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dailycharacteroption · 11 days

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Class Feature Friday: Enchantment School (Pathfinder Second Edition Wizard School)

(art by Julia Kovalyova on Artstation)

We’re back with another wizard school in second edition, only now that the remastered edition of 2E is out, they’ve thoroughly changed how wizard schooling is done now that the traditional magic schools have been dropped in favor of schools of thought in the setting rather than “what type of effect does this magic have”.

However, that does leave us with a small problem since a major part of the central region of Pathfinder’s core setting revolves around the traditional schools of magic: Thassilon, what with it’s ancient history of being ruled over by multiple runelords, each focused on a different school of magic.

Which is why I say that even if they strip the words “abjuration” and “evocation” from the game, there still is a place for these older versions of the magic, though you should probably update them to be in line with the power of their newer counterparts: In this case, In addition to the free 1st-level spell of your school you get at first level, you should also be getting free spells of that school at higher levels as you level up.

In any case, Enchantment!

When last we covered this school, we talked about how enchantment is the magic of the mind, how it can be used to elicit certain emotions, make others erroneously believe that you are a friend, directly control their actions, and even invoke words of power so potent that the minds and bodies of foes are forced to succumb to their hostile command. (It is important to remember these specifics now that future products will no longer list the schools of the spells they print, in case you want to use classic or “Thassilonian-Style” wizardry alongside the remastered rules, which I believe you should.)

While certainly not as violent or blatantly cruel as the destructive aspects of evocation or the reanimating power of necromancy, enchantment in the wrong hands can be just as much a tool of the wicked, violating the mind just as surely as the other two violate the body and soul.

However, in the right hands it can be a tool of benevolence and mercy. Plenty of enchantment spells bolster the vigor and positive emotions of allies, or can prevent bloodshed that would otherwise be inevitable, such as charming a guard to let you pass instead of slaying them.

Of course, much like evocation and necromancy, all bets are off in combat, where sapping the will to fight in foes or turning them against their allies is just another tool in the box when it comes to keeping yourself alive.

So yes, while the stereotype of the domineering enchanter that turns others into their slaves has plenty of truth to it, enchantment itself is not inherently evil, just like every school of magic.

Also, it’s worth noting that this school shares a lot of bones with the new “School of Mentalism”, but that also throws in illusion to the mix as well, so while you can use that instead, if you really wanna adhere to enchantment or make use of the greater school spell of this school, the choice is up to you.

As-written, enchanters get a enchantment spell at first level and extra spell slots for each spell level to cast the spells of that school. However, as I said before, you’re free to improve that to gaining spells for free at every spell level/rank. Exactly how you decide what spells they get is up to you, though. You might say they can pick from any appropriate rank spell of the right school or with the right vibes, or your GM might compile a specific list to match the modern schools.

The basic focus spell allows these wizards to subtly deflect the ire of their foes with enchanted words, potentially causing them to hesitate or be stopped in their tracks against them for a few seconds, which is a slightly more thematic parallel to First Edition’s dazing touch.

The greater focus spell differs slightly from it’s 1e equivalent, projecting fear rather than despair, but otherwise still hampering their enemies.

Additionally, the following feats prove especially useful to enchanters: Silent Spell, Irresistable Magic, Second Thoughts, and Spell Mastery, though others might go well with the other spells in your arsenal.

Being an enchanter means being a master of buffing, battlefield control, debuffing, and various utility effects outside of combat. While this does mean you’re probably not a direct damage dealer except when you need to be, it does make the rest of the party’s jobs that much easier. Naturally build with enchantment in mind, but don’t forget to diversify!

Though earlier we did mention that enchantment spells can easily be used for evil and the subversion of will is definitely a violent act, in a world of complex moralities, there may be entire disciplines in the setting that think differently. That fact alone means that this school of magic and it’s practitioners invite a lot of debate on both sides of the issue, which could be grounds for some fun worldbuilding and character moments.

Lambent Ollianara is not only beautiful, but literally incandescent as a brightsoul ifrit in addition to being an elf. Many have sought out her hand, but none have ever held her interest for long. Indeed, those that persist beyond reason find themselves compelled to leave her be thanks to her magic.

In a lonely tower in the middle of the valley, a hermit wizard dwells. Long ago he swore off people as too complicated, instead surrounding himself with the powerful and fierce primeval beasts of the region, particularly his twin pet Megalania lizards. After all, animals don’t complain when you secure their friendship with magic, after all.

A young noble has developed a clique of followers and sycophants among her young peers, who fawn over her constantly and go along with whatever she asks. It’s one thing to have the charisma to attract friends and assume a leadership role, but the speed at which this happened is alarming, so the party is asked to investigate for a magical or supernatural cause to this.

#pathfinder second edition #wizard #school #enchantment #elf #ifrit #megalania #Core Rule Book

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grailfinders · 2 years

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Fate and Phantasms #11p: EMIYA

Today on Fate and Phantasms we’re making the nameless swordsman who really isn’t that nameless, EMIYA! He’s an Inventor because he’s got to make all sorts of wonderful toys and also make those wonderful toys explode on command. Aside from that, he’s also an Archer- duh- and an Eldritch Archer to add even more effects to his sword-arrows. Check out his build breakdown below the cut, or his character sheet over here!

Next up: Shiny boy

Ancestry and Background

EMIYA is a Human, giving him a boost in Dexterity and Intelligence. He’s also a Skilled Human, so he’s pretty good with Arcana since that’s how he makes all his weapons. You’re trained in it now, and you’ll be an expert for free at level 5.

Also, since we’re from New Thassilon (kinda, I’ll explain in a sec) we can use Arcane Tattoos to learn the Shield spell for free. It’s an action to cast, and it raises a magical shield that doesn’t require a free hand, so you can use Aegis and your bow at the same time. It can even block attacks that can’t miss, like magic missile, or Gae Bolg.

At level 5, you can Sense Allies. Most of those are servants, which are usually pretty easy to spot anyway.

You’re also a Hardy Traveler, helping you move faster during travel. Gotta scout out the next arena, after all. Look, it’s level nine, you’re not gonna get anything fancy here.

All Emiyas are nothing without their Stubborn Persistence (at level 13), so whenever you’d become fatigued you can make a flat check to not do that. It’s almost like your biggest strength and weakness is your willingness to sacrifice yourself for others or something, geez.

The good news is that will eventually give you a Heroic Presence at level 17 so you can cast Zealous Conviction to make everyone behind you fight a little bit better. You can also command them if it wouldn’t be something they’d hate to do, but you’re the servant here, so you’re totally not going to use that.

Hey, did you know that Time Traveler is an actual background in this game? It’s fuckin great. They also mention New Thassilon, a nation of time-travelers, by name. And I mean if it gives us a shield I’m not saying no to that. This gives you another set of boosts in dexterity and wisdom, and once per day you can Bend Time as a free action, giving you another action you can use to stride. Archers have a very specific range they work well in, you’ve got to be able to keep that distance.

You also get trained in three lores. The Heraldry lore will help you remember famous heroes and more importantly, their ideals swords. You also have some Alaya lore memorized thanks to being a counter guardian. Finally, you didn’t think I’d forget to give this man some Cooking lore, did you? Come one, what kind of amateur do I look like to you?

Class Levels

1. Starting off as an Inventor, whos key stat is Intelligence. Get ready for a lotta training. You’re trained in Perception, reflex saves, class DC, all attacks and armor, crafting, athletics, deception, and occultism. Then, as you level up and get a bigger brain, you get trained in survival, stealth, society, intimidation, and thievery. You also become an expert in Fortitude and Will saves.

As for the actual level stuff: an Ability Boost in Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, and Wisdom. You can also make an Innovation, a weapon you make that has a level equal to yours, and can be rebuilt in 1 day of downtime if destroyed. We’ll make this a longbow, though since it’s your super cool special longbow it can’t be used by anyone else. This also gives you access to modifications, ways to make your extra special bow even more special. You start off with only one, like Modular Head, but you get more as you level. This means you can make your arrows nonlethal, bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing as an action while interacting with it, so right off the bat you have access to sword arrows, arrow arrows, and… club? arrows? I guess? Whatever, you can fire a lot of stuff now.

You can also make your weapon Explode as an Unstable action. After an unstable action, you have to make a flat check- if you fail, you can’t use unstable actions again until you spend 10 minutes fixing it. If you critically fail (missing the mark by 10 points or more), you take damage as it explodes in your face. Speaking of- actually exploding. It deals a bit of fire damage in a 5’ radius around the weapon. The downside is this only makes the bow explode, not the arrows. So close, yet so far. We’ll fix that later.

For your first class feat, you can take the Unstable action Haphazard Repair to fix your bow on the fly. You are an archer, that’s pretty important.

You can also go into Overdrive once a round, making a crafting check to do so. On a success, you deal extra damage based on your intelligence modifier for 1 minute. This can’t stack, but you can try again for a critical success that doubles the extra damage. On a critical failure you take fire damage and can’t overdrive for 1 minute.

Despite not being a master at crafting yet, you also get the Inventor feature, letting you spend a downtime to create a common formula that you can use to make items later. This takes the same amount of time as actually crafting the item, so I hope you have a week to burn if you want to learn that new Noble Phantasm.

Also, you get the Shield Block feat, but the shield spell’s better.

2. At level 2 you can add Built-In-Tools to your bow so you can turn it into cookware. That is a perfectly normal use for a weapon, hush.

You’re also Seasoned, giving you a +1 bonus to crafting food and drink, including potions. Once you hit master in cooking lore or crafting this becomes a +2. There’s literally a whole anime and video game about how awesome Emiya is at cooking, I don’t think I need to explain that here.

We also pick up the Archer Dedication this level, so once you’re an expert with your bow you’ll get the critical specialization from using it. This means you will be able to immobilize enemies by sticking them to a surface with an arrow. Classic samurai movie gag.

3. A third level inventor can go into Expert Overdrive. This makes you an expert at crafting, and successful Overdrives deal an extra 1 damage each hit.

We’re going to immediately leverage that for some Magical Crafting- now you can craft magic items, and you get four common formulas for free.

While we’re on the expert train, let’s bump up your Cooking Lore too while we’re at it. Again, check out Today’s Menu for the Emiya Family for more information.

One last thing- you can Reconfigure your modifications, both the one on your bow, as well as any modification feats like Built-In-Tools, spending 1 day and making a crafting check to attempt it.

4. At fourth level you can now make a Megaton Strike with your fancy bow, spending two actions to make a single attack with an extra damage die, plus the number increases as you level. On top of all that, you can make this action Unstable to add yet another damage die to the attack. It’s not quite exploding yet, but you’re definitely charging up now.

You also get an Arcane Sense to track down other servants at a distance, and you can make a Quick Shot as soon as you pull out your bow. You can’t use a megaton strike on this one, but every second counts when a berserker is charging you down.

5. At fifth level we get a little more well-rounded with this Ability Boost hitting your Strength, Constitution, Wisdom, and Intelligence. You also get Inventor Weapon Expertise, doing exactly what you’d think it would, but also giving you your weapon innovation’s critical specialization anyway to make the Archer dedication feel bad about itself.

Also you’re better at Athletics now to help make it easier to climb up buildings for dramatic sniper shots.

6. At level six your archer sight kicks in, giving you Visual Fidelity. Now you have darkvision and low light vision, and you can even see invisible creatures, though they’re indistinct enough to be considered concealed. It’s also a lot harder for you to get blinded, since any effect doing so needs to make a counteract check first.

You can also make a Powerful Leap for more mobility, and you can make a double shot with two actions. Both attacks get a -2 penalty, but they don’t count against your multiattack bonus until they’re both made.

7. A seventh level inventor makes a Breakthrough Innovation, giving you a second tier of modification to add to your bow like an Advanced Rangefinder. This increases its range by 10 feet and gives it the backstabber feat, dealing extra damage against flat-footed creatures. Fights go so much easier when people don’t know they’re in one.

You also get the general feat Unmistakable Lore, so your critical failures to figure out recipes is only a regular failure instead.

For your skill increases, your Lightning Reflexes make you an expert at reflex saves, as does your increase in Occultism checks. You’re also able to Master Overdrive, dealing another +1 damage per hit for a total of +2 and making you a master at crafting.

Finally, your Weapon Specialization lets you do even more damage with weapons you’re good at like bows. This is a bow-focused build, and to be honest I’m just glad we made it out of laser sword junction.

8. At eighth level you can now make a Gigaton Strike. This isn’t anything new, but if you successfully hit with an unstable Megaton Strike, it’ll also shove the creature back a bit if they fail a fortitude save. Launching a club at someone’s gonna make them stumble. Hopefully.

You can also Rapid Mantel, climbing up an edge as soon as you grab it, for an even easier time scaling buildings. Plus, once you’re on top you can spend two actions on an Archer’s Aim, making a ranged strike with a +2 bonus and letting you ignore if a target is concealed. If they’re hidden, you’ll still have a check to make, but it’s smaller than usual. So yes, this mixes with your Visual Fidelity so you can even hit invisible targets without an issue.

9. At ninth level your Inventive Expertise makes you an expert with your class DC. You’re also an expert in Stealth now too, though given how far you like to be from the battlefield I’m not sure you’d need it.

You also gain an Offensive Boost to your bow, adding 1d6 of any kind of damage to every attack you make. I’d go with slashing to make everything you shoot kind of sword-ish, but you can also pick between fire, cold, electric, acid, bludgeoning, and piercing, and you can swap them around like you do most modifications.

10. Level ten means we get another Ability Boost in Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence and Wisdom. You’ve also met with Edison (or was it Tesla?) by this point, so you can turn an arrow into a Megavolt, creating a 20’ line of electric damage with two actions. It deals damage like a D&D sneak attack, so 5d4 now, and another d4 every two levels. You can also make this Unstable to make it a 60’-90’ line that deals d12s of damage, and once you have a revolutionary innovation it can go up to 120’.

You’ve also copied enough NPs by now to have Assured Identification, so if you don’t know what something is at least you won’t mis-identify it.

You can also enter a Mobile Shot Stance as an action, letting you make ranged attacks in close quarters without triggering attacks of opportunity. Fighting Heracles is tough enough without giving him free hits. On top of that, you can use ranged weapons for attacks of opportunities as well.

11. At eleventh level you become a Shadow Mark, making it easier for you to avoid notice while trailing someone. This also makes it easier for you to ambush them while trailing them by giving them the same penalty to their initiative roll.

You gain Medium Armor Expertise, and your Resolve makes you a master at Will saves and you always critically succeed if you don’t fail. You’re also trained in Acrobatics to make avoiding attacks a little easier.

12. As a twelfth level inventor, your Boost Modulation helps you change up your fights even more, giving you two more offensive boosts to choose from, all from the original list. On top of that, you can use the same action you use to modify your bow’s damage type to change the boost type as well. Now you can completely change your arrows to slashing, piercing, and bludgeoning again, or you can spring for the elemental damage types- the world is your oyster!

We’ve been talking about climbing up buildings a lot, but not about falling off them. Thanks to Cat Fall, your falls are basically 10’ shorter than they should be, so you take less damage.

This is also the level where you finally become an Eldritch Archer by picking up their dedication. You can now cast a cantrip from the common spell list of your choosing. It uses your charisma which is… not good, but you can use an Eldritch Shot to get around that. First though, we have to pick a spell list. Nasu magic is probably a mix between Arcane and Occult, but I’m going with the latter. You’re part of a secret organization, and besides that Nasu magic works on being occult anyway.

So then, Eldritch Shot. You can spend three actions to cast a spell that takes 1-2 actions, channeling the spell into your bow. Then you make an attack, and if you hit, you hit with both your arrow and the spell. Boom, now we don’t need to invest in charisma! (this also makes you trained in occult spellcasting and DCs)

Now the problem is there’s only two cantrips from the occult list that have an attack roll… I guess we’re picking up Telekinetic Projectile to fire a second arrow.

13. Level 13! This is mostly skill bumps again. You’re an expert in perception, a master with weapons, and an expert in Acrobatics. Now drops are 25 feet shorter!

More importantly, you can also do a Complete Reconfiguration over downtime now, swapping all your modifications and modification feats around instead of just one. Now you have tons of options available, go nuts!

14. You must’ve been hanging around Anastasia too long, because now your bow can put people in a Deep Freeze. If the targeted creature fails their reflex save, they’ll take some cold damage and have reduced speed for a round. This is also something you can make Unstable, freezing all creatures in a 60’ cone, with doubled damage.

You’re also always ready to give a Crafter’s Appraisal, letting you use your crafting skill to identify magic from magic items. A side effect of having so many magic swords stuck in your brain for so long.

Finally, some Basic Eldritch Archer Spellcasting gives you one spell and one slot each of 1st level, 2nd level, and 3rd level. Also, the first or second level spell can be a signature spell so you can upcast it.

The only first level spell we can take for an eldritch shot is Ray of Enfeeblement, which works well as Asterios’ NP at least. At second level you can use a Telekinetic Maneuver to shove or disarm someone, which I guess is just a really good arrow shot, and finally… there aren’t any attacking spells of third level. Buuut you can still copy weapons with Shadow Projectile, using your reaction to copy an ally’s ranged attack and dealing 3d8 damage if they fail. On top of that, unless they critically succeed they’re flat-footed against the original attack too!

15. Ability Boost time! This time it’s Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence, and Wisdom. You also have Untrained Improvisation since you’re a main character, adding your level to all untrained skill checks. We’ve seen Greater Weapon Specialization enough to know it’s just more damage, which is also what you get from your Legendary Overdrive. On top of that, you’re now a legend in crafting, and a master in Cooking Lore. Finally, you can make a Revolutionary Innovation to your bow, making it deal Enhanced Damage. Now your damage die is a d10 instead of a d8. It’s a small boost, but you put that damage on everything, so it’s gonna get use.

16. At sixteenth level you know how to make Just the Thing! needed for any problem- once per hour, you can make a weapon that just so happens to be able to help with the skill action you’re about to do. If your DM buys it, you can use your Crafting modifier instead of the usual one for that action. Your crafting’s pretty good, I’d suggest you use it when you can.

You can also Quiet Allies, so even if you’re stuck with Rin Tohsaka you can avoid notice more easily. Anime girls “kyaaa” and “eh” a lot these days, you’re going to need this.

And if the last few spells we got seemed a little underwhelming, hopefully Expert Eldritch Archer Spellcasting can come through for us, giving you a 4th, 5th, and 6th level spell and slot. You also get to pick another signature spell, and your attacks and dcs with your spell increase to expert.

Our fourth level spell further increases our variety with a Chromatic Ray. If the spell hits, you roll a d4 and deal either fire, acid, electric, or poison damage. You can also heighten the spell to sixth level for more damage and four more options- flesh to stone, confusion, teleportation, or blinding.

The problem is, there’s no occult 5th or 6th level spells with attack rolls, so we’ll have to pick ones and, ugh, actually cast them. Thankfully, Etheric Shards is still pretty cool. It lets you make a bunch of swords hanging around the air in a 20’ radius, making the area difficult terrain even to flyers, and every creature moving through the area takes damage per square. We also get a much better shield with our sixth level spell, Wall of Force, which blocks all physical attacks from passing through it.

17. Your Inventive Mastery makes you a master with your class DC, and being a Juggernaut not only does the same for your Fortitude saves, but gives you critical successes as well. Also, you’re now a master in Acrobatics, so jumping off a 50’ building won’t be an issue.

18. You can now (like you couldn’t before) make Devastating Weaponry, making a volley of attacks against every foe within 30’ of you. Your bow’s already pretty strong, so adding more attacks to it can only make it better. You’re also an Experience Professional, so if you cook to earn income you can’t get a critical failure. You also gain doubled income from non-critical failures.

Finally, your Master Eldritch Archer Spellcasting gives you a 7th level spell now, and an 8th level spell at level 20. Also, of course your spell DCs hit master-level. Your Unlimited Blade Works get a little bit bigger thanks to your Telekinetic Bombardment, which lets you hurl a piece of the landscape out and hit either a 10’ burst or a 30’ line, dealing bludgeoning damage and sticking so many swords in the ground the area becomes difficult terrain. Creatures make a reflex save to try and deal with it, but if they fail they can be knocked prone or even stunned.

19. At level 19, you can now Craft Anything, so long as you have the appropriate feat to build it. This means we can finally build the one thing we’ve been desperately trying to make this entire build- Exploding Arrows. They’re too high level to get any way but the hard way, but now they’re finally available. I’d say they’re a bit expensive, but you’re level 19- unless you’ve been stuck in the woods your entire campaign, you can probably scrounge up the gold for it.

You also have Infinite Invention, letting you automatically fix your bow over long rests, and you can even completely change what the innovation is to boot. So if you wanted those knives EMIYA runs around with to be more than bog-standard, here’s your chance. You can also retrain your innovation-based feats, though that takes 1 full day of downtime.

Your Medium Armor Mastery does exactly what it says on the tin, and you’re now legendary in Acrobatics, so you can catch someone from any distance and land on your feet without taking any damage.

20. However first we need Rin to actually trust you enough to jump off a building, and for that we need to make you a Charming Liar. Now critical successes at lying improve the target’s attitude like you just made an impression once per conversation. You might think it’s a bit late to get a skill feat we need to use at the start, but that’s why you’re a time traveler.

You also get one last Ability Boost in Dexterity, Constitution, Wisdom, and Charisma, and learn how to put your bow in Full Automation, permanently giving you an extra action to strike. And for a volley that doesn’t interfere with your actual volley trait, the Eldritch Archer’s Impossible Volley fires a strike at every enemy in a 10’ radius, centered on a space beyond your volley range. I guess the archer class really is made up of archers, huh?

Oh right, the spell. Prismatic Wall gives you a proper multi-layered wall, with each color of the wall corresponding to a different spell, and each layer having to be counteracted separately. It’s cool, I’d check out the whole thing if you have the time.

Pros and Cons:

Pros:

EMIYA is really good with a bow, and thanks to his being modular you have consistent damage of several types. If you know what you're going to be fighting ahead of time, you can exploit just about any enemy's weakness. Plus, you can either deal a ton of damage to one target with Megaton Strikes or go into overdrive and use a volley to deal plenty of damage to a number of smaller enemies.

He's also pretty Mobile, with extra speed, enhanced jumps, and no fall damage letting him stay one step ahead of anything that would try to chase him down.

All the time we spend enhancing his eyesight means he's also a fantastic tracker, able to lock onto a target even if they're completely invisible.

Cons:

While you're an expert in a lot of skills, you don't excel in many of them. You've only got mastery or higher in three skills, one of which we only really capitalize on with the aforementioned fall damage stuff. You're a legendary crafter and a master chef, but you're not going to stand out much outside of a fight.

You also have the Volley issue to deal with, since that feature on your bow means it's harder to hit enemies if they get within 30' of you. While it's true to form for an archer it's still rough to deal with, especially if someone can outspeed you.

Your eldritch archer abilities are fun, but they're tied to your spell slots, which you have very, very few of. Also, you only get that stuff late game, though you could push some archer feats back if you're really chomping at the bit.

#fgo #fate grand order #Pathfinder 2e #PF2E #EMIYA #Inventor #Archer #Eldritch Archer

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alizrak · 1 year

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HEY! I wrote this! Check it out! Link below!

Over a decade after his defeat in the Eye of the Avarice, Karzoug finds himself back in the land of the living thanks to the most surprising fluke of fate. Even as a wizard of his caliber, being alive doesn’t mean he is prepared to face what is waiting for him when he wakes up.

He has lost everything he had: no wealth, no spellbooks, no weapons, no minions at his beck and call.

Can the Runelord of Greed start over from scratch and reclaim his sinful throne in Xin-Shalast…? Or will he turn a new leaf and write a new destiny for himself?

This character-driven novella is set 11 years after the events of Rise of the Runelords Adventure Path and during the events of Rise of New Thassilon from the Return of Runelords Adventure Path.

You can get it at Pathfinder Infinite!

Some reviews:

"I read this with no context about the characters or places, but everything was introduced in a way that didn't leave me confused and the story was captivating even for someone new to the setting." -J.N.

"Soulnova takes us along on Karzoug’s journey in a way that makes you feel you feel like you are reading an actual play. (...)Even if you don’t know much about Pathfinder’s Runelords (as I did not) I’m certain that you will enjoy reading Karzoug's shenanigans." -V.V.

"Having read this title, and having run Rise of the Runelords myself as a GM, I found this title extremely satisfying to read. It weaves lore from the 1e titles Rise of the Runelords, Shattered Star and Return of the Runelords into a very clever and intriguing tale." -V.S.

"Heartwarming in many ways, this novella explores familliar people and places through a new lens while staying true to the feel of Rise of the Runelords." -V.H.

"This is a wonderful foundation for an aftermath of the Rise of the Runelords. (...) The characters' interactions and the chemistry is on point, and the plot is engaging and light to read."-A.G.

"I've played Rise of the Runelords and never imagined something like this could happen - I gasped (screamed) as everything aligned for Karzoug's comeback. Reading this story brought a smile to my face." -C.A.A.

#Pathfinder Infinite #Pathfinder RPG #Karzoug #Rise of the Runelords #Return of the Runelords

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tohaveandtoroll · 1 year

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Verona, hidden merfolk enclave

(art by Midjourney AI) LG Small city

Corruption +0; Economy +3; Law +4; Lore +1; Crime -2; Society +5

Qualities Artifact gatherer, Deep tradition, magically attuned, insular, [redacted]

Danger +10

DEMOGRAPHICS

Government Council Population 8000* (92% merfolk, 3% triton, 5% other)

MARKETPLACE

Base value 1200gp; Purchase limit 60000 gp; Spellcasting 7

When Azlant declared war on the aboleth, a concussive wave of insecurity resonated through the seas of Golarion. All forms of divination screamed for action across the world. The merfolk kingdom of Verona, long wary of its tenuous position between Azlant and Thassilon knew that a war between humans and aboleth would turn their waters into a battleground. The king of Verona called on Arqueros to defend the city. Drawing forth power from the plane of water, the positive energy plane, and heaven, the mystics of Verona crafted a set of wardstones; powerful artifacts whose abjurations would shield the kingdom not only from invasion, but detection and memory as well.

Any who approached the nation would be turned away, any who found it by chance would not notice it. Any who knew of it would gradually forget. For the citizens of Verona, it was as if they had torn their kingdom away from reality. In this way, Verona remained beneath the waves of Conqueror's bay for millenia. This isolation proved to be an incredible boon for the city. The waters of conquerors bay were already rich with life, resources, and magical energy. The kings of Verona spent generations converting these resources into a powerful bastion at the heart of their territory. As the kingdom's wealth grew, life expectancy increased, education flourished, and security became a fact of life rather than a pursuit.

Verona knew nothing of Earthfall, the age of darkness, or any ages that followed. Instead, their history was one of social progress, advancement in healing magic and quality of life improvements.

While the details of Veronan history is obscured by the same magic that keeps it safe, some facts are known. At some point during what is known on the surface as the Age of Anguish, there was a political transition away from a monarchy to a representative council. Representatives from each guild and each outlying settlement became vested with political authority and the monarchy transferred to a civil service role. It is believed that this change was peaceful. Motivated by a lack of external threats, the will of the people became a greater motivating force than the security of a single divinely anointed ruler.

As time wore on, it became clear that the power of the wardstones was not permanent. While the rift to the positive energy plane remains deep in the trenches of conqueror’s bay, the constant use of this magic slowly depletes the artifacts of energy. To counteract this vulnerability, the oracles of Verona continued to construct new wardstones. As they refined their craft, they grew to protect even greater areas. The infusion of positive energy has also had an impact on daily life in the city. The water remains comfortably warm year-round and there are a significant number of aasimar and celestial sorcerers among the population.

Shrines to Arqueros are placed around the city to strengthen the power of the wardstones. *number reflects 1e rules, actual population adjusted in podcast per x10 rule

#merfolk #pathfinder #Pathfinder RPG #varisia

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smiteworks · 6 months

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New Release Pathfinder 2 RPG - Pathfinder Adventure: Rusthenge Paizo Inc.

Rusthenge is a deluxe Pathfinder adventure for 1st-level characters.

The ruins of Rusthenge have stood silent vigil over the southern coastline of Chakikoth Isle for eons, dating back to the era of the Runelords of ancient Thassilon. The town of Iron Harbor was built in Rusthenge's shadow, but now that New Thassilon has risen from the depths of the distant past, the old ruins are coming under unexpected scrutiny. Something sinister is afoot in Rusthenge, and it falls to a brand new band of adventurers to learn the truth of the ancient evil that stirs deep within its long-abandoned halls! This adventure also includes new items and character backgrounds, as well as a pair of new monsters tied to the region's notorious history.

#rpg #vtt #fantasy grounds #fantasy grounds unity #pathfinder #paizo inc.#pathfinder2

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real-live-human · 7 months

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Floor 10, Room 7

weekly theme: blood

while these massive arachnid monstrosities were originally called to golarion by the runelords of thassilon, their hunger for blood has not faded over the centuries.

monsters: 1x scarlet walker

loot: there is nothing of value here.

#dungeon23 #pathfinder 2e

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tlaquetzqui · 1 year

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So the evil empire in my setting, something like Thassilon in Golarion, called themselves “Mariners”, because they were a thalassocracy, like the Phoenicians or the British Empire.

The fact that is the Seattle baseball team and I consider Seattle to be the reason for about 90% of what’s wrong with games, is just a peculiar coincidence. (Seriously, I named them before I even really thought about how all the games industry is headquartered in Washington.)

#just a thought i had

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gefdreamsofthesea · 2 years

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Latest Pathfinder session:

Lucian and his baby mama have a long discussion.

Everyone else tours a wine cellar. Florin decides to start bickering with the family's resident devil.

They head back upstairs and said baby mama is like "Oh right your dad was a Blood Lord (or a Bloord, as the party dubs him)"

Florin: I disbelieve.

It's true, so they should make a stop in Geb probably.

Florin wants a drink. He takes a sip of an offered drink and immediately has a coughing fit. I was not actually having a coughing fit. I get a hero point for this.

We now have Lucian's teenage daughter traveling with us to New Thassilon.

There are two places we could head next: Belkzen Hold (orc town) and Varisia, I the player would like to go to Varisia, but am overruled.

We head to Belkzen and encounter a strange lady surrounded by wasps. She's like "my mistress is interested in your progress" etc. also we need to meet someone in a tavern.

We go to said tavern, a lady approaches and says her patron would like to help. Florin is like "And who is your patron?" and she calls a man over.

It's Cayden Cailean.

Florin's starting to not like that so many deities are interested in the party.

ETA: We found out that if we had gone to Varisia we would've met Asmodeus instead so on the one hand we dodged a bullet, on the other I am disappointed.

We have been told to prep for level 10.

#gef and friends play pathfinder

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ravenkult · 4 years

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Rise of New Thassilon by Ekaterina Burmak https://www.artstation.com/artwork/GXoGLV

#Rise of New Thassilon by Ekaterina Burmak #art #illustration #concept art #artist #fantasy

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madcat-world · 4 years

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Artifacts of Thassilon - 000Fesbra000

#Artifacts of Thassilon #000Fesbra000 #ships #sunset #pirates #fighters #game art #fantasy art #digital art

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monstersdownthepath · 8 months

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Good Afternoon, I know this older lore, but I've been wondering for a while how strong do you think Colyphyr was back in her prime? I'm curious because Nocticula had to use subterfuge to kill her and Nocticula has shown that while a demonlord she was able to low diff frequently many of her peers case in point WotR. So either Colyphyr was really strong then or Nocticula was weaker. The fact that without the subterfuge Colyphyr was shown to survive into the present suggests the former.

Newer than you may think, since Rise of New Thassilon came out only 4 years ago!

Colyphyr was the Demon Lord of Jungles, Poison Waters, and Dragons, the last of which is the most threatening; dragons are already hellaciously powerful, so of course a Demon Lord with aspects of them is stronger still. A dominion over poison waters (to the point that the island that bears her name is outright lethal to non-natives because of the toxic water vapor in the air) would presumably also give her some form of advantage over a poison enthusiast like Nocty... but it could also be that she was much weaker all those millennia ago. Hard to say.

We don't know, and may never know, about Coly's full power set, though we can guess by how hostile the island made from her corpse is: Boiling, poisonous waters that feed a hungry jungle whose every shoot, root, and leaf carries some form of toxin, inhabited by demons of poison and sludge and further marred by a Qlippoth Runestone that serves as a gravestone for the departed demon. That Runestone is supposedly the source of Coly's ascension, and WHATEVER powers it granted her made her formidable enough that Nocty had to rely on an extraplanar distraction to finally kill her; as you said, due to the events of RoNT, she can potentially survive this assassination and survive to the current day, ten thousand years later. Unfortunately, even when players actually physically encounter the Runestone in Wrath of the Righteous, there's no method by which they can access its power and no way to tell how it may have been altered by being embedded in a Demon Lord. The only insight we have to its powers are the ability to create toxic environments (which Coly obviously had, and still has) and the power to project immense fields of fear and disgust, which could be a potent defense...

I'd say she must have been in the upper echelons of demonic might, easily CR 28 to 30, with some kind of trick that made her a threat Nocticula could not face head on (I think it may be a combination of her being weaker and Coly being powerful). Nocticula USUALLY kills through subterfuge and betrayal, but something about Coly made her especially careful, careful enough to never try again for 10k years!

#asks #tar-baphon #good evening 3 days later #im sorry i kept forgetting to answer this

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dailycharacteroption · 18 days

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Prestige Class Spotlight 13: Brother of the Seal

(art by LehisLuguer on DeviantArt)

With their devotion to order in all things and tendency to remain in one fairly remote place to train body and mind, it should be no surprise that monks are a good choice for guarding ancient secrets and the seals to dark power.

Such is the case with the Brothers and Sisters of the Seal in Kaer Maga, a city built into the remains of a giant hexagonal structure from the days of Ancient Thassilon. This Brotherhood had been tasked with guarding a powerful mystical seal deep in the depths of the city.

However, while once they knew of it’s importance, the monks that formed the organization lost the knowledge of exactly what they were guarding, only that it was important. However, so long had they done so that a schism formed in the organization between those that wished to continue protecting the seal (both out of duty and also because things that get sealed away tend to be nasty), and those that sought to break the seal, citing that holding to promises made to dead men serve only to bind the living.

Of course, all of this is a moot point due to events in the setting.

(Spoilers for Return of the Runelords and Tyrant’s Grasp)

It turns out the seal was one of the three-part seals that helped strengthen the main seal that kept Tar-Baphon, the lich known as the Whispering Tyrant, imprisoned beneath his necropolis. However, eventually all three seals were found, including the one guarded by Brotherhood, their guardians slaughtered by the Whispering Way or other forces, and the seal broken, which is what leads into the beginning of the Tyrant’s Grasp AP.

With that in mind, any game in the Lost Omens setting that includes a Brother of the Seal character will, by necessity, either have to take place before Return of the Runelords, or have said character be a survivor, perhaps a lucky member of the traditionalist faction or part of the rebel faction.

(End Spoilers)

Regardless of their status as an organization, we find ourselves with a monk capable of powerful blows to keep invaders away from certain places, as well as an intricate understanding of runes and abjuration magic, which can be quite useful and thematic beyond the Lost Omens setting.

The prerequisites for this prestige class all come directly from the monk class, so every member is going to have at least some monk training in addition to knowledge of magic.

Naturally, their skills at unarmed combat continue to grow under this path.

However, they also learn the best ways to strike hard objects to break them, either to destroy the tools of invaders or to potentially crack the seals themselves.

They also learn some basic magic to either lock an object up tight or magically hold a door closed, all the better ward locations and treasures.

Their familiarity with defensive positions means they are very skilled at noticing traps, and even more so magical symbols and runes thanks to their familiarity with magic seals.

The last thing these monks want is for enemies to gain access to that which they guard, so they learn a technique to strike a foe with such force as to knock them back, keeping them away, even if they are bigger than the monk. Later on, they do so in such a way to deal even more harm when foes are sent slamming into walls or each other.

Their familiarity with runes also means that, should they need to, and are able to undo wards, symbol traps, and the like with a touch, stripping foes of their defenses, removing wards and traps, and the like, though doing so risks exposing them to the magic’s effects if they fail.

Truly these monks can prove powerful indeed, and their strikes hit harder than other monks of the same skill level.

Normally knocking foes back with a mighty blow requires focusing all of their power into a single blow, but as they gain mastery, they can blend such strikes into their flurrying strikes, perhaps keeping multiple foes off of them, or delivering a hail of blows before sending their foe flying.

They also eventually learn to knock foes back with enough force that they send the poor fools behind a struck foe backwards as well.

The most powerful among them can unwravel protections that normally only the most powerful dispelling and disjunction arts can undo, revealing their true understanding of wards and seals.

An awesome blow-themed monk prestige class is interesting enough on it’s own, but these warriors also have some fun dispelling arts as well. Being able to disrupt enemy formations as well as crack protective spells gives these warriors some potential for not just controlling the battlefield and stripping foes of magical protections, but also some utility in magical trap removal, as long as the traps in question are of the runic variety of course.

While the current lore of Pathfinder’s core setting has robbed these monks of their purpose, that in itself is a seed for plenty of fun character and story ideas. What does a guardian monk do when they have nothing to protect? Perhaps they are seeking something in need of their guardianship, or perhaps they seek vengeance for a ward they failed to keep safe? Or maybe they seek to see the world in order to understand what they are protecting the world from before returning? All are possible both in or outside the Lost Omens setting.

Once, long ago, iruxi society ruled supreme in the marshes of Xanixal, but now they are a shadow of their former self. However, they still remember much of their oral history, and one story tells of a lizardfolk enclave of martial artists that guard the deepest chambers of a temple pyramid dedicated to one of the old gods, where they keep the wicked and curious alike away from a dark seal and the power hidden within.

Legend says that the Seal of the Split Sky lies on an isolated island in the Iron Sea. Stories of the seal range from the promises of great power and great evil hidden within, but reaching it will require contending the stormy gray sea, the isonade-haunted waters around the island proper, and a clan of ancient guardians who have swore to let none approach.

Everyone knows that the world will end if the seals of the Five Sacred Towers are ever broken. It’s a story passed around in almost every culture. However, these is one who would dare break them, a monk with strange talents and is not inclined to explain his reasonings to those outside his entourage, save only to say “We have been led astray.”

#pathfinder #prestige class #brother of the seal #lizardfolk #isonade #Paths of Prestige

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