I picked up a bunch of Abandon Arts' Class Act books. Each is just under a buck and offers some additional features for the Pathfinder classes.
In almost every case the books are 4-5 pages with 1 page for the cover, 1 page for the OGL and the rest the bulk of the new class material. There is no art, but really it doesn't need any. Perfect for under a buck really. Also in nearly every case these are for the die-hard fans of the classes.
In all cases if there is a class you like get the "Class Acts" for it and the "Archetypes".
Class Acts: Alchemists
4 pages. 18 new alchemical discoveries, 3 of which are grand discoveries.
Class Acts: Alchemist Archetypes
4 pages. 1 page for cover, 1 for OGL. The rest covers four different Alchemist archetypes.
Class Acts: Barbarians
4 pages. 32 new rage powers. They look good, but Barbarians are just not my thing.
Class Acts: Barbarian Archetypes
4 pages. Three archetypes. Favorite is the Viking Marauder It might not really be historically accurate but it does look fun.
Class Acts: Clerics
5 pages. At this point in the evolution of the 3.x rules we have covered every domain out there. This book then presents 18 new sub-domains. Some of the powers of the cleric are swapped out for other powers. Of course these could be used as alternate Domains.
Class Acts: Cleric Archetypes
4 pages. Clerics historically have lended themselves well to different archetypes. Only two new archetypes here, but they are rather good. I like the Voodoo priest in particular in fact. In addition to the archetype there is some great domains associated with the Voodoo Loa. There is some really nice crossover with the Witch here.
Class Acts: Druids
5pages. A dozen new Druid Animal domains. could work with clerics too.
Class Acts: Druid Archetypes
4 pages. Three new druid archetypes. Of the three the Faeriethrall looks the most interesting to me.
Class Acts: Fighters
5 pages. Cover a lot of new combat feats for fighters of all sorts. Useful for other classes too.
Class Acts: Fighter Archetypes
4 pages, 3 new archetypes. I think these would also work well for Paladins, Cavaliers or any other class to be truthful.
Class Acts: Gunslingers
5 pages and 18 new "Grit" feats. I like the idea of how this works, I am just not sure if I am a fan of Gunslingers in general. But that is nothing against this product.
Class Acts: Magi
4 pages. This one has 32 new Magi Arcana. All of them look very useful and could even work as other power for other classes.
Class Acts: Magus Archetypes
4 pages, 3 new archetypes. Of the three I like the Magus Mysterion the best. Lots of potential for this archetype if you really enjoy roleplaying your characters.
Class Acts: Monks
4 pages. This one has 18 new style feats in 6 feat trees of the styles. Great if you are playing a monk.
Class Acts: Monk Archetypes
4 pages. Only 2 archetypes here, but very complete.
Class Acts: Oracles
5 pages. This one includes new curses and new mysteries and revelations. A lot of good material here really and needed for this class.
Class Acts: Oracle Archetypes
4 pages. Four new archetypes for the Oracle. This class could use some more archetypes to be honest, so this is a good addition. I like the Oracular Opiate, I would love to make one of these for a game except play him as sort of this Rastafarian-like dude.
Class Acts: Rangers
5 pages. Three new combat styles and a bunch of new feats. Great collection for fans of Rangers.
Class Acts: Ranger Archetypes
4 pages. Three new archetypes. All are variations on a theme, but they work well.
Class Acts: Rogues
4 pages. 32 new Rogue talents and advanced rogue talents (7). Great if you enjoy playing rogues and looking to expand an already very expandable class.
Class Acts: Rogue Archetypes
4 pages. 4 new archetypes for rogues. The Urban Stalker and the Lookout might actually be complete diametrically opposed to each other and still be based on the same class.
Class Acts: Witches
4 pages. Obviously one I am very interested in. This one has 18 new witch Hexes. All of them look good and I'd love to try them all out. Scrying Cauldron is one of my favorites, very witchy.
Class Acts: Witch Archetypes
4 pages. Three new archetypes. The Desert Witch is a very neat one and one I need to try out sometime. I even have a great name picked out. The Grisly Fetishist is very cool and familiar ground as is the Maleficium. All three are good and look like great fun.
Class Acts: Wizards
4 pages. 32 new Arcane discoveries. I haven't played a PF Wizard, but these look fine to me. Certainly a lot of varieties of powers.
Class Acts: Wizard Archetypes
4 pages. Two new Archetypes. Not much in the way of new ground here though. Animist is new-ish and the Guild Scholar has been done in the past. Would have liked to have seen more I think.
So many of these I would love to try out.
Showing posts with label pathfinder. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pathfinder. Show all posts
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Pathfinder Witch
 |
| Witch by cromaticresponses |
I don't have many details yet, except I am excited about the prospect since I haven't got a chance to play one yet. My son wants to run a game sometime with "Alternate-reality" versions of the Dragonslayers. All the same classes and everything, just in a Pathfinder world.
I also quite pleased to see there is so much good stuff online for this witch, in addition to all the products I keep buying, but hardly ever use.
It will be interesting to see how she differs from the Liber Mysterium witch I have been playing all these years.
Hexes seem a little like my Occult Powers, save that the PF witch gets 11 of them vs the 3 (or 4 if you count the talisman feat) occult powers. But the LM witch gets more spells; usually an additional 2 per level. So it feels roughly similar.
But reading over all the Pathfinder material yesterday and today reinforced the idea I had a while back. There are not enough witch-like Prestige classes out there.
I am going to have to come up with some more I think.
Links
Local
Prestige Class: Queen of Witches
Prestige Class: Witch Priestess
Witch Books, Part 3. Pathfinder
Pathfinder SRD
Witch
Witch Spell list
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Witch Books, Part 3. Pathfinder
To many Pathfinder is the heir-apparent to the legacy of D&D, to others it's the biggest retro-clone out there. But regardless of how you view Pathfinder, one thing is for certain, it is wildly successful.
Pathfinder also has it's own witch class from the Advanced Player's Guide. It is nice and has a cool vibe about it, there are somethings I don't care about it. I talked about it detail here, and offered up a couple of Prestige Classes here and here.
Other companies though have filled the gaps with their own Pathfinder-compatible witches.
A Necromancer's Grimoire: Secrets of the Witch
This book offers up the Green Hag as a playable race for the Witch class. Sort of. It is more of a race-as-class, but close enough to the witch to work. Anyone that played D&D back in the late 70s will have no issues with this really. There are also plenty of new feats and hexes that can be used by the witch or Green Hag. There are also plenty of new spells. This is a good book if you are a witch completest like me, or would like to use hags in your pathfinder game.
For a fuller witch I would also grab The Book of Faith (spells) and Paths of the Druid (for some Prestige Classes and ideas for familiars).
Advanced Feats: The Witch's Brew (Pathfinder RPG)
Certainly one of the more interesting books for the new Pathfinder witch class. You will need the Advanced Player's Guide to get the most of of this book obviously.
We start off with a brief overview/analysis of the witch class. Not bad really, but nothing we can get from the APG.
On to the meat of the book, the 30 new feats. They are a mixed bag, but for the most part they add a lot flavor to the witch. There are some familiar affecting feats which is nice, and commentary/sidebars on a few.
There are also 3 sample witch builds that you can use to make your own.
Witch Spell Cards for the Pathfinder Role Playing Game
Exactly what is says on the tin. Spell cards you can print out and use with your Pathfinder APG Witch.
If you like cards then these are great. If you prefer sheets then they can still be used.
Paths of Power
Described as a source book for Base and Prestige Classes. This book features a new Witch class. This witch has "Circle" magic and gets spells based on Wisdom as do the witches in the 3.0 book I did years ago. This witch is a nice alternative to the Pathfinder Witch. If you were to use both I would call this one a "Witch" and the APG one a "Warlock". In addition to the witch we get the Anti-Paladin, elemental wizards, gladiators, samurai and the Voyager. NPC classes include the Courtesan, Captain and Sycophant. Truthfully I only found the Courtesan useful. Prestige classes include the Child of Bast, Crypt Stalker and the Envenomed. Personally I would have liked the PrCs to be a little more related to the base classes.
There is though plenty of magic items and spells. There are also plenty of new witch-related feats.
Since I bought it for the witch alone, I am actually pretty satisfied with what I got.
Book of Arcane Magic
Another great book from 4-Winds Fantasy Gaming. This one focuses on the Arcane Spellcaster in Pathfinder. While the book predates the APG Witch, a lot of these new spells and ideas can be used with the witch. Of course they are all also fine to use as they are. In particular I liked all the new Sorcerer bloodlines and colleges of Wizardry. I like the idea of my wizard doing post-graduate work in magic.
There are new familiars, spells and magic items. So it is worth it just for these.
The Book of Divine Magic
Likewise, the Book of Divine Magic adds more material to your cleric, druid and paladin classes (and Rangers). There is a list of gods and their domains. Plenty of new spells. Rules for temples and divine animal companions (like familiars) and new magic items and relics. Avery densely packed 94 pages.
Up next are a the "With a Bullet Point" series on witches from Super Genius Games. Designed to be quick guides that can be used with a minimal of prep time and minimal cost. I like the idea.
#1 With a Bullet Point: 5 Magic Witch's Daggers
Here we have 5 magical Athame ("ath-a-may") or daggers that can be used by witches. These weapons work in conjunction with the witch's hexing ability, though they can be used as magical weapons as well.
Short, sweet and to the point. There is nothing to complain about here.
#1 With a Bullet Point: 13 Witch Hexes
Again one page, one buck. This time we get 13 hexes that can be used by the witch. Some blur the line between what could be a hex and what could be a feat, but all in all they work fine.
#1 With a Bullet Point: 9 Witch Hunter Feats
Hard to mess with a good thing. A page for the cover, a page for the OGL and then a page of nine feats for Witch hunters to either protect them from witches or to help them when battling the forces of darkness. If you enjoyed the Genius Guide to the Witch Hunter (below), then this is a great addition. If you don't have that you can still use this product.
Super Genius Games also produces the "Genius Guides" which are larger and go more in-depth.
Advanced Options: Witches' Hexes
This book surprisingly has no overlap with SGG's With A Bullet Point: 13 Witch Hexes. The hexes listed here are all new and there also Major and Grand hexes detailed. There are even some hex-related feats.
The Genius Guide to the Witch Hunter
Where there are witches there will be witch hunters. This is a full 20-level class devoted to witch-hunting. Plenty of powers, abilities and feats are detailed. I think this would have worked as a prestige class, but this is pretty good.
Legendary Levels II
This book, like the first LL, deals with Pathfinder "Legendary" Levels, of levels 21 to 30. What 3.0/3.5 called Epic Levels. I think they picked "Legendary" as not to confuse it with D&D4. There is a Legendary Witch in this book, which is why I got it, but the rest is pretty good as well. In particular I liked the Legendary Samurai and the Dragon Lord prestige class. I Would have enjoyed seeing more prestige classes myself, but the book's focus was "Legendary classes" and note really prestige ones. Plenty of new feats and I REALLY liked the art in this book. So at the end of the day it was worth it to me.
Pathfinder also has it's own witch class from the Advanced Player's Guide. It is nice and has a cool vibe about it, there are somethings I don't care about it. I talked about it detail here, and offered up a couple of Prestige Classes here and here.
Other companies though have filled the gaps with their own Pathfinder-compatible witches.
A Necromancer's Grimoire: Secrets of the Witch
For a fuller witch I would also grab The Book of Faith (spells) and Paths of the Druid (for some Prestige Classes and ideas for familiars).
Advanced Feats: The Witch's Brew (Pathfinder RPG)
Certainly one of the more interesting books for the new Pathfinder witch class. You will need the Advanced Player's Guide to get the most of of this book obviously.
We start off with a brief overview/analysis of the witch class. Not bad really, but nothing we can get from the APG.
On to the meat of the book, the 30 new feats. They are a mixed bag, but for the most part they add a lot flavor to the witch. There are some familiar affecting feats which is nice, and commentary/sidebars on a few.
There are also 3 sample witch builds that you can use to make your own.
Witch Spell Cards for the Pathfinder Role Playing Game
Exactly what is says on the tin. Spell cards you can print out and use with your Pathfinder APG Witch.
If you like cards then these are great. If you prefer sheets then they can still be used.
Paths of Power
Described as a source book for Base and Prestige Classes. This book features a new Witch class. This witch has "Circle" magic and gets spells based on Wisdom as do the witches in the 3.0 book I did years ago. This witch is a nice alternative to the Pathfinder Witch. If you were to use both I would call this one a "Witch" and the APG one a "Warlock". In addition to the witch we get the Anti-Paladin, elemental wizards, gladiators, samurai and the Voyager. NPC classes include the Courtesan, Captain and Sycophant. Truthfully I only found the Courtesan useful. Prestige classes include the Child of Bast, Crypt Stalker and the Envenomed. Personally I would have liked the PrCs to be a little more related to the base classes.
There is though plenty of magic items and spells. There are also plenty of new witch-related feats.
Since I bought it for the witch alone, I am actually pretty satisfied with what I got.
Book of Arcane Magic
Another great book from 4-Winds Fantasy Gaming. This one focuses on the Arcane Spellcaster in Pathfinder. While the book predates the APG Witch, a lot of these new spells and ideas can be used with the witch. Of course they are all also fine to use as they are. In particular I liked all the new Sorcerer bloodlines and colleges of Wizardry. I like the idea of my wizard doing post-graduate work in magic.
There are new familiars, spells and magic items. So it is worth it just for these.
The Book of Divine Magic
Likewise, the Book of Divine Magic adds more material to your cleric, druid and paladin classes (and Rangers). There is a list of gods and their domains. Plenty of new spells. Rules for temples and divine animal companions (like familiars) and new magic items and relics. Avery densely packed 94 pages.
Up next are a the "With a Bullet Point" series on witches from Super Genius Games. Designed to be quick guides that can be used with a minimal of prep time and minimal cost. I like the idea.
#1 With a Bullet Point: 5 Magic Witch's Daggers
Here we have 5 magical Athame ("ath-a-may") or daggers that can be used by witches. These weapons work in conjunction with the witch's hexing ability, though they can be used as magical weapons as well.
Short, sweet and to the point. There is nothing to complain about here.
#1 With a Bullet Point: 13 Witch Hexes
Again one page, one buck. This time we get 13 hexes that can be used by the witch. Some blur the line between what could be a hex and what could be a feat, but all in all they work fine.
#1 With a Bullet Point: 9 Witch Hunter Feats
Hard to mess with a good thing. A page for the cover, a page for the OGL and then a page of nine feats for Witch hunters to either protect them from witches or to help them when battling the forces of darkness. If you enjoyed the Genius Guide to the Witch Hunter (below), then this is a great addition. If you don't have that you can still use this product.
Super Genius Games also produces the "Genius Guides" which are larger and go more in-depth.
Advanced Options: Witches' Hexes
This book surprisingly has no overlap with SGG's With A Bullet Point: 13 Witch Hexes. The hexes listed here are all new and there also Major and Grand hexes detailed. There are even some hex-related feats.
The Genius Guide to the Witch Hunter
Where there are witches there will be witch hunters. This is a full 20-level class devoted to witch-hunting. Plenty of powers, abilities and feats are detailed. I think this would have worked as a prestige class, but this is pretty good.
Legendary Levels II
This book, like the first LL, deals with Pathfinder "Legendary" Levels, of levels 21 to 30. What 3.0/3.5 called Epic Levels. I think they picked "Legendary" as not to confuse it with D&D4. There is a Legendary Witch in this book, which is why I got it, but the rest is pretty good as well. In particular I liked the Legendary Samurai and the Dragon Lord prestige class. I Would have enjoyed seeing more prestige classes myself, but the book's focus was "Legendary classes" and note really prestige ones. Plenty of new feats and I REALLY liked the art in this book. So at the end of the day it was worth it to me.
Friday, February 24, 2012
Prestige Class: Witch Priestess
Continuing with my new witch Prestige Classes for d20/3.x/Patherfinder.
Earlier I posted the Queen of Witches, today I want to post something I feel lacking in the Patherfinder witch; A connection to the divine.
One thing I felt the early batch of witch books for the d20 game did well was the inclusion of a good amount of Prestige Classes. There were all sorts really, but the ones I liked the best allowed the witch to take an aspect of what made her a witch and explore it in detail. The Witch Priestess is one such class. I suppose to fill out the mix I would also include an Arcane Witch, an Occult Witch, maybe some sort of expert on Charms and another on Potions. But that would be for another day.
Here is the Witch Priestess. All content below this point is consider Open.
Section 15: Witch Priestess, Copyright 2012, Timothy. S. Brannan.
OGC Declaration: The following text content is considered Open Content for term of the OGL.
Witch Priestess
To a witch religion and
witchcraft are the same thing and worship is a fairly private affair; it is
something she does with (or even without) her Patron in her own way.
To the Witch Priestess though,
religion, witchcraft and worship are far more important and she is considered
to be a leader in the witch’s religious community and life.
Not all witches are called to
become a Witch Priestess and the sacrifice is great one. The witch becomes more like a cleric in many
respects. She gives up advancing in her
arcane spellcasting and begins divine spell casting as a cleric of the same
level. The Witch Priestess does have healing
powers, but she cannot convert spell energy into healing energy as a cleric
can.
Hit Dice: d6
Requirements To qualify to become a Witch Priestess, a character must fulfill all of the following criteria:
Knowledge (Religion) 8 Ranks
Knowledge (Witchcraft): 10 Ranks
Feats: At least one Witch feat.
Special: A Witch Priestess must belong to a coven.
A Witch Priestess typically has a high wisdom.
Class Skills The Witch Priestess class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Concentration (Con), Craft (Alchemy) (Int), Craft (any) (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Heal (Wis), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (nature), Knowledge (religion), (Int), Knowledge (witchcraft) (Int), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), and Spellcraft (Int).
Skill points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier
Class Features All of the following are class features of The Witch Priestess prestige class.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: The Witch Priestess gains no proficiency with weapons or armor.
Special: The Witch Priestess gains special powers at each level of her progression.
Spells per Day: The Witch Priestess begins gaining Divine spells as a cleric of the same level. The Witch Priestess can though add her levels to levels of witch for determination of DCs or level based effects. Levels of witch do not however add to her levels of Witch Priestess when casting divine Witch Priestess spells. For example a character with 10 levels of Witch and 3 levels of Witch Priestess will cast witch spells as a 13th level witch, but Witch Priestess spells as a 3rd level caster. NOTE: A Witch Priestess with levels in a divine spellcasting class may opt to continue to progress with those spell levels, they will not however add to her casting of witch spells. So a character with 10 levels of Witch, 3 levels of cleric and 3 levels of Witch Priestess can cast as a 10th level witch and as a 6th level divine spell caster.
Divine Spells: The witch may cast spells as a cleric of the same level. She uses the same list of spells as does the cleric. She still cannot use spells that are contrary to her alignment or beliefs; that is no Raise Dead spells. Domain: The Witch Priestess gains access to a clerical domain of the appropriate type. They gain the spells and associated powers as a cleric with this domain. At 8th level the Witch Priestess gains a 2nd domain.
Occult Powers (Su): At 3rd level the Witch Priestess gains additional occult powers as if she were a witch of that Tradition. The Witch Priestess will choose occult powers form her own Tradition first always at 3rd level, then branching out to the other Traditions for her next Occult power. Note: Some witches call their Occult Powers “Hexes”. These witches may choose a new Witch Hex at these levels. The first Hex must be of the Minor sort. The second Hex may be Major or Grand as appropriate.
Bonus Feat: The Witch Priestess gains an additional feat. She may choose from Witch or Cleric/Divine feats if she meets the requirements.
Form Coven: The Witch Priestess can form a new coven. If she is part of a coven now she will leave, with no ill will, to form her own coven. The number of witches she gathers is equal to 1d6+ her Charisma modifier. These witches will be under 6th level for a total number of levels equal to the Witch Priestess level + her level as a Witch. For example a witch with a 17 Charisma can have a maximum of 9 (3 + 6) witches. If she is a 10th level witch and a 5th level Witch Priestess the she can have a maximum of 15 levels of witches in her coven. So possibly 8 1st level and 1 7th level or any combination thereof.
Drawing Down the Moon (Su): Once per day the witch priestess can recall a number of spell levels equal to half her level (witch and witch priestess combined) rounded down. The witch must complete a ritual to regain her spell levels that takes a full round. Once complete the witch regains the knowledge of the spells lost.
Charge of the Goddess (Su): The witch at this point is such a force for her Patron that she can summon the Goddess’ own power into herself. The witch radiates an aura of Fear at 15’ to all her enemies. She gains a bonus of +2 to all her saves and AC. She also gains +3 to all offensive attack forms, spells (spellcasting and DCs) or weapons. This charge lasts for a number of rounds equal to the witch’s Wisdom score. It may be performed only once per day and takes one full round to perform.
*A Witch Priestess may choose to continue advancing as any divine spellcasting class she also has.
Earlier I posted the Queen of Witches, today I want to post something I feel lacking in the Patherfinder witch; A connection to the divine.
One thing I felt the early batch of witch books for the d20 game did well was the inclusion of a good amount of Prestige Classes. There were all sorts really, but the ones I liked the best allowed the witch to take an aspect of what made her a witch and explore it in detail. The Witch Priestess is one such class. I suppose to fill out the mix I would also include an Arcane Witch, an Occult Witch, maybe some sort of expert on Charms and another on Potions. But that would be for another day.
Here is the Witch Priestess. All content below this point is consider Open.
Section 15: Witch Priestess, Copyright 2012, Timothy. S. Brannan.
OGC Declaration: The following text content is considered Open Content for term of the OGL.
Witch Priestess
Hit Dice: d6
Requirements To qualify to become a Witch Priestess, a character must fulfill all of the following criteria:
Knowledge (Religion) 8 Ranks
Knowledge (Witchcraft): 10 Ranks
Feats: At least one Witch feat.
Special: A Witch Priestess must belong to a coven.
A Witch Priestess typically has a high wisdom.
Class Skills The Witch Priestess class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Concentration (Con), Craft (Alchemy) (Int), Craft (any) (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Heal (Wis), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (nature), Knowledge (religion), (Int), Knowledge (witchcraft) (Int), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), and Spellcraft (Int).
Skill points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier
Class Features All of the following are class features of The Witch Priestess prestige class.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: The Witch Priestess gains no proficiency with weapons or armor.
Special: The Witch Priestess gains special powers at each level of her progression.
Spells per Day: The Witch Priestess begins gaining Divine spells as a cleric of the same level. The Witch Priestess can though add her levels to levels of witch for determination of DCs or level based effects. Levels of witch do not however add to her levels of Witch Priestess when casting divine Witch Priestess spells. For example a character with 10 levels of Witch and 3 levels of Witch Priestess will cast witch spells as a 13th level witch, but Witch Priestess spells as a 3rd level caster. NOTE: A Witch Priestess with levels in a divine spellcasting class may opt to continue to progress with those spell levels, they will not however add to her casting of witch spells. So a character with 10 levels of Witch, 3 levels of cleric and 3 levels of Witch Priestess can cast as a 10th level witch and as a 6th level divine spell caster.
Divine Spells: The witch may cast spells as a cleric of the same level. She uses the same list of spells as does the cleric. She still cannot use spells that are contrary to her alignment or beliefs; that is no Raise Dead spells. Domain: The Witch Priestess gains access to a clerical domain of the appropriate type. They gain the spells and associated powers as a cleric with this domain. At 8th level the Witch Priestess gains a 2nd domain.
Occult Powers (Su): At 3rd level the Witch Priestess gains additional occult powers as if she were a witch of that Tradition. The Witch Priestess will choose occult powers form her own Tradition first always at 3rd level, then branching out to the other Traditions for her next Occult power. Note: Some witches call their Occult Powers “Hexes”. These witches may choose a new Witch Hex at these levels. The first Hex must be of the Minor sort. The second Hex may be Major or Grand as appropriate.
Bonus Feat: The Witch Priestess gains an additional feat. She may choose from Witch or Cleric/Divine feats if she meets the requirements.
Form Coven: The Witch Priestess can form a new coven. If she is part of a coven now she will leave, with no ill will, to form her own coven. The number of witches she gathers is equal to 1d6+ her Charisma modifier. These witches will be under 6th level for a total number of levels equal to the Witch Priestess level + her level as a Witch. For example a witch with a 17 Charisma can have a maximum of 9 (3 + 6) witches. If she is a 10th level witch and a 5th level Witch Priestess the she can have a maximum of 15 levels of witches in her coven. So possibly 8 1st level and 1 7th level or any combination thereof.
Drawing Down the Moon (Su): Once per day the witch priestess can recall a number of spell levels equal to half her level (witch and witch priestess combined) rounded down. The witch must complete a ritual to regain her spell levels that takes a full round. Once complete the witch regains the knowledge of the spells lost.
Charge of the Goddess (Su): The witch at this point is such a force for her Patron that she can summon the Goddess’ own power into herself. The witch radiates an aura of Fear at 15’ to all her enemies. She gains a bonus of +2 to all her saves and AC. She also gains +3 to all offensive attack forms, spells (spellcasting and DCs) or weapons. This charge lasts for a number of rounds equal to the witch’s Wisdom score. It may be performed only once per day and takes one full round to perform.
| Level | BAB | Fort. | Ref. | Will | Special | Divine Spellcasting* | ||||
| Save | Save | Save | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |||
| 1st | +0 | +0 | +0 | +2 | Divine Spells, Healing | 1 | ||||
| 2nd | +1 | +0 | +0 | +3 | Domain (1st Domain) | 1+1 | ||||
| 3rd | +1 | +1 | +1 | +3 | Occult Power / Hex | 1+1 | 1 | |||
| 4th | +2 | +1 | +1 | +4 | Bonus Feat | 2+1 | 1+1 | |||
| 5th | +2 | +1 | +1 | +4 | Form Coven | 2+1 | 1+1 | 1 | ||
| 6th | +3 | +2 | +2 | +5 | Drawing Down the Moon | 3+1 | 2+1 | 1+1 | ||
| 7th | +3 | +2 | +2 | +5 | Occult Power / Hex | 3+1 | 2+1 | 1+1 | 1 | |
| 8th | +4 | +2 | +2 | +6 | Domain (2nd Domain) | 4+1 | 3+1 | 2+1 | 1+1 | |
| 9th | +4 | +3 | +3 | +6 | Bonus Feat | 4+1 | 3+1 | 2+1 | 1+1 | 1 |
| 10th | +5 | +3 | +3 | +7 | Charge of the Goddess | 5+1 | 4+1 | 3+1 | 2+1 | 1+1 |
*A Witch Priestess may choose to continue advancing as any divine spellcasting class she also has.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Prestige Class: Queen of Witches
While I enjoy the Pathfinder Witch there is a serious lack of good witchy prestige classes. Here is one based on my own Liber Mysterium witch and was going to appear in the 3.5 update. Some of the powers and ideas here are actually based on my playtests of my Basic Witch class.
Section 15: Queen of Witches, Copyright 2012, Timothy. S. Brannan.
OGC Declaration: The following content is considered Open Content for term of the OGL.
Queen of Witches
There are witches so dedicated to their path and to their Patron that they become not only the de-facto leaders of many covens, but of their traditions as well. They are considered to be the chief agent of the Patron’s will. Sometimes these witches can claim divine parentage, others are chosen by her peers for her deeds. In all cases the Queen of Witches is imbued with a spark of divine power.
Generally speaking there is only one Queen of Witches per Tradition, so only 13 (or less) in the world at any given time.
Hit Dice: d4
Requirements
To qualify as a Queen of Witches, a character must fulfill all of the following criteria.
Knowledge (Religion) or Knowledge (Arcana): 7 Ranks
Knowledge (Witchcraft): 13 Ranks
Feats: At least one Witch feat.
Spell casting: Ability to cast 7th level spells
Special: the Queen of Witches must belong to a coven.
The Queen of Witches typically has a high wisdom.
Alignment: Any.
Class Skills
The Queen of Witches class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Concentration (Con), Craft (Alchemy) (Int), Craft (any) (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Heal (Wis), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (arcana), Knowledge (religion), (Int), Knowledge (witchcraft) (Int), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Sense Motive (Wis), and Spellcraft (Int).
Skill points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier
Class Features
All of the following are class features of The Queen of Witches prestige class.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: The Queen of Witches gains no proficiency with weapons or armor.
Special: The Queen of Witches gains special powers at each level of her progression.
Spells per Day: The Queen of Witches continues to progress in spell casting as if she had gained another level as a witch. This does not include any special powers or benefits, such as extra feats or occult powers (except as noted below), she would normally receive for progressing as a witch.
Awesome Presence (Su): At first level, the Queen of Witches is infused with the power of her faith and by the faith her Coven has in her. This supernatural ability has two main effects. First all witches can “see” this presence as a bright aura. All witches will treat her with deference and respect. Secondly enemies can also detect this aura. Any morale checks made by enemies are at a –1 penalty.
Occult Powers (Su): At 2nd level the Queen of Witches gains additional occult powers as if she were a witch of that Tradition. The Queen of Witches will choose occult powers form her own Tradition first always at 2nd level, then branching out to the other Traditions for her next Occult power.
Note: Some witches call their Occult Powers “Hexes”. These witches may choose a new Witch Hex at these levels. The first Hex must be of the Minor sort. The second Hex may be Major or Grand as appropriate.
A Thousand Faces (Su): At 3rd level the witch gains the ability to change her appearance at will, as if using the disguise self spell. This affects the witch’s body but not her possessions. It is not an illusory effect, but a minor physical alteration of the witch’s appearance, within the limits described for the spell.
Timeless Body (Su): At 5th level the witch no longer takes ability score penalties for aging and cannot be magically aged. Any penalties she may have already incurred, however, remain in place. Bonuses still accrue, and the witch still dies of old age when her time is up.
Section 15: Queen of Witches, Copyright 2012, Timothy. S. Brannan.
OGC Declaration: The following content is considered Open Content for term of the OGL.
Queen of Witches
There are witches so dedicated to their path and to their Patron that they become not only the de-facto leaders of many covens, but of their traditions as well. They are considered to be the chief agent of the Patron’s will. Sometimes these witches can claim divine parentage, others are chosen by her peers for her deeds. In all cases the Queen of Witches is imbued with a spark of divine power.
Generally speaking there is only one Queen of Witches per Tradition, so only 13 (or less) in the world at any given time.
Hit Dice: d4
Requirements
To qualify as a Queen of Witches, a character must fulfill all of the following criteria.
Knowledge (Religion) or Knowledge (Arcana): 7 Ranks
Knowledge (Witchcraft): 13 Ranks
Feats: At least one Witch feat.
Spell casting: Ability to cast 7th level spells
Special: the Queen of Witches must belong to a coven.
The Queen of Witches typically has a high wisdom.
Alignment: Any.
Class Skills
The Queen of Witches class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Concentration (Con), Craft (Alchemy) (Int), Craft (any) (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Heal (Wis), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (arcana), Knowledge (religion), (Int), Knowledge (witchcraft) (Int), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Sense Motive (Wis), and Spellcraft (Int).
Skill points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier
Class Features
All of the following are class features of The Queen of Witches prestige class.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: The Queen of Witches gains no proficiency with weapons or armor.
Special: The Queen of Witches gains special powers at each level of her progression.
Spells per Day: The Queen of Witches continues to progress in spell casting as if she had gained another level as a witch. This does not include any special powers or benefits, such as extra feats or occult powers (except as noted below), she would normally receive for progressing as a witch.
Awesome Presence (Su): At first level, the Queen of Witches is infused with the power of her faith and by the faith her Coven has in her. This supernatural ability has two main effects. First all witches can “see” this presence as a bright aura. All witches will treat her with deference and respect. Secondly enemies can also detect this aura. Any morale checks made by enemies are at a –1 penalty.
Occult Powers (Su): At 2nd level the Queen of Witches gains additional occult powers as if she were a witch of that Tradition. The Queen of Witches will choose occult powers form her own Tradition first always at 2nd level, then branching out to the other Traditions for her next Occult power.
Note: Some witches call their Occult Powers “Hexes”. These witches may choose a new Witch Hex at these levels. The first Hex must be of the Minor sort. The second Hex may be Major or Grand as appropriate.
A Thousand Faces (Su): At 3rd level the witch gains the ability to change her appearance at will, as if using the disguise self spell. This affects the witch’s body but not her possessions. It is not an illusory effect, but a minor physical alteration of the witch’s appearance, within the limits described for the spell.
Timeless Body (Su): At 5th level the witch no longer takes ability score penalties for aging and cannot be magically aged. Any penalties she may have already incurred, however, remain in place. Bonuses still accrue, and the witch still dies of old age when her time is up.
| Class Level | Attack Bonus | Fort Save | Ref Save | Will Save | Special | Spells per Day |
| 1st | +1 | +0 | +0 | +2 | Awesome Presence | +1 level of existing class |
| 2nd | +1 | +1 | +1 | +3 | Occult Power / Hex | +1 level of existing class |
| 3rd | +2 | +1 | +1 | +3 | A Thousand Faces | +1 level of existing class |
| 4th | +2 | +2 | +2 | +4 | Occult Power / Hex | +1 level of existing class |
| 5th | +3 | +2 | +2 | +4 | Timeless Body | +1 level of existing class |
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Kids Games: Biting off more than I can chew
I just got an email a bit ago saying that the Kid's Games I am running at my kids' elementary school were the most popular choices and I am at capacity.
Now I have to craft an adventure for all these kids.
This also begs the obvious questions.
1. Do I keep doing this 4e thing with 5e on the horizon?
2. If I do, am I obligated to mention 5e? If it were a game at a con I think I might be.
3. Should I just do all Pathfinder?
Here is the plan as it is right now:
Session 1 (two weeks): Play 4e
Session 2 (two weeks): Play the same adventure in Pathfinder
Its a good plan. It means more work for me, but that is fine.
I guess once I see the sign up tonight I'll know more.
Now I have to craft an adventure for all these kids.
This also begs the obvious questions.
1. Do I keep doing this 4e thing with 5e on the horizon?
2. If I do, am I obligated to mention 5e? If it were a game at a con I think I might be.
3. Should I just do all Pathfinder?
Here is the plan as it is right now:
Session 1 (two weeks): Play 4e
Session 2 (two weeks): Play the same adventure in Pathfinder
Its a good plan. It means more work for me, but that is fine.
I guess once I see the sign up tonight I'll know more.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Skylanders Hex for Pathfinder
To celebrate here she is in her Pathfinder Witch version.
You can read the background and see my 4e stats of her here.
I don't have my books with me, so I took some artistic license with how she is presented here. So instead of the floating skull familiar I gave her a bat. I am just going to say it is a skull with wings.
Female Drow Witch 5
CN Medium Humanoid (Elf)
Init -1; Senses Darkvision (120 feet), Low-Light Vision; Perception +7
DEFENSE
AC 9, touch 9, flat-footed 9 (-1 Dex)
hp 23 (5d6)
Fort +1, Ref +0, Will +5
Immune sleep; Resist Elven Immunities; SR 11
Weakness Light Blindness
OFFENSE
Spd 30 ft.
Melee Unarmed Strike +2 (1d3/20/x2)
Special Attacks Blight (DC 16), Misfortune (DC 16)
Spell-Like Abilities Dancing Lights (1/day), Darkness (1/day), Faerie Fire (1/day)
Witch Spells Known (CL 5, 2 melee touch, 1 ranged touch):
3 (2/day) Bestow Curse (DC 17), Pain Strike (DC 17)
2 (3/day) Scare (DC 16), Death Knell (DC 16), Glide (DC 16)
1 (4/day) Chill Touch (DC 15), Cause Fear (DC 15), Mage Armor (DC 15), Ray of Enfeeblement (DC 15)
0 (at will) Touch of Fatigue (DC 14), Dancing Lights, Daze (DC 14), Bleed (DC 14)
STATISTICS
Str 10, Dex 9, Con 10, Int 19, Wis 13, Cha 12
Base Atk +2; CMB +2; CMD 11
Feats Alertness, Arcane Talent: Daze (3/day), Ectoplasmic Spell
Traits Focused Mind, Scholar of the Great Beyond: Knowledge (History)
Skills Bluff +2, Diplomacy +2, Fly +3, Heal +6, Intimidate +9, Knowledge (Arcana) +12, Knowledge (Dungeoneering) +9, Knowledge (History) +11, Perception +7, Sense Motive +4, Spellcraft +12, Stealth +1, Survival +2
Languages Abyssal, Common, Draconic, Drow Sign Language, Elven, Undercommon
SQ +3 to Fly checks, Deliver Touch Spells Through Familiar (Su), Empathic Link with Familiar (Su), Poison Use (Ex), Share Spells with Familiar, Speak With Familiar (Ex), Ward +2 (Su)
Other Gear Staff of Necromancy
SPECIAL ABILITIES
+3 to Fly checks You gain the Alertness feat while your familiar is within arm's reach.
Arcane Talent: Daze (3/day) You gain a chosen spell as a spell-like ability, 3/day.
Blight (DC 16) (Su) Curse animals, plants, or land
Dancing Lights (1/day) (Sp) Cast Dancing Lights once per day.
Darkness (1/day) (Sp) Cast Darkness once per day.
Darkvision (120 feet) You can see in the dark (black and white vision only).
Deliver Touch Spells Through Familiar (Su) Your familiar can deliver touch spells for you.
Drow Immunities - Sleep You are immune to Sleep effects.
Ectoplasmic Spell You can cast a spell that has full effect against incorporeal or ethereal creatures.
Elven Immunities +2 save bonus vs Enchantments.
Empathic Link with Familiar (Su) You have an empathic link with your Arcane Familiar.
Faerie Fire (1/day) (Sp) Cast Faerie Fire once per day.
Focused Mind +2 to Concentration checks
Light Blindness (Ex) Blinded for 1r in bright light, dazzled as long as they remain in it.
Low-Light Vision See twice as far as a human in low light, distinguishing color and detail.
Misfortune (1 round(s)) (DC 16) (Su) Target must take the lower of 2d20 for rolls.
Poison Use (Ex) You do not risk poisoning yourself accidentally while poisoning a weapon.
Share Spells with Familiar The wizard may cast a spell with a target of "You" on his familiar (as a touch spell) instead of on himself. A wizard may cast spells on his familiar even if the spells do not normally affect creatures of the familiar's type (magical beast).
Speak With Familiar (Ex) You can communicate verbally with your familiar.
Spell Resistance (11) You have Spell Resistance.
Ward +2 (Su) Target receives +2 AC and save bonus until they are hit or fail a saving throw.
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Monday, December 12, 2011
Kid's Games
I have signed up to run some games at my kids' elementary school.
It is part of their after-school program. So in February I am running 2 sessions of two-weeks each of D&D. Totally introductory, 1st level. I am even going to buy dice for the kids.
My plan was to run D&D 4e out of the new Red Box. But this weekend I also picked up the new Pathfinder boxed set. It is really, really nice.
The two are comparable on every level to be honest. Figures or tokens for characters and monsters, maps, player's books, DM's books, a starting adventure. Nice sturdy box and dice.
But now I find myself in the situation of which one to run?
Both have their merits and I know I could both justice and my audience justice with either.
I was talking to my friend Greg who runs a Pathfinder game with my son and his own kids. He suggested run both, D&D4 one session and Pathfinder the next.
I think that is a great idea to be honest. Though it is twice the work for me.
I would run the same adventure for 1st levels. So I might have to make something up.
Here is what I am looking for:
It is part of their after-school program. So in February I am running 2 sessions of two-weeks each of D&D. Totally introductory, 1st level. I am even going to buy dice for the kids.
My plan was to run D&D 4e out of the new Red Box. But this weekend I also picked up the new Pathfinder boxed set. It is really, really nice.
The two are comparable on every level to be honest. Figures or tokens for characters and monsters, maps, player's books, DM's books, a starting adventure. Nice sturdy box and dice.
But now I find myself in the situation of which one to run?
Both have their merits and I know I could both justice and my audience justice with either.
I was talking to my friend Greg who runs a Pathfinder game with my son and his own kids. He suggested run both, D&D4 one session and Pathfinder the next.
I think that is a great idea to be honest. Though it is twice the work for me.
I would run the same adventure for 1st levels. So I might have to make something up.
Here is what I am looking for:
- Appropriate for new players
- Plenty of chances for everyone to be a hero
- Should include teamwork
- I'd like them fight a dragon, even a small one, at the end
I guess the Pathfinder adventure is the box is close to that, but I have not checked it out in detail yet. If so doing a 4e conversion will be easy.
Now before anyone says "Why aren't you play XXXX game?", simple, these are the ones I have chosen. These are the ones that have the mainstream appeal and the kids will be able to then later go to the store and get them. I am trying to entice the next generation of players and to do that I need to be able to steer them to product they can play on their own in their own groups.
I'll keep you all posted on what is going on with this.
Thursday, December 8, 2011
The Witches Three: 4e v. Pathfinder v. OSR
I am not going to delve into the relative merits of one game or the other. Or even talk about play style or anything else. Play the game you enjoy, the way you enjoy it. Personally I like to play all of the above.
No today I want to drill down my attention on one thing in particular. How the witch class is presented in the rules in these games. For the first time we have what can amount to an "Official D&D Witch Class".
The 4e witch was just introduced in Heroes of the Feywild and the Pathfinder witch was introduced in the Advanced Players Guide.
For the moment I want to recuse myself from commenting too much on the OSR witches. Both "The Witch" and "Eldritch Witchery" are off to editors, but still I don't think it would be the most proper thing to do. That all being said I don't have issues commenting on these witches since a.) they have already been written and published and b.) all my ideas are already on "paper" and sent off, so I am not likely to change anything at this point.
So what do we have here?
Both the 4e and Pathfinder witches use Intelligence as their prime ability and the one tied to their spellcasting.
Both require the use of familiars to learn their spells.
Both can form covens for an added benefit or coven related benefits. The 4e witch handles covens a bit like builds. The Pathfinder witch can only join a coven with a hag. I don't like that at all really.
Neither offer much right away in terms of higher level class options; ie no Paragon Paths (outside of the Legendary Witch) and no Prestige Classes.
The 4e witch, as mentioned previously, is a "type" of Wizard. This bugged me at first, but I got over it once I saw the advantages.
The Pathfinder witch is a base or core class.
The 4e powers are very much in line with charming, controlling and turning enemies into animals. There are some "striker" like powers, but not many really. The authors took care to make the distinction between Witch, Wizard and Warlock a lot clearer.
The Pathfinder Spells are similar, but lot are pulled from both the Arcane and Divine lists. The Pathfinder witch with Hexes and a familiar gets an absolute ton of spells. I'll need to go into detail on the Pathfinder witch on a later date.
I am using my checklist from Tom Moldvay as a means to identify how witchy these classes are, at least for a start.
| Ability | 4e Witch | Pathfinder Witch | Basic Witch |
| 1. Ability to use Herbs | skills | skills | ability check |
| 2. The Power of Fascination | powers | spells | spells |
| 3. Clerical and Magic-User magic | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 4. Sympathetic Magic | limited to powers | limited to spells | new spell mechanic |
| 5. Worshipers of forbiden religions | yes | yes | yes |
| 6. Powers based on natural cycles | "Moon" builds | no | spells |
| 7. Covens | Yes | only with hags | Yes |
| 8. Ritual Magic | In PHB I only | limited | Yes |
Based on that, the Pathfinder witch is a little short, but nothing that can't be fixed with role-playing and some supplements. I do notice that Moldvay's list does not include the ability to use familiars. I think that is rather important too.
I am getting a chance here in a bit to play some more of the 4e Witch so I'll know better how she plays out. I am still looking for a chance to play the Pathfinder witch some more.
Negatives
Here is what I don't like about the classes.
4e Witch: There is still some confusion over the roles between a Witch and a Fey Pact Warlock. Maybe this is on purpose. Warlocks and Witches should have animosity towards each other and this could be where it comes from.
While it is nice that the Witch has some of the same options as does the Wizard, it also means the witch can take "Fireball" or "Lighting bolt" as spells. Two very iconic wizard powers.
Pathfinder: I hate what they have done with covens for the Pathfinder Witch. It robs the witch of one of her key elements to be honest. The hexes are cool, but some of them are too focused on curses and less on the other aspects of witches.
Where are the Prestige classes?
Both/Either: Intelligence as a prime stat? I can see why, but really it should be Wisdom or maybe Charisma. They supposed to be members of the craft of the wise.
In any case it is an embarrassment of riches. I am not sure if I'll ever have enough time to play the games I have now, let alone anything released in the future. I like both of these classes and would love to see more for both of them.
It's a good time to be me! ;)
Friday, September 16, 2011
Pathfinder Witch
I am reading through a bunch of playtest notes and it has occurred to me that I have never played much beyond 1 session of the Pathfinder version of the witch.
That is quite disappointing really.
That is quite disappointing really.
Friday, September 9, 2011
Here there Be Dragons: Aži Dahāka, 3.5/Pathfinder
Here is a stab at Liam's big dragon, Aži Dahāka. I used a couple of different tools and then manually tweaked them.
More details on his monster here soon. Right now I want to know how these stats look to you.
Aži Dahāka
Dragon, Great Wyrm Fiendish
CR 28 XP 3,100,000
Chaotic evil Colossal Dragon
Init +4; Senses Blindsense, Darkvision 60; Listen +53; Spot +53
DEFENSE
AC 41, Touch 2, flat footed 41 (+ No Armour, + Shield, none)
(+39 Natural, -8 size)
hp 660 (40d12+400);
Fort +32, Ref +22, Will +32
Damage reduction 20/magic, Immunity to fire, Spell Resistance 32, Resistance to cold and fire 10
OFFENSE
Speed 40, fly 200ft.
Melee
Single Attack Bite +50 (4d8+17)
Full Attack
Bite +50 (4d8+17)
2 Claw +47 (4d6+8)
Crush +47 (4d8+8)
Tail +47 (4d6+8)
2 Wing Slap +47 (2d8+8)
Space 30ft.; Reach 20ft.
Special Attacks
Breath Weapon DC(40) 24d10 Fire 60ft cone, Frightful Presence DC(38) , Sorcerer 19,
Spell-like Abilities Sorcerer level 19,
Smite good 1 per day add extra damage = to HD total
Spell-like Abilities
Spell-like Abilities (CHR) 3rd DC(21) Locate object 11/day
Spell-like Abilities (CHR) 3rd DC(21) Suggestion 3/day
Spell-like Abilities (CHR) 6th DC(24) Find the path 1/day
Spell-like Abilities (CHR) 8th DC(26) Discern location 1/day
Spells Known:
Spells (will choose these later)
Level 0 (6) DC 18
Level 1 (8) DC 19
Level 2 (8) DC 20
Level 3 (8) DC 21
Level 4 (8) DC 22
Level 5 (7) DC 23
Level 6 (7) DC 24
Level 7 (7) DC 25
Level 8 (7) DC 26
Level 9 (4) DC 27
STATISTICS
Str 45, Dex 10, Con 31, Int 26, Wis 27, Chr 26
Base Attack 40 Grapple 73
Feats
Alertness: +2 listen +2 spot,
Blind-fight: Re-roll miss chance for concealment,
Cleave: Get extra attack if kill monster,
Flyby Attack: Can make standard action during move,
Great Cleave: Can make extra attacks if kill opponent ,
Hover: Can Hover,
Improved Initiative: +4 Initiative checks,
Iron Will: +2 on will saves,
Multiattack: Secondary Attacks are at -2 instead of -5,
Power Attack: Subtract from to hit add to damage,
Snatch: Snatch prey in mouth or claw,
Weapon Focus: +1 to attack rolls,
Widen Spell,
Wingover: Can change directions quickly while flying
Skills Appraise 28, Bluff 44, Concentration 46, Diplomacy 51, Hide 14, Intimidate 49, Know Arcana 41, Know Geography 41, Know History 41, Know Local 41, Know Nobility 47, Knowledge (any one) 41, Listen 53, Move Silently 39, Search 51, Spot 53, Swim 47
Languages Abyssal, Aquan, Common, Draconic, Infernal, Undercommon
ECOLOGY
Environment Deserts
Organization Unique
Treasure Standard x 3
More details on his monster here soon. Right now I want to know how these stats look to you.
Aži Dahāka
Dragon, Great Wyrm Fiendish
CR 28 XP 3,100,000
Chaotic evil Colossal Dragon
Init +4; Senses Blindsense, Darkvision 60; Listen +53; Spot +53
DEFENSE
AC 41, Touch 2, flat footed 41 (+ No Armour, + Shield, none)
(+39 Natural, -8 size)
hp 660 (40d12+400);
Fort +32, Ref +22, Will +32
Damage reduction 20/magic, Immunity to fire, Spell Resistance 32, Resistance to cold and fire 10
OFFENSE
Speed 40, fly 200ft.
Melee
Single Attack Bite +50 (4d8+17)
Full Attack
Bite +50 (4d8+17)
2 Claw +47 (4d6+8)
Crush +47 (4d8+8)
Tail +47 (4d6+8)
2 Wing Slap +47 (2d8+8)
Space 30ft.; Reach 20ft.
Special Attacks
Breath Weapon DC(40) 24d10 Fire 60ft cone, Frightful Presence DC(38) , Sorcerer 19,
Spell-like Abilities Sorcerer level 19,
Smite good 1 per day add extra damage = to HD total
Spell-like Abilities
Spell-like Abilities (CHR) 3rd DC(21) Locate object 11/day
Spell-like Abilities (CHR) 3rd DC(21) Suggestion 3/day
Spell-like Abilities (CHR) 6th DC(24) Find the path 1/day
Spell-like Abilities (CHR) 8th DC(26) Discern location 1/day
Spells Known:
Spells (will choose these later)
Level 0 (6) DC 18
Level 1 (8) DC 19
Level 2 (8) DC 20
Level 3 (8) DC 21
Level 4 (8) DC 22
Level 5 (7) DC 23
Level 6 (7) DC 24
Level 7 (7) DC 25
Level 8 (7) DC 26
Level 9 (4) DC 27
STATISTICS
Str 45, Dex 10, Con 31, Int 26, Wis 27, Chr 26
Base Attack 40 Grapple 73
Feats
Alertness: +2 listen +2 spot,
Blind-fight: Re-roll miss chance for concealment,
Cleave: Get extra attack if kill monster,
Flyby Attack: Can make standard action during move,
Great Cleave: Can make extra attacks if kill opponent ,
Hover: Can Hover,
Improved Initiative: +4 Initiative checks,
Iron Will: +2 on will saves,
Multiattack: Secondary Attacks are at -2 instead of -5,
Power Attack: Subtract from to hit add to damage,
Snatch: Snatch prey in mouth or claw,
Weapon Focus: +1 to attack rolls,
Widen Spell,
Wingover: Can change directions quickly while flying
Skills Appraise 28, Bluff 44, Concentration 46, Diplomacy 51, Hide 14, Intimidate 49, Know Arcana 41, Know Geography 41, Know History 41, Know Local 41, Know Nobility 47, Knowledge (any one) 41, Listen 53, Move Silently 39, Search 51, Spot 53, Swim 47
Languages Abyssal, Aquan, Common, Draconic, Infernal, Undercommon
ECOLOGY
Environment Deserts
Organization Unique
Treasure Standard x 3
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Pathfinder now
Playing some Pathfinder now in the Dragonlance world.
New DM and I am playing a dwarf fighter. I am going to try to avoid doing a Scottish accent.
Been a long time since I played in Krynn.
Should be fun.
New DM and I am playing a dwarf fighter. I am going to try to avoid doing a Scottish accent.
Been a long time since I played in Krynn.
Should be fun.
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Tome of Horrors Complete
I have all the Tome of Horrors. 1, 1 revised, 2 and 3.
But this one is just freaking awesome. All the monsters, updated for Pathfinder, in order.
Very, very awesome.
So awesome in fact I want to get the S&W version too and I don't even play that game.
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Been Caught Stealin': Free RPG Day
In case your forgot today is (was) Free RPG Day. Took the boys to my our favorite local game store and here is our haul.
We each got two things, the limit. But it is a good set of things.
I might use them all together. No idea yet.
They are all high quality products. The DragonAge one is the thickest, the D&D and Pathfinder ones are full color, DCC really does look very, very old school, only with better production values.
The AFMBE one (the only non-D&Dish thing here) is really fun of course.
The d10 is also very nice to have.
All are intro adventures so not really good for the Dragonslayers at this point, but when we start up again with 4e I can certainly use them.
We each got two things, the limit. But it is a good set of things.
I might use them all together. No idea yet.
They are all high quality products. The DragonAge one is the thickest, the D&D and Pathfinder ones are full color, DCC really does look very, very old school, only with better production values.
The AFMBE one (the only non-D&Dish thing here) is really fun of course.
The d10 is also very nice to have.
All are intro adventures so not really good for the Dragonslayers at this point, but when we start up again with 4e I can certainly use them.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Pathfinder
Today is my Pathfinder game with the "big kids". The Northlands group.
To help explain my absence since late-February the GM has decided that my character was kidnapped.
We will see how it all goes.
To help explain my absence since late-February the GM has decided that my character was kidnapped.
We will see how it all goes.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
New Review: Northlands
Northlands
The Northlands is a very cool campaign setting for a Norse/Viking like area for use with Pathfinder. Not a setting by itself, it is designed to be easily inserted into your game world. Though there is nothing stopping you from just using this book all by itself.
In its 110+ pages you will find a area ready for adventure. There are new classes, skills, feats, weapons and spells. There are rules for variant races (humans and Dwarves) and new races from the bestial Trollkin to the Hyperborean. Everything is given a new look to reflect the cold lands of the north. The culture here is a very different one. It’s not just colder, the people (and thus the characters) are different.
The magic chapter is very cool, with new spells, and new types of magic such as grudge magic and runic magic.
The lands are detailed in both chapter 2 and chapter 5. So there is plenty to work from here. The chapter on monsters contains quite a nice number of creatures and they are not for the faint of heart.
The author capture not only the rules of playing in these lands but the feel as well. Author Dan Voyce obviously has a love for this setting and their real world counterparts that show through the writing. This is a well researched book.
The art is equally fantastic and even though it is spare and black and white, it adds to the overall feel of the book. The cover is one of the best I have seen in a very long time.
The legends of the Scandinavian countries are ripe for adventures and part of the very fiber that makes up the core of the FRPGs. The Northlands helps bring these tales to life.
I originally grabbed this because my local Pathfinder group is called "the Northlands Group" and I thought this might be a cool thing to have. But once I got it and started reading it I realized I wanted to keep it all for myself! I plan to use it for the areas in my Mystoerth games, specifically the areas right around my version of Hyborea.
Now this Northlands has nothing to do with the Frog God games Northland Saga for Pathfinder and Swords & Wizardry. But they are not incompatible.
I enjoyed it and I think you all might too.
5 out of 5 stars!
In its 110+ pages you will find a area ready for adventure. There are new classes, skills, feats, weapons and spells. There are rules for variant races (humans and Dwarves) and new races from the bestial Trollkin to the Hyperborean. Everything is given a new look to reflect the cold lands of the north. The culture here is a very different one. It’s not just colder, the people (and thus the characters) are different.
The magic chapter is very cool, with new spells, and new types of magic such as grudge magic and runic magic.
The lands are detailed in both chapter 2 and chapter 5. So there is plenty to work from here. The chapter on monsters contains quite a nice number of creatures and they are not for the faint of heart.
The author capture not only the rules of playing in these lands but the feel as well. Author Dan Voyce obviously has a love for this setting and their real world counterparts that show through the writing. This is a well researched book.
The art is equally fantastic and even though it is spare and black and white, it adds to the overall feel of the book. The cover is one of the best I have seen in a very long time.
The legends of the Scandinavian countries are ripe for adventures and part of the very fiber that makes up the core of the FRPGs. The Northlands helps bring these tales to life.
I originally grabbed this because my local Pathfinder group is called "the Northlands Group" and I thought this might be a cool thing to have. But once I got it and started reading it I realized I wanted to keep it all for myself! I plan to use it for the areas in my Mystoerth games, specifically the areas right around my version of Hyborea.
Now this Northlands has nothing to do with the Frog God games Northland Saga for Pathfinder and Swords & Wizardry. But they are not incompatible.
I enjoyed it and I think you all might too.
5 out of 5 stars!
...here there be dragons...
School is winding down for my little guys and that means the summer of no school, no homework and no reading right?
Wrong!
You can't be the kid of an educator and not expect something. But this time it was my son that surprised me. I was talking with him the other day and he wants to write a book, and not just any book. He wants to write one on dragons.
Liam has been playing D&D now for years. He loves dragons and has read dozens of books on them and of course he is the original Dragonslayer in my games.
We talked and I talked with teacher, so this summer Liam will be writing his first book, "Here There Be Dragons". There will be stats, histories and all sorts of goodies about dragons. He wants to do it all for Pathfinder and maybe 4e. I also suggested doing it for OSRIC and Basic era games too.
He wants spells, prestige classes and even has come up with some very specialized dragon hunting weapons including the dragon hunter's spear ("Because getting close enough to a dragon to use a sword is stupid.")
I will be doing the layout and editing, but all the ideas will be his.
The best part?
We are going to make the book available to everyone.
I don't know all the details yet. But expect a book of dragons coming from us sometime later in the summer.
Wrong!
You can't be the kid of an educator and not expect something. But this time it was my son that surprised me. I was talking with him the other day and he wants to write a book, and not just any book. He wants to write one on dragons.
Liam has been playing D&D now for years. He loves dragons and has read dozens of books on them and of course he is the original Dragonslayer in my games.
We talked and I talked with teacher, so this summer Liam will be writing his first book, "Here There Be Dragons". There will be stats, histories and all sorts of goodies about dragons. He wants to do it all for Pathfinder and maybe 4e. I also suggested doing it for OSRIC and Basic era games too.
He wants spells, prestige classes and even has come up with some very specialized dragon hunting weapons including the dragon hunter's spear ("Because getting close enough to a dragon to use a sword is stupid.")
I will be doing the layout and editing, but all the ideas will be his.
The best part?
We are going to make the book available to everyone.
I don't know all the details yet. But expect a book of dragons coming from us sometime later in the summer.
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Reviews at DriveThru
Working on cleaning up some of my "to be reviewed" files on my flash drive.
Trollops Of Destiny
At $1.19 I was not expecting a lot. I did get a book of 7 NPCs that I could use in any fantasy/historical style game. With a bit of work I could use them in almost any game, so the utility seems to be pretty high. But the issue I have this (one of them anyway) is there is not really enough information here. There are background sketches and motivations. There is an idea of how each character compares to the commoners of the time (intelligence, skills, wealth) and presented in a way to aid conversions into any system. There are also some adventure hooks and use ideas.
But there are some issues I have with it. First the art, that is there, is not really related to the text. Some art of the women in question would be nice. And "Trollops". Really? Why not just women or Femme Fatales but Trollops? And I am not sure what the whole "Destiny" thing is about. I know these are supposed to be archetypes, but they are very close to being stereotypes.
At the end of the day, it's nine pages for under a buck and a quarter. I would have rather paid more and gotten more I think.
3 out of 5 stars
Dudes of Legend (Full Version)
Be Epic.
Semi-serious, but very much tongue-in-cheek, this started out as an joke that people really loved. Is it irony to use it seriously in a game or self-referential humor? Sometime to break through the cliche is to embrace it.
It is the source book on how we wish the guys at White Wolf really were.
Every White Wolf player cliche of the 90s and on is here, and not just presented, but embraced and loving brought to us as if it were the only True Way to play. What is so funny here is that the stats for everything seem rock solid. They really put some care and attention to this.
White Wolf's April Fools jokes are usually pretty good and this one is no exception.
Grab your katana, trenchcoat and this book and be the Epic Awesome Legend you are.
5 out of 5 Stars
Player Races: Dragon Men
Misfit Studios gives us another fantasy race for Savage Worlds. This time we have Dragonmen, humanoid dragons. The document is not large, but does exactly what it needs to do. Description of the race, point values as a race and ways to use them in your game.
Good product for the price.
5 out of 5 Stars
Forgotten Foes Clip Art 1
Forgotten Foes Clip Art 3
Forgotten Foes Clip Art 4
12-14 excellent pieces of art to use as monster or character art or use in your own products with included license. All are black and white, but have a feel about them like you are reading a high-end bestiary. What would be nice if someone came up with stats for these for their own games. These are more inline with the classic monster books of the 1980s. The quality is great and the monsters/characters are good fantasy fare.
Includes a PDF for easy viewing.
4 to 5 out of 5 Stars
The Northland Saga Part 1 - Veangeance of the Long Serpent, Swords and Wizardry Edition
The Northland Saga Part 1 - Veangeance of the Long Serpent, Pathfinder Edition
I picked this up because I am playing in a Pathfinder game called "The Northlands Group" (unrelated). I am glad I did since this is a very interesting little adventure for low-mid level characters. Combining different cultures (Eskimo, Viking/Norse and others) and working on the "Lot's of planets have a north" theory, this adventure can be easily dropped into any campaign world. Brought to us by Frog God Games, which is what was Necromancer Games, it has the same high quality layout and writing you would expect from Necromancer.
This adventure comes in both Pathfinder and Swords & Wizardry versions, but I did not see any loss of fidelity from one version or the other, just the mechanics have changed. The Pathfinder version is longer by 4 pages, but that is entirely due to stat blocks. It would be interesting to me anyway to hear how the playtests for the different versions went. Is there that much of a difference in playability. In any case this adventure is a very good example of how the game design can change in 3+ decades, but game play is still what matters.
Designed as part of Frog Gods new Northlands campaign setting it shows a lot of promise and certainly will be something I am going to want to pick up and use.
5 out of 5 Stars
Undefeatable: The Collected Feats Sourcebook (PFRPG)
The collected volumes of Undefeatable for d20/Pathfinder. 90+ pages of feats for all sorts of characters and situations.
A good resource to have. Nothing jumped out at me as particularly broken or munchkin, and I read many feats that were of the very useful sort. Some do seem to blur the line a bit between 3.x feat and 4e powers, but that is not a big deal to me.
4 out of 5 Stars
[PFRPG] Moon's Folly
I love little towns with a lot of mystery. I love weird, freaky cults and weird, freaky goings on. And I love material that I can use in any setting, especially my own.
So I snatched up Moon's Folly in a hurry.
So take a town, plant it near a pre-historic megalithic structure. Fill it full of humans, elves, fey and lycanthropes and all peacefully worshiping the Moon Goddess, add your PCs and I am sure something is going to happen. But in case you are at a loss for ideas, there are plenty in this book. Did I mention that there some lumberers wanting to cut down the forest for profit? Yeah they are there too.
Reminds me a bit of the Village of Hommlet, if Hommlet was in the Scottish Highlands surrounded by dryads.
There are plenty of other secrets and plenty of NPCs to keep a Game Master occupied.
The one thing it is missing though is some sort of threat the Characters can solve the old-fashioned way, with sense violence. Not a requirement mind you, but players do enjoy a good combat session. The Keep had the Caves of Chaos, Hommlet had the Temple of Elemental Evil and Moon's Folly could do with something similar.
All in all, an enjoyable work and a great starting place for a group of new adventurers.
4 out of 5 Stars
Tobyart 006
Tobyart 007
Tobyart 008
Tobyart 009
Tobyart 010
Good line art to use as a character portrait, stock image or even for your own publications.
The license is included and easy to understand
5 out of 5 Stars
Bill Coffin's Septimus
Bill Coffin's Magnum Opus Septimus is yours for the asking.
Using the D6 system you can now play in this far future setting of a dying empire and a huge Dyson's Sphere.
This book is the ultimate in expression of the D6 system. Everything you need to play for years is here. Like the characters, there is so much to uncover here that it would take a group years to run out of ideas. If you area fan of Dune, Foundation or of the D6 system, then this really is a must have.
4 out of 5 Stars
Arcane Flavor
Need more background for your wizards or a cool place for them visit? Then this is the book for you. Living in a world full of magic should make for some magical lands and people, Arcane Flavor present five such cultures. Easily added to any campaign world. Each city, culture or locale also comes with new powers, spells, feats or rituals that are common to that region (and no where else!)
Cailleath is a fey city like no other. It's people are a strange assortment for any world and getting stranger all the time! It is a magic cosmopolitan filled with wonders not possible anywhere else in the world, or worlds, given it's nature.
The Valok are nomadic peoples with their own stories and songs and these contain power.
The Merry-Bedlam Company stretches this idea even further with a large extended theater family whose original race is no longer clear.
Karxal is a arid nightmare of a land, all the more reason to find arcanists devoted to beauty.
And finally to strike fear into hearts of power mad wizards everywhere are The Ternion.
The product has good layout and everything is very clear to read. The art is also good.
The rules are 4th Edition, but there is enough background here that it would be good for any game.
5 out of 5 Stars
Smallville High School Yearbook
An excellent source book to use with Smallville focused on the what really is the core concept of the show; Clark in High School. As expected the layout and art is top notch, this is a fantastic looking book. I love the whole "Yearbook" motif, very clever.
In you play Smallville, then this is a must have.
If you play any other game based in or around a High School then this is also a great resource to have on hand for character development. I loved the idea of the cliques and think I see a bit of the "Leverage" design philosophy in this game as well. In the end it makes for a much cool game.
Very much worth the download.
5 out of 5 Stars
[PFRPG] The Genius Guide to Fire Magic
Every group has one. I have had several. That wizard that is a complete pyro. It makes sense, fire causes a lot of damage, cleans up dungeons and the preferred weapon against most undead. Now the Super Genius' have given us this useful tome.
Tons of fire magic (including a new one, Steam) and ways to use your fire based spells and spellcasters. I got this one for my sun and his "Fire Wizard" so I am going to be getting a lot of use out of this one.
5 out of 5 Stars
Trollops Of Destiny
At $1.19 I was not expecting a lot. I did get a book of 7 NPCs that I could use in any fantasy/historical style game. With a bit of work I could use them in almost any game, so the utility seems to be pretty high. But the issue I have this (one of them anyway) is there is not really enough information here. There are background sketches and motivations. There is an idea of how each character compares to the commoners of the time (intelligence, skills, wealth) and presented in a way to aid conversions into any system. There are also some adventure hooks and use ideas.
But there are some issues I have with it. First the art, that is there, is not really related to the text. Some art of the women in question would be nice. And "Trollops". Really? Why not just women or Femme Fatales but Trollops? And I am not sure what the whole "Destiny" thing is about. I know these are supposed to be archetypes, but they are very close to being stereotypes.
At the end of the day, it's nine pages for under a buck and a quarter. I would have rather paid more and gotten more I think.
3 out of 5 stars
Dudes of Legend (Full Version)
Be Epic.
Semi-serious, but very much tongue-in-cheek, this started out as an joke that people really loved. Is it irony to use it seriously in a game or self-referential humor? Sometime to break through the cliche is to embrace it.
It is the source book on how we wish the guys at White Wolf really were.
Every White Wolf player cliche of the 90s and on is here, and not just presented, but embraced and loving brought to us as if it were the only True Way to play. What is so funny here is that the stats for everything seem rock solid. They really put some care and attention to this.
White Wolf's April Fools jokes are usually pretty good and this one is no exception.
Grab your katana, trenchcoat and this book and be the Epic Awesome Legend you are.
5 out of 5 Stars
Player Races: Dragon Men
Misfit Studios gives us another fantasy race for Savage Worlds. This time we have Dragonmen, humanoid dragons. The document is not large, but does exactly what it needs to do. Description of the race, point values as a race and ways to use them in your game.
Good product for the price.
5 out of 5 Stars
Forgotten Foes Clip Art 1
Forgotten Foes Clip Art 3
Forgotten Foes Clip Art 4
12-14 excellent pieces of art to use as monster or character art or use in your own products with included license. All are black and white, but have a feel about them like you are reading a high-end bestiary. What would be nice if someone came up with stats for these for their own games. These are more inline with the classic monster books of the 1980s. The quality is great and the monsters/characters are good fantasy fare.
Includes a PDF for easy viewing.
4 to 5 out of 5 Stars
The Northland Saga Part 1 - Veangeance of the Long Serpent, Swords and Wizardry Edition
The Northland Saga Part 1 - Veangeance of the Long Serpent, Pathfinder Edition
I picked this up because I am playing in a Pathfinder game called "The Northlands Group" (unrelated). I am glad I did since this is a very interesting little adventure for low-mid level characters. Combining different cultures (Eskimo, Viking/Norse and others) and working on the "Lot's of planets have a north" theory, this adventure can be easily dropped into any campaign world. Brought to us by Frog God Games, which is what was Necromancer Games, it has the same high quality layout and writing you would expect from Necromancer.
This adventure comes in both Pathfinder and Swords & Wizardry versions, but I did not see any loss of fidelity from one version or the other, just the mechanics have changed. The Pathfinder version is longer by 4 pages, but that is entirely due to stat blocks. It would be interesting to me anyway to hear how the playtests for the different versions went. Is there that much of a difference in playability. In any case this adventure is a very good example of how the game design can change in 3+ decades, but game play is still what matters.
Designed as part of Frog Gods new Northlands campaign setting it shows a lot of promise and certainly will be something I am going to want to pick up and use.
5 out of 5 Stars
Undefeatable: The Collected Feats Sourcebook (PFRPG)
The collected volumes of Undefeatable for d20/Pathfinder. 90+ pages of feats for all sorts of characters and situations.
A good resource to have. Nothing jumped out at me as particularly broken or munchkin, and I read many feats that were of the very useful sort. Some do seem to blur the line a bit between 3.x feat and 4e powers, but that is not a big deal to me.
4 out of 5 Stars
[PFRPG] Moon's Folly
I love little towns with a lot of mystery. I love weird, freaky cults and weird, freaky goings on. And I love material that I can use in any setting, especially my own.
So I snatched up Moon's Folly in a hurry.
So take a town, plant it near a pre-historic megalithic structure. Fill it full of humans, elves, fey and lycanthropes and all peacefully worshiping the Moon Goddess, add your PCs and I am sure something is going to happen. But in case you are at a loss for ideas, there are plenty in this book. Did I mention that there some lumberers wanting to cut down the forest for profit? Yeah they are there too.
Reminds me a bit of the Village of Hommlet, if Hommlet was in the Scottish Highlands surrounded by dryads.
There are plenty of other secrets and plenty of NPCs to keep a Game Master occupied.
The one thing it is missing though is some sort of threat the Characters can solve the old-fashioned way, with sense violence. Not a requirement mind you, but players do enjoy a good combat session. The Keep had the Caves of Chaos, Hommlet had the Temple of Elemental Evil and Moon's Folly could do with something similar.
All in all, an enjoyable work and a great starting place for a group of new adventurers.
4 out of 5 Stars
Tobyart 006
Tobyart 007
Tobyart 008
Tobyart 009
Tobyart 010
Good line art to use as a character portrait, stock image or even for your own publications.
The license is included and easy to understand
5 out of 5 Stars
Bill Coffin's Septimus
Bill Coffin's Magnum Opus Septimus is yours for the asking.
Using the D6 system you can now play in this far future setting of a dying empire and a huge Dyson's Sphere.
This book is the ultimate in expression of the D6 system. Everything you need to play for years is here. Like the characters, there is so much to uncover here that it would take a group years to run out of ideas. If you area fan of Dune, Foundation or of the D6 system, then this really is a must have.
4 out of 5 Stars
Arcane Flavor
Need more background for your wizards or a cool place for them visit? Then this is the book for you. Living in a world full of magic should make for some magical lands and people, Arcane Flavor present five such cultures. Easily added to any campaign world. Each city, culture or locale also comes with new powers, spells, feats or rituals that are common to that region (and no where else!)
Cailleath is a fey city like no other. It's people are a strange assortment for any world and getting stranger all the time! It is a magic cosmopolitan filled with wonders not possible anywhere else in the world, or worlds, given it's nature.
The Valok are nomadic peoples with their own stories and songs and these contain power.
The Merry-Bedlam Company stretches this idea even further with a large extended theater family whose original race is no longer clear.
Karxal is a arid nightmare of a land, all the more reason to find arcanists devoted to beauty.
And finally to strike fear into hearts of power mad wizards everywhere are The Ternion.
The product has good layout and everything is very clear to read. The art is also good.
The rules are 4th Edition, but there is enough background here that it would be good for any game.
5 out of 5 Stars
Smallville High School Yearbook
An excellent source book to use with Smallville focused on the what really is the core concept of the show; Clark in High School. As expected the layout and art is top notch, this is a fantastic looking book. I love the whole "Yearbook" motif, very clever.
In you play Smallville, then this is a must have.
If you play any other game based in or around a High School then this is also a great resource to have on hand for character development. I loved the idea of the cliques and think I see a bit of the "Leverage" design philosophy in this game as well. In the end it makes for a much cool game.
Very much worth the download.
5 out of 5 Stars
[PFRPG] The Genius Guide to Fire Magic
Every group has one. I have had several. That wizard that is a complete pyro. It makes sense, fire causes a lot of damage, cleans up dungeons and the preferred weapon against most undead. Now the Super Genius' have given us this useful tome.
Tons of fire magic (including a new one, Steam) and ways to use your fire based spells and spellcasters. I got this one for my sun and his "Fire Wizard" so I am going to be getting a lot of use out of this one.
5 out of 5 Stars
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
DriveThru Reviews: Fantasy Heartbreakers
The term "fantasy heartbreaker" is a term coined at The Forge to describe a then new breed of fantasy games that were very detailed, but obviously not far from the root game that spawned them, D&D. To me Fantasy Heartbreaker games always come across as someone's house rules of D&D or how they would have made D&D. Now sometimes they are supposed to be a game in their own right, a supplement to another game or in the case of more recent years, an OGC/d20 ruleset.
Most times the rules are nothing more than D&D with a different coat of paint, though sometimes were are treated to something new. Take Pathfinder. It is basically a Fantasy Heartbreaker that cleaves very close to the original source. So close in fact that it even has some of the same staff on it as the 3.x version of the D&D rules. Plus it gives a few new things.
World of Lykarnia
World of Lykarnia certainly feels D&D-ish. There are 6 traits that map perfectly onto the 6 standard abilities of D&D. There are skills, classes, levels, the standard races. Everything we expect in a FRPG. The equipment list the same weapons we have seen dozens of times. Granted I am not expecting much there.
A couple of things I felt were odd. The table of contents is huge, even for a 169 page book. I think the author could have collapsed a level or so; give us the broad categories, not ever thing to a Level 3 Header. Secondly the book starts off with (Chapter 2) with an example on combat. We don't even know what some of the words being used are (Spirit Score?) but we are supposed to follow along? Didn't like that.
The system is a simple d10 based one, not all that different than Unisystem or True20 (with a d10 instead). I found that more interesting since I could use this with Unisystem fairly easy (Characters are even ranked 1 to 5 on their traits). The magic system is interesting, but the spells are not all that different than what can be read in the Basic D&D books. I do like how they were grouped into classical elements.
The bit about psychotic disorders seemed way too modern for a fantasy game to be honest.
The monsters are just descriptions with their stats at the back of the book in a big table. Like OD&D.
There is a introductory adventure in the back as well, which I thought was a nice touch.
The author obviously put a lot of work into this book but there is nothing here that we have not seen already.
The included JPG map is very nice.
I give it a 3 out of 5 stars.
Tome of the Lost Realms Players Handbook
Released not long after the world had heard about 4th Edition, Tome of the Lost Realms does what Pathfinder also sat out to do, extend the life of the 3.x ruleset. Also like Pathfinder, this is a massive book at near 480 pages. The fonts and typography are meant to bring another Realms to your mind I am sure. The realms themselves are interesting as far as that sort of thing goes. the races section is rather large with all sorts of fantasy races, again many we have seen before. The same classes as 3.x/Pathfinder, with the Warlock replacing the Sorcerer in all but name. There are skills, feats, equipment and spells just like 3.x but it is hard to tell if anything here is new or not since there is so much of it. The Section 15 of this book leads me to believe that there is a ton of stuff in this book above and beyond the SRD, but nothing jumped out at me.
In the end this is 3.x or maybe 3.6. It is not quite Pathfinder and it has not moved past it's D&D roots to be completely unique either.
I gave 3 stars out of 5 since there is nothing really new here. But the price puts it at a fifth of the cost of Pathfinder, so maybe 3.5 out of 5.
I think the issue here is that if you are going to make a new fantasy RPG you have ask yourself what are you giving us to overcome D&D-inertia. What is new, interesting or otherwise different than before. Retro clones will start to fall into the same issues, if they haven't already.
Most times the rules are nothing more than D&D with a different coat of paint, though sometimes were are treated to something new. Take Pathfinder. It is basically a Fantasy Heartbreaker that cleaves very close to the original source. So close in fact that it even has some of the same staff on it as the 3.x version of the D&D rules. Plus it gives a few new things.
World of Lykarnia
A couple of things I felt were odd. The table of contents is huge, even for a 169 page book. I think the author could have collapsed a level or so; give us the broad categories, not ever thing to a Level 3 Header. Secondly the book starts off with (Chapter 2) with an example on combat. We don't even know what some of the words being used are (Spirit Score?) but we are supposed to follow along? Didn't like that.
The system is a simple d10 based one, not all that different than Unisystem or True20 (with a d10 instead). I found that more interesting since I could use this with Unisystem fairly easy (Characters are even ranked 1 to 5 on their traits). The magic system is interesting, but the spells are not all that different than what can be read in the Basic D&D books. I do like how they were grouped into classical elements.
The bit about psychotic disorders seemed way too modern for a fantasy game to be honest.
The monsters are just descriptions with their stats at the back of the book in a big table. Like OD&D.
There is a introductory adventure in the back as well, which I thought was a nice touch.
The author obviously put a lot of work into this book but there is nothing here that we have not seen already.
The included JPG map is very nice.
I give it a 3 out of 5 stars.
Tome of the Lost Realms Players Handbook
In the end this is 3.x or maybe 3.6. It is not quite Pathfinder and it has not moved past it's D&D roots to be completely unique either.
I gave 3 stars out of 5 since there is nothing really new here. But the price puts it at a fifth of the cost of Pathfinder, so maybe 3.5 out of 5.
I think the issue here is that if you are going to make a new fantasy RPG you have ask yourself what are you giving us to overcome D&D-inertia. What is new, interesting or otherwise different than before. Retro clones will start to fall into the same issues, if they haven't already.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Upcoming Projects
I have been very busy over the weekend.
In addition to all the normal stuff I do (work, being a dad, being a student, doing this new consultant gig) I also finalized some projects I hope to get out to you all soon.
The playtesting and writing is done for the most part, the longer editing process is now underway. All three of these products are related and each one has different focus and a different goal in mind.
Without further ado...
This book is designed to be used with Basic era games, such as the Basic Set and Expert Sets as well as the clones they inspired, Labyrinth Lord, Basic Fantasy and so on. I am not making it explicitly compatible with any version/edition/brand but instead making it something that can be used with any "Basic" game circa 1978-1983.
The book features the witch class, as well as traditions, hundreds of new spells, tons of new magic items and even some monsters to use in your game. Plus plenty of ideas to use in your game and material for other classes.
Right now there is just too much material in the book to make it a viable download/book for a basic game. So editing is on going.
I am hoping to have this ready by Halloween.
This book was announced a bit ago for Jason Vey's Spellcraft & Swordplay, though it should be fine with any Original Edition game clone.
This witch is actually a bit different than the Basic Witch. This will have two classes, the Witch and the Warlock, present a couple of new races, monsters, as well as a bunch of new spells and magic items.
This book will also feature demons and devils and new magical combat options.
The last one (no picture yet) is an untitled Pathfinder options book.
I might actually have that one done first.
So that is what I am doing. Comments? Questions? Suggestions?
In addition to all the normal stuff I do (work, being a dad, being a student, doing this new consultant gig) I also finalized some projects I hope to get out to you all soon.
The playtesting and writing is done for the most part, the longer editing process is now underway. All three of these products are related and each one has different focus and a different goal in mind.
Without further ado...
The Witch
A Class for Basic Era Games
The book features the witch class, as well as traditions, hundreds of new spells, tons of new magic items and even some monsters to use in your game. Plus plenty of ideas to use in your game and material for other classes.
Right now there is just too much material in the book to make it a viable download/book for a basic game. So editing is on going.
I am hoping to have this ready by Halloween.
Eldritch Witchery
For Spellcraft & Swordplay
This witch is actually a bit different than the Basic Witch. This will have two classes, the Witch and the Warlock, present a couple of new races, monsters, as well as a bunch of new spells and magic items.
This book will also feature demons and devils and new magical combat options.
The last one (no picture yet) is an untitled Pathfinder options book.
I might actually have that one done first.
So that is what I am doing. Comments? Questions? Suggestions?
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