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Hello, everyone! This is Alexander Augunas here, co-author of Pact Magic Unbound, Vol. 1, avid forum-goer, and one-half of the Pathfinder RPG Dream Team at Radiance House. We're getting very close to the release of Pact Magic Unbound, Vol. 2 so in the meantime I wanted to take a few minutes to run an idea that Dario and I had past the Paizo Community.
For those of you who do not know, Dario is the author of a d20 game called the Radiance RPG, which is a rules lite system for playing in a 1920s electropunk fantasy setting. Dario and I have been exploring ways to bring some of the look and feel of the Radiance RPG into Pathfinder, and one of the major ways we want to do that is through Townies.
What Are Townies?
Where Did the Idea for Townies Come From?
In systems like Savaged Worlds, building NPCs is not something that is easy to do on the fly. Dario wanted to design a system that let GMs quickly find a set of special abilities that were appropriate for an unimportant NPC to use instead of having to stop play to custom-build an NPC. This resulted in the creation of Townies.
How Do Townies Work in Pathfinder?
[spoiler]In the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, Townies function as archetypes for the NPC classes presented in the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook. Since these classes have no class features, they simply replace a feat. Currently we are not planning to allow multiple NPC archetypes per character, but that could very well change with your input.
Why Would I Want Townies in Pathfinder?
Why Make This Thread?
We earnestly want to hear what you, the people of the Pathfinder Community, think about all of this! We hope that you will take a look at the samples provided in the next few poses and give us your honest opinion on the topic of Townies so that we can make this system as useful to you as possible.
~ Alexander "Alex" Augunas
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• The first chapter is devoted to NPC archetypes that are unique to a specific NPC class; adept, aristocrat, expert, and warrior. The fifth NPC class, commoner, possesses no unique NPC archetypes. The archetypes are presented in alphabetically, organized by class.
• The second chapter is devoted to universal NPC archetypes; NPC archetypes that can be selected by two or more NPC classes. NPC archetypes appropriate for all five NPC classes can be found in this section, including the commoner class.
• The final chapter is devoted to special archetypes that are not earned simply by sacrificing a feat. These archetypes are the result of curses, odd bloodlines, and other story elements. As such, they allow even more flexibility as to how they are applied, but they often come attached with a flaw.
Now, I'm going to provide you with an example of an NPC Archetype from each category:
The first Archetype is specific to the Adept NPC Class:
Life-Giver
Beacons of peace and life, a life-giver specializes in restoring the dead to life.
Raise Dead (Sp): After a 24-hour ritual, a life-giver can restore a creature from the dead as raise dead. This ritual requires the expensive material component required for raise dead.
Vow of Peace (Su): A life-giver strives to promote peace and is sworn against using violence for any reasons, even if their own lives are in danger. If attacked a life-giver can only respond with the fight defensively action, total defense action, or with move actions. A life-giver cannot purposefully slay or torment another intelligent creature.
The second Archetype is specific to the Expert NPC Class:
Far-Trader
Faction members first and foremost, a far-trader keeps up trade, monitors finances, stays in contact with other houses, and procures items.
Class Skills: A far trader adds Appraise (Int), Craft (Int), Knowledge (history) (Int), Linguistics (Int), and Sense Motive (Wis to her list of class skills. If the far-trader selects one of these skills as an expert class skill she receives a +1 bonus on that skill instead.
Faction Member (Ex): A far-trader automatically joins a faction, guild, or similar organization of her choice, complete with lifetime membership.
Linguist (Ex): A far-trader gains any three languages as bonus languages.
Market Wise (Ex): A far-trader can purchase goods and services with a 10% reduction in cost so long as her reputation in the local area is good.
Merchant Network (Ex): A far-trader’s sources allows her to obtain any legal item not found in their local area at an additional 10% cost. Market wise does not reduce this cost.
Archer
Soldiers who specialize in the use of the bow, archers fire upon enemy troops both in organized battles and skirmishes.
Classes: Aristocrat, Warrior
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: An archer is proficient with the longbow, the shortbow, and light armor. If the archer gains proficiency with these weapons from his NPC class, he instead gains Weapon Focus with either the longbow or the shortbow (his choice).
Archer’s Eye: An archer gains a bonus on all Perception checks equal to ½ his NPC class level and Perception is added to the archer’s list of class skills. If the archer’s NPC class grants Perception as a class skill, he receives a +1 insight bonus on that skill instead.
Jumper
Quick witted, jumpers possess an intuitive power to rapidly move via extra-dimensional spaces.
Classes: Adept, Aristocrat, Commoner, Expert, Warrior
Class Skills: A jumper adds Bluff (Cha), Perception (Wis), and Sense Motive (Wis) to her list of class skills. If the jumper receives one of these skills as a class skill from her NPC class, she receives a +1 bonus on that skill instead.
Dimension Step (Su): A jump receives a dimension pool with a number of points equal to 2 + ½ their NPC class level. As a move action, a jumper can vanish and reappear up to 10 feet away in an open space within line of sight. This is a teleportation effect that does not provoke attacks of opportunity. The jumper can carry along creatures and objects whose total weight does not exceed 50 lbs. per NPC class level she possesses. Each time she uses this ability, the jumper removes 1 point from her dimension pool. When it is half depleted, the jumper becomes fatigued. When it is fully depleted, the jumper becomes exhausted. The jumper cannot use this ability when her dimension pool is empty or while she is exhausted. At 5th level and every 5 levels NPC levels thereafter, the jumper increases the distance she can travel with this ability by 5 feet.
Demonic Host
Possessed by demonic forces, any unlucky person may come to temporarily acquire this NPC archetype.
Obtainment: Unlike most special archetypes, this archetype does not cost a feat in order to obtain. A character automatically gains this archetype while possessed by a fiendish outsider, such as a shadow demon and when the possessing entity is expelled, so too is this archetype.
Purest Evil (Su): A demonic host’s alignment changes to match the alignment of the possessing entity (often Chaotic Evil) and she radiates an aura of evil, as a cleric.
Demonic Weakness (Ex): Holy water damages a demonic host as though she were undead. Furthermore, the entity possessing a demonic host can be exorcised by a character with the exorcist NPC archetype; see Chapter One, above.
Fiendish Tongue (Ex): A demonic host gain Abyssal, Celestial, and Infernal as bonus languages.
Force Push (Su): As a standard action, a demonic host can push a creature within 20 feet that is no more than one size category larger than them. The creature must succeed on a Fortitude save or be forced directly away from the demonic host in a straight line back 10 feet. If there is no room to move backwards, the creature is knocked prone instead.
Vile Vomit (Su): As a standard action, a demonic host can vomit disgusting green ooze that deals 1d4 unholy damage + 1 point per 2 NPC class levels she possess in a 15-foot cone. A successful Reflex save negates this damage.
Monster in Chains
The monster in chains is a horrible creature whose true form was locked away within a human vessel.
Obtainment: Monsters in chains are created by powerful mages who use a newly born infant’s body and soul to cage a powerful monster’s body and spirit within them.
Chained (Ex): Upon attaining this archetype, select one non-humanoid creature to serve as the monster in chains’s prisoner. The monster in chains typically possesses physical qualities that hint at their prisoner’s existence, granting the monster in chains a +2 bonus to their prisoner’s highest ability score and a -2 penalty to their lowest ability score; for example, if a minotaur’s highest ability score is his Strength and his lowest is his Intelligence, than the monster in chains gains a +2 bonus to Strength and a -2 penalty to their Intelligence.
Inner Power (Su): A monster in chains can tap into the monster’s power to tap into its power; if the GM is using the hero points alternate system, a monster in chains can use this power to gain 1 hero point; see Chapter 8 of Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Advanced Player’s Guide for more information on her points. If this system is not being used, the GM can choose an alternate, suitable reward for tapping into this power. A monster in chains can tap into their inner power once per day at 1st level, plus one additional time each day at 6th level and every 6 NPC class levels thereafter.
Prison Break (Ex): A monster in chains typically possesses a specific event that will trigger the release of their prisoner; this condition is set by the GM and can be anything from the attainment of a specific number of Hit Dice to the performance of an obscure task or ritual. The death of the host causes the death of the prisoner as well and should the prisoner escape, the host’s body is destroyed the process.
Please leave your comments in this thread, and thank you!
~ Alexander "Alex" Augunas
These are fantastic! Only have enough time to skim them right now, but already the flavor suggests so many great plot hooks. I totally agree with what you are doing - breath some life to those NPC classes! Better yet, someone call in the Life-Giver!
These are fantastic! Only have enough time to skim them right now, but already the flavor suggests so many great plot hooks. I totally agree with what you are doing - breath some life to those NPC classes! Better yet, someone call in the Life-Giver!
That's the plan, anyway! PCs with the Leadership feat should be interested in this product if only because there will be some neat abilities that are flat-out helpful to have if you're a leader. (Especially now that Ultimate Campaign's downtime system is available.)
Experts, Adepts etc. suck as written, there's almost never a good reason to go to them - these might change that. So: Two thumbs up!