It's days like today that I kick myself for not being a subscriber. Sigh...hopefully these subsystems turn out to be interesting and worthwhile.
OH God the lack of spaces in the intro entry on page 8 hurt my eyes! Other than that this book is pretty fantastic so far! Those different Aldori Styles made me so very very very happy.
Things that I'm in love with first and foremost the triumphant return of the Sable Company Marines!! BEST DAY EVER!! The Ulfen Guard, the Qadiran Horselord, the Wave Riders (finally!), and the Shaonti Burn Riders. I was incredibly surprised to see an archetype for Ustalavic Duelists and it's pretty neat especially since I'm currently running Carrion Crown.
Haven't gotten into the magic items/spells yet, but from what I've seen in this book by jumping to the parts I was desperate to see first this can only be sheer joyousness wrapped up in sharp blades of wonderful.
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OH God the lack of spaces in the intro entry on page 8 hurt my eyes! Other than that this book is pretty fantastic so far! Those different Aldori Styles made me so very very very happy.
Things that I'm in love with first and foremost the triumphant return of the Sable Company Marines!! BEST DAY EVER!! The Ulfen Guard, the Qadiran Horselord, the Wave Riders (finally!), and the Shaonti Burn Riders. I was incredibly surprised to see an archetype for Ustalavic Duelists and it's pretty neat especially since I'm currently running Carrion Crown.
Haven't gotten into the magic items/spells yet, but from what I've seen in this book by jumping to the parts I was desperate to see first this can only be sheer joyousness wrapped up in sharp blades of wonderful.
ALDORI STYLES!!!!!!!!! Sorry, so amped for this...
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1. There is.
2. This is mostly covered in my later answers. It's got a few other national rulers if you're particularly interested in any of those, though.
3. Yes, but they're all dead. Arnisant (Cavalier 20) and Savith (Fighter 20 / Champion 6, the only Mythic one on the list) are the Level 20s.
The 15+ ones are Ancil Alkenstar (Gunslinger 15, deceased, Founder of Alkenstar), Durvin Gest (Fighter 15, presumed deceased, Legendary Pathfinder), Grask Uldeth (Barbarian 17, Ruler of Belkzen), Krevoth-Kul (Barbarian 15, Black Sovereign of Numeria), Markwin Teldas (Aristocrat 4 / Cavalier 11, Ruler of Molthune), Sirian Aldori (Fighter 7 / Duelist 10, deceased, Founder of the Aldori dueling school), Sveinn Blood-Eagle (Barbarian 18, Strongest Linnorm King), White Estrid (Barbarian 15, Linnorm King), and Ytharia Vulane (Gunslinger 10, Ranger 6, Leader of the Alkenstar Shieldmarshals)
4. Just Savith. For some reason I thought Gyr of Gixx was supposed to be Mythic, but he's not, and I can't find whatever made me previously think that.
5. Haven't read a ton on 'em yet. Looks like they're split into Dojos, Gladiatorial Arenas, Thieves' Guilds, and War Colleges. There's 3-4 of each, and they operate off of a Prestige Point system sorta similar to the Faction Guide factions. It has entrance fees/requirements/dues, training checks and terms, what it takes to fail out, an extracurricular task you can do for more Fame, and a couple awards / benefits that the school can provide.
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What is a spellscar drifter? Is it a wonderer of the Spellscared lands that focuses on fighting?
It's a cavalier archetype that gives them guns and grit deeds. It basically makes them a western-style cowboy. They come from the Spellscar Desert near Alkenstar. One of the nice flavor touches is that they can use their hat (or eyepatch, sheriff star, coat, etc) as their banner. They do eventually gain SR due to the desert's weird magical properties, and they can drop it as a swift action by using grit. Capstone gives them three additional deeds and stun-on-crit with firearms.
The monstrous mount feat is awesome.
I am disappointed in the lack of mythic martial characters though.
and Ytharia Vulane (Gunslinger 10, Ranger 6, Leader of the Alkenstar Shieldmarshals)
The leader of the Shieldmarshals doesn't have any levels in his organization's Prestige Class? That's weird.
Should've subscribed.
Should've subscribed.
Should've subscribed.
What about the cavalier Orders of the Guard and Beast?
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Order of the Beast cavaliers are destruction seekers, Orc horde leaders, Rovagug worshipers ect. They are intent on destruction for the sake of destroying things. All of their abilities gear towards this, including improving sunder, improving the damage a mount can do, and a crazy rage/diehard/suicide power that lets you keep going as long as you keep damaging something.
Order of the Guard cavaliers are basically mercenary defenders, they offer unyielding protection toward a specific object or person who they have been paid to protect. (Payment can be in multiple forms not just money). They must protect their charge no matter what, but they must also be compensated in some way. All of his abilities are buffs that increase his abiities to defend his ward.
Looking forward to getting this one every time I hear more about it.
And Durvin Gest, the founder of the Pathfinders, was a fighter? Knock me down and call me shorty, I would have sworn he was a bard in game terms.
And oh yes, what does it have to say about the Varangian, I mean Ulfen Guard? I hope there's some fluff along with the crunch.
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Looking forward to getting this one every time I hear more about it.
And Durvin Gest, the founder of the Pathfinders, was a fighter? Knock me down and call me shorty, I would have sworn he was a bard in game terms.
And oh yes, what does it have to say about the Varangian, I mean Ulfen Guard? I hope there's some fluff along with the crunch.
There is a bit of fluff, not much more than a paragraph or so. Mostly describes about how the Ulfen Guard are the valued bodyguards of Taldan nobility specifically Stavian III. The crunchy part of the block basically makes them...well Civilized barbarian guards. Most of their abilities are heavy on Defense, either of themselves or a "target ally" that boosts their abilities when they are within a certain range of them.
The monstrous mount feat is awesome.And it's awesome because it does.....?
It gives you access to a (very) limited list of creatures to use as mounts/animal companions. I imagine there will be more in the future or as GMs rule but right now the four are Griffon, Hippocampus, Hippogriff and Worg.
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What level is Gyr?
Rogue 13
What's the lowest listed level for a Linnorm King on the list? Or is it just Sveinn and Estrid on it?
Just those two. In terms of other Linnorm Kings stuff, though, there's an Ulfen Guard prestige class and Crag Linnorm Plate armor.
During my lookover, I noticed that I previously I missed Karsakim (Fighter 5 / Pure Legion Enforcer 10, Commander of the Pure Legion) and the Khopeshman of Sothis (Aristocrat 3 / Fighter 12, Commander of the Risen Guard) on my earlier list of 15+ NPCs.
Is there anything on Jalmeray, Vudra and/or Qadira in the book?
Kharswan, Thakur of Jalmeray, makes it onto the list of martial characters as a 14th Level Monk. Pasha Muhlia Al-Jakri (former head of the Qadiran Pathfinder Society faction) is on there as a Rogue 5 / Assassin 4, and Xerbystest II, Satrap of Qadira, is on there is an Aristocrat 8 / Fighter 6.
In terms of content for PCs:
Jalmeray-
* The Houses of Perfection from Jalmeray are one of the dojos listed
* There's a magic weapon type called the Monastic Warden, which is a type of ki-focus temple sword from Jalmeray that is attuned to a particular temple or monestary, can use Ki to avoid shields, and can send copies of itself made of white light out as a ranged touch attack.
* There's another magic weapon from there called the Steadfast Urumi that is might-cleaving and provides its wielder a deflection bonus that scales by how many enemies are within the weapon's range and helps its wielder acrobatics-tumble through threatened areas.
* There's also 7 combat/style feats associated with the Houses of Perfection.
Qadira-
* There's a Monk archetype for Monks of the Seven Forms, which comes from the Monastary of the Seven forms between Qadira and Taldor, and, despite being founded by Tian monks, has been under Qadiran control for a lot of its history.
* There's a Qadiran Horselord archetype for Cavaliers.
* There's a Scabbard of the Efreet magic item that gives weapons drawn from it flaming for a short time when drawn, can also apply flaming burst to the weapon three times per day for 10 minutes, and once per day can create a fire storm.
Nothing Vudra-specific, but I think the Vudra flavor is pretty well covered by the Jalmeray stuff in here.
And oh yes, what does it have to say about the Varangian, I mean Ulfen Guard? I hope there's some fluff along with the crunch.
There's a paragraph at the start of the section of the prestige class. The two notable-ish bits that I don't remember from before are that there are non-Ulfen people allowed into the organization in support roles, but not as official members of the Ulfen Guard, and that a fair number of members of the Ulfen Guard are operating incognito as merchants/seafarers/non-Guard mercenaries who are secretly working as agents of the Grand Prince.
It sounds like it has avoided groups of Knights that were detailed some in Knights of the Inner Sea.
Anyone willing to list the names of all the new archetypes?
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Anyone willing to list the names of all the new archetypes?
Bekyar Kidnapper (Rogue), Calistrian Hunter (Fighter), Druman Blackjacket (Fighter), Gun Scavenger (Gunslinger), Hamatulatsu Master (Monk), Iroran Paladin (Paladin), Jungle Rager (Barbarian), Kintargo Rebel (Rogue), Monk of the Seven Forms (Monk), Okeno Liberator (Rogue), Quat (Dwarf Monk), Qadiran Horselord (cavalier), Rough Rampager (Antipaladin), Sable Company Marine (Ranger), Seal-Breaker (Antipaladin), Shoanti Burn Rider (Barbarian), Siege Gunner (Gunslinger), Spellscar Drifter (Cavalier), Tanglebriar Demonslayer (Ranger), Ustalavic Duelist (Fighter), and Wave Rider (Cavalier)
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Archetypes:
Bekyar Kidnapper (Rogue)
Calistrian Hunter (Fighter)
Druman Blackjacket (Fighter)
Gun Scavenger (Gunslinger)
Hamatulatsu Master (Monk)
Iroran Paladin (Paladin)
Jungle Rager (Barbarian)
Kintargo Rebel (Rogue)
Monk of the Seven Forms (Monk)
Okeno Liberator (Rogue)
Ouat (Dwarf Monk)
Qadiran Horselord (Cavalier)
Rough Rampager (Antipaladin)
Sable Company Marine (Ranger)
Seal-Breaker (Antipaladin)
Shoanti Burn Rider (Barbarian)
Siege Gunner (Gunslinger)
Spellscar Drifter (Cavalier)
Tanglebriar Demonslayer (Ranger)
Ustalavic Duelist (Fighter)
Wave Rider (Cavalier)
There's also two prestige classes:
Pure Legion Enforcer
Ulfen Guard
Edit: Whoops, looks like I got ninja'd
Thank you to you both!!
...Monks of the Seven Forms are not, in fact, Monks of the Seven Forms, since they're occupying a monastery that once housed a different order that actually practiced an art called the Seven Forms, but that art has been completely lost and they just use the name anyway.
...Monks of the Seven Forms are not, in fact, Monks of the Seven Forms, since they're occupying a monastery that once housed a different order that actually practiced an art called the Seven Forms, but that art has been completely lost and they just use the name anyway.
Maybe the development team couldn't come up with seven forms, so they just kept the name, but gave a reason it didn't make any sense :P
Whoa, two antipaladin archetypes!?
Please, tell me more. :)
I'm kind of curious about what an Iroran Paladin is like, especially considering that I thought there already was a prestige class for that. If this archetype does the paladin/monk thing without having to multiclass, that will be pretty cool :D
Ooh, and the Calistrian fighter? It's always nice to see some whip love!
Err, whip options might be a better way to phrase that.
I'm kind of curious about what an Iroran Paladin is like, especially considering that I thought there already was a prestige class for that. If this archetype does the paladin/monk thing without having to multiclass, that will be pretty cool :D
It does indeed do the paladin/monk thing with no multiclass, although it's not compatible with the Champion of Irori PrC.
Haven't had an extensive look at the Antipaladin archetypes yet, but the Seal-Breaker seeks to bring back the Whispering Tyrant and can spend Smites to bind murderous souls to dead bodies while the Rough Rampager's auras prevents healing and force wounds to stay open.
EDIT: The Calistrian Hunter loses Weapon Training to cause bleed damage when hitting enemies that hit them in the last round, imposing penalties on the offender while gaining temp HP as they savor the damage. Creepy!
** spoiler omitted **
** spoiler omitted **
The blog says something about Radovan. I demand spoilers!
...pretty please?
The blog says something about Radovan. I demand spoilers!
...pretty please?
** spoiler omitted **The blog says something about Radovan. I demand spoilers!
...pretty please?
Huh, I thought I read somewhere that he's meant to be
EDIT: I should mention that the class levels he does have seem appropriate, I just thought there'd be the additional class as well.
** spoiler omitted **The blog says something about Radovan. I demand spoilers!
...pretty please?
Huh, I thought I read somewhere that he's meant to be
** spoiler omitted **
EDIT: I should mention that the class levels he does have seem appropriate, I just thought there'd be the additional class as well.
With regards to that:
Could it be that the designers/developers of the product took the stance of NOT spoiling the novels by excluding those extras that occur within said novels from Randovan's presentation here?
Kinda like how the Inner Sea Guide represents the baseline of "where things are a.t.m." to which the events of the adventure paths alter/ expand/ complicate.
So the stats we're seeing in Inner Sea Combat are just Randovan's starting out baseline to which the events of the novels featuring him may alter/ expand/ complicate...
<shrug>
Carry on!
--C.
::EDIT::
If Inner Sea Combat is meant to be the definitive source of what Randovan's stats are, then it stands to reason that, as a definitive source, it would soon be outdated/invalid when the next novel/ short story is released. After all, Randovan is a 'living' character - he's not one relegated to Golarion's history, which would result in relatively stable/unchanging stats.
??
<shrug>
It does indeed do the paladin/monk thing with no multiclass, although it's not compatible with the Champion of Irori PrC.
I have to admit I'm kind of wondering what the thinking there is. I mean, I wasn't expecting something like the Winter Witch Archetype/Prestige Class combo but the option could be nice.
That said, I'm one of those folks who has no ability to judge mechanical effectiveness on paper so maybe there's something I'm missing that would make it a really obnoxious combination.
So the stats we're seeing in Inner Sea Combat are just Randovan's starting out baseline to which the events of the novels featuring him may alter/ expand/ complicate...His baseline (meaning the very first novel) would likely have no levels in Monk, because he only had them after Tian Xia. So Radovan's level distribution seems to be from after that, but probably before the trip to Kyonin or the events of King of Chaos.
It's explainable. Just odd. I would have expected the most recent iteration of the character in terms of publication dates. As it is, Radovan seems to be post-Tian Xia, while Jeggare in Inner Sea Magic is almost certainly during or before Prince of Wolves.
** spoiler omitted **
And still doesn't really work, since I thought that aspect of his character started in Prince of Wolves (that's his first novel right?). And given that he spends most of the Tian Xia novel...
it suggests that he had it before he would have gained levels in monk.
Just got my early copy and I have a question regarding the combat schools. They use the fame/reputation system from Ultimate Campaign but in a slightly different way. Does anyone know if you calculate your combat school fame differently from your 'regular' fame from Ultimate Campaign? It seems to be that way from the vague wording, but I'd like to be sure, as my players have a lot of fame points in my campaign and they want to know if that affects their combat school choices (as one was already a member of the 'school' before the book came out). Anyone have any clarification? If its different, then a PC may have two fame two PP modifiers, one for generalized fame, one for the school?
So what are the new style feats like? Any new qinggong ki options?
Developer
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It does indeed do the paladin/monk thing with no multiclass, although it's not compatible with the Champion of Irori PrC.I have to admit I'm kind of wondering what the thinking there is. I mean, I wasn't expecting something like the Winter Witch Archetype/Prestige Class combo but the option could be nice.
That said, I'm one of those folks who has no ability to judge mechanical effectiveness on paper so maybe there's something I'm missing that would make it a really obnoxious combination.
I wrote that archetype, and one design goal was to make the archetype different from the Champion of Irori prestige class. If it were too similar it might cheapen the prestige class. If it readily provided the prerequisites, it would make transitioning into the prestige class too much of a no-brainer. Instead, the archetype is something unique that can stand on its own and is an attractive option to take from 1st level all the way to 20th.
I'm very happy with how the archetype turned out.
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** spoiler omitted **
EDIT: I should mention that the class levels he does have seem appropriate, I just thought there'd be the additional class as well.
Radovan doesn't have the same relationship with his devils that a synthesist has with an eidolon. He's a Rogue/Ex-Monk with a unique racial benefit, not a multiclass summoner.
(Also, he isn't really a tiefling: A good-aligned tiefling wouldn't be hurt by holy effects or show up on detect evil the way Radovan is. Given his family history, he's more like a unique half-fiend.)