Rippin' on...Call of Cthulhu

Zack and Steve apparently took some time off from bashing on tabletop rpgs and based on their rather weak take on AD&D 2e Tome of Magic, they probably returned to it a bit prematurely. However, they're back with the funny in what looks like a series of shots at Call of Cthulhu. It's about time.

Mansions of Madness, pt.1

-Rognar-

The Duelist Revisted

Most people would agree that the Prestige Classes (PrC) no longer shine so brightly compared to the base classes in Pathfinder. In 3.5 the most optimized builds usually had several different dips of various Prestige Classes. I think the main reason for this was that the base classes tended to be on the weak side, PrCs were front loaded with cool class abilities, and there was no incentive to stick with a class. At the end of the 3.5 era I think most people were sick of the vast number of Prestige Classes out there and so with the coming of Pathfinder, Prestige Classes were few and largely sucky compared to the beefed up base classes.

In the Pathfinder Beta, the Duelist prestige class was very strong defensively but weak offensively. The release version nerfed some of its defensive strength but did little to boost it on the offensive side. The poor Duelist has been left out in the cold sitting in a dark corner next to the Assassin PrC - things no PC in their right mind would take.

Over time more splat books come out offering more options and often things that suck alone synergize nicely with new options. Sometimes this is intentional and sometimes not. The Dervish Dance feat is specifically worded so it blends nicely with the Duelist PrC. This feat allows you to use dex for damage. It comes with lots of restrictions but the Duelist faces the same restrictions for most of his class skills so it doesn't matter.

Lastly there is the question of what classes to use for entry to Duelist? The Rogue seems good thematically but sucks in practice. Rogues have trouble hitting in combat and sneak attack looks much better than it actually is. My current preferred set up is fighter 5/monk2. We'll use the Lore Warden Archetype for the fighter classes. We trade away Medium, Heavy, and shield proficiency which we would not use anyway and get 2 extra skill points per level, Combat Expertise and a small boost to CMB/CMD. The fighter levels also gets us enough bonus feats to qualify for Duelist, Weapon Specialization and Weapon Training, which when combined with Gloves of Dueling give us a total of +3 to hit and +5 to damage. The 2 monk (Master of Many Styles archetype) levels are for style feats and Evasion since we'll have a really good Reflex save. If you started with Fighter 1/Monk2 you could have Crane Wing allowing you to deflect one attack per turn which is pretty strong when most things only have one attack at this level. The Crane Style feats work when fighting defensively which combines nicely with the Duelist's Elaborate Defence ability.


Here is my 10th level Duelist build. Fighting defensively, To Hit drops by one but AC goes up by 3. Combat Expertise can also be used to punch AC up into the stratosphere (AC 37).


DUELIST CR 9
Male Halfling Duelist 3 Fighter (Lore Warden) 5 Monk (Master of Many Styles) 2
LG Small Humanoid (Halfling)
Init +8; Senses Perception +18
--------------------
DEFENSE
--------------------
AC 31, touch 27, flat-footed 20   (+3 armor, +9 Dex, +1 size, +1 natural, +2 deflection, +2 dodge)
hp 87 (8d10+2d8+20)
Fort +13, Ref +16, Will +12
Defensive Abilities Canny Defense +3, Evasion, Parry
--------------------
OFFENSE
--------------------
Spd 30 ft.
Melee +2 Scimitar +20/+15 (1d4+14/18-20/x2) and
   Unarmed Strike +16/+11 (1d4/20/x2)
Special Attacks Precise Strike, Weapon Training: Blades, Heavy
--------------------
STATISTICS
--------------------
Str 10,  Dex 20/22,  Con 10/12,  Int 14/16,  Wis 14/16,  Cha 10
Base Atk +9; CMB +10; CMD 36
Feats Combat Expertise +/-3, Crane Riposte, Crane Style, Crane Wing, Dervish Dance, Dodge, Improved Unarmed Strike, Mobility, Monk Weapon Proficiencies, Stunning Fist (4/day) (DC 18), Toughness +10, Weapon Finesse, Weapon Focus: Scimitar, Weapon Specialization: Scimitar
Skills Acrobatics +19, Disable Device +16, Fly +8, Knowledge (Dungeoneering) +16, Knowledge (Engineering) +16, Knowledge (Local) +14, Perception +18, Perform (Dance) +5, Stealth +23
Languages Common, Halfling
SQ AC Bonus +3, Enhanced Mobility (Ex), Fearless, Fuse Style (2 styles) (Ex), Stunning Fist (Stun) (Ex), Unarmed Strike (1d6)
Combat Gear +2 Scimitar; Other Gear Amulet of Natural Armor +1, Belt of Physical Might, DEX & CON +2, Bracers of Armor, +3, Cloak of Resistance, +3, Handy Haversack (empty), Headband of Mental Prowess, INT & WIS +2: Disable Device, Ring of Protection, +2
--------------------
SPECIAL ABILITIES
--------------------
AC Bonus +3 The Monk adds his Wisdom bonus to AC and CMD, more at higher levels.
Canny Defense +3 (Ex) +INT bonus to AC (max Duelist level).
Combat Expertise +/-3 Bonus to AC in exchange for an equal penalty to attack.
Crane Riposte When you deflect an attack, you may make an attack of opportunity
Crane Style Take -2 penalty when fighting defensively
Crane Wing May deflect one attack per round while fighting defensively or using total defense
Dervish Dance Use Dex modifier instead of Str modifier with scimitar
Enhanced Mobility (Ex) +4 AC vs attacks of opportunity while moving out of a square.
Evasion (Ex) If you succeed at a Reflex save for half damage, you take none instead.
Fearless +2 morale bonus vs Fear saves.
Fuse Style (2 styles) (Ex) At 1st level, a master of many styles can fuse two of the styles he knows into a more perfect style. The master of many styles can have two style feat stances active at once. Starting a stance provided by a style feat is still a swift action, but whe
Improved Unarmed Strike Unarmed strikes don't cause attacks of opportunity, and can be lethal.
Mobility +4 to AC against some attacks of opportunity.
Parry (Ex) Forego an attack to defend against enemy attacks.
Precise Strike (Ex) Extra damage when using light / 1-handed Piercing weapons.
Stunning Fist (4/day) (DC 18) You can stun an opponent with an unarmed attack.
Stunning Fist (Stun) (Ex) At 1st level, the monk gains Stunning Fist as a bonus feat, even if he does not meet the prerequisites. At 4th level, and every 4 levels thereafter, the monk gains the ability to apply a new condition to the target of his Stunning Fist. This conditio
Unarmed Strike (1d6) The Monk does lethal damage with his unarmed strikes.
Weapon Training: Blades, Heavy +1 (Ex) +1 Attack, Damage, CMB, CMD with Heavy Blades

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Resource management in D&D

One of the most radical design changes in 4e was the abandonment of Vancian magic. Some design features had been incorporated into D&D 3.x/Pathfinder in order to mitigate the problem of the "5 minute workday" such as bonus spells for high ability scores, school slots and powers and, of course, the introduction of the Sorcerer class which traded versatility for extra spellcasting. Still, the temptation to rest after every major encounter was still present, especially if more combat was expected. So, D&D 4e did away with the problem by allowing spellcasters to cast spells all day long (although, I must confess, from my brief flirtation with 4e, I found the constant reliance on that "go-to" at-will power got pretty monotonous in long fights...and let's face it, in 4e, they're all long fights).

I mention this in response to the most recent article from Mike Mearls entitled the The Five-Minute Workday. In it, he tries to explain how the next edition of D&D will include Vancian magic, while still allowing the spellcasters to be effective for a full day of adventuring. Based on what I've seen in the playtest, it still plays like 4e. For example, magic missile, one of the at-will powers for wizards in 4e, but a 1st-level spell in previous editions, is now a cantrip and useable at will. The new version of the venerable spell is slightly weaker in that it tops out at 4D4+4 instead of 5D4+5, but it is still way more powerful that any cantrip in D&D 3.x/Pathfinder. So, the issue of resource management is still being ignored in D&DNext. Wizards will still be able to go all day, only rationing some of their precious spells and still never having to come up with creative ways of being useful when their big booms are depleted.

Perhaps it is characteristic of our advanced years and accumulated aeons of gaming experience, but our group doesn't seem to have a problem with the 5-minute workday. Our spellcasters rarely seem to have a problem letting the fighters mop up after the first few rounds of heavy fighting. Sure, our wizard could blow his last fireball on the three remaining orcs that are running away instead of allowing the ranger to pick them off with his bow, then promptly demand the party rest for the day. But, it just doesn't play out that way. We consider resource management the mark of a skilled gamer. Besides, fighters do so much damage in Pathfinder, the spellcasters are usually better off keeping them in the fight than lobbing fireballs anyway.

-Rognar-

RuneQuest 6 - Do Not...tempt me further!

I must say up front, I do not understand the sudden resurgence of interest in the game known as RuneQuest. It is a great game. In fact, it may be the greatest tabletop frpg, but who plays it? I own several incarnations of the basic game system, including Mongoose RQII, Legend (i.e. son of MRQII) and Elric! (RQ rules, Moorcockian setting), but I must confess, I've never played it (except in my own mind). The closest I've come are brief flirtations with Call of Cthulhu and Basic Role-Playing, both of which use the same basic game mechanics. Now, a new edition of the venerable game is making its debut, RuneQuest 6 from The Design Mechanism. The primary designers of MRQII, Lawrence Whitaker and Peter Nash, are the guys responsible for this, which makes ignoring RQ6 pretty much impossible. But do I need yet another version of RuneQuest? If it's the best one yet, then absolutely yes. However, the pdf has a hefty $25 price point, double what I am usually willing to pay for something sight unseen. Weighing in at over 450 pgs, I would expect to hardcopy version to show up on store shelves with a price tag north of $60. In other words, it's a pretty steep buy-in for something which may be only superficially different from the last version of RQ that Loz and Pete produced. Initial reviews are overwhelmingly positive, but I suppose I will have to wait to find out if RQ6 is significantly improved over MRQII.

-Rognar-

Expanded summon monster lists

The summon monster spells in Pathfinder are not exactly awesome. They have long casting times, making them hard to complete, the monsters you get when do manage to cast them are more nuisance than threat and if you want to commit to being a decent summoner (as opposed to a Summoner), you have to burn a precious feat slot on Spell Focus (conjuration) (a school with very few spells for which the feat is useful) and then take Augment Summoning. Adding insult to injury, for spellcasters whose personal morality forbids them from even temporarily unleashing the denizens of the lower planes upon the world, the choices for higher level summonings (when the spells actually start to get interesting) is quite limited, Indeed, for the 8th-level version of the spell, only an elder elemental is available for non-evil spellcasters. Oddly enough, even though we have had two new bestiaries added to the game since the core books were released, no effort has been made to incorporate some of the new monsters to the lists. These are all based on CR and have not been playtested, so I propose trying them out to see if any of them are game breakers.

Summon Monster I
no new entries

Summon Monster II
no new entries

Summon Monster III
lyrakien azata - PB2
cassisian (angel) - PB2
harbinger archon - PB3
augur (kyton) - PB3
cacodaemon (daemon) - PB2
silvanshee agathion - PB2

Summon Monster IV
no new entries

Summon Monster V
vulpinal agathion - PB2
ceustodaemon (daemon) - PB2

Summon Monster VI
legion archon - PB3
hydrodaemon (daemon) - PB2

Summon Monster VII
avoral agathion - PB2
shield archon - PB2
movanic deva (angel) - PB2
leukodaemon (daemon) - PB2

Summon Monster VIII
leonal agathion - PB2
monadic deva (angel) - PB2
interlocutor (kyton) - PB3
meladaemon (daemon) - PB2

Summon Monster IX
thanadaemon (daemon) - PB2

-Rognar-

Update: Wouldn't you know it, one day after writing this post, I pick up a copy of the newly-released Advanced Race Guide and find a section in it that deals with some of the suggestions I just made. There is a new race called fetchlings, descendents of humans who got stranded on the Plane of Shadow. One of the racial archetypes is a Summoner called a Shadow Caller which includes a revised list of choices for monster summoning. Rather than enlarged lists, there are substitutions of certain choices for other monsters with a shadow theme. Interestingly enough, one of the monsters I added, the Interlocutor (kyton) is in the Shadow Caller revision, but is part of the Summon Monster IX list, even though it is CR 12.

Marvel Roleplaying Game

So recently I had a chance to look at the Marvel Heroic Roleplaying Game. I only had time to skim through it quickly so I'm not going to say I completely understand how the combat works or I have all of the stat blocks memorized. It looks like it is a pretty good system for mimicking Super Hero comic books. The book is quite large (200+ pages) and contains a pretty good description of how the game works. It also includes a short adventure at the end.

Combat works with a token system. It uses the standard D20 set of dice but no twenty siders. Most rolls are checks against a fixed number but some are contested against an NPC's roll. What I find  really interesting is the use of tokens. As combat goes on, you can spent your tokens to be able to roll extra dice (using the most favorable results). The neat part is that you can earn more tokens by doing cool but not optimal things with your turn.

I recall one session in Pathfinder where our Barbarian whips out his weapon and tried to do a dazzling display to intimidate the enemy. Everyone at the table got mad at him because rather than do the optimal thing (kill the bad guy) at best he would have given the bad guy a small penalty to his next attack roll. In Pathfinder there is no mechanical reason to do something cool. Why would you throw a chair at a bad guy when you can shoot him with your bow. Pathfinder (and D&D in general) is all about taking out the bad guys as efficiently as possible. Except by GM fiat, there are no rewards for cool. I think it's great that there's actually a game system out there that tries to reward the heroic and the cool even if its not the most optimal option.

What I'm reading...

I ran out of steam in my effort to complete Edgar Rice Burroughs' "A Princess of Mars" trilogy about a third of the way through the last book, although I have every intention of getting back to it in due time. However, in the meantime, I am heavily immersed in something quite different. "Designers and Dragons" by Shannon Applecline is an exhaustive history of the tabletop roleplaying game industry documenting its humble beginnings in the basements and backrooms of wargamers like Gary Gygax, Dave Arneson and Jeff Perren, through the golden age of the 80s, the rocky periods of the 90s and ending with the most recent developments of the late 00s. I'm guessing most gamers will find this stuff pretty uninteresting, especially those who didn't live through most of the eras covered, but I can't stop reading. I remember ads in Dragon magazine for a lot of the games discussed in this book even if I never played most of them. What I also find fascinating are the histories of some of the game designers themselves. Many times I've thought to myself, "Wow, I didn't know he worked for 'them' that long ago!" The author also fleshes out the details surrounding some of the more well-known controversies in the history of the hobby. I especially enjoyed reading about the fight between Steve Jackson Games and the Secret Service.

Applecline goes into a fair bit of detail on the evolution of game design throughout the various histories of the different companies. The wargaming roots of the hobby are described in the chapter on TSR. The impact of "storyteller" games are, of course, detailed in the White Wolf chapter and the indie movement is given its due in the chapter on Ron Edwards and Adept Press. The OSR is not discussed much, if at all. I suspect there are two reasons for this. First of all, the OSR movement was really just getting started at the time this book was being written and its impact was minimal. Secondly, the main theme of the book has been about the evolution of game design. Some smaller companies had been purposefully left out because they were not particularly innovative and didn't feature any prominent game designers. The OSR has not, historically, been big on innovation either, at least as far as game design is concerned. I would agree though, it has been influential in establishing a new model for tabletop rpgs as community, rather than as industry. I'm certain that, were this book to be published today, a chapter on the OSR would surely have been included.

-Rognar-

D&DNext - more thoughts

I've been thinking a bit more about skills as presented in the D&DNext playtest package. A character will have a background which will include a package of skills. For example, the dwarf fighter pre-generated character has the Soldier background, providing a +3 bonus on Intimidate, Perception and Survival. That same character has a Wisdom bonus of +2 for a total modifier of +5 on perception checks. Therefore, on a natural 20, the character in question would get a 25, two points below the threshold of "Immortal". However, in D&D 3.x/Pathfinder, there are other ways to bump up the modifiers besides ranks. How about an eyes of the eagle, a potion of heroism and a headband of inspired wisdom +6 combined with the Alertness feat? Together, these give an additional +12. Now our dwarven axewielder only need roll a 10 to achieve "Immortal" perception. I guess this means we're going to see a radical redesign of magic items. I would guess this will be a case of drawing inspiration from past editions of D&D that didn't have skills. For example, the "old-school" version of eyes of the eagle allowed one to see 100 times further than would otherwise be the case. What that even means is open to DM's interpretation since vision is limited not be distance, but by line of sight. Still, I'm guessing magic items that currently give direct numerical bonuses to skill and ability checks will have to be either discarded completely or redesigned to grant some sort of ability that doesn't directly improve skill checks.

-Rognar-

Wizard vs Fighter: Results

ok, we played out a couple of battles between a single level 20 wizard and a level 20 fighter. While it wasn't quite the blowout I expected it to be we came to the conclusion that the Wizard is only going to lose if he makes a big tactical mistake or rolls very poorly.
The Fighter basically needs a backpack full  magic items that can counter the wizards myriad of magical tricks. Miss one and he's dead. The fighter did win one battle when he reflected a Flesh to Stone spells and the wizard failed his fort save. That combat aside, the wizard tended to dominate. The only thing that kept the fighter alive for any amount of time was the constant use of Dust of Disappearance. The wizards biggest trump card is Gate. That one spell just opens up so many possibilities.

Another night we'd like to run a 3 vs 3 battle and try the same fight with level 12 characters. Level 20 wizards are hard to play - there are just too many options.

D&DNext - The Good, the Bad and the Meh

After a first go through on the D&DNext playtest package, I have found some things I like, some things I don't like and some things I am wholly indifferent about. First the Good, skills are cool. They still work a lot like Pathfinder skills, except they don't scale with level. A character will typically have a couple of skills from their background which will have a +3 bonus. An ability score modifier will also be added to the skill check, but that's it. No ranks. Imagine that, a low-level palace guardsman actually has a chance to not be totally bamboozled by a smooth-talking high-level bard claiming to be the King's long lost son. As one can guess, skill check DCs are much lower. DC 27+ is considered to be "Immortal" difficulty.

With the Good, comes the Bad, healing. I can't say enough about how much I hate healing surges. No single rule turned me off 4e more than healing surges. Well, they don't call them that anymore, but the effect is the same. Did you just get stabbed in the neck? Sit down for a few minutes and you'll be right as rain. Combined with another 4e "innovation", massive 1st-level hit points, and you've got pretty near unkillable PCs. If they don't ramp up the danger level in the final product, this will probably be a dealbreaker for me.

Last, and certainly least, the Meh, for me, is the Advantage/Disadvantage mechanic. I get it, sort of. To make up for the lack of scaling in skills, they introduce a mechanic to allow a bit more range of outcome. If the DM decides that the player has an advantage, he rolls two dice and takes the better result. If he has a disadvantage, he must take the lower result. In terms of the above example of the bard vs. the guard, if the bard attempted to tell a fairly believable lie, like he was an illegitimate son of the guard captain, he might enjoy an advantage. If, on the other hand, he was claiming to be the heir to the throne, that would certainly require a disadvantage, unless he had some compelling evidence to back up his claim. So, the mechanic works, I suppose. However, it feels sort of gimmicky to me and a bit too abstract and simplistic. Still, not a dealbreaker.

Overall, I'd say that while it's still too soon to say anything definitive, D&DNext looks promising.

-Rognar-

Wizard vs Fighter Part 2

Ok, after doing some tweaks here are the partial builds. After looking closely at the wizard, the fighter is going to lose. It is only a matter of time. A 20th level Diviner gets an automatic 20 on initiative rolls plus half his level. Even if the fighter rolls a 20 he can't beat that.

Here's the Fighter:

FIGHTER ARCHER CR 19
Male Human (Kellid) Fighter 20
NN Medium Humanoid (Human)
Init +18; Senses Perception +26
--------------------
DEFENSE
--------------------
AC 31, touch 22, flat-footed 19   (+9 armor, +12 Dex)
hp 244 (20d10+100)
Fort +24, Ref +24, Will +21
Defensive Abilities Bravery +5; DR 5/—
--------------------
OFFENSE
--------------------
Spd 30 ft.
Melee Gauntlet (from Armor) +23/+18/+13/+8 (1d3+5/20/x2) and
   Unarmed Strike +26/+21/+16/+11 (1d3+8/20/x2)
Ranged +5 Longbow, Composite (Str +5) +40/+40/+35/+30/+25 (1d8+27/19-20/x3)
Special Attacks Weapon Training: Blades, Heavy, Weapon Training: Blades, Light, Weapon Training: Bows, Weapon Training: Natural
--------------------
STATISTICS
--------------------
Str 14/20,  Dex 28/34,  Con 12/18,  Int 10,  Wis 18/24,  Cha 10
Base Atk +20; CMB +25; CMD 47 (51 vs. Disarm51 vs. Sunder)
Feats Critical Focus, Critical Mastery, Deadly Aim -6/+12, Exhausting Critical, Great Fortitude, Greater Weapon Focus: Longbow, Improved Critical: Longbow, Improved Initiative, Improved Iron Will (1/day), Improved Precise Shot, Iron Will, Manyshot, Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Rapid Shot, Skill Focus: Perception, Staggering Critical (DC 30), Stunning Critical (DC 30), Tiring Critical, Toughness +20, Weapon Focus: Longbow, Weapon Specialization: Longbow
Traits Reactionary
Skills Acrobatics +13, Appraise +1, Bluff +1, Climb +15, Diplomacy +1, Disguise +1, Escape Artist +13, Fly +13, Heal +8, Intimidate +1, Perception +26, Ride +13, Sense Motive +8, Stealth +25, Survival +8, Swim +15
Languages Common, Hallit
SQ Armor Mastery (Ex), Armor Training 4 (Ex), Gloves of Dueling, Ring of Evasion, Ring of Freedom of Movement, Weapon Mastery: -Choose- (Ex)
Combat Gear +1 Corrosive, Flaming, Frost, Shock Arrows (50), +5 Longbow, Composite (Str +5), Celestial Armor; Other Gear Belt of Physical Perfection, +6, Boots, Winged (3/day), Bracers of Archery, Greater, Cloak of Resistance, +5, Gem of Seeing, Gloves of Dueling, Headband of Inspired Wisdom, +6, Manual of Bodily Health, +2, Manual of Quickness of Action, +5, Potion of Fly, Potion of Good Hope, Potion of Haste, Potion of Invisibility, Ring of Evasion, Ring of Freedom of Movement, Stone of Good Luck (Luckstone), Tome of Understanding, +4
--------------------
SPECIAL ABILITIES
--------------------
Armor Mastery (Ex) DR 5/- while wearing armor
Armor Training 4 (Ex) Worn armor -4 check penalty, +4 max DEX.
Bravery +5 (Ex) +5 Will save vs. Fear
Critical Focus +4 to confirm critical hits.
Critical Mastery Apply two Critical feats to a critical hit rather than one.
Damage Reduction (5/-) You have Damage Reduction against all attacks.
Deadly Aim -6/+12 Trade a penalty to ranged attacks for a bonus to ranged damage.
Exhausting Critical Critical hit Exhausts target.
Gloves of Dueling These supple leather gloves grant the wearer gains a +4 bonus to his CMD against disarm attacks, attempts to sunder his wielded weapons, and effects that cause him to lose his grip on his weapons (such as grease). The wearer doesn’t drop held weapons when panicked or stunned. If the wearer has the weapon training class feature and is using an appropriate weapon, his weapon training bonus increases by +2.

Construction
Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, greater magic weapon; Cost 7,500 gp
Improved Iron Will (1/day) 1/day, re-roll a Will save.
Improved Precise Shot Ignore certain AC / concealment bonuses.
Manyshot You can shoot two arrows as the first attack of a full attack action.
Point Blank Shot +1 to attack and damage rolls with ranged weapons at up to 30 feet.
Precise Shot You don't get -4 to hit when shooting or throwing into combat.
Rapid Shot You get an extra attack with ranged weapons. Each attack is at -2.
Ring of Evasion This ring continually grants the wearer the ability to avoid damage as if she had evasion. Whenever she makes a Reflex saving throw to determine whether she takes half damage, a successful save results in no damage.

Moderate transmutation; CL 7th; Forge Ring, jump; Price 25,000 gp.
Ring of Freedom of Movement This gold ring allows the wearer to act as if continually under the effect of a freedom of movement spell.

Moderate abjuration; CL 7th; Forge Ring, freedom of movement; Price 40,000 gp.
Staggering Critical (DC 30) Critical hit staggers target
Stunning Critical (DC 30) Critical hit stuns or staggers target.
Tiring Critical Critical hit fatigues target.
Weapon Mastery: -Choose- (Ex) Chosen weapon has an improved critical multiplier, always confirms criticals, and cannot be disarmed.
Weapon Training: Blades, Heavy +5 (Ex) +5 Attack, Damage, CMB, CMD with Heavy Blades
Weapon Training: Blades, Light +4 (Ex) +4 Attack, Damage, CMB, CMD with Light Blades
Weapon Training: Bows +6 (Ex) +6 Attack, Damage, CMB, CMD with Bows
Weapon Training: Natural +3 (Ex) +3 Attack, Damage, CMB, CMD with Natural weapons

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This fighter has a single trick: his bow. He can unload big damage and if you guys have any suggestions to boost damage let me know. Its the only thing he's got really. Note his arrows; they add an extra 14 points of elemental damage. His saves are good but I can't think of any way to get them up higher.

Here is his opponent:

WIZARD CR 19
Male Elf Wizard 20
CG Medium Humanoid (Elf)
Init +22; Senses Low-Light Vision; Perception +5
--------------------
DEFENSE
--------------------
AC 18, touch 18, flat-footed 10   (+8 Dex)
hp 222 (20d6+120)
Fort +18, Ref +19, Will +20
Immune sleep; Resist Elven Immunities
--------------------
OFFENSE
--------------------
Spd 30 ft.
Melee Unarmed Strike +9/+4 (1d3-1/20/x2)
Wizard Spells Known (CL 20, 9 melee touch, 18 ranged touch):
9 (5/day) Gate, Foresight, Foresight, Dominate Monster (DC 32), Wish, Time Stop (DC 32)
8 (5/day) Moment of Prescience (DC 29), Moment of Prescience (DC 29), Mind Blank (DC 29), Maze, Maze
7 (6/day) Hold Person, Mass (DC 30), Power Word Blind, Arcane Sight, Greater (DC 28), Forcecage (DC 29), Limited Wish
6 (6/day) True Seeing (DC 27), True Seeing (DC 27), Flesh to Stone (DC 29), Flesh to Stone (DC 29)
5 (6/day) Wall of Stone (DC 26), Dominate Person (DC 28), Contact Other Plane (DC 26), Cloudkill (DC 26), Wall of Force, Baleful Polymorph (DC 28)
4 (6/day) Invisibility, Greater (DC 25), Dimension Door, Dimension Door, Arcane Eye
3 (7/day) Aqueous Orb (DC 24), Wind Wall, Slow (DC 26), Slow (DC 26), Slow (DC 26), Fly (DC 26), Fly (DC 26), Seek Thoughts (DC 24)
2 (7/day) See Invisibility (DC 23), See Invisibility (DC 23), See Invisibility (DC 23), Mirror Image (DC 23), Mirror Image (DC 23), Mirror Image (DC 23)
1 (7/day) Identify, Emergency Force Sphere, Emergency Force Sphere
--------------------
STATISTICS
--------------------
Str 8,  Dex 20/26,  Con 14/20,  Int 26/32,  Wis 10/16,  Cha 10
Base Atk +10; CMB +9; CMD 27
Feats Elven Weapon Proficiencies, Empower Spell, Great Fortitude, Greater Spell Focus: Enchantment, Greater Spell Focus: Transmutation, Heighten Spell, Improved Great Fortitude (1/day), Improved Initiative, Maximize Spell, Quicken Spell, Scribe Scroll, Spell Focus: Enchantment, Spell Focus: Evocation, Spell Focus: Transmutation, Still Spell, Toughness +20, Wizard Weapon Proficiencies
Skills Perception +5
Languages Common, Elven
SQ Abjuration, Bonded Object: -Choose- (1/day) (Sp), Divination, Diviner's Fortune +10 (14/day) (Sp), Elven Magic, Forewarned +10 (Su), Metamagic Rod, Maximize, Greater, Metamagic Rod, Quicken, Greater, Necromancy, Scrying Adept (Su)
Other Gear Belt of Physical Might, DEX & CON +6, Cloak of Resistance, +5, Headband of Mental Prowess, INT & WIS +6: -Choose-, Helm of Teleportation, Manual of Quickness of Action, +4, Metamagic Rod, Maximize, Greater, Metamagic Rod, Quicken, Greater, Tome of Clear Thought, +4
--------------------
SPECIAL ABILITIES
--------------------
Abjuration You must spend 2 slots to cast spells from the Abjuration school.
Bonded Object: -Choose- (1/day) (Sp) DC 20 + spell level to cast spells without the bonded object. Once per day, you can cast any spell in your spellbook for free.
Divination Diviners are masters of remote viewing, prophecies, and using magic to explore the world.
Diviner's Fortune +10 (14/day) (Sp) Creature touched gains +10 to attackrolls, skill checks, ability checks, and saving throws for 1r.
Elven Immunities +2 save bonus vs Enchantments.
Elven Immunities - Sleep You are immune to Sleep effects.
Elven Magic +2 racial bonus on caster checks to overcome spell resistance.  +2 to spellcraft checks to determine the properties of a magic item.
Empower Spell Numeric effects of a spell are increased 50%. +2 Levels.
Forewarned +10 (Su) Always act in surprise round. Initiative bonus. Init = 20 at level 20.
Greater Spell Focus: Enchantment +1 to the Save DC of spells from one school.
Greater Spell Focus: Transmutation +1 to the Save DC of spells from one school.
Heighten Spell Increases spell level to effective level desired.
Improved Great Fortitude (1/day) 1/day, re-roll a Fort save.
Low-Light Vision See twice as far as a human in low light, distinguishing color and detail.
Maximize Spell All variable effects of a spell are maximized. +3 Levels.
Metamagic Rod, Maximize, Greater The wielder can cast up to three spells per day that are maximized as though using the Maximize Spell feat.

Strong (no school); CL 17th; Craft Rod, Maximize Spell feat; Price 121,500 gp.
Metamagic Rod, Quicken, Greater The wielder can cast up to three spells per day that are quickened as though using the Quicken Spell feat.

Strong (no school); CL 17th; Craft Rod, Quicken Spell; Price 170,000 gp.
Necromancy You must spend 2 slots to cast spells from the Necromancy school.
Quicken Spell Cast another spell in the same round you cast this one. +4 Levels.
Scrying Adept (Su) At 8th level, you are always aware when you are being observed via magic, as if you had a permanent detect scrying. In addition, whenever you scry on a subject, treat the subject as one step more familiar to you. Very familiar subjects get a -10 pena
Spell Focus: Enchantment Spells from one school of magic have +1 to their save DC.
Spell Focus: Evocation Spells from one school of magic have +1 to their save DC.
Spell Focus: Transmutation Spells from one school of magic have +1 to their save DC.
Still Spell You can cast a spell with no somatic components. +1 Level.

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Pathfinder® and associated marks and logos are trademarks of Paizo Publishing, LLC®, and are used under license.

The wizard has lots of open spell slots,after I removed a bunch of the non core stuff (and I'm sure I may have missed a couple items), it still looked like more then enough to do the deed. Losing the non core stuff forced me to pump up the Spell DCs slightly so now the Fighter has only a 50/50 chance of resisting a 9th level Will save (although with Improved Iron Will he'll get two shots at the first one).

Wizard vs Fighter

While we wait for everyone to arrive  my gaming group often has interesting conversations. This week's topic was: Wizards vs Fighters. In a duel , who would win?

Now before we can actually fight this out we need some rules. I think we agreed it would be a 3 vs 3 battle. But I'm not sure what else was agreed to. Did they have to be straight up fighters vs straight up wizards (no sorcerers, multi-classing, etc. Are they fighters or did we want rangers)? What is the starting distance apart? I'm pretty sure we agree this would be a flat open area with no obstacles.

What levels do we run this at? I think at lower levels the fighter would destroy the wizard, mid levels it is roughly even and upper levels it would be no contest for the wizard. Derobane disagrees about the last part so  we should run the battle twice. Once at level 12 and once at level 17.

Assumptions when creating the duelists:
1. Fighters know they are facing arcane casters. Wizards know they are facing fighter types.
2. They are starting less then 100' apart, no cover, no obstacles
3. If the Fighters can acquire it, Antimagic is fair game.
4. Standard wealth by level rules apply. No more than 25% or total wealth my be spent on a single (magic or otherwise) item.
5. No Leadership Feat

Anyone want to add any further conditions or assumptions? Once we have the ground rules set I'll see what I can whip together. I suspect this could come down to who wins initiative but it should be fun to play out.

Bards Suck in Combat? Another Sample from Obiri's Lab

Someone (Derobane!) commented at last nights game that bards suck in combat. Yes, they are good at helping others be awesome but solo they are not so great. NO! I say. In my Gish post about a month ago one of the builds I mention is a bard. This guy rocks combat and can be done in either a melee or archer variety. I think the melee is more interesting but its not hard to swap out the melee feats for the archery ones.

Awesome Bard    CR 11
Male Human (Keleshite) Bard (Dawnflower Dervish) 12
NG Medium Humanoid (Human)
Init +7; Senses Perception +15

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DEFENSE

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AC 28, touch 19, flat-footed 21   (+9 armor, +7 Dex, +2 deflection)
hp 90 (12d8+24)
Fort +11, Ref +18, Will +11

---

OFFENSE

---

Spd 30 ft.
Melee +2 Keen Scimitar +21/+16 (1d6+24/15-20/x2) and
   Gauntlet (from Armor) +19/+14 (1d3+15/20/x2) and
   Unarmed Strike +19/+14 (1d3+15/20/x2)
Special Attacks Bardic Performance (move action) (30 rounds/day), Bardic Performance: Countersong, Bardic Performance: Distraction, Bardic Performance: Fascinate (DC 20), Bardic Performance: Inspire Competence +4, Bardic Performance: Inspire Courage +3, Bardic Performance: Inspire Greatness (2 allies), Bardic Performance: Soothing Performance, Bardic Performance: Suggestion (DC 20), Battle Dance: Inspire Courage +6, Battle Dance: Inspire Greatness
Bard (Dawnflower Dervish) Spells Known (CL 12, +19 melee touch, +22 ranged touch):
4 (4/day) Invisibility, Greater (DC 18), Dimension Door, Freedom of Movement (DC 18), Heroic Finale (DC 18)
3 (5/day) Haste (DC 17), Glibness (DC 17), Cure Serious Wounds (DC 17), Slow (DC 17), Dispel Magic, Good Hope, Purging Finale (DC 17)
2 (6/day) Delay Poison (DC 16), Glitterdust (DC 16), Tongues (DC 16), Heroism (DC 16), Mirror Image (DC 16), Silence (DC 16), Revelation (DC 16), Bladed Dash (DC 16)
1 (6/day) Silent Image (DC 15), Unseen Servant, Comprehend Languages (DC 15), Grease (DC 15), Disguise Self (DC 15), Cure Light Wounds (DC 15), Feather Fall (DC 15), Saving Finale (DC 15), Vanish (DC 15)
0 (at will) Mage Hand, Mending, Read Magic (DC 14), Prestidigitation (DC 14), Detect Magic, Light

---

STATISTICS

---

Str 10, Dex 21/25, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 14/18
Base Atk +9; CMB +9; CMD 28
Feats Arcane Strike, Bard Weapon Proficiencies, Dervish Dance, Great Fortitude, Improved Unarmed Strike, Piranha Strike +6/-3, Skill Focus: Perform (Oratory), Snake Style, Weapon Finesse
Skills Acrobatics +22, Bluff +24, Climb -2, Diplomacy +28, Disable Device +3, Disguise +7, Escape Artist +5, Fly +22, Handle Animal +7, Intimidate +7, Knowledge (Arcana) +15, Knowledge (Local) +15, Perception +15, Perform (Act) +7, Perform (Comedy) +7, Perform (Dance) +22, Perform (Keyboard Instruments) +7, Perform (Oratory) +28, Perform (Percussion Instruments) +7, Perform (Sing) +7, Perform (String Instruments) +24, Perform (Wind Instruments) +7, Ride +5, Sense Motive +28, Sleight of Hand +5, Stealth +5, Swim -2, Use Magic Device +18
Languages Common, Kelish
SQ Battle Dance (swift action), Circlet of Persuasion, Jack of All Trades: Trained skills (Ex), Mediative Whirl (3/day) (Ex), Spinning Spellcaster (Ex), Versatile Dance +22 (Ex), Versatile Oratory +28 (Ex), Versatile String Instruments +24 (Ex), Well Versed (Ex)
Combat Gear +2 Keen Scimitar, Celestial Armor; Other Gear Belt of Incredible Dexterity, +4, Circlet of Persuasion, Cloak of Resistance, +3, Handy Haversack (1 @ 3 lbs), Headband of Alluring Charisma, +4, Musical instrument, masterwork: String, Ring of Protection, +2

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SPECIAL ABILITIES

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Arcane Strike As a swift action, add +1 damage, +1 per 5 caster levels and your weapons are treated as magic for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.
Bardic Performance (move action) (30 rounds/day) Your performances can create magical effects.
Bardic Performance: Countersong (Su) Counter magical effects that depend on sound.
Bardic Performance: Distraction (Su) Counter magical effects that depend on sight.
Bardic Performance: Fascinate (DC 20) (Su) One or more creatures becomes fascinated with you.
Bardic Performance: Inspire Competence +4 (Su) +2 competence bonus for one ally on a skill check.
Bardic Performance: Soothing Performance (Su) Allies are healed and some conditions are removed.
Bardic Performance: Suggestion (DC 20) (Sp) Make a Suggestion to one Fascinated creature.
Battle Dance (swift action) A Dawnflower dervish is trained in the use of the Perform skill, especially dance, to create magical effects on himself. This works like bardic performance, except that the Dawnflower dervish’s performances grant double their normal bonuses, but thes
Battle Dance: Inspire Courage +6 (Su) Morale bonus on some saving throws, attack and damage rolls.
Battle Dance: Inspire Greatness (Su) Grants self 4 bonus hit dice, +4 to attacks and +2 to Fort saves.
Circlet of Persuasion +3 competence bonus to CHA-based checks (skills already included).
Dervish Dance Use Dex modifier instead of Str modifier with scimitar
Improved Unarmed Strike Unarmed strikes don't cause attacks of opportunity, and can be lethal.
Jack of All Trades: Trained skills (Ex) You may use all skills untrained.
Mediative Whirl (3/day) (Ex) Quicken a cure spell as a move action.
Piranha Strike +6/-3 You can subtract from your attack roll to add to your damage with light weapons.
Snake Style Gain +2 on Sense Motive checks, and deal piercing damage with unarmed attacks
Spinning Spellcaster (Ex) +4 bonus on concentration checks to cast spells defensively.
Versatile Dance +22 (Ex) You may substitute the final value of your Perform: Dance skill for Acrobatics or Fly checks
Versatile Oratory +28 (Ex) You may substitute the final value of your Perform: Oratory skill for Diplomacy or Sense Motive checks
Versatile String Instruments +24 (Ex) You may substitute the final value of your Perform: String Instruments skill for Bluff or Diplomacy checks
Well Versed (Ex) +4 save vs. bardic performance, sonic, and language-dependent effects.
Hero Lab® and the Hero Lab logo are Registered Trademarks of LWD Technology, Inc. Free download at http://www.wolflair.com Pathfinder® and associated marks and logos are trademarks of Paizo Publishing, LLC®, and are used under license.

Now keep in mind the above stats are a best case scenario. Battle Dance is running, but 18 rounds per day is enough to cover most scenarios. Arcane Strike is active which uses up the swift action which limits the use of Snake Style.

While this bard loses the group song buff, the rest of a bard's awesome buffingness remains. His AC should be pretty good with high Dex, and has access to things like Mirror Image and Snake Style to avoid attacks. His Saves are pretty good especially after self buffing. He has all of the party face skills, plus some knowledge skills.

Bards have a great spell list but with only a so-so Cha score, he focuses mainly on utility,buff, and defensive spells. Offensive spells are for the full casters.

So while my bard is not the wrecking crew the barbarian is, he still hits for around 30 and hits often with a very good attack bonus and as a high crit range. He'd also be a bit more fun to play since he does more then just thrash things in combat.

My Barbarian, Obiri style

My original character for our current campaign was a barbarian. Unfortunately he met an unfortunate end after being paralysed by an evil hag who then ripped his throat out. He had a vague back story: found by the Aspis Consortium deep in the jungle, he seemed to be part man part beast. A hulking brute of a man, he lacked both intellect and charm but had a sort of ruthless cunning. They nicknamed him "Beast" after the strange animal fetishes he wore. Using a variety of rewards and punishments they managed to turn him into a useful resource doubling as a jungle guide and caravan guard. After several years of their "civilizing" influence he managed to escape the consortium. The ship he was taking to start a new life was shipwrecked beginning the campaign...

BARBARIAN 2    CR 11
Male Human (Mwangi) Barbarian (Invulnerable Rager) 12
CN Medium Humanoid (Human)
Init +5; Senses Perception +16

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DEFENSE

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AC 24, touch 9, flat-footed 21   (+9 armor, +3 Dex, +6 natural, +2 deflection)
hp 197 (12d12+108)
Fort +21, Ref +11, Will +15
DR 12/lethal, 6/—; Resist fire 3, Extreme Endurance (Fire)

---

OFFENSE

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Spd 40 ft.
Melee +2 Keen Falchion +23/+18/+13 (2d4+27/15-20/x2) and
   Claw x2 (Beast Totem, Lesser) +16 x2 (1d8+8/20/x3) and
   Gauntlet (from Armor) +21/+16/+11 (1d3+17/20/x2) and
   Unarmed Strike +21/+16/+11 (1d3+17/20/x2)
Special Attacks Beast Totem, Lesser, Pounce, Witch Hunter (+4)

---

STATISTICS

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Str 20/28, Dex 14/16, Con 18/28, Int 7, Wis 9/13, Cha 7
Base Atk +12; CMB +21; CMD 30
Feats Combat Reflexes (4 AoO/round), Dazing Assault (DC 22), Extra Rage Power, Extra Rage Power, Iron Will, Power Attack -4/+8, Raging Vitality
Traits Boarded in the Shackles: Will Save, Reactionary
Skills Acrobatics +13, Climb +11, Escape Artist +1, Fly +1, Perception +16, Ride +5, Stealth +1, Swim +11
Languages Common, Polyglot
SQ Beast Totem +4 AC (Su), Beast Totem, Greater (Su), Come and Get Me (Ex), Fast Movement +10 (Ex), Heart of the Fields +6: Profession (Trapper) (1/day), Rage (30 rounds/day) (Ex), Reckless Abandon (+/-4) (Ex), Strength Surge +12 (1/rage) (Ex), Superstition +9 (Ex)
Combat Gear +2 Keen Falchion, Celestial Armor; Other Gear Amulet of Natural Armor +2, Belt of Physical Perfection, +2, Cloak of Resistance, +4, Headband of Inspired Wisdom, +4, Ring of Protection, +2

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SPECIAL ABILITIES

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Beast Totem +4 AC (Su) +4 Natural Armor while raging.
Beast Totem, Greater (Su) Pounce ability and 1d8 claw damage while raging
Beast Totem, Lesser (Su) Gain 2 d6 claw attacks while raging
Combat Reflexes (4 AoO/round) You may make up to 4 attacks of opportunity per round, and may make them while flat-footed.
Come and Get Me (Ex) Enemies get +4 to hit and damage you, but attacks provoke AoO from you
Damage Reduction (12/lethal) You have Damage Reduction against non-lethal damage
Damage Reduction (6/-) You have Damage Reduction against all attacks.
Damage Resistance, Fire (3) You have the specified Damage Resistance against Fire attacks.
Dazing Assault (DC 22) Take -5 to all attacks and maneuvers until your next turn to daze opponents hit in melee for 1r.
Extreme Endurance: Fire (Ex) At 3rd level, the invulnerable rager is inured to either hot or cold climate effects (choose one) as if using endure elements. In addition, the barbarian gains 1 point of fire or cold resistance for every three levels beyond 3rd. This ability replace
Fast Movement +10 (Ex) +10 feet to speed, unless heavily loaded.
Heart of the Fields +6: Profession (Trapper) (1/day) 1/day, ignore an effect that would make you fatigued or exhausted. +1/2 character level to the selected Craft or Profession skill.
Pounce (Ex) You can make a full attack as part of a charge.
Power Attack -4/+8 You can subtract from your attack roll to add to your damage.
Rage (30 rounds/day) (Ex) +6 Str, +6 Con, +3 to Will saves, -2 to AC when enraged.
Raging Vitality +2 CON while raging, Rage does not end if you become unconscious.
Reckless Abandon (+/-4) (Ex) Trade AC penalty for to hit bonus while raging.
Strength Surge +12 (1/rage) (Ex) Once per rage, add +12 to a STR check, CMB or CMD.
Superstition +9 (Ex) +9 save vs. magic while raging.
Witch Hunter (+4) (Ex) Bonus to damage spellcasters while raging.
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The heart of this build is the "Come and Get Me" rage power. Combat starts, Beast rages, charges (pounces) an opponent making a full attack and switches to the Come and Get Me stance. Any time he gets attacked Beast replies with an attack of opportunity until either the foe is dead or he runs out (four). The DR helps mitigate the extra damage but this character really needs lots of healing since his AC is pretty bad and he is basically inviting others to hit him and hit him hard.

While his AC may not be great his other defences are pretty good. His will saves are pretty good and even better when you consider that against attacks that are spells, SLAs or supernatural abilities he gets his Superstitious bonus to saving throws (+9). The downside of course is that he also tries to resist beneficial effects. Anything with spells or SLAs (most high level critters) also take an extra 4 points of damage from Witch Hunter.

Six points of DR is not a lot but it adds up and makes almost 200 hit points go that much further. Most of my character builds at level 12 have about half this many hit points.

Next level he can trade a feat for a rage power and can select Raging Brutality which allows him to trade 3 extra rounds of rage and a swift action to be able to add his constitution bonus to damage (an extra 13 points). That will burn through his 30 rounds of rage very quickly but few could stand against him for long. A great power for the 5 minute adventuring days.

My big problem with Beast is that he's a bit of a one trick pony. Sure, it is a really good trick but I wonder if I would not get bored when we were not engaged in combat. If something happens to my current rogue perhaps I will resurrect Beast and see how he plays.

Rippin' on...Conan Unchained

Zack and Steve are back with the AD&D module, Conan Unchained.

Conan Unchained, pt.1

Conan Unchained, pt.2

-Rognar-

My latest purchase from the FLGS

Back in the 70s and 80s, Game Designers' Workshop (GDW) was the undisputed master of sci-fi rpgs. Of course, the flagship of their product lines was Traveller, which would later become MegaTraveller and the unfortunate Traveller:The New Era before veering off into several different directions with multiple publishers and game systems. However, GDW also published two other high-profile SF rpgs, the gritty post-apocalyptic Twilight: 2000 and the space exploration game, 2300 AD. These two games were set in the same timeline, three centuries apart, as the titles imply. The "Twilight" is a WWIII scenario in which a war between Russia and China expands outward into a global conflict. There's a limited nuclear exchange and a civil war breaks out in the US. In the aftermath, France, having chosen to withdraw from NATO and remain neutral, emerges relatively unscathed and becomes the new global superpower. Diminished versions of the USA (less an independent Texas and much of the southwest annexed by Mexico) and China (now divided into a strong Manchurian and weaker Cantonese state) rebuild in the subsequent centuries to join France as major spacefaring nations. In 2300 AD, these three nations lead the human race in the exploration and colonization of space.

Out of print for many years, 2300 AD has finally been revivified as an alternate campaign setting for Mongoose Traveller. The hardcover core campaign setting book is awesome. Weighting in at over 300 pages, it's light on artwork, mostly ship deckplans and planetary maps, but it's heavy on crunchy content. Of course, while the extensive stats on weapons, vehicles, starships and DNA modifications are useful and help to establish the feel of the setting, it is still the fluffier bits that make it interesting. 2300 AD presents a future that is, in many ways, a reflection of the past, in particular, the colonial period. Powerful nation-states compete with one another for habitable planets. Alliances are made and broken. Alien cultures are encountered. For those familiar with the original version, note that the first contacts with the Kaefers have been made, but little information on them (or indeed, any of the alien races) is revealed in the core book. Presumably a future supplement will be forthcoming.

Among the coolest things about the setting are the various alliances and rivalries that exist. For example, Canada has a long-standing cultural relationship with Great Britain and came to her aid in the aftermath of Twilight to help rebuild. However, Britain also has an economic and political alliance with the French Empire. The French Empire and Manchuria have a hostile relationship and have recently been in armed conflict. Canada, on the other hand, has a very good relationship with Manchuria and maintains several colonies within the Chinese Arm (i.e. Manchurian space). Admittedly, a lot of this high-level stuff probably has little effect on the day-to-day activities of the players, but it makes the setting feel real and immersive.

-Rognar-

More strangeness from WotC

When Wizards of the Coast announced the release of new reprints of the core AD&D books, I thought it was a pretty good move on their part. I already own the originals, so I have little interest in purchasing the reprints, but it seemed a good way to build some good will with the oldtimers.

However, there is now talk that WotC may also release reprints of D&D 3.5 later this year. I can't see much value in that. Aside from the fact that old copies of the originals are still fairly easy to acquire, anyone who isn't already playing 3rd edition will likely be more inclined to just jump into Pathfinder, which is almost the same game and is much better-supported.

Now, if they decide to reprint the Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia, they will definitely get my attention.

-Rognar-

Monte Cook waives his no-trade clause

Monte Cook has left Wizards of the Coast, he announced today. This, combined with the traditional Christmas firings, makes it pretty clear that Wizards of the Coast is an awfully crappy company to work for. One can only guess what this means for the future of D&D.

-Rognar-

The Magus - old-schooler's nightmare fuel

Anyone of the OSR who read the previous post by Obiri on his Magus (Bladebound-Kensai) build has probably had all their suspicions about the complexity of D&D 3.x/Pathfinder chargen confirmed. I confess, it made me blink a few times since I rarely utilize a lot of the supplemental material that went into that build. Having said that, there's nothing forcing players to use all that stuff or DMs to allow it. However, as I read up on the Magus base class, I came to the conclusion that Pathfinder may be in danger of "jumping the shark". Now, don't get me wrong, the Magus is cool. Indeed, I intend to play one next time. In fact, my next few characters may be Magi as there are several options I'd like to try. However, one of the first impressions I got of the Magus class is how many things you have to keep track of, even at low levels. A third-level fighter, for example, will typically have two options, attack with melee weapon or attack with ranged weapon. Maybe he'll have to decide whether or not to use Power Attack, but that's it. A third-level wizard will have a handful of spells to choose from, usually magic missile or sleep, or maybe a bull's strength to buff the fighter. In any case, the choices are limited and typically easy to make. Then I read the Magus. The first class feature of the class is this:

Spell Combat (Ex): At 1st level, a magus learns to cast spells and wield his weapons at the same time. This functions much like two-weapon fighting, but the off-hand weapon is a spell that is being cast. To use this ability, the magus must have one hand free (even if the spell being cast does not have somatic components), while wielding a light or one-handed melee weapon in the other hand. As a full-round action, he can make all of his attacks with his melee weapon at a –2 penalty and can also cast any spell from the magus spell list with a casting time of 1 standard action (any attack roll made as part of this spell also takes this penalty). If he casts this spell defensively, he can decide to take an additional penalty on his attack rolls, up to his Intelligence bonus, and add the same amount as a circumstance bonus on his concentration check. If the check fails, the spell is wasted, but the attacks still take the penalty. A magus can choose to cast the spell first or make the weapon attacks first, but if he has more than one attack, he cannot cast the spell between weapon attacks.


Ok, that's freakin' cool! I can whack a bad guy with my sword and then peg him with a magic missile in the same round!...at first level!! Then I read the next class feature on the list:

Spellstrike (Su): At 2nd level, whenever a magus casts a spell with a range of “touch” from the magus spell list, he can deliver the spell through any weapon he is wielding as part of a melee attack. Instead of the free melee touch attack normally allowed to deliver the spell, a magus can make one free melee attack with his weapon (at his highest base attack bonus) as part of casting this spell. If successful, this melee attack deals its normal damage as well as the effects of the spell. If the magus makes this attack in concert with spell combat, this melee attack takes all the penalties accrued by spell combat melee attacks. This attack uses the weapon's critical range (20, 19–20, or 18–20 and modified by the keen weapon property or similar effects), but the spell effect only deals ×2 damage on a successful critical hit, while the weapon damage uses its own critical modifier.


I had to read that one a few times. My first thought is "Why would anyone want to tie a touch attack in to a normal melee attack when the previous class feature permits you to do both a spell attack and a melee attack in the same round anyway?" Then I figured it was all about using the weapon's critical range. Ok, I guess. It makes the scimitar the go-to weapon for the Magus class, but is, otherwise, pretty marginal as far as class features go.

By third level, things really start to get complicated. First off is the class feature, Magus Arcana. There are several different types of Magus Arcana to choose from, much like Rogue Talents in that regard. A likely first choice, however, is Arcane Accuracy. It allows you as a swift action, to use a point from your Arcane Pool (a pool of points that fuel various Magus abilities) and add your Int modifier to your attack rolls for one round. However, I haven't even talked about feats yet. In the first build I made of a base Magus, I chose a human with Combat Casting and Weapon Focus (scimitar) as first level feats and Arcane Strike as my third level feat. So now I have to choose whether to use Arcane Accuracy or Arcane Strike since both require a swift action and, of course, I only get one.

So, I'm a lowly third-level Magus and I already have to decide on whether to attack, cast a spell or both, which spell to cast, whether to use Spellstrike or not and whether to use Arcane Accuracy or Arcane Strike. To paraphrase the old US Army recruiting slogan, "The Magus, we do more in the first round than an AD&D Wizard does all day".

-Rognar-

The Pathfinder Kensai

As Designed by Obari. Piranha Strike might be a nice addition if you can squeeze it in. The spell selection would be largely dependent on the rest of your group. The Kensai is more appropriate for a replacement character as their AC is god awful at low levels and they'd be unlikely to survive.

SCIMITAR KENSAI CR 11

Male Elf Magus (Bladebound, Kensai) 12

CG Medium Humanoid (Elf)

Init +12; Senses Low-Light Vision; Perception +19

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DEFENSE

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AC 26, touch 26, flat-footed 13 (+12 Dex, +3 deflection, +1 dodge)

hp 87 (12d8+12)

Fort +12, Ref +14, Will +12

Defensive Abilities Canny Defense +5; Immune sleep; Resist Elven Immunities

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OFFENSE

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Spd 30 ft.

Melee Black Blade +20/+15 (1d6+15/15-20/x2) and

Unarmed Strike +16/+11 (1d3+3/20/x2)

Special Attacks Spellstrike

Magus (Bladebound, Kensai) Spells Known (CL 12, 9 melee touch, 16 ranged touch):

4 (3/day) Wall of Ice (DC 19), Dimension Door, Dragon's Breath (DC 19)

3 (4/day) Haste (DC 18), Slow (DC 18), Fireball (DC 18), Vampiric Touch

2 (5/day) Mirror Image (DC 17), Mirror Image (DC 17), Mirror Image (DC 17), Mirror Image (DC 17), Frigid Touch

1 (6/day) True Strike (DC 16), Silent Image (DC 16), Shocking Grasp, Shocking Grasp, Shocking Grasp, Feather Fall (DC 16)

0 (at will) Read Magic (DC 15), Prestidigitation (DC 15), Detect Magic, Light

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STATISTICS

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Str 10, Dex 21/25, Con 12, Int 16/20, Wis 12, Cha 8

Base Atk +9; CMB +9; CMD 35

Feats Arcane Strike, Dervish Dance, Dodge, Elven Weapon Proficiencies, Extra Arcane Pool, Improved Critical: Scimitar, Sickening Critical, Weapon Finesse, Weapon Focus: Scimitar, Weapon Specialization: Scimitar

Skills Acrobatics +19, Climb +4, Escape Artist +19, Fly +11, Knowledge (Dungeoneering) +20, Knowledge (Planes) +20, Perception +19, Perform (Dance) +1, Ride +11, Sense Motive +9, Spellcraft +20, Swim +4

Languages Celestial, Common, Draconic, Elven, Gnome, Goblin

SQ Arcane Pool (+3) (11/day) (Su), Black Blade (Ex), Black Blade: Arcane Pool (3/day) (Su), Black Blade: Energy Attunement (Su), Black Blade: Strike +3 (Sp), Black Blade: Telepathy (Su), Black Blade: Teleport Blade (Sp), Black Blade: Unbreakable (Ex), Chosen Weapon: Scimitar, Critical Perfection +5 (Ex), Elven Magic, Empowered Magic (1/day) (Su), Iaijutsu (Ex), Improved Spell Combat (Ex), Metamagic Rod, Enlarge, Lesser, Metamagic Rod, Intensified, Lesser, Perfect Strike (Ex), Superior Reflexes (Ex), Wand Wielder (Su)

Other Gear Belt of Incredible Dexterity, +4, Cloak of Resistance, +3, Handy Haversack (empty), Headband of Vast Intelligence, +4: Knowledge (Dungeoneering), Escape Artist, Manual of Quickness of Action, +1, Metamagic Rod, Intensified, Lesser X2, Pearl of Power, 2nd Level, Ring of Protection, +3, Wand of Mage Armor, Wand of Shield

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SPECIAL ABILITIES

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Arcane Pool (+3) (11/day) (Su) Infuse own power into a held weapon, granting enhancement bonus or selected item powers.

Arcane Strike As a swift action, add +1 damage, +1 per 5 caster levels and your weapons are treated as magic for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.

Black Blade (Ex) You gain an intelligent bonded weapon whose power grows with your own.

Black Blade: Arcane Pool (3/day) (Su) The Black Blade has an Arcane Pool used to fuel its own abilities.

Black Blade: Energy Attunement (Su) Replace weapon dam with fire/cold/elec for 1 point, or sonic/force for 2 points.

Black Blade: Strike +3 (Sp) The Black Blade can grant itself a damage bonus for 1 min.

Black Blade: Telepathy (Su) The magus can telepathically communicate with his black blade if it is worn or held.

Black Blade: Teleport Blade (Sp) Spend 1 point from own or blades pool to teleport it into hand.

Black Blade: Unbreakable (Ex) The Black Blade is immune to the broken condition while the arcane pool is not empty.

Canny Defense +5 (Ex) +INT bonus to AC (max Duelist level).

Chosen Weapon: Scimitar Kensai abilities only function when wielding a weapon of this type.

Critical Perfection +5 (Ex) Bonus to confirm threat & qualify early for critical feats with chosen weapon.

Dervish Dance Use Dex modifier instead of Str modifier with scimitar

Elven Immunities +2 save bonus vs Enchantments.

Elven Immunities - Sleep You are immune to Sleep effects.

Elven Magic +2 racial bonus on caster checks to overcome spell resistance. +2 to spellcraft checks to determine the properties of a magic item.

Empowered Magic (1/day) (Su) 1/day, cast a spell as if Empowered without altering the casting time or level.

Iaijutsu (Ex) May draw chosen weapon and make attacks of opportunity when flat footed.

Improved Spell Combat (Ex) Use a weapon with one hand at -2 and cast a spell with the other.

Low-Light Vision See twice as far as a human in low light, distinguishing color and detail.

Metamagic Rod, Enlarge, Lesser The wielder can cast up to three spells per day that are enlarged as though using the Enlarge Spell feat.

Strong (no school); CL 17th; Craft Rod, Enlarge Spell; Price 3,000 gp.

Metamagic Rod, Intensified, Lesser The wielder can cast up to three spells per day that are intensified as though using the Intensified Spell feat.

Metamagic rods hold the essence of a metamagic feat, allowing the user to apply metamagic effects to spells as they are cast. This does not change the spell slot of the altered spell. All the rods described here are use-activated (but casting spells in a threatened area still draws an attack of opportunity). A caster may only use one metamagic rod on any given spell, but it is permissible to combine a rod with metamagic feats possessed by the rod’s wielder. In this case, only the feats possessed by the wielder adjust the spell slot of the spell being cast.

Possession of a metamagic rod does not confer the associated feat on the owner, only the ability to use the given feat a specified number of times per day. A sorcerer still must take a full-round action when using a metamagic rod, just as if using a metamagic feat he possesses (except for quicken metamagic rods, which can be used as a swift action).

Lesser and Greater Metamagic Rods: Normal metamagic rods can be used with spells of 6th level or lower. Lesser rods can be used with spells of 3rd level or lower, while greater rods can be used with spells of 9th level or lower.

Construction
Requirements Craft Rod, Intensified Spell; Cost 1,500 gp

Perfect Strike (Ex) Use 1 arcane pool to maximize weapon dam, or 2 for +1 to crit multiplier.

Sickening Critical Critical hit sickens target.

Spellstrike (Su) Deliver touch spells as part of a melee attack.

Superior Reflexes (Ex) Extra attacks of opportunity equal to Int mod (min 1). Combat reflexes stacks.

Wand Wielder (Su) The magus can activate a wand or staff in place of casting a spell when using spell combat.

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