I just saw this awesome map The Krampus Lair on rpgdrivethru, and that gave me an idea for a silly, high-powered one-shot.
The pitch -- you're all children in a village whose first-born sons have been kidnapped by the evil Krampus.
It will be fairly silly, but also totally gruesome, sort of like a campy B-movie schlock horror picture (e.g., Killer Clowns from Outer Space, etc.).
Krampus is CR 21 in Pathfinder, so the kids will have to be inexplicably high-powered, and that will be part of the silliness of it -- think arch-mage 12 year olds who have tantrums and throw meteor swarms.
The setting would be an 1800s Bavarian village.
Anyone down for that?
EDIT: another idea -- maybe everyone is a household pet, like a cat or pony, who has to get their human back from Krampus.
I'm into it! Either scenario sounds like fun.
Sure, why not? Sounds like a really fun and campy game, and your build rules are really fun.
Sounds like a silly fun time. Kids casting crazy high spells like wish or miracle could result in some super silly results. I can just see my character wasting a wish on a Pony. You can always add Mythic in there as well for over the top extra silly.
We could have a mix of kids and talking animals too.
I'm not a rules maven -- what does a CR 21 villain require in terms of a party level, number?
A CR 21 'Epic' battle would take up to 5 level 18s, or 6 or more level 17s.
Personally, I think it would be hilarious for a souped- up Krampus (a regular one would only be 'challenging' or 'average' for a regular or big party, respectively) facing off against a bunch of level 20 kids. Get to use those capstones that never see play.
Sounds fun to me.
There's a supplement I was looking at that makes him a demigod, with santa being the good 'half of the deity'. I was also considering making the CR 21 version an 'avatar' of the real deal.
So I suppose level 20 sounds fine.
Just to be clear -- this will be a one-off and I will try to kill your characters, as a high body count of insanely gruesome deaths will be a part of the hilarity.
What is Christmas without a battlefield littered with corpses?
You could always throw the advanced template on everything a couple times and make this gestalt for the ultimate insanity.
Well, I have a supplement in mind where Krampus is a demi-god with god stats, but I'd imagine a lot of advanced greater bhargasts, 16th+ level goblin helpers, some snow elementals and other stuff will be part of the mix.
So, the idea would be a highly irreverent style, and a lot less serious than the other campaigns I run. This is also something I don't want to be playing by July, so I hope we could have a high post rate -- can be very short posts, just to keep things moving so we can finish by the end of winter (or thereabouts).
Here's my proposed rules -- let me know if you have questions
Stats -- just roll 5d6, drop lowest 2 until you have a set you like.
Classes 20th level gestalt.
Race: adolescent human or elf (something that makes sense in a slightly unhistorical 1800s Bavarian mountain village), or an animal like a puppy, cat, or pony, etc., or a snowman, gingerbread man, or something else equally silly.
Hit points: roll until you get a result you like. Double at first level.
Feats: One feat per level as well as the bonus feat progression for the Fighter class (so the progression is as if you were a Fighter getting 1 feat per level plus your class feats. If you are a fighter, you get two bonus feats every time you'd have gotten one).
Background Skills.
Normal wealth for level, as well as equipment.
How long do we have? I am in the middle of finals, but can probably make time for something like this.
Background?
3rd Party?
Are the Fighter feats combat-only, or general?
Should I go for a super cheezy insta-kill build using Vigilante?
I think we can spend a good week doing characters. I start my own schooling again January 14th, so I want to have it well underway by then.
What do you mean 'background' -- like traits?
3rd party is fine
the fighter feats can be general, the rules is really just supposed to express the number of feats you get per level
You should definitely go for the super cheezy insta-kill build using Vigilante.
By background, I mean how much story you want for our uber-powerful preteens.
Oh, so many options.
Okay, that's what I thought, just checking.
You sure? The capstone means I can get a 50% chance of rolling a nat 20 for my first attack, provided we can stealth, and with a vorpal weapon.... It's pretty hilarious.
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I don't need much background, this isn't going to be in depth roll-playing. Just a basic character concept.
The villains are going to be using text speech like "LOL wutz huumanz?@@!!!" -- that's the tone I'm going for.
I'm going to break out the Immortals Handbook, a semi-infamous 3rd party supplement from the 3.5 era with monsters going up into the five figures in hit point totals.
You can go ahead sir.
Okay then.
Side note: why is my luck just terrible.
Leadership: Yes or no? I'm having some hilarious ideas cropping up as I decide on my second class. I'm restraining myself from the more absurd exploits (Nature oracle, for instance), but there's still plenty of room for some absolute hilarity.
Leadership: Yes or no?
Is that a rules question for me?
Yeah. Is it allowed? If so, what sort of build rules are cohorts subject to?
Yeah. Is it allowed? If so, what sort of build rules are cohorts subject to?
It doesn't look like it will give you any followers over 6th level. You can otherwise build them the same as the characters. They're dead meat unless I'm reading this wrong.
Well, the cohort would be (character level -2) normally, which has more potential as a supporter.
If not, that's fine. I keep switching which way I'm leaning.
where are you getting that from: https://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/general-feats/leadership/ is what I'm getting. I don't see where that allows an 18th level side kick. I'll allow it if it does, same build rules, then you can have an extra character if one of them dies from fighting 1,000 hit point goblins.
Cohort Level: You can attract a cohort of up to this level. Regardless of your Leadership score, you can only recruit a cohort who is two or more levels lower than yourself.
About halfway down the page.
Okay I see, there's a difference between followers and cohort. If you want to go to the trouble of statting up an 18th level character, go ahead.
Oh man, my brain is going to explode.
I'm Bavarian. I need to do that!
Come on then friends, let's cranks some characters out and do this!
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Nooooooo!
I can't apply for another of your games, my head is going to explode xD
But the Candy Cane Quarterstaff Master is calling me...
No!
This is only going to run for a few months, and should be less investment once we get the characters done. It will be silly, the posts don't have to be long or detailed, and its mostly going to be ridiculous combat, not in depth role playing.
Please make the Candy Cane Quarterstaff Master!
pre-crafting ok?
Yeah that's fine
Also, I'm not sure how many people we're going to get -- per Daedalus' idea, it'd be fine if everyone wanted to take leadership and have an 18th level buddy built with the same rules so we'd have a few more bodies to grind up.
Yeah, I'm going all out. It will take me awhile to get all the crunch together, but using a certain PF 3pp supplement my plan is for a Wizard20/Beastmorph Alchemist20/Master Chymist7/Fighter10. Add in a Monstrous Cohort and some Planar Binding, and this could be quite fun.
EDIT: He only gets the abilities from the Master Chymist and Fighter, not BAB, HD, Base Saves, or Extra Extracts.
12, 17, 15,
If someone felt like going Malefex, there's a capstone with some real hilarity potential.
I'm not sure if I'm going vigilante at the moment, honestly. I'm not sure we can count on getting 5 rounds of surprise set-up, but it would be hilarious, that's for sure.
Yeah, I'm going all out. It will take me awhile to get all the crunch together, but using a certain PF 3pp supplement my plan is for a Wizard20/Beastmorph Alchemist20/Master Chymist7/Fighter10. Add in a Monstrous Cohort and some Planar Binding, and this could be quite fun.
EDIT: He only gets the abilities from the Master Chymist and Fighter, not BAB, HD, Base Saves, or Extra Extracts.
I don't understand how that works -- isn't that 47 levels?
It's a supplement from Super Genius Games...Horrifically Overpowered Feats. Their "balance" rule is you can only take 1 feat at first level, then no more than one every increment of 3 (3, 6, 9, etc) So only 7 allowable in total. Most of them are actually terrible or incredibly weak, but some of them are really fun.
Prestigious: Gain the special abilities of a prestige class except spell casting at your (HD-5)/2. So max of level 7 abilities. I really don't need the Master Chymist abilities, but I thought it would be really fun to play a little kid that turns into a hulking monster.
Eschew Incantations: Apply Silent Spell to spells without increasing level, prereq Silent Spell feat
Eschew Gestures: Apply Still Spell to spells without increasing level, prereq Still Spell feat
I decided not to totally break everything by not doing the full-round casting line of feats which allows you to "full attack" with up to 4 spells
okey okdey.
I'm going to be getting some use out of this one -- https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/3481/Immortals-Handbook--EPIC-BESTIARY -Volume-One?manufacturers_id=126&it=1
Dragons with 40,000 (that's not a typo) hp and such.
So you're saying I should grab the full-round casting feats...
I think some of the dragons can cast any spell as a free action, so go ahead.
I... really shouldn't try to break the game. Last time I tried, I ended up making a CR 5 god. (Mythic is so broken)
But... you're making it look so attractive and fun.
To munchkin or not to munchkin, that is the question.
I want to pull out all my stuff I can't use in 99.9% of cases -- like you said, the capstones that never see the light of day. For me its monsters that can't be used in most games.
ooo..is mythic on the table too?
Can I just request no Mythic, perhaps? Just... I think that would make it too... well, not 'easy,' but less inventive perhaps?
I wasn't planning on using mythic -- this is already crazy enough. I also don't really see any point -- 20th level gestalt characters with this 3rd party stuff can already do everything. It's more complexity without any real difference from my perspective.
I really think that's too much for me. I I'm not used to that level of munchkinism and I would spend a week building a character that would die at the beginning of round 1. With 20 levels gestalt and everything 3pp allowed, there's going to be people around that can just bend the universe to their will (not to talk about the evil guys, lol).
Well, I found a picture for my main character. I'm going to have the Puppy and his boy. Fear his fluffy wrath, for is doth near a god.
(Just a Young dog with 20 Gestalt levels added on. But my, oh my, those 20 levels are well spent, and only half done. I still have 35 levels that I still need to figure out.)
Do cohorts have the same build rules as their leaders?
Do cohorts have the same build rules as their leaders?
except for being 18th level, yes same build
Ha! I was planning the opposite, a little girl and her...hell hound puppy. Maybe she should have a cat instead..
Hehehehehehe.
Hmmmm, a Gingerbread man, crafting new wonders out of Gingerbread? ;-) (Off, of course, to rescue the little old lady who baked him in the first place!) Might be a spheres Blacksmith (with everything he makes fluffed as gingerbread).
How would you want to make a gingerbread man? My first thought was a Wood Golem with the Young Template.
Or do we just use human mechanics and fluff it as a gingerbread person?
I think these rules would work:
https://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/Jiinja_(3.5e_Creature)
LOL, a 6" tall 20th level gestalt character, with zero reach and -12 to STR? What the heck, let's work with it! ;-)
(Clearly I'll be a martial!)
Can folks help me think of (ideally) ways to enter a foe's space without provoking an AoO?
The Mouser Swashbuckler archetype is interesting. I suspect Spheres and/or Path of War might provide good options too.
Thoughts?