Legendary Games is starting soon a Kickstarter for their second series of mythic manuals, and they have promised that feats from the Advanced Class Guide will be "mythicized" in the new books. However, until that's out, I had a whimsy to made this for a character of mine. I used Mythic Eldritch Heritage as my model. Hope the big guys take it as a suggestion...
Mythic Believer's Boon
Your divine patron grants you more priestly power.
Prerequisites: Believer's Boon.
Benefit: You can use the domain power gained with Believer's Boon as if you were a cleric of your character level. You also gain the other power or powers granted by your chosen domain, but your effective cleric level in regard to them is equal to 1/2 your character level.
Special: You can take this feat twice if you chose Believer's Boon a second time. Each time it affects a different domain.
martedì 17 ottobre 2017
domenica 15 ottobre 2017
Fixed Archetype: The Nature Sage
While waiting for my rant about my favored priestly Druid characters... here's one I did myself. A little Ancient Guardian, a little Halcyon Druid, and a little Nature Priest.
Nature Sage
A nature sage is devoted to a deity of nature and community, charged with the duty of mediate between civilization and nature, so that woodland settlements may prosper and man and green can benefit each other.
Faithful: Like a cleric, a nature sage must worship a deity and her alignment must be within one step of her deity’s. This replaces the normal druid alignment restrictions.
Tamed Faith: A nature sage is proficient with her deity’s favored weapon.
Chosen Druid (Ex): A nature sage must choose a domain for her nature bond. Her choice is limited to her deity’s domains (or subdomains) in place of those typically available to a druid.
This ability alters nature bond.
Patience of Nature (Ex): A nature sage adds Diplomacy, Perform (oratory), and Sense Motive to her list of class skills and gains an insight bonus equal to half her druid level on such checks. This ability replaces nature sense and trackless step.
Dispel Hostility (Su): A nature sage doesn’t gain spontaneous casting at 1st level. Instead, she can channel stored spell energy into a spell capable of dispelling hostile thoughts and strong emotions. She can “lose” a prepared spell in order to cast calm emotions as a 1st level spell. Instead of the normal Will saving throw for that spell, the DC of a calm emotions spell cast with this ability is 10 + ½ the nature sage’s druid level + her Wisdom modifier. This ability replaces spontaneous casting.
Clerical Sage (Su): At 3rd level and every level thereafter, a nature sage chooses one spell from the cleric/oracle spell list and adds it to her druid spell list. The chosen spell must be of a level she can currently cast.
This ability replaces wild shape.
Unimpeachable (Ex): At 4th level, a nature sage gains a +4 bonus on saves against enchantments. This ability replaces resist nature’s lure.
Mental Strength (Ex): At 9th level, a nature sage gains immunity to charm and compulsion effects. This ability replaces venom immunity.
A Thousand Voices (Su): At 13th level, the nature sage can communicate with any creature with a language, as if using tongues, for up to 1 minute per druid level per day. These minutes do not need to be consecutive, but must be spent in 1-minute increments. This ability replaces a thousand faces.
Nature Sage
A nature sage is devoted to a deity of nature and community, charged with the duty of mediate between civilization and nature, so that woodland settlements may prosper and man and green can benefit each other.
Faithful: Like a cleric, a nature sage must worship a deity and her alignment must be within one step of her deity’s. This replaces the normal druid alignment restrictions.
Tamed Faith: A nature sage is proficient with her deity’s favored weapon.
Chosen Druid (Ex): A nature sage must choose a domain for her nature bond. Her choice is limited to her deity’s domains (or subdomains) in place of those typically available to a druid.
This ability alters nature bond.
Patience of Nature (Ex): A nature sage adds Diplomacy, Perform (oratory), and Sense Motive to her list of class skills and gains an insight bonus equal to half her druid level on such checks. This ability replaces nature sense and trackless step.
Dispel Hostility (Su): A nature sage doesn’t gain spontaneous casting at 1st level. Instead, she can channel stored spell energy into a spell capable of dispelling hostile thoughts and strong emotions. She can “lose” a prepared spell in order to cast calm emotions as a 1st level spell. Instead of the normal Will saving throw for that spell, the DC of a calm emotions spell cast with this ability is 10 + ½ the nature sage’s druid level + her Wisdom modifier. This ability replaces spontaneous casting.
Clerical Sage (Su): At 3rd level and every level thereafter, a nature sage chooses one spell from the cleric/oracle spell list and adds it to her druid spell list. The chosen spell must be of a level she can currently cast.
This ability replaces wild shape.
Unimpeachable (Ex): At 4th level, a nature sage gains a +4 bonus on saves against enchantments. This ability replaces resist nature’s lure.
Mental Strength (Ex): At 9th level, a nature sage gains immunity to charm and compulsion effects. This ability replaces venom immunity.
A Thousand Voices (Su): At 13th level, the nature sage can communicate with any creature with a language, as if using tongues, for up to 1 minute per druid level per day. These minutes do not need to be consecutive, but must be spent in 1-minute increments. This ability replaces a thousand faces.
sabato 14 ottobre 2017
A 2E Priest in Pathfinder: What's Best? (Part 1: Priests & Clerics)
Back in 2E days, I adored the many different options for priest characters. I spent hours imagining my own deities and choosing spells spheres and granted powers, weapon and armor options, for each one. In particular with Spell & Magic options, I felt I could construct nearly anything I needed, from a warrior crusader to a pacifist, unarmed friar. And not every priest could heal or turn undead.
With 3E, 3.5E and then Pathfinder, this ability was lost- clerics were pretty much all the same. Some of it was regained little by little, with domain powers, archetypes, prestige classes, obediences and mostly, new divine classes. Now we have the Warpriest in place of the Crusader (and the Sacred Fist archetype for lovers of the priestly Monk), the Shaman... Inquisitors are great priests/rogues, and Oracles can be very versatile specialists. But something to find again the feel of the sphere casting priest is still missing, and most notably, many would want a "western monk", unarmed and with knowledge powers. In addition, I still think that there should be priests who can't heal or channel energy.
Some Paizo archetypes and 3PP classes have been created attempting to fill this void. Many of them are neat, but none satisfied me completely. Here are, however, some of my favorites.
(Incidentally... I love divine classes like the Saint (Fat Goblin Games) and the Cantor (Encounter Table Publishing), but I won't discuss them here because what I'm searching for this time is a full caster. I'll discuss druidic archetypes and classes in the next post of this series).
First, let's see the official material. The Cloistered Cleric was the first attempt by Paizo in this direction and, honestly, I don't consider it available in my games. Light armor and one domain? No, thanks.
Ecclesitheurge and Blossoming Light are, on the other hand, two splendid examples of unarmored cleric instead. I love them... but neither can personalize her spell list or waive channel energy. Sorry, I'll try elsewhere.
In what I call the "rigid classes batch", there's Adamant Entertainment's Priest, that receives 3 domains but wears armor. Then we have Flaming Crab Games' Priest, with some neat archetypes for flexibility and a good rewriting of domains as dogmas. Kobold Press' Priest is similar, being a divine arcanist with some very cool options and flavor. Finally, maybe the one I like the most in this batch, The Knotty-Work's Priest, a pacifist, unarmed friar with awesome level-based powers similar to swashbuckler deeds. I would very gladly adopt this for my games were not for some little things... powers are fixed as the characters advances in level, and I'd have liked a little more customizability; the class is super great for good characters, but precluded to other alignments; and prohibiting all spells that inflict damage is too much even for a pacifist priest. I mean, not even harming undead or evil outsiders? I can understand and approve from a philosophical point of view, but from a gaming point of view... I fear it's too much. Lastly, all these have one point in common- they can prepare all spells from the cleric/oracle's list, without the chance of differentiation.
Another batch includes the highly customizable classes- and they all are products of Rogue Genius Games. The Magister is simply beautiful and has a lot of options; I also like that she uses both Wisdom and Charisma as primary stats, and as a hybrid spontaneous caster, she can choose any spell she likes more. Sadly, the class has only a limited group of domains or mysteries available, having a "tribal priest" flavor, and so it doesn't fit well as a "western monk".
The Guide to Divine Archetypes offers some fantastic choices for divine characters, both "lay brethren" and spellcasters. My favourite here is the Chantry, an archetype/alternate class that transforms a priest into a divine bard (and has that "2E soothing word" power I like so much as a divine performance). It goes very near to the image in my head... but still not quite. I would have liked a more powerful soothing ability, and the divine performances are fixed. Plus, its cleric version still has channel energy and the whole spell list at her command.
And here comes the Talented Cleric, the princess of this batch. Now this seems to have everything. Like a domain power? Take it. Don't like another? Don't take it. Want a power from another domain? This can be done (within limits). You can channel energy or not, or exchange it with an alternate form of channeling (Merciful Channeling is the one I love the most). Just one thing... what about the spell list? There's one in an appendix, and it's very restricted. Have we to suppose that these are the only spells available to the talented cleric except domain spells, or is it only an example list? However... that's not customizable.
*Sigh* That's all for now. Next time I'll talk about druidic "priestly" classes and archetypes.
With 3E, 3.5E and then Pathfinder, this ability was lost- clerics were pretty much all the same. Some of it was regained little by little, with domain powers, archetypes, prestige classes, obediences and mostly, new divine classes. Now we have the Warpriest in place of the Crusader (and the Sacred Fist archetype for lovers of the priestly Monk), the Shaman... Inquisitors are great priests/rogues, and Oracles can be very versatile specialists. But something to find again the feel of the sphere casting priest is still missing, and most notably, many would want a "western monk", unarmed and with knowledge powers. In addition, I still think that there should be priests who can't heal or channel energy.
Some Paizo archetypes and 3PP classes have been created attempting to fill this void. Many of them are neat, but none satisfied me completely. Here are, however, some of my favorites.
(Incidentally... I love divine classes like the Saint (Fat Goblin Games) and the Cantor (Encounter Table Publishing), but I won't discuss them here because what I'm searching for this time is a full caster. I'll discuss druidic archetypes and classes in the next post of this series).
First, let's see the official material. The Cloistered Cleric was the first attempt by Paizo in this direction and, honestly, I don't consider it available in my games. Light armor and one domain? No, thanks.
Ecclesitheurge and Blossoming Light are, on the other hand, two splendid examples of unarmored cleric instead. I love them... but neither can personalize her spell list or waive channel energy. Sorry, I'll try elsewhere.
In what I call the "rigid classes batch", there's Adamant Entertainment's Priest, that receives 3 domains but wears armor. Then we have Flaming Crab Games' Priest, with some neat archetypes for flexibility and a good rewriting of domains as dogmas. Kobold Press' Priest is similar, being a divine arcanist with some very cool options and flavor. Finally, maybe the one I like the most in this batch, The Knotty-Work's Priest, a pacifist, unarmed friar with awesome level-based powers similar to swashbuckler deeds. I would very gladly adopt this for my games were not for some little things... powers are fixed as the characters advances in level, and I'd have liked a little more customizability; the class is super great for good characters, but precluded to other alignments; and prohibiting all spells that inflict damage is too much even for a pacifist priest. I mean, not even harming undead or evil outsiders? I can understand and approve from a philosophical point of view, but from a gaming point of view... I fear it's too much. Lastly, all these have one point in common- they can prepare all spells from the cleric/oracle's list, without the chance of differentiation.
Another batch includes the highly customizable classes- and they all are products of Rogue Genius Games. The Magister is simply beautiful and has a lot of options; I also like that she uses both Wisdom and Charisma as primary stats, and as a hybrid spontaneous caster, she can choose any spell she likes more. Sadly, the class has only a limited group of domains or mysteries available, having a "tribal priest" flavor, and so it doesn't fit well as a "western monk".
The Guide to Divine Archetypes offers some fantastic choices for divine characters, both "lay brethren" and spellcasters. My favourite here is the Chantry, an archetype/alternate class that transforms a priest into a divine bard (and has that "2E soothing word" power I like so much as a divine performance). It goes very near to the image in my head... but still not quite. I would have liked a more powerful soothing ability, and the divine performances are fixed. Plus, its cleric version still has channel energy and the whole spell list at her command.
And here comes the Talented Cleric, the princess of this batch. Now this seems to have everything. Like a domain power? Take it. Don't like another? Don't take it. Want a power from another domain? This can be done (within limits). You can channel energy or not, or exchange it with an alternate form of channeling (Merciful Channeling is the one I love the most). Just one thing... what about the spell list? There's one in an appendix, and it's very restricted. Have we to suppose that these are the only spells available to the talented cleric except domain spells, or is it only an example list? However... that's not customizable.
*Sigh* That's all for now. Next time I'll talk about druidic "priestly" classes and archetypes.
mercoledì 11 ottobre 2017
New Oracle Curse: Psychometabolic
Horror Adventures offered us new rules on corruptions, ways for every character to risk damnation and acquire new fabulous powers. Then, Horror Realms converted each existing corruption into an oracle curse, for the joy of oracle lovers like me.
But then, the Psychometabolic corruption in Psychic Anthology came out, and there was no matching curse. Maybe we'll see it one day. But until then...
Psychometabolic Curse
Your mind was awakened to fulfill its real psychic potential, but this gift also brought a burden. You are affected by a lesser madness (see Horror Adventures) that can’t be cured by any means. In addition, your oracle spells and spell-like abilities are considered psychic instead of divine, and use thought and emotion components.
At 5th level, you gain the psychic magic special ability and a pool of psychic energy containing 2 PE. You choose a number of spells from the psychic’s list with a total cost amounting to your number of PE. These spells must not be of a higher level than the highest-level oracle spells you are able to cast. Once chosen, the spells can’t be changed.
At 10th level, your psychic energy pool increases to 7 PE. You may reallocate these points to spells different from the ones you chose at 5th level.
At 15th level, your psychic energy pool increases to 14 PE. You may reallocate these points to spells different from the ones you chose at 5th and 10th level.
But then, the Psychometabolic corruption in Psychic Anthology came out, and there was no matching curse. Maybe we'll see it one day. But until then...
Psychometabolic Curse
Your mind was awakened to fulfill its real psychic potential, but this gift also brought a burden. You are affected by a lesser madness (see Horror Adventures) that can’t be cured by any means. In addition, your oracle spells and spell-like abilities are considered psychic instead of divine, and use thought and emotion components.
At 5th level, you gain the psychic magic special ability and a pool of psychic energy containing 2 PE. You choose a number of spells from the psychic’s list with a total cost amounting to your number of PE. These spells must not be of a higher level than the highest-level oracle spells you are able to cast. Once chosen, the spells can’t be changed.
At 10th level, your psychic energy pool increases to 7 PE. You may reallocate these points to spells different from the ones you chose at 5th level.
At 15th level, your psychic energy pool increases to 14 PE. You may reallocate these points to spells different from the ones you chose at 5th and 10th level.
sabato 7 ottobre 2017
New Oracle Curse: Compassionate
Oracle Curse: Compassionate
You are a merciful being, and it requires you an effort to harm someone. You cannot benefit from spells or effects that cause rage (like a skald’s raging song) and are always sickened during the first round of combat. You also add calm emotions and charm person to your spell list as 1st-level spells known.
At 5th level, you add daze monster and mantle of calm to your spell list as 2nd-level spells known.
At 10th level, you add suggestion to your spell list as a 3rd-level spell known and charm monster to your spell list as a 4th-level spell known.
At 15th level, you gain the constant benefits (but not the penalties) of mantle of calm during combat.
You are a merciful being, and it requires you an effort to harm someone. You cannot benefit from spells or effects that cause rage (like a skald’s raging song) and are always sickened during the first round of combat. You also add calm emotions and charm person to your spell list as 1st-level spells known.
At 5th level, you add daze monster and mantle of calm to your spell list as 2nd-level spells known.
At 10th level, you add suggestion to your spell list as a 3rd-level spell known and charm monster to your spell list as a 4th-level spell known.
At 15th level, you gain the constant benefits (but not the penalties) of mantle of calm during combat.
giovedì 5 ottobre 2017
The Godstouched feat chain
I love hybrid archetypes and feats, as any other class feature enabling a character to gain the abilities of another class. For example, my builds use Eldritch Heritage a great deal.
So I also love very much the Variant Multiclass rules from Pathfinder Unchained. I only find that they can be someone a little too heavy. Maybe you want just a feature or two from another class, or you don't want to give up five feats for abilities that you want to use only in part.
Luckily, by comparing the Eldritch Heritage feat chain and the Variant Multiclass Sorcerer, it's pretty easy to break every variant multiclass in a comparable five feat chain, allowing to a character to take as much or less as they want of another class' powers. Here's an example for one of my favored classes, the oracle.
So I also love very much the Variant Multiclass rules from Pathfinder Unchained. I only find that they can be someone a little too heavy. Maybe you want just a feature or two from another class, or you don't want to give up five feats for abilities that you want to use only in part.
Luckily, by comparing the Eldritch Heritage feat chain and the Variant Multiclass Sorcerer, it's pretty easy to break every variant multiclass in a comparable five feat chain, allowing to a character to take as much or less as they want of another class' powers. Here's an example for one of my favored classes, the oracle.
Godstouched
Gods gave you a sign of their favor, and at the same time a trial.
Benefit: Select an oracle’s curse you don’t already possess. You gain all effects of the curse, treating your effective oracle level as equal to ½ your character level. If the curse grants spells to add to the oracle’s known spells list, you instead gain these spells as spell-like abilities usable once per day.
Godstouched Focus
Your cursed blessing becomes stronger.
Prerequisites: Cha 16, Godstouched character level 11th.
You add 5 to your effective oracle level for the purposes of determining the effects of the curse's you gained with the Godstouched feat.
Mysteriously Chosen
The gods granted you a fraction of power.
Prerequisites: Cha 13, Godstouched, character level 3rd.
Benefit: Select one oracle mystery. This mystery cannot be a mystery you already have. You gain one revelation from the chosen mystery that is available to a 1st-level oracle. For purposes of using that revelation, treat your oracle level as equal to your character level – 2, even if you have levels in oracle.
Benefit: Select one oracle mystery. This mystery cannot be a mystery you already have. You gain one revelation from the chosen mystery that is available to a 1st-level oracle. For purposes of using that revelation, treat your oracle level as equal to your character level – 2, even if you have levels in oracle.
Mysteriously Elected
Your divine power is growing.
Prerequisites: Cha 15, Godstouched, Mysteriously Chosen, character level 9th.
Benefit: You gain a new revelation from the mystery you selected with the Mysteriously Chosen feat. This revelation must be available to a 7th-level oracle. For purposes of using that revelation, treat your oracle level as equal to your character level – 2, even if you have levels in oracle.
Prerequisites: Cha 15, Godstouched, Mysteriously Chosen, character level 9th.
Benefit: You gain a new revelation from the mystery you selected with the Mysteriously Chosen feat. This revelation must be available to a 7th-level oracle. For purposes of using that revelation, treat your oracle level as equal to your character level – 2, even if you have levels in oracle.
Mysteriously Sanctioned
Your divine revelations are stronger than ever.
Prerequisites: Cha 17, Godstouched, Godstouched Focus, Mysteriously Chosen, Mysteriously Elected, character level 15th.
Benefit: You gain an additional revelation from the mystery you selected with the Mysteriously Chosen feat. This revelation must be available to an 11th-level oracle. For purposes of using that revelation, treat your character level as your oracle level for all your revelations granted by this feat, Mysteriously Chosen, and Mysteriously Elected.
Benefit: You gain an additional revelation from the mystery you selected with the Mysteriously Chosen feat. This revelation must be available to an 11th-level oracle. For purposes of using that revelation, treat your character level as your oracle level for all your revelations granted by this feat, Mysteriously Chosen, and Mysteriously Elected.
mercoledì 4 ottobre 2017
New Mythic Feat: Mythic Virtuous Creed
Some years ago, I was trying to convert to Pathfinder the Exalted feats from 3.5 E, mostly to create ascetic characters and allow even non-clerics/paladins/warpriests to gain an aura of good. I quit because of the endeavour’s difficulty (those feats were just too powerful!), and mainly because the Virtuous Creed feat already seemed fit for “monastic” characters belonging to ascetic orders.
Now I picked up again the idea and found that toning a little bit the feats down, they can be great as mythic abilities. So here is the Mythic Virtuous Creed feat. I added in the new creeds I created for Flaming Crab Games’ Her Story book (HS).
Mythic Virtuous Creed (Mythic)
Your chosen path of virtue brought you close to sainthood.
Prerequisites: Virtuous Creed, must be good.
Benefits: You gain an aura of good as a paladin of your character level. In addition, when selecting this mythic feat, choose one of the creeds you selected with the Virtuous Creed feat. You gain a special ability related to that creed.
Abstinence (HS): You gain the mythic sustenance mythic universal ability.
Courage: You gain the resurgent words mythic marshal ability, whatever your chosen mythic path is.
Chastity (HS): You gain the irrepressible soul mythic guardian ability, whatever your chosen mythic path is. This ability only works against charm and compulsion effects, domination effects, and any effects that control your mind and behavior.
Freedom: You can apply your result on a rerolled Will save against a charm or compulsion effect to all allies within a 5 ft. radius. Spending one mythic power use, the area of effect extends to a 30 ft. radius.
Humility: You gain the divine countenance mythic hierophant ability, whatever your chosen mythic path is.
Mercy: When using a weapon that deals lethal damage to instead deal nonlethal damage, you inflict a number of bonus damage points equal to your mythic tier. This bonus damage stacks with other bonuses granted by different fonts, like a merciful weapon.
Obedience (HS): As a standard action, once per day you may spend one use of mythic power to issue a command on a member of your same faith who has an aura of faintest intensity than yours as a supernatural ability.
Peace (HS): As a standard action, you may spend one use of mythic power to surround yourself with a 5 ft. radius aura of calm emotions as a supernatural ability. This aura lasts a number of rounds equal to your mythic tier.
Poverty (HS): As a standard action, as long as you don’t wear any armor, you may expend one use of mythic power to gain a bonus on your AC as a monk of your character level for 1 minute.
Purity: You gain the affliction resistance mythic guardian ability, whatever your chosen mythic path is.
Protection: As a standard action, you may spend one use of mythic power to cast sanctuary on all creatures within a 5 ft. radius of yourself as a supernatural ability. This effect lasts a number of rounds equal to your mythic tier.
Special: You can gain this feat once for each creed you selected with the Virtuous Creed feat.
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