Babau

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RPG Superstar 8 Season Star Voter. 298 posts. 1 review. 1 list. 1 wishlist.


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Although you would have to move the setting just a bit, Feast of Ravensmoor is awesome. Creepy as heck and fits the level.


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Auxmaulous wrote:
Tacticslion wrote:
That said, I also suspect that the PF people can do Cosmic Horror, if only because they're pretty good at that sort of thing in general.

No, they are not. I can't think of a standout horror adventure from Paizo that was actually good.

Tacticslion wrote:
I mean, if you want Call of Cthulu was really about, it was about racism and the fact that sea food and scientific learning are terrifying.
Ah, now we have officially entered into Clown Overtime.

How about Feast of Ravensmoor? How about No Response? How about Doom Comes to Dustspawn? All three very different types of horror, but definitely horror. Ravensmoor has a "Wicker Man" vibe. No Reponse is very Machen-ish. Doom is Cosmic Horror comes to a small town. All well done.


I am raising this thread from the dead to see if anyone has new ideas of under CRd monsters after seeing the Beastiary 5.


In addition to the fine suggestions above, the second part of RotRL and the first two parts of Carrion Crown can be used with a little work to strip out the campaign trappings.


Eight years old and my older brother who was on leave from the Navy introduced my best friend, his little brother, and me to 1st ed. My dwarven cleric/fighter, who i named my avatar after, lasted one fight against two were rats (my friend's wizard was bitten but survived). The second. Fight was against a few orcs. Wewere rocking, when an ogre came. Out of the woods andpunched B0ldstar twice. Killed him instantly. Not a noble beginning, but it was awesome. My brother was REALLY good at painting a battlefied picture in ourheads and the roar of the ogre was loud enough to make my mom come into the room to see if someone was hurt. Good times.


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Anyone else get a strong "First World" vibe from this Beastiary. A lot of Fey, Magical Creatures, and plants. I know there is a lot more to the book than this, but I just got this great, sylvan feel. BTW, I love this Beastiary.


This sounds awesome.


Instead of elements, you could also do 6 preliminary tests based on each of the stats.


There are rules in OA. That deal with psychic combat. Maybe use them to create a unique and individualized test.


If doing this with a group, make the first four tests communal, but make the fifth test individualized.


I agree that the test should be customized, but the overall theme could be consistent. Think one test for each element (fire, water, earth, and air) with a final test of spirit. Maybe the final test is that the character must be able to explain what he will be the God of, why it is important, why he/she is the best choice. If the character is convincing enough (admittedly GM fiat) then a test against an equal CR creature that best expresses the opposite of what the character wants to become God over.


This is awesome! I would love a bundle.


Spectral hand plus inprisonment.


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Yes. My favorite 3rd party doing my new favorite sub genre.


How about a Psychic Theuge lich. A mystic theurge except a combination of divine and psychic magic lich.


Quick question... If I use An Occult Adventures class that qualifies for a non OA prestige class, can I use that prestige class?


Nice ideas. It would be interesting to base a campaign around a BBEG who wasn't powerful individually, but was charismatic and connected. Someone like a merchant guild leader who is running a dangerous cult. Someone who you couldn't just kill... Because the entire city either loves him or is indebted to him. Maybe the goal would be to first, find out he is a bad guy. Second, destabilize his legitimate and illegal operations (without destroying the general economy of the city), and then try to stop his minions before they wake something that will eat the entire city.
It could use Ultimate Intrigue and Occult Adventures. Lots of creepiness underlying urban political theatre.
What do you all think?


bump.


As the title says... I know the Occult Beastiary and the Beastiary 5 will a give us lots of new critters, but what creatures from earlier sources would you use?
I, for one, think that Kytons could make a really interesting set of adversaries.


Goblinsaurus wrote:
Hrothdane wrote:
Don't like, don't take.
How, exactly, does this excuse poor design again? I seem to have missed the part where not being forced to take an option means that it's alright for literally worthless abilities to be printed instead of something that would make the class at least worth something.

It is cool and mechanically feasible. Seems like good game design to me. Of course, I mainly GM. Still, saying a feat you don't like is poor game design is a bit much. Different feats serve different purposes in the game.


Rynjin wrote:
boldstar wrote:


You do realize how ironic you are being when you state that the developers refuse to engage with fans on a forum put up by Paizo and paid for by Paizo? The developers are on these forums constantly. They very often engage with fans about criticisms.

No. Wrong.

Mark Seifter engages with fans constantly. So does James Jacobs (but he's not a designer).

The others? Jason Buhlman, Stephen-Radney McFarland, and the two new guys who haven't even bothered to introduce themselves, much less engage with the community besides one dismissive put-down from one of them, do not. Jason hasn't posted anything beyond generic "We are opening this playtest" and "We are closing this playtest" remarks in almost a year. He didn't even participate in the most recent playtest, and neither did SRM from what I could tell, and both were BARELY active in the ACG playtest.

I guess I should amend what I said to state that compared to any other company I have seen, the amount of feedback is astounding. I also feel that the level of negativity on the forums over the past two years has been much higher than normal. I have seen some people try to have reasonable discussions regarding criticisms of PF, but I have also seen a lot of complaints without anything constructive being said. If I ran a company and a (relatively) few of my customers were upset, but the vast majority are happy (based on the continued success of sales) I would probably refuse to engage the negativity at all. The fact that Paizo does engage with this population at all is, frankly, amazing to me.


Casual Viking wrote:

I'm not sure anymore. I like building characters, I like actually playing. But I'm souring on Paizo. The breakwater moment was the ACG, a product so far from being ready for publication, it's not even funny. That they then took f@$!ing forever to finish the book is literally a crime. As in, if Paizo were headquartered in my country, I would have sued them for a refund for the book and probably won. When they finally finished the book, they went way overboard with the nerfhammer and destroyed every new martial concept coming out from the book.

Then there's the way that the Paizo writers continue to suck at game design, refuse to learn anything, and refuse to engage with the fans because we say mean things about them on the internet.

EDIT: Having read another post about language templates, I have to put my finger on it: The Paizo writers are sloppy. There's no word that better describes what they do wrong.

You do realize how ironic you are being when you state that the developers refuse to engage with fans on a forum put up by Paizo and paid for by Paizo? The developers are on these forums constantly. They very often engage with fans about criticisms. I think you mean that you don't agree with their design choices, and, well, you have that right. I don't like every decision Paizo has made in regards to Pathfinder, but I have always found the developers to be sincere in their explanations about what they did and why they did them.

As far as sucking at game design... Have you ever tried to design a game system? A hint. It is freakin hard. I have played in a lot of games in a lot of different systems for almost 40 years. Pathfinder is one of the best designed systems I have found. I do admit I think it is rules heavy and I seldom use every subsystem or rule, but the mechanics of Pathfinder work quite well.
Finally, I think that there is a big difference between "sloppy" and "not what you like". Agreed, not every rule written is perfectly balanced, but have you found a game that ISO? I haven't.
In all, I like Pathfinder. More importantly for me, I love Paizo as a company.


I hate auto correct


I love RAI. I love that the rules as written can be interpreted for my game the way I and my players them to exist. I love hat not every rule s so set n stone and that my nterpretation of the role matters.


I don't think anyone mentioned the Rot Grub or even worse, the rot grub SWARM. Shudders and asks for warm milk.


Dot


I like it a lot. I do wonder if the bump to AC is too much though. Maybe 11instead of 13.


I have gone to a 5e-pathfinder hybrid. I use the 5e rules for the players and for basic monsters. I use pathfinder stats for major encounters to give it a more epic feel. So far, it has been fun. Adventure Paths have become more challenging.


Legendary Games.


A filigree swarm.

Star Voter Season 8

James Casey wrote:
I had to read that twice before I realized it wasn't an erotic body part! Stick to common words people. Fancy words don't equal superstar.

yep. Had a Bevis chuckle when I saw it.

Star Voter Season 8

I just saw an item with an Anime effect I love. And I don't especially like Anime. Well done.

Star Voter Season 8

Dot

Star Voter Season 8

Clay Clouser wrote:
I think I'm alone here but if your item isn't formatted properly (no bold, italics, pieces missing such as cost or slot) I don't even read it. To me that says you didn't read the rules and submit what was asked which does not make for a good designer. Next I look to make sure that the item uses terms that actually exist in the game, after that I look for cohesive theme and symmetry. At that point I pretty much always have a winner.

I don't disagree with you, and I think following the rules is important, but I guess I personally am looking for the inspiration that makes the rules feel awesome.

Star Voter Season 8

LazarX wrote:
boldstar wrote:
I am going "rule of cool" first. I am interested in what the idea is and whether it wow's me. Then readability. Formatting is a tie breaker. Price doesn't concern me so much cause that is something that can be learned.

As "rule of cool" is frequently used as a cheap excuse to either break rules, or break balance, it gets little truck with me.

For me, rule of cool is used as a tie-breaker between two otherwise well-built items.

I understand what you are saying, but I really think you didn't understand me. When I say "rule of cool", I am not talking about power level at all. I am looking for submissions that made me feel like I did when I was 8 years old and my brother described an ogre charging my character for the first time. I am not looking at the submissions as finished products. I am looking at them to see who can make me say "Wow". An editor can help a new designer to follow the rules. An editor cannot help a designer have an amazing imagination.

How finished the submission is, is the tiebreaker for me.

Star Voter Season 8

1 person marked this as a favorite.

I am going "rule of cool" first. I am interested in what the idea is and whether it wow's me. Then readability. Formatting is a tie breaker. Price doesn't concern me so much cause that is something that can be learned.


Heh, read the title as "blushing rouge". Got REALLY confused


String, not Syring


Six Syring Samurai

Star Voter Season 8

Good luck all.

Star Voter Season 8

1 person marked this as a favorite.

Submitted for the first time. Good luck to all.


I think the easiest solution is to allow fighters and monks to move and full attack.


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I first read this as "optimize a hubcap." Oh well...


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Old "Grimtooth" trap. A room with 16 foot deep plush carpet.


And Ovulsion is correct. It was updated in the DSM4tr


Just checked your link, and I believe you missed the rest of the diagnosis from the DSM4
Included it as I don't know how to link.

[The following is from Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders: DSM IV]
(I) Qualitative impairment in social interaction, as manifested by at least two of the following:
(A) marked impairments in the use of multiple nonverbal behaviors such as eye-to-eye gaze, facial expression, body posture, and gestures to regulate social interaction
(B) failure to develop peer relationships appropriate to developmental level
(C) a lack of spontaneous seeking to share enjoyment, interest or achievements with other people, (e.g.. by a lack of showing, bringing, or pointing out objects of interest to other people)
(D) lack of social or emotional reciprocity
(II) Restricted repetitive & stereotyped patterns of behavior, interests and activities, as manifested by at least one of the following:
(A) encompassing preoccupation with one or more stereotyped and restricted patterns of interest that is abnormal either in intensity or focus
(B) apparently inflexible adherence to specific, nonfunctional routines or rituals
(C) stereotyped and repetitive motor mannerisms (e.g. hand or finger flapping or twisting, or complex whole-body movements)
(D) persistent preoccupation with parts of objects

(III) The disturbance causes clinically significant impairments in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.

(IV) There is no clinically significant general delay in language (E.G. single words used by age 2 years, communicative phrases used by age 3 years)

(V) There is no clinically significant delay in cognitive development or in the development of age-appropriate self help skills, adaptive behavior (other than in social interaction) and curiosity about the environment in childhood.

(VI) Criteria are not met for another specific Pervasive Developmental Disorder or Schizophrenia."


BigNorseWolf wrote:
boldstar wrote:


You might see one or two of these issues in an average convention goer, but all three are less likely than you might think.
Yes, different people who have been diagnosed with ASD may show these symptoms more or less, but all three are present.

Thats narrower than other definitions I've seen. Linky

(II) Restricted repetitive & stereotyped patterns of behavior, interests and activities, as manifested by at least one of the following:

(A) encompassing preoccupation with one or more stereotyped and restricted patterns of interest that is abnormal either in intensity or focus
(B) apparently inflexible adherence to specific, nonfunctional routines or rituals
(C) stereotyped and repetitive motor mannerisms (e.g. hand or finger flapping or twisting, or complex whole-body movements)
(D) persistent preoccupation with parts of objects

Yes, but now that Aspergers I has been swallowed up by Autism in the DSM5, that broader ASD definition applies.


Sorry Wolf if I came on strong. I am just really passionate that appropriate treatment is received as soon as possible, and get nervous when people talk about how Aspergers or other ASDs isn't really any different than a gamer geek... It felt like you were belittling a disorder that can be really debilitating.
Again, sorry. I think I over reacted


Treat, not tear...


And psychiatry has little to do with ASD. Only the French actually use psychoanalysis to tear ASD. the gold standard is based in behaviorism.

Full Name

Akai Terukage

Race

Human

Classes/Levels

Sword Saint 1

Gender

Male

Size

Medium

Age

24

Alignment

LN

Deity

Irori

Location

The Shackles

Languages

Common, Tien, Cyclops

Strength 19
Dexterity 14
Constitution 12
Intelligence 11
Wisdom 8
Charisma 10

About Akai Terukage

Akai Terukage
Male Human Samurai (Sword Saint Archetype) 1
LN Medium Humanoid(Human)
Init:+2

Defense:

AC 18, touch 12, flat-footed 16. (+6 armor, +2 dex,)
HP 11 (1d10+1)
Fort +2, Reflex +2, Will 0

Offense:

Spd 20 ft.
Melee Katana +6 (1d8+3/18-20/x2)

Statistics:

Str 19, Dex 14, Con 12, Int 11, Wis 8, Cha 10
Base Atk +1, CMB +4, CMD 16
Feats Weapon Focus Katana, Dazzling Display, Skill Focus Intimidate
Traits Fencer, Ancient Explorer
Skills Climb +7 (+2 w/ AP), Intimidate +7, Swim +7 (+2 w/ AP), Knowledge (History) +4
Languages Common, Cyclops
Combat Gear Katana, Four-Mirror Armor
Other Gear Backpack, Ink 1oz, Inkpen, Journal, Cards

Special Abilities:

Challenge (Ex):Once per day, a samurai can challenge a foe to combat. As a swift action, the samurai chooses one target within sight to challenge. The samurai’s melee attacks deal extra damage when made against the target of his challenge. This extra damage is equal to the samurai’s level. The samurai can use this ability once per day at 1st level, plus one additional time per day for every three levels beyond 1st, to a maximum of seven times per day at 19th level.

Challenging a foe requires much of the samurai’s concentration. The samurai takes a –2 penalty to his Armor Class, except against attacks made by the target of his challenge.

The challenge remains in effect until the target is dead or unconscious, or until the combat ends. Each samurai’s challenge also includes another effect, which is listed in the section describing the samurai’s order.

Ronin (Ex): Challenge: Whenever a ronin is the target of a challenge, a smite, a quarry, or similar effect, and he issues a challenge against that character in return, the ronin receives a +1 morale bonus on attack rolls made against the target of his challenge and a +1 dodge bonus to his AC against attacks made by the target of his challenge. These bonuses increase by +1 for every four class levels the samurai possesses (to a maximum of +5 at 20th level).

Resolve (Ex): Starting at 1st level, the samurai gains resolve that he can call upon to endure even the most devastating wounds and aff lictions. He can use this ability once per day at 1st level, plus one additional time per day for every two samurai levels beyond 1st. Whenever the samurai defeats the target of his challenge, he regains one daily use of his resolve, up to his maximum number of uses per day. Defeating the target of his challenge usually involves reducing the target to 0 hit points or fewer, but the GM might rule that an enemy who surrenders or flees the battle is also defeated. He can use this resolve in a number of ways.

Determined: As a standard action, the samurai can spend one use of his resolve to remove the fatigued, shaken, or sickened condition. If the samurai is at least 8th level, he can alternatively remove the exhausted, frightened, nauseated, or staggered condition. If the condition has a duration longer than 1 hour or is permanent, this ability removes the condition for 1 hour, at which time the condition returns.

Resolute: Whenever the samurai is required to make a Fortitude or Will save, he can spend one use of his resolve as an immediate action to roll twice and take the better result. He must decide to use this ability before he rolls the saving throw.

Unstoppable: When the samurai is reduced to fewer than 0 hit points but not slain, he can spend one use of his resolve as an immediate action to instantly stabilize and remain conscious. He is staggered, but he does not fall unconscious and begin dying if he takes a standard action. He does fall unconscious if he takes additional damage from any source.

Iaijutsu Strike (Ex): A sword saint can perform a lightning quick iaijutsu strike against the target of his challenge to inflict devastating wounds while drawing his sword. After the sword saint has challenged a foe but before he has attacked the target of his challenge, he may choose to use his iaijutsu strike as a full-round action, making an attack roll with his weapon as normal. In order to use this ability, the sword saint’s weapon must be sheathed at the start of his turn. If he successfully hits his opponent with an iaijutsu strike, his attack deals an additional +1d6 points of damage. This bonus damage increases by an additional +1d6 at 3rd level and every two levels thereafter to a maximum of +10d6 damage at 19th level. Any extra damage as a result of a successful iaijutsu strike is not multiplied by a critical hit.

After making an iaijutsu strike, a sword saint takes a –4 penalty to his AC until his next turn, but his weapon is now drawn and he may continually to fight normally. Regardless of whether he hits his opponent with the iaijutsu strike, a sword saint cannot use this ability on the same foe more than once per day.

At 10th level, a sword saint learns to focus faster and is able to make an iaijutsu strike as a standard action, and the penalty to his AC is reduced to –2. This ability replaces a samurai’s mount.


Backstory:
Born the son of a peasant farmer in a small village set at the base of the Wall of Heaven Mountains in Tian Xia, Akai learned what poverty and hard work was from his first breath out of the womb. Living under an oppressive local warlord, his family often sent most of the crop they grew directly to him, leaving scarcely enough for them to survive.

Nonetheless, he persevered, becoming a strong and dexterous child, shaped by his years. On his thirteenth birthday, his opportunity for a new life finally came to him. On their travels through the countryside, a band of warrior monks of Irori came to rest in his village. As was their custom, they gathered the children of the village to assess them, and see if any wished to join their order. Akai far surpassed his friends, and urged by his parents to seek a better life, left with them. His hardships were far from over, though.

Training at the temple was long and grueling. Woken up at four in the morning for daily practice drills with the katana, a ten minute break at noon for lunch, then into a two-hour run down the mountain, away from the monastery, and back, followed by five hours of studying and research, and another two hours of practice drills. It was in the monastery's tomes of ancient knowledge he found his obsession, the ancient empire of Ghol-Gan. He quickly found out that even though he welcomed the intellectual and physical challenge, he hated the lifestyle of a monk. He would promise to himself that any chance he had, he would escape.

And so it came to pass that on his twentieth birthday, as the customs of the monks said, he traveled with another group to seek out new blood. Stopped in a large town, Akai was sent to find recruits near the western gate. Seizing the moment, he instead strode defiantly out, never once looking back.

Calling himself a Ronin, he proceeded to travel Tian Xia for several years, offering his sword and knowledge in exchange for gold and information on Ghol-Gan. After three years of constant travel, he had finally accrued enough coin for his greatest travel yet - a boat ride to the Shackles, the seat of the Ghol-Gan empire. Stepping off the boat, he strode towards the nearest inn, the Formidably Maid.

Pirate Motivation - Akai loves the fierce independence the lifestyle of a ronin brings; the jump to piracy would not be much of a difference. The allure of gold still weighs heavily on him, his poor upbringing giving him a healthy respect for the weight it carries.