gamer-printer's page

I'm Gamer Printshop and I create third party content for Starfinder RPG. I have a setting guide I want to publish using the ORC License. I cannot seem to find an ORC Logo or Orc for Starfinder Compatiblity to put on the cover of my product. I have been using the Starfinder Compatibility logo, but I assume that's for the OGL license. I don't want to use the wrong logo, but in all my searches on this site, I cannot find a link to download ORC License logo. How do I release this product without that?

Maps for Gamers Patreon offering bi-weekly map, map object and 3D printable downloads has gone LIVE! Look in the posts, once you sign up, I've attached 2 huge 48 inch x 72 inch maps of an asteroid space station (pirate base), available as 2, 4 page PDFs at sliced at 24 x 36 inches that are print ready, 2 each 48 x 72 (70 dpi) Roll20 ready maps, 4 each (100 dpi) virtual tabletop ready maps for each level - Only $10/month as a single payment tier. Read our offers, I think you'll love this!

Maps for Gamers Patreon

Complete Mecha Factory - Mecha Entertainment Capital by Edward Moyer, is botha rules supplement for the creation and combat of Mecha, as well as a setting guide to a star system and planets where Mecha competitions are televised for galactic entertainment.

If you're looking for rules where mecha can interact with characters, vehicles and starships, then this book is for you! Check it out!

Now available at the Paizo Store - Rogue's Run

Rogue's Run is a two-shot adventure module (ended up longer than I attempted) for a party of 5 player characters of 7th level. Pregen characters are included. But this is more than an adventure module. It includes 4 custom starships with stats and full deck plans, 2 starships with stats only, a two level asteroid space station with full maps, a planet map and corporate mining town map, new personal equipment, new bays and systems for starships, 3 monster bestiary, a new pirate theme and space pirate class.

A band of trader-smugglers get a job to give passage to a paying guest, and to take a tech lifeform to be smuggled to a distant pirate asteroid station. Because the pirate station is under a corporate naval blockade, the PCs are force to use an ancient (pre-Drift) smuggler's route to get there, called Rogue's Run. A point A to point B starship run that more than interesting and troubling, but the rewards are great and establishing a contact with a power ally, as well as a free upgrade of their starship.

Vehicles are a necessary thing in almost any role playing game, from carts to wagons, to the science fiction of flying cars and submersibles. This guide takes the known vehicles and creates a massive guide to create over 166,000 unique vehicles with these rules, not counting weapons. Just four easy steps in building your ultimate vehicle.

•Choose a vehicle frame
•Select modifications
•Select add-ons
•Selecting finishing details

Just uploaded to the Paizo Store, awaiting Product Discussion thread notifying availability.

Dead in Space is five one-shots of space horror, by T. H. Gulliver, that can be run as independent one-shots, or put together as a longer module. Each module is designed to serve 3 different levels of play, with adjusted CR on traps, monsters and encounters. All the starship deck plans were created by me (Michael Tumey), as well as several of the illustrations. The cover art was Luis Lara, and several of the spectacular interior pieces were done by Markus Vogt.

One short module is based around a vampiric bio-hyrid ship...!

Enjoy!

I guess because it's Paizo's IP anything posted under Starfinder/Homebrew should be homebrew only - I started as discussion thread about my upcoming 3PP setting for Starfinder, called Kaidan 2.0. Perhaps it's better under the 3PP forum, or just deleted.

I didn't think about that as I posted it...

I almost flagged my OP on the thread, but didn't see an option that catered to my issue about it.

While technically 3PP, I am currently in early development of my next big project, and will use this homebrew forum for setting discussion.

For those of you who know me, I published the Kaidan setting of Japanese Horror (PFRPG) as an imprint under Rite Publishing, in addition to being a pro freelance cartographer. However, I had a special deal with Steven Russell (rest in peace) of Rite Publishing for it. Rite Publishing was the publisher, though I own the IP, and share copyright with Rite Publishing, and was the creator, developer and project manager, but I had a team of freelance author/designer, illustrators, editors working on it. We released 15 book, with the GMs Setting Guide published in June 2017, and the Player's Guide December 2017, though there may be some follow up products - it's near it's end.

Since I'm a small publisher now, mostly doing Starfinder compatible stuff - got a free one-shot module I wrote called Rude Awakening, Dead in Space - a series of one-shot space horror mods by T. H. Gulliver, and just released a 174 page (80 pages of art and deck plans) Starships, Stations and Salvage Guide by Edward Moyer, as an optional rules supplement for Starfinder. I do have a couple smaller products on the way - a Vehicle Guide and a Mecha Guide, as well as a followup to Dead in Space by the same author, Chains of Purgatory...

My next big project, I'll be the author, with Ed as my primary designer. Since I own Kaidan IP, I'm going to publish the Kaidan Interstellar Empire of Japanese Horror for Starfinder, so feudal Japan crossed with dark space opera, (or Kaidan 2000 years later). Tentative release scheduled for Halloween 2018.

So while I'm doing a direct conversion of Kaidan the dark fantasy setting to Kaidan the space horror setting, there is going to be new content, aside from needing to tech things up pretty heavily. I want to include some aspects of cyberpunk, use MegaCorps owned by the great samurai houses of Kaidan, each with private military samurai, covert operative ninja (some as conversions of PF classes, some as themes and archetypes). Adding a few more player character races, than the Kaidan original, each getting their own planet or moon across several star systems governed by the Empire/Shogunate. Samurai carry both a traditional katana, and a powered monofilament katana for fighting in and against powered armor opponents. Formal dress, even in corporate situations is the traditional kimono, or "shirt and pants" kimono samurai wore. Every one in society generally wears traditional Japanese garb, so feels very much like feudal Japan. The capital city will be what you might imagine a futuristic Tokyo would be - a juxtaposition of traditional castles, temples, shrines, parks and oddly shaped skyscrapers, sky-elevators, starports. However, the countryside will look more tradition - though tech exists: buried underground, inside traditional buildings, or inside beams, floors, the structure of common buildings with full future accommodations. Imagining traditional folding fans as video cell phones/IPads as well as a way to cool yourself.

I've already started gathering art. Interestingly, I paid for a lot of the original Kaidan art, much of it was never published - we never did a Kaidan bestiary. I got other pieces that just didn't have a good place to go in the Kaidan products so were never used - that saves me from having to procure them, and most of it is pretty awesome work. I've got a several of my own vector illustrations, I did for Way of the Samurai (PFRPG), which I'll definitely use again - though all of it is traditional rather than space opera, so I'll need to create a few pieces, and maybe find a few additional pieces before I'm done. I did pay a low, but still kind of expensive price for an awesome piece I intend to use as cover art, though since it was from the artist's personal gallery of work, rather than a custom piece I could no way afford, the characters placed in his illustrations are self portraits, and he's Italian (Alessandro Botti), so the guy in the samurai outfit doesn't look Asian - but for the price I got it for, and for it's awesome quality and perfect fit, I'm glad I got it. Aside from more than dozen maps I'll include, my art is pretty much covered - a very expensive part of publishing requirements out of the way, with a now empty art budget.

Anyway, I'll a couple of posts below some specifics I have in mind for different aspects of this new project. I'll appreciate any feedback or suggestions you might have.

Starships, Stations and Salvage Guide
by Edward Moyer

Artists: Michael Tumey and Katrina Fuchs
Publisher: Michael Tumey
Pages 174 (with 80 pages of art and deck plans)
Price: $14.99 (PDF)

A must have treatise on Starships, Stations and Salvage rules to expand your Starfinder Roleplaying Game experience. Though the Starfinder Core rules have a solid section on starship building, it lacks many options that many want and need to make their stories more exciting and fit the concepts of your games. This guide adds substantial optional rules including full rules for space stations and salvage.

Product includes:

21 new starship frames including living and zoomorphic ships, each with sample deck plans to inspire your own designs or to be used as-is.

47 new expansion bays including arcane options to give your starships spell abilities.

Dozens of upgrades to all the various starship systems from AI to weapons.

Complete rules for space stations and colossal bays

New equipment that starfarers will need for life aboard a starship.

Optional rules such as shadow drives, satellites and probes, space hazards and more.

A one-shot adventure module using the rules in this guide.

25 custom starship deck plans in full color and a 3 level space station deck plans.

I uploaded a main PDF, Dead in Space, two days ago, along with a bunch of add-on starship deck plans and maps as bonus content, and I keep checking to see if it's listed under products, or even my Game Printshop page, and I don't see it. How long does it normally take to approve a product upload?

Thanks for releasing this.

This is the first in hopefully many products supporting Starfinder that I'll be offering. Next is a series of five one-shot space horror modules written by T. H. Gulliver called Dead in Space, that should be released later this month, and hopefully a Starship, Station and Salvage Guide by Edward Moyer which offers many options to expand your starship building, including living frames and cores for bio-hybrid ships, Lich cores for undead ships, cloaking shields, dozens of new bays, 20+ custom starship deck plans, even a one-shot module that uses many of these new rules. It looks like an early November release for that.

So this FREE module is a taste of the kind adventures and supplements coming soon from Gamer Printshop. This was my 2016 One Page Dungeon Contest entry which earned a Penultimate Winner's Circle Award, converted to Starfinder rules.

I hope you check it out!

Michael

I created a free one-shot module as a Gamer Printshop product over a week ago (almost 2 weeks now), and it still isn't available in the Paizo Store - is there a problem on my end? Or is there some other reason why it hasn't been made available yet. I have 2 paid-for products coming this month, but I am reluctant about their release considering a free product uploaded already still isn't available. I have an ad for one of my upcoming paid for products, in the free product that is doing me no good, since it's not officially released.

Product is called Rude Awakening.

Still waiting on approval from Paizo for a product I submitted today.

Rude Awakening is a FREE one-shot adventure module designed for use with the Starfinder Roleplaying game for four characters of 1st level - and it's a bit deadly for a 1st level module. Ideally, this module fits as the first scenario in a campaign arc.

Product includes an 18 page adventure, appendices and OGL, followed by a full size printable, layered PDF of the main map (you can shut off the labels, effects, starship and grid if you need to from within Acrobat Reader). It also includes the stats and deck plan for a Tier 3 small freighter ship fitted with drives allowing it to become a submersible. The full size maps and deck plans are followed by sliced maps ready for home printing at letter size - cut off white edges and tape together.

There tension created because the characters find themselves needing to cross areas of airless and zero-G conditions, but all their space suits have a very limited amount of oxygen left. They are in danger from the start to the final escape vessel, with trap-like hazards, attacking salvage drones, mechanics and soldiers salvaging the vessel the characters are on. It's a gritty, space-will-kill-you kind of an adventure.

I don't know if this is the place to ask (or even if there is a place to ask), but I applied for Starfinder Compatibility status as a third party publisher about 10 days ago. I have a product close to release, but I don't want to release it without the Starfinder Compatibility logo on it. I don't know how long the process normally takes, but I am getting impatient.

As an aside, I'm a project manager for the Rite Publishing Kaidan setting of Japanese Horror (PFRPG). Owen K. C. Stephens and F. Wesley Schneider know who I am and that I'm legitimate as a creator and potential publisher. (I am Michael Tumey, by name).

Also I did sell products at the Paizo Store under Gamer Printshop, my publishing company name with a product called Endless Terrain Battlemaps (which is no longer available), but I am a Pathfinder 3PP already.

Is there a way to expedite the process?

Please cancel my subscription order - I received the book from the previous order. Thank you.

I fear I had the wrong default shipping address on my order. I changed it a few days ago, but possibly not in time to get my shipment to the correct address. If product returns, this is why, please send to current default shipping address. Thank you.

So I'm working on a star ship deck plan as a contest entry at the Cartographers' Guild with a theme of "create a map, any style, that has something to do with vampires." Since I've been building many star ship deck plans lately, I first thought create a ship taken over by a pack of vampires. Since I have tried to create a bio-mechanical living ship, I thought I'd do one... that's when the thought occurred to me what if the ship was alive, but now it's a vampire.

Whenever I get access to the Starfinder ship building rules, I will stat this ship up (and the 6 or so star ship deck plans I've already created and published).

So far I've only created the sleep pod chamber that resemble a humanoid sized maggot with a slice open at the top allowing to enter within. As a living ship these pods can imbue a "cold sleep" stasis as a cold sleep pod, and as a healing vessel for injured or the sick to get healed. As a vampiric ship, these pods can transform the interred into dhampire-like vampiric slaves to serve as crew and maintenance aboard the ship, however others are consumed of all organic material, blood and life energy to feed the ship.

I used a 3D modeling program to create and render the maggoty pods and veins of the first chamber.

You can visit my Facebook page, where I have this pod chamber created and posted.

Check for updated progress views of all the chambers and decks over the next week for so.

So over the past year (long before I even knew Starfinder was on its way), I've been creating encounter scale deck plans of various star ships of my imagination for use in sci-fi games. Notably, many of the deck plans include Traveller RPG ship stats, because I do have the rules for doing that. Though recently EN Publishing What's O.L.D. is N.E.W (WOIN) has provided stats for my ships using their rules. So once Paizo offers star ship stats for Starfinder ships, I will convert the products to include stats compatible with it.

The star ships available now:

Thunderbird class Heavy Corsair star ship is a pocket warship favored by space pirates with 2 decks and crew of 10.

Crusader class Close Escort star ship performs anti-piracy duties, escorting trading vessels through dangerous regions of space. This ship comes in 4 alternate versions. Notably, this is ship is built for use by the Masonic Navy, under operation by the Interstellar Order of the Knights Templar.

Interstellar Cargo Transport star ship - is a lightly armed 1000 ton trading vessel with engineering and the rest of the ship separated by girder beam with cargo containers attached.

Peregrine class Fast Diplomatic Sloop star ship is intended to deliver ambassadors to hot diplomatic locations in the shortest time possible. Mostly a flying gas tank, this 1200 ton ship is the fastest thing out there.

Wolverine class Marine Assault Transport star ship carries a full company of 120 space marines in cold sleep pods, and a naval crew of 22. This ship carries 2 hover tanks that can reach a planet from orbit, 10 drop pods to drop troops like airborne, the rest disembark when the ship lands on the planetary surface.

Also check out a couple space stations I've created:

Neptune Station Undersea Research Facility - domes at the tops, with multiple levels beneath features a mall-like habitat level, a university, a marine biology/oceanography lab, a hydroponics lab.

Hell Station Planetary Mining Outpost - in four environments: a volcanic world, an ice planet, an ocean world and a desert planet. This facility contains 5 levels - surface/ship landing level, warehouse level, habitat level, engineering level and mine level.

Also check out a free one-shot module called Rude Awakening (written game system agnostic) includes a space station map, a 100 ton trading vessel and a minimalist adventure module and is FREE.

Soon to release a 2000 ton Sakura class Destroyer Escort star ship, a prison ship, and a mine outpost operated by a family of ghouls...

For the last year or so, I've been designing custom star ship deck plans and a couple planetary station encounter scale maps for Pathfinder based, and other RPG systems, in addition to my normal fantasy map designs.

With the loss of Steven Russell of Rite Publishing, the Rite freelancers have been doing lots of talking. Trevor Gulliver who wrote #30 Haunts for Kaidan, with Kaidan being my homebrew setting published as an imprint under Rite Publishing. Trevor inquired if I'd be interested in publishing a series of one-shot modules with several one-shots per product each following a different theme. Since I've been doing lots of star ship and star base maps, we've decided to create a Dark Places of Space, as our first one - especially in light of the upcoming Starfinder rules and setting.

So you can expect one-shot modules, haunts, hazards, curses, magic items, ancient tech equipment and more, written by the expert skills of Trevor Gulliver, and over rich with the maps I will include. Dark Places are in early talks, but we're moving forward in getting this project going.

I haven't participated in a Cartographers' Guild Map Challenge in an age, so this month's challenge was create a race track map. So I decided to create "Mad Max Moto Cross", a post-apocalyptic urban track arena where armed riders compete to win, while tower-mounted ballista turrets periodically fire at passing riders. There is an audience stand, toxic water hazard, dirt track and moguls, broken pavement and a building with a partially collapsed floor riders must negotiate and use ramps to enter and exit the structure.

Also this map could work as a survivor community defense fort or used by a marauding gang.

It is now a PDF product ready for sale at DTRPG. Product includes a single page gazetteer, followed by 35 letter size slices of gridded map, 4 each 24 inch tiles of gridded map, 4 each 24 inch tiles (no grid), and a full 48 inch full map no grid ready for VT-use for $2.99.

Finally, after a longer wait than expected, the first guide book from my Map Tutorials Kickstarter is finally released to KS backers and to the public - 25 Quick and Dirty Map Tutorials Guide.

This guide begins by pointing out 8 primary graphics operations you need to know in order to follow every tutorial offerred, showing you where to find these tools in the following applications: Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, GIMP, Inkscape and Xara Photo & Graphic Designer. The guide book will not teach you how to use these programs, except for pointing out the necessary tools, you'll need to learn how to use them yourself, or following online videos and tutorials on those basic functions.

Once you have a grip on your preferred application, then the tutorial guide book will take you step-by-step in creating everything from cobblestones, depth in water effects, how to simulate dungeons, structures, cavern systems and more. There are tutorials on creating simple and complex objects. All using photo-realistic images as texture fills. Plus links to free photo download sites, software and more.

The guide book is a 197 page, full color PDF for only at $19.99.

Check it out today!

Among my many projects, I recently created an 1880's Train map set that includes, encounter scale maps (print-ready and virtual tabletop ready) of an entire steam train including: locomotive, coal tender, flat car, box car, livestock car, passenger car, Pullman luxury car and a caboose. Then got lots of interest in a possible Old West Pathfinder module idea. So I'm using my 1880's train set as an entire location for a one-shot module, and an introduction to a setting I call Gothic Western.

Its a place that gunslingers can best fit, but I'm also including a magus archetype called the Shootist, an investigator archetype called the Pinkerton, a bard archetype called the Journalist, and an inquisitor archetype called the Cabalist - though I think mad scientists, native bloodragers and shaman, occultists and many others belong. Think of the setting as gothic horror old west with Pathfinder, with elements of steampunk.

I've never been a fan of the gunslinger, but in a setting where they truly belong, it makes more sense. Plus I want to use revolvers, repeating rifles, cartridge ammo, and sticks of dynamite as normal for a setting.

It will probably be a few months before this is ready for release. Just seeing if there is any interest out there for such a setting.

Last month, I've been working on a huge personal map set of a complete undersea research facility called Neptune Undersea Station that includes a full community level under a large dome with a university level on the second floor, and beneath the dome are maintenance/warehouse level, 5 habitat levels with unique entertainment venues, and an industrial operations level. Plus 5 levels of a hydroponics dome pylon and 5 levels of a marine laboratory dome pylon. A moon pool dome and observation platform dome completes the site with 17 detailed levels created. There is even a sliced deck plan for a Manta submersible craft used at the station. A complete 23 page PDF file containing the submersible craft and a complete room by room gazetteer of the entire station.

Additionally 72 x 72 inch sliced maps of all levels are ready for use in your favorite virtual tabletop application, though the file has been optimized for use with Roll20.

This map is usable in science-fantasy, or hard sci-fi Pathfinder games, as well as being usable for Eclipse Phase, Shadowrun, Traveller and many other sci-fi game systems.

This is the first of many sci-fi-esque maps I plan to create. Next will be a multi-level Space Hulk (enormous starship).

Scheduled for release in the Paizo Store sometime next week...

50 photo-realistic map symbols of ocean fish, invertibrates, coral species and sea plants for all your underwater encounter maps. Most of these symbols were generated in 3D then digitally painted to match their real world counterparts. Some symbols like the jelly fish is partially transparent as they should be. This is a collection you'll use again and again for all your oceans and coral reef maps. Especially if you're using Alluria's Cerulean Seas campaign setting and similar settings.

Included in this set:

13 Ocean Fish - from clown and puffer fish to shark and stingray.
2 Sea Mammals - dolphin and humpback whale.
15 Invertibrates - from clams and sea urchin to crabs and octopus.
14 Coral Species - from fan to brain corals in all variety of colors.
6 Sea Plants - from sea grass to kelp.

All files are in PNG Alpha channel format, most scaled at 4x4 inches at 100 dpi, ready for use in your favorite graphics and virtual tabletop apps.

Cartographic Artwork by Michael K. Tumey (me).

Soon I'll be starting a Kickstarter campaign to publish a series of educational books providing detailed Map Tutorials using most any graphics software. The techniques in my Map Tutorials, though designed in Xara Photo and Graphic Designer, with some slight adjustment can be created in: Photoshop, GIMP, Paintshop Pro, Illustrator, Xara Photo and Graphic Designer, Inkscape, CorelDraw - and many similar applications, both vector and image editing.

It all started after joining the Map-Making for Games Google+ community and posting my Xara created maps. Someone asked if it was difficult to create a path through the forest. Instead of just answering, I whipped up a 9 step tutorial showing that it could be done easily with great results. The tutorial got a huge response from that community, so I started creating more (8 so far). After posting the 7th tutorials, someone there suggested I gather these up and publish them as an Ebook. Someone else suggested I run a Kickstarter to fund it. After some thought I am doing just that.

The product will eventually be (if funded) a 240 page soft cover, full color interior print book and PDF. I also have plans to create 25 more, advanced tutorials as a guide book as a first stretch goal, so there's more than one book, and possible map objects products and more.

So far, I have a Google+ community for Quick & Dirty Map Tutorials, and I just created a website to promote the products and the upcoming Kickstarter. Check both out, and hopefully join my Kickstarter as a contributor when it starts out.

I have some sample tutorials posted in the Google+ community so you can get an idea on what my tutorials are really about, and if they have any value to you!

Roleplayer's Chronicle just posted a Word in Edgewise Interview with Michael Tumey of Rite Publishing (me), where I discuss my RPG background, Rite Publishing, the Kaidan setting of Japanese horror and more.

This article has also been posted to Zite.com RPG News section - woot!

Check it out!

I just started a Google+ Community focused on Rite Publishing's Kaidan setting of Japanese horror. while it's a place post product listings and reviews, I've also got art and cartography, some cool off-site resources, and oddball background detail, definitions and such used for development.

If you're a fan, or think you might want to be, and you have a Google+ account, join in: Kaidan setting of Japanese Horror community.

Released yesterday at the Paizo store - Haiku of Horror: Autumn Moon Bath House - this is a map product with a creepy encounter as plug-n-play for any existing Kaidan module or Asian campaign. The monster comes in varying CR to be a threat to every PC level up to 20+.

There's labeled maps for a 4 story bath house, a full room by room gazetteer, printable sliced map for full scale (1" = 5'), and includes JPG files at 50 ppi and 100 ppi for use in VT apps.

This is the first release with me as author and designer (though Justin Sluder helped with the more complicated parts of the design).

I've got plans for many more - these are iconic locations you'd find in an Asian setting, like: bath house, Japanese castle, temple, shrine, cemetery, brothel, teahouse, shops on a street, etc. These are all based on authentic feudal Japanese architecture, so these map structures would work for both fantasy and historical Asian games.

Oh, and regarding the ghost of this release - if you've ever watched The Grudge, you might have a good idea what to expect...

I'm curious if there is anyone using any 3rd party material for Jade Regent - I see threads on 3pp material on other APs, what about this one?

My bias of course regards Kaidan material from Rite Publishing. I'm thinking the three In the Company of supplements for Kappa, Tengu, and Henge, as well as the two faction guides for Yakuza, and Samurai. Even #30 Haunts for Kaidan seems a perfect fit for Minkai.

The two mapped locations from the back of Way of the Yakuza and Way of the Samurai seem ideal side ventures while in Minkai.

In Kasai, the capital of Minkai and the location for The Empty Throne adventure mentions a Yakuza gang controlling the north western parts of the city, though no stats are provided. Chapter 3 of Way of the Yakuza features a yakuza gang stat block system using rules similar to the city stat block from the Gamemastery Guide. I think it's the ideal tool to build an interesting gang of criminals for side activities while in Minkai. (Note: I designed the map of Kasai for this AP, so I know that the yakuza are there - I put them there.)

I'm sure there are other 3pp products for over the top of the world activities and other aspects of Jade Regent.

What 3pp material have you been using for this AP? Would you be willing to use 3pp material for this?

I'm beginning preliminary work on a Kaidan Setting Handbook.

What would you like to see in it?

I'm thinking the start would have an overview of Kaidan, from a perspective that anyone living there would know.

Next would be the players section, which would include races, new classes, archetypes, feats, equipment, spells and traits, as per the structure of the Core Rulebook.

The GM's section would include detailed discussions on running an oriental setting, then a horror setting, then specifics about Kaidan - the deeper knowledge that many locals are not aware of, at least regarding specifics such as politics, economics, religion, government, the social castes, cosmology and the Death and Reincarnation cycle.

Magic items, Ancestral Relics (Kaidan's artifacts), and a Bestiary.

This would be followed by a detailed gazetteer of main islands of Kaidan and their respective provinces, major cities, points of interest and wilderness reaches. Additional maps would be created as well.

Some people might prefer a bestiary section kept out, rather in it's own bestiary as a separate book. Would this be a preference?

What else would you like to see, or what better method of displaying the material would you prefer?

While Frank Carr wrote most of the gazetteer of the City of Kasai, I (Michael Tumey) authored several locations specific to the original map of the City of Kasai that I created for the Jade Regent AP, as a lineart hand-drawn map.

Some background information: when I was discussing the design needs for Kasai, with Wes Schneider, I knew that large east Asian urban areas are always sectioned into a rectangular design of canals. All feudal period cities had them. But Wes wanted meandering paths and roads that led to interesting locations and hidden alcoves. So I compromised by suggesting that the original town, before Kasai became a city did not feature canals and simply followed the river bank and terrain, being mostly located in the southern quarters of the city. As the town grew, especially after the emperor moved to Kasai and made it it's capital, the canals were cut as an afterthought. This is why the curvy streets of Kasai end in odd angles with the long straight streets paralleling the canals.

As I designed this map, to lessen the monotony of drawing hundreds (over 850) mostly rectangular buildings to fill the city, I really thought about where to place the next temple, shrine, park, cemetery, market area - to make the map seem functional to a real living city (plus the story aspects of what goes on there keeps me from getting bored.)

I created Area 10: Setting Sun Cemetery (my favorite location in Kasai) as one of several locations for the gazetteer. Note due to word count restraints, and the needs for providing fluffy hints, no mechanics, for a given location, I could not place what I wanted to place.

Notice a narrow triangle next to the canal at area 10 on the City of Kasai map. Imagine this triangle is actually one oblique corner of a square area that the rest of the perimeter was destroyed in the placing of the canals. The large temple district at area 11 is built on the larger area of the former shrine square. That narrow triangle piece was part of the cemetery, where most of it was removed when the canal next to the remaining cemetery. Despite the efforts of the Temple of the Sun's Blade adepts at consecrating the area, the bisection and subsequent destruction of a holy area due to urban renewal construction would be act of great blasphemy - and so Setting Sun Cemetery is cursed and haunted.

I even created (but couldn't include) a specific haunt for it:

The Grappling Ghost Haunt CR 12
XP 13,600
Notice Perception DC 27 (to notice a translucent figure behind you rising from the gravestone you are passing.)
hp 55; trigger proximity; reset 1/day
Caster Level: 12
Description: the southwest bridge path from the temple passes through an ancient cemetery, one of the smaller stones belong to a murdered nun. When anyone passes her grave her invisible spirit attaches herself to them in an ethereal grapple, where she remains invisible, though detect undead or other similar spells will reveal the ghostly corpse of a nun with her arms locked around her victims neck and legs around the waist. Every 24 hours the victim loses 1 Con damage up to 6 Con damage in 6 days, minimum 1. This damage cannot heal while the grappling ghost is still attached. This has the effects of the bestow curse, major spell*.
Destruction: in the company of a temple cleric remove her bones from the cursed cemetery and move her to a different temple in the city, and consecrate her bones before reburying her with a new stone.

So in case anybody wanted further detail on one specific site I created, I have made it available here!

Say I want to do the Baleful Polymorph spell to create boar or pony (which are medium animals) with the young template, essentially creating a piglet or pony colt? Or must be only choose small or smaller creatures by standard size?

I'm looking to create a country witch with a farm of polymorphed humans as farm animals.

Working on a list of classes to develop for a Kaidan martial arts type supplement, and aside from the obvious monk variants, I'm looking to include a few archetypes for concepts such as Unarmed Magus.

I'm thinking someone recruited into a monastery discovered to have an arcane talent and given martial arts training that incorporate spell power of the magus class.

First of all I'd pull access to armor, including light armor. Since that's a big nerf of the standard magus, I'm thinking of replacing it with Monk AC Bonus. Then 7th level Medium Armor is replaced with Evasion, and 13th level Heavy Armor is replaced with Improved Evasion.

At some point, probably first level, I would need some class ability that confers a +1 enhancement bonus to your striking hand. An unarmed magus must choose one of his hands to serve as his striking hand for the purposes of casting spells with the other hand.

I would need to come up with a least a half dozen Magus Arcana that conferred special bonuses especially suited to an unarmed magus, perhaps a smite-type arcana that grants special damage against certain targets, etc.

Are my AC replacement choices too powerful? What would be a better way to confer an enhancement bonus to unarmed strikes?

GP

I'm looking at the possibility of developing my own publication in a racial/faction book for gnomes based on a racial thieves guild. I'm developing it own pantheon, and church which operates as a bank and the government of their society. An offshoot of the gnomes that came from the Fey lands long ago, this branch encountered a Dwarven merchant community and the gnome leaders were cheated in a trade agreement. This lesson taught them that earning profit through whichever means should be the focus of gnomes among the other races.

The Gnomic Syndicate is the church, government, military, arcane, and socio-economic structure of the gnomic people. The central government comprises a council of clerics who are also mercantile magnates each with their own extended commercial empire. They serve as the center of faith, franchiser of gnomic licensed thieves guilds across the world(s), and tax collector of gnomic society. All members of gnomic society are lifetime members of the Gnomic Syndicate (unless outcast and liquidated).

Gnomic Military - because gnomes are small, they are less effective combatants (in most cases) than other races. The gnomic military has units of fighters and rogues, but only as the lower echelon of the military. The officer corps form the bulk of gnomic military tactics and that is arcane based attacks. Gnomic wizards, sorcerers and bards serve as the primary combatant with a relience on stealth and subtlty. Assassins are also members of the gnomic military. All members of gnomic society have dual ranks in the military as well as the syndicate (unless outcast...)

Auditor (inquisitor archetype) are agents of the church of the Syndicate and ruthlessly pursue problems in the franchised guildhalls, especially undeclared profits hidden from the annual profit reports. Auditors have the power to outcast and liquidate any gnomic guild member who cheats the home church of its proper share in profits.

Thieves Guilds - perhaps not true in every case, but many thieves guilds existing in the communities of other races, whose members are of those races were founded by a Gnomic Profiteer, licensed and franchised by the Gnomic Syndicate. In some cases these gnomes are the standing guildmasters, though often the gnomes hide behind the scenes with a puppet guildmaster of the local race as a 'front man'. The goal of each guildhall is to find creative means to drain the local ecomony into the Syndicate coffers.

The method of operation isn't just thieving, however, but any profitable commercial activity. Some operate legitimate trading concerns, some operate with agents as 'traveling salesman', all the dark trades of slavery, weapon/drug-running, smuggling, prostitution, loan-sharking, protection rackets and other black market activities, even night clubs and other entertainment centers are common among the franchised guildhalls.

While spellcasters rule their society, the bulk of its members exist as family business concerns as rogues and profiteers. Profiteers are independant traders, con men, purveyors of products and entertainments.

New Skill:

Perform (sell) Using presentation skills to sell a product or idea to a potential customer.

Alternate Gnome Traits:

Counter's Gift - recognizing discrepancies in bookkeeping and forgeries. Gain a +1 bonus to Perception and Linguistics checks regarding accounts, legal and contractual documents.

Canny Eye - recognizing the value of goods and services. Grants a +1 bonus to Appraise and Knowledge (local) checks.

Silver Tongue - the consummate salesman and story teller. Grants a +1 bonus to Bluff and Perform (sell) checks. Must speak the language of the potential customer.

Profiteer (Alternate Bard Class)

Skills: add Perform (sell) and Profession (merchant)

Market Knowledge (Ex) - a profiteer adds half his level (minimum 1) to all knowledge checks the regarding the trade value of goods and services across multiple markets and may make knowledge checks untrained. This replaces Bardic Knowledge.

Bardic Performance - a profiteer gains the following performances:

Empathic Dialog (Ex) - grants a +1 to Sense Motive checks, +1 at 5th and every 6 levels thereafter. Can be used to detect the real wants and needs of a potential customer, as well as what they are willing to pay for it. This replaces Inspire Courage.

Fast-Talker (Ex) - at 3rd level, can bewilder a potential customer who is already fascinated. This does not affect the fascination, but does require a standard action to activate (in addition to the to the immediate action to continue to fascinate.) The target must make a successful Will save, DC = 1/2 profiteer's levels + Chr modifier or miss important details regarding a given commidity and compelled to make a purchase or accept an idea. This replaces Suggestion.

Language of the Deal (Ex) - at 8th level and higher your consummate sales skills are so finely tuned, you needn't speak the language of the potential customer. As long as he can see the product offered and understands the trade value required, there is no need for Linguistics checks. This replaces Dirge of Doom.

Bait and Switch (Ex) - at 9th level, by distracting the attention of a targeted person, one of your allies gain a +2 bonus to Steal Combat Maneuver, Stealth or Sleight of Hand. For each 3 levels beyond 9th an additional ally gains this bonus. This replaces Inspire Greatness.

Sell Anything (Ex) - at 14th level and higher, a target accepts your deal or latest proposal with little to no problem. Will save, DC = 10 + 1/2 profiteer's level + Chr modifier to negate. If they make their Will save they are not aware of the attempt to swindled, but their attitude is shifted down one level. Each attempt in a 24 hour period gives the target a +2 to their Will save, whether they saved on the last attempt or not. (Requires a Perform Sell and a Bluff check for others watching.) This replaces Frightening Tune.

Golden Tongue (Ex) - a profiteer of 20 levels or higher can use his performance to cause a single potential customer to pay you all their worldly goods to purchase something you are selling. To be affected the target must be able to see and hear the profiteer perform for 1 full round and be within 30 feet. The target receives a Will save, DC = 10 + 1/2 profiteer's levels + Chr modifier, to negate the effect. If the target's Save succeeds, he does not recognize your attempt to swindle him, and the profiteer cannot use to the same target again for 24 hours. If the target's Save fails he is compelled to offer everything he owns. Golden Tongue is a mind-affecting effect that relies on visual and audible components. This replaces Deadly Performance.

Thoughts?

Michael "GP" Tumey

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We plan to create multiple versions of forests, deserts, arctic terrain, caverns, dungeons, alleyways, plains, mountains, etc.

Check out the site today! Link here: Free RPG Maps website

Michael "GP" Tumey

Rather than impinge on the Ninja thread where I introduce this idea, I thought I'd start a new thread discussing here...

There is a complaint that the Ninja somehow is diminishing the rogue. There's truth to that, but only where a Ninja as stealth killer/spy does that better than a rogue. While that certainly needs tweaked, another way to mitigate that problem is to expand on what rogues can do with their talents - so there's plenty of things rogues should be able to do, that ninja should not be able to do.

Note: I am specifically building a society of classes for Yakuza to be used in my Kaidan: a Japanese Ghost Story setting. These are options I intend to offer Yakuza based rogues, and as an option should be available to all rogues.

I'm looking for feedback on the talents below, and suggestions for more!

Gambler Talents:

Reading Tells - the ability to read hand, facial gestures and postures of opponents in games of chance. Using a Sense Motive check to detect if your opponent is bluffing, indicating a good or poor hand in a game of cards. Granting bonuses based on rogue level.

Reading Signs - the ability to work with an accomplice who is reading an opponents cards or hidden dice in games of chance and subtly communicating this to you without detection. Grant a penalty to all Perception checks to detect signs are being used to attempt to cheat at games of chance. The level of the rogue grants bonuses to this ability. Both you and your accomplice requires this talent to attempt to communicate this way.

Charisma Based Talents:

Misdirection - this ability is used to draw the attention of a specific target away from some covert activity being done by another party member. This could be used in combat to allow another rogue to get in position for a flanking maneuver, as well as outside of combat for sleight of hand or other unobserved activity.

Improved Lie - using the Bluff skill with this talent enables a rogue to tell more convincing lies that confer penalties to Sense Motive checks to detect the lie. Rogue level adds bonuses to this check. This ability can be used in confidence games to outwit someone of their money.

Arcane Tattoos: unlike 3x monks, only the Hinin caste members which include Yakuza are allowed to wear tattoos, as for higher social castes, tattoos are considered taboo and a mark of a criminal.

Either as a replacement for Minor and Major Magic talents or as an optional add-on: Minor Tattoo (clan sign) and Major Tattoo grants enhancement and other bonuses offering a Supernatural ability to enhance rogues.

Ki Trait and Feat: in Kaidan any class may take the following Trait and Feat as a means to access a limited ki pool for specific Supernatural abilities to any class including rogue.

Ki Potential Trait - by selecting the Trait, you may take the Activate Ki feat at 4th level.

Activate Ki feat - at 4th level if you possess the Ki Potential Trait, you may take this feat to grant you access to a ki pool of half your current level (4th), but does not progress above that. You may take the Extra Ki feat to add one more point, though your total cannot exceed 3 ki points.

General Ki Powers List - a list of general use Ki powers accessable to anyone with Ki Potential Trait and Activate Ki Feat for a variety of Supernatural abilities available to non-Ki classes. (In Kaidan both Monk and the Shinobi archetypes gain access to full ki pool)

Thoughts?

GP

Expanded Ki Powers List for Kaidan:

Ki classes include Monk (budoka), Bard/Monk/Ranger/Rogue/Sorcerer (shinobi) and Yojimbo (alternate class described above). However all classes in Kaidan may opt to take the Ki Potential Trait, which allows each class to take Activate Ki feat at 4th level which grants a ki pool of 2 ki points - this does not increase with level. May also select Extra Ki feat to grant a total of 3 ki points.

The following is the Expanded Ki Powers List:

In Kaidan a power of inner strength is inherent in all living beings called Ki which can be tapped to manifest limited spell-like powers. Because monks always possess ki powers, they serve as tutors to help others access their ki.

This is an expanded ki powers list usable in Kaidan. The general ki powers list consist of ki powers accessable by all classes with a ki pool, including those possessing the Ki Potential Trait and Activate Ki feat. The greater ki powers list is limited to Ki classes which only include monk and shinobi, at a minimum of 12th level. Only five ki powers can be acquired by 20th level, 1 per 4 levels starting at 4th. No more than 2 greater ki powers can be selected.

General Ki Powers List:

Ghost Step - by spending a ki point (as a swift action) you can become invisible for 1 round. By spending 2 ki points, you can become invisible for 1 round + 1 round per WIS bonus.

Ghost Sight - by spending a ki point (as a swift action) you can see invisible for 1 round. By spending 2 ki points, users can see invisible for 1 round + 1 round per WIS bonus.

Ki Armor - by spending a ki point (as a swift action) when unencumbered you can add your WIS bonus to AC for a number of rounds equal to your WIS bonus. This bonus does not stack with other WIS based bonuses to AC.

Ki Punch - by spending a ki point (as a swift action) you can perform unarmed strikes at distance up to 30' range, and works as natural reach, but you do not threaten your opponents square. This effect lasts for a number of rounds equal to your WIS bonus.

Ki Jump - by spending a ki point (as a swift action) double the height of a vertical jump, or double the distance of a running jump.

Ki Levitation - by spending a ki point (as a swift action) you may levitate up to your normal height and remain hovering in place for a number of rounds equal to you WIS bonus.

Ki Step - by spending a ki point (as a swift action) ignore one aspect of the terrain for a number of rounds equal to your WIS bonus, including walking on ice or water and other difficult terrains.

Ki Stride - by spending a ki point (as a swift action) you can move up to your speed, this does not count as a move action.

Perserverance - by spending a ki point you can remove the effects of hunger and thirst for a single day, without negative effect. If you spend 2 ki points (as a swift action) you can increase the duration to a number of days equal to your WIS bonus.

Potent Skill - you must choose one of your skills when you select this power, by spending a ki point (as a swift action), add +10 to the selected skill check for 1 round. This ki power can be selected multiple times, but can only be applied to a different single skill each time it is selected, as in Potent Skill (stealth) or (perception).

Strength Surge - by spending 1 ki point (as a swift action), you can add a +4 to your STR score for a single round, by spending 2 ki points you can increase the duration to a number of rounds equal to your WIS bonus.

Withstand - by spending a ki point (as a swift action) you can negate the effects of one condition for a single round, by spending 2 ki points (as a swift action) you can extend the duration for a number of rounds equal to your WIS bonus. This power does not remove the condition.

Greater Ki Powers List:

Abundant Step - (as per PRD)

Improved Ghost Sight- by spending 2 ki points (as a swift action) you gain true seeing for 1 round, by spending 2 additional ki points you can extend the duration to a number of rounds equal to your WIS bonus.

Improved Ghost Step - by spending 2 points of ki (as a swift action) can turn ethereal for 1 round. By spending 2 more ki points you can extend this duration to a number of rounds equal to your WIS bonus.

Improved Ki Armor - by spending 2 ki points (as a swift action) when unencumbered you can add 5 + your WIS bonus to AC for a number ofrounds equal to your WIS score. This bonus does not stack with other WIS based bonuses.

Improved Ki Punch - by spending 2 ki points (as a swift action) functions as Ki Punch, but at a range of 60'.

Improved Strength Surge - by spending 2 key points (as a swift action) you can gain a +8 to your STR score for 1 round, by spending 2 more points you can extend the duration to a number of rounds equal to your WIS bonus.

Thoughts?

GP

Since the Ultimate Combat Playtest is a hot topic right now, I thought I'd post an update to the current status of Kaidan classes. This is for my Kaidan: a Japanese Ghost Story setting. The first adventure - The Gift: Curse of the Golden Spear will be released in February 2011.

In Kaidan, the empire is essentially lawful evil, as is the state religion, Zaoism - it is the interpretation that reincarnation through the Buddhist Hells is the path for Kaidanese salvation.

The nobility has been cursed by the founding of the empire, they are all varying types of undead, caused by an uttered curse at its founding. Nobles are NPCs.

Samurai is a caste, not a class, of priviledged servants consisting of courtier bard (meika), cavalier (hatamoto), yojimbo (alternate ranger class), and court wizard (onmyoji). Samurai serve a lawful evil nobility. Thus ronin, though with social penalties for being so, are a viable player character at start up, actually the preferred status in the setting.

Yamabushi, being an opposition religious practice, are in fact the Paladins of the setting and are members of the Commoner caste.

Still looking for the correct term for our setting's inquisitor, Zaoist secret police - heretic hunters.

Sohei are the mooks of the state religion and consist of both Fighter and Monk archetypes, with a few clerics higher up in the chain.

Cleric (kannushi) and Oracle of Spirit Mystery (miko) follow an animistic faith involving uncountable kami spirits each 'locked' to a single location. Miko are closely tied to ancestral spirits, Ojigami.

Fighter (Heimin bushi) are martial arts specialist fighters who include militia, police, guards, escorts, bandits (nobushi), and pirates (wako).

Shinobi are archetypes for Bard, Monk, Ranger, Rogue and Sorcerer, the Ultimate Combat Ninja is very close to our Rogue (shinobi) archetype. I intend to create a Ninja prestige class, however.

Yakuza, like Samurai, is a culture not a class consisting of bards, fighters, monks, rogues and tattooist sorcerers of the Yakuza archetype. Yakuza are members of the Tainted or Hinin caste - between Animal and Jigoku, lowest of the social castes.

This is not Golarian, however, it could exist offshore as it is an archipelago of islands...

I thought I'd start a new thread, since I've posted a factoid in one of the Ninja "katana" threads twice of this historic fact, but it keeps getting repeated in contradiction despite what I say.

Below is link to Samurai-Archives.com, probably the definitive source on all things Samurai. I learned most of this data long before reading this site, but with its reputation (better than mine) confirms several things listed below.

Samurai could be Gunslingers, as they too used guns.

Code of Bushido was not something that all samurai followed throughout their history, although called house codes in earlier days, it was only fully adopted during the Tokugawa Era.

Ninja were samurai specialized in covert ops, they weren't criminals, or a secret society of lower caste fighters, they were samurai So trying to say that katana should only be a samurai weapon is confirmed with ninja being samurai as well.

The following is a link posted by the forum admin for that site:

Samurai Misconceptions

What if there is no overarching pantheon of gods, instead there are hundreds of unique, tranquil, odd holy sites based on natural locations each containing its own divine spirit. (I'm looking at including this world view as part of Kaidan: a Japanese Ghost Story setting.)

There might not even be a need to differentiate monsters from spirits. A blighted grove of trees for instance could 'summon/create' an owlbear to retaliate to those around it. In game its just an owlbear, but in reality it has been actuated by the gods and is not biological at all.

My problem it seems is that Cleric doesn't easily identify with, nor access his divine spells and powers in an animistic world view. The Druid, for a number of reasons doesn't fit either - I don't want shape-changers as a class, as there is a defined shape-changer PC race available.

An oracle fits better, but the setting already includes one Oracle (Miko Shrine Maiden), would another Oracle be the type to fit better?

Would creating a shaman like class better fit this motif? I personally don't care for the term 'shaman' as it makes think of a primitive witch doctor or something. And something akin to Japanese shinto priests seem more refined than a shaman, though 'spirit-talkers' like those needed for an animistic world might be better applied to a shaman class.

Tonight I will do some work designing a possible Shaman class.

My questions are would it be better to hammer the cleric/druid to serve this role, choose a second oracle for the setting, or design a completely new class?

GP

So although I've already created one idea for a samurai class for my Kaidan: a Japanese Ghost Story setting. In hindsight, I'm thinking it would better serve to leave samurai as a caste or social class, not a player class. Rather allow for several base classes as archetypes that all represent samurai, chosen by the player of appropriate caste.

Cavalier - would suit well with the traditional mounted archer, emphasis on Japanese weapons and mounted archery.

Fighter - especially those of the Shogun's army, imperial and provincial guards.

Paladin - for the rare good samurai seeking to better society, ancestral connection for divine powers (ojigami).

Anti-Paladin - except I need him to be Lawful Evil, instead of Chaotic Evil.

Ranger - with added combat styles, ki powers instead divine casting, more generalist, than wilderness.

Hatamoto (courtier) - a bard adaption (?) or courtly bureaucrat samurai.

Ancestral Weapon feats allow for the samurai's chosen weapon to level up starting at 1st, 3rd, the every three levels above this (these are bonus feats).

Perform: (tea ceremony) is a required 'centering' skill.
Perform: (calligraphy) is a requierd skill.

Samurai can be both male and female.

Ronin is a status, not a class, loss of honor, intolerance by authorities, distrust by commoners.

Samurai weapons include: daikyu, katana, naginata, wakizashi, yari, yumi as variations of standard PF weapons, though daikyu might be unique.

I need some kind of honor system, granting diplomacy bonuses, and linked to ancestral weapon bonuses.

I think this works better than creating a whole new class just for samurai.

Thoughts?

GP

OK, I'm nearing final development stage of Kaidan RPG next month, and some new ideas about the ninja is stirring - a completely different direction than I've previously planned and developed, but seems very intriguing. I need your critiques and comments.

Prerequisites: ki pool, ranks in acrobatics: 8, ranks in disguise: 5, ranks in stealth: 8

In Kaidan, I have a Budoka to represent the standard PF monk in my setting, however, I am thinking of adding Shinobi as another standard monk, though one that is born and trained in a Ninja House.

At 5th level or higher, the Shinobi monk may choose to take the ninja prestige class, which grants him access to 10 selections of ki powers unique to ninja, though from a large pool of ki powers to choose from.

Also a Shinobi, must choose one class to multi-class in (up to 10 levels, as the this second class is integrated into the Prestige class.) The shinobi must choose to multi-class as: fighter, rogue or sorcerer.

In Kaidan all ninja houses are based on ninja bloodlines, thus all have a possible sorcerer bloodline connection (five available ninja sorcerer bloodlines...)

So taking this prestige class is a different kind of multi-classing.

Is that even practical? I'm looking for a jack-of-all trades type ninja that offers a different mechanic to multi-class, built into a prestige class...?

GP

Not that I might not publish this one day, this is just the home-brew I'm DMing for my Pathfinder gaming group. The Free City of Zentiir was founded 400 years ago by a mercantile league whose body of trade litigants drafted a charter with the local sovereignty for a section of coastal land to established a free port. In exchange for discounted prices for trade goods to that sovereignty they're city is free from intervention by outside forces, maintaining there own laws and government, establishing it as their capital. The signed charter is binding for 10,000 years.

Stipulations in the charter allow for exiles, escaped criminals and other outlaws the chance to live in the community, and do their best to escape the bounty hunter guild that exists there for a specified period of time they are declared free of those crimes. Also the life of the charter extends beyond the government of the mercantile league and the sovereign powers who own the land now leased in the charter.

Those who are apprenhended are held in a maximum security prison, enhanced to hold outsiders and spellcasters maintained by a monastic order of lawful neutral prison keepers. The prison is also a temple, the order abhors capital punishment preferring incarceration. Even if a prisoner is sentenced to 500 years, the order uses their powers to minimize the aging process so the prisoner can in fact serve the entire sentence and be freed as someone only 20 years older than when they entered.

One of the signers of the Free City Charter was actually an outsider (?) spying on this legal body in the name of Abadar - god of cities, wealth, merchants and law. By his signature the charter was binding at an extraplaner level. And recognized by more than one lawful deity as a legally binding. It has been 400 years since the signing of the charter and outsiders including exiled rakshasa, marid, efrit, deva, demons and others reside in the city as merchants, crafthouse owners, guild leaders and other places of power within the great Free City.

In the last century a militant naval empire from across the ocean has encountered and conquered the mercantile league and are the new sovereign government of the city. Being lawful evil they too honor the charter in every aspect, though serve a different philosophy than the previous tenants.

PCs tend to work for one faction or other usually under hidden leadership by one outsider or another, and plots, intrigue and assassination are set between the various factions. A strong, well equipped police force maintains order, but in most ways leaves the resident none evil population in peace.

Just for fun, I am having an attorney friend of mine draw up this charter in semi-legalese, and olde world flavor to serve as this fantasy legal document - as a hand-out, code of the city.

Thoughts?

GP

Added a couple more class features to give a bit of oomph, expanded spell list of sorcerer/wizard plus up to 5th level druid spell lists. I finished the missing runes.

This class is strong, but overly unbalanced, though I still need to playtest her this weekend.

Runemaster (wizard) - Draft 2.5

HD: d6, BAB: half, Saves as per wizard, 2 + Intelligence modifier for skill points. Skills: same as wizard, except replace Knowledge (planes) with Knowledge (fey) and both Knowledge (history) and Knowledge (local) with Knowledge (clans).
Restrictions: a runemaster is proficient with all simple weapons. They are proficient in any light armor, but no shields. Medium and heavier armor interferes with a runemaster's somantic gestures and subject to spell failure as per Arcane Spells and Armor as Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook. A runemaster begins as an illiterate person, as her language cannot be recorded except in the form of arcane runes, each representing complex formula and calculations learned by rote, taught by her master.

1st: Arcane school, arcane mark (sp) at will, cantrips, carve rune, rune marked
2nd: Rune
4th: Rune
6th: Rune
8th: Rune
10th: Rune, greater rune
12th: Rune
14th: Rune
16th: Rune
18th: Rune, master rune
20th: Rune Mastery

Arcane Mark (Sp) - as spell can be cast at will.

Carve Rune (Item Creation Feat) - required to carve arcane runes on the ground, onto wooden, stone or metal surfaces.

Rune Marked - every runemaster focuses on certain spells, until casting them becomes second nature, a condition considered rune marked. At 1st level the runemaster chooses one known spell. She can prepare this spell without referring to her runestaff, and does not provoke an attack of opportunity when she casts it. When cast this spell is treated as if 1 level higher for all purposes. If she uses metamagic that costs 1 or more spell slots, she subtracts 1 spell slot from the casting cost. She gains an additional rune marked spell at 5th, 9th, 13th and 17th level. At 9th level and 17th level she can choose to replace one of her rune marked spells with another spell she knows.

Spells: a runemaster casts arcane spells from all of the sorcerer/wizard and up to 5th level druid spell lists. A runemaster has the same spell progression as a wizard and gains bonus spell based INT modifier.

Rune: runemasters learn a number of empowered carved symbols, called runes, that grant them powers or protections. At 2nd level a runemaster gains a rune of choice, and an additional rune every two levels after, as noted below. A runemaster cannot select an individual rune more than once. At 10th level a runemaster gains access to greater runes. At 18th level a runemaster gains access to master runes.

Bar (Sp) - a runemaster places this rune onto a door, chest or portal to confer arcane lock, as per spell.

Brehon (Sp) - a runemaster creates a zone of truth, as per cleric spell, all who stand within 20' radius around the rune cannot tell a lie.

Fascinate (Sp) - this decorative rune causes all those who view it to become fascinated, for 1 round + 1 round per 2 runemaster levels. Will save negates.

Obfuscation (Sp) - as a runemaster gains power, when carving this rune she becomes more difficult to view and scry, eventually gaining mage's private sanctum combined with false vision at 10th level. At 4th level she can obscure object, as per spell and have 20% concealment when she moves as if she has the wind stance feat. At 6th level she gains nondetection combined with invisibility. At 8th level she gains greater invisibility and has 50% concealment when she moves, as if she has the lightening stance feat.

Puzzle (Sp) - a runemaster can create a rune that causes all those who view it to become confused for 1 round + 1 round per for evey two levels of runemaster who places it. A Will save negates.

Reading (Sp) - a runemaster can read any book, document or scroll within 10' of the location of this placed rune, as per comprehend languages.

Sanctuary (Sp) - a runemaster can place herself under a sanctuary, as per cleric spell.

Secure (Sp) - a runemaster can place this rune onto a door or portal and confer the hold portal spell.

Trapped (Sp) - a runemaster can protect any rune she creates by combining the rune with explosive runes, as per spell.

Warding (Sp) - a runemaster can protect any rune she creates by combineing the rune with a glyph of warding as per cleric spell.

Greater Rune (Ex) - at 10th level, a runemaster can select from greater runes.

Greater Fascinate (Sp) - works as fascinate rune, though effects last for 1 round + 1 round per level of runemaster. A Will save of 10 + 1/2 the runemaster's level + Intelligence modifier negates.

Greater Puzzle (Sp) - works as puzzle rune, though effects last for 1 round + 1 round per level of runemaster. A Will save of 10 + 1/2 the runemaster's level + Intelligence modifier negates.

Greater Warding (Sp) - a runemaster can protect any rune she creates with a greater glyph of warding, as per cleric spell.

Lock Down (Sp) - a runemaster can create a rune that applies a guards and wards, as per spell.

Sentinel (Sp) - a runemaster can place this rune on a tree duplicating the liveoak 6th level druid spell.

Symbol (Sp) - as a runemaster gains power, she gains access to all of the cleric's symbol spells. At 10th level she can place a symbol of sleep, at 11th level - symbol of pain, at 12th level - symbol of persuasion, at 13th level - symbol of fear, at 14th level - symbol of weakness, at 15th level - symbol of stunning, at 16th level - symbol of insanity, and finally at 17th level - symbol of death.

Vitality (Su) - a runemaster can create a rune that emanates one channel positive energy using the runemaster's level as Cleric level.

Master Rune (Ex) - at 18th level a runemaster may choose one of the powerful master runes.
Combined Rune (Su) - allows you to combine the effects of any two known runes, though both runes need to be placed in a circle.

Fey Lock (Sp) - works as dimensional lock. Rune can be scored onto the ground within 5' of a fey portal, or other location.

Superior Fascinate (Sp) - works as greater fascinate rune, however condition is permanent, unless making a Will save, DC = 10 + 1/2 runemaster levels + runemaster's Intelligence modifier.

Superior Puzzle (Sp) - works as greater puzzle rune, however condition is permanent, unless making a Will save, DC = 10 + 1/2 runemaster levels + runemaster's Intelligence modifier.

Rune Mastery - runes are created instantly when spoken out loud, this is considered a swift action.

Runestaff - a runestaff is a heavy oak staff that is 6' long. The upper 12" resembles a wooden cudgel (shillelagh) and can be used as a weapon. The runestaff serves as the spellbook. She can possess as many runestaves as required to hold all known spells, as well as copies of her runestaves to prevent loss through dispelling, sundering or being stolen.

A runemaster's 'spellbook' could also be recorded onto a stone slab as part of her home or within a cave wall, as it can be carved into weapons, armor, wood or metal shields and other large metal surfaces. Though her carried runestaff serves as her most portable version. Her allies could wear the armor or bear the weapons as back-up spellbooks.

GP

So while working on variant spellcasters for my Iron Age Celtic setting, I've created a Runemaster to work as my primary wizard class in an illiterate society. Below is the basic rules and how Rune magic works. When I first created her, she seemed plenty close to wizards to work as a variant class. Then I realized that the method of casting magic allowed for this wizard to wear armor without disrupting her spells. Is that too powerful?

Runemaster (Wizard)
HD d6, Good Will Saves, Skills: 2+Int modifier, replace Knowledge (planes) with Knowledge (Fey) and Knowledge (Local)/Knowledge (history) with Knowledge (clan).

1st level: Arcane Bond, Create Staves feat, Arcane School, Cantrips.
2nd level: Skill Focus: Craft (carving runestaves)
3rd level and above follow normal wizard features progression...

Spell Access: as per Sorcerer/Wizard list
Spellbooks and Scrolls are replaced with arcane runestaves. Spells are cast into the staff at the beginning of each day, thus only requires command to release spell.

Runestaff: 6' long

Spellcasting: casting takes 10 minutes + 10 minutes per spell level to carve runes to hold the spell onto the runestaff. Runes cover 1 square inch per spell level, four 1 square inch areas can be placed in circumference around the runestaff. The top 12 inches of the runestaff resembles a cudgel (shillelagh) and can be used like one. Thus 60 inches of height x 4 square inches means a runestaff can hold 240 levels of spells. A command word is uttered to release the spell and the rune leaves a burned blackened area. Once spent that area can nolonger hold a rune replacement. Perodically the runestaff needs to be replaced.

A rune typically remains active for a number of days equal to the carver’s runemaster level times the level of the spell (0-level spells count as ½ level for this purpose). Thereafter, the magic fades, and the rune can no longer be triggered.

Dilema or Opportunity?

If you've already cast your spells into your runestaff for the day, and activating a spell is merely uttering a command phrase for a specific spell. Wearing armor will cause no disruption to spells being released from the runestaff. When you place them, you cannot be wearing armor (without taking % spell failure penalties) or otherwise be encumbered as you cast the spells initially. Once placed should a runemaster not be able don some chain-mail or whatever other armor she has access?

Which means the Runemaster is in every way a wizard, except there are no spellbooks, no scrolls, a staff with carved runes carrying daily and older not yet expired spells, and can wear armor (no shields) for most of the day!

Should I not allow Runemaster (wizards) to wear armor, or should it be a benefit for the way they cast their spells?

If too powerful I could possibly limit the runemaster's spell list like that of the Witch...

GP

Fighter feats:

I am thinking of allowing up to 3 fighter feats as available to Clan Focus in addition to available Clan Feats, to open more options than a static five existing feats. I am considering: Weapon Focus (for those that don't already receive this bonus feat), Weapon Specialization, and Penetrating Strike (available at appropriate levels).

Thoughts?

GP

The Soho Gallery of Digital Art is hosting a Cartographers' Guild Art show on July 16 - 29th, 2010, in New York City. At least three of my maps will featured in the show. Gicle prints will be avaiable for sale at the gallery with a 70/30 split in profits between artist and gallery.

I think its very cool that the CG site is getting its own NYC art show, and that my work will be a featured part! Looking forward to the event!

GP