That's How I Role: Baela the Immovable!

by Randy

Hello there! I would like to start off with an apology for not updating recently. It's been pretty hectic for us, and we've been focusing on a lot of other things. Thanks for coming back!

What I have today is a Pathfinder character that I believe would be very fun to play. She's one tough dwarf. A single-class monk, this character shows the fun stuff you can do with archetypes. Archetypes for the Pathfinder system were introduced in the Advanced Player's Guide. Archetypes swap out features of the base class with a set of themed abilities. Some are minor, and some make it feel like you're playing a whole new class.

Baela is themed on the immovable power of stone, befitting her Dwarf heritage. The archetypes used are Monk of the Sacred Mountain, Monk of the Four Winds and a splash of Qinggong Monk. The Monk of the Sacred Mountain trades some of the movement-based monk class features for ones themed on immobility & toughness. The Monk of the Four Winds is for monks more connected to the natural world, and the elements. Quinggong monks are disciplined users of Ki magic.

Baela Duerstan is a dwarf ascetic from Highhelm. Her mother, a caravan guard, died when she was in her teens, and she was taken in by the temple of Torag. Upon coming of age, she chose to leave the area and see the world. She now wanders from town to town, sometimes a caravan guard herself.

Baela Duerstan Dwarf Monk (Monk of the Sacred Mountain/Monk of the Four Winds/Qinggong Monk) Lawful Neutral  Level 10

Str 14, Dex 12, Con 18, Int 10, Wis 20, Cha 6

AC: 28 (+2 Dex +5 Wis +6 Natural Armor +3 Monk +1 Dodge +1 Deflection) 30 (+2 Shield if she does not move)
HP: 113 (10d8 + 50 Con + 10 Toughness +9 favored class)  DR: 1/-
Saves: Fort +11, Ref +8, Will +12
Move: 50

Weapons:
Unarmed strike +11/+5 2d6+3
Flurry of Blows +12/+12/+7/+7 2d6+3
+1 Shuriken +10/+5
+1 Shuiriken (flurry) +11/+11/+6/+6 1d2+3  10ft


Skills: Acrobatics +15, Stealth +15, Knowledge: Religion +13, Perception +18

Feats: Ironhide, Toughness, Dodge, Scorpion Style, Weapon Focus (Unarmed Strike), Shaitan Style, Gorgon Strike, Improved Natural Armor x2, Medusa's Wrath, Improved Unarmed Strike, Elemental Fist

Magic Items: 
Belt of Physical Perfection +2, Headband of Inspired Wisdom +4, Monk's Robe, Amulet of Natural Armor +2, 50 +1 Shuriken, Ring of Protection +1


Baela is, simply put, tough. Though she is highly mobile, she shines most when she can stand still and hit things; she is not subtle in the least. Her Scorpion Style feat will allow her to stop opponents in their tracks (and open the possibility of using Gorgon's Fist & Medusa's Wrath). The Elemental Fist feat is her go-to move for dealing unarmed strike damage. It will allow her to use any element, but it is best employed for acid damage, which is boosted by the Shaitan Style feat (which she should activate in every battle at the beginning). When she needs to withstand a barrage of attacks, standing still and using a Ki point for her monk dodge bonus will get her to Armor Class 34. And don't forget that her Damage Reduction (DR 1/-) is always active (she can double this with a Ki point).

For advancement, Baela should take Stunning Fist next level. As a monk, she will get one use per level (and an additional use from her Monk Robe). If she uses Stunning Fist in a Flurry of Blows attack, she can get two additional attacks at her highest base attack bonus (assuming the opponent fails his save). At 12th level, her Monk of the Four Winds archetype replaces Abundant Step with Slow Time, the ability to use a swift action to spend 6 ki points to get 3 standard actions that turn instead of one. At 13th level, either Crushing Blow or Hammer The Gap are good feat choices. You may also use the Qinggong Monk archetype to swap out Diamond Body for another power not replaced by one of the other archetypes: Restoration is a very good choice.

Alternately, a one-level dip into Fighter with the Unbreakable archetype would round out the prerequisites for the prestige class Stalwart Defender anytime after 9th level. Though a Monk is not the ideal path to get there, it offers a lot to Baela: a larger hit die, a dodge bonus to AC, damage reduction (it won't stack with hers, but will eventually surpass what she has), the defensive stance and a variety of defensive powers.

Note: All of the links above go to D20PFSRD.com, an excellent fan-made resource for Pathfinder rules run by John Reyst. I use this every time I make a character or plan an adventure for Pathfinder. John is currently running a Patreon to support maintaining this excellent resource. Please consider lending your support.

Black Matthias & The Mystery of the Stones, part 1

A Villain inspired by Tom Waits' Black Wings

by Randy
@coffeeswiller

One of my absolute favorite campaigns was set in the Lands of the Diamond Throne, the default setting for Monte Cook's Arcana Unearthed/Arcana Evolved alternate player's handbook. I could gush about that ruleset. It was imaginative, rich, and groundbreaking. It broke from the Tolkien-inspired fantasy that D&D had long been beholden to in interesting ways. In my opinion, this was the first OGL (that's Open Gaming License, the license that allows third party content based on 3rd Edition Dungeons & Dragons) product that really pushed the boundaries. You could say Monte Cook is known for that. But that's another tale for another post. Now I'm going to talk about a campaign I had the pleasure to play in with some great folks.

We had an interesting party. There was a Giant Mageblade played by Julian (one of the authors here at Growing Up Gamers), who was a sort of pyromancer. My wife played a Loresong Faen storyteller, a speaker of the dead, who was on a quest to find some artifacts, and our friend Brady's human Oathsworn of dubious morals who had vowed to protect her. In her first roleplaying experience, our friend Shannon played a Quickling Faen Totem Warrior amnesiac with an unknown past. And my character was a Litorian (lion-man) tribesman fulfilling a promise to his dead sister to scatter her ashes at the four corners of the world (I ran a character because I alternated gamemastering with Julian).

All great fantasy heroes need great villains. Perhaps the villain I am most proud of making was the primary antagonist of this story, Black Matthias. Well, "Black Matthias" was one of his names, of which he had many. Black Matthias was an ancient and powerful Magister, a practitioner of magics strong and dark. And moreover... he was bored. And you may not know this, but ancient, powerful and bored are a troublesome combination.

My inspiration for this guy was a song by Tom Waits, and, to some extent, the musician himself. The song, Black Wings (from the CD Bone Machine), tells a story of an implacable adversary, perhaps the devil himself, incapable of being imprisoned, appearing in dreams, and stealing away his promises. If you haven't heard of Tom Waits, or listened to this song, I encourage you to do that. On a side note, the musician himself is also an actor who has likely appeared in movies you have seen. But I digress a bit.

The heroes became acquainted with him at the end of their first adventure. He showed up in a carriage drawn by skeletal horses to complain about them thwarting his scheme to get a woman lynched by the townsfolk of a backwater village called Lazy Eye. Unbeknownst to them, the whole thing was a bit of a sham to test them, and to see if the faen amnesiac, Laura, had any recollection of him. Then, after brushing aside a few sword blows from the giant, he climbed back into his carriage... which promptly dispersed into a huge pile of maggots. Yes, he was very theatrical.

I'm not sure the players knew what to make of him. From the moment he stepped into the campaign, it was clear from the start he wasn't a good guy. I believe his first line, delivered in his characteristic gravelly rasp, was, "Alright, children... pin your ear to the wisdom-post, 'cause I'm only gonna say this once...". So their first interaction was to get a lecture from a man in a crumpled hat and a suit that appeared to have slept in for days, discussing the inconvenience and impracticalities of having to re-plan the things they've messed up. No threats, no maniacal laughter... not even hostility, really.

So... the other faen woman in the campaign, Kyra, was on a quest for some artifacts called the Sakkar Tolmen Stones [Note: this bit was borrowed from the now-defunct website, DiamondThrone.com, by a user called Black Moria; I'll gladly credit the author if anyone knows him]. In this campaign, these were six smallish crystal pyramids, each corresponding to the six elements of magic: fire, water, earth, air, the green and the dark. Notably powerful each on their own, when put together, they formed a cube of significant power, and unlocked the secrets of their creator, a Magister of the distant past named Sakkar Tolmen... can you see where this is going?

Sakkar Tolmen, in times before the coming of the Dramojh, was a Magister of great power. Aware that his mortal frame would eventually fail him, he devised a plan to achieve immortality and great power. He encased a piece of his soul in each of these six stones (much like a lich would in a phylactery), which he then enchanted into six powerful artifacts. Then... he did something of pure genius: he gave them away. Powerful magisters rarely give away powerful things, or cooperate with each other. Sakkar Tolmen counted upon this to keep the stones from ever coming back together. But this was not enough. His soul was safe, but he needed raw life-force to keep him from living forever in a desiccated husk. He needed a soul anchor.

In terms of the Sakkar Tolmen curse, a soul anchor is sort of a host for Sakkar to feed from, indirectly. After a ritual upon a young creature, that creature enters a symbiotic relationship with him. The details I'll go over in part 2, but the host effectively has a slight Constitution penalty, but gains a slightly longer lifespan. Sakkar, in addition to being "living", may treat the host as an origin for spells and scry upon her pretty easily. A good way to protect one's investment, eh?

So along their journey, the heroes uncovered, bit by bit, pieces of information about Black Matthias. Kyra's research of Black Matthias kept going further and further back. In the Free Cities of the South, he was immortalized in a children's rhyme as Blackbag, a bogeyman-like entity who stole children. In the capital, old records of the times of the coming of the Dramojh told of a wicked arms dealer and war profiteer, captured and tried, yet who inexplicably laughed off every punishment and execution attempt... before walking out of the prison, never to return. More answers, more questions.

Laura, it was eventually revealed, was the current soul anchor. Bits of memories came back to her in dreams. Forgotten friends revealed themselves to her. Cryptic hints were dropped in encounters where Black Matthias allowed himself to be seen. It was really fun unfolding this story and leaving breadcrumbs of clues lying about.

In part 2, I'll hash out the template for both Arcana Evolved and Pathfinder!
In part 3, I'll describe the Sakkar Tolmen Stones!
In part 4, I'll stat out the man himself!

Here's the lyrics to the song that serve as the inspiration (or listen to it):

Black Wings, by Tom Waits


Take an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth
Just like they say in the Bible
Never leave a trace or forget a face
Of any man at the table, any man at the table

When the moon is a cold chiseled dagger
And it's sharp enough to draw blood from a stone
He rides through your dreams on a coach and horses 
And the fence posts in the moonlight look like bones

Well they've stopped trying to hold him 
With mortar, stone and chain 
He broke out of every prison
Well the boots mount the staircase
The door is flung back open
He's not there for he has risen
He's not there for he has risen

Some say he once killed a man with a guitar string
He's been seen at the table with kings
Well he once saved a baby from drowning
There are those that say beneath his coat there are wings

Some say they fear him

Some say they fear him
Others admire him
Because he steals his promise
One look in his eye
And everyone denies
Ever having met him
Ever having met him

He can turn himself into a stranger
Well they broke a lot of canes on his hide
He was born away in a cornfield
A fever beats in his head just like a drum inside

Some say they fear him
Others admire him
Because he steals his promise
One look in his eye
Everyone denies
Ever having met him
Ever having met him
Ever having met him
Ever having met him
Ever having met him
Ever having met him

A Tale of Two Items, or Why I'm Not A Superstar

by Randy
@coffeeswiller on Twitter


Hey there! Has anyone out there entertained the idea of writing for their favorite roleplaying game? I have no doubt that a majority of you just said a huge "YES!" to yourselves. Well, I got news for you. Paizo Publishing, makers of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, have an annual talent hunt called RPG Superstar.

RPG Superstar is an excellent event, not just for the opportunity it provides, but also for the chance to see the creative contributions of other RPG enthusiasts. I have watched it from the sidelines in previous years, but this year I decided to jump in and try it out.

I'll bet you're asking, "Randy, how did you do? Are YOU a superstar?", to which I'm going to smile and reply, "Not even close!". And that's actually cool with me.

The competition is divided into several rounds, the first of which is to design a Wondrous Item. The actual rules are pretty simple. The item needs to actually be a Wondrous Item. It needs to be mechanically sound. It needs to be costed correctly. And it needs to actually be superstar material. Sure, every roleplaying game needs staples like crystal balls, belts of strength and what-not, but this isn't about making those things. It's about standing out. I'm paraphrasing the rules, of course... they're right here if you want to read them.

Anyway, here is the item I submitted:

Inspires the imagination, doesn't it? 

Orb of Aggravation
Aura strong transmutation; CL 10th
Slot none; Price 500 gp; Weight 1 lb.
Description
This Orb of Aggravation is a 3 inch sphere of dull iron, favored by rogues (many of whom refer to them as Orbs of Escape). It is activated by throwing it at an enemy, to whom it flies unerringly. It then bobs and weaves around the target, striking sensitive areas and occasionally sprouting a hook to pull down trousers or sword belts, or ejecting dust to inhibit eyesight. It performs the Dirty Trick combat maneuver that round and for each of the following four rounds. It attacks with a CMB of +15, randomly bestowing one of the following conditions (roll 1d6): 1-blinded, 2-dazzled, 3-deafened, 4-entangled, 5-shaken, or 6-sickened. Each effect lasts for one round plus one round for each 5 points the CMB roll exceeds the opponent's CMD, and each may be removed with a move action. The orb does not provoke attacks of opportunity, but may be attacked. It has an AC of 16, a hardness of 5 and 10 hit points. After the last attack roll, the Orb of Aggravation crumbles into dust.

Construction
Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, Improved Dirty Trick, telekinesis; Cost 250 gp

I was going for something I considered a "design hole". In this case, it was taking a mechanic introduced after the core rules, the Dirty Trick combat maneuver, and using an existing item, the Whip Feather Token, as a template for a new one. I think I was moving in a good direction with this, but the end result was a rather lackluster item. Especially since it was practically devoid of meaningful, interesting description ("3 inch sphere of dull iron"? Come on!). I rushed my writing a bit, and discarded some good ideas (more later) that would have made it more eye-catching. Additionally, I should have more closely followed the sage advice of Sean K. Reynolds, one of the judges of the competition, a Paizo employee and an all-around nice guy, if you get the chance to talk to him in person.

So, that being said, if I could hop back into a time machine and re-submit this item, here what it would look like:

Scribbles by the author.

Harpy Egg
Aura strong transmutation; CL 10th
Slot none; Price 750 gp; Weight 1 lb.
Description
A Harpy Egg appears to be an iron ingot the size and shape of a goose egg, criss-crossed with grooves in no apparent pattern. When thrown at an enemy within fifty feet, requiring a successful ranged touch attack, the egg separates at the seams to reshape itself into a rough-cast harpy figurine the size of a human fist. It then flies around the target, striking sensitive areas, pulling down sword belts, or spitting iron filings in eyes. For five rounds, beginning the round it was thrown, it executes the Dirty Trick combat maneuver against the creature it was targeted against with a CMB of +10, bestowing one of these conditions (roll 1d6):
1-blinded
2-dazzled
3-deafened
4-entangled
5-shaken
6-sickened
The condition persists for one round plus one round for each 5 points the CMB roll exceeded the enemy's CMD, and may be removed with a move action. The harpy does not provoke attacks of opportunity, but may be attacked. It has an AC of 16, a hardness of 10 and 5 hit points. After the fifth round, the Harpy Egg crumbles into dust.
Construction 
Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, telekinesis; Cost 375 gp

I think that makes it a pretty neat item with a reasonable amount of flavor. The orb was originally almost a "clockwork harpy", but I didn't want to address the "don't you need to wind it?" question, or add a "spend a move action winding it" clause. As it is now, it may still not yet be superstar material, but I like it. It's a straightforward one-shot item designed to harass an enemy briefly, then go poof! and leave no meaningful trace of its existence. I envisioned it primarily as an aid to escaping (imagine hitting a pursuing guard with it!), but it would also be very useful in combat to interfere with one opponent's action economy. I think that if you're a player of Pathfinder, you can come up with a few clever uses for it. By the way, if you do use it, tell me! 

Here's a great image I found on deviantArt that I thought would be a great illustration of how the Harpy Egg might look deployed (although good luck getting one to hold still long enough to confirm!). This is a work-in-progress piece by deviantArt user edsa-m, who was kind enough to give me permission to show this piece. For the miniatures enthusiasts among you (like me!), he made a great video on sculpting feathered wings here. I encourage you to check out his stuff!

Mcc Monster girl Harpy WIP by deviantArt user edsa-m

Another great harpy sculpture I saw is below by artist deviantArt user EvanCampbell. What I like about that one is the action and the face. The expression on the face is a lot closer to what I imagine the harpy looking like while doing her work. He was also kind enough to allow me to display his amazing piece here. Please consider popping over and seeing his work, as well!

Harpy by deviantArt user EvanCampbell

I would like to thank the wonderful members of the Paizo community who took the time to critique my item and offer constructive feedback. I'm not sure exactly how many items were submitted, but many active people spent a lot of their time looking over all those items and giving their thoughts. Even those of you like me who didn't make the Top 32 for RPG Superstar, you're all rockstars to me! I would also like to thank devientArt users edsa-m and EvanCampbell for allowing me to share pics of their Wondrous Items! Thanks, guys! Thanks and appreciation also goes to the site d20 PFSRD, to which all game rule links are pointing to.

Did any other readers participate in the RPG Superstar, either this year or in the past? Let us know in the comments!

UPDATE!
The sculptor of the first piece above, edsa-m, liked my Harpy Egg sketch and decided to incorporate that into a piece he did! Here is a work-in-progress look at that piece:

MCC Monster Girls-Nagja the Gorgon WIP-details by deviantArt user edsa-m

So just to say it again... Edsa is a great guy, and I love his work. Please pop over and check out his stuff on deviantArt!

That's How I Role: Day & Night

By Randy
@coffeeswiller

The Pathfinder character below is one that I custom-made for the winner of an auction for the Jack Vasel Memorial Fund that ran on BoardGameGeek. After winning the auction, he challenged me to make a character that had different powers during the day and at night. He seemed to like what I came up with, which is a Mystic Theurge with an interesting but integrated dual nature. I hope he gets a chance to play this character, and I hope you all like it. During the process of making this, I made use of the D20 PFSRD, an excellent resource for open-source Pathfinder material. For those counting, Devin is a 20-point buy. 

Devin Renzik

Cleric of Sarenrae (Separatist ) 3 / Wizard (Shadowcaster) (Fire Elementalist) 3 / Mystic Theurge 2

STR 8, Dex 14, Con 10, Int 18, Wis 16 [18], Cha 13

HD 3d8 + 5d6 +3  HP  41

BAB +4

Armor Class  20   [+2 Dex, +6 armor, +2 Deflection], Resist Fire 5

Saves Fort +5 Ref +5 Will +11

Skills Knowledge (arcana) +15, Knowledge (religion) +15, Stealth +18, Knowledge (history) +20, Diplomacy +12, Spellcraft +15, Perception +12

Feats  Skill Focus (Stealth), Arcane Armor Training, Scribe Scroll, Eldritch Heritage, Theurgy, Spell Penetration, Blind-Fight

Traits Magical Knack (Wizard), Indomitable Faith

Combat

MW Sickle +4 1d6-1  20/ X2

MW Light Crossbow +7  1d8  19-20/X2

Domains Night (effective level 1^st), Sun

Spells

Cleric [Caster level 5, DC 14 + spell level]: 0—4, 1st—4+1, 2nd—3+1, 3rd—2+1

Wizard [Caster level 7, DC 14 + spell level]: 0—4, 1st—4+1, 2nd—3+1, 3rd—2+1    (Shadow Spells: 3 levels) [Arcane Spell failure 10% if swift action not used for Arcane Armor Training]

Channel Positive Energy 2d6 [4/day, 2d6+3 when used to harm undead, Will Save DC 12 for half damage, channel resistance does not apply]

Wizard spells known:

0: Spark, detect Magic, Read Magic, Message, Open/Close, Mage Hand, Mending

1: Identify, Sleep,  Burning Hands, Dancing Lantern, Grease

2: Dust of Twilight (APG), Darkness, Scorching Ray, Haste, Burning Gaze

3: Dispel Magic, Daylight, Fireball, Twilight Knife (APG)

Languages Common, Varisian, Shadowtongue, Celestial, Infernal, Ancient Varisian

Equipment [33,000gp, expected starting wealth for an 8^th level character]

+2 Shadow Mithril Shirt, Headband of Inspired Wisdom +2, Ring of Protection +2, Scholar’s Ring,  Wand of Cure Light Wounds (50 charges), Spellbook, Silver Holy Symbol, Masterwork Sickle,

Masterwork Light Crossbow, 2234gp

Notes:

The Separatist archetype for clerics’ Forbidden Rites feature  allows the character to take a domain not normally available to his deity, which is how this character has the Night domain (Night is a subdomain of Darkness), but loses automatic proficiency with Sarenrae’s chosen weapon, the scimitar. The Shadowcaster archetype for wizards allows the wizard to store a few levels of spells in their shadow in place of the arcane bond feature.

Character background

Devin’s grandmother Calla was a shadowcaster and a casual worshipper of Zon-Kuthon. A twisted person, she sought to infuse shadowstuff into herself to gain power, but was unsuccessful. Or so she thought. She eventually married and had children, all of whom were a bit sickly and only one of whom survived until adulthood, Umbra. Umbra had little love for her mother, for Calla was aloof and neglectful.

Umbra came to learn that she manifested some slight powers over shadow, which initially frightened her. She eventually came to accept this as harmless, but it did worry her enough to seek counsel from the local temple of Sarenrae. Umbra appreciated their kindness and converted, eventually developing a personal philosophy about the symbiotic relationship of shadows and light, which she later imparted on her son, Devin.

Devin grew up worshipping Sarenrae, and influenced by his mother's beliefs. Though he found his views to not be entirely aligned with the clergy of their provincial temple, he was allowed to study there and eventually become a cleric. Upon ordination, he had all but abandoned his heretical views, but a couple things happened.

First, Devin started to manifest the powers over shadows his mother had. And shortly thereafter Calla died, and he inherited a book from her which turned out to be her spellbook. He sought answers in that book, some of which he found. He also found that he had a knack for the incantations he discovered there. To reconcile this with his faith for Sarenrae, he fell back on his mother's beliefs with fervor, believing himself to be a living embodiment of Sarenrae's dual nature as both the light, and the shadows she creates.

And with that, Devin has taken to wander to seek evidence of his revelations and spread his message. He has already seen in a vision that the chosen weapon is the sickle (which he refers to as "the eclipse"). To this date, he still is unaware of his grandmother's Kuthonite faith, though it would matter little to him. His daily routine, which may differ on the road, is to pray to Sarenrae at dawn and study at dusk.

That's How I Role: Etta Skaalsdottir, Magekiller!

 by Randy
@coffeeswiller

I have always loved cracking open a new rulebook for a roleplaying game and imaging all the possibilities. A true geek at heart, I revel in the opportunity to imagine all the neat characters I could come up with. Heck, I’ve even based satisfying character builds completely around a suboptimal feat, or optional class feature. This doesn’t always yield viable characters, but sometimes, gems emerge. 

This character is one of those, “If I got the chance, I would love to play this…” kinda guys. Well, I say guy, but this could easily be made into a lady. Heck, I’ll even make this example female. This is one tough cookie… and a frustrating one to get in a tangle with. With a moderate Western theme, Etta Skaalsdottir is packing a nasty six-shooter, and is more than ready to go bare-knuckle on anyone who gets in the way of her service to Cayden Cailean (which mostly consists of drinking). She is a 5^th-level Pathfinder character hailing originally from the city of Alkenstar, in the Mana Wastes of Golarion. For those interested in that sort of thing, she has a 25-point ability score buy.

Note: I have extensively linked items here to D20 PFSRD. The D20 PFSRD is an excellent fan-made resource collecting all the rules of the Pathfinder RPG, and you should definitely check it out.

------------------

Etta Skaalsdottir   

Monk (Martial Artist) 1 / Gunslinger 1 / Inquisitor (Preacher) 3

“Her language brings color to the world, and her scowl can move mountains…”                                     –Daern Calder, dwarf pyromancer

CG  Medium humanoid (human)

Init +7; Senses Perception +12

Defense

AC 18, touch 18, flat-footed 15

( +3 Dex, +4 Wis, +1 Deflection)

HP 39 (4d8+ +1d10 + 5, +3 favored class)

Fort +8, Ref +8, Will +9

Offense

Spd 30 ft.

Melee Unarmed Strike +5 (1d6+2, x2) (+1 to hit when AoO)

Ranged +1 Revolver +7 (1d8+1, x4, Range 20)

Special Attacks Stunning Fist (2/day, Fort Save DC 16), Flurry of Blows

Inquisition Spellkiller

Spells Known (CL 5th for effects):

1st (4/day)—cure light wounds,  lock gaze, true strike, burst bonds

0 (Orisons)—brand, create water, detect magic, detect poison, guidance, light

Statistics

Str 14, Dex 17, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 18, Cha 8

Base Atk +3; CMB +5 CMD 18

Feats Point Blank Shot, Panther Style, Improved Unarmed Strike, Stunning Fist, Combat Reflexes, Gunsmithing, Panther Claw, Disruptive, Panther Parry

Skills Acrobatics +11, Intimidate +9, Knowledge (Arcana) +6 (+10 for monster lore), Perception +12, Sense Motive +13, Stealth +11, Survival +10 (+11 to track)

Traits Bullied, Magical Knack (Inquisitor)

Languages Common

SQ Grit (Grit Pool 4), Deeds, Judgment 1/day, Detect Alignment, Determination 2/day

Combat Gear Ring of Protection +1, Silver Holy Symbol (Cayden Cailean), 20 alchemical rounds

Playing Etta

Originally hailing from the Mana Wastes, Etta Skaalsdottir is a force to be reckonened with. Most folks,  especially those who know her, give her a wide berth. Her foul temper is matched only by her foul mouth, and she rarely hesitates to give anyone a piece of her mind if she feels inconvenienced in any way. Even those who would consider her a friend knows enough to tread lightly around her, as she is far more intimidating than someone of her size and build ought to be. Even burly half-orcs sense it’s a bad idea to mess with this waifish  woman who looks like she hasn’t eaten a full meal in weeks, despite evidence on her poncho to the contrary.

The streets of Alkenstar tempered this fair-haired fighter, and she can –and did- fight bare-knuckled with the worst those streets had to offer, and she has the scarred knuckles and crooked nose to prove it. By the time she was a teenager, she was already fighting for loose copper to keep her and her “family” of orphans fed, and eventually became a pretty good bareknuckle boxer. At seventeen years old, she pilfered her first pistol and became adept with that, as well, eventually hiring herself out as a caravan guard. An ill-fated mission to Nex ended with her half-dead and forcefully teleported  to Varisia. An ambush by spell-wielding highwaymen awoke some of the latent magical scars of that land, and Etta believes herself to be the sole survivor of that mishap.

Etta now is based loosely in Magnimar, and through aid to the orphans of that city, discovered the faith of Cayden Cailean and has become one of his champions. Already a “practitioner” of most tenets of his clergy (drinking, foolhardiness and service to the downtrodden… but mostly just drinking), she was anointed an inquisitor in his name. She provides monetary support to the orphanage in Magnimar, and those who find themselves there might just see some of the few genuine smiles Etta has to offer.

 The Build

I like to think of the various classes of the Pathfinder roleplaying game as building blocks that you can make the characters you want. In this build, it all fits together thematically as well as mechanically. The Martial Artist archetype for the monk class is a non-ki using version, and it also does not have an alignment restriction. This makes sense for Etta's background, since she's a street tough who is most assuredly not from a monastic tradition. The level of gunslinger provides the basic necessities of using firearms, as well as basic deeds and Grit. And inquisitor is just a fun and interesting class. Put together, these kind of make a rough, fist-fighting gun-toting brawler.

Combat

In combat, Etta is a confusing foe who gets in the middle of the action and harries her foes. Most players go out of their way to provoke as few Attacks of Opportunity (AoO’s) as possible, but this is not how to play Etta. The Panther Style feat chain allows her to retailiate against AoO’s with an unarmed strike before the opponent’s attack is resolved. You heard me right… before. At 5^th level, 1d6+2 damage isn’t a great trade-off for whatever a melee juggernaut is able to do against you, but most likely, Etta  is going to run through a crowd of goons, take some lumps, and then pop a shot off at the biggest threat, and hopefully park it near an enemy spellcaster. Since she has Stunning Fist, she may also declare one of those retaliatory strikes a stunning attempt. With a gun, Etta is pretty good, too. Firearms in Golarion ignore armor bonus in the first range increment, and Gunslingers can extend that range with Grit points via the Deadeye Shot deed.

A favorite tactic for Etta is the Dirty Trick. This is a very useful combat maneuver, and can cause a variety of status conditions that last for 1 round plus an additional round per 5 points her CMB roll exceeds the enemy’s CMD, though can be remedied with a Move-equivalent action by the recipient. Since she didn’t invest in nor qualify for the feats Combat Expertise and Improved Dirty trick, she’ll provoke AoO’s for doing this, but most likely the opponent will already have used this to attack her for moving (and thus, will not have another attack to make unless he has Combat Reflexes). This great thematically as well as mechanically, since we’re billing her as a dirty fighter.

Etta eats arcane spellcasters for lunch, if she can get to them. The Spellkiller Inquisition grants her the Disruptive feat (meaning the DC to cast defensively increases by +4), as well as the ability to give them the Staggered condition upon hitting them (even at range!) if Etta has defeated another opponent previously in the encounter. Once she is adjacent to them, using Dirty Trick to make them  Deaf, Blind, Entangled or Sickened is good, especially if she has already provoked an Attack of opportunity and used Panther Claw. Another option is to use a Move action to provoke the AoO, then ready a standard action to shoot them if they cast a spell… and announce nonchalantly that she will do so.

Advancement

Etta should continue advancing as an Inquisitor for the rest of her career. To keep pace with her party’s damage potential, she’s going to need to get the Bane class feature, and use her Judgements well. Since Inquisitor is her favored class, she will get the favored class bonus and she should always take the extra hit point; her tactics usually get her damaged every encounter. Additionally, the spellcasting helps… especially for quick first aid in combat.

For feats, her best next feat is Step Up. This allows her to take a 5ft. Step when adjacent to an opponent that does. This will truly make her the bane of spellcasters, since a typical tactic is to take a step away to avoid attacks of opportunity or the risk losing a spell due to a failed Concentration check.  Grit feats are good investments, too, but most have feat prerequisites that may be hard to meet. Toughness is also a decent choice, given her "in the thick of it" style.  

Variants

The easiest variation is a reskinning... just change the theme and make it a Lawful Evil mage assassin. It would make a great foil to a party's primary spellcaster, particularly arcane caster. Or swap out the Point Blank Shot for the Grit feat No Name, change the alignment to Chaotic Neutral and you've got a Clint Eastwood/spaghetti western style antihero.  A very interesting variant would be to swap out Point Blank Shot with Dodge, take Mobility as your next feat and get into the Shadowdancer class. This would make for an even more frustrating combatant, as well as set the character up for some of the better Grit feats. Nifty, huh? What do you think of the character? Let me know!

That's How I Role: My Zen Archer at Level Five

by Randy
@coffeeswiller

Hello, all!

I decided that this post was going to be about the Pathfinder character that I'm playing in my current campaign. I introduced the guy Hallyr first in this post. And since then... he's been pretty busy. Trekking around Varisia, righting wrongs, freeing the unjustly imprisoned, etc... you know, rampant do-goodery.

Hallyr Narcissar
Male Elf Monk (Zen Archer archetype) 4 / Inquisitor of Sarenrae 1
LG  Medium humanoid (elf)
Init +5; Senses low-light vision,  Perception +14
Defense
AC 19, touch 18, flat-footed 16
(+1 armor, +3 Dex, +4 Wis, +1 Monk)
hp 35 (5d8+5, +4 favored class) Fort +7, Ref +7, Will +10; +2 vs. Enchantments, Immune Sleep
Offense
Spd 40 ft. Melee Dawn (+1 Cold Iron/Silver Scimitar) +6 (1d6+2, 18-20) Ranged Malachiel (+1 Composite Longbow, Mighty +2) +10(1d8+3, X3)
Special Attacks Flurry of Blows (bow only), Judgement 1/day, Perfect Strike (bow only) 4/day
Domain  Healing; Rebuke Death 7/day (heal 1d4 damage to a creature under 0hp)
Spells Known (CL 3rd):
1st (2/day)—cure light wounds,  true strike
0 (Orisons)—detect magic, detect poison, guidance, light
Statistics
Str 15, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 16, Wis 18, Cha 11
Base Atk +3; CMB +5 CMD 18
Feats Additional Traits, Perfect Strike, Improved Unarmed Strike, Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Breadth of Experience, Weapon Focus: Composite Longbow, Point Blank Master, Deadly Aim
Skills Acrobatics +11 (Jump +15), Climb +9, Craft (Bowyer) +7, Escape Artist +7, Intimidate +5, Knowledge (Arcana) +9, Knowledge (Dungeoneering) +9, Knowledge (Geography) +9, Knowledge (History) +10, Knowledge (Nature) +9, Knowledge (Planes) +9, Knowledge (Religion) +9, Perception +14, Sense motive +8, Spellcraft +7, Stealth +11, Survival +11, Swim +6
Traits Warrior of Old, Magical Knack (Inquisitor), Rich Parents, Heirloom Weapon (bow)
Languages Elf, Common, Orc, Celestial, Draconic
SQ Fast movement, Ki Pool (6 points, magic), Slow Fall 20ft, Monster Lore, Silent Hunter (alternate racial ability)
Combat Gear Dawnflower Sash Other Gear Bracers of Armor +1, Efficient Quiver (60 arrows), Dagger, Antitoxin, silver holy symbol (Sarenrae)

Hallyr

That's him! Everything there should be accessible in the Pathfinder SRD. Which, by the way, is an awesome reference that you should make use of if you play Pathfinder at all.

I hope you all enjoyed that! Goodbye for now!

That's How I Role: My Zen Archer Monk!

by Randy

Introducing That's How I Role, a new category of posts. Whenever we post our own content about a classic pen-and-paper roleplaying game that we're playing in, excluding reviews or general discussion, we'll add that label.

Hello! Any roleplayers out there? I hope so. Roleplaying games (RPGs) haven't received a lot of wordcount on our blog so far, and, since it's my favorite type of gaming, I think it's time to correct that. Today, I'm going to discuss a character I play in a new Pathfinder campaign. For those unfamiliar, the Pathfinder RPG is an overhaul of the Dungeons & Dragons version 3.5 rules. If you want to check the rules out, they're available for free here; it's an open source system. A spiffy thing about this new campaign is that it was spawned by a discussion on this blog... and I think that's pretty awesome.

I often get excited when new character making options present themselves. A while back, I picked up the Pathfinder Advanced Player's Guide, a supplement that added options for players, including new classes and further options for existing ones. Some of these caught my eye; specifically, the new Inquisitor class and the Zen Archer archetype for the Monk class.

Seriously, a Monk?!?!

The Zen Archer archetype made me want to play a Monk; I can't really say I had ever wanted to before. Seriously. The core class, though made very interesting in its Pathfinder version, was a very specific type of character. It's a great set of abilities, but the Asian-themed flavor seems out of place in what is typically a quasi-medieval fantasy. The Zen Archer swaps out a lot of the Wuxia-style abilities for archery abilities. I'm not going to detail all the abilities ad nauseum, but the classic Flurry of Blows for this variant is only for attacks with the bow, and at third level they may use the Wisdom modifier instead of Dexterity for bow attacks. Very interesting! A good base for my character.

Nobody expects the Inquisition!

A new full twenty-level class from the same book, the Inquisitor, also offers some great options. The theme of the class is a divine huntsperson who seeks out enemies of the faith. It offers medium combat abilities, a secondary spell progression and a set of abilities called Judgements. A judgement can be pronounced in a battle upon one's enemies, and gives a bonus of some sort (bonus to attack, bonus to damage, increased ability penetrate spell resistance, healing, some others). Additionally, they also get a geat sprinkling of other fun abilities. An excellent class on its own, but I'm using this as a secondary class to "dip into" to snag some interesting abilities that complement my character idea.

A question of race...

For a race, the answer was simple: an elf. Elves are archers, right? Looking at it, it seemed pretty simple. A closer look at the Zen Archer Monk, though, makes it clear that WIsdom is a very important ability score, and elves do not grant a boost to that. Oddly enoughh, a dwarf would be better. Humans are always tempting, as well as both the half-elf and half-orc, since any of those three would allow a boost to Wisdom as well. My concept fits an elf better, though. So that's what I chose. When I think of the portrayal of Legolas in the Lord of the Rings movies, I kind of see this character being that kind of archer (well, later!). So elf it is!

Introducing... Hallyr!

The campaign, set in the default Pathfinder world of Golarion,  this character is in had a quirky twist to start it off: all the player characters had been turned to stone prior to the start. So I felt a little creative license with that to create a character who had lasted walked the earth over a thousand years before. The scion of a noble house, his family believed him to be the reincarnation of the warrior who founded the house. As such, he was trained to be a warrior and was quickly given command of troops when a Gnoll uprising happened. His lack of experience resulted in being ambushed and losing his whole command and left for dead, he was found and healed by a wandering priest of Sarenrae. Ashamed, he decided not to return to his homeland. All he has to remind him of his past life is his bow Malachiel, said to be created by the founder of his house (and named after him), and his sword. He lived among (mostly) humans for the next several decades, living the life of a traveling scholar... until he encountered a medusa some 1400 years ago. That is the story of Hallyr Narcissar... Currently, he has thrown in his lot with some others who had met similar fates and were awakened with him.

At the time I am writing this, Hallyr has just gotten to level three. He has two levels of Monk and one of Inquisitor. A first level version of him can be found here. I'll skip a stat block unless explicitly asked, but that's the current character I'm playing. That's how I role! :) Anyone else playing something they're excited about? Or want to? Who knows, another discussion here on GUG could spark up a gaming group for someone else... and we love to see your comments, anyway!