Philosopher's Stone War III Changes Discussion

Eh, we have run into some problems regarding Magic Aura and Detect Magic. It will not be allowed to use Magic Aura on Mana Founts.

As for Detect Magic, there's a problem of people using Detect Magic to scan for Founts and inadvertently finding invisible dudes or dudes with magical disguises. The easiest way would be to prevent Detect Magic from working directly on enemy champions and Masters, but I'd like to hear better suggestions if there are any.

EDIT: GeneralSpoon had a very good idea - make Detect Magic have two modes, one for searching for founts and one for searching for everything else, and you can only have one mode on at a time. I quite like that idea, what do you guys think?
 

vonFiedler

I Like Chopin
is a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnus
The way I ran it was that Masters can always detect Founts to a degree, but the amount they could detect them went up the more that were in one area. Like when Aura Guardian was asleep in a car driving past ipl's house that had 5 founts in it, that woke his ass up.

Having detect magic always on is kinda bullshit in the same sense that a player isn't allowed to "always search for traps". I've been lenient but you are pretty much always supposed to tell the DM when you are using skills (even perception) and "I always do this" isn't allowed. In that same vein keeping Detect Magic up all day probably shouldn't be allowed.
 
Just to make it clear, I'm using von's idea regarding Masters' interaction with founts. Masters will be able to innately sense founts, and detect magic abuse will be vetoed.

I also want everyone's opinion on Master HD. Do you guys want Masters to count as having 10HD, 20HD, or make it dependent? The cases where this matters:

1) CON bonus to HP/Toughness bonus to HP
2) HD reliant powers. This includes spells like Rainbow and also some of the school powers that no one ever uses like Necromancy's Grave Touch.
 

vonFiedler

I Like Chopin
is a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnus
I really don't think 20HD is a problem. People may even be less inclined to pile on the Con now that they can take a hit, and of course people will also need to get it through their heads that they can't play exactly the same way they have been. But for what it is 20HD shouldn't be a problem.
 
Fair enough. We'll be going with 20HD for the playtest.

Speaking of the playtest, the playtest preparations are almost complete. We'll be testing out the new classes, the mana fount system, and all other suggested changes in this topic as well as looking out for broken stuff in general. Unfortunately for those who might want to play, we've already picked players and made characters. This post is mainly for informative purposes. They're all veterans, but newbies will definitely get priority in the next game!

The players are:

- ginganinja (Assassin)
- Aura Guardian (Berserker)
- Lightwolf (Savior)
- Agape (Sage)

The game won't start until PSW II is over, mainly because I don't want LW and jumpluff to get distracted. However, there is something I need from all four of the players right now.

This is the map for the playtest:



I need the 4 players to give us your base of operations as well where your two starting mana founts will be placed and WHAT your two mana founts are. Each player can only have one fount in a specific area, even though more than one player can have founts in a specific area.
 

Ampharos

tag walls, punch fascists
is a Community Contributor Alumnus
popping in to point out that the western forest is on the east side of the map and vice versa
 
Just noting that Sage is the utility class. It has enough cool stuff to work with and can actually rival the +15 sword-wielding fighters thru smart play. I approve this change very much. The monk vision-minions trade was worth it.
 
Feeblemind and Phantasmal Killer can rival the +15 sword-wielding fighters too! (Glad you like it, as the first person to really see the creation process of the Sage.)
 
PSW Playtest is starting now. Lightwolf, I need you to include your char's languages in yoru day plan.

Everyone, keep in mind this is a playtest. While I can't exactly stop you from using crazy, elaborate plans in this one, it may be wiser (and less time-consuming) to save them for future, actual PSWs. I'd like to complete this playtest within 2 weeks.

Everyone has 1 usable order, and can still lay down 2 more founts today (your starting 2 founts are assumed to be from the 'previous days') with 400 starting mana. There's no limit on the amount of vanilla mana abilities you can use and stack, otherwise everything follows the first post of this topic. The abilities are 50 mana for a +2 on one attack roll, +2 AC vs one attack roll, +2 Spell Resistance vs one spell, or +2 on a save vs one spell.

Please pick your spells from this list: http://www.smogon.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3981672&postcount=5 , but factor in the spells that I banned.

I have sent out all the sheets now, do tell me if there are any errors. Get your day plans in, please send them to both jumpluff and I.

Innates

Assassin said:
Sneak Attack
When Assassin attacks an opponent who is denied her Dexterity bonus to AC, or flanks an opponent, she gets +5d6 precision damage to her attack.

Assassinate
Assassin may spend 3 consecutive rounds observing her target. Observation is a standard action and Assassin may still take move actions during these 3 rounds. If Assassin surprises her target and makes a melee attack in the surprise round within 1 minute after the 3 rounds of observation, her melee attack automatically hits and deals 15d6 sneak attack damage. In addition, she can choose to inflict two of the following conditions on the target upon a successful Assassination:

- Stunned for 1 round.
- Staggered for 3 rounds.
- -4 STR for 5 rounds.
- -4 DEX for 5 rounds
- 50% miss chance on physical attacks for 3 rounds.
- 50% spell failure chance for 3 rounds.

Trap Sense and Trapfinding
Assassin gains a +10 bonus to find and disable traps. In addition, she gains +6 to her AC and Reflex bonus against traps.
Savior said:
Divine Art
Savior gains access to a list of select Divine spells.
Berserker said:
Berserker’s Revelry
Berserker gains d12 hitdice and 11 extra feats.
Sage said:
Sage’s Theurgy
Sage gains access to two lists of select spells - one Divine and one Arcane.

Apostles of the Sage

Sage starts the game with a number of minions. Only one of these minions can take offensive actions at a time. Sage may create a new copy of a dead minion each day at the cost of 150 mana, but can only do so after 24 hours have elapsed since the death of a minion.
 
Regarding flying: I think the simplest solution would be to have the NPC's shoot at every "UFO" to present itself. This would force flying to be used only on short distances when casting invisibility is affordable, thus limiting abuse but leaving a viable combat option.
 
Why do we not have all day plans yet (LightWolfy... ;_;)? It's just a playtest; you don't need to make elaborate day plans!
 

LightWolf

lightwoof
is a Forum Moderator Alumnus
Raikage who is close to 1k said:
Agape I do not think flying is a problem anymore, but if people think so they should post.

I'd also like to propose trademark abilities. Your champ will have one ability where their identity will be revealed, like in case of Shiva his smile. The others you could roll for a description of the used ability, but only the trademark ability would reveal their identity and with that access to possibly discovering their other abilities.
 
I suggest a simple DC table for this:

DC 20 - single ability name
DC 25 - first ability description
DC 30 - second ability name
DC 35 - second ability description
DC 40 - Champion identity
DC 45 - All abilities fully

Roll on first encounter, further rolls if the target is studied (library, the yellow pages, calling a professor etc).

I think trademark abilities are cool flavour-wise (1 trademark 2 free?) but unnecessary balance-wise since identities are always revealed thru RP.
 

LightWolf

lightwoof
is a Forum Moderator Alumnus
and lazy and slow and still fat Raikage said:
<~Raikage> ok
<~Raikage> I'm a lazy bastard, post this for me
<~Raikage> day 1 is over
<~Raikage> A serial killer is on the loose, or so the rumour goes. Many people were discovered killed in the market district today, accompanied by the chaotic scene of a wrecked vegetable stand. Some eyewitnesses swear that they witnessed a huge snowstorm materialize out of nowhere, but that is most unlikely as the seasons have already transitioned to spring. More informed people suggest that
<~Raikage> there could have been some kind of gas leak or electrical accident, as huge explosions were reported. Others claim that the dead rose and turned on their fellow humans, but these are surely nothing more than the ramblings of those traumatised by the incident.
<~Raikage> Meanwhile, yet another dead body was discovered in the graveyard, followed by several fireworks bursting in the sky, pinpointing the location of that particular murder. A calling card of the murderer, perhaps?
<~Raikage> Greg Kazcmarek and Angus Ivanoff, the Sage, are eliminated.
<~Raikage> Day 2. Get your day plans in, I'll be pming you status updates soon!
 
Raikage wanted me to make this post.

Instead of the Knowledge skill working on champions, he instead proposes that you get an INT check to figure out how an ability works when you see it. The more you see this ability, the easier to make the check. When the champion uses its True Ability (the official name for 'trademark ability'), you receive a lot of knowledge and don't need to roll for it.
 
[22:11:01] <@Raikage> More calamity today as the Middle-Income Residential District suffered several explosive attacks from mysterious arsonists, killing many and triggering fears of terrorism or rebellion within the country. This was later followed by a massacre in the Government District, supposedly perpetrated by a little man in armour. It appears that the serial killer has revealed himself. Thankfully, nothing
[22:11:01] <@Raikage> else of note appeared to have happened in the latter half of the day.
[22:11:01] <@Raikage> It is now Day 3. I will most likely end the game by today.
 
PSW Playtest Postgame

What Happened

I decided to cut the playtest short for a number of reasons, but the main reasons were that it was taking too long and that it had degenerated into a rather boring chase based situation because of the Assassin (more on it in later sections) and everyone agreed that there wasn’t much point in continuing regardless of who won. Overall I’d say the playtest was a success, since it alerted me to a number of problems which will be discussed later. The new systems tested like mana and the new Master were mostly fine. Sage and Assassin also did very well apart from a few hiccups.

For now though, on to the character sheets!

Character Sheets

The Sage

Agape (Greg Kazcmarek)
Master 10
True Neutral
Init +0 Perception +2
---Defense---
AC 25, Touch 25, Flat-Footed 25
HP 210
Fort +10, Ref +8, Will +18
CMB +4 CMD 13
---Offense---
Speed 30 ft.
Universalist School
Spells Prepared
4 6 5 4 4 3

Special Abilities
Hand of the Apprentice
Metamagic Mastery

Mana Sense
Masters are able to sense the presence of Mana Founts automatically.

Create Mana Fount
Masters can create Mana Founts. Creating a Mana Fount takes 5 minutes and can be done twice per day.

Destroy Mana Fount
Masters can destroy Mana Founts. This ability does not destroy the designated object. Instead, it simply prevents the object from functioning as a Mana Fount.

Bond Senses
Masters can, as a standard action, share the senses of their Champion, hearing, seeing, smelling, tasting, and touching everything the Champion does. She can use this ability for 10 rounds a day. These rounds do not need to be consecutive. There is no range to this effect, but the Champion and the Master must be on the same plane. The Master can end this effect as a free action.

Greater Shield Ally
Whenever her Master is within a Champion’s reach, the Master receives a +4 circumstance bonus to her Armor Class and her saving throws. This bonus does not apply if the Champion is grappled, helpless, paralyzed, stunned, or unconscious.

---Statistics---
Str 9, Dex 10, Con 18, Int 20, Wis 14, Cha 7
Feats: Craft Wondrous Item, Empowered Spell, Extended Spell, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Quicken Spell, Step Up, Toughness
Skills: Acrobatics +10, Knowledge (Arcana) +18, Knowledge (Geography) +18, Knowledge (Local) +18, Knowledge (Religion) +18, Spellcraft +18, Use Magic Device +11
Languages: English, Russian, Irish, Latin, Sanskrit, Ancient Greek and Welsh

Angus Ivanoff
Legendary Sage 20
Lawful Evil
Init +2 Perception +3
---Defense---
AC 30, Touch 20, Flat-Footed 28
HP 223
Fort +14, Ref +10, Will +17
CMB +8 CMD 21
---Offense---
Speed 30 ft.
Melee +1 Dagger +10/+5 (1d4; 19-20/x2)

Sage’s class skills are: Appraise, Bluff, Craft, Diplomacy, Disguise, Heal, Knowledge (all), Linguistics, Profession, Sense Motive, Spellcraft, and Use Magic Device.

Special Abilities

Sage’s Theurgy
Sage gains access to two lists of select spells - one Divine and one Arcane.
Arcane
Infinite;
Scorching Ray
Bear’s Endurance
Invisibility
Prepared;
Shadow Projection 2/day
Lesser Astral Projection 2/day
Cone of Cold 1/day
Simulacrum 1/day


Divine
Infinite;
Resist Energy
Shield of Faith
Zone of Truth
Prepared;
Greater Magic Weapon 4/day
Communal Air Walk 2/day
Mass Inflict Light Wounds 3/day
Resurrection 1/day

Apostles of the Sage

Sage starts the game with a number of minions. Only one of these minions can take offensive actions at a time. Sage may create a new copy of a dead minion each day at the cost of 150 mana, but can only do so after 24 hours have elapsed since the death of a minion.

Minionlink

Angus Ivanoff can see through the eyes of his minions. He is constantly aware of what his minions are seeing and hearing. In addition, he may choose to spend 100 mana to summon all of his minions to his side as though they had used the spell Teleport as a standard action. Alternatively, he may spend 200 mana to summon them as a swift action, or 350 mana to summon them as an immediate action.

Temporal Thought

Angus Ivanoff may swap places with his minions as a swift action once per day for no mana cost. The second time he does this, he must spend 50 mana. The cost of using this ability then doubles for each extra use during the same day (so the 3rd use would cost 100 mana and the 4th would cost 200).

And All Shall See My Words Are True

Angus Ivanoff may warp reality once per day, and may spend any amount of mana to power the ability. The more mana he spends, the more powerful the effect is.

---Statistics---
Str 8, Dex 14, Con 22, Int 17, Wis 17, Cha 10
Feats: Combat Casting, Craft Scroll, Craft Wondrous Items, Defensive Combat Training, Iron Will, Improved Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Improved Lightning Reflexes, Quicken Spell, Step Up, Toughness
Skills: Acrobatics +22, Bluff +23, Disguise +23, Sense Motive +26, Spellcraft +26
Languages: English, Russian, Elemental, Draconic, Abyssal

Bodyguard Minion
Melee Servant 14
Lawful Evil
Init +1 Perception +5
---Defense---
AC 30, Touch 17, Flat-Footed 29
HP 176
Fort +14, Ref +5, Will +4
CMB +4 CMD 29
---Offense---
Speed 30 ft.
Melee +2 Shortspear +22/+17/+12 (1d6 + 8; x2)

Special Abilities

Spell-Like Abilities:
Quickened Shield Other 1/day

---Statistics---
Str 22, Dex 13, Con 20, Int 7, Wis 7, Cha 7
Feats: Body Shield, Disruptive, Greater Grapple, Improved Grapple, Improved Iron Will, Iron Will, Shield Wall, Spellbreaker, Step Up, Toughness, Improved Unarmed Strike
Skills: Acrobatics +15, Perception +5
Languages: English

Healer Minion
Caster Servant 13
Lawful Evil
Init +5 Perception +3
---Defense---
AC 32, Touch 20, Flat-Footed 25
HP 138
Fort +13, Ref +9, Will +11
CMB +7 CMD 23
---Offense---
Speed 30 ft.
Melee +2 Shortspear +9/+4 (1d6 ; x2)

Special Abilities

Spell-Like Abilities:
Cure Moderate Wounds 4/day
Cure Critical Wounds 2/day
Cure Serious Wounds 1/day

---Statistics---
Str 7, Dex 20, Con 20, Int 7, Wis 16, Cha 7
Feats: Combat Casting, Heavy Armor Proficiency, Empower Spell, Quicken Spell, Shield Wall, Step Up, Toughness, Tower Shield Proficiency
Skills: Acrobatics +12, Heal +17
Languages: English

Rogue Minion
Utility Servant 12
Lawful Evil
Init +6 Perception +5
---Defense---
AC 28, Touch 22, Flat-Footed 22
HP 126
Fort +9, Ref +14, Will +2
CMB +4 CMD 29
---Offense---
Speed 30 ft.
Melee +2 Elven Curved Blade +17/+12 (1d8 + 2; 18-20/x2)
Ranged +2 Heavy Crossbow +17/+12 (1d10 + 2; 19-20/x2)

Special Abilities

Spell-Like Abilities:
Invisibility Sphere 1/day

Sneak Attack 6d6
Trapfinding
Evasion
Improved Uncanny Dodge
Trap Sense +4

---Statistics---
Str 7, Dex 22, Con 20, Wis 7, Int 7, Cha 13
Feats: Weapon Finesse, Exotic Weapon Proficiency - Elven Curved Blade, Rapid Reload, Point-Blank Shot, Crossbow Mastery, Rapid Shot, Manyshot
Skills: Acrobatics +21, Perception +10, Bluff +16, Use Magic Device +16, Disable Device +15
Languages: English

Cannon Golem
Simulacrum
True Neutral
Init +7 Darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, Perception +2
---Defense---
AC 31, Touch 21, Flat-Footed 24
HP 86
Fort +3, Ref +10, Will +5
DR 10/Adamantine, Spell Resistance 31
CMB +26 CMD 43
---Offense---
Speed 30 ft.
Melee 2 slams +19 (2d10 + 10)
Ranged cannon +16/+11 (6d6 + 7/19-20/x2)

Special Abilities
Alloyed
Blasting Critical
Cannon

Spell Resistance
Certain spells and effects can ignore a Cannon Golem’s Spell Resistance:
• Any spell with the water descriptor that affects a cannon golem renders its cannon unusable for 1 round (no save).
• A heat metal spell causes the golem's cannon to instantly backfire, dealing 6d6 points of damage to the golem and staggering it for 1 round (no save).

---Statistics---
Str 30, Dex 24, Con -, Int -, Wis 15, Cha 2
Feats: Improved Critical (Cannon)
Skills: -
Languages: -


Agape elected to keep his party together instead of spreading them, mostly because I told him that his minions were unable to sense mana founts (something worth changing, perhaps?). He has a ton of silly plans as usual, but was unable to carry out most of them because he decided to fight AG head-on at like 9 AM on Day 1 and lost by 2 HP. He never got to use his first two abilities cause he burned all of his starting mana on his wish ability, but he almost killed AG with it so that’s ok. He chose very wisely to target AG’s Master. I feel like he didn’t use his spells as well as he could, but then again most of them were buffs that he would only get full advantage of if he had a pre-buff phase.

The Assassin

ginganinja (Kate)
Master 10
Chaotic Evil
Init +5 Perception +14
---Defense---
AC 22, Touch 22, Flat-Footed 20
HP 190
Fort +9, Ref +8, Will +11
CMB +4 CMD 31
---Offense---
Speed 30 ft.
Undead School (opp Divination)
Spells Prepared
4 5+1 5+1 4+1 4+1 2+1 (Extra slots must be spent on Necromancy spells)

Special Abilities

Power Over Undead
Bolster
Life Sight

Mana Sense
Masters are able to sense the presence of Mana Founts automatically.

Create Mana Fount
Masters can create Mana Founts. Creating a Mana Fount takes 5 minutes and can be done twice per day.

Destroy Mana Fount
Masters can destroy Mana Founts. This ability does not destroy the designated object. Instead, it simply prevents the object from functioning as a Mana Fount.

Bond Senses
Masters can, as a standard action, share the senses of their Champion, hearing, seeing, smelling, tasting, and touching everything the Champion does. She can use this ability for 10 rounds a day. These rounds do not need to be consecutive. There is no range to this effect, but the Champion and the Master must be on the same plane. The Master can end this effect as a free action.

Greater Shield Ally
Whenever her Master is within a Champion’s reach, the Master receives a +4 circumstance bonus to her Armor Class and her saving throws. This bonus does not apply if the Champion is grappled, helpless, paralyzed, stunned, or unconscious.

---Statistics---
Str 8, Dex 14, Con 16, Int 18, Wis 9, Cha 8
Feats: Arcane Shield, Command Undead, Craft Wondrous Items, Defensive Combat Training, Extra Channel Energy, Opposition Research, Spell Focus (Necromancy), Toughness, Undead Master
Skills: Acrobatics +12, Craft (Wand) +17, Heal +9, Knowledge (Arcana) +17, Knowledge (Religion) +17, Spellcraft +17, Stealth +12
Languages: English, Italian, Necril, Abyssal, Infernal, Celestial, Auran

Alexia
Legendary Assassin 20
Chaotic Neutral
Init +10 Perception +23
---Defense---
AC 33, Touch 25, Flat-Footed 27
HP 186
Fort +9, Ref +18, Will +8
CMB +15 CMD 36
Spell Resistance 21
---Offense---
Speed 30 ft.
Melee +5/+5 Finesse +27/+23/+22/+17 OR [TWF] +25/+25/+23/+22/+20/+15 (1d6 +5; 19-20/x2; One-Handed Light Double Weapon)

Special Abilities

Sneak Attack
When Assassin attacks an opponent who is denied her Dexterity bonus to AC, or flanks an opponent, she gets +5d6 precision damage to her attack.

Assassinate
Assassin may spend 3 consecutive rounds observing her target. Observation is a standard action and Assassin may still take move actions during these 3 rounds. If Assassin surprises her target and makes a melee attack in the surprise round within 1 minute after the 3 rounds of observation, her melee attack automatically hits and deals 15d6 sneak attack damage. In addition, she can choose to inflict two of the following conditions on the target upon a successful Assassination:

- Stunned for 1 round.
- Staggered for 3 rounds.
- -4 STR for 5 rounds.
- -4 DEX for 5 rounds
- 50% miss chance on physical attacks for 3 rounds.
- 50% spell failure chance for 3 rounds.

Trap Sense and Trapfinding
Assassin gains a +10 bonus to find and disable traps. In addition, she gains +6 to her AC and Reflex bonus against traps.

Finesse - Prized Blade of a Distant Land
Assassin gains an extra attack at her full Base Attack Bonus -4 when full attacking with Finesse. She may choose to make the extra attack at her full Bonus for the cost of 50 mana instead. In addition, when Assassin successfully Assassinates an enemy, she may spend 100 mana to make an extra attack at her full Base Attack and Sneak Attack Bonus, or 200 mana to make two extra attacks under similar conditions.

There’s Safety in a Crowd
Assassin can hide in plain sight even when observed if she is in a populated area and does not take a -10 penalty. At the cost of 300 mana, Assassin can teleport herself, as well as her Master if she is within Assassin’s touch range, 100 feet away as a swift action. Assassin gets to make a free Disguise check for both herself and her Master at a +5 bonus before they reappear.

The Crimson Flash
Assassin and her Master are not subject to Attacks of Opportunity when they leave threatened squares, although any other actions that provoke Attacks of Opportunity still do so normally. After Assassin successfully Assassinates an enemy, she can make a free Stealth check with no penalty at the cost of 150 mana as long as it she does so within 3 rounds. Alternatively, she may spend 300 mana to automatically restealth with no check required within 3 rounds.

---Statistics---
Str 11, Dex 22, Con 16, Int 12, Wis 10, Cha 14
Feats: Combat Reflexes, Dastardly Finish, Defensive Combat Training, Dodge, Improved Initiative, Improved Two-Weapon Fighting, Iron Will, Toughness, Two-Weapon Fighting, Weapon Finesse, Weapon Focus (Finesse)
Skills: Acrobatics +29, Bluff +25, Craft (Trap-making) +24, Disguise +25, Escape Artist +29, Heal +20, Knowledge (History) +21, Knowledge (Local) + 24, Perception +23, Stealth +29
Languages: English, Italian, Necril


Ginga played pretty well and was obviously used to the Assassin’s playstyle. He committed a few errors but his play was otherwise fine; his idea of being a necromancer was very good since he would always have a crowd to hide Alexia in. He also spotted Dastardly Finish which will almost certainly be banned (I allowed it in the playtest to gauge its effects). Not much to say really, he had some other fine ideas as well like blowing up AG’s house with his undead and was leading during most of the game.

The Savior

ightwolf (Louis C. Phere)
Master 10
Chaotic Evil
Init +1 Perception +0
---Defense---
AC 21, Touch 21, Flat-Footed 20
HP 178
Fort +11, Ref +9, Will +12
CMB +3 CMD 14
---Offense---
Speed 30 ft.
Admixture School (opp Enchantment)
Spells Prepared
4 6+1 5+1 4+1 4+1 3+1 (Extra slots must be spent on Evocation spells)

Special Abilities
Intense Spells
Versatile Evocation
Elemental Mainpulation

Mana Sense
Masters are able to sense the presence of Mana Founts automatically.

Create Mana Fount
Masters can create Mana Founts. Creating a Mana Fount takes 5 minutes and can be done twice per day.

Destroy Mana Fount
Masters can destroy Mana Founts. This ability does not destroy the designated object. Instead, it simply prevents the object from functioning as a Mana Fount.

Bond Senses
Masters can, as a standard action, share the senses of their Champion, hearing, seeing, smelling, tasting, and touching everything the Champion does. She can use this ability for 10 rounds a day. These rounds do not need to be consecutive. There is no range to this effect, but the Champion and the Master must be on the same plane. The Master can end this effect as a free action.

Greater Shield Ally
Whenever her Master is within a Champion’s reach, the Master receives a +4 circumstance bonus to her Armor Class and her saving throws. This bonus does not apply if the Champion is grappled, helpless, paralyzed, stunned, or unconscious.

---Statistics---
Str 7, Dex 12, Con 16, Int 20, Wis 11, Cha 7
Feats: Dazing Spell, Empower Spell, Lightning Reflexes, Great Fortitude, Minor Spell Expertise (Magic Missile), Spell Focus (Evocation), Greater Spell Focus (Evocation), Opposition Research (Conjuration)
Skills: Spellcraft +18, Knowledge (Arcana) +18, Knowledge (Local) +18, Heal +10, Escape Artist +11, Acrobatics +11, Fly +14, Bluff +8
Languages: English, French, Abyssal, Celestial, Italian, Khoisan, Hungarian

Veigar, the Tiny Master of Evil
Legendary Savior 20
Chaotic Evil
Init +3 Perception +35
---Defense---
AC 40, Touch 18, Flat-Footed 37
HP 201
Fort +16, Ref +10, Will +18 (+20 VS Sleep and Charm)
CMB +12 CMD 24
Spell Resistance 23
---Offense---
Speed 30 ft.
Melee +2 Morningstar +15/+10/+5 (1d6 - 1 ; x2)
[Unholy Champion] Melee +8 Morningstar +36/+36/+31/+26/+21 (1d6 + 15; x2)

Special Abilities

Divine Art
Savior gains access to a list of select Divine spells.
Infinite;
Cure Moderate Wounds
Inflict Serious Wounds
Prayer
Prepared;
Cure Critical Wounds 3/day
Hellfire Ray 2/day
Jolting Portent 2/day (No daze on crit negation)
Heal 1/day
Unholy Aura 1/day (3 Str damage per round instead)

Damn the Soul
Veigar may condemn the souls of his enemies. He chooses one creature and inflicts 2d6 damage on him. A successful Will save halves this damage (DC 10 + Wisdom Modifier). This is a swift action that has a range of 150 feet. The target then takes 4d6 damage on Veigar’s second turn, with the damage increasing cumulatively by 2d6 every turn. The target creature must make a new Will save each round for half damage. There is no damage limit on this ability. Veigar may designate a new target on his turn as a free action, at which point the damage resets to 2d6. The ability stops working if the designated target exits the range of the ability. Veigar may spend 100 mana to increase the DC of this ability by 5, 250 mana to increase the DC by 10, or 600 mana to increase the DC by 15.

Parvus Dominus Malum - Tiny Master of Evil
Veigar is a yordle. Effectively, this means that he is a Small human, granting him +2 Dexterity and +1 on AC and attack rolls, but -2 Strength. Veigar is equipped with an epic suit of profane armour that grants him an extra profane bonus on his AC and a +2 profane bonus on his Spell Resistance. Veigar may spend 100 mana when a neutral character attacks or targets him with a spell as an immediate action to recover 15 hp and treat their alignment as good for 20 rounds. Alternatively, he may spend 150 mana if an evil character attacks or targets him with a spell as an immediate action to recover 25 hp and treat their alignment as good for 20 rounds.

Ritual Sacrifices of the Heretic King
Veigar has access to four different rituals that have different requirements and grants him different bonuses.
Ritual of Harm - Veigar or his Master must kill 10 people and spend 50 mana. This grants Veigar a +10 profane bonus on spell damage for the day.
Ritual of Vitality - Veigar or his Master must rip out hearts of 50 people and spend 150 mana. This grants Savior a +4 profane bonus on Con for the day.
Ritual of Patience - Veigar or his Master must torture one person for an hour without killing him and spend 200 mana. This allows Veigar to regain one prepared spell that was already used for the day.
Ritual of Carnage - Veigar and his Master must attempt to kill someone every round to the best of their ability for 10 minutes and spend 400 mana. After completing these requirements, Veigar gains the ability to transform into an Unholy Champion for an hour, which can be used at any time thereafter. This alters Veigar’s Strength score to 24 and his Base Attack Bonus to +20/+15/+10/+5. It also grants him 40 temporary HP, DR 5 / Evil (can be overcome by any Evil enemy), an extra attack during a full attack (does not stack with Haste or similar effects), and his weapon’s enhancement bonus increases to +8.

---Statistics---
Str 5, Dex 16, Con 18, Int 14, Wis 22, Cha 7
Feats: Spell Focus (Evocation), Greater Spell Focus (Evocation), Spell Specialization (Jolting Portent), Alertness, Divine Interference, Lightning Reflexes, Improved Lightning Reflexes, Uncanny Alertness, Skill Focus (Perception), Spell Penetration, Greater Spell Penetration
Skills: Perception +35, Sense Motive +32, Knowledge (History) +25, Heal +29, Escape Artist +23
Languages: English, Goblin, Abyssal, Chinese


LightWolf made an anti-Assassin build, then died to Ginga through no fault of his due to rolling 2 on his perception check. He never got to really fight except in the exhibition match vs AG, but mostly spent his time exploring and destroying a very large number of founts. He also got himself wrapped up with the police which had some rather negative repercussions. He also made the best maps!

The Berserker

Aura Guardian (Tomas Finnegan O’Hannigan)
Master 10
Neutral Evil
Init +5 Perception +14
---Defense---
AC 21, Touch 21, Flat-Footed 20
HP 125
Fort +8, Ref +7, Will +12
CMB +3 CMD 14
---Offense---
Speed 30 ft.
Enhancement School (opp none)
Spells Prepared
4 6+1 5+1 4+1 4+1 3+1 (Extra slots must be spent on Transmutation spells)

Special Abilities
Physical Enhancement
Augment
Perfection of Self

Mana Sense
Masters are able to sense the presence of Mana Founts automatically.

Create Mana Fount
Masters can create Mana Founts. Creating a Mana Fount takes 5 minutes and can be done twice per day.

Destroy Mana Fount
Masters can destroy Mana Founts. This ability does not destroy the designated object. Instead, it simply prevents the object from functioning as a Mana Fount.

Bond Senses
Masters can, as a standard action, share the senses of their Champion, hearing, seeing, smelling, tasting, and touching everything the Champion does. She can use this ability for 10 rounds a day. These rounds do not need to be consecutive. There is no range to this effect, but the Champion and the Master must be on the same plane. The Master can end this effect as a free action.

Greater Shield Ally
Whenever her Master is within a Champion’s reach, the Master receives a +4 circumstance bonus to her Armor Class and her saving throws. This bonus does not apply if the Champion is grappled, helpless, paralyzed, stunned, or unconscious.

---Statistics---
Str 7, Dex 12, Con 15, Int 20, Wis 10, Cha 10
Feats: Improved Initiative, Alertness, Opposition Research (Abjuration), Opposition Research (Necromancy), Piercing Spell, Quicken Spell, Spell Penetration, Greater Spell Penetration
Skills: Fly +14, Knowledge (Arcana) +18, Knowledge (Local) +18, Perception +14, Disguise +10, Diplomacy +10, Sense Motive +14, Spellcraft +18, Stealth +6, Ride +6
Languages: English, Irish, Danish, Norwegian, Abyssal, Infernal, and Russian

The Ice King
Legendary Berserker 20
Chaotic Evil
Init +5 Perception +18
---Defense---
AC 29, Touch 14, Flat-Footed 28
HP 312
Fort +19, Ref +7, Will +9
CMB +28 CMD 39
Spell Resistance 21
---Offense---
Speed 30 ft.
Melee +4 Winterblade +34/+34/+29/+24/+19 [+4 bonus on confirming crits] (2d6 + 20 + 1d6 cold; 15-20/x2)

Special Abilities

Berserker’s Revelry
Berserker gains d12 hitdice and 11 extra feats.

Mad Enhancement
The Ice King is permanently under the effects of Rage. He gains a +4 morale bonus to his Strength and Constitution and a +2 morale bonus to his Will saves, but takes a -2 penalty to his AC. He cannot use any Charisma-, Dexterity-, or Intelligence-based skills (except Acrobatics, Fly, Intimidate, and Ride) or any ability that requires patience or concentration. At the cost of 150 mana, The Ice King can increase his morale bonus to his Strength and Constitution to +6 and his morale bonus to his Will saves to +3 for the day. Alternatively, The Ice King can spend 300 mana to instead increase his morale bonus to his Strength and Constitution to +8 and his morale bonus to his Will saves to +4 for the day.

Shroud of the Blizzard Lord
A howling snowstorm of 60 foot radius is constantly surrounding The Ice King, which incurs a -20 penalty on stealth checks for creatures within the shroud. The Ice King may suppress or unsuppress the effect as a swift action. The Ice King gains 10% concealment. The concealment may be increased to 20% at the cost of 150 mana, or 30% at the cost of 350 mana. The increase lasts for 20 rounds. Creatures within the radius of the snowstorm except for The Ice King and his Master take 1d6 cold damage a round.

Winterblade - The Flashing Winter Frost
The Ice King is equipped with the Winterblade, a +4 Speed Frost Greatsword with a threat range of 18-20. Winterblade halves all of The Ice King’s Power Attack penalties, rounding up. At the cost of 100 mana, The Ice King can bestow Icy Burst on Winterblade . At the cost of 200 mana, The Ice King can increase Winterblade’s critical threat range by 2. At the cost of 250 mana, The Ice King can increase Winterblade’s multiplier to x3. All of these additional enhancements stack with each other and last for 20 rounds.

---Statistics---
Str 26, Dex 13, Con 24, Int 10, Wis 7, Cha 7
Feats: Power Attack, Furious Focus, Step Up, Following Step, Weapon Focus (Greatsword), Greater Weapon Focus (Greatsword), Weapon Specialization (Greatsword), Greater Weapon Specialization (Greatsword), Improved Critical, Critical Focus, Blinding Critical, Staggering Critical, Stunning Critical, Critical Mastery, Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Toughness, Disruptive, Spellbreaker, Cleave, Hammer The Gap, Vital Strike
Skills: Perception +18, Sense Motive +18, Ride +14, Acrobatics +11, Climb +21, Swim +21
Languages: English, Danish


AG's game really showed the effects of turtling. In his case he had not much choice, after fighting Agape at basically the start of the game he was down to basically almost nothing and chose to use the hospital for two days. The hospital is really good and he healed a very large amount of HP, but in exchange he lost the ability to explore the city and was really down on mana because his founts kept getting wrecked. His fights were pretty simple: if he got to full attack people, he usually won.

General Comments

Everyone was even more min-maxed in this game, but I'm pleased to say that balance in this game seemed fairly good. Everyone had more or less the same plan which was wandering around looking for founts. Everyone also seemed more cautious in this game; I don't know if it's because of the players of the way the chars were built but personally I'd like to see less of that.

As experienced players might be able to tell, I buffed AC in this game. It seemed fairly effective; The Ice King missed 4 attacks out of 5 against Veigar in the Postgame fight, something I couldn't imagine Hervor doing against Mogh.

Master death is now once again a very prevalent concern. This is really obvious when you look at AG VS Agape and AG VS LW, in both fights Master death had an overwhelming influence in the final outcome. Future players will need to be wary of how they handle their Master.

I gave everyone three battle abilities for this playtest but rest assured that this will not be the case in PSW III.

Recommendations and Improvements Discussion

There’re a few things that I want to discuss and I want everyone’s opinion. Let’s start with mana. The current amount of mana is fine if you take part in fights or if you lose a lot of founts, but if you don’t then you can still easily stockpile an incredible amount. Currently, I’m thinking of giving mana bonuses for taking part in fights and reducing the amount of mana you get from founts. This will also encourage people to fight more, which I think is a potential problem especially with how everyone ran from each other so often in the playtest.

I also want to change the Berserker’s Innate Ability to Mad Enhancement. It feels more fitting than the extra feats.

I will probably ban Dastardly Finish on Assassin just because it’s so good that it more or less forces every Assassin to take it. Originally I thought that the Assassin had a few problems with how it’s encouraged to run away, but after more thought I think it is just necessary for DMs to make sure that their Assassins don’t have escape buttons. There probably won’t be too many problems if that happens. Assassinate itself is definitely too weak with Dastardly Finish banned, it needs a ton more damage (30d6?). Alternatively, I could keep Assassinate as it is and introduce more innates to make Assassin better overall in combat like adding DEX mod to damage. It depends on how much you want the Assassin to rely on Assassinate.
 

ginganinja

It's all coming back to me now
is a Community Leader Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a CAP Contributor Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnus
Throwing in my POV here. (Ill refer the Assassin by saying rogue, it just feels easier for me even tho we named changed)

Firstly, I love the rogue, I have played with it twice, done o.k with it, and in both PSW games the rogue showed that it offload vast amounts of damage within a few rounds. Its also a very fun class to play. The first thing I have to bear in mind whenever I use the rogue, is that its traditionally focused towards the first 3 rounds of a right, get in, cripple something, finish it off, bail. In longer encounters, the Rogue just becomes a sub par fighter, unless it can continue to unleash its sneak attack throughout the fight, like AG did in PSW 2. With the new mechanics to the Rogue in the PSW type games, the Rogue is really focused on those first initial hits, since in a pitched battle, waiting 3 rounds to unleash some damage is just WAY too long. I found this out when I ran into AG during the playtest, and it was just me stalling until Assassinate was ready, and then AG used invisibility and all that work was undone.

With this out of the way, ill chat about mana.

Firstly, I didn't really have too many problems with Mana, I had enough throughout the game, and while I occasionally wished that I had more, it wasn't too bad. It made me watch my abilities tho, since I couldn't just spam them without cost. If you are forcing changes to taking part in fights, you I feel that you do handicap the rogue somewhat, and give the Berserker a massive advantage.

With Rage, the Berserker can change into battle, not give a shit, get the mana boost, fuck shit up and leave. We all know how powerful jumpluff was with the Rage feature and it gives the Berserker a better chance at getting a mana advantage over certain other classes. In comparison, the Rogue waits for a chance to initiate combat at a favourable time. For example, when LW and AG teamed up on the last day to fight me, I had no chance at attacking them, since basically once I broke my stealth and attacked, if I failed to one shot someone, I was dead. Instead, my plan was to wait for them to fight each other, and then assassinate the winner. This, I don't think, is a problem the rogue had. Mostly, when I ran away from an encounter, it was because I was in an unfavourable position which isn't really the fault of the class. I guess my point is that Rogues are going to see slightly less combat that other classes. They are going to be very strong later in the game when they can burst (?) down someone easily when order spells are gone but they don't seek to initiate combat like, say, the Berserker does, which I guess can lead to mana problems.

On Escape Buttons

I actually an rather upset at a rogue losing an escape button. The Rogue is designed to go in, hit, take an order spell in 2 rounds, bail and an escape button lets you do this. Without an escape button, lets face it, Lightwolf would have caught me and killed me day 1 during the playtest, costing me an order spell for an order spell which is hardly an effective trade. A Rogue sucks the longer the battles goes on (AG being the exception in PSW 2) and its hard for a rogue to get away if it lacks an escape button. I actually rather like LW's casual remark about fusing rider with rogue, since both are hit and run classes, and it gives the rogue a built in escape button which helps its playstyle.

Other Shit

I think Assassinate needs to be buffed, not sure how strong since numbers are strong but it needs to hit high enough damage to basically cripple a champion. For example, I feel that Robin Hoods Mana Boosted Manyshot approached the levels of a proper attack, (maybe its a little on the strong side since it took off a order spell, idk), if its too weak, then its a waste of time lol and your killing the rogue class as a whole which relies on unloading a fuckload of damage in a very short space of time. I don't like the idea of adding more innates to the Rogue so its better overall in combat tho, I think that sneak attacking and hitting hard and fast are what the rogue should focus towards, and adding innates to make it better in combat make it more fighter focused and I don't really like that at all.

And yea, ban Dastardly Finish. I felt so guilty taking it (I even asked pluff and Raikage if they wanted to ban it before the playtest (when I was creating my character) once I brought it to their attention and I felt sorry for LW when I basically OHKOed him and bailed (tho I did feel that this was the rogue working as it was supposed too)

Lastly, could we increase the range of Assassinate if you are a ranged rogue. Maybe that makes you too similar to an Archer, idk, but I kinda like how the Rogue can sit on a rooftop, observe an enemy (while still being safely out of harms way), snipe the bastard, and run away (which would be easier to evade since you can attack at greater range giving you more space to move). Running into Melee means that once you assassinate (and in PSW games you have order spells so you don't actually "kill them") its harder to get away which means its a lot easier for enemy classes to rip away order spells making it a 1 for 1 trade, hardly a victory. Just look at the AG + Agape vs LW and myself fight where we took 2(?) order spells very quickly, but the battle went on and we lost 2 order spells (or something) which evened up the score. So yea, could we get a ranged option for the Assassin :)
 
I'm for escape buttons. Make them cost mana and even more mana if a non-rogue gets one.

About mana:
Drain minor mana spell level 2 - drains 50 mana, touch attack spell
Drain lesser mana spell level 3 - drains 100 mana, touch attack spell
Drain major mana spell level 4 - drains 150 mana, touch attack spell
Drain greater mana spell level 5 - drains 200 mana, touch attack spell
The caster would get the mana drained. Needs balancing maybe?

On sage:

Fun and challenging. Requires an innovative munchkin pro-level player. Also balanced.

On the playtest:

AG MINMAX HAXX0R!!!!!!
 
On Assassin:

This seems to play exactly as intended, though I agree that Dastardly Finish is OP. If anything, after Assassinate is buffed (nearly guaranteed to be buffed a lot), hiding should be nerfed a bit, since it was too powerful here (re: hiding in plain sight is a bit strong). The nerf to hiding would include to enemies who try to hide, of course. Somehow.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On Sage:

Very powerful, almost killed me (I won by 1 HP, I thought, not 2). Wonderfully played, though it could probably use some rebalancing. Maybe weaker minions that are more numerous? Fewer minions, but stronger? If the minions are buffed to sense founts or something, they should probably be more utility and less offense. Maybe only one gets to attack at a time (re: every one of them, except those I stunned or something, ganked my summoner). Redacted because that battle was confusing and I didn't notice that only one of them + golem was attacking me. Which means they need to be nerfed somehow a bit, IMO.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On Savior:

Played similarly to before, with no real changes to style. Basically powerful caster without being a nuke - more of a series of smaller explosions.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On Berserker:

Ok, I will admit I minmaxed severely, though it seems I actually did need the Sword of Speed. With Mad Enhancement at a minimum, I had like 26 STR and 24 CON. Step Up + Following Step and Disruptive + Spellbreaker let me act as a nice anti-mage, though that didn't happen much. I agree that my Critical Feats were broken, and were instrumental against Agape. So, yeah, maybe changing Berserker's Revelry to Mad Enhancement would help rebalance it. Just declare Berserker a flat Barbarian for eight different classes (classes: wiz/sorc, barbarian, fighter [knight], cavalier, ranger, rogue, theurge, cleric). Change the 11 extra feats to a decent amount of rage powers, and Berserker will be even more divergent from the knight, but just as powerful. It would also remove the critical feats, for the most part.

Overall, I think I did as well as I did because of my feats. My Winterblade certainly helped, as did Mad Enhancement, but my feats were what I revolved around. Changing them to Rage Powers would reorient the character, but leave him just as balanced, I think.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On Other Changes:

I'm glad some of the most broken spells were banned, but something should probably be done about people teaming up with the police... they are too overpowerd. If they're like Warrior 2-4 or something, that's easy to beat, but it's probably best if something stops them from intervening... that said, I approve of anyone who tries to blow them up D1 to simplify life. Dealing with NPCs gives me a headache, and same for the hosts, if I read between the lines correctly...

The new mana system I'd say was a rousing success, but there should indeed be more ways to get mana. Maybe one mana system for powering champions and another for the bonuses to hit or to save? I don't think anyone used the latter aspect of the system, but the encouragement to not craft but instead wander certainly worked.

The new map system and drawing paths on the map: YES, oh, thank you, YES. That was wonderful. Please keep that system.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Miscelaneous:

Escape Buttons: These should be present, certainly. A player's death should probably be due to failing to defend themselves appropriately or the product of a long hunt for them. It's not much fun if someone who hard counters you comes up and attacks you without many ways for you to escape.

Mana for entering battles: As ginga pointed out, this would be lopsided toward classes who favor entering battle, making a mess, then leaving. I agree something like this should exist, though. Maybe tailor the bonuses to the champion? Berserker takes an order spell, and so gains some mana, or Assassin steals a lock of hair, and gains mana that way. Stuff like that, perhaps?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ok, character sheet. STR, CON, and WILL on champion factor in Mad Enhancement with no mana spent. Base languages were English + native (Irish for summoner, Danish for champion). Summoner's CON does not account for +3 from arcane school

Raikage said:
Aura Guardian (Tomas Finnegan O’Hannigan)
Master 10
Neutral Evil
Init +5 Perception +14
---Defense---
AC 21, Touch 21, Flat-Footed 20
HP 125
Fort +8, Ref +7, Will +12
CMB +3 CMD 14
---Offense---
Speed 30 ft.
Enhancement School (opp none)
Spells Prepared
4 6+1 5+1 4+1 4+1 3+1 (Extra slots must be spent on Transmutation spells)

Special Abilities
Physical Enhancement
Augment
Perfection of Self

Mana Sense
Masters are able to sense the presence of Mana Founts automatically.

Create Mana Fount
Masters can create Mana Founts. Creating a Mana Fount takes 5 minutes and can be done twice per day.

Destroy Mana Fount
Masters can destroy Mana Founts. This ability does not destroy the designated object. Instead, it simply prevents the object from functioning as a Mana Fount.

Bond Senses
Masters can, as a standard action, share the senses of their Champion, hearing, seeing, smelling, tasting, and touching everything the Champion does. She can use this ability for 10 rounds a day. These rounds do not need to be consecutive. There is no range to this effect, but the Champion and the Master must be on the same plane. The Master can end this effect as a free action.

Greater Shield Ally
Whenever her Master is within a Champion’s reach, the Master receives a +4 circumstance bonus to her Armor Class and her saving throws. This bonus does not apply if the Champion is grappled, helpless, paralyzed, stunned, or unconscious.

---Statistics---
Str 7, Dex 12, Con 15, Int 20, Wis 10, Cha 10
Feats: Improved Initiative, Alertness, Opposition Research (Abjuration), Opposition Research (Necromancy), Piercing Spell, Quicken Spell, Spell Penetration, Greater Spell Penetration
Skills: Fly +14, Knowledge (Arcana) +18, Knowledge (Local) +18, Perception +14, Disguise +10, Diplomacy +10, Sense Motive +14, Spellcraft +18, Stealth +6, Ride +6
Languages: English, Irish, Danish, Norwegian, Abyssal, Infernal, and Russian

The Ice King
Legendary Berserker 20
Chaotic Evil
Init +5 Perception +18
---Defense---
AC 29, Touch 14, Flat-Footed 28
HP 312
Fort +19, Ref +7, Will +9
CMB +28 CMD 39
Spell Resistance 21
---Offense---
Speed 30 ft.
Melee +4 Winterblade +34/+34/+29/+24/+19 [+4 bonus on confirming crits] (2d6 + 20 + 1d6 cold; 15-20/x2)

Special Abilities

Berserker’s Revelry
Berserker gains d12 hitdice and 11 extra feats.

Mad Enhancement
The Ice King is permanently under the effects of Rage. He gains a +4 morale bonus to his Strength and Constitution and a +2 morale bonus to his Will saves, but takes a -2 penalty to his AC. He cannot use any Charisma-, Dexterity-, or Intelligence-based skills (except Acrobatics, Fly, Intimidate, and Ride) or any ability that requires patience or concentration. At the cost of 150 mana, The Ice King can increase his morale bonus to his Strength and Constitution to +6 and his morale bonus to his Will saves to +3 for the day. Alternatively, The Ice King can spend 300 mana to instead increase his morale bonus to his Strength and Constitution to +8 and his morale bonus to his Will saves to +4 for the day.

Shroud of the Blizzard Lord
A howling snowstorm of 60 foot radius is constantly surrounding The Ice King, which incurs a -20 penalty on stealth checks for creatures within the shroud. The Ice King may suppress or unsuppress the effect as a swift action. The Ice King gains 10% concealment. The concealment may be increased to 20% at the cost of 150 mana, or 30% at the cost of 350 mana. The increase lasts for 20 rounds. Creatures within the radius of the snowstorm except for The Ice King and his Master take 1d6 cold damage a round.

Winterblade - The Flashing Winter Frost
The Ice King is equipped with the Winterblade, a +4 Speed Frost Greatsword with a threat range of 18-20. Winterblade halves all of The Ice King’s Power Attack penalties, rounding up. At the cost of 100 mana, The Ice King can bestow Icy Burst on Winterblade . At the cost of 200 mana, The Ice King can increase Winterblade’s critical threat range by 2. At the cost of 250 mana, The Ice King can increase Winterblade’s multiplier to x3. All of these additional enhancements stack with each other and last for 20 rounds.

---Statistics---
Str 26, Dex 13, Con 24, Int 10, Wis 7, Cha 7
Feats: Power Attack, Furious Focus, Step Up, Following Step, Weapon Focus (Greatsword), Greater Weapon Focus (Greatsword), Weapon Specialization (Greatsword), Greater Weapon Specialization (Greatsword), Improved Critical, Critical Focus, Blinding Critical, Staggering Critical, Stunning Critical, Critical Mastery, Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Toughness, Disruptive, Spellbreaker, Cleave, Hammer The Gap, Vital Strike
Skills: Perception +18, Sense Motive +18, Ride +14, Acrobatics +11, Climb +21, Swim +21
Languages: English, Danish
 

LightWolf

lightwoof
is a Forum Moderator Alumnus
Raikage said:
Lightwolf (Louis C. Phere)
Master 10
Chaotic Evil
Init +1 Perception +0
---Defense---
AC 21, Touch 21, Flat-Footed 20
HP 178
Fort +11, Ref +9, Will +12
CMB +3 CMD 14
---Offense---
Speed 30 ft.
Admixture School (opp Enchantment)
Spells Prepared
4 6+1 5+1 4+1 4+1 3+1 (Extra slots must be spent on Evocation spells)

Special Abilities
Intense Spells
Versatile Evocation
Elemental Mainpulation

Mana Sense
Masters are able to sense the presence of Mana Founts automatically.

Create Mana Fount
Masters can create Mana Founts. Creating a Mana Fount takes 5 minutes and can be done twice per day.

Destroy Mana Fount
Masters can destroy Mana Founts. This ability does not destroy the designated object. Instead, it simply prevents the object from functioning as a Mana Fount.

Bond Senses
Masters can, as a standard action, share the senses of their Champion, hearing, seeing, smelling, tasting, and touching everything the Champion does. She can use this ability for 10 rounds a day. These rounds do not need to be consecutive. There is no range to this effect, but the Champion and the Master must be on the same plane. The Master can end this effect as a free action.

Greater Shield Ally
Whenever her Master is within a Champion’s reach, the Master receives a +4 circumstance bonus to her Armor Class and her saving throws. This bonus does not apply if the Champion is grappled, helpless, paralyzed, stunned, or unconscious.

---Statistics---
Str 7, Dex 12, Con 16, Int 20, Wis 11, Cha 7
Feats: Dazing Spell, Empower Spell, Lightning Reflexes, Great Fortitude, Minor Spell Expertise (Magic Missile), Spell Focus (Evocation), Greater Spell Focus (Evocation), Opposition Research (Conjuration)
Skills: Spellcraft +18, Knowledge (Arcana) +18, Knowledge (Local) +18, Heal +10, Escape Artist +11, Acrobatics +11, Fly +14, Bluff +8
Languages: -

Veigar, the Tiny Master of Evil
Legendary Savior 20
Chaotic Evil
Init +3 Perception +35
---Defense---
AC 40, Touch 18, Flat-Footed 37
HP 201
Fort +16, Ref +10, Will +18 (+20 VS Sleep and Charm)
CMB +12 CMD 24
Spell Resistance 23
---Offense---
Speed 30 ft.
Melee +2 Morningstar +15/+10/+5 (1d6 - 1 ; x2)
[Unholy Champion] Melee +8 Morningstar +36/+36/+31/+26/+21 (1d6 + 15; x2)

Special Abilities

Divine Art
Savior gains access to a list of select Divine spells.
Infinite;
Cure Moderate Wounds
Inflict Serious Wounds
Prayer
Prepared;
Cure Critical Wounds 3/day
Hellfire Ray 2/day
Jolting Portent 2/day (No daze on crit negation)
Heal 1/day
Unholy Aura 1/day (3 Str damage per round instead)

Damn the Soul
Veigar may condemn the souls of his enemies. He chooses one creature and inflicts 2d6 damage on him. A successful Will save halves this damage (DC 10 + Wisdom Modifier). This is a swift action that has a range of 150 feet. The target then takes 4d6 damage on Veigar’s second turn, with the damage increasing cumulatively by 2d6 every turn. The target creature must make a new Will save each round for half damage. There is no damage limit on this ability. Veigar may designate a new target on his turn as a free action, at which point the damage resets to 2d6. The ability stops working if the designated target exits the range of the ability. Veigar may spend 100 mana to increase the DC of this ability by 5, 250 mana to increase the DC by 10, or 600 mana to increase the DC by 15.

Parvus Dominus Malum - Tiny Master of Evil
Veigar is a yordle. Effectively, this means that he is a Small human, granting him +2 Dexterity and +1 on AC and attack rolls, but -2 Strength. Veigar is equipped with an epic suit of profane armour that grants him an extra profane bonus on his AC and a +2 profane bonus on his Spell Resistance. Veigar may spend 100 mana when a neutral character attacks or targets him with a spell as an immediate action to recover 15 hp and treat their alignment as good for 20 rounds. Alternatively, he may spend 150 mana if an evil character attacks or targets him with a spell as an immediate action to recover 25 hp and treat their alignment as good for 20 rounds.

Ritual Sacrifices of the Heretic King
Veigar has access to four different rituals that have different requirements and grants him different bonuses.
Ritual of Harm - Veigar or his Master must kill 10 people and spend 50 mana. This grants Veigar a +10 profane bonus on spell damage for the day.
Ritual of Vitality - Veigar or his Master must rip out hearts of 50 people and spend 150 mana. This grants Savior a +4 profane bonus on Con for the day.
Ritual of Patience - Veigar or his Master must torture one person for an hour without killing him and spend 200 mana. This allows Veigar to regain one prepared spell that was already used for the day.
Ritual of Carnage - Veigar and his Master must attempt to kill someone every round to the best of their ability for 10 minutes and spend 400 mana. After completing these requirements, Veigar gains the ability to transform into an Unholy Champion for an hour, which can be used at any time thereafter. This alters Veigar’s Strength score to 24 and his Base Attack Bonus to +20/+15/+10/+5. It also grants him 40 temporary HP, DR 5 / Evil (can be overcome by any Evil enemy), an extra attack during a full attack (does not stack with Haste or similar effects), and his weapon’s enhancement bonus increases to +8.

---Statistics---
Str 5, Dex 16, Con 18, Int 14, Wis 22, Cha 7
Feats: Spell Focus (Evocation), Greater Spell Focus (Evocation), Spell Specialization (Jolting Portent), Alertness, Divine Interference, Lightning Reflexes, Improved Lightning Reflexes, Uncanny Alertness, Skill Focus (Perception), Spell Penetration, Greater Spell Penetration
Skills: Perception +35, Sense Motive +32, Knowledge (History) +25, Heal +29, Escape Artist +23
Languages:
"Suffering awaits."

When building my char I disliked how I couldn't fall back on myths and legends, it's the most fun part of char creation. So I choose something that will never be in risk of taking up an existing legend, someone from League of Legends.

The abilities were a lot of fun, bar that I didn't get to usue most till the post game fight >_>. I only met the assassin, no chance to fight head on there. I first choose my spells, so that I could complement my choices with made up abilities. Hellfire Ray seemed like the standard evil damage spell, while Jolting Portent is the closest to Lightning Ball and others for damage over time while you just heal yourself. I argued to get inflict critical wounds just for flavour reason. "I'm evil, stop laughing!" Unholy Aura, was the big find, it had a lot of nice things, kind of hard to use due to being limited to good people in some aspects, but the gigantic Spell Resistance and bonuses and Str damage, were too nice to give up on.

My first ability was Raikage's suggestion for damage while you heal. I suggested the scaling cost based on DC.(if I was poor I could use a sucky version, instead of being standardised but always mana costing). In game it was really only used as a tracking device, while they are 150 from me, I know they are here. "I can see the fear in your heart."

My next ability was much less at the start, in the end the reasons for being small got added. Basically this came to me as the main way to use Unholy aura, make them good. The healing part was Raikage's idea, which was a nice twist. This ability also boosted part of my final ability. Also there has been no legendary armor yet, so I guessed, why not?

My final ability(ies) are a couple of rituals. I wanted to be evil, so Raikage was like, go and murder people then. And so it happened, a couple of abilities that give me bonuses for killing. Didn't fight enough to use the spell returner, didn't have enough mana to waste for the con one when I didn't know when I would face someone. I used Harm every day, and prepared Carnage the day before. Only got to use the effect of carnage in the postgame fight :(.

The game was to say so fightless for me. Everyone I wanted to face ran. Day 1 I get ambushed by ginga, after which he runs. Day 3 I find AG alone and he rolls good and goes first, teleports out. Then the game ended with us taking an order from ginga and it being a stalemate.

Also raikage never make me do decisions about going to sleep when I'm fucking sleepy. I will always go to sleep, even in a house where I just murdered a couple of cops.

A thing about the postgame fight, AG used Telekinesis to grapple and then pin down my master. Sure damage to the enemy master interupts this easily, but that is if you can do that. Berserker and Shield have range problems, Assassin too can have those. Casters and ranged could be in trouble especially if combined with the feats AG used, risking a strong AoO. It seems like another SoD, bar that you can't save, but are able to work around more easily. Problem is add into the mix a few feats, (make 5 feet steps during enemy turn, anti defensive casting feats) and you have something hard to deal with. and when released, you will most likely have your master lying prone ready to be destroyed. Classes who own minions have an easier time, but using this with classes who have minions makes this in retrospect harder to defeat(sage could use this spell extremly well)
 

vonFiedler

I Like Chopin
is a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnus
On Escape Buttons


It's not much fun if someone who hard counters you comes up and attacks you without many ways for you to escape.
It's not fun if you are beating someone and then they get away easily either. That's why I was hesitant to give easy escapes to non-Riders and still was unpleased with the amount I ended up giving.
 

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Users: 1, Guests: 0)

Top