Spes Magna Games

If you like these, you might also like my alternate versatile performance class feature for bards that uses terminology related to acting, music, and dance to represent 18 bardic talents. It’s available along with 15 new feats in Latina Facta & Versatile Performance Redux at both Paizo.com and DriveThruRPG for a mere $0.99. 🙂

Accelerando
School transmutation; Level bard 1
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S
Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target one creature/level, no two of which can be more than 30 ft. apart
Duration 2 rounds + 1 round/level
Saving Throw Fortitude negates (harmless); Spell Resistance yes (harmless)

Targets affected by accelerando enjoy a gradual increase in base land speed. On your turn each round the spell is in effect, affected creatures have their base land speed increased by 10 feet, to a maximum increase of 30 feet. This adjustment is treated as an enhancement bonus. There is no effect on other modes of movement, such as burrow, climb, fly, or swim. As with any effect that increases your base land speed, this spell affects your jumping distance (see the Acrobatics skill).

Adagio
School transmutation; Level bard 0
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, M (a drop of molasses)
Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target one creature of 4 HD or less
Duration 1 round
Saving Throw Will negates; Spell Resistance yes

An affected creature moves and attacks at a drastically slowed rate until the end of its next turn. An affected creature takes a -1 penalty on attack rolls, AC, and Reflex saves. A slowed creature moves at half its normal speed (round down to the next 5-foot increment), which affects the creature’s jumping distance as normal for decreased speed.

Adagio does not stack with itself or with other slow effects don’t stack. Adagio does not counter or dispel haste.

Deceptive Cadence
School illusion (figment, glamer; see text); Level bard 4
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S
Range personal
Target you
Duration see text
Saving Throw Will disbelief (if interacted with, see text); Spell Resistance no

Deceptive cadence has two effects when it is cast. First, it causes you to become invisible for up to 1 round/caster level just as if you were the target of an invisibility spell. Second, it creates a major image of you in the space you occupied when you cast the spell. The major image lasts for as long as you concentrate on it, plus 3 rounds.

Creatures that interact with your illusionary double are entitled to a Will save as normal for a figment. While concentrating, you can move the major image within a radius around its initial space equal to 10 feet per level. The image disappears when struck by an opponent unless you cause the illusion to react appropriately.

Dissonance
School enchantment [compulsion, mind-affecting]; Level bard 2
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S
Range medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./level)
Target one living creature
Duration 1 min./level
Saving Throw Will negates; Spell Resistance yes

Dissonance creates disordered thoughts and difficulty concentrating in an affected creature. The target suffers a -2 penalty on attack rolls, saving throws, skill checks, and ability checks. Furthermore, an affected creature must make a concentration check (DC 15 + spell level) to cast a spell (or lose the spell). Since a concentration check is neither a skill checks nor an ability checks, it does not suffer the -2 penalty imposed by this spell.

Maestro’s Polyphony
School transmutation; Level bard 5
Casting Time 1 round
Components V, S, F (a conductor’s baton)
Range personal
Target you
Duration 1 minute, or until expended

After casting this spell, you gain the ability to cast two bard spells simultaenously as a standard action. The combined levels of these spells cannot exceed 4 and neither spell can have a casting time greater than 1 standard action. You have one minute after casting maestro’s polyphony to benefit from its effects. You cannot be under the effect of more than one maestro’s polyphony spell at a time.

Requiem
School necromancy; Level bard 3
Casting Time 1 standard
Components V
Range 30 ft.
Area one or more undead creatures within a 30-ft.-radius burst
Duration 1 round/level
Saving Throw Will partial; Spell Resistance yes

A requiem spell overwhelms up to 10 HD of undead creatures with the peace of the grave. Undead within range that fail their saving throw can do nothing but stand and sway gently for the spell’s duration. These undead are helpless. Undead that succeed on their saving throw can act normally, but suffer a -2 penalty to armor class and attack rolls for the spell’s duration. Requiem affects undead with fewer HD first. Among creatures with equal HD, those closest to the caster are affected first. HD that are not sufficient to affect a creature are wasted. Wounding an undead creature rendered helpless by requiem negates the spell’s effects on that particular undead.

Tags: bards, spells

Dodeca Weather helps restore the noble d12 to a position of respectability and importance by making it the randomizer that determines your campaign’s weather from day to day.

This printer-friendly, 20-page PDF presents a plethora of tables that help GMs determine daily weather by taking into account season, climate, altitude, and terrain. Dodeca Weather consolidates and expands weather rules in one location. It also includes a reproducible weather worksheet to help organize weather in weekly blocks.

And you get it all for less than $1.00.

For those of you who prefer DriveThruRPG, here’s the link.

Tags: Pathfinder RPG, weather

Telekinetic Monk Archetype

The telekinetic monk combines martial arts with psychokinetic power. He can launch flurries of telekinetic blows at range and develops an array of psionic and psi-like abilities as he gains experience.

Skills: A telekinetic monk gains Autohypnosis and Knowledge (psionics) as class skills.

Psionic: At 1st level, a telekinetic monk gains the Wild Talent feat as a bonus feat. If monk already has levels in a psionic class, he instead gains the Psionic Talent feat.

This ability replaces the monk’s 1st-level bonus feat choice.

Bonus Feats: At 2nd level, and every 4 levels thereafter, a telekinetic monk may select a bonus feat. These feats must be taken from the following lists. A telekinetic monk replaces the normal monk bonus feats with the following: Autonomous*, Deflect Arrows, Mental Leap*, Psionic Body*, Psionic Fist*, Psionic Meditation*, and Up the Walls*

At 6th level, the following feats are added to the list: Aligned Attack*, Focused Sunder*, Ghost Attack*, Improved Disarm, Improved Trip, Return Shot*, and Unavoidable Strike*

A monk need not have any of the prerequisites normally required for these feats to select them. Feats marked with an asterisk are found among these psionic feats.

Telekinetic Flurry (Su): Starting at 1st level, a monk can make a telekinetic flurry as a full-attack action. A telekinetic flurry does not use weapons. Instead, the telekinetic monk punishes his foes with mental force. When doing so he may make one additional ranged attack out to a maximum range of 25 feet plus 5 feet per 2 telekinetic monk levels (with no range increment).

These attacks inflict lethal or nonlethal damage, as the telekinetic monk wishes. All attacks suffer a -2 penalty on attack rolls. For the purpose of these attacks, the monk’s base attack bonus from his monk class levels is equal to his monk level. For all other purposes, such as qualifying for a feat or a prestige class, the monk uses his normal base attack bonus.

Telekinetic flurry attacks inflict the monk’s normal unarmed strike damage, but damage is not modified by Strength.

At 8th level, the telekinetic monk may substitute disarm, sunder, and trip combat maneuvers for ranged attacks as part of a telekinetic flurry. The telekinetic monk’s Combat Maneuver Bonus for purposes of these attacks is adjusted by Charisma modifier instead of Strength. Since these combat maneuvers occur at range, the telekinetic monk does not provoke attacks of opportunity for using the maneuver. The penalty to the monk’s telekinetic flurry attack rolls decreases to -1.

At 15th level, the penalty to the monk’s telekinetic flurry attack rolls decreases to -0.

This ability replaces flurry of blows.

Psychokinesis (Psi): As a telekinetic monk gains levels, his psychokinetic powers improve. He can manifest the following powers as psi-like abilities at the indicated levels.

1st Level: far hand. This ability replaces stunning fist.
3rd level: concussion blast. This ability replaces maneuver training.
5th Level: telekinetic force. This ability replaces high jump.
7th Level: telekinetic maneuver. This ability replaces wholeness of body.

A telekinetic monk uses a psi-like ability as a standard action. The psi-like ability manifests at the telekinetic monk’s class level as if he had spent a number of power points equal to his class level. The DC of a saving throw (if applicable) against a creature’s psi-like ability is 10 + the level of the power + the telekinetic monk’s Charisma modifier. Each manifestation of one of these psi-like abilities costs the telekinetic monk 1 ki point.

Tags: archetypes, monks, Pathfinder RPG

First some nongame-related news. My principal asked me to write a short essay about classical education. It’s now posted at my school’s website, and you can read it at this link.

Now for some game stuff.

Recreating monsters is one of my favorite parts of being a GM. The black dragonfolk is a retooled normal dragonfolk. I changed its type to dragon, respent skill points, and added the advanced template’s modifiers to natural AC and stats. A full-blown breath weapon seemed a bit much, so instead the new monster gets to spit gobs of acid. I topped it off with some acid resistance.

Black Dragonfolk
CR 3; XP 800
CE Medium dragon (reptilian)
Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +7

DEFENSE
AC 21, touch 12, flat-footed 19 (+2 Dex, +7 natural, +2 shield)
hp 19 (2d12+6)
Fort +6, Ref +5, Will +5
Immune paralysis, sleep; Resist acid 10

OFFENSE
Speed 30 ft., swim 15 ft.
Melee morningstar +5 (1d8+3) and bite +3 (1d4+1), or
Melee 2 claws +5 (1d4+3) and bite +5 (1d4+3), or
Ranged javelin +4 (1d6+3), or
Ranged acid gob +4 touch (1d6+3 acid)

STATISTICS
Str 17, Dex 14, Con 17, Int 13, Wis 14, Cha 14
Base Atk +2; CMB +5; CMD 17
Feats Multiattack
Skills Acrobatics +4, Bluff +7 or Diplomacy +7, Climb +6, Intimidate +7, Perception +7, Sense Motive +7, Stealth +5, Survival +7, Swim +9; Racial Modifiers +4 Acrobatics, +8 Swim; Armor Check Penalty -2
Languages Common, Draconic
SQ hold breath

SPECIAL ABILITIES
Acid Gob (Su): A black dragonfolk can spit a gob of acid as a ranged touch attack at a single target within 30 feet (no range increment). This touch attack inflicts 1d6 points of acid damage, plus an additional amount of acid damage equal to its Constitution modifier. This attack can be used once every 1d4 rounds.

Hold Breath (Ex): A black dragonfolk can hold its breath for a number of rounds equal to 4 times its Constitution score before it risks drowning.

ECOLOGY
Environment temperate swamps
Organization solitary, pair, band (3–12), or tribe (13–60)
Treasure NPC gear (heavy wooden shield, morningstar, 3 javelins)

Tags: classical education, Pathfinder monsters

Nothing game-related today. Not even a very long post. Recently, some of my students used bogus information on a poorly researched website to help them with a history project. Unfortunately, the mistake wasn’t caught until after projects were incorrectly done. I gave my students the correct information and some more time to redo the projects.

I also took it upon myself to fix the Internet. Well, not the entire Internet, but at least one tiny part of it.

Here’s the link to the small bit of corrected Internet.

Tags: escape, Frederick Douglass, map