, proof that Umagro is keeping his 'word').
After the group charged in and quickly decimated the two guards in the entry, the Bard promptly lept out a side window and has spent several rounds unsuccessfuly trying to scale to the top where Umagro sits with his hostage, while the rest ran into the couryard (i think the Bard wants to try and engage Umagro in 1 on 1 combat). Then, the courtyard group split up, with the barbarian chasing the east archer right into the grinder trap (it's set to go off on him next round) and two melee guys trying to attack the three insurgents on the second floor. The poor wizard, the only one who has stayed focused on "we have to rescue the hostage on the roof", took an arrow to the face and had to retreat back inside the entrance.
You can't see it too well in the screenshot, but I drew out the top and mid floors of the flensing building and layed them out seperately. The players felt that really helped them understand the dimension of that building.
@Tacticslion: I really appreciate your detailed response, as it was exactly what I was hoping for when I made my original post.
You are correct my original question wasn't clear. To restate it:
How do I keep magic like charm person from "solving" the encounter with Umagro when the PCs first encounter him? (i.e. seeing him from the street).
However, though the question wasn't clear you still provided a number of answers in your comment so I was still able to get the help I needed. Again, I am grateful for the time you took to reply!
Ultimately, I want the encounter to feel like a challenge (since he is effectively the BBEG for the Flensing house series of encounters) since my players have been clear that is what they like. Plus, I spent a lot of time hand drawing the Flensing house map! :)
Question for those that have already run the encounters in Eleder (or anyone who has an idea):
How does a GM (without cheesing the rules) prevent your PCs from using some sort of charm or controlling magic on Umagro to just let him safely release his hostage on the roof? I have 2 players with high DIP scores who are also capable of casting charm person (if the positioning is right, Umagro is just in range). I can see the players trying to charm him, one after the other, and getting him to release the hostage. Alternatively, I have another PC who can cast Hold person/Command. I can see him trying to paralyze Umargo or using Command to make him fall prone, both of which would allow the hostage to escape (though for the latter I'd make the hostage do an acrobatics check to not fall prone herself, and begin rolling off the roof).
Thoughts?
More detail:
I do think that, roleplay-wise, if any of those attempts fail, then Umagro would immediately do his throat-slit, then kickoff the roof approach with the hostage, and I plan on having someone in the crowd below make it clear to the PCs that any virtualy any action towards Umagro will trigger his paranoria. Unfortunately, while my party is "good" some of them have shown less than appropriate concern for NPC well being or ettiqutte (two pcs have already tried to cast spells on the Faction leaders during negotiations, forcing me to have Amivor kick them out of the meeting room), and I can seem them taking the risk regardless of the consequence.
Sloan, Martin - thanks for the input. I think it helps confirm that my interpertation is not unreasonable.
And Sloan - my party was the same on the two earlier "hard" encounters. They only had a slight struggle with the Mother, and they killed the Red Devil in two rounds (the lv3 barbarian criticaled it for 38 points!). I'd spent 1.5 hours on a hand drawn map for that encounter, so I was crushed... :D
I'm hoping someone can help me clear up a point of confusion about what level the PCs should be when they head into the final encounter (note - not the dungeon, but the final encounter).
Final Encounter:
In the beginning of the Smuggler's Shiv module it states:
Advancement Track
"Characters should be 1st level when they begin “Souls for Smuggler’s Shiv.” By the time they are ready to explore the interior of Smuggler’s Shiv and confront the Thrunefang cannibals, the PCs should be 2nd level. They should be 3rd level when they are preparing to enter the Azlanti temple, and should finish the adventure at 4th level."
Here's how I (generally)interpret the final sentence:
When the Players get ready to fight Yarzoth, they are 3rd level and should only cross the threshhold to 4th sometime after they defeat her
I support this by looking Yarzoth's CR, which is 6. Referencing the APL rules, if the PCs are 3rd level when they fight her, it makes the encounter Epic level. But, if they are 4th when they fight her, it just makes it a Hard encounter. Since she's the BBG, then it's my thinking the fight should be Epic thus supporting my interpretation.
A friend, who also happens to be a DM, sees it the other way, that the PCs should be 4th when they fight her.
Is that a correct interpretation?
I need to know, bc if the PCs should be 4th, then I need to adjust her CR (or the encounter itself) so that the encounter has the appropriate EPIC feel.
On a side note, it seems like PCs are significantly more powerful than the monsters they face, even several CRs above them. Is it just my imagination, or are the PF monsters under-tuned? I've only run PF games (and mostly for lvs 1-5) for a short while so I'm wondering if others see this as well, or is this just my limited experience?
I love your idea of a Haunt-like encounter that pulls the players into the past. However, how did you pull that off mechanically?
You see, I have players that are very rules-focused (RAW). I'd prefer to build this encounter using as many "rules" as I can to cut down on the general "but you can't do that!" commentary. Though I know I could always ule "GM Fiat", it generally doesn't go over well and is a last resort only. Granted I don't need to create a detailed structure of rules for the encounter, but I'd like enough to have a decent arguement for why the ghost can do what she does.
For example, could I say that the spectre/haunt cast a Widen Spell-enhanced Sleep (to catch all the PCs), then Nightmare (with small tweak saying that the nightmare is the pirate fight)? But, what if one of them makes either the Sleep will save or the nightmare will-save? Is there something rule-wise, that I can do to ensure that the PCs can't hope to make the will save (barring a nat 20)?
Alternatively, could I use Mirage Arcana (creates realistic illusionary terrain) and Major Image (create realistic illusionary creatures) to simulate the experience? The problem there is that these illusions overlay the terrain, whereas the way you describe the encounter it's more like it's happening in the PCs heads.
Any suggestions that you or others might have would be appreciated.
Am I just misunderstanding, or can you really be a Qingong archetype with Master of Many Styles, or Ki Master?
...
I guess the argument is that you don't HAVE to swap the standard ones that get replaced by the Master of the Four Winds Archetype, and therefore you can take the Qingong archetype as well....I think?
You can combine the Qinggong Monk archetype with any other monk archetype because it explicitly states, "A qinggong monk can select a ki power (see below) for which she qualifies in place of the following." You don't have to replace an ability, but you have the option. I'm confused about your statement regarding the Master of Four Winds. Do you mean Monk of Four Winds or Master of Many Styles? Regardless, when an archetype states, "This ability replaces ..." then you HAVE to replace. A Qinggong monk is one of the few exceptions to this.
Bomanz wrote:
I use HeroLabs specifically, and it won't let me add them, plus there are some overlapping monk abilities that are in common, so I didnt think you could?
I don't use these tools as I assume they are not flexible enough to accommodate all Paizo character creation options. I hope I am wrong, but would be willing to bet money that I'm not.
I am very curious about this question as well. From this thread, it would seem the Qinggong Monk is compatible with Master of many Styles (MoMS), but Hero Lab won't allow it AND it seems a bit gray to me.
-Archetypes that replace the same power aren't compatible
-Master of many styles replaces Perfect Self with Perfect Style
-Qinggong Monke gives you the option to replace Perfect Self with another power, but doesn't explicitly replace it.
It's the last point that makes it gray for me. If I use Qinggong to replace Perfect Self with another ability (say Tiring Critical) does that mean that Master of Many Styles is no longer technically replacing Perfect Self (thus allowing me to combine the two). In other words, so long as I use the Quinggong template to replace Perfect Self, there is no conflict with MoMS?
I'm hoping folks with more experience than I can clarify (maybe even Paizo). I'm about to start a Jade Regent, and would hate to build such a combo only to have the GM disqualify it
