As far as fluff, I'm really hoping that we don't see a common sci-fi trope: planetary/species-wide monocultures. It always bugged me how, for example, all of Vulcan and Qo'noS seemed to have a single culture. Golarion (or is it now "Golarion-That-Was"?) had many diverse nations and cultures, I hope that further development of the other worlds shows the same trend. Of course, it will take time and it makes more sense to introduce them one or two at a time in the Adventure Path, but I suppose what I want is that we don't get a lot of cases of new planets/moons when a new nation on an existing one will do, especially since that can create more opportunities for intrigue, diplomacy, and conflict.
Cultural diversity is usually the "hat" of humans, but a setting like this has a lot of potential (perhaps even more so than original flavor Pathfinder) to explore the potential of other races. I'm excited to see all the different ways the characteristics of Ysoki and Lashunta can be expressed, or how Androids from different creators—since it sounds like that's something we're getting, in this—differ in personality and appearance, without needing to differ significantly in stats.
Are Vercites still locked into a caste system? Perhaps there's some who have divided it up beyond the usual three, others who rejected it entirely, or even nations composed exclusively of one caste....
Looking at Nyambe from Atlas Games, I was wondering if elves, halflings, gnomes, and orcs could be added to Arcadia and give them an Americas feel.
In my homebrews, I used the memegwesiag—hairy little people from Ojibwe folklore, said to hang around rivers and make stone canoes—as the local dwarves. Of course, the most notable difference between a dwarf and a memegwesi is that the latter has little horns. Had some ideas for halfings and gnomes (and some others, like fetchlings), but never quite hit on something for elves or orcs.
A thought: as related by Charles C. Mann in 1491, the apparent wealth of resources and "unspoiled" nature that European colonists found in the Americas was very likely the result of widespread plague reducing the population to a small fraction of its past size. What seemed like forests full of plentiful food plants and bountiful wildlife as well as open spaces excellently suited for use as trails and farmland were very often the result of countless generations of native peoples working with the land, practicing forms of agriculture that are now almost completely erased. Even the soil was the result of this work—look into terra preta. The people who remained after plagues (possibly spread by their extensive trading networks) were further reduced by warfare. In essence, the "savages" were the survivors of an apocalyptic scenario.
Is there potential in that? Perhaps the skraelings and the like are not the norm for Arcadian life, but are rather the few survivors of a devastated culture, scrabbling at the peripheries for survival. But other cultures exist, having found ways to avoid the devastation (or even having been responsible for it, acting against enemy nations).
I think that there is room for both the tropes and the subversions/aversions, considering that Arcadia has been referred to as potentially being the single largest continent on Golarion.
Oops, just remembered the Skinwalkers from Blood of the Moon, which specifically mentions are believed to originate in Arcadia.
A concept brewing, inspired a bit by Cherokee culture and lore:
Spoiler:
The syrinx clan known as the Skili are recognizable by their impressive stature and hornlike feathered tufts, as well as their rule by a powerful coven of witches. Their slaves are many, including the Anijistu, a nation of humans and half-humans kept half as pets and half as a ready source of sacrifices and meat.
Seeking a tool against the Skili, the renegade human Tsu'tla (choo-luh) ventured far and wide across Arcadia, before witnessing an Ulfen wizard defending his lord from monsters on his final journey. When he attempted to follow in order to learn the secrets of the wizard's powerful magic, he was repelled by valkyries guarding the borders of Valenhall.
That night, recovering from his wounds in a nearby cave, he dreamt of a great house such as his people made in the summer, the walls made of thin white birch bark and the floor of reed mats. Yet this house itself was larger than an entire village, and within it roosted countless great birds of beautiful plumage, attending a woman who had all the beauty of a maiden and all the charisma of a great matron. When he blinked, he saw that the woman was a tremendous water-snake, and yet when he blinked again she was a woman, changing each time he looked. He knew that he must be in the presence of a truly powerful spirit, for anyone with a bit of sense knew that water serpents were the enemies of the creatures of the sky—for this serpent-woman to command so many fire-birds and eagles, she must be truly fearsome. The woman spread her long arms, which Tsu'tla saw were also wings, wrapped in sleeves upon which were painted many strange small images. A bird—so small that he had not seen it before—came and took one of these long strips, and flying in circles wrapped it around Tsu'tla's wounds as a bandage.
When he awoke, Tsu'tla found his wounds healed, and where the small bird had bandaged him, there were strange symbols marking his flesh. As he looked, he realized that he somehow knew each one to have a name, a meaning, and a power he could command. In the days that followed, Tsu'tla discovered how to use these symbols to draw forth amazing magical power; victories over monsters that found him while he practiced led to him attaining even greater power, finding his skin marked with new signs he had not seen before.
Now, Tsu'tla returns to the Anijistu to use the power of these signs to free his people from the Skili and share in the favor of The Matron of Syllables.
In essence, Tsu'tla is a fantasy take on Sequoyah (as a human Cleric of Irez with the Rune domain, Language subdomain), and the spiritual significance once attached to the Cherokee syllabary. The Skili are inspired by Cherokee tradition using that word for both witches and great horned owls, tradition regarding them to be one and the same. "Anijistu" is a somewhat phonetic transliteration that means "Rabbit Clan/Nation" as near as I can guess, both due to owls preying on rabbits, and the role of rabbit as a trickster in Cherokee traditions.
Shame on me for being off the boards for so long! This is one of my favorite subjects of discussion... my blog posts to that effect led to someone linking me back here.
One thing I'd love to see more of is representations of the more diverse clothing and hairstyles. The fashion of the Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi confederacy is especially inspiring to me, as is southwestern style like the complex coifs in Zuni and Hopi tradition.
A couple suggestions to evoke the indigenous cultures while still satisfying Evil Midnight Lurker's desire for enough advancement to maintain suspension of disbelief:
Armor! It often gets overlooked and few examples survive to today because they were made of perishable materials, but it did exist, most often in the form of plant-based materials. Early Dutch accounts talk about wicker armor used among the Mohawk and neighboring cultures (I have an example somewhere of how this looks, but I'll need some time to dig it up), and the Pacific Northwest cultures provided some examples of wooden helmets and breastplates of wood slats lashed to leather. If you want to maintain the tech level most people imagine, these could stay the same... or you could have metal armor that evokes the forms of the old armor. Imagine steel plate with the kind of etching and sculptural elements you see in present-day coastal silver jewelry and more traditional woodcarvings.
Dogs! The lack of horses in the Americas meant that other animals were used as beasts of burden, and a number of plains cultures were so accustomed to the idea that you have a dog help carry your stuff that their words for horses referred to them as dogs- names that translated as things like "medicine hound" (sunkawakan) or "elk dog" (ponokaomita). In one of my homebrews, I decided to evoke this by having a culture that used horse-sized dogs. Another European import that often gets overlooked is sheep: some Northwestern cultures used to keep fluffy little dogs called kamuks (or "comox" depending on your preferred transliteration) that were periodically shorn to use their fur as wool. This is the norm in one of my other settings, where sheep are thus far unknown.
Wannabe Demon Lord wrote:
In the Bestiaries, I've only found 25 New World Monsters:
Ooh, you missed a few! One that may surprise you is the Cecaelia, which originated (at least as far as the NAME for such a thing as an octo-mermaid) in the US-published Vampirella magazine. The Chickcharney is another, coming to us from the Bahamas, and the Chon Chon is from Mapuche lore... there's also the Duppy (Caribbean), Lusca (Bahamas), Saumen Kar (Greenland Inuit), Blood Hag (Caribbean), arguably the Catrina psychopomps (Mexican folk-art), and Tunche (Peruvian).
We should also probably count the Couatl in this batch, and I'm personally inclined to include any Lovecraftian monster (in spite of his Anglophilia, he was very consciously a New Englander, and many of his stories were very emphatically set in the US), as well those made by other writers who get included under his eerie umbrella.
If folks don't mind, I'll probably come back here later to ramble a bit about other concepts from my own American-inspired settings, as well as thoughts on monsters.
Off the cultures, I've been scanning the race creation guidelines, trying to see if they can be used to nudge the Corona cultures more in line with each other, but I'm not seeing it yet. There's a very small section of race creation that touches on the customs and learned kind of stuff that cultures bestow.
I just had a look at how the Buccaneers work out in terms of race creation rules, and they come off as WAY overpowered if you include all the stuff baseline humans get. They're solidly in the high end of the Advanced category... and isn't at all balanced even within NC against, say, Carolingians. Yes, it's flavorful, but it's not good from a raw game balance perspective.
I feel like this may be a case where doing something with Traits might make more sense, but I'd have to look at it more to figure out what that is, and if it really does work out.
blinovitch wrote:
I can totally see that. For simplicity, I decided to stick with Doug's conception of the new classes replacing their analogues completely in the game world. The option's still there for GMs to re-replace them, or switch up abilities archetype-style, but I wanted to get those classes as written into Pathfinder as closely as possible for completism's sake.
The thing is that Doug was working with versions of the core classes that were more narrow and restricting than Pathfinder's versions are; I personally would just go with it being a matter of flavor and/or archetypes.
blinovitch wrote:
I get where the idea's coming from, giving agents something like arcane schools or sorcerer bloodlines -- golly, those need some pruning for Corona, don't they? -- but it feels like a social/character component mingled with a mechanical class feature. On the other hand, clerical domains depend on the deity worshiped, so there's precedent.
I was thinking more along the lines of Cavalier Orders, actually.
blinovitch wrote:
Nice work! Do you have a particular method for picking out what spells you think are appropriate for phenomena? I want to expand them, too, but I don't have a sense yet of how much is too much, or what really doesn't fit phenomena (unseen servants, probably).
I feel that it's best to avoid any where you have to think too hard about how to explain it- you don't want to have any extra lines detailing why it works like that. As far as adding new phenomena, I'd look for ones that are thematically linked to spells already on those lists.
Thanks! I'm starting to have a look at what you've done so far. Regarding the Albians: I like your choice of "Blooming of Albion" as a replacement term. I would suggest the dagger as an additional Traditional Weapon for them, considering that Albians jumped back about a century (and Englishmen of that time were never without some kind of blade when in public, according to contemporary sources.
I also welcome you to use my Swedish culture. Doug gave it his approval back when I posted it on the Atlas forums.
As far as the classes, I'm very much disinclined to use the Raider, Soldier, and Scout as full classes; I think they translate much better as Class Archetypes for the Barbarian, Fighter, and Ranger. I do think the Agent, Natural Philospher, and Rake work well enough on their own to be updated as new base classes. I'm not sure how I feel about the Witch; I like the Pathfinder Witch much more than NC's Witch, and think much of the flavor Doug was going for can be achieved with a class archetype. Also, as far as classes, I think that the Gunslinger ought to be included as standard.
I flirted with the idea of "Agencies" as an optional class feature for Agents, giving them some bonuses based on what organization or group they worked with—the Culper Ring (Fredonian), the Inquisition (Espaniard), Her Majesty's Intelligencers (Albian) and probably several of the existing organizations and secret societies in NC. Not sure how much potential the idea has, though.
A glance at my own half-arsed site reveals I did more work on the Natural Philosopher than I thought:
Magnetism degree full draft:
Magnetism is the science of magnetic and electrical forces, a study which has made great leaps in the past half century due to the pioneering work of the Albian natural philosopher William Gilbert, who identified the Earth itself as magnetic. Students of magnetism, called Magneticians, can cause the attraction or repulsion of two bodies of matter, shape and create protective or lifting forces around themselves, and wield the power of lightning around themselves like modern-day Jupiters. It is among the most ostentatious and awe-inspiring of the sciences, attracting characters with a mercurial or charismatic streak.
The apparatus used to create magnetism phenomena is the terrella array: a pair of pole-mounted spheres in which one acts as a model of the Earth, and another as a machine generating electricity through friction. Combined with the proper gestures, the bearer of the array can create and manipulate magnetic forces, to draw, repel, or suspend surrounding objects and people, or to create and shape electrical energy.
When creating a phenomenon with a verbal component, a terrella array crackles and pops with static electricity for a length of time equal to the equivalent spell's casting time.
Thunderstaff (Ex): At 1st level, you can touch your apparatus to a weapon as a standard action, giving it the shock property for a number of rounds equal to 1/2 your natural philosopher level (minimum 1). At 9th level, you can confer the shocking burst property instead, but the duration of the power is halved. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Intelligence modifier.
Metal Rending (Ex): Whenever you create a phenomenon that deals hit point damage, you deal extra damage to creatures made of metal or wearing medium or heavy metal armor. Affected creatures take additional damage equal to 1/2 your Natural Philosopher level. This bonus damage is not increased by metascience feats or similar effects. This bonus only applies once to a phenomenon, not once per missile or ray, and cannot be split between multiple missiles or rays. The damage is of the same type as the phenomenon.
At 20th level, whenever you create a phenomenon targeted at a creature made of metal or wearing medium or heavy armor, you can roll twice to penetrate the creature’s spell resistance and take the better result.
Magnetician Phenomena 0thJolt, know direction, open/close, root 1stAnt haul, burning disarm, feather fall, feather step, floating disk, gravity bow, shocking grasp 2ndChill metal, communal ant haul, defensive shock, divine trident, heat metal, resist energy (electricity only), spider climb 3rdCall lightning, communal spider climb, fly, force hook charge, force punch, mass feather step, protection from energy (electricity only) 4thAir walk, ball lightning, communal protection from energy (electricity only), rusting grasp, spike stones 5thCall lightning storm, communal air walk, lightning arc, major creation, rapid repair, unbreakable construct, wall of force 6thChain lightning, move earth, repel wood, repulsion, wall of iron 7thForcecage, mass fly, rampart 8thEarthquake, repel metal or stone, reverse gravity, stormbolts 9thClashing rocks, ride the lightning
Other stuff I wanted to add: NPC-only Cultures (Burning Worlders, Cibolans, Laputans, Vandalians), Ruritanians as a German culture, Aztecs, Choctaw, Mikmaq, Muskogee, and/or Taíno cultures. Class archetypes, including Diabolist (Wizard, possibly using bits of Doug's Witch), Enochian (Witch archetype, based on John Dee), Natural Historian (Bard archetype paralleling the Natural Philospher, but with different scholarly pursuits), Rootworker (Alchemist archetype based in hoodoo, fairly anachronistic but too flavorful to resist). Atlantean, Lunar, Nightmare, Server, and Stormborn sorcerer bloodlines (maybe a Natural Philosophy one, too?).
Due to a combination of other concerns in life and the departure to grad school of the only gamer friend I had who lived near enough to regularly brainstorm with, I haven't really done much since this thread last went quiet. Seeing Blinovitch working so diligently is encouraging, though, so i'll see if i can't come up with some stuff to help out. Here's a bit from a very incomplete draft on Natural Philosopher phenomena, listing a few of the spells i thought fit well (and using my ideas for new sciences, and new names for sciences where it was just too anachronistic for my tastes):
Anatomist Phenomena 0-level:bleed, detect poison, purify food and drink, putrefy food and drink, stabilize, touch of fatigue, virtue 1st level:chill touch, decompose corpse, ray of enfeeblement, restore corpse, sculpt corpse 2nd level:bear's endurance, bull's strength, cat's grace, disfiguring touch
Wonder Seed
School conjuration (summoning); Level see text
CASTING
Casting Time 1 round
Components V, S, M/DF (a seed or spore of the plant being created, encased in soft clay)
EFFECT
Rangeclose (25 ft. + 5 ft. /2 levels)
Effect one summoned creature
Duration 1 round/level (D)
Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance no
DESCRIPTION
You summon a single creature of the plant type, drawing upon the inherent potential of its seeds. It appears where you designate and acts immediately, on your turn. It attacks your opponents to the best of its ability. If you can communicate with the creature, you can direct it not to attack, to attack particular enemies, or to perform other actions. There are nine versions of this spell; each summons a different creature, as follows:
Wonder seed I (Druid 1, Natural Philosopher 1, Witch 1): Vegepygmy or Leaf Leshy Wonder seed II (Druid 2, Natural Philosopher 2, Witch 2): Gourd Leshy Wonder seed III (Druid 3, Natural Philosopher 3, Witch 3): Fungus Leshy Wonder seed IV (Druid 4, Natural Philosopher 4, Witch 4): Phycomid Wonder seed V (Druid 5, Natural Philosopher 5, Witch 5): Basidirond Wonder seed VI (Druid 6, Natural Philosopher 6, Witch 6): Scythe Tree Wonder seed VII (Druid 7, Natural Philosopher 7, Witch 7): Canopy Creeper Wonder seed VIII (Druid 8, Natural Philosopher 8, Witch 8): Sargassum Fiend Wonder seed IX (Druid 9, Natural Philosopher 9, Witch 9): Viper Vine
Wooden Shot
School transmutation; Level druid 0, natural philosopher 0
CASTING
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, M
EFFECT
Rangeclose (25 ft. + 5 ft. /2 levels)
Effect one missile of dense wood
Duration instantaneous
Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance no
DESCRIPTION
You throw the seed of a very dense, heavy wood—such as ironwood—at the target, causing it to rapidly grow into a heavy sphere of wood and leaves. You must succeed on a ranged touch attack to hit your target. The sphere deals 1d3 points of bludgeoning damage; after 1 round, the sphere decays into dust.
Neat as hell, though you just know people are gonna want some heritages. If i think up some feats ill totally post them though.
Thanks! What I have in mind at the moment is: Aeon-Blooded (the Dyad), Axiomite-Blooded (the Codified), Caulborn-Blooded (Cowlkin), Inevitable-Blooded (Enforcerkin), Jyoti-Blooded (Pranaborn), Kami-Blooded (Landborn), Protean-Blooded (Dinspawn), Psychopomp-Blooded (Thnetokin), and Sceaduinar-Blooded (Nullseed).
I'm also considering maybe including NG/NE outsiders, where the Neutral part of their influence is what influences the kid, rather than the moral alignment.
Ciaran Barnes wrote:
How many RP did this end up?
15 (by my count), same as Aasimar. I may bump it down a bit to 13 to match Tieflings, by cutting out one of those two skill bonuses....
Ascalaphus wrote:
Is this meant to reflect Aeons, or also Axiomites, Inevitables and Proteans? (How of those mate with humans anyway?)
It feels just a slight bit inclined towards the lawful side, especially the Zone of Truth.
Also what do the alternate SLA replace? There's a bit of text missing.
It's meant to reflect a variety, as suggested above. As with other planetouched, the ancestry isn't necessarily a matter of mating: it could be the magical might of a neutral divinity or other extremely powerful neutral-aligned entity, or it might be a matter of exposure to planar forces of balance and concordance. It may even be something more abstract, a seemingly random occurrence brought on by the impersonal influence of destiny. As far as Aeons, i was especially imagining an Akhana being involved, due to their power over birth (and death).
Bear in mind that maintaining orderly behavior has often required lies; think of the fables and fibs that parents tell their children to get them to behave out of fear of a boogeyman.
Whoops! Liminal Magic is meant to replace the regular spell-like ability. I realize now that it seems like a better offer; really, I was kind of stuck for what SLA to give them, and decided to just go with multiple options. I'll fix it in a moment.
EDIT: Whoops! I can't seem to edit the original post. Just assume that Liminal Magic replaces the Spell-Like Ability.
Just a little something i've been meaning to write up. Thoughts and correction of errors are appreciated! This is just a draft, and when I have the time and inspiration, I plan to add favored class options and alternate bloodlines... maybe some variant abilities and physical features, racial archetypes, and racial feats, too.
Humans whose ancestry includes the blood of neutral outsiders, Liminals are a race of conflict and concordance. Spiritually torn between the varied potential of mortal morals and ethics, and the more balanced and metaphysically ordained will of their planar ancestors, they live a life acutely aware of their unnatural role, yet gifted with a sense of the balance of the universe. Although this personality tends to result in an alignment that favors no one extreme, their individual experiences growing up just as often lead to a compassionate or malicious adulthood. Although capable of lying dormant for many generations, the heritage that produces liminals always eventually manifests, often seemingly just in time to correct some imbalance in their home community. Most often born to tribal cultures with large numbers of powerful druids or cloistered sects devoted to a faith of neutrality and balance, they are seen as born to a religious or diplomatic life, fated to act as intermediaries between the spiritual and secular worlds. With an innnate gift to set all around them on equal terms by forcing the telling of truths, many others pursue the path of the diplomat or the peacekeeper. Even those liminals who tend towards good, evil, chaos, or law typically see themselves as correctors of an imbalance, striking out against factors they see as favoring their opposite alignment.
Physical Description
Liminals strongly resemble their human forebears, yet always have some sign of their planar ancestry. This may range from the subtle—having one eye be an opposing color to the other, or hair that always remains perfectly symmetrical regardless of external factors—to the more dramatic, such as having hair that looks like the night sky complete with twinkling stars, or a body of uniformly gray features with no change in hue or tone. One notably universal characteristic is androgyny; liminals of any sex tend to have the same tall, lightly built frames that favor neither masculinity nor femininity, and an exceptionally high proportion of liminals are born intersex or otherwise possessing features not clearly male or female.
Random Liminal Starting Ages:
Adulthood: 60 years
Intuitive¹: +4d6 years (64 - 84 years)
Self-Taught²: +6d6 years (66 - 96 years)
Trained³: +8d6 years (68 - 108 years)
1 This category includes barbarians, oracles, rogues, and sorcerers.
2 This category includes bards, cavaliers, fighters, gunslingers, paladins, rangers, summoners, and witches.
3 This category includes alchemists, clerics, druids, inquisitors, magi, monks, and wizards.
Random Liminal Height and Weight:
Base Height: 5 ft. 0 in.
Height Modifier: +2d8 in. (5 ft. 4 in. - 6 ft. 6 in.)
Base Weight: 90 lbs.
Weight Modifier: +(2d8×5 lbs.) (100 - 170 lbs.)
Society
Born to humans, liminals lack a true society of their own, and yet are also by nature partly outside of the culture of their birth, instinctively aware of the greater cosmos. Though this sense often leads them to sympathize with folk from other cultures, it also often means that they have trouble relating to concepts like patriotism and loyalty. Thinking in terms of "the big picture", they sometimes overlook local concerns in favor of more widespread issues, leading them to be shunned; at other times, they devote unusual attention to everyday matters that only their gut feelings tell them will have an impact on the world at large, earning the favor of those who see them as always willing to help. In the spiritual communities where they are most often born, liminals are typically seen as being ideal candidates for priesthood, training as a shaman, or as impartial lorekeepers and judges. Due to their tendency towards androgyny, liminals are often given names that are neither especially masculine nor feminine.
Relations
Even among their human kin, liminals are exceptionally adaptable to other races, sometimes seeming to be just a bit more comfortable among elves, dwarves, and gnomes than their own kith. This is an illusion, however; those other races will see the opposite tendencies among visiting liminals. Predictably, liminals find the best company among other half-breeds and beings of planar ancestry, finding in them others with the same sense of marginality. Half-elves and half-orcs especially are fast companions, with many liminals seeing them as embodiments of balance between their parent races. However, some rare liminals grow hostile towards other mixed-ancestry folk, seeing in them a perversion of the natural order and the crossing of boundaries not meant to be crossed. The sole exception to these rules seem to be halflings, whose practical outlook and marginal role among larger folk mesh well with liminals' tendency towards objectivity and disconnect from their parent race.
Non-Human Liminals:
The balancing forces of the universe who lend their essence to the blood of liminals do not exclusively favor humans, though the great numbers and potential for varied alignments among humans mean that liminals are indeed most often born to human mothers. Liminals of other races embody the same principles of concordance and balance between the physical and metaphysical, though typically as expressed in their base race. Half-orc and half-elf liminals favor neither ancestral race, their features giving the immediate impression of a perfect balance between human and non-human. Dwarven liminals often have bodies that seem to be stony below the waist, and colored like the sky above it, as if their forms were mountain peaks reaching into the sky; indeed, they tend to have an un-dwarven fondness for stargazing and watching clouds. Of the less common humanoids, those that thrive on the periphery of other races—catfolk, tengu, and ratfolk in particular—sometimes produce liminals, and the connection lizardfolk have to the balance of the natural world means that liminal births among their tribes are not unknown.
Non-human liminals have the same base statistics as human liminals, with the exception of size; a gnomish liminal is Small but possesses the same statistics and abilities as a human liminal, with the differences being only in outward appearance. Non-human liminals do not possess any of the racial abilities of their base race; however, they are typically raised within the same culture as members of their base race, and usually adopt the same fighting style, train with the same weapons and armor, and learn the same skills.
Alignment and Religion
Liminals are typically of neutral alignment, though many tend towards law or chaos, and others towards good or evil. It is not unheard of, however, for an individual liminal to find themselves of a less moderate mindset, favoring two extremes in moral and ethical alignment. Even so, the great majority of liminals favor deities of balance, the natural world, or dualistic concepts like life and death. Some also find themselves drawn to faiths of knowledge and invention, or primal deities and ancient fey gods. Especially popular is the dualistic Gozreh, with many liminals finding meaningful symbolism in the transition between surf and sky.
Adventurers
Liminals often become adventurers, whether out of a need to experience the vast scope of the wider world, or even encouragement from their home community to go out and act on their behalf. Liminals make for intuitive rogues and rangers and uncanny witches, and those who embrace their spiritual nature make for wise clerics and powerful druids.
Ability Score Racial Traits: Liminals are intuitive and graceful, but their nature as something in-between mortality and outsiders makes their connection to life tenuous at times. They gain +2 Dexterity, +2 Wisdom, and -2 Constitution.
Type: Liminals are outsiders with the native subtype.
Size: Liminals are Medium creatures and thus have no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Base Speed: Liminals have a base speed of 30 feet.
Languages: Liminals begin play speaking Common. Liminals with high Intelligence scores can choose any languages they want (except secret languages, such as Druidic).
Defense Racial Traits
Liminal Resistance: Liminals have cold resistance 5, electricity resistance 5, and fire resistance 5.
Feat and Skill Racial Traits
Skill bonus: Liminals have a +2 racial bonus on Diplomacy and Sense Motive checks.
Magical Racial Traits
Spell-like ability: Liminals can use zone of truth once per day as a spell-like ability (caster level equal to the liminal's class level).
Senses Racial Traits
Darkvision: Liminals have darkvision 60 ft. (they can see perfectly in the dark up to 60 feet.)
Alternate Racial Traits:
The following alternate racial traits may be selected in place of one or more of the standard racial traits above. Consult your GM before selecting any of these new options.
Advanced Light and Dark A liminal's intermediate role in the cosmos means that they sometimes walk the boundaries of life and death. Three times per day as an immediate action, a liminal with this racial trait can treat positive and negative energies as if it were an undead creature, taking damage from positive energy and healing damage from negative energy. This supernatural ability lasts for 1 minute once activated. This racial trait replaces liminal resistance.
Cosmic Visage Some liminals have eyes that seem to open onto the depths of the universe, starry voids occasionally marred by the passage of comets and the flaring light of novas. When making eye contact, they gain a +4 bonus to Intimidate checks. This racial trait replaces skill bonus.
Lesser Envisaging Liminals with hereditary connections to aeons and related beings possess a limited form of the ability of those creatures to communicate thoughts. Once per day as a free action, a liminal with this racial trait may communicate with a single creature by telepathically projecting images and sounds; this ability cannot target any creature immune to mind-affecting effects. This racial trait replaces the spell-like ability racial trait.
Liminal Magic A liminal with this racial trait with a Charisma score of 11 or higher gain the following spell-like abilities (the caster level is equal to the user's character level):
1/day—comprehend languages, deathwatch, sanctuary, share languages
This racial trait replaces the
Lifebound The connection of liminals to cosmic forces ensures that they resist death; they gain a +2 racial bonus on all saving throws made to resist death effects, saving throws against negative energy effects, Fortitude saves made to remove negative levels, and Constitution checks made to stabilize if reduced to negative hit points. This racial trait replaces liminal resistance.
Symmetrical Grip Many liminals have perfectly balanced features, but a rare few show this symmetry on more than one axis; not only are they ambidextrous, but their feet can function as hands. When in a prone position or while balancing on one foot (DC 10, DC 15 to perform complex actions), a liminal with this racial trait can wield weapons or hold items with their feet so long as they are not wearing shoes; attacks made with feet in this manner take a -10 penalty even if the liminal is not wielding any other weapons. Liminals with this racial trait receive a +2 racial bonus to Climb checks, and may switch which hand is treated as their off hand as a move action. This racial trait replaces skill bonus.
They are lumped in with canines for game balance reasons. Because there aren't enough hyenas to make a hyena lord.
This is a game. Sacrifices for game balance have to be made.
That doesn't hold up against the other animal lord examples given: we have the crocodile lord, and the bear lord only has grizzly bears suggested for their base animal; as far as balance, the dinosaur lord has both the deinonychus & t. rex suggested, yet the former is CR 3 and the latter is CR 9.
Uhh...why should categories be based off lines of descent rather than, say magical, spiritual, behavioral, or morphological similarities? The reptilian "lizardfolk", you will note, are susceptible to Charm Person whereas apes and monkeys are not.
Because charm person targets humanoids, which are defined within certain parameters that do not include nonhuman primates. The animal lord categories name specific categories: orders, genera, and families of animals, not groups based on magical, spiritual, behavioral, or morphological similarities (and I'd argue that hyenas, especially the more recognizable spotted hyenas, are not similar enough to canines in those respects). This is an apples and oranges situation.
It would be a different story if the animal lord's description specified something like "Caninoid", but it says "Canine". Animals that count as canine are pretty narrowly defined.
One thing that's been bugging me going over the rules, is that the folks in charge of the Bestiaries at Paizo don't seem to be able to care much for properly categorizing hyenas.
For starters: the Dire Hyena is listed as also being called a "hyaenodon". Now, the actual animal called the hyaenodon isn't remotely related to hyenas; heck, it's not even related to any currently existing species, the entire order to which they belong went extinct. Is this intended to be a case of using an existing name for a fictional creature, or did someone mix up hyaenodons and pachycrocuta?
Another petty grievance from your unfriendly neighborhood hyena fan: hyenas aren't canines, and are not closely related to them (they're closer to felines, but that's still a stretch), so why is it that the Animal Lord template's Species Affinities for Canine Lords include hyenas? To me, it's as if the Dinosaur Lord also included Crocodiles because they're big, scaly, and "primitive".
I realize that we're free to ignore such things and make house rules in our own games, but with all the misinformation about hyenas that already exists, it really bugs me to see this in my favorite game.
As for the Rake and the Agent, a lot of their abilities can be converted as Rogue Tricks, or alternate Rogue class abilities. I did a bit of that in my NC thread, but no one was interested in those classes so I didn't go all out with it.
I hadn't considered the possibility of turning them into Tricks, that's a good suggestion!
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I also felt that some of the backgrounds weren't well-balanced, but now that the Advanced Race Guide is out, it shouldn't be too much of an issue to go back and re-balance them.
Ooh, great idea! I'll definitely have a go at seeing how the cultures work out in relation to the ARG rules... I also want to work on possibilities for an option to use nonhuman races (especially the more human-seeming ones like changelings, vishkanya, half-elves and half-orcs, and planetouched. I have a definite role in mind for fetchlings in the far north, as spawn of the tarriaksuit shadow people of Inuit lore).
blinovitch wrote:
Off of a comment elsewhere in the forum that oracles were intended to fill the role of clerics who don't worship a specific deity, it occurred to me they could fit very well in First Ones cultures, maybe even as a deist Uropan.
Oracles, Witches, Gunslingers, Inquisitors, and Cavaliers are all very easily presented as appropriate to the setting; Oracles seem like appropriate classes for Albians, Buccaneers, Cherokee, Cimarrons, Kelts, Mohawk, Ojibwe, Shawnee, Vinlandingar, and Witchans; Witches are appropriate for all the cultures that NC Witches were. Gunslingers i think are best for Buccaneers, Cimarrons, Fredonians, and most of the Uropan cultures; Inquisitors are an excellent fit for Commonwealthers, Espaniards, Français, Nederlanders, Swedes, and i have ideas about how they might fit Cherokee, Cimarron, Mohawk, Shawnee, and Witchans. Cavaliers fit Albians, Carolingians, Commonwealthers, Espaniards, Français, Fredonians, and Swedes, and may work in some other cultures, too.
Just to let folks know, i am actively working on stuff, but it's taking a while: i'm creating new Phenomena lists for the Natural Philosopher, cutting out the spells that no longer exist and adding in new ones that seem appropriate.
I've also done some renaming: "Life and Death" is now "Anatomy"; "Physics" is now "Cosmology". I want to either rename "Mentalism" or redistribute its phenomena to other sciences; the closest period term is "mental philosophy" (which i'm using as a placeholder for the time being), and things like mesmerism and psychic powers are completely outside of even what people of the time were imagining- "mesmerism" comes from a 19th century physician's name, and the idea of the mind as a distinct thing was barely beginning to gain ground in the west. People were still talking in terms of the soul and the spirit, then.
I'm adding new sciences: Logic (codes, math, reasoning, statistics...) and Botany; I may fold Mentalism phenomena into Logic and Magnetism.
Here's the descriptions i'm working with, for each:
Anatomy:
(Formerly "Life and Death")
Natural philosophers who study anatomy gain the power to heal and harm, in equal measure. The phenomena created by these scientists, often known as anatomists, duplicate the curing powers of divine magic but also include toxic effects, from clouds of poison gas to enfeebling rays. At the very highest levels of study, this science offers the keys to life and death itself, allowing natural philosophers to restore the dead to life.
Natural philosophers who produce anatomy phenomena use an apothecary of Chiron and Nessus as their apparatus, which looks like a wooden case with two compartments. One compartment is named for Chiron, the wise centaur of ancient myth, and contains a selection of salves, powders, and pills, which, in the proper dosage and sequence, can restore health and even life itself. The other, named for Nessus, the centaur whose poisoned blood slew Hercules, contains a selection of salves, powders, and pills, which, in the proper dosage and sequence, can injure or kill, even at a distance, with the aid of a small bellows included in the kit.
When creating a phenomenon with a verbal component, the liquids and oils contained in an apothecary of Chiron and Nessus bubble, steam, and seethe audibly for a length of time equal to the equivalent spell's casting time.
Antimagic:
This science attempts to unravel, dispel and negate supernatural forces, including both magic spells and negative energy. Relatively few antimagic phenomena are available at low levels to budding antimages, but this science becomes increasingly potent at higher levels. It causes much distress to spellcasters, who can do little to counter its effects.
Antimagic phenomena require a Copernican clock as an apparatus–a metal sphere about the size of an apple, containing many dials, gears, and wheels. When the dials are set to the proper marks by a natural philosopher with a degree in antimagic, the motion of the gears can produce phenomena that can cancel or repel magic.
When creating a phenomenon with a verbal component, a Copernican clock ticks, whirs, and chimes loudly for a length of time equal to the equivalent spell's casting time.
Antimagic phenomena that block spells, dispel magic, or provide protection against spells do not affect natural philosopher phenomena, even other antimagic phenomena. An antimagic field phenomenon, for example, does not prevent a natural philosopher from creating other phenomena within its area of effect. Antimagic phenomena that block magical scrying or divination attempts do not block the equivalent mental philosopher phenomena.
Botany:
(New!)
One of the oldest scientists, botany is among those more often counted as natural history rather than natural philosophy, as its usual practice is not driven by experimentation. However, there are those for whom this science is just as active as any other, and natural historians with expertise in other fields often dabble in botany to great success. Botanists are also often anatomists, seeking the curative and destructive properties of plants and fungi, or the interconnections of all life.
Botanists use the Theophrastine kit to create botanical phenomena; this portable cabinet contains various chemicals, pipettes and vials, pouches of rare and specially bred seeds or spores, and dried samples of plants with unusual properties.
When creating a phenomenon with a verbal component, the use of a Theophrastine kit produces rustling, dripping, and bubbling sounds as loud as human speech for a length of time equal to the equivalent casting time.
Cosmology:
(Formerly "Physics")
The study of light and sound, the manipulation of physical forces, and the alteration of the fabric of the universe itself; of all the sciences, cosmology presently undergoes the most radical and frequent changes to its underpinnings. Relatively unimpressive at lower levels of study, cosmology pays off for persistent cosmologists, allowing them to teleport over vast distances, stop time, and even travel to other planes of existence.
The prismatic rod is used as an apparatus to create cosmology phenomena. This is a 12-inch rod of faultless quartz crystal, cut and polished into a triangular prism, and set into a wooden handle. When struct, the rod can create and amplify sound; when used as a prism, it can produce optical effects. When both methods are combined, it can create resonances that open portals to other planes, or transport the wielder incredible distances.
When creating a phenomenon with a verbal component, a prismatic rod pulsates audibly for a length of time equal to the equivalent casting time.
Logic:
(New!)
The science of analysis and reasoning, logic includes not only rational thought, but the study of mathematics and probabilities. Logicians are capable of producing phenomena that achieve the most favorable result for them and their allies, or determine the best course of action. As they become more powerful, a logician can determine probabilities so accurately that they seem incapable of errors, see patterns in even the most unpredictable and chaotic behavior, and understand the best ways to break down or repair orderly systems.
The apparatus used by mathematicians is the Napier matrix, a cube of metal rods set with wooden, clay, bone, or glass beads, many marked with numbers or fractions; inside are numerous small bells which ring when the beads are placed in certain arrangements. By sliding and arranging the beads, a mathematician can not only perform calculations beyond the capacity of mortal minds, but also create phenomena based in those calculations.
When creating a phenomenon with a verbal component, a Napier matrix audibly clicks, clatters, and chimes for a length of time equal to the equivalent casting time.
Magnetism:
Magnetism is the science of magnetic and electrical forces, a study which has made great leaps in the past half century due to the pioneering work of the Albian natural philosopher William Gilbert, who identified the Earth itself as magnetic. Students of magnetism, called Magneticians, can cause the attraction or repulsion of two bodies of matter, shape and create protective or lifting forces around themselves, and wield the power of lightning around themselves like modern-day Jupiters. It is among the most ostentatious and awe-inspiring of the sciences, attracting characters with a mercurial or charismatic streak.
The apparatus used to create magnetism phenomena is the terrella array: a pair of pole-mounted spheres in which one acts as a model of the Earth, and another as a machine generating electricity through friction. Combined with the proper gestures, the bearer of the array can create and manipulate magnetic forces, to draw, repel, or suspend surrounding objects and people, or to create and shape electrical energy.
When creating a phenomenon with a verbal component, a terrella array crackles and pops with static electricity for a length of time equal to the equivalent spell's casting time.
Matter:
The science of matter is concerned with the properties of various substance–solid, liquid, and gaseous–as well as with their creation, transformation, and destruction. Natural philosophers who are trained in matter are commonly known as chymists. They consider it to be the most versatile of the known sciences, producing and controlling fire, heat, and cold; changing one substance to another; and even altering seemingly immutable properties of matter, such as mass.
The sympathetic fork serves as the apparatus to generate matter phenomena. This is a metal fork consisting of two parallel rods, one made of gold and filled with sulphur, the other made of silver and filled with mercury, and set into a handle of wood, ivory, or bone.
When creating a phenomenon with a verbal component, a sympathetic fork rings loudly in a clear tone for a length of time equal to the equivalent spell's casting time.
Mental Philosophy:
(formerly Mentalism. Again, this is perhaps the MOST anachronistic of the sciences, and relies on a lot of concepts that would have been utterly novel to the people of the seventeenth century setting of Northern Crown. That its original text referenced Mesmerism—an 18th century development named for Franz Mesmer—didn't help matters. This is all leaving aside the various other possible meanings of "mentalist")
The youngest of the sciences, mental philosophy attempts to analyze and harness the powers of the mind and spirit to control the will of others, read their thoughts, and even move matter by sheer mental force. An innovative science at odds with accepted wisdom about the nature of emotion and the soul, it includes phenomena of both power and subtlety, enabling a mental philosopher to wield great power over the realm of the mind, even though their control over the physical world is quite limited compared to students of the other sciences.
Mental philosophy phenomena are not considered psionic powers, since they are generated by a scientific apparatus, rather than by a creature's inherent psionic ability. Because they are not magical in nature, mental philosophy phenomena are not blocked by spells or magic items that block magical scrying or divination. This makes them especially powerful tools in the hands of a trained mental philosopher. The vulnerability of the mental philosopher is that he has few defenses against the divinations and scrying of others, except for the 8th-level phenomenon mind blank. For this reason, mental philosophers often study antimagic as well; due to the importance of magnets in the activation of mental philosophy, many of those pursuing this science also become magnetists.
Mental philosophers use a Paracelsian cap as an apparatus to produce their phenomena. This is a skullcap made of finely woven, flexible silver thread with lodestones at key points. A properly trained wearer of the cap can project one's thoughts, read the thoughts of others, and receive images of things far distant in space and time.
When creating a phenomenon with a verbal component, a Paracelsian cap emits a low-pitched humming noise for a length of time equal to the equivalent spell's casting time.
Those are more of a global phenomenon, really; I didn't include things that you can find on multiple continents. That said, the Water Orm is a good fit for those.
blinovitch wrote:
I've started adjusting the culture and class elements that refer to feats and skills that don't exist in Pathfinder. One thing that keeps coming up are the feats that give +2 to two related skills. Often one or both of those skills aren't in Pathfinder. The simplest solution seems to be replacing them with Skill Focus pointing at the new skill, or closest substitute.
Sounds fair?
Sounds good to me, or in the case of culture elements, you might just write it as a "cultural bonus" to those skills.
My opinion is that the only classes that really need to be kept and tinkered with much are the Agent and Rake; the Natural Philosopher works as an alternate class of the Wizard (but needs some beefing up). The Raider, Scout, and Soldier seem to make more sense as archetypes for the Barbarian, Ranger, and Fighter. Several other existing archetypes make sense; I'm going to have a look and see which of those are the best thematic fit.
Definitely use the Ultimate Combat rules for firearms, rather than the ones in the book. I know from personal experience that any time one talks of adding black powder arms to an RPG there's a bit of push-back. Folks usually fall into two camps -- ones that hate black powder arms because of their long reload times, and ones that insist that they *have* that long reload time.
That is definitely part of my intent. While one of my gaming buddies is in the latter camp (being a reenactor), even he acknowledged that using the existing Pathfinder system for firearms made more sense- especially since we have the Gunslinger class and a bunch of other useful related rules. I am also most likely going with the Commonplace Firearms option.
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When I ran my game, I used the old "Defense Bonus" option from 3.x, found here:
That helped get across the feel of the 17th century better, the time when heavy armor was being phased out and becoming less and less common. Characters still get a good AC, but don't...
The Defense Bonus makes a lot of sense for the setting's mood. I'll have a closer look, but I suspect this is the sort of thing that may lead players to only wearing armor at lower levels, if at all.
blinovitch wrote:
ayellowbirds wrote:
That's generally the tactic i've been trying to use, where i can figure something out.
The nice bit is so relatively little of Northern Crown's proper nouns were declared product identity. I blanched at the block of text at first, then cheered up when I realized most of it was from Nyambe and didn't actually show up in the Northern Crown books.
Yeah, when you actually look at the text of some books' designations of OGC, it can be amazing just how much is open content! The entire text of the Testament book by Green Ronin is Open Game Content!
This renewed interest is making me more enthusiastic about this project, so I'm definitely going to spend more time on it. As a little extra, here's a list i've compiled of all of the existing Pathfinder RPG monsters (including third party sources) that are based in the lore of the Americas: http://ayellowbirds.tumblr.com/post/42077714186/pathfinder-rpg-monsters-fro m-the-americas
You could, of course, use little-known RW terminology to replace the fictional names. This just requires some serious Wikipedia searching.
I.e., the southern monarchy could become Albemarle or Carolana.
That's generally the tactic i've been trying to use, where i can figure something out.
PS. Have you asked the author? Maybe he'd be willing to endorse a conversion and hence you'd be able to do a direct conversion.
From what i understand, he's moved on to other things. It seems like he's glad people are still interested, but has mostly abandoned his work on the setting.
I decided to try to drum up a bit of interest and kill some of the extra time i got since being laid off from my job by converting some of the monsters. I'm new to conversions and not very cunning when it comes to guessing at power levels, but I'm guessing that this is probably underpowered for its CR when translated into the PFRPG:
Bone Dancer:
Bone Dancer CR 5
NE Medium undead (Evil)
Init +8; Senses Darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +5
DEFENSE
AC 17, touch 12, flat-footed 15 (+2 Dex, +5 natural)
hp 32 (5d12)
Fort +4, Ref +3, Will +5
Immune undead traits
OFFENSE
Speed 30 ft.
Melee 2 claws +5 (1d4+3), bite +0 (1d6+2)
Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
Special Attacks bone dance, create skeleton
Spells Known (CL 5th, Concentration +8)
2nd (4/day)ghoul touch, spectral hand 1st (6/day)cause fear, mage armor, obscuring mist, ray of enfeeblement 0 (at will)daze, detect magic, ghost sound, mage hand, touch of fatigue
STATISTICS
Str 16, Dex 15, Con –, Int 17, Wis 12, Cha 16
Base Atk +2; CMB +5, CMD 17
Feats Improved Initiative, Multiattack, Spell Penetration
Skills Acrobatics +5,Knowledge (arcana) +11, Perception +6, Spellcraft +11, Stealth +6
Languages Common
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Bone Dance (Su)
As a move action, a bone dancer can rhythmically rattle its bones to bring living creatures under its spell. All humanoids within 30 feet must succeed at a DC 15 Will save or be paralyzed for 1d6 rounds. Once a successful save has been made, or the duration of the paralysis has expired, a victim is immune to the Bone Dance of that particular bone dancer. While dancing, a bone dancer suffers a -8 penalty to Stealth checks.
Create Skeleton (Su)
All humanoid creatures slain and eaten by a bone dancer animate as skeletons under the control of their creator. A bone dancer may be accompanied by 1d6 medium skeletons, plus one additional skeleton for each HD above 5.
ECOLOGY
Environment Any
Organization Solitary, Dance (1 bone dancer, 1-6 skeletons)
Treasure None
Bone dancers are the undead corpses of neutral evil sorcerers who have gained eternal existence through the gruesome practice of eating their own flesh down to the very marrow within their bones, which they then fill with pebbles that rattle and shake with each movement. They appear as skeletons still wearing the clothes they wore in life, without flesh or other living tissues except for their lidless, staring eyes. Still hungry, they seek out other living humanoids to feast upon and add to their evil, capering train.
Bone dancers seek only more flesh to devour, and to gather more skeletons into their unholy dance. They can seldom resist an opportunity to feed, even at some risk to themselves. They use their dance to paralyze victims, then move in to slay and feed.
A while back, I decided that I wanted to see one of my favorite campaign settings–Doug Anderson's Northern Crown–get some more love. I'm fond enough of this setting that I have no problem transcribing the OGL content from it, letter-for-letter, though it takes quite a bit of time and I haven't had the time or energy for it for a few months.
For those unfamiliar with Northern Crown:
Northern Crown is a d20 system (3.5 edition) campaign setting based in an alternate 17th century North America, in a world where myths, monsters, and magic are all very real. There's a lot of departures from real-world history, and some things happened earlier or later than they did in our own timeline: an analogue of the United States (complete with an ersatz Ben Franklin and Thomas Jefferson) exists in the form of the tiny Republic of Sophia, while the Nieu Nederlands battles with New Sweden, and an immortal Phillip of Spain contends with the half-fey daughter of Elizabeth I.
Players in Northern Crown take advantage of the existence of both modern scientific knowledge (better known as Natural Philosophy) and ancient magic, as well as the assistance of both historic figures like Tenskwatawa, heroes of tall tales such as Paul Bunyan, and figures who combine both legend and reality, like Johnny Appleseed. The setting as a whole seems to draw extensively upon sources like Orson Scott Card's Alvin Maker books, as well as Eric Flint's Ring of Fire series.
I created a TVTropes article for the setting a while back, but it's in need of some wiki love.
Ideally, I'd like to have all the OGL content from Northern Crown transcribed, converted to Pathfinder, and then released for free online, under the name Annus Mirabilis (reflecting the 1666 date of the campaign setting). However, there are a few problems with this, the main one being that the otherwise mostly-OGL text is littered with terms that are Product Identity, and I could use some help coming up with alternatives.
Product Identity terms, and possible replacements:
Chiron Franklyn:, an NPC, effectively a much earlier incarnation of Ben Franklin. I'm going with "Daedalus" Franklin to keep in line with the setting's tendency to use Hellenic names for the "Civil Name" that Sophians take upon becoming citizens.
Northern Crown: The continent of North America, in a world where Amerigo Vespucci isn't doing anything special. For now, I'm going with Corona as a substitute.
Southern Cross: The continent of South America (see above). Going with Crux for now.
Coven of Naumkeag: The ruling body of the Witchling city-state of Naumkeag.
Dark Years: the first century or so of colonization and exploration, when natives were slaughtered by sword, gun, and disease in countless numbers, and slaves were brought by the hundreds from Libua to labor in the new world.
First Lord of Sophia: Equivalent to POTUS.
First Magus of Sophia: Franklin's official position, seems to be the official title for the most powerful Natural Philosopher (read: mad scientist) in the Republic.
First Ones: the native peoples. Columbus didn't reach the New World in this timeline, so nobody mistook it for the Indies. In my transcriptions, I've been going with Aboriginals instead, reflecting what I felt was the most neutral of the present-day alternative terms.
The Greening of Albion: A deliberate effort to return Albion (fey-influenced Britain) to a more natural, fey-friendly state.
Kelt Renegado: Celtic immigrants in Appalachia who reject Carolingian (the Carolinas as ruled by Charles II and his court-in-exile in the New World) rule.
Kieran Scot: A Celtic ruler, a witch whose inspiration I haven't been able to determine, assuming there's a real person he's based on.
L'Ordre du Sang: A vampire-ruled secret society that I'm calling L'Ordre Ploutocratique (the Plutocratic Order) for now.
Le Dragon Rouge: a cabal of French sorcerers serving the Devil.
Los Illustrados: a loose group of scholars, scientists, and artists seeking to spread reason and knowledge. Most likely going with the obvious Illuminati Moundraiser: Any of the several extinct cultures known in real life as Mound Builders, hence a renaming to Moundbuilder.
Nyamban, Nyambe: Northern Crown used the Nyambe campaign setting as its African analogue. While I'm tempted to just go with "African", the use of archaic or alternate names makes me lean towards going with something else. For now, I'm using Libuan/Libua.
Philathelias Jeferson: Thomas Jefferson analogue.
Rebecca Blackthorn: leader of the Witchlings
Republic of Sophia: I've been calling it the Republic of Fredonia Solomonic Order: also known as the Order of the Temple of Solomon, a semi-secret order holding the ancient knowledge and wisdom of King Solomon. My suspicion is that this is meant to be an analogue for the Freemasons, but I'm reluctant to step on the Masons' toes.
Sons of Cincinnatus: a conspiracy of high-ranking Sophians prepared to stage a coup in case public support of the current government wanes significantly. For now, I'm going with the somewhat less evocative Order of Cincinnati.
Uncounted Time: the period in the history of the New World before contact with Uropans (NC tends to use this spelling as an alternative to Europeans, and calls the continent Uropa). I'd like something a little less inaccurate to the native conception of history, because many indigenous cultures did have means of recording history.
Unknown West: The unmapped western frontier.
Unseen Hand: Short for "The Unseen Hand of the Lord", a secret Europan-based organization composed of members of all faiths, which actively opposes evil cults.
Uropan: "European". I've been using the slightly modified Europan for the time being.
Vinlander: Viking settlers in the New World, having been around much longer than most Uropans. I'm vacillating between using Marklander or Vinlanding(ar); for the time being, i'm using the latter in my own notes.
Witchling: a culture of witches, the nightmare of Cotton Mather come to life. I've been using Witchan, based on the older pronunciation of "Wiccan".
Woodland Confederacy: The union of the Ojibwe, Potawatomi, and Ottawa peoples. I'm going with the real-world term Council of Three Fires
I'll also need a lot of help with converting classes, feats, spells, monsters... pretty much every single crunchy bit. I'm happy to transcribe the fluff, but I have a poor sense for power balance and could really do with another hand or two to handle the rules. Before that gets started, though, I need suggestions for replacing the Product Identity. Any takers?
Of course, new content is welcome as well, and there's some fluffy stuff that I personally think needs fixing or outright replacement as well, so I'm looking for folks with new ideas, too! I'll be incorporating a Swedish culture that I posted (way back when, as "Fenghuang") over at the Atlas Games forums to favorable response.
Giant spiders, scorpions, rats... anything left unattended long enough attracts vermin.
and after the vermin move in it's only a matter of time before the predators move in after them.
Also, any humanoid underground dweller might find the idea of having walls that they can use to spice up their humdrum food appealing.
How long has the mine been out of use?
A couple hundred years of disuse.
I'm planning to have the wights and drake run the show, so to speak. With the wights keeping out intruders (easy meals) and the drake (which eats salt), keeping all the "treasure" for itself. The rest of the monsters are either incidental or part of the original installation.
I like the spider idea. I put in some sand (salt) striders that I allowed to walk along an underground salt lake.
I'm wondering if there's anything else that might like the sterile environment, perhaps a gelatinous cube.
Is it a Wieliczka-like mine? Because I'm sure you could have some fun with things like caryatid golem or gargoyles (slap on some salt-based adaptations to 'em) in a mine where the miners carved structures into the walls.
awesome i love the theme and actually planned on doing some North American campaign stuff after assasins creed three came out so this is quite helpful
Glad you enjoyed it! Here's another one, an advanced race (should work out to about 20 RP by ARG standards, perhaps a little more) created to be antagonists in a campaign I'm preparing. They're heavily based on science fiction and conspiracy theories, so don't be surprised if this smacks a bit of V, the Chitauri, or a rant your estranged great uncle went off on the last time he was invited over:
Reptoids (H. varanidensis):
You are the heir of hatred. Countless epochs ago, your ancestors diverged from humanity by becoming more like reptiles, though the exact cause is lost to legends. Some say that the cause was allegiance to a reptilian god cast out by the other deities of humanity, others tell of a curse wrought upon your people by an enemy nation of wizards, and still others claim that your kind are the true race of humans, and all others are stunted mutants stuck in mammalian form. Whatever the cause, you have grown up with a racial hatred and mistrust of ordinary humans and their allies. While past generations of reptoids were reduced to small numbers in secret wars against humanity, your people have learned the art of subterfuge, relying on your innate shapeshifting and a spiteful study of human instincts in order to infiltrate human society.
Placed in key positions–both those of great power, and the most unassuming roles–you and your kin subtly influence the course of human culture to bring it to destruction, even if the exact reasons are forgotten.
Although united by loathing of humans and plan of infiltration, reptoids are just as varied and diverse as your hated kin, and show a surprising range of possible features and personalities. In your natural form, you resemble a towering reptilian humanoid of at least eight feet in height, though your exact features may only be in common with your close family; you might possess slit or rounded pupils, a prominent dewlap or spiny fin, or bulbous batrachian lips. Your tail may be short and plump, or long and whiplike; your color can be anything from shades of green to gray, pitch black, or reddish earthy tones, and may be speckled or striped with other colors as well. You are especially likely to resemble only your mother, as reptoids can produce parthenogenetically, not needing the contributions of a male to bear viable children.
Although your ability to conceal your identity is a potent weapon, so too are your very humors; reptoid saliva and blood contains a highly virulent cocktail of diseases to which they are naturally immune. In their human disguises, this often leads reptoids to become "Patient Zero" for outbreaks of diseases, a role that the crueler members of this species relish.
Reptoid Racial Traits
Ability Score Racial Traits: Reptoid characters gain a +2 racial bonus to one ability score of their choice at creation to represent their varied nature.
Size: Reptoids are Large creatures, and receive a -1 size bonus to their AC, a -1 size bonus on attack rolls, a +1 penalty to their CMB and CMD, and a -4 size bonus on Stealth checks.
Base Speed: 30 ft.
Language: Reptoids begin place speaking their own secret language of hisses and gestures (transliterated simply as "Reptoid"), and one human language. Reptoid characters with high Intelligence scores can choose any languages they want (except secret languages, such as Druidic).
Bite: Reptoids have a natural bite attack (1d4 plus poison [see below]). The bite is a primary attack, or a secondary attack if the creature is wielding manufactured weapons.
Breath Weapon: Once per day, as a standard action, a reptoid can make an extraordinary breath weapon attack, spitting a 10 ft. line of venom. All creatures within the affected area must make a Reflex saving throw to avoid being hit. The save DC against this breath weapon is 10 + 1/2 the user's character level + the user's Constitution modifier. Those who succeed at the save are untouched; otherwise, they contract Reptoid venom (see below).
Human Form: A reptoid character can assume the appearance of a single unique human, becoming a Medium-size creature and losing its size-based bonuses and penalties. The form is static and cannot be changed each time it takes this form. The reptoid gains a +10 racial bonus on Disguise checks made to appear as a human. Changing its shape is a standard action. This trait otherwise functions as alter self, save that the creature does not adjust its ability scores.
Inborn Loathing: Reptoids are so innately disgusted by humans, that a reptoid character who attempts to perform an action that directly benefits at least one human at a cost to itself takes a -2 racial penalty to this action.
Plagueborn: Reptoid characters +2 racial bonus on saving throws against disease, ingested poisons, and becoming nauseated or sickened.
Silver Tongued: Reptoid characters gain a +2 bonus on Diplomacy and Bluff checks. In addition, when they use Diplomacy to shift a creature's attitude, they can do so up to three steps up rather than just two.
Toxic: A number of times per day equal to their Constitution modifier (minimum 1/day), a reptoid can envenom a weapon that they wield with their toxic saliva or blood (using blood requires the reptoid to be injured when he uses this ability). Applying venom in this way is a swift action.
Reptoid Venom: Contact; save Fort DC 10 + 1/2 the reptoids's Hit Dice + the reptoid's Constitution modifier; frequency 1/round for 6 rounds; effect 1d2 Con; cure 1 save.
The Truth About Reptoids- DC 30 Knowledge (Arcana) check:
At least in the (Earth-based) campaign I'm working on, the ultimate origin of the Reptoids is that they are descended from the humans of Antichthon, the Counter-Earth, deliberately altered by the asura rana Pancavissa, the Father of Plagues, and given false (and often conflicting) memories of suffering at the hands of humanity and its gods in order to act as a weapon against them.
Quick question, why does the NG goddess of Death have Undead subdomain? Just curious to the story behind it.
Two reasons: first, I tend to ignore the characterization/rulings that undead, negative energy, and necromancy are innately evil when I'm worldbuilding or DMing. Second, the Death domain's Bleeding Touch granted power was not what I wanted to evoke with Asphodelos's clerics. Given a little time, I may create a different subdomain ("Shades" or something like that) to better reflect benevolent rule over the dead.
I suppose one could also call it an artifact of assuming a dead god's portfolio, as well....
In developing my North American-styled homebrew setting, I decided two things relating to religion: that there is a cultural analogue to Christianity, and that it does not teach that it is the only true religion. This left room open for other pantheons, which worked out well, because I also wanted to have a nod to the influence of ancient Greece and Rome on the art and philosophy of the US, leading to the creation of a pantheon of original deities.
I went with original ones for several reasons, mostly personal, but I also wanted to try to avoid falling into the trap of creating an original pantheon that was full of gods real people would never choose to worship (a pretty common problem with pantheons in games, in my opinion). I hope I've achieved something that seems organic, while still being original and useful for games.
I welcome comments, criticisms, corrections of typos, and use of these in your own games!
Asphodelos, Flower of the Underworld:
ASPHODELOS (THEOI KTHONIOI) Alignment: Neutral Good
Portfolio: The afterlife,
Domains: Death (Undead subdomain only), Healing, Plant, Repose, Scalykind
Symbol: A stalk of asphodel
Favored Weapon: Trident
Eighty years ago, the original gods of the dead fell in battle, becoming mere shades lost among the throngs of the afterlife; in the confusion that followed, the nymph of the flower asphodel has risen to a position of authority, her role as feeder of the multitudes of spirits placing her in a position of recognition. The reprecussions of this are still being felt among mortals, who are struggling to deal with revisions to ancient temples and determining proper rites, while the ascended goddess copes with her new position.
Avissa, Queen of the Wine-Dark Sea:
AVISSA (THEOI KTHONIOI) Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Portfolio: The ocean, springs, deep caverns, secret lore, the depths of the night sky
Domains: Earth (Caves subdomain only) Knowledge, Rune, Water, Void (Dark Tapestry subdomain only)
Symbol: A hand with two fingers pointing downwards
Favored Weapon: Harpoon
The strange and unpredictable goddess of the deepest seas and darkest pits is also the ruler of the dark spaces between the stars. She is said to have borne children by Kyranos–the lesser gods Ephialti and Kuon–as well as (somehow) by the goddess Polias Zea: the goddess of alleyways and secret passages, Dioda. This has made her a patroness of forbidden romances; however, she is also said to have many stranger children, monsters and abominations not easily defined, and to be the creatrix of hags, and is thusly feared.
Deiros Pater, the Mountain Father:
DEIROS (NONATHEOI) Alignment: True Neutral
Portfolio: Fatherhood, rulership, wealth, thieves and beggars
Domains: Air, Community, Earth, Nobility, Trickery
Symbol: A staff with a cap of unpolished gold
Favored Weapon: Quarterstaff
Deiros is the god of high mountains, and as such is the ruler of the city of the gods, Korife. However, he is also said to be fond of sneaking out in disguise and acting like a common beggar, or attempting to steal from his own vaults and treasuries by sneaking past his cloud giant guards in the form of a mortal.
Cauyo, The Sun That Shines Over All:
CAUYO (PROTOGENOI) Alignment: Lawful Neutral
Portfolio: Light, heat, judgement, balance, medicine, herbs
Domains: Fire, Glory, Healing, Law, Sun
Symbol: A sunburst
Favored Weapon: Kukri
Cauyo (spelled Kauio in older texts) is the ancient embodiment of the blazing sun, particularly when highest in the sky. She is seen as a stern goddess, whose wrath burns to ash, and whose distance in cold winter bites just as viciously, yet who is also beloved of plants, and whose light warms and cheers. Oaths sworn in Cauyo's name are taken most seriously of all, for far too often are violators known to combust in the rays of the sun.
Ceraunos, The Wandering Champion:
CERAUNOS (NONATHEOI) Alignment: Chaotic Good
Portfolio: Heroism, travellers and nomadic peoples, thunderstorms, lightning, goatherds
Domains: Glory, Liberation, Strength, Travel, Weather
Symbol: A stormcloud
Favored Weapon: Greataxe
Among the nine gods of Korife, Ceraunos is the most beloved by the common folk: a boisterous, fun-loving god believed to often appear among mortals in pursuit of adventure or pleasure, his appetites are just as legendary as his storied deeds.
Exypne, Skillful Creatrix:
EXYPNE (NONATHEOI) Alignment: Lawful Good
Portfolio: Crafts, machinery, fishing, magic, inspiration
Domains: Artifice, Knowledge, Law, Magic, Trickery
Symbol: A net
Favored Weapon: Snag net
When the gods created mortals, Exypne designed their hands and fingers (and their tongues, some jest with a wink), and when she saw that their clever but slender hands were ill-suited for catching game, she taught them to make nets, and how to speak the correct words and motion properly to cast spells. Her creations are numerous, and it is said her mansion in the city of the gods is littered with half-finished devices ranging from the simple to the unspeakably wonderous, overseen by inevitables and axiomites who eternally labor to bring some organization to it.
Kyranos, The Master of Bloodlust:
KYRANOS (NONATHEOI) Alignment: Chaotic Evil (Clerics may be any alignment)
Portfolio: Berserker rages, destruction of evil
Domains: Death, Destruction, Madness, Protection, War
Symbol: The severed head of a demon
Favored Weapon: Falcata
Among the nine gods of Korife, Kyranos is something of an oddity, a plainly wicked god who is none the less seen as necessary, unleashed upon the enemies of the gods in order to destroy them utterly. Indeed, many of his clerics pray to keep his influence at bay, rather than to invite his power. Despite his murderous madness, Kyranos is said to dearly love his fellow gods of Korife, and to despise other evildoers; clerics speak of visions of him wearing the still-bleeding hides of fiends who thought to seek his allegiance.
Menos, the Moon:
MENOS (NONATHEOI) Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Portfolio: The moon, the tides, the night sky, revelry
Domains: Chaos (Whimsy subdomain only), Darkness (Moon subdomain only), Void, Water
Symbol: A silver disc
Favored Weapon: Shortbow
Among the primal protogenoi, Menos is the only one to have deigned to join the younger gods in Korife, and enjoys a position of high status as one of the Nonatheoi ruling the city. Often appearing as a handsome young man made of nebulous darkness with one eye held shut and the other gleaming silver, he is known to have many dalliances with mortals, and few of his priests cannot think of a time when their relationship with their god has become more intimate.
Polias Zea; Magna Thea, the Great Goddess of the City:
POLIAS ZEA (NONATHEOI) Alignment: Neutral Good
Portfolio: Knowledge, love, family, tactics, defense, cities
Domains: Charm, Community, Knowledge, Protection, War (Tactics subdomain only)
Symbol: A drafting compass
Favored Weapon: Longspear
Popularly known simply as Zea, she has several aspects: maiden, virgin, wife, mother, matron. In all of these, she is portrayed as unusually wise and bright-eyed, prone to investigating things. Myth tells that in the war of the gods, Zea rose from her studies and rallied the other goddesses and the young and elderly of Korife to its defense while the male gods sallied forth. She is said to have had many suitors, heedless of gender, and in her curiosity over the subject created a great tome analyzing matters of love, romance, and lust in systematic detail.
Scula, Veiled Oracle of Kerafi:
SCULA (NONATHEOI) Alignment: TN
Portfolio: Prophecy, birds, divination, marriage
Domains: Animal (Feather subdomain only), Fire (Smoke subdomain only), Knowledge, Rune, Void
Symbol: A strip of hide inscribed with runes
Favored Weapon: War razor
Seer of the sacred fires of the city of the gods, Scula is the wife of Deiros, said to appear clad in animal hides that mask her eyes, yet to move with greater precision and speed than most with eyes unclouded. Her relationship with Deiros is believed to be founded on his inability to fool her, and those hoping to be able to trust their spouses often consult priests and oracles of Scula, waiting their turn among philosophers and lesser spellcasters.
Thumos, Breath of the Earth:
THUMOS (TITAN) Alignment: Neutral Evil
Portfolio: Volcanos, dragons
Domains: Earth, Evil, Fire, Scalykind, Weather
Symbol: A piece of volcanic stone
Favored Weapon: Terbutje
The dragon-titan, Thumos is the ancient enemy of the gods. Although driven down into the earth in mythic times, it is said that this obsidian-scaled horror remains in the depths of the planet, mellowed by time and defeat from a force of pure destruction into one of smoldering hatred, whose plots reach throughout the centuries. Many lesser dragon-cults are in actuality fronts for his worship, with few but the highest initiates aware of the truth.
Thymomeni, Wrath of the Divine:
THYMOMENI (NONATHEOI) Alignment: Lawful Evil (Clerics may be any alignment)
Portfolio: Punishment of oathbreakers, blasphemers, and heretics
Domains: Death, Destruction, Glory, Evil (Fear subdomain only), Luck (Curse subdomain only)
Symbol: A broken chain
Favored Weapon: Spiked chain
Like Kyranos, Thymomeni is an evildoer among good gods, yet her character is more reserved and even seen as noble in purpose. In ages past, Thymomeni unwittingly betrayed secrets of the city of the gods to its enemies, and as sentence swore to act as the agent of divine justice. Embodying the notion of evil acts for good purposes, her creations–the kytons–specialize in tormenting the most evil of souls in the afterlife, and it is said that she personally rides forth astride a cowed demon in order to punish those who steal from temples of the gods.
Tryfilli, The Thriceformed God:
TRIFYLLI (NONATHEOI) Alignment: Neutral Good
Portfolio: Animals, cowherds, beauty, plants, snakes
Domains: Animal, Charm, Earth, Plant, Scalykind
Symbol: A wreath of clover
Favored Weapon: Sickle
A deity of plants and animals both domesticated and wild, Trifylli often appears to worshippers in three aspects, as a satyr, nymph, and an androgynous faun clad in green. A pastoral deity, they are favored by farmers, rangers, and druids; this has brought their faithful into conflict with the ruling class of Hyraxia and its colonies (including the states of Nueva Rhoa), where satyrs and fauns are deemed low-caste.
The primary homebrew setting I tinker with on and off–I only ever actually had a group to play in it with back in the pre-Pathfinder RPG days, sadly–is based in North American folklore, history, and urban legends. There's a lot of influence from Northern Crown, though the many innovative things Pathfinder does with monster roles were also a major factor.
Some place-name notes: Terrapinia is the continent analogous to North America, Pasipha is the European analogue, Hyraxia is a powerful Pasiphan nation dominated by monstrous humanoids (where humans and gnomes are second-class citizens at best, leading many to emigrate to Hyraxian colonies in Terrapinia), and Calafia is an island nation (based on the legends of California as an island) of amazons whose griffon-riding warriors defend huge natural deposits of rare metals.
The Arimaspoi are less directly based in N.A. lore, but were instead a natural extension of the development of the setting, while the Nibinabeg (sing. Nibinabe, pronounced nih-bee-nah-bay) are derived directly from lore of the Ojibwe, Potawatomi, Menominee, and other related cultures.
ARIMASPOI
You court danger. Legend tells that the one-eyed arimaspoi were once nothing more than a race of nocturnal nomads, until they ran afoul of some hungry griffons, which devoured the prize stallions of the high chief. When the high chief's kin hunted down and killed the griffons in revenge, they discovered a tremendous cache of treasure. Ever since then, every arimaspi trains from childhood to battle griffons (and other flying magical beasts) and win treasure, making an entire race devoted to adventuring. Until recently, this has meant that their numbers were few, but the Hyraxian queens have gathered as many arimaspoi as they could in order to battle the griffon-riding armies of Calafia and conquer western Terrapinia. Offered the chance for fame and fortune utilizing your traditional skills skills, you or your parents jumped at the opportunity to cross the ocean- or maybe to just get away from the monsters dominating Hyraxia, some of whom remind you a little too much of griffons.
Arimaspoi have the following racial traits:
Ability Scores: Dex +2, Wis +2, Cha -2. Arimaspoi are nimble and perceptive, but their singlemindedness makes them impersonal.
Size: Medium
Type: Humanoid (Arimaspi)
Base Speed: 30 ft.
Languages: Arimaspoi begin play speaking Hyraxian (substitute w/ Common). Those with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Astrenika, Calafian, Nivardais, Pahawichasa, Ohodamnoki, Shuro, or Verdanian (substitute w/ Auran, Giant, Gnomish, Goblin, Elven, Sphinx, and Sylvan).
Ancient Foe: Arimaspoi get a +2 dodge bonus to AC against magical beasts, and a +2 racial bonus on combat maneuver checks made to grapple creatures of that type.
Greed: Arimaspoi get a +2 bonus on Appraise checks to determine the price of non-magical goods that contain precious metals or gemstones.
Light Blindness: Abrupt exposure to bright light blinds arimaspoi for 1 round; on subsequent rounds, they are dazzled as long as they remain in the affected area.
Skill Bonus: Arimaspoi get a +2 bonus to Ride and Stealth checks
Sky Sentinel: Arimaspoi gain a +1 racial bonus on attack rolls, a +2 dodge bonus to AC, and a +2 bonus on Perception checks against flying creatures. In addition, enemies on higher ground gain no attack roll bonus against arimaspi characters.
NIBINABEG
You are the soul of the rivers. As a nibinabe, you greatly resemble the merfolk of the ocean, but you are a creature of freshwater rather than the salty oceans. While legend tells that you and your kin can command terrible storms, the truth of the matter is that your innate powers of weather manipulation are much more limited, and while your senses are well-suited to life underwater, they put you at a disadvantage in the open air, especially with loud noises like thunder.
Nibinabeg have the following racial traits:
Ability Scores: +2 Dexterity, +2 Intelligence, -2 Wisdom. Nibinabeg are flexible and possess great knowledge, but their senses are specialized for being underwater, and they are easily frightened.
Size: Nibinabeg are Medium creatures.
Type: Humanoid (Aquatic)
Base Speed: Nibinabeg have a base land speed of 20 feet, but their speed is never modified by armor or encumberance. They have a swim speed of 50 feet, and receive a +8 racial bonus to Swim checks.
Languages: Nibinabeg begin play speaking Neshnaabemowin (substitute w/ Common) and their own language, Nibinabemowin. Nibinabeg with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Draconic, Griserlander, Kanuhsaka, Nivardais, Nunaruktitut, or Verdanian (substitute w/ Aquan, Draconic, Dwarven, Giant, Elven, Halfling, and Sylvan).
Camouflage: Nibinabeg gain a +4 racial bonus on Stealth checks while in or on water.
Skill Training: Knowledge (nature) and Survival are always class skills for nibinabeg.
Water Sense: Nibinabeg can sense vibrations in water, giving them blindsense 30 ft. against creatures that are touching the same body of water.
Slapping Tail: Nibinabe can use their tails to make attacks of opportunity with a reach of 5 feet. The tail is a natural attack that deals 1d8points of damage.
Amphibious: Nibinabeg are amphibious and can breathe both air and freshwater. They cannot easily breathe saltwater, and must hold their breath or make a DC 30 Fortitude save to avoid becoming sickened for each round they attempt to breathe saltwater, plus 1d4 rounds after leaving a saltwater environment.
Nibinabe Magic: Nibinabeg add +1 to the DC of any saving throws against spells they cast that affect the weather. Nibinabeg with Charisma scores of 11 or higher also gain the following spell-like abilities: 1/day— alter winds, read weather, obscuring mist. The caster level for these effects is equal to the nibinabe's level. The DC for these spells is equal to 10 + the spell's level + the nibinabe's Charisma modifier.
Sensitive Hearing: Abrupt exposure to loud noises (including being hit by an attack dealing sonic damage) deafens nibinabeg for 1 round; on subsequent rounds, they are shaken as long as they remain in the affected area.
Other races in the works: Gobkin (half-goblinoid race), Skookums (kin to sasquatches), and Thunderers (beings of northeastern woodland folklore). Comments, critiques, and identification of problems are welcome!
Most demonstrations of modern re-creations of the gunstock club (particularly in Okitchaw, if you want to talk about people from the cultures that originated the weapon) that i've seen treat it as a one-handed weapon that may be wielded two-handed, and alternate between using the bladed side for striking, and the crooked side opposite the blade for catching or tripping motions (not that you couldn't do this with the blade, as well!). The angle at which the blade sticks out makes it handy for disarming opponents, though this may be a more modern use of it. It is also very much viable as a ranged weapon, and a properly constructed gunstock club can be thrown much like an axe.
In other words, a variation on the throwing axe with a few extra qualities; a Light Exotic weapon that can be wielded two-handed to be treated as a Martial weapon, as follows:
Cost: 8 gp, Dmg (S): 1d4, Dmg (M): 1d6, Critical: x2, Range: 10 ft., Weight: 2 lbs., Type: P or B, Special: disarm, trip
I might also rule that the disarm, trip, and/or ranged aspects are not available if you're wielding it two-handed.
(It should be noted that Chingachgook's war club as seen in the film is perhaps a bit bigger than was typical of non-ceremonial gunstock clubs, combat-ready ones could often be a good deal shorter.)
If you are thinking of interbreeding with animals, you will need this.
I would have to assume that, despite the apparently exceptional ability of humans to interbreed with other races (ogres, elves, orcs...) a human could not breed with a magically altered animal. Particularly due to certain physiological incompatibilities...
In general, I'm approaching this from the assumption that a male of transmuted species is mating with a female of the same species (or another reproductively viable member of the same species, in cases where male/female does not apply, such as trees and slugs).
Now I'm wondering how this may relate to parthenogenetic species like the New Mexico whiptail lizard...
"Awakened" is not an Inherant state. It is a magical one. An "aura" so to speak.
Unless the alterations somehow became Inherrant (via a Wish spell or other effects capable if granting Inherant bonuses) the effect would not be hereditary.
Awakening change the creature type from Animal to Magical Beast...
We might need a developer advice here (as the game is "PG-13" that kind of things might not be a priority)
That's in line with my thoughts on it; if it changes the fundamental nature of the creature so much that it counts as a different type, then it seems like an inherent, deep-seated change rather than just an aura. Furthermore, an Awakened tree doesn't just become intelligent, but gains the ability to move around, and develops "senses similar to a human's".
I also note that an Awakened animal gets the "Augmented Animal" subtype(s), and the description thereof says "Some creatures (those with an inherited template) are born with this subtype...". I take this to suggest that such augmentations are inheritable changes on a genetic level, rather than alterations on the level of surgery.
Ultimately, this turns into a general question about whether or which magic that transmutes a living creature does so on a genetic/hereditary level. There's implications and outright statements of such magic existing, such as in the origins of half-celestial or half-fiendish creatures, and "planetouched" races or half-dragons. If I remember correctly, Dragons Revisted specifically says that blue dragons are more prone to creating half-dragon and sorcerer descendants by magical alteration than by lowering themselves to breed with non-dragons; having to transmute each successive child isn't exactly the kind of economical decision I'd expect an instinctively greedy being like a dragon to make, if they can just alter one being to breed true.
Forgive me if this is something that has already been covered, but I haven't been able to find any information on whether creatures affected by the spell awaken (or spells like anthropomorphic animal and reduce person made permanent) breed true, or if their children (or saplings) are normal members of their species. I can see how it could become quite ridiculous in cases like a single awakened tree, considering the incredible number of viable seeds any given tree puts out; in contrast, a reduced human giving birth to a normal-sized child would suffer from a host of potentially fatal complications.
Is there an official ruling on this, is it at the DM's discretion, or have I come to the wrong place with this question?
