Working on some ideas for a future campaign. Have a few things I'm having trouble getting set in my head.
1) Will have a lizard folk-ish race. But not aquatic. Desert lizards. How should I modify their stats or attitudes? Moderately civilized. Use weapons in preference over natural attacks. What seems good for the 'standard' weapons of desert lizards?
2) Powerful caster. Hates the gods. All of them. Feels they just toy with mortals. Knows he is dying. Makes one last super powerful magic item to interfere with the entire set of gods (not quite an artifact). What does he make?
Not certain, but I was thinking an intelligent weapon with the special purpose of slaying divine spell casters. If so, what other powers and what type of weapon? If not a weapon, what else would you suggest?
3) Bunch of divine casters (all alignments) work together to create a vault to hold something dangerous. (Yes, it will be the previous item.) How to guard it? Can't be too simple of items/traps/spells. Don't want someone to just be able to swamp it with summoned monsters to take out the traps. Can't have someone just carve their way in from the back with an adamantine pick. Want to make sure they would have to cooperate if they decided to take it back out.
How about have the item also be a trap trigger device for something big? Such as, remove the One Ring and awaken the Dark Lord (demon, lich, demi-god, shadow dragon, whatever) from his ancient slumber! Pull forth the cursed runeblade from the altar and the long dormant volcano will erupt!
Here is another good one, perhaps the "trap" is not in where the item is, nor in how it is guarded, but is in the nature of the item itself? Frostmourne (World of Warcraft) / Stormbringer (Michael Morecock) were two such weapons from fantasy literature which slowly crushed the soul of the user with each new life that it took. The weapons also destroyed the souls of those it killed and fed the wielder increasing power from each death. Another classic example of this was the One Ring from JRR Tolkien's Lord of the Rings series. Each time it was used, it took part of the soul of the wearer. Etc etc.
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1. Add a Climb speed instead of a Swim speed? GM Rednal's Desert Runner is a solid choice, too. Good desert weapons might be spears, bows, boomerangs, scimitars, falchions, pikes, javelins, greatclubs covered in cacti.
2. A mantle that protects the wearer from divine magic and extraplanar critters. Maybe it lets the wearer consume divine spells? Maybe gaining 1 Hero Point per spell level consumed? Heal 1 hit point per spell level consumed? Damage Reduction? Fast Healing? AC? Saving Throw bonus? Attack and Damage bonus?
3. Protect it with GOOD creatures. Creatures so good, if you kill them, you'll be damned. Traps that just suggest you all leave and forget all about stealing the McGuffin. Maybe even making you LG so you don't want to steal it IN YOUR HEART.
1) Will have a lizard folk-ish race. But not aquatic. Desert lizards. How should I modify their stats or attitudes? Moderately civilized. Use weapons in preference over natural attacks. What seems good for the 'standard' weapons of desert lizards?
Lizard-kin are proud and powerful reptilian predators that make their communal homes in scattered villages within desserts. Uninterested in colonization and content with their strange tinkers and rituals that have served them well for millennia, lizard-kin are viewed by many other races as carnivorous savages, an opinion the Lizard-kin are happy with as it afford them the isolation they seek. Lizard-kin are actually a vibrant and crafty people filled with tradition and an oral history stretching back to before humans walked upright, and they intend for it to go on much longer.
Lizard-kin vary in size drastically, ranging from 4 to 7 feet tall and weigh 140 to 250 pounds. Their scales range from dark muted earth tones, to vibrant colors like light dancing from water. Like most desert creatures Lizard-kin are nocturnal. They are cold-blood and spend most of the day sleeping in or around hot caves to soak up the suns warmth, though they can operate during the day if they must.
Though generally neutral, lizard-kin's standoffish demeanor, staunch rejection of other races, and legendary ferocity in battle cause them to be viewed negatively by most humanoids. These traits stem from good reasons, however, as their own slow rate of reproduction is no match for warm-blooded humanoids, and those tribes who don't defend their hatcheries to the last breath quickly find themselves overwhelmed by the mammalian hordes. As for their tendency to consume the bodies of dead friends and enemies alike, the practical lizard-kin are quick to point out that life is hard in the desert, and nothing should go to waste.
Ability Score Racial Traits: Standard (+2 Con, +2 Int, -2 Cha) (0 RP)
Type: Humanoid (reptilian) (0 RP)
Size: Medium (0 RP)
Base Speed: Slow (-1 RP)
Languages: Xenophobic (0 RP) Lizard-kin start knowing their racial language only.
Defense Racial Traits
Bond to the Land (2 RP)
Lizard-kin gain a +2 dodge bonus to AC when in Deserts (sand and wastelands).
Desert Runner (2 RP)
Lizard-kin receive a +4 racial bonus on Constitution checks and Fortitude saves to avoid fatigue and exhaustion, as well as any other ill effects from running, forced marches, starvation, thirst, and hot or cold environments.
Cold-Blooded (3 RP)
Lizard-kin gain fast healing 2 for 1 round anytime they take fire damage (fire damage must overcomes their fire resistance, if any), healing up to 2 hit points per level per day with this ability, after which it ceases to function without 8 hours of rest.
Feats and Skills Racial traits
Camouflage (1 RP)
While in Deserts (sand and wastelands), Lizard-kin gain a +4 racial bonus on Stealth checks.
Movement Racial Traits
Terrain Stride (1 RP)
While in Deserts (sand and wastelands), Lizard-kin can move through natural difficult terrain at their normal speed while within the chosen terrain. Magically altered terrain affects them normally.
Senses Racial traits
Carrion Sense (1 RP)
Lizard-kin have a natural ability to sniff out carrion. This functions like the scent ability, but only for corpses and badly wounded creatures (creatures with 25% or fewer hit points).
Darkvision 60 Feet (2 RP)
Lizard-kin can see in the dark up to 60 feet.
Racial Weakness
Light Sensitivity (–1 RP)
Lizard-kin are dazzled as long as they remain in an area of bright light.
2) Powerful caster. Hates the gods. All of them. Feels they just toy with mortals. Knows he is dying. Makes one last super powerful magic item to interfere with the entire set of gods (not quite an artifact). What does he make?
Not certain, but I was thinking an intelligent weapon with the special purpose of slaying divine spell casters. If so, what other powers and what type of weapon? If not a weapon, what else would you suggest?
I'm thinking of some kind of energy source. This source can be used to enchant weapon's, create constructs, really anything. The Battery draws its power from Rovagug or more accurately from the planet Golarion, Rovagug's prison. The battery's energy causes the items it affects to be capable of attacking god's as if they were mere mortals, sapping divine energy were ever it can. This power comes at a price however, eating away at the wielder and inflicting heavy penalty's.
3) Bunch of divine casters (all alignments) work together to create a vault to hold something dangerous. (Yes, it will be the previous item.) How to guard it? Can't be too simple of items/traps/spells. Don't want someone to just be able to swamp it with summoned monsters to take out the traps. Can't have someone just carve their way in from the back with an adamantine pick. Want to make sure they would have to cooperate if they decided to take it back out.
Nothing lasts forever. No matter how strong you are, someone stronger will always come. No dungeon will last forever. Traps will break, enchants will fade. The Order of Meyr is a group put in place to make sure the prison will keep up with the times. You do not need to think of absolutely every single possible way someone could break in or out, you ONLY need to respond to the attempts of the players. If your players can think of it, so can the Oder of Meyr, and they have a contingency.
I didn't make the Lizard's as civilized as you may like, the the fluff is just fluff, the race build is all there.
Edit: Now that I think about it, I should have given them some of the iron stomach type traits to go along with the carrion scent. I built them thinking about them eating dead bodies, but didn't protect them from any kind of sickness.
I also really wanted to get them this trait:
Sprinter (1 RP)
Members of this race gain a +10 foot racial bonus to their speed when using the charge, run, or withdraw actions.
This would make up for the slow speed, and match with desert lizards moving slow and calm until breaking out into INSANE speeds to strike, but liked a lot of the other traits more so decided to keep them @ 10 RP. Honestly don't think they would be unbalanced @ 11 RP.
2) Weapon that emits an antimagic field but only against divine magic. Also make it a godslayer such that it is leathal to gods
3) The labrynth. Only an idiot, a madman, or an adventurer would even attempt it. Also a forgetting spell on whoever leaves so they can't remember anything within
1) I like the ideas I'm seeing. I will give it some more thought and let you know what I decide.
2) I think most of you are going a little too powerful for what I have in mind. I want this to be something they get toward the middle of the campaign and need to try to make use of for a long while not just for the final fight.
Though the ideas are interesting if I can tone them down a bit.
3) Definitely like a labyrinth. However I'm not entirely sure how to give that vibe when mapping on graph paper makes getting lost almost impossible.
I kinda like the Order of Meyr.
Really like the positive and negative channeling to unlock doors.
Sorry, don't know Rappan Athuck or World of Warcraft.
How about an item you can activate as an immediate action to dispel a divine spell? It will really only be as powerful as the highest level divine spell the PCs' opponents have.
Maybe have it also work against the spells, spell-like abilities, and maybe even supernatural effects of extraplanar outsiders, and maybe even elementals, fey, and/or undead.
Maybe give it an ability based on the number of levels the item dispels? If it requires 9 levels to activate, it needs to absorb three 3rd level spells, but only one 9th level spell. So it might take 3 rounds to get it booted up at 5th level, but only 1 round at 17th level. So it would grow with the PCs that way, too.
SmiloDan, I kinda like that. It needs to have some down sides too though. Hmm... Maybe it sometimes tries to counter a beneficial divine spell being cast on the wielder.
Improved counter spell.
Wielders level and higher of wielder's or item's wisdom for the dispel check.
Empathy
Detect Divine Magic
What is another power that could piss off divine casters or divine beings (but not too powerful)?
Sometimes? Always tries to dispel divine spells.
Or maybe the wielder has to make a check or Will save to NOT dispel allied divine spells?
It's why bards can heal! :-P
Maybe it requires divine casters with range X to make Concentration checks of DC Y or take damage Z?
Something to mess up their aura or alignment? Maybe a curse that blocks divine divination and cuts them off from their deity?
I was also thinking severing people from their deity would be cool. If dmged by the weapon it acts like a curse that requires atonement to remove.
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3) Definitely like a labyrinth. However I'm not entirely sure how to give that vibe when mapping on graph paper makes getting lost almost impossible.
Mapping a labyrinth style dungeon is a bit complicated if you want to keep consistency. Basically you have to treat each door/pathway as a portal that leads either to another door or to an intersection. These go to relationships can be 2 way or not. On maps for myself I draw each room/intersection separately giving every entrance a number. I then place a 1 way arrow tipped by a number of where it goes to should the players go through it. If the players turn back in the connecting tunnel treat it as though they had gone through the arrow the doorway they would've gone out of had. If drawing the map for the players I just erase and draw over any overlapping segments. When asked "Well this is what there is where you are". To make it easier I make the intersections distinguishable from one another