Disclaimer: I am in no way employed or associated with Dreadfox Games. The material below has been developed in my free time as a fan of the class published as by Dreadfox Games.
For any Puppetmaster fans out there I thought I'd share this. Would love to hear thoughts / feedback.
Just as a skilled craftsman can create a weapon, a puppetmaster with working knowledge of a weapon can modify it to give it the expressive characteristics necessary to be employed as a rod puppet. To create an expressive weapon a puppetmaster either be proficient with the weapon in question or have at least one rank of the appropriate Craft skill for fashioning such a weapon. Individual expressive weapons also have other specific requirements that must be met in order to be created.
Although a puppetmaster may choose to create such a weapon from scratch, only non-magical / non-masterwork weapons can be modified with expressive qualities after creation. An non-masterwork / non-magical expressive weapon may still be modified via spells (such as masterwork transformation).
To create an expressive weapon a puppetmaster follows the normal rules for crafting a weapon. Once the weapon is created, the puppetmaster makes a Craft (puppetry) check in much the same way an additional check is required for creating a masterwork weapon. If using a weapon that is already created, the puppetmaster makes this same check.
The DC for this Craft (Puppetry) check is equal to the DC for crafting the weapon (see Table: Craft Skills). The cost of materials for creating expressive qualities is 100 gp.
To use an expressive weapon as rod puppets a puppetmaster must have the Expressive Weapon wonder.
A skilled craftsman can, in the process of fashioning a masterwork weapon, create the expressive characteristics necessary for a puppetmaster to employ the weapon as a rod puppet. In addition to the normal requirements for creating a masterwork weapon, these weapons have other requirements the creator must meet.
In addition to following the normal rules for creating a masterwork weapon, the crafter must also make a Craft (puppetry) check as detailed for creating expressive weapons. No additional time or cost is added beyond those normally required for crafting a masterwork weapon. The expressive characteristics must be added to a masterwork weapon while it is being created, they cannot be added afterward.
To use such weapons as rod puppets a puppetmaster must have the Expressive Weapon wonder.
Example weapon
Benefit: This weapon can be wielded as a single-handed weapon, a two-handed weapon, in pairs with other nine-section whips, or as a puppet of The Striking Serpent by a puppetmaster who has the Expressive Weapon wonder.
Special: This weapon can only be created by someone who knows the myth of The Striking Serpent or possess at least 1 rank in Knowledge (nature).
New Wonders
[2] Expressive Weapon (Rod Puppets)
A puppetmaster with this wonder may treat qualifying weapons as rod puppets. He may decide to employ a qualifying weapon as a rod puppet at any time. Once a puppetmaster decides to employee a qualifying weapon in this way he receives a -1 penalty for attack and damage rolls when using the weapon until the beginning of his next turn. When a puppet master uses this wonder to employ a qualifying quarterstaff as rod puppets he is treated if he had the Quarterstaff Master feat. Qualifying weapons used as rod puppets cannot benefit from the Threatening Puppet wonder, but otherwise function normally as weapons and rod puppets.
[7] The Striking Serpent (Rod Puppets)
A puppetmaster with this wonder learns The Striking Serpent. This myth narrates the plight of a serpent that was kept by a cruel snake charmer who was slain by the creatures he had mistreated. When performed through a story check it enables attackers in range to lull foes into a state of distraction. Each attacker in range may select a single foe, whose Dexterity bonus to Armor Class is reduced. The base effect reduces the Dexterity bonus to Armor Class by 1. This story requires a puppet of The Striking Serpent.