I could see just adding another single action Grave Cantrip as a class feature that gives a thrall within 30 ft an optional attack (same as the Create Thrall one) and then destroys it with no other benefits.
To address concerns of a lackluster melee necro build, you could also modify the feats that enable that build so they let the Necromancer take the melee attack from this Destroy Thrall cantrip themselves, using the the melee weapon's dice and abilities instead of the listed spell attack dice but still counting as a spell attack to use the better progression.
Once you can summon multiple thralls per actions, this gives a gameplay loop of summon (with free melee), cast a non-attack spell or focus spell, then on the next turn sacrifice a thrall for a boosted melee before resummoning.
Commander seems like a fun reimplementation of some of the Battle Herald stuff from PF1. I'm very excited about that, as that was one of my favorite Prestige Classes from the edition.
At a glance, it looks like a lot of the Tactics don't allow the Commander to participate in the generated actions for a lead-from-the-front feel. For instance, Demoralizing Charge, Stupefying Raid, and Defensive Retreat all seem like having option to spend an extra action to let the commander join in wouldn't be too out-there.
An option for a feat or feature that could lend more of that playstyle would be nice, though I understand it sort of steps on the toes of the Marshall dedication from the CRB (not sure how it compares to the revision coming in Player Core 2)
Maybe a good way to deal with the weirdness of creatures that already have weaknesses would be to change the bonus damage from Antithesis to be +CHA + 1/2 level for no-/low-weaknesses creatures, and +CHA for creatures with existing weaknesses. That also gives a native use for CHA to help it feel like something you want to invest in.
EDIT: Cleaner way to do it would probably be making Antithesis set a minimum weakness of 1/2 level, and cause your strikes to deal CHA mod damage of the relevant type.
With 4 free trained skills, they probably want to avoid adding Int as the key ability and overloading skill access. Wisdom improves Perception and Will saves, so putting class DC to CHA instead helps keep defensive stats in line and makes social skills marginally more attractive.
We also already have 2 Int classes (Investigator and Alchemist) that have some hoops to jump through to stay up at the expected damage levels.
I could see moving to Wis instead, but we might see progression on proficiencies drop a bit to compensate. Thaumaturge is slightly ahead of some classes in the mid-level range for AC.
I don't mind the complexity of tracking extraneous game info given that the Psychic may have lower complexity in play than a Wizard (due to lower spell slots and emphasis on amping cantrips), but interested to see other people's opinion on it.
The baseline Unleash Psyche definitely reminds me of 13th Age, where encounters have an "escalation die" that increments as the fight goes on and can unlock or enhance abilities when it reaches certain values.
I'll have to really give thaumaturge a deeper read later but that cha primary stat means they'll be at a permanent -1 to hit for basically no benefit.
True, but by level 8 Weapon Implement Adepts (which I assume will be a common pick) get 12 bonus damage per strike (2 from Weapon Expertise, 4 from Implement's Empowerment, and 6 from the Antithesis) and deal 7 damage on a miss.
I'm also interested in seeing focus spell stances for the Magus.
In particular, something with a spell school tag that lets you cast a specific cantrip for 1 fewer action while in the stance, or which provides a related damage/buff/debuff aura, or which allows you to sacrifice prepared spells to cast a spell based on the stance all seem like they'd help drive home the "I fight using magic" theme without just relying on Striking Spell.
Having stances that focus on Martial vs Magic aspects could also help players choose between themes of using magic to augment skill vs weaving spells into combat. "Martial" stances could be non-focus but give new options for saccing spells similar to Channel Smite, while "Magic" stances could be focus driven and provide persistent AOE effects or reward using indirect damage and control spells.
They start with 8 total: 4 from their formula book, plus another 4 from the Alchemical Crafting bonus feat. It'd be more clear if they didn't put the class features in alphabetical order here
I get that. But you'd think the members might start asking questions when they complete a successful mission and Aroden doesn't return for the n-th time.
I know it's all in the wrong region, but I hope that
Spoiler:
The Book of 1,000 Whispers was authored by Tar-Baphon or one of his lackeys. Because (a) look at the name, seriously; (b) frustrating and manipulating people who revere Aroden is totally in his wheelhouse; and (c) it'd be hilarious if the Harbingers were behind the weakening of the Great Seals binding the Tyrant to Gallowspire.
Lose heavy armor and your level 1 bonus feat for a scaling dodge bonus that only applies in light/no armor while wielding a single melee weapon in one hand.
Weapon Training only works on light blades, but the damage bonus is higher if you meet the above requirements.
Int bonus to damage on Vital Strikes with dueling weapons, and deal max damage on Vital Strike crits.
You get to use your dueling weapon with certain combat maneuvers, allowing you to add in their enhancement bonuses.
Dueling weapons deal ability damage of your choice on crits.
I actually really like the archetype, and not just because Ustalav is my favorite nation.
The Crusader's Oath begins with "I do so swear under the Light, by the Sword and Scales of Truth and all the fires of heaven, to undertake this holy Crusade."; most of the things being sworn by are capitalized in the oath which, combined with the fact that it is a "holy crusade", suggests that they are not just physical things, but divine concepts. Fittingly, Iomedae is a goddess of the sun (light), war (the fires of heaven), and honor/justice (scales of truth), whose favored weapon is the longsword (sword) and whose church has historically called and closed the various crusades.
Further, the Low Templar Prestige Class (where I grabbed the oath from) follows the text of the oath with "in too many cases, these words are hollow falsehoods, for many of those who take up the sword to crusade in Iomedae’s name do so for their own glory", which implies that the oath is directly related to crusading in Iomedae's name. The class's Path of Darkness/Light ability also mention that the character "must eventually decide how closely he wishes to hew to his oaths to Iomedae"; the only oath mentioned in the class is the Crusader's Oath, again implying that it is an oath to her divine cause.
Finally, the ISWG section on Mendev mentions that all crusaders fight under the banner of Iomedae and whatever regional/knightly order they are a member of. Taken together, I believe this is fairly strong evidence that the Crusader's Oath is an oath to Iomedae, even if it is given to secular authorities or by those who worship other deities.
I definitely agree that being in the goddess's presence should constitute a mythic trial by itself, and James Jacobs mentions it as one on page 5 of Herald of the Ivory Labyrinth even though the adventure's text doesn't say "this encounter counts as a mythic trial" in the story award section, as it does for other mythic trials.
NOTE: This entire post, including the stuff in not spoiler tags, likely contains varying levels of spoilers.
There's a lot of missing context here, and a lot of very strong terminology being used, but that is how some people have felt about the encounter. I disagree with the assessment, but certainly sympathize with it. Iomedae does transport the PCs to her celestial realm with no warning, though I wouldn't exactly call that a "kidnapping". It's important to note that the questions aren't just questions: they're affirmations of the beliefs and attitudes underlying the Crusade to which the characters have sworn themselves. A "wrong answer" means that everyone in the party has said something that is contrary to the motivations and demeanor that the goddess seeks in mortal representatives of her divinely-ordained war— representatives whom she wishes to send to another plane of existence in overt action against a deific power. If their actions betray Iomedae's cause, she may be seen as breaking the mandate of divine non-interference by having the PCs seek to do more than merely recover her herald; knowing that the PCs will behave in a way that she approves of means that they can be trusted to avoid implicating her in the breaking of one of the multiverse's biggest no-no's.
Here's my post on the encounter from an earlier thread, which goes into my thoughts on the implications of the "kidnapping" as an act of a LG deity. Note that my question is "How do we understand these actions as LG, knowing that Iomedae is of that alignment?" rather than "Is Iomedae Evil because of these actions?"; my first assumption is that her alignment is not in question, and that we should aim to comprehend rather than condemn.
Agnelcow's Iomedaen Apologia:
My take, honestly, is that the whole "sonic damage for being wrong" thing is related to the mandates preventing divine interference.
Look at it this way: if gods can just abduct anyone in the world and harm them for not responding as they want, then they whole "don't directly interfere on Golarion" thing seems moot. So what might be an exception to appearing in the presence of mortals? Obviously, you would want it to be limited to those who follow the deity to prevent inter-faith conflicts. But the PCs aren't necessarily Iomedaen. So how do we reconcile?
Well, we know that (traditionally, at least) Mendevian Crusaders are required to swear an oath to Iomedae and fight under her banner; see the Low Templar prestige class for how that may not always be a firm oath. But we nonetheless have a formal oath to serve a goddess's interests in the mortal realm, in a crusade against Abyssal forces appropriating chunks of the Material Plane. As the PCs gain prominence in the crusade, eventually overshadowing the power and influence of Queen Galfrey herself and taking the fight back to the Abyss to undermine the opposition's war efforts, it seems reasonable that the goddess whom they claim to represent in their actions should be allowed to give them a test of faith in order to represent her on a scale beyond the limited military scope of a terrestrial conflict.
Of course, a test of faith where one meets a deity should not be straightforward and strictly positive event (although overcoming the ordeal should prove satisfactory to members of the faith); there must be danger for marked failings in the mortal's faith. The punishment for conflicting ideals within the party or between mortal and deity isn't just Iomedae lashing out in anger or frustration (although she is disappointed, I believe) but a metaphysical retruibution of the multiverse against the PCs for having failed to uphold their sworn faith or cause— notably, a faith or cause to a deity who emphasizes the sanctity of such things. While clearly a painful experience, it's not merely a slap on the wrist intended to reprimand but a necessary part of the rites of Trial By Ordeal which tests the faith to the cause and, notably, is one of the few ways that a deity may physically manifest before her followers (another reason why deities show favor with things like the presence of birds: it's subtle, can have a mundane explanation, and doesn't require putting their faithful at risk should they fail).
As for the abduction with no warning? Communicating divine intentions to mortals is generally handled by the herald, who is missing, or by the church (ie, giving someone higher up on the chain of command a vision instead and having them pass it along), which could allow enemies who infiltrated the faith to root out the deity's intentions and relay them to evil powers; better to call them to your side with no warning so that your graciousness cannot be used as a tool against the crusade's only hope for success. Besides, making it sudden and unheralded fits with the idea that you'll be testing the PCs' faith: to explain what would happen beforehand would allow them to mentally/psychologically/physically prepare themselves, which skews the field in their favor, something which won't happen when they're doing the deity's work in the real world.
So yes, the damage and "abduction" are not very nice, but it's part of the process— not merely Iomedae's, but the entire Multiverse's— when testing the fitness of mortal faithful who wish to serve the divine on a multiplanar scale, especially when their actions may call the attention of rival deities. Iomedae resorts to this kind of trial because it is simple to arrange, given the PCs' level of power and prominence in a crusade undertaken in her name, without violating divine mandate and she believes that they will be able to overcome it (though not necessarily unharmed). Being damaged by the angelic choir is a consequence of being imperfectly faithful to the cause, and is a standard part of this kind of deific meeting. The PCs aren't just four people answering questions; they're four sworn servants of a divinely sanctioned cause trying to properly elucidate the duties enshrined in their oath in order to placate the multiversal enforcers of divine non-interference, so that the deity to whom they are sworn may be permitted to give them aid and direction in a nigh-impossible task.
This is a question for those of you who are victims of severe clinical depression, like me. I have a lot of things that I'm interested in, but when it comes to actually doing them, I just can't muster up the emotional strength to even start. And when I do manage to do so, I don't stick with it. How do you get around this problem?
Aside from highly randomized bouts of stick-to-itiveness, the only thing that can get my motivation up for more than short periods is medication. Therapy is helpful as well, of course, but that's mostly to keep me focused on the progress made while taking meds so that I don't neglect them and encourage building up strong social ties so that there's people who can tell when something's not right and try to intervene.
And Andrew R, please seek help, even its just some informal counseling. "Handling it" isn't enough long-term because even if you can get through the worst day you've had, you might not be able to get through the worst day you're capable of. Just become something is working so far doesn't mean it's correct; a cow thinks it's well cared for every day until it's slaughtered, each day making it more certain of its happy state even as its death draws closer. The last time I thought I was handling it was just before spiraling into months of isolation that culminated in a failed suicide attempt. I got lucky. Please don't rely on getting lucky.
Just wanted to say: Holy crap, Kaer Maga is amazing! The city, the culture, the adventure hooks, everything. I particularly enjoyed that, despite being a CN city, the main deities are law-lovers Abadar and Asmodeus for their emphasis on binding contracts.
Any chance that we'll see more Kaer Maga goodness in the future?
Luvick Siervage, the head of the underground vampiric society in Caliphas
is a more likely candidate for leader of the anti-demonic forces than Malyas. After all, he's the one who
Rule of Fear Spoilers:
united vampires against the Whispering Tyrant after realizing that his plan to undead-ify all of Golarion would leave them without a fresh blood supply. And since then, he's managed to maneuver politically for nearly a thousand years to remain Top Dog in Ustalav.
He's not the most powerful (ie, highly-leveled) vampire in the country, but that's because anyone who isn't part of his extensive network of favors, servitude, and politics has to be pretty high-level to be able to escape his influence and not be killed.
Malyas is too devout to the Whispering Way to be able to lead a coalition of humans and vampires, but
Spoiler:
Luvick
has the tendrils of influence, the credibility, and the pragmatism to reach out to the living population and be able to broker an... arrangement to their mutual benefit; a yearly tribute could be instituted to commemorate the bond between their kind and the alliance that fought to drive out Demons, a pittance in comparison to the uncontested bloodshed that would have happened without them.
Openly mocking Iomedae gets you hit with being struck forever mute, against a DC 40 Will save. Only a deity's will can remove this condition. Iomedae will remove this at the end of the conversation... if she feels like it.
Again, I'd argue that being punished for mocking Iomedae isn't just a matter of her not liking pithy remarks; I think a lot of people are focusing on the Good/Evil axis to attempt to evaluate the actions when they should be looking at Law/Chaos.
The PCs are sworn agents of her crusade on Golarion, and the most powerful ones at that; their actions aren't just their personal choices, but the acts of leaders of thousands of mortals who are fighting a planar war against the forces of Chaos and Evil. The PCs should realize (and if they do not realize by the 5th installment, now would be a good time) that their deeds are reflections on the crusades as a whole and, in that way, reflections on Iomedae's church. Now you might argue that it's not fair that the PCs must represent the crusade, or that they must be held to their oaths, or that there is no real harm since no mortal ears will hear the remarks they make against a goddess, but I would contend that this is a Chaotic (though not evil) viewpoint: not inherently incorrect, but firmly against the beliefs of the goddess in whose presence they stand.
Their derision amounts at best to poorly-considered snark in the face of a very momentous and inspiring occasion, and at worst to blasphemy and insubordination to the deific power to whose cause they are sworn. It doesn't matter if Iomedae is the only one who hears them, because (according to Iomedae) composure and consideration of the whole crusade are things that must be taken into account at all times.
It's not a matter of "she doesn't like what they say", but of "they are showing themselves to be unfit vessels for the divine mandate they claim in leading the crusades". The PCs have power and authority, and Iomedae is enforcing the duties that come with that. The PCs are sworn to the cause, and perhaps they thought that could be an empty promise; but Iomedae doesn't abide those who make empty promises to gain power, and she will expect those who serve her to act with her wisdom. And if they will not bite their tongues when their superior calls to them, then they will be made to listen.
My take would be "no", based on James Jacobs's answers, but that doesn't mean that Asmodeus isn't trying to make the most of the situation. Certainly, he benefits from the persistent presence of the Worldwound distracting from his schemes in Cheliax. He may thus view Baphomet's escape as something of a blessing in disguise: an unplanned and undesired setback in deific politics, but an exploitable opportunity in mortal machinations.
Of course, Big A would tell everyone he planned it all along, and his worshipers would sing his praises for it. But though he gains power from the lie, it is still an unsettling revelation to the Prince of Darkness that he may be bested by a demigod.
So, why would Iomedae act this way when in a completely peaceful encounter with the PC's, where the only person with any power potential (her) is using force on friendly people whom she abducted?
My take, honestly, is that the whole "sonic damage for being wrong" thing is related to the mandates preventing divine interference.
Look at it this way: if gods can just abduct anyone in the world and harm them for not responding as they want, then they whole "don't directly interfere on Golarion" thing seems moot. So what might be an exception to appearing in the presence of mortals? Obviously, you would want it to be limited to those who follow the deity to prevent inter-faith conflicts. But the PCs aren't necessarily Iomedaen. So how do we reconcile?
Well, we know that (traditionally, at least) Mendevian Crusaders are required to swear an oath to Iomedae and fight under her banner; see the Low Templar prestige class for how that may not always be a firm oath. But we nonetheless have a formal oath to serve a goddess's interests in the mortal realm, in a crusade against Abyssal forces appropriating chunks of the Material Plane. As the PCs gain prominence in the crusade, eventually overshadowing the power and influence of Queen Galfrey herself and taking the fight back to the Abyss to undermine the opposition's war efforts, it seems reasonable that the goddess whom they claim to represent in their actions should be allowed to give them a test of faith in order to represent her on a scale beyond the limited military scope of a terrestrial conflict.
Of course, a test of faith where one meets a deity should not be straightforward and strictly positive event (although overcoming the ordeal should prove satisfactory to members of the faith); there must be danger for marked failings in the mortal's faith. The punishment for conflicting ideals within the party or between mortal and deity isn't just Iomedae lashing out in anger or frustration (although she is disappointed, I believe) but a metaphysical retruibution of the multiverse against the PCs for having failed to uphold their sworn faith or cause— notably, a faith or cause to a deity who emphasizes the sanctity of such things. While clearly a painful experience, it's not merely a slap on the wrist intended to reprimand but a necessary part of the rites of Trial By Ordeal which tests the faith to the cause and, notably, is one of the few ways that a deity may physically manifest before her followers (another reason why deities show favor with things like the presence of birds: it's subtle, can have a mundane explanation, and doesn't require putting their faithful at risk should they fail).
As for the abduction with no warning? Communicating divine intentions to mortals is generally handled by the herald, who is missing, or by the church (ie, giving someone higher up on the chain of command a vision instead and having them pass it along), which could allow enemies who infiltrated the faith to root out the deity's intentions and relay them to evil powers; better to call them to your side with no warning so that your graciousness cannot be used as a tool against the crusade's only hope for success. Besides, making it sudden and unheralded fits with the idea that you'll be testing the PCs' faith: to explain what would happen beforehand would allow them to mentally/psychologically/physically prepare themselves, which skews the field in their favor, something which won't happen when they're doing the deity's work in the real world.
So yes, the damage and "abduction" are not very nice, but it's part of the process— not merely Iomedae's, but the entire Multiverse's— when testing the fitness of mortal faithful who wish to serve the divine on a multiplanar scale, especially when their actions may call the attention of rival deities. Iomedae resorts to this kind of trial because it is simple to arrange, given the PCs' level of power and prominence in a crusade undertaken in her name, without violating divine mandate and she believes that they will be able to overcome it (though not necessarily unharmed). Being damaged by the angelic choir is a consequence of being imperfectly faithful to the cause, and is a standard part of this kind of deific meeting. The PCs aren't just four people answering questions; they're four sworn servants of a divinely sanctioned cause trying to properly elucidate the duties enshrined in their oath in order to placate the multiversal enforcers of divine non-interference, so that the deity to whom they are sworn may be permitted to give them aid and direction in a nigh-impossible task.
My answer for that has always been "it doesn't", which seems contradictory to the rules so I should explain. What follows is all based on my own wild speculation and homebrew cosmological answers.
Positive Energy is, in a weird abstract way, life force. All living things have it, and adding more to one can help repair "broken" vital functions, which is more or less how healing works. Over time, your reserves of it naturally dwindle until there is no spark of life inside you.
Negative Energy is not merely the absence of Positive Energy, but its functional opposite; imagine that there is not only darkness, but rather a sort of anti-light that obliterates it to create darkness— that's how the two interact. Similarly, when Negative Energy interacts with living things it doesn't just "darken" part of your life force but actively obliterates a portion of it.
Now, this isn't an absolute truth; there are planes of existence and alternate realities where Positive Energy brings harm and Negative Energy heals. But that's pretty much an academic point, because if we lived in one of those realities we would refer to them by the opposite moniker, and not actually answer the question. "Positive" and "Negative" are shorthands for describing the effect on living things on the Prime Material Plane. The "undoing" of PE by NE is merely the first half of its own form of creation, which are cannot see as we are destroyed by the process; the distinction of "Entropic NE" versus "Creative PE" is based purely on our position in the process's cycle, and PE does quite the same to NE in universes where the dominance is reversed.
Animating dead is more than just infusing a corpse with Negative Energy because, at least in our version of existence, Negative Energy can't grant vitality; that's Positive Energy's job (again, in other realities, the roles of these two energies might be reversed, as the "anti-light" of NE could presumably illuminate in other universes). Instead, animating dead flesh uses the onyx in the spell as a focus that opens a sort of connection to the Negative Energy Plane that is focused through the corpse. Ambient PE is pulled through this connection into the NEPlane, where it is negated and destroyed. It is the Positive Energy flowing through the corpse that powers Undead, not the Negative Energy itself, as the process is sort of a gross mockery of the natural attrition of life force in living creatures. Animation only persists because the PE being drawn through the corpse is obliterated as it contacts the metaphysical connection to the NEPLane, causing a constant flow of life force through the dead tissue in attempt to create equilibrium.
As the undead is damaged, its connection to the NEPlane weakens until it closes and cannot draw any PE into itself to maintain animation. NE "heals" the undead because it strengthens the connection and allows more PE to be drawn through it, prolonging its unlife. PE harms the undead by altering the balance of NE and PE "pressures" around the portal to the NEPlane and causing the tide briefly flow the other way, drawing NE from its plane to be obliterated in ours. Equilibrium is restored quickly thereafter, but the connection is already weakened by the sudden reversal of energy flow.
TL;DR: Positive Energy actually animates the corpses, but doing so requires a connection to the Negative Energy Plane that forces Positive Energy to flow through tissue that normally does not contain it.
Brandon is implying patience is the key to learning more about the Order. He also said that I "hit the nail on the head". BUT he didn't say that the nail was the term "Palatines"! The nail could be my earlier theory about the Order playing a part in Mummy's Mask!
Let's look closer. Patience means waiting. We have to wait for adventure path volumes. Nails are used in coffins. Coffin, sarcophagus. Sarcophagi are found in Osirion, and are often decorated with images of the deceased inside. Masks are worn decorative images. Dead people in sarcophagi are mummies. Mask, mummy. Mummy's mask. EOotPE in Mummy's Mask confirmed! KHU BA HETEPH, NIB IMNET HEM MAA
A moment that sticks out in my mind was when the Splatterman sends nightmares to one of the PCs. The modus operandi of this former serial killer (now a way over CR'd ghost who is nerfed with dumb tactics) was he spelled out the name of someone over the course of a bit and they gruesomely died at the end. One my player's PC, Abraham, woke in the night to the shudders on the window slamming, looked out the window to see the haunted prison just outside of town, and hearing faint whispers from it. He then turned around and saw his name being scrawled into the wall in blood. His eyes started bleeding, he felt like he was dying. As the spectre started writing the M at the end, his buddies woke him up at morning. That character was sufficiently disturbed and nearly refused to sleep for the rest of the time they were at Ravengro.
I did roughly the same, but went a little further.
Spoiler:
One of my players was a Cleric of Desna and had the Good Dreams trait, so she got prophetic visions at night. First night in Ravengro, she had a pleasant dream that she was walking in a park with a kind-looking old man who asked her name (which was "Siphone"). He then proceeded to give an etymological discourse on the origins of that name and how it morphed over time. Then, of course, his head lit on fire, his flesh melted, the park they were in turned into a horrific hellscape, and he screamed that she would die now that he knew her name. Blood ran down her face and arms in the dream as the man ripped at her flesh. Awaking with a start, she found that she was in her room and that her wall was covered in blood that spelled, in broad and messy letters, "I know your name, Siphon-". Her left hand was bloody and cut, and in her right she held a blood-spattered piece of glass. The window in the room (on the first floor) was broken and opened, and she heard screaming from outside. The villagers had just found the statue defaced with blood from the town dog, its entrails spilling out from a clean, straight cut along its belly.
It really built up the self-doubt and paranoia that horror games need, and set up fairly quickly just how bad things were going to get.
If you haven't heard the Horror In RPGs seminar from this year's Paizocon, give it a listen. It has a lot of great tips for running effective horror games. And check out Dread as well; even if you don't use the system, there's a lot of good examples of creepy questions and advice for building tension.
Personally I'd like to see a Faction Writeup in the style of the Faction Guide for the Order.
Would you now? Interesting. If only... no, some things are best left a secret for the uninitiated. Patience, however, brings enlightenment.
Conspiracy theory:
The EOPE is the shadowy organization sponsoring the rival adventuring party in Mummy's Mask, the one which steals an artifact capable of raising the dead.
Count Aldus Canter, founder of the Order, disappeared under mysterious circumstances some 700 years ago, and has long been presumed dead. But this is not the first time that he has gone missing: forty years prior, he mysteriously went missing for three years after looting the tomb of Thutmoset IV. In the interim, he (supposedly) met a group of immortal sages who worshiped a dessicated angel named Tabris, and the teachings they imparted to him formed the basis of The Lost Gospels of Tabris and, subsequently, the Esoteric Order of the Palatine Eye. One of these teaching was that mortals contain a divine spark that seeks to join the Upper Planes and that by learning and maintaining an ordered life, a person may cause themselves to ascend to angelic existence.
What if the sages, in addition to mystical rites, imparted to Aldus the secret to their immortality? Now immortal and free from his obligation to rule the Vieland, he secretly resides in Osirion, seeking ascension, while distantly pulling the strings of the Order he created. With the coming excavation of Wati's necropolis, Canter sees his chance to learn more of the Pharoahs of the past— whom he believes to be beings that nurtured and grew the divine spark of their beings. Believing now to be the moment he has hoped for, he launches a scheme that shall raise a Pharoah from the grave and bring the light of their understanding to the world, unaware of the cruelty and wrath that lie beneath the wisdom of the ancients.
I always assumed that the Ihys story was, for the most part, true but with one major exception: Ihys wasn't Asmodeus's brother, but his sister. Now, obviously, if they were amongst the first beings then gender is sort of a tough nut to crack given the lack of precedent to guide definitions of your being (hence why Big A calls Ihys his "brother"; he identifies as a masculine being and assumes that all beings like him must do so as well).
That would also give some sort of apocryphal precedent for Lawful deities tending to be male (6/7) and Chaotic ones tending to be female (admittedly just 3/6, but I wouldn't count Rovagug or Gorum as "male" per se), and conveniently explain Asmodeus's disdain for female-appearing deities: not only do they act, identify, and look differently than he, that most perfect of beings, does, but they also disrespect the memory of his dead brother, Ihys, by taking a similar form.
Part of me knew that it would be Numeria, but never in my wildest dreams would I have guessed "robo-deities" as the theme. This is making me unreasonably happy.
Oh there is, dearie. Such a good boy, that Daigle.
...you just answered a question, straight up.
*watches for signs of instant aging*
Actually, the question was whether Mr Daigle held anything back. Dear Grandmother simply confirmed that there was more than mere mythic levels to her power, which was not posed as a question.
Given that Baba Yaga's stats will appear in the final Reign of Winter installment, is there any chance that Mythic Realms will provide the stats of other major NPCs such as Geb, Nex, Arazni, Artokus Kirran, Jatembe, Kortash Khain etc?
Would folks LIKE to see stats for some of the above NPCs?
This collection of creatures shatters all past thresholds of danger and destructiveness with phenomenally powerful beings like demon lords, kaiju, juggernauts, and Great Old Ones—including invincible Cthulhu!
I'm not sure what you're asking for... the standard weapon tables already have entries for Dmg (S) and Dmg (M), which are the damages for Small and Medium weapons.
What weapon are you trying to scale?
It looks like the table on the PRD actually uses Tiny, Medium, and Large rather than Small, Medium, and Large. It also seems that it's not merely a labeling error, as the listed die sizes are appropriate for Tiny rather than Small weapons.
Now this is a cool mechanic! The two-tiered benefit mechanism makes it more appealing than achievement feats, and the predetermined goal helps GMs and players establish a connection to an on-going story. These could make good bonus feats to hand out at the start of a campaign.
Thanks for the preview! Looking forward to the next one.
5 posts and no one has said "Run We Be Goblins!" yet? HOW IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE?
It's from the 2011 Free RPG Day, so it's intended as something of an introduction for new players. There's four pre-made level 1 characters for the players to choose from, and they get to fight everything from druids to spiders to evil, rabid horses. Lots of fun, and only 16 pages!
Shelyn would be interested in artistic writings since she is a goddess of Art. Pharasma is a Knowledge goddess and would likely take interest in books as well. Norgorber is also a good choice and would be especially interested in finding ancient, secret knowledge. Abadar may take a tangential interest as writing and history are often linked to civilization. Aroden would be a good choice if you were human and he hadn't been MIA and presumed dead for the last century.
Heck, you may revere several or all of these gods to some degree as you share their agendas, but not offer each of them formal worship. It'd be like giving a prayer to Gozreh or Erastil as you make camp in the wilderness, despite normally worshiping Cayden Cailean. Just because you venerate one god above others doesn't mean you don't realize that the others have some dominion over your pursuits.
The purpose of this thread is to discuss the possibility of incorporating the Horns of Naraga (Artifacts and Legends, pg 28) into the Carrion Crown AP as a central part of the plot, possibly in conjunction with other changes to the "core" storyline. As such, it is intended for DM use and will contain spoilers about the general plot of the Adventure Path and specific campaigns that may differ from the core storyline in important regards. Player reference to this thread is ill-advised.
So. Now that that's out of the way.
The Horns of Naraga are a powerful artifact created by Tar-Baphon before his battle with Aroden on the Isle of Terror and his subsequent ascent into Lichdom. Forged from the bone fragments of a powerful Ravener from the Isle of Terror, the Horns were worn as a headpiece throughout Tar-Baphon's reign and even into his imprisonment in Gallowspire, where they are still locked away with the Whispering Tyrant. When worn they allow the wearer to sap life force from any living creature they touch, resist damage from positive energy, prevent damage from acid, and see in mundane and magical darkness. In addition, the Horns of Naraga can take the form of an ancient black dragon under the control of the wearer for an hour at a time- a fine addition to the final battle for those who wanted Marrowgarth to participate but felt it was a little ham-handed.
Kind of a great thing to have, really. Honestly, just the write-up on the Horns' history is worth the price of Artifacts and Legends; buy it, read it, learn it, love it.
So how can we get this wonderful piece of necromantic power into our Carrion Crown campaigns? The main issue seems to be that access to the Horns implies that our BBEG was able to breach Gallowspire, retrieve the artifact, and- most impressively- make it out alive. I'm sure that some factions within the Whispering Way would not be too excited about this presumption of power and authority- though perhaps would bow to it anyway- and it may help explain how AA was able to position himself in the organization so quickly, without even having undergone a transformation into undeath.
I'll save my personal campaign alterations for another post, but I'd love to hear some suggestions- especially after the amazing work that came out of the Adivion Adrissant thread.
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Howdy folks. I had a question about the Dimensional Savant and two Teamwork feats, Outflank and Precise Strike. The description for the feats is below.
Dimensional Agility:
Prerequisites: Ability to use the abundant step class feature or cast dimension door.
Benefit: After using abundant step or casting dimension door, you can take any actions you still have remaining on your turn. You also gain a +4 bonus on Concentration checks when casting teleportation spells.
Dimensional Assault:
Prerequisites: Ability to use the abundant step class feature or cast dimension door, Dimensional Agility.
Benefit: As a full-round action, you use abundant step or cast dimension door as a special charge. Doing so allows you to teleport up to double your current speed (up to the maximum distance allowed by the spell or ability) and to make the attack normally allowed on a charge.
Dimensional Dervish:
Prerequisites: Ability to use the abundant step class feature or cast dimension door, Dimensional Agility, Dimensional Assault, base attack bonus +6.
Benefit: You can take a full-attack action, activating abundant step or casting dimension door as a swift action. If you do, you can teleport up to twice your speed (up to the maximum distance allowed by the spell or ability), dividing this teleportation into increments you use before your first attack, between each attack, and after your last attack. You must teleport at least 5 feet each time you teleport.
Special: A monk can use additional points from his ki pool to increase his speed before determining the total speed for this teleportation.
Dimensional Savant:
Prerequisites: Dimensional Agility, Dimensional Assault, Dimensional Dervish, ability to use the abundant step class feature or cast dimension door, base attack bonus +9.
Benefit: While using the Dimensional Dervish feat, you provide flanking from all squares you attack from. Flanking starts from the moment you make an attack until the start of your next turn. You can effectively flank with yourself and with multiple allies when using this feat.
Outflank:
Prerequisite: Base attack bonus +4.
Benefit: Whenever you and an ally who also has this feat are flanking the same creature, your flanking bonus on attack rolls increases to +4. In addition, whenever you score a critical hit against the flanked creature, it provokes an attack of opportunity from your ally.
Precise Strike:
Prerequisites: Dex 13, base attack bonus +1.
Benefit: Whenever you and an ally who also has this feat are flanking the same the creature, you deal an additional 1d6 points of precision damage with each successful melee attack. This bonus damage stacks with other sources of precision damage, such as sneak attack. This bonus damage is not multiplied on a critical hit.
Since the teamwork feats require that you flank with an ally with the feat and SKR ruled that you count as your own ally does this mean Dimensional Savant would allow a single character to benefit from Outflank and Precise Strike? If so, how would the provoked AoOs be resolved?
Honestly, even if it isn't RAW or RAI, I may houserule that this works just because of how awesome it would be on a BBEG.
