An ethillion-treated weapon deals bonus damage to spell casters based on their highest remaining spell slot or spell-like ability(1d6 per level). Ethillion-treated armor grants spell resistance, but nauseates any caster with spells or spell-like abilities.
Ack! In my game the party consists of:
Cleric
Sorcerer
Bard/Ranger
Spellsword/Paladin
Rogue/Shadowdancer
Fighter (optimized with AC 34 adamantine armor and weapons)
I don't like to think what the Fighter and Rogue'dancer would do to Karzoug with +9d6 damage on three attacks per round each.
I don't like to think what the Fighter and Rogue'dancer would do to Karzoug with +9d6 damage on three attacks per round each.
It is not a one-size-fits-all solution whatsoever. I don't even know why I posted it, except maybe to encourage people to take liberties with the game to their players' liking.
Big K's no fool, though. Ethillion existed when he walked Golarion, he'll have a plan.
It is not a one-size-fits-all solution whatsoever. I don't even know why I posted it, except maybe to encourage people to take liberties with the game to their players' liking.
Big K's no fool, though. Ethillion existed when he walked Golarion, he'll have a plan.
No, thanks for posting it. I may be creating inappropriate thread drift by asking about it, but I was looking for alternatives.
Hmmm...repeated exposure to small doses to build up an immunity? Seems like that might be a good idea for golem crafters, too, given the use you described.
The abjurers handle it with lead gauntlets. ;)
Having just reached this part of the adventure, it was nice to have some Pathfinder stats for Xanesha. I can say this, she's still plenty tough for characters that have fought past the flesh golem, up the stairs, and the faceless stalkers. Here is a recap of how the combat went. Long story short; If you play her smart and you're players make any mistakes on spell selection they are in trouble.
My party has 6 PC's (all level 5, Monk, Fighter, Witch, Soc, Cleric, Alchemist), so I added two faceless stalkers to that encounter.
Even with no changes by me (other then changing her spear damage too 1d8), Xanesha killed two PC's outright, with one in negitive before they brought her down. She's plenty tough. I covered the recap with a spoiler tag because i call out some of her abilites/feats/spells.
The alchemest had already used most of her bombs against the golem, leaving only two for the final fight. She "wasted" both on the illusion. The witch used a dispel magic (thinking that the "deamon" had buff spells up), and rolled below Xanesha's caster level.
By the 3rd round, the party figured out it was an illusion (except for the dwarf fighter lol), and Xanesha attacked for real (Sneak attack from invisibility, vital strike, power-attack... with a +15'ish attack bonus, it was basicly an auto-hit, and if I hadn't rolled low on damage, the cleric would have died in one shot).
With mirror-image, SR-19, and a high AC, she was a beast in melee... The monk needed a 16 to hit with the witch's evil-eye up (can't remeber what the fighter needed, but i think it was just about a 11-12), and they still needed to get past the MI. Scorching Ray made her a threat at range if they tried to turtle in a corner of the tower.
As soon as the party did a respectable amount of damage, she just went Invisibile and healed up, poping off a new Mirror-Image.
Even gravely wounded, the cleric managed to make good use of a partial wand of cure moderate wounds and her remaining channel energy. Eventualy Xanesha got tired of the pesky cleric and finished her off when a gap opened up and she could vital-strike.
The cleric was followed into the afterlife by the Sorcerer, who was basicly bouncing spells off her SR most of the fight (needed a 15 to pass); until he landed a Fridged Touch with spectral hand and was promptly rewarded with a spear to the gut.
The party witch made good use of a fly potion to move about, and if it wasn't for that she would have met the same fate as the cleric and Sorc. Her Evil eye was vital to the parties survival.
In the end, the combat lasted a monsterous 22 rounds. Thats not a typo.
This party is not full of optimized characters, but the players are all veteran roleplayers. Super tough boss-fight; to be honest, I dont see four level 6 characters pulling it off without some warning of what they are about to face.
About the use of Vital Strike: I know some people think the feat is useless, but it realy fit with this boss. Without reach (dew to undersized weapons) she realy needed to move about to prevent getting pinned in one spot. I also played her as smart enough (and arrogent enough) to go for the parties squishy under-belly (casters) whenever they were left open, depending on her mirror-images and high AC to foil AoO's. If she just stood toe-to-toe and slugged it out like a mindless brute, the combat would have gone much quicker. She also may have killed off the entire party, and the battle would not have been as memorable.
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That does sound like a very memorable battle! I myself will have four players for RotRL, and it is looking like the group will comprise of ranger, cleric, sorcerer, and summoner. You said a group of four at 6th level would have trouble; would the fact that they have access to 3rd level spells help at all, or at least make it less of a TPK potential? Of course, you said you added to faceless stalkers, but I would have no need to add to the fight. If its still a problem, what do you recommend to help the players? Nerf xaneshia or give the players a tag-a-long helper?
EDIT: which Pathfinderized version of Xaneshia did you use: d20srd.com, conversions found elsewhere on this forum, or the one recommended by James Jacobs to playted for the hardcover?
I used the version from James Jacobs from this thread. My party did have access to 3rd level spells (at least the cleric did). 6th level will be helpful to overcome SR, but they will still need a 13 to get a spell off. I think that Debuffs are key to this battle. Heck, even a Tanglefoot bag would have been a HUGE help.
I added the Faceless stalkers on the stairs, not with Xanesha (incase that was unclear).
Make sure to give the Players a Will Save every time they interact with the illusion of the Demon. Chances are, you're players WILL waste resourses on that illusion.
I havent played a summoner or had one played in my group. A few advantages I see with you're group's makeup is that the Summoners pet can soak up damage (and is alot easier to replace then a Dwarf), and the sorcerer (depending on spell selection) has 3rd level options (mine was limited to 2nd). If the ranger has an animal compainion as well, even better. My party lacked anything like that (no animal complanions or what not), so every hit was going into a PC.
With a 25 AC, you will need a +15 attack bonus to have a 50/50 shot at hitting with you're first attack. At 6th level, you're looking at something like +6 BAB, +5 STR (if you're optimized), +1 Weapon, +2 Flanking (If you can pull it off on the roof), and maybe a +1 Misc. Bonus. Add in Mirror Image, and you will have some fustrated melee types. As I said, my group is NOT optimized for combat (more Roleplayers then Roll-Players in the group), so the dwarf fighter was rocking a 16 STR and the Monk a 12. You can see how that would be a problum.
The top of the tower is fairly tight quarters, which might be a problum for the ranger if he tries to be the party "tank" depending on his build (a hard hitting monster with multiple attacks and a high Attack bonus can lay the hurt down quickly on light armor types). If someone is realy getting hammered, I would remind them of Fighting Defensive / Total Defense. These saved the monk in my game.
As for keeping the TPK to a minimum... Play it by ear, If you're party is having a realy hard time with her, keep her spells / spell like abbilites to a minimum (Invisibility, Healing, and Illusions). If they are breezing threw somehow (good rolls most likely), have her go invisible and make a Major Image of herself the next round to draw the party away from her and make them use up more resources.
Hope this helps!
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Ah, so you made it 5 faceless stackers instead of three, gotcha! I don't think my players will be optimized either, and the ranger did mention something about the group needing someone who could be good at attacking, so I imagine him trying to be a fighter without the armor. Although you make a good point about the extra attacks from the Eidolon and possible animal companion. Thanks!
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@James Jacobs:
Having recently acquired Hero Lab, I thought I'd put your build of Xanesha into it. I did notice a few discrepancies, although I know you said you posted a quick draft and I don't know if there are some things that I, not being a designer, was not aware of that you added in. Either way, the errors I noticed (not including the ones that have already been discussed on this thread) were no big deal, I just wanted to point them out for completeness.
Abilities: I'm assuming you used the Hero NPC Ability array for her stats. When working through it, it appears as though you have a 15 on both DEX and CHA. Since you statted her as a Rogue, I dropped CHA to 14 (thus making it a 24).
Languages: according to HL, she is allowed one more language, although I suspect that you left this out for flavor reasons.
Saves: If I equip her Sihedron Medallion, her saves are Fort +9, Reflex +18, Will +11. If I unequip it, they are +8, +17, +10 as you have listed. Did you forget this, or is the Medallion conditional when the saves apply?
Skills: Knowledge (Local) is listed as +20, although HL says it should be maxed out at +17. Are there extra bonuses that you are granting her in that skill? Secondly, HL is showing that you still have 1 skill point left to apply. Assuming you would drop Knowledge (Local) down, you have 4 skill points remaining.
Like I said, pretty minor really. I'm looking forward to having my group face her.
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I'd consider adding Spider Climb so she has a cinematic escape route.
Without Fly, she's a melee-only fighter so Scorching Ray is a bit of a waste.
Or if I'm recalling her encounter sit correctly the second level glide spell would work well as an escape route. It's in either APG or UM, I forget which.
James has already said the Scorching Ray is for dealing with ranged types that try to stay away from her. It keeps her relevant in a ranged duel.
Great job JJ, and thanks for toning down Xanesha (especially clipping her ability to fly). Early level flight with a good AC almost killed my group in Burnt Offerings
Lucrecia switched to Sorcerer should be the "Xanesha of Hook Mountain" encounter. She looked too easy on paper when I read through that volume. Kudos here too.
I'm really pleased with the way this edition is being handled. Great job smoothing the rough patches while staying true to the original. I can't wait to get my hands on this.
Okay...quick question...if either Xanesha or Lucrecia had been given Magus levels...could they then deliver their wisdom drain or laughing touch via spear or daggers respectively?
Creative Director
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Okay...quick question...if either Xanesha or Lucrecia had been given Magus levels...could they then deliver their wisdom drain or laughing touch via spear or daggers respectively?
Yes, because lamia matriarchs have that ability already, regardless of what weapon they're using to attack with.
Yes, because lamia matriarchs have that ability already, regardless of what weapon they're using to attack with.Okay...quick question...if either Xanesha or Lucrecia had been given Magus levels...could they then deliver their wisdom drain or laughing touch via spear or daggers respectively?
James, I know I get the 1 point of wisdom drain on the first attack of each round via the lamia matriarch ability, but could you deliver the 1d4 wisdom drain via spellstrike if she was at least a magus 2?
just have to say i'm very happy to hear that the one previously unmapped section of Runeforge will be recieving a map in the hardcover edition, i already knew i was going to be buying this repackaging of my favorite ap, but now - having read just a few of the changes in store - i know i absolutely have to have this book
the only question i do have on this matter is this - are any changes planned for the Pool of Elemental Arcana? - it was after all given a side-bar about it's potential as a "game breaker" so i just want to know in advance if i need to be ready to re-install the original version of this artifact as i personally love it in it's original form whether it's a potential "game breaker" or not .. after all i'm a heavy handed gm and i'm quite skilled at keeping a tight reign on such things and found the original side-bars suggestions more than adequate control for this issue
if this question has been asked and answered already my apologies for not perusing the thread clearly enough to avoid retreading old ground
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Creative Director
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Yes, because lamia matriarchs have that ability already, regardless of what weapon they're using to attack with.Okay...quick question...if either Xanesha or Lucrecia had been given Magus levels...could they then deliver their wisdom drain or laughing touch via spear or daggers respectively?
James, I know I get the 1 point of wisdom drain on the first attack of each round via the lamia matriarch ability, but could you deliver the 1d4 wisdom drain via spellstrike if she was at least a magus 2?
No, not at all. Because the wisdom drain ability is a supernatural ability, not a spell.
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Creative Director
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the only question i do have on this matter is this - are any changes planned for the Pool of Elemental Arcana? - it was after all given a side-bar about it's potential as a "game breaker" so i just want to know in advance if i need to be ready to re-install the original version of this artifact as i personally love it in it's original form whether it's a potential "game breaker" or not .. after all i'm a heavy handed gm and i'm quite skilled at keeping a tight reign on such things and found the original side-bars suggestions more than adequate control for this issue
if this question has been asked and answered already my apologies for not perusing the thread clearly enough to avoid retreading old ground
It's adjusted somewhat from its previous incarnation, but mostly because the philosophy of the game in Pathfinder is different than the one in 3.5 D&D.
Most of those designer notes sidebars are coming OUT of the book, though—that's a design element that we've moved away from since the early days.
As a bonus preview, here's the (still unedited) section about the Pool of Elemental Arcana:
Treasure: The pool of elemental arcana has the capability of recharging magic items, yet it draws the power to do so from those nearby. Immersing a magic item in the waters causes it to glow brightly for 1d4 hours. If an item with charges is dipped in the pool, roll on the table below to determine what occurs. Each time an item is dipped more than once a day, apply a cumulative –5 penalty on the d% roll.
A character who attempts to recharge an item or gather water from the pool must make a DC 10 Reflex save to avoid touching the water. Once taken from the pool, the water becomes pure water that radiates faint transmutation magic but is otherwise unremarkable (except for its value as a component for forging runforged weapons—see page 57).
The pool itself can be rendered inert for 1d4 rounds by a successful dispel magic against CL 15th. Water harvested from the pool while it is inert still works as a runeforged weapon component.
Use this table to determine the results of recharging items in area G8.
d% Roll Result
01–03 Explosion: The item explodes and is destroyed. The explosion is a 30-foot-radius burst of a random energy type that deals 1d6 points of damage per charge in the item when it exploded (Reflex DC 15 halves the damage).
04–25 Backfire: The pool drains 1d10 charges and deals 1d6 points of damage (of a random energy type) per charge drained to the character (Reflex DC 15 halves this damage).
26–50 No Effect: The item glows as a torch for 1d4 hours, but gains no charges.
51–90 Recharge: The item glows and regains 1d10 charges.
91–99 Full Recharge: The item glows twice as bright as a torch and becomes fully charged.
100 Supercharge: The item now glows as detailed above permanently, and automatically regains 1d10 charges every seven days on its own.
thank you for answering my question and for the peek at the yet to be edited Pathfinder build for the PoEA, must say i am relieved to see that the changes are very minor and primarily aimed at the differences in design philosophy between the two rules systems.
now that you mention it i have noticed (but only vauguely) prior to it's mention here the disappearance of the designer notes sidebars from other ap's .. so with that in mind i can see why you would choose to do away with them from an editorial standpoint
another important question just dawned on me - are there any plans to "de-claw" Ceoptra? i'm hoping not after all at that late stage in the story the party needs some real hellish challenges and i'm not sure if that particular scenario could afford to be downgraded
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Creative Director
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another important question just dawned on me - are there any plans to "de-claw" Ceoptra? i'm hoping not after all at that late stage in the story the party needs some real hellish challenges and i'm not sure if that particular scenario could afford to be downgraded
If anything, she got tougher.
another important question just dawned on me - are there any plans to "de-claw" Ceoptra? i'm hoping not after all at that late stage in the story the party needs some real hellish challenges and i'm not sure if that particular scenario could afford to be downgradedIf anything, she got tougher.
GOOD TO HEAR
GOOD TO HEARanother important question just dawned on me - are there any plans to "de-claw" Ceoptra? i'm hoping not after all at that late stage in the story the party needs some real hellish challenges and i'm not sure if that particular scenario could afford to be downgradedIf anything, she got tougher.
i'm very happy to hear that, like i said i wasn't sure that particular part of the Spires of Xin-Shalast posed as much of a challenge as it could've and am very much looking forward to it being more punishing
I so need to find a group to GM this AP!
Thanks for the cool sneak peak, James!
Ruyan.
As a bonus preview, here's the (still unedited) section about the Pool of Elemental Arcana:
** spoiler omitted **...
Just read it, question on that description:
No need to answer here, this is just the sort of question that I would have as I read the adventure.
No, not at all. Because the wisdom drain ability is a supernatural ability, not a spell.Yes, because lamia matriarchs have that ability already, regardless of what weapon they're using to attack with.Okay...quick question...if either Xanesha or Lucrecia had been given Magus levels...could they then deliver their wisdom drain or laughing touch via spear or daggers respectively?
James, I know I get the 1 point of wisdom drain on the first attack of each round via the lamia matriarch ability, but could you deliver the 1d4 wisdom drain via spellstrike if she was at least a magus 2?
Thanks for the clarification. Really looking forward to this AP, I've gone so far as to buy the PDF of Burnt Offerings so I can begin to get ready to run this one.
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For what it's worth - for part 5 of the AP I changed
the warriors of wrath AND the Runelord of Wrath to lvl6 / 16 magus respectively.
The original had them as a combination of eldritch knight/wizard and this just screamed magus at me so I rebuilt them - and the players enjoyed it greatly.
The warriors of wrath might need to go to lvl7 but the boss fight was really hard and gritty.
So... I just did the preliminary stats for the revised Xanesha for the Rise of the Runelords hardcover, updating this much-beloved NPC to the Pathfinder rules while toning her down quite a bit from her over-the-top incarnation in the original adventure. So I thought as a quick preview for folks... I'd throw her stats up on these boards!
** spoiler omitted **...
I will be starting Skinsaw this Monday (we play every Monday). I'll use your updated Stats and get back to you after the playtest, hopefully wont be too late! Should take us like a month-month and a half
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Creative Director
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I will be starting Skinsaw this Monday (we play every Monday). I'll use your updated Stats and get back to you after the playtest, hopefully wont be too late! Should take us like a month-month and a halfSo... I just did the preliminary stats for the revised Xanesha for the Rise of the Runelords hardcover, updating this much-beloved NPC to the Pathfinder rules while toning her down quite a bit from her over-the-top incarnation in the original adventure. So I thought as a quick preview for folks... I'd throw her stats up on these boards!
** spoiler omitted **...
Well...
Since the book's been at the printer for several weeks now... it's already too late, alas, for any feedback.
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Her weapon selection isn't changing. So the pawn & mini you use for her will not be 100% accurate. This will be the same case for many foes in the AP of which more than one is encountered.
Thanks! It's no big deal, I'm just going to pick up the Reaper mini in addition to my RotRL case. Xanesha is just too awesome to be "generic"!
Well...
Since the book's been at the printer for several weeks now... it's already too late, alas, for any feedback.
Gee I feel dumb for not realizing how old this post was.