Publishers are not required to make ANYTHING Open Game Content, but they must indicate that. I'm sure you already know this, but just to be clear OGL use can be a bit more complicated. Original material doesn't need to be OGC. Derivative material- work based on existing open game content- has to also be open game content. That's mainly described in 1b, 1g (definitions of "derivative material" and "use"), 2 (the license) and 4 (what the license grants).
Best wishes, Sean and Jodi! After a break from RPGs, when I started looking again I found and loved Malhavoc Press. I've followed all of its authors ever since. I used to be a semi-regular on Sean's forums (Caerin) and I fondly remember those discussions and trying to go through all of the relationships in Bonds of Magic. ^_^ Sean replied to everything, from everyone, which greatly impressed me. I came to Pathfinder when Sean joined Paizo, and my great appreciation of the game and company are a direct result. Thanks for everything.
Just wanted to chime in- I just finished a talented monk levels 1-20 for Christina's Talented Adventurers of SpirosBlaak. It's the first of the Talented books I've picked up. For someone who likes customization and likes creating characters, it's just amazing. I'm definitely going to check out more. I'd like to see the cleric. ^^
I'm actually curious about the reason for not allowing electronic versions of watermarked PDFs in the same household? That doesn't seem to be an "encouraging a purchase" thing, since using a printed copy and an electronic copy simultaneously is allowed. It doesn't seem to be a license thing, since there's no separate license associated with purchasing a Paizo PDF. It doesn't seem to be a legal thing, because there's an approaching zero chance that such an action (sharing an electronic file with a member of your own household) would be infringement any more than having the printed + electronic version would be. (Assuming U.S. copyright law, which is my area of study.) All that means for my house is that we won't play at different tables, but it strikes me as odd.
OK. Last day of work yesterday and I’m traveling starting tomorrow, so I’ll see what I can do now. ^_^ Here's a post-QoT Varian Jeggare. Explanation with massive spoilers and speculation. Spoiler:
Alignment: Either NG or LG, and I’m going with LG for now. Varian lives in Cheliax, and although he secretly worships CG Desna, he doesn’t venerate her luck aspect as much as others. He “eschews diablerie so far as his rank lets him” (that’s probably a paraphrase, but you get the picture). He had friends and family denounced by Asmodeus- and although we don’t know very much about his mother’s death, it appears as if it occurred some time during the Thrune ascendency, and he has nightmares that he would be found as disloyal as she was. Despite all that, he’s still Chelaxian and he still served the Chelish crown. We know he once travelled abroad in service to the throne. In PoW, he recalled a berating sergeant during his first campaign in defense of the empire. In LT he also mentioned service during the war; with some possible intrigues involved. TLP mentioned that he had served the Queen in the past. He answered each summons to war, and paid each tax and overtax. We saw he had a diplomatic mission to Qadira forty years prior to Husks. MoD mentioned that he served in the wars of colonial succession, and undertook other diplomatic missions for the Crown. He also served as a “special envoy” when his skills were useful. Plus, he lectured a paladin. =P So I’m going with lawful, for now- although more to his ideals (Pathfinder, knowledge) than to the laws of a particular land. Even though he’s been in trouble with the law before as the result of his Pathfinder activities, he still goes about following them to the best of his ability, and I think his overly keen sense of rank and class also plays into that. Abilities: I used heroic (20 point buy base). We’ve been able to tell that Varian is probably in his 9th decade prior to QoT, but QoT explicitly said that he was approaching a century. For a half-elf, this is in the Old age category. So I adjusted his mental stats accordingly... but not his physical. We saw in KT and QoT that the celestial dragon heart appears to have rejuvenated him. Class and Archetype: I approached this a few different ways. Despite not having fought for about 10 years by PoW, we know he has fighting ability. In the past we know that he took part on a fatal duel on the roof of the Grand Opera. In PoW, we found how notable it was that he does *not* have a Lepidstadt dueling scar. Such a dueling scar is considering a mark of respect in Ustalav and elsewhere (PoW, Rule of Fear); he was so good that he never received one, and at one point considered himself a Lepidstadt Master. We saw that he used flourishes, duelists stance, the “Eliendo defense”, “Andoran defense,” “Lepidstadt defense,” and other fencing movies in MoD. In QoT, he says he studied at fencing in schools in Cheliax, Andoran, Taldor, Ustalav, and half a dozen other lands. All that, plus that he served a soldier for many years seems to indicate more than a little ability. So I started looking fighter, looking particularly at the Weapon Master, Tactician, and Lore Warden archetypes. (Aldori Swordlord would be another obvious one, except it’s so reliant on their dueling sword that it’s not quite as helpful). Going that route, I was going to try a fighter/wizard/eldritch knight... but I decided to try another approach (largely because of material in MoD and later). Assuming that he always studied magic, even when studying martial skills- enough to be a wizard without casting spells for many years- I went with Magus (Kensai). I used the Kensai archetype because it seems to at least in part reflect his ability with the sword over other martial skills (MoD). He also never seems to wear armor, and uses something that is very similar to the Spellstrike ability in MoD. At level 6, I used the broad study arcana so he can use his wizard spells as well. One different thing I might do is create a magus arcana that lets him change an area attack ability to a melee touch ability (ie, how he uses his weapon to cast slow). If such a thing exists, let me know. ^_^ He casts 5th level spells in MoD (dream) and QoT (Cone of Cold), about equivalent to a 9th-level wizard. He was known to be a wizard of considerable talent to the elves, so that might fit. We know he studied at the acadamae in Korvosa, specialized in metamagic, and is a universalist (although he dislikes necromancy, charm, and divination). I went with the scroll scholar archetype to reflect his Pathfinder affiliation, and its abilities fit him. I went with arcane bond. Although Arnisant is described as a companion in a way similar to the unicorn, he doesn’t seem to be a familiar. The bond I chose was an object- his ring, to reflect the light ring he seems to use everywhere. Varian cheats. ^_^ Even with the riffle scroll rules in play (cool), he seems to use them in a slightly different way than others do- basically replacing his normal spellcasting altogether. So rather than putting a few dozen riffle scrolls in his inventory, I’m just assuming his prepared spells are riffle scrolls. I could go in-depth about feats, skills and equipment, but this is long enough. I just wanted to mention two: Noble Scion of Lore seemed to fit him, and I took Dodge late to reflect “kitchen style evasion”’ from MoD. :P
Count Varian Jeggare, Venture-Captain of the Pathfinder Society
Spoiler: Male Half-Elf Magus (Kensai) 6 Wizard (Scroll Scholar) 9 LG Medium Humanoid (elf, human) Init +2; Senses low-light vision; Perception +17 -------------------- Defense -------------------- AC 25, touch 22, flat-footed 16 (+8 Dex, +3 natural, +3 deflection, +1 dodge) hp 69 (6d8+9d6) Fort +8, Ref +7, Will +12; +2 vs. enchantments Defensive Abilities canny defense +6; Immune sleep; Resist elven immunities -------------------- Offense -------------------- Speed 30 ft. Melee Shadowless Sword +14/+14/+9 (1d8+5/19-20/x2) Special Attacks magus arcana (arcane accuracy +6, broad study [wizard [scroll scholar]]), spellstrike Spell-Like Abilities Comprehend Languages (3/day), Identify (3/day) Magus (Kensai) Spells Prepared (CL 6): 2 (4/day) Scorching Ray (x2), Web (DC 18), Fire Breath (DC 18) 1 (5/day) Magic Missile (x2), Burning Hands (DC 17), True Strike (x2) 0 (at will) Disrupt Undead, Read Magic, Detect Magic, Light Wizard (Scroll Scholar) Spells Prepared (CL 9): 5 (2/day) Cone of Cold (x2) (DC 21) 4 (3/day) Wall of Ice (DC 20), Ice Storm (x2) 3 (4/day) Haste, Dispel Magic, Fireball (DC 19), Fly 2 (6/day) Scorching Ray (x4), See Invisibility, Blindness/Deafness (DC 18) 1 (6/day) Magic Missile (x2), Shocking Grasp, Protection from Evil, Identify, Comprehend Languages 0 (at will) Mage Hand, Detect Magic, Ray of Frost, Light -------------------- Statistics -------------------- Str 10, Dex 14, Con 10, Int 23, Wis 12, Cha 16 Base Atk +8; CMB +10; CMD 30 Feats Agile Maneuvers, Combat Expertise +/-3, Combat Reflexes (3 AoO/round), Cosmopolitan (Linguistics, Perception), Dodge, Empower Spell, Noble Scion of Lore, Quicken Spell, Scribe Scroll, Silent Spell, Skill Focus (Diplomacy), Weapon Focus (Longsword) Traits Extremely Fashionable (Diplomacy), Fast-Talker Skills Appraise +10 (+12 for small or highly detailed items when using a magnifying glass), Bluff +10, Craft (books) +4, Craft (calligraphy) +4, Craft (painting) +4, Diplomacy +26, Handle Animal +5, Heal +7, Intimidate +4, Knowledge (arcana) +31, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +15, Knowledge (engineering) +14, Knowledge (geography) +14, Knowledge (history) +14, Knowledge (local) +14, Knowledge (nature) +15, Knowledge (nobility) +17, Knowledge (planes) +15, Knowledge (religion) +15, Linguistics +24, Perception +17 (only -1/20' while using a spyglass, instead of -1/10'), Ride +9, Sense Motive +8, Spellcraft +22, Stealth +5, Survival +4 (+8 to avoid getting lost if used with astrolabe, +6 to avoid becoming lost when using a Mapmaker's Kit as you travel) Languages Abyssal, Azlanti, Celestial, Common, Draconic, Dwarven, Elven, Gnome, Halfling, Infernal, Jistka, Orc, Osiriani, Osiriani, Ancient, Polyglot, Shadowtongue, Shoanti, Skald, Sylvan, Takritanin, Thassilonian, Tien, Undercommon, Varisian, Vudrani SQ arcane bonds (object [ring] [1/day]), arcane pool (+2) (9/day), chosen weapon (longsword), elf blood, metamagic mastery (1/day), perfect strike, specialized schools (universalist), spell combat Other Gear Shadowless Sword, Amulet of natural armor +3, Ring, Ring of protection +3, Carriage (empty), Ink, black (2), Ink, colored (2), Journal, Magnifying glass, Mapmaker's kit, Noble's outfit, Paper (5), Pathfinder chronicle (Knowledge [nature]), Pocket watch, Sextant, Signet ring, Spell component pouch, Spyglass, Stationery (2), Wine, Corentyn (per bottle) (3), Just about infinite GP -------------------- Special Abilities -------------------- Agile Maneuvers Use DEX instead of STR for CMB Arcane Accuracy +6 (Su) 1 Arcane Pool: +6 to attack rolls until the end of your turn. Arcane Bond (Ring) (1/day) (Sp) Use object to cast any spell in your spellbook 1/day. Without it, Concentration required to cast spells (DC20 + spell level). Arcane Pool (+2) (9/day) (Su) Infuse own power into a held weapon, granting enhancement bonus or selected item powers. Canny Defense +6 (Ex) +INT bonus to AC (max Kensai level). Chosen Weapon (Longsword) Kensai abilities only function when wielding a weapon of this type. Combat Expertise +/-3 Bonus to AC in exchange for an equal penalty to attack. Combat Reflexes (3 AoO/round) Can make extra attacks of opportunity/rd, and even when flat-footed. Elf Blood You are counted as both elven and human for any effect relating to race. Elven Immunities +2 save bonus vs Enchantments. Elven Immunities - Sleep You are immune to magic sleep effects. Empower Spell Numeric effects of a spell are increased 50%. +2 Levels. Low-Light Vision See twice as far as a human in low light, distinguishing color and detail. Magnifying glass +2 Appraise for small or highly detailed items. Mapmaker's kit +2 Circumstance for Survival to avoid becoming lost. Metamagic Mastery (1/day) (Su) Apply a metamagic feat you know for free 1/day. Perfect Strike (Ex) Use 1 arcane pool to maximize weapon dam, or 2 for +1 to crit multiplier. Quicken Spell Cast a spell as a swift action. +4 Levels. Sextant +4 Circumstance to navigate while above ground. Silent Spell Cast a spell with no verbal components. +1 Level. Spell Combat (Ex) Use a weapon with one hand at -2 and cast a spell with the other. Spellstrike (Su) Deliver touch spells as part of a melee attack. -------------------- Also add the Death Ward effect to himself due to his celestial dragon heart (KT), and True Seeing when using the Shadowless Sword (QoT). Hero Lab® and the Hero Lab logo are Registered Trademarks of LWD Technology, Inc. Free download at http://www.wolflair.com
Yup! The Midgard setting definitely has a strong Eastern European flavor and draws a lot of inspiration from related sources. You can read more about it over at Kobold Quarterly- and you can check out Open Design projects here at Paizo and over there at the KQ store for a lot of really great stuff from Midgard. |
