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Hello all,
In the past week, Rite Publishing has launched a new series of archetypes PDFs. This is the Convergent Paths series, and it's all about archetypes with a tight theme. That's not all though, as each PDF will also contain some non-archetype material within the theme as well. One of the founding principles of this product line is to give non-obvious archetypes with innovative rules that are new to the game.
This line will be developed by myself, but the freelancers we're using range from established 3rd party freelancers to up-and-coming ones. I've done quite a bit of work for various third party companies, including the Genius Guide to Apeiron Staves, The Secrets of Forgotten Magic Items, Mysteries of the Dead Side: Sacred Necromancer, and the Secrets of Tactical Archetypes I & II.
Our first release is Convergent Paths: Students of Arcanum Archetypes, which details archetypes for wizards that come from a wizardry school. It also contains a number of traits and spells related to wizard school. This product sprung from the brain of rulesmaster Eric Morton, also known as Epic Meepo. He's done some work for Paizo, Rite, and also the fanbase in general. His 101 Archetypes thread is particularly awesome.
Future themes we are going to be exploring include the fey, clerics of the cloth, and more. If there are any themes you think are under-represented currently, let us know and we'll look for authors who are interested in taking them on.
I hope everyone enjoys it!
A free preview and an expert from
Convergent Paths: Students of Arcanum Archetypes
The following excerpts present the Arcanum College of Wizardry and three new wizard archetypes related to that school: the Dweomerden wizard, the Glamorforge wizard, and the Nethervault wizard. Mention is also made of Spelltower wizards, students who use the normal class features of the wizard class instead of taking an archetype.
House Dweomerden:
“Everyday Magic.”
“House Dweomerden sits at the postern gate of Arcanum College, where villagers from nearby hamlets arrive when seeking magical assistance. The residents of House Dweomerden are those students most interested in providing such aid. They devote their studies to practical applications of arcane magic, and favor spells which impact the daily lives of wizards and fellow community members.” – Excerpt from A Student’s Primer to the Arcanum College of Wizardry by Headmaster Meredydd “The Judicious Master”
House Glamerforge:
“Burning Brighter.”
“House Glamerforge, which sits near the main gate of Arcanum College, and is famous for its ornate galleries and landscaped courtyards. The lavishly decorated dormitory reflects the artistic nature of its residents. The students of Glamerforge believe that magic is an art, not a science, and reside in an environment designed to foster creative expression through spellcraft.” – Excerpt from A Student’s Primer to the Arcanum College of Wizardry by Headmaster Meredydd “The Judicious Master”
House Nethervault:
“Iathavos Fhtagn!”
“Not visible from the courtyard, House Nethervault is underneath the rest of Arcanum College. The monastic cells where the students of this House sleep occupy nooks and crannies nestled amidst crypts, mines, and other tunnels. These winding, subterranean warrens are the vaults where the college keeps its most dangerous artifacts. Only students who dare to explore the darkest secrets of arcane magic are permitted in the depths of House Nethervault.” – Excerpt from A Student’s Primer to the Arcanum College of Wizardry by Headmaster Meredydd “The Judicious Master”
House Spelltower:
“One School.”
“Although it appears small, House Spelltower, which occupies the spire adjoining the South Library, is much larger on the inside. The extradimensional halls of Spelltower periodically connect to various other colleges of wizardry. The students of Spelltower are those interested in networking with other scholars. They study arcane magic in its purest, most academic forms.” – Excerpt from A Student’s Primer to the Arcanum College of Wizardry by Headmaster Meredydd “The Judicious Master”
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The second book in this series, Convergent Paths: Fey Archetypes, will be released within a month! This one was done by Mark Seifter, also known as Rogue Eidolon, a 5-star GM for PFS, an all-around rules guru, and an up-and-coming freelancer!
The archetypes in this volume are the Masquerade Reveler barbarian who takes on the wild and unpredictable aspects of the realm of the fey when she rages; the Faerie Knight cavalier, stalwart defender of fey given a fey mount and the ability to call in fey for help; and the laughing man monk archetype, a silver-tongued monk who fights with his words, both literally and metaphorically.
Rounding out the offering, we have a new fey creature to offer.
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O_O
NEED THIS for my currently-running Kingmaker game! MUST HAVE
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Well, I certainly didn't expect a reaction like that so fast!
I recommend showing up at Steve's front door with a wad of cash. That might expedite the process.
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O_O
NEED THIS for my currently-running Kingmaker game! MUST HAVE
You know how to make a freelancer feel happy!
I hope that it inspires you to some really awesome ideas for your Kingmaker game, and if so, that you post them in the Kingmaker forum--I'm playing through myself and would love to see such an Easter egg appear in our campaign.
Sounds good, guys! I'll check these out.
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O_O
NEED THIS for my currently-running Kingmaker game! MUST HAVE
Fey Archetypes shall be released in a couple days! I can't wait to see what people think about this one.
Christina Stiles: Thanks! I think this'll be a fun little adventure!
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O_O
NEED THIS for my currently-running Kingmaker game! MUST HAVE
Fey Archetypes shall be released in a couple days! I can't wait to see what people think about this one.
Christina Stiles: Thanks! I think this'll be a fun little adventure!
Woah! That is an exceptional piece of cover art. My brain melts just trtig to contain the awesome!!! Nice one Rite, and looking good for your line Will!
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE =D
Well, I certainly didn't expect a reaction like that so fast!
I recommend showing up at Steve's front door with a wad of cash. That might expedite the process.
You take Visa right? =D
O_O
NEED THIS for my currently-running Kingmaker game! MUST HAVE
You know how to make a freelancer feel happy!
I hope that it inspires you to some really awesome ideas for your Kingmaker game, and if so, that you post them in the Kingmaker forum--I'm playing through myself and would love to see such an Easter egg appear in our campaign.
Will do! I have a thread there entitled "I don't believe in Faeries!" that already has most of my homebrew ideas, edits to the storyline, and other revamps - anything I add from this or any other source will most certainly make an appearance there.
And it's up! here and at DriveThruRPG. Let me know how you like it, Orthos.
Bought! Will give it a look-over and hopefully a review tonight =)
Hope you enjoy it, Orthos!
Looking forward to the review.
I did upload my review of the Arcanum-file on my site today, the fey one will follow next week or the one after that. Cheers! ^^
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This looks very cool. I'm especially interested in the cavalier archetype for some NPCs in my current Kingmaker campaign.
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This looks very cool. I'm especially interested in the cavalier archetype for some NPCs in my current Kingmaker campaign.
Awesome! I hope you enjoy--I could see some nasty Faerie Knights of
This looks very cool. I'm especially interested in the cavalier archetype for some NPCs in my current Kingmaker campaign.Awesome! I hope you enjoy--I could see some nasty Faerie Knights of ** spoiler omitted **
Exactly! I've been using Will Cooper's Sidhe Lord from the 2012 RPG Superstar contest as fey antagonists and I need some class levels for their leader.
The Faery Knight and the Masquerade Reveler will definitely be making appearances in my game. Heck, I have a Barbarian/Cavalier player in my game - if I show this to him he might ask to retrain!
Sadly, the Laughing Man just has too many problems that aggravate issues the Monk already has and even perhaps make them worse. If those issues could be addressed, the book could be stellar overall. As is, it's amazing, with just a single sour spot.
Four star review posted.
Hey Orthos--thanks for the review! Here's some thoughts on the laughing man--see what you think:
As for the stat dependency, I worked up some math that showed that you can stay pretty competitive in feinting and intimidating without having much Charisma, due to how easy those DCs tend to be. Especially with Intimidating Prowess, for instance, and a Circlet of Persuasion goes a long way (since you are making Cha-based checks rather than needing actual Charisma). If you like, I can stat you up a Laughing Man Monk NPC to drop in your game and you can see what you think--just let me know!
I can get behind that justification for the alignment, that was actually the least of my concerns. (That said, I'm all for Monk options that open up the alignment spectrum for them a bit - always loved the Battle Dancer from 3.5 with its "Chaotic Monk" design ideal, and the Martial Artist archetype definitely stands out in that regard.)
The main problem, IMO, with the Monk class as a whole is that it's already all over the place. Multiple different fighting styles and class abilities that really don't jive with each other (fast movement and flurry of blows, for example), being probably the most MAD class in the game, and a bunch of other stuff that you can probably find in any not-so-friendly neighborhood Paizo Monk Thread.
The class, in its core, is already pretty unfriendly to skill-based character design due to the low importance of Intelligence to the class and the starvation for other focus points; having an archetype like Laughing Man that is extremely skill-dependent only intensifies that challenge. Some of the difficulty could have been reduced, and the package simplified as a whole, just by the switch from Wisdom-focused to Charisma-focused, and just simplify the character overall by reducing the need for certain abilities and relocating them to others based on the design intent.
That's just my take though, and the difficulties I would have in trying to design that kind of character, and where I personally would recommend design having a second look. I'm not the experienced producer here, so I fully admit there's probably something I'm missing! And sure, if you've got one on hand, I'll happily take it for a spin.
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So here's something I whipped up with a tiny bit of Golarion flavor--The Twins are a pair of Laughing Men in service to Imbrex (you can also just remove that fact and use them in any other setting). They have 20 Point Buy and PC level wealth, and they are definitely playable as a pair of PCs for players who like the gimmick.
I hope you enjoy!
Gale
Str 22
Dex 14
Con 12
Int 10
Wis 16
Cha 8
HP: 55
AC 16 (Touch 16, Flat-Footed 14) *[Often use Potions or barkskin ki power for more)
Attacks:
Melee +13/+8 1d10+6
Ranged +9/+4 1d10+6
Fort +9
Ref +10
Will +11
Feats: Intimidating Prowess, Skill Focus (Intimidate), Improved Feint Partner, Combat Reflexes , Sidhe Style, Sidhe Derision, Sidhe Distraction
Skills:
Bluff +13
Intimidate +22
Knowledge(Nature) +11
Perception +14
Stealth +13
Powers: Switched out Slow Fall for Barkskin
Gear:
+2 Str Belt
+2 Wis Headband
Circlet of Persuasion
Cruel AoMF
Cracked Pale Green Prism
Cloak of Resistance +2
Ring of Protection +1
Oil of Magic Fang
Potion of Mage Armor
Potion of Fly
Breeze
Str 7
Dex 22
Con 12
Int 10
Wis 18
Cha 12
HP: 55
AC 21 (Touch 21, Flat-Footed 15) *[Often use Potions or barkskin ki power for more)
Attacks:
Melee +13/+8 1d10+6
Ranged +13/+8 1d10+6
Fort +9
Ref +14
Will +12
Feats: Greater Feint, Skill Focus (Bluff), Improved Feint Partner, Combat Reflexes, Sidhe Style, Sidhe Derision, Sidhe Distraction
Skills:
Bluff +18
Intimidate +15
Knowledge(Nature) +11
Perception +14
Stealth +13
Powers: Switched out Slow Fall for Barkskin
Gear:
+2 Dex Belt
+2 Wis Headband
Circlet of Persuasion
Agile AoMF
Cracked Pale Green Prism
Cloak of Resistance +2
Ring of Protection +1
Ring of Ki Mastery
Oil of Magic Fang
Potion of Mage Armor
Potion of Fly
The Twins prefer to attack via stealth or guile, but even in a straight-up fight, they are extremely dangerous. The Twins fight from range with Weaponized Words unless the enemies seem to have an advantage at range or close in, at which point, they flank and take advantage of numerous attacks of opportunity via Sidhe Distraction and Improved Feint Partner. Breeze's Feints make enemies flat-footed against both of them (and also lose 2 more AC from Sidhe Derision), which allows them to hit reliably despite their relatively-low attack bonus, and Gale's intimidation attempts and Cruel weapon blows yield the shaken and sickened conditions, for a total of -5 to many rolls, plus more benefits from Sidhe Style.
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Hey Convergent Paths: Fey Archetypes fans--with a special thanks to all of you who posted here and in the product thread, especially Endzeitgeist and Orthos in the comments of your reviews, Masquerade Reveler now has a 40-page pdf all her own! The Secrets of the Masquerade Reveler is up on Drivethrurpg already, and I'll link it here once it's on paizo.com.