@shadowcat
If the spell level is too high for the formula to work, it defaults to level 0. In other words, you can always burn one of your level / 2 uses of meta words daily to add an acid splash to any low level spell you're casting.
I cut it off at 3rd level words because it really could be a bit ridiculous right out of the gate.
@ocean
Don't they have that already? Magic items that allow the user to be treated as a race he isn't?
@oceanDon't they have that already? Magic items that allow the user to be treated as a race he isn't?
if they dont, it sounds like a good project.
Singer of Triumphs Future (Bard; Hobgoblin)
Hobgoblin culture is, unsurprisingly to those who have spent five minutes with a hobgoblin, dominated by war and the constant preparation for war. Given the focus on martial prowess and the insistence that all warriors pull their own weight, the hobgoblin musicians who wade into battle with their brothers are not the loremasters, tricksters, and spies that bards of other races tend to be. They are simply mighty warriors who happen to have a singing voice. These are the singers of triumphs future.
Singer of Triumphs Past (Bard; Hobgoblin)
Most hobgoblins typically look forward to the wars of the future, for that is where their enemies yet live and where their own reputations can be forged in blood and sinew. There are some, fearsome and respected warriors content with their own reputations, who look to the past and its greatest glories as a source of inspiration both to themselves and others. These individuals are known as the singers of triumphs past.
Dirge of Kresh the Unlucky (Su): At 3rd level, a singer of triumphs past can use his performance to tell the tale of Kresh the Unlucky, a wildly popular and successful hobgoblin admiral who was struck in the chest by a ballista in a naval battle and sank straight to the bottom of the ocean in his full plate. This performance grants all allies within 30 feet of the singer a +2 bonus to saving throws against traps both physical and magical, as well as a +2 bonus to CMD against bull rush attempts. At 9th level and every 4 levels thereafter, this bonus increases by +1.
This performance replaces inspire competence.
Hobgoblins are looking pretty good, any thoughts on the Achievement feats? I have a few ideas I can pass your way if you're interested.
@Arkady
Afraid I got too excited about hobbos during my walk to get around to writing them up. As it is, keeping myself to two active projects that are both catapulting into the $3+ range is best for now.
Also, I got an A on my writing entrance exam for one of the copy writing companies (rather foregone conclusion, but still cool), so I may suddenly disappear for a week once my honeymoon phase begins with them.
@all
I wrote up a small mountain of replacement performances for the two types of singers. I'm comfortable with most of it, though this pair makes me wonder. Opinions, please. :)
Anthem of Vrarg the Callous (Su): At 6th level, a singer of triumphs past can use his performance to tell the history of Vrarg the Callous, a great hobgoblin chieftain whose policies included putting unarmed slaves in front of his regular troops when marching upon good-aligned nations. This performance initially has no effect; however, whenever a living creature within 30 feet of the singer of triumphs past is reduced to 0 or fewer hit points, all friendly hobgoblins within 30 feet gain a +1 morale bonus to attack rolls, damage rolls, skill checks, and armor class for as long as the performance persists. This bonus is cumulative, but has a maximum of 1/3 the singer's class level, rounded down.
This performance replaces suggestion.
Refrain of Vrarg the Callous (Su): At 18th level, a singer of triumphs past can weave the best of the history of Vrarg the Callous into pretty much any performance. This performance initially has no effect; however, whenever a living creature within 30 feet of the singer of triumphs past is reduced to 0 or fewer hit points, all friendly hobgoblins within 30 feet gain a +1 morale bonus to attack rolls, damage rolls, akill checks, and armor class for as long as the performance persists. This bonus is cumulative, but has a maximum of 1/3 the singer's class level, rounded down. Unlike other performances, the refrain of Vrarg the Callous can be started as a standard action if and only if another bardic performance is currently ongoing. This effectively allows the singer of triumphs past to perform two bardic performances at once, so long as one of them is the refrain. Each round, the singer must spend a move action to maintain both the refrain and whatever other bardic performance is being played. If one performance ceases, the other performance ceases. Further, the maintenance of both performances expends two rounds of bardic performance each round both are maintained.
If the refrain of Vrarg the Callous is combined with the anthem of Vrarg the Callous, their benefits stack in that a single creature being reduced to 0 or fewer hit points causes a +2 morale bonus, but the same maximum bonus, 1/3 the singer's class level, rounded down, is still in effect.
This performance replaces mass suggestion.
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I've always wanted some kind of rune magic and/or ritual magic
Some way for a caster to get stronger, maybe at a price
Some way for a non caster to do some kind of magic
A way to make pacts with greater beings to gain a fraction of their powers
A way to make pacts with lesser beings, lets say worshipers and give them a portion of your powers, and recieve power in return.
@Lord Foul II:
You mean a pdf like Purple Duck Games' Covenant Magic? Or Radiance House's Pact Magic Unbound Vol I?
I'd recommend checking these out, they fit what you want. ^^
Aye, anything that rehashes the Binder will do whatcha want. They're both good matches.
@Lord Foul
Also, this whole "grant powers to worshippers and gain something in return" could itself be a whole RPG. Who wouldn't want to play as the shadow of a long-dead god stuck in a void yearning to push even part of its consciousness back into the mortal realm for just one more glimpse of the rich sensations that we enjoy on a day-to-day basis?
Sounds rather White Wolf-style. Story game rather than crunchtastic. I also like the implications.
To those taking issue with the hobgoblins only helping themselves: slap this onto your first party publisher standard goblins, too.
Sensitivity Training (General)
Benefit: All class features that only benefit allies who are of your race now benefit all allies instead.
Rofl, nice.
Thrallminder (Cleric; Hobgoblin)
The hobgoblin war machine is built on a foundation that consists of two pillars. The first is, of course, the hobgoblins themselves, a nearly inexhaustible source of military order and brutish strength. The second pillar is their spoils - slaves, to be precise. With a culture so focused on war, the only ways to get ahead in hobgoblin society is to either seek preferment by splitting skulls or by being part of the clergy. As such, the only segments of the hobgoblin population NOT focused on war are the very young, who are likely being trained for war, the very old, who spent their lives waging war, and the clergy.
This raises an interesting notion. The clergy, given their status as clerics of a warlike god, but not directly involved in war given the need for somebody to mind the homestead, ends up being the decider of policy for both spiritual and secular matters. To that end, they also control the aforementioned slaves. Given the high body count that hobgoblin warfare tends to produce, living slaves are rather hard to come by. Rather than change the style of hobgoblin warfare, the clergy decided to adapt. Some few members of the clergy are thrallminders, clerics whose entire focus is to be able to cheaply and efficiently raise large hordes of fallen foes to be used as laborers so that the hobgoblin war machine may continue.
Key Abilities:
Bonus Feat - Command Undead
Raise Thrall (Su): At 1st level, a thrallminder gains the ability to cast animate dead as a supernatural ability that does not require material components, however, only 1 HD humanoid creatures can be raised in this manner. At 5th level and every 3 levels thereafter, a thrallminder may raise a corpse with an additional hit die in this manner, to a maximum of 7 HD at 20th level. Use of this ability expends one use of the thrallminder's channel energy class feature.
Rituals of Power (Su): At 3rd level and every 3 levels thereafter, a thrallminder learns the secret of an ancient ritual that can be used to empower her undead minions. Each of these rituals requires 10 gp worth of incense and inks and 10 minutes to perform. For each ritual performed on a single undead creature beyond the first, multiply the price of the material components of the next ritual to be placed on it by 3. (The second ritual costs 30 gp; the third costs 90 gp; the fourth costs 270 gp...)
(8 rituals, none of them offensive)
The Price:
One domain is allowed and the blasted thing is picked out for you to begin with.
Master Tactician (Fighter; Hobgoblin)
Hobgoblins, though obviously brutes, are not thoughtless brutes who smash everything in their path. That would be orcs. Ironically, comparing a hobgoblin to an orc to his face is one of the best ways to get that hobgoblin to act like an orc. Regardless, the exemplars of good planning and military genius among the hobgoblin people are the master tacticians, fighters who know that getting everyone to agree on a plan before a fight breaks out may very well save several of their boys.
Lay Ambush (Ex): At 2nd level, a master tactician gains a +1 bonus on Stealth checks made to lay in wait with an intent to ambush. This bonus increases by +1 for every 4 master tactician levels beyond 2nd. By spending 1 minute describing his designs to his allies, the master tactician can grant this bonus to a number of creatures equal to his Intelligence modifier for one skill check.
This ability replaces bravery.
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@Lord Foul II:
You mean a pdf like Purple Duck Games' Covenant Magic? Or Radiance House's Pact Magic Unbound Vol I?
I'd recommend checking these out, they fit what you want. ^^
both of those touch on what I was wanting, thanks, now if only there was an item crafting bit to what I was wanting that would be perfect
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@Lord Foul
Also, this whole "grant powers to worshippers and gain something in return" could itself be a whole RPG. Who wouldn't want to play as the shadow of a long-dead god stuck in a void yearning to push even part of its consciousness back into the mortal realm for just one more glimpse of the rich sensations that we enjoy on a day-to-day basis?
Sounds rather White Wolf-style. Story game rather than crunchtastic. I also like the implications.
IKR I was kinda thinking about something like the 3.5 divine rank thing, but that sounds even more awesome
i don't know much about white wolf, their exulted thing looks cool, but I've never played
@all
Progress:
Words of Power Unleashed
23 words / 30-35 words
0/100 pregen wordspells
Hobgoblins: Blood, Iron, and Honor
Completed:
1 feat
1 fighter archetype
2 bard archetypes
2 cleric archetypes
1 sorcerer bloodline
To Do:
X feats
1 fighter archetype
2 barbarian archetypes
2 rogue archetypes
1 wizard archetype
@all
I've got a weird ability here. Opinions, please? This goes on a hobgoblin-only wizard universalist focused school that is all about speed and convenience so wizards can be effective raiders.
Have Scroll, Will Travel (Su): At 13th level as an expeditious arcanist, you can prepare your spells for the day from scrolls instead of from your spellbook. Any scrolls used in this fashion are ruined in the process. This does not mean the arcanist is only able to record the spell once. In fact, an expeditious arcanist with a single scroll of magic missile could record magic missile in every single spell slot he has for the day with this ability. The scroll is simply ruined upon completion of preparing spells for the day. This ability replaces the fact that specialist wizards get bonus spell slots.
Let's take a moment to look at the format for the example words of power.
Selected Ice Blast Life Leech (magus 6, sorcerer/wizard 6, witch 6): This wordspell causes the target to take 10d6 points of cold damage and 1d4 temporary negative levels, and to become entangled for 1d4 rounds. The target receives either a Fortitude save or a Reflex save, chosen by the caster. If the save is successful, the target takes half the cold damage, takes no negative levels, and is not entangled. A sorcerer, witch, or wizard can boost the target word to make this spell affect multiple targets, but doing so increases the spell’s overall level to 9th.
...This is bad for several reasons. Here's the format I propose gets used. Yes, it's highly derivative, but that's precisely the point! Holler at me if you don't like. That 0/100 is changing dramatically tonight and tomorrow.
Name
School SCHOOLS; Level CLASSES
Casting
Casting Time TIME
Target Word TARGET WORD NAME
Effect Word(s) EFFECT WORD(S) NAME(S)
Components COMPONENTS
Effect
Range RANGE
Target TARGET
Duration DURATION
Saving Throw THROW; Spell Resistance YEA OR NAY
Description
I MAKE AWESOME THINGS HAPPEN!
Right, the general idea here is as follows.
A specialist wizard gains a bonus spell slot in every spell level he can cast and can take two feats to remove all of his opposition school penaltiess. So, Paizo is stating here that an opportunity cost of two feats = the bonus spells.
However, a cleric archetype that gives up a domain is granted 5 feats worth of power in exchange for it. This equates to 2 feats worth of bonus spells and 2 feats worth of domain powers if we use the Universalist logic.
Given that math doesn't work (2 + 2 =/= 5), this means that the Universalist wizard is behind in the power curve against his specialized variants by one feat. Add in the fact that many specialized schools have three powers that are as good or better than the two that the Universalist has and you fall even further behind.
My response is and always will be to give a Universalist focused school or archetype a piece of "free power" to correct this imbalance. It is the entire premise of Class Expansions: Love for the Universalist.
This ability is simply a way for a wizard to not be totally hosed should his spellbook come up missing.
I prefer your (New) way too the UM way. If people are looking at using pre-generated WoP its because they a> are getting used to the system and trying it out, or b> its a DM who needs some quick WoP to flesh out an NPC... In the first case, having the word-spell in the traditional spell format makes them much easier to read, and in the second it wont make a difference... So making it easier for the new WoP player makes sense.
On the Wizard Ability: I think that would work a lot better as an 8th level ability that only allows you to memorize the spell once from the scroll before it's ruined. To me, that makes more sense, and giving the ability earlier makes it much more likely to be used. I know my level 13 wizard would be unlikely to use it unless really pressed, where as that same wizard at 8th would have LOVED to have the option (spell-book was much smaller, and resources for copying spells into it were tighter).
Master of Circumstance (Su): At 8th level as an expeditious arcanist, you can overwrite a single prepared spell slot with another eligible spell once per day. This is a full-round action that provokes attacks of opportunity. Given the concentration required, you are considered flatfooted until the beginning of your next turn. At 15th level, you can use this ability twice per day. This ability replaces metamagic mastery.
got the herbalist, gonna take a while to absorb it all.
Aye. There's a LOT there.
@all
Example words. No bolding or italics. Effect and target words will be capitalized, as that's something Paizo apparently did to distinguish from classic spells.
Phantasmal Serial Killer
School necromancy [evil, fear, mind-affecting]; Level sorcerer/wizard 9, witch 9
Casting
Casting Time 1 standard action
Target Word Selected
Effect Word(s) Horror, Slay
Effect
Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target one creature
Duration instantaneous
Saving Throw Fortitude partial Spell Resistance Yes
Description
This wordspell causes the target to take 20 points of damage per caster level. If the save succeeds, the target instead takes 6d6 points of damage + 2 per caster level. If the target is immune to fear effects, it takes half damage. If the target is immune to death effects, it takes half damage. If the target is immune to both fear and death effects, it is immune to this wordspell.
Ray of Lethargy
School transmutation, necromancy; Level bard 3, sorcerer/wizard 3
Casting
Casting Time 1 standard action
Target Word Selected
Effect Word(s) Cramp, Decelerate
Effect
Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target one creature
Duration 1 round/level
Saving Throw Fortitude partial, Will partial; Spell Resistance Yes
Description
The target of this wordspell is staggered and has its base speed reduced by half (minimum 10 feet) for one round. A successful Will save negates the staggered effect, while a successful Fortitude save negates the base speed reduction. The target is allowed a new Will saving throw against this wordspell at the end of each of its turns; a successful save ends the staggered effect.
@shadow
Right, that's enough out of you. Out of the thread. I don't want your business with this much negative energy surrounding it. You've already cost me hours of being irritated to the point of being unable to work at 100% efficiency, so you wouldn't bring yourself to parity even if you bought a copy of absolutely everything.
@all
As it is, the more I delve into these pregenerated words, the more I see that building a generalized case is just a terrible idea, and WoP in general is weaker than I had initially thought. A weaker magic missile is level 2, for god's sake. I'd scrap the entire project entirely were it not for the fact that I'm down a week thinking about it and I need something to show for it.
As it is, the worst sellers I've had for weeks have been the ones that have come out of this thread. Hell, some of those ideas haven't had a single sale here on Paizo, and those individuals who were eligible for a free copy didn't even bother to show up to pick up their free copy! Rather than be a proving ground for ideas, it's really turned into a wishlist for products that have precisely one person interested in it, and sometimes not even then. Thank you for the experiment, but it's become clear that crowdsourcing concepts is a bad strategy.
(If could be because you are putting your ideas up for free in this thread)