Thread approved by DLE. Hosted by myself and vonFiedler parts of this post shamelessly stolen from his PSW 5
Welcome to the world of the Philosopher’s Stone Wars. This is a game of stealth and intrigue where you summon a powerful champion from history to battle and fight seven other champions and summoners in a pvp competition. Game strategy can pan around building defensive structures, discovering the identity (and powers) of the enemy champions, forming tense alliances, and attacking your enemy before they see you coming. Because this is based on Pathfinder, your options are limited only by your creative problem solving ability.
This is a roleplaying game. Half the fun is roleplaying as badass legendary heroes, accompanied of course by a wizard with whatever personality you wish. You are allowed to talk with other players about the game in character when contact is made. Otherwise, you are not. This is not a balance rule, it’s to immerse you in this isolated and dangerous world where another player could be lurking around the next dark corner, not “a pm away”.
How this Game Works
PSW doesn’t function like most tabletops do. There will be no weekly or monthly sessions, rather at the start of each in game day each person will send in a day plan. This day plan should be as specific as possible (down to what streets you use to get to your destination) and will chart the course for what that person does during that day. If during the course of the day, two characters interact either accidentally or intentionally, then we will have a live session with the characters involved. These live sessions will hopefully average around two hours or so each, though it depends on a lot of circumstances of the individual encounters.
For discussion and the game, use the discord server #flamel: https://discord.gg/5S38vB
Be aware this game will be a several month commitment.
Homebrew Changes
These detail a few of the changes to both pathfinder and the previous PSW 5. Other changes are covered throughout this post.
Each Summoner has a psychic connection with their summoner that allows the other to know where the other is, what they see and hear as well as what they know.
Every character in the game is able to recognize another summoner or champion. The only exception to this is if a summoner or champion is attempting to hide their status through some mean.
Finally, as shown below each champion will have innate abilities according to their class. Beyond that, each champion will have several unique abilities tied to who they are and what they did in their lives or stories. In addition, every champion will have a trademark ability. These powerful abilities will usually be one of the strongest aspect of a character however, it comes at a cost. As the trademark ability will be so closely tied to who the champion is, that when a use of that ability is witnessed, it will become very easy to guess who that champion is. These abilities don’t necessarily have to be an active ability, but can be a passive ability that triggers when some condition is met. Creativity is awesome.
Building your Summoner and Order Spells
Mana and Mana Founts
Mana is shared by Champion and Summoner and is needed to use certain champion abilities. If ever a champion doesn’t have a summoner, or the summoner does not possess order spells, they can no longer gain mana and will instead lose mana at a rate of (25*N) a day, where N is the number of days the champion has been without an order spell. If the champion reaches 0 mana while without an order spell, the champion will vanish from the game.
Each champion starts with 50 mana. Every day they will gain an additional 25 mana so long as their summoner has at least one order spell.
Each summoner may also create up to 2 mana founts which give you an additional 25 mana for each controlled mana fount. It takes a one hour ritual to create a mana fount and may only be performed twice a day. If the Mana Fount is placed on a spiritually significant location it may yield more mana.
Mana Founts are nearly unobservable to common folk however other summoners or champions may detect opposing mana founts when in 25 feet of one and may destroy them by having the summoner spend 15 minutes to perform a counter ritual. Destroying the Mana Fount in this way, besides cutting off mana supply for the summoner, will grant the character who destroyed it an additional 25 mana. At the start of this rituatal, the summoner who owns the mana fount will be aware the ritual is being disturbed and know which mana fount is being targeted.
Alternatively, a summoner may conduct an hour long ritual which upon completion allows the summoner to scry on the summoner or champion (but not both) the mana fount is attached to. This scrying acts like the spell scry and the target may make a will save to prevent the scrying (with a -4 penalty as if you had a possession of their target). The target will not naturally be informed of this (however certain effects, like the Monk’s innate ability may detect it) though scrying in this way will bypass any normal protection against scrying. You may continue to scry this way as long as you stay next to the active mana fount though the target receives a new will save every hour. Similarly if the target makes their will save, they cannot be scryed on again until the next day and they will be informed that someone tried to use their mana fount to scry on them.
Mana Founts last for two days after creation, meaning that any Mana Founts made on Day 1 will produce mana for Day 2 and Day 3. After this period, they are destroyed. As you may only have two mana founts at a time, whenever a new one is created when you already possess two, the oldest mana fount you created will be destroyed.
Mana founts created on a spot where you have already had a mana fount will produce only 15 mana, except for the aforementioned spiritually significant locations.
Finally, you may gain mana from ritual murder. A discreet murder takes an hour and grants five mana, however doing this assumes you take the body to a remote place and thus the crime becomes much less notable.
You may also perform a reckless and bold ritual murder which throws caution to the wind and grants you 10 mana and only takes 10 minutes. Because of the brazen nature of this, these murders are much more likely to be noticed and details about the murder may become public knowledge and posted in the daily update.
Regardless of method, when murders are performed frequently, they will attract more attention and are more likely to draw aggression from citizens of the town, law enforcement and as a result, may cause information about the champion or summoner to become public knowledge.
Items and Setting and Healing
This competition takes places in modern day earth in a city or town that will be revealed once character creation is complete.
This world is exactly like our own and assumes that the common population has no clue about magic beyond fairy tales and legends. Magic for the most part is a complete secret to the world however you do not have to worry about any magical users besides the PC’s.
That said, the population of the city or town may have reactions depending on the various things going on. Possibly culminating in law enforcement or militaries becoming involved and various parts of the city or town becoming inaccessible through lawful means
In extreme cases, where a summoner and champion have intentionally acted to heavily disrupt the everyday life of the cities citizens through excessive killing, destruction of property and other malicious methods which threaten to expose the War to ordinary civilians, the Philosopher's Stone may place a bounty on the champion. This bounty will be announced in the morning update and a prize will be awarded to the person who deals the killing blow to the target of the bounty. Otherwise, the Philosopher’s Stone will automatically help to conceal most matters of this conflict to ordinary folk.
For simplicity sake. There are no items in the game in relevance to pathfinder (the exception being any items possessed by a champion upon creation, a chosen weapon of the summoner and any magical items that the summoner or the champion may create through abilities.) However you may find and purchase nearly any item you can normally find in a modern day city with some of the same limitations applied as in the real world.
Food and water is assumed and a non factor in this game. However each summoner needs 8 hours of sleep to refresh their spell list to avoid being fatigued the next day. The Champions exists off of mana and thus do not need to rest in this way, though they may meditate to recover hp. (Though a fatigued summoner will apply the same condition to their champion due to their shared connection).
Sleeping for 8 hours recovers 25% of your maximum health. Resting an additional 16 hours restores a total of 50% of your maximum health. This can be improved through the heal skill by giving long term care for 8 hours (DC 15) which on a passed check will double the healing received.
To join this game either indicate so in this thread. After sign ups are filled is when champion's will be determined and character creation will begin.
Sign Ups (10/9)
1. Ullar
2. Lightwolf
3. Hitmonleet
4. Internet
5. MoodyCloud
6. Agape
7. Julienrg
8. Maxim
9. Oddish
10. Pyra
Welcome to the world of the Philosopher’s Stone Wars. This is a game of stealth and intrigue where you summon a powerful champion from history to battle and fight seven other champions and summoners in a pvp competition. Game strategy can pan around building defensive structures, discovering the identity (and powers) of the enemy champions, forming tense alliances, and attacking your enemy before they see you coming. Because this is based on Pathfinder, your options are limited only by your creative problem solving ability.
This is a roleplaying game. Half the fun is roleplaying as badass legendary heroes, accompanied of course by a wizard with whatever personality you wish. You are allowed to talk with other players about the game in character when contact is made. Otherwise, you are not. This is not a balance rule, it’s to immerse you in this isolated and dangerous world where another player could be lurking around the next dark corner, not “a pm away”.
How this Game Works
PSW doesn’t function like most tabletops do. There will be no weekly or monthly sessions, rather at the start of each in game day each person will send in a day plan. This day plan should be as specific as possible (down to what streets you use to get to your destination) and will chart the course for what that person does during that day. If during the course of the day, two characters interact either accidentally or intentionally, then we will have a live session with the characters involved. These live sessions will hopefully average around two hours or so each, though it depends on a lot of circumstances of the individual encounters.
For discussion and the game, use the discord server #flamel: https://discord.gg/5S38vB
Be aware this game will be a several month commitment.
Homebrew Changes
These detail a few of the changes to both pathfinder and the previous PSW 5. Other changes are covered throughout this post.
- Combat uses an RPS system. Each champ will be designed with attacks assigned to Rock, Paper, and Scissors, each with varied and useful effects. When an opponent is beat in an RPS clash, the victor will have advantage, which allows you to roll your attack twice and take the higher roll, while the loser will have disadvantage, which forces them to roll twice and take the lower number. In the result of ties each side will only roll once and use that. Learning your opponent's moves and fighting inclinations is a must to succeed.
- Ability scores are virtually non-existent, with champions gaining a certain number of skills based on their champion classification. For each of these skills they will gain a +10 bonus however if the skill makes sense for the individual hero or their class, that bonus will be bumped up to +15 (this is at the GM’s discretion). Each Summoner however will have 50 skill points to distribute as they wish to as many skills as they wish, however the highest modifier a skill can have is +15.
- In addition, the follow skills probably won’t have much use in this campaign: (Appraise, Craft, Fly, Handle Animal, Kn: Dungeoneering, Kn: Planes, Linguistics, Perform and Use Magic Device). Additionally, psw allows for some homebrew skills that don't quite fit within the skills offered by pathfinder. We can talk during character creation if there's something you want your summoner or champion to be good at that fits into this idea.
- Unlike PSW V, saves are once again on a roll system which like skills, aren’t based on ability scores. Rather each champion will have good and bad saves depending on their class. Summoners will also have predetermined saves of 4/4/6:Fort/Ref/Will
- HP, Attack, AC, Damage and initiative are also not tied to anything except champion class for champions. For summoners, they start out with 100 HP, +8 attack, 17 AC, a 1d6+5 melee range attack and +2 initiative. However this can be improved (see: summoner creation portion)
Each Summoner has a psychic connection with their summoner that allows the other to know where the other is, what they see and hear as well as what they know.
Every character in the game is able to recognize another summoner or champion. The only exception to this is if a summoner or champion is attempting to hide their status through some mean.
Finally, as shown below each champion will have innate abilities according to their class. Beyond that, each champion will have several unique abilities tied to who they are and what they did in their lives or stories. In addition, every champion will have a trademark ability. These powerful abilities will usually be one of the strongest aspect of a character however, it comes at a cost. As the trademark ability will be so closely tied to who the champion is, that when a use of that ability is witnessed, it will become very easy to guess who that champion is. These abilities don’t necessarily have to be an active ability, but can be a passive ability that triggers when some condition is met. Creativity is awesome.
Important note: The following gives a great guideline what to expect when you see a champion and in figuring out what champion you want to play. However due to the customization aspect of the game, the innate ability of the champion and combat style may be slightly different then what is presented here.
Knight, Defensive Martial Champion
The Knight excels at taking hits, while still being able to physically threaten other classes. The Knight’s true specialty, however, lies in protecting her summoner, lending it to a play style where the player is never directly in harm’s way. The Knight does not require a literal knight legendary figure. Any myth that revolves around protection can be considered for the Knights. Previous Knights include Tyr, Don Quixote, Jeanne D'Arc, Samson and Perseus.
Skills: The Knight can choose 5 skills.
Innate Ability: Knight's Cover. Prevents the Knight's Summoner from being hurt when within a certain amount of feet.
Innate Ability: Reflex. When an attack would hit the Knight, you may gain AC to block it at the cost of 20 mana per AC.
RPS Combat Style: The Knight is given good damage dealing capability, but mostly relies on taking as little damage as possible. The Knight is also helped by allowing their summoner to join them easier in combat without being in any harm.
Berserker, Offensive Martial Champion
The Berserker is the strongest and simplest class of all in direct combat, overwhelming foes with unstoppable physical might and superhuman endurance. However, the Berserker is shackled by a continual madness in exchange for this incredible power. Any legendary warrior that has displayed anger can be summoned as the Berserker. Previous Berserkers include Herakles, Hervor, Dian Wei and the Lernean Hydra.
Skills: The Berserker can choose 5 skills.
Innate Ability: Berserker's Rage. The Berserker has three levels of rage that empower her. These can be activated once per turn using a Berserk Attack, a damage bonus to regular RPS attack. The first level prevents the champion from speaking but adds extra damage. The second level prevents uses of active skills, reduces AC, but adds to the attack bonus. The third level puts the Berserker completely out of control, having her attack at random (Including their summoner), but gaining even further damage. Each round requires an amount of mana to maintain and level 1 and 2 can be ended at anytime. Level 3 however can only be ended by spending additional mana or when the champion runs out of mana.
RPS Combat Style: Kill the enemy as quickly as possible. No one has the damage potential of Berserker.
Monk, Defensive Skill Class
The Monk is a scrapper in a fight, holding out against superior opponents until the chance for victory arrives. The Monk controls the flow of RPS battle, setting up victory conditions that become more certain as battles drag on. An innate spiritual awareness gives them more options outside of battle as well. Any skilled brawler of spiritual man can be a Monk. Previous Monks include St. Anthony Thomas Aquinas and Gilgamesh.
Skills: The Monk can choose 6 skills
Innate Ability: Monk's Divination. The Monk can detect uses of magic in a wide area around her, both instantaneous and ongoing, including mana founts.
Innate Ability: Monk’s Meditation. The Monk may spend an hour in meditation to gain 5 mana. This can be done up to 6 times a day.
Bonus Innate: Counterattack. Whenever someone targeting the monk misses due to disadvantage, the monk may make a bonus basic attack against the foe.
RPS Combat Style: The Monk lays down the hurt with their counterattack ability. Attacks have increasingly devastating effects, so long as they keep hitting. Otherwise concerned with defense and manipulating the battlefield.
Assassin, Offensive Skill Class
The Assassin is in her element when she is stalking her prey, silently observing before moving in for the kill. The Assassin specializes in striking devastating attacks before the start of combat, but also in taking advantage of an opponent's weakness in a fight. She also has access to a wide variety of skills, which aid her in deceiving her enemies. The Assassin can be literal, but she can also be any legendary thief, trickster, betrayer, or similarly roguish character. Previous Assassins include Robin Hood, Hermes, Loki, Moctezuma I and Eris.
Skills: The Assassin can choose 8 skills
Innate Ability: Assassin's Stealth. Out of combat the Assassin is always assumed to be hiding so well that no one can see her unless she chooses to be seen (this is not invisibility).
Innate Ability: Assassin’s Toolkit. She can increase any skill check after it is rolled by spending 5 mana per +2 to the roll.
Bonus Innate: Sneak attack. The assassin performs a sneak attack whenever their target is unaware of them or when they have advantage. This will usually trigger bonuses on their rps attacks.
RPS Combat Style: With Sneak Attack, the Assassin gains sizeable damage and other bonuses whenever she gains advantage. In other respects she excels at attacking when least expected and her RPS attacks apply debuffs to opponents.
Archer, Defensive Tactical Class
The Archer excels at long-range combat, raining death from a distance where enemy Champions cannot reach her. The Archer’s true specialty, however, lies in perception, her senses allowing her to track down and detect her enemies without fail. The Archer can be any legend associated with a bow, but any ranged weapon is also permissible. Previous Archers include Sun Shang Xiang, Tripurantaka Shiva, Apollo, Zhou Tong and Simo Hayha.
Skills: The Archer can choose 5 skills
Innate Ability: Archer's Vision. The Archer can physically see a great distance away, and can easily spot and track enemies using this.
Innate Ability: Archer’s Enemies. The Archer can spend 20 mana to know the direction of the nearest enemy champion. He can also spend 30 mana when on top of a tall location to get an idea of where an enemy champion might be in his vision.
RPS Combat Style: None. The Archer works best when firing at an enemy from out of range, which does not RPS Clash. The Archer is weak against RPS clashes, and will fight to gain distance again.
Rider, Offensive Tactical Class
The Rider is the only class that has innate access to a mount, allowing her to swiftly travel over long distances and make powerful charge attacks from far. The Rider’s true specialty lies in having this enhanced movement capability, and she can both chase down and flee from her foes with frightening ease. The Rider can be any figure with a legendary mount (this does not have to be a creature), but free willed adventurers are also acceptable. Previous Riders include Genghis Khan, Bellerophon, Guan Yu, Francis Drake and the Dullahan.
Skills: The Rider can choose 5 skills
Innate Ability: Rider's Chase/Retreat. As long as she is on her mount, the Rider gains bonuses to pursue and flee from foes.
Innate Ability: Rider’s Speed. You may at any time spend multiples of 10 mana to gain bonuses of 10 feet of speed in any form that he possesses.
Bonus Innate: Riders mount. Rider's mount has a seperate health amount from rider and can die. If riders mount does die, Rider will be unable to use any ability or rps attack that requires the mount.
RPS Combat Style: The Rider is a versatile everyman, doing a little something of everything, and possessing more RPS options than other champions.
Savior, Defensive Strategic Class
The Savior specializes in casting Divine magic to heal and protect both her allies as well as herself, and has the highest defensive potential out of any class. The Savior is the strongest class in a battle of attrition, and is also the only class that can choose to either physically damage her enemies with her weapons, or pose a threat with select offensive spells. The Savior may be any mythic priest, shaman, or druid, and may also be any legendary healer. Previous Saviors include Charaka, Mogh Ruith, Hippocrates, Dr. Jekyll and Väinämöinen.
Skills: The Savior can choose 5 skills
Innate Ability: Savior's Resurrection. Once per game, upon her or her summoner dying, they may rise again in another pre-selected location of their choosing at the start of the next day.
Innate Ability: Savior’s Healing. Once per round, the Savior may spend 1 mana to gain 2 HP.
RPS Combat Style: The Savior is an annoying tanker and is hard to actually kill and even harder to keep dead. Power comes from buffs accrued over the length of the game.
Caster, Offensive Strategic Class
The Caster specializes in casting Arcane magic with incredible destructive power, and is the class with the highest unrestricted offensive potential as well as some of the highest versatility. The Caster can also utilize her magical prowess in a more indirect manner, often possessing surprising abilities that are difficult to deal with. The Caster can be any mythical wizard or witch, but may also be a legendary scientist or alchemist. Previous Casters include Isaac Newton, Leonardo Da Vinci, Circe, Hans Christian Anderson and The Fates.
Skills: Caster can choose 4 skills
Innate Ability: Caster's Concentration. By sharing mental energy, the Caster's summoner can use up to three concentration spells at once. In addition Caster automatically succeeds when casting defensively and is always assumed to be doing so.
Innate Ability: Caster’s Recall. You may recall any spell already cast this day or spell slot by spending 10 mana per spell level.
Bonus Innate: Caster has a certain amount of fixed spells up to a higher level than summoners can use. However she may still switch up and select spells of 5th level and lower as a summoner does.
RPS Combat Style: The Caster is weak on the get-go, but applies heavy debuffs and save breaks until the battle goes in her favor, all while backed up by powerful arcane spells.
Knight, Defensive Martial Champion
The Knight excels at taking hits, while still being able to physically threaten other classes. The Knight’s true specialty, however, lies in protecting her summoner, lending it to a play style where the player is never directly in harm’s way. The Knight does not require a literal knight legendary figure. Any myth that revolves around protection can be considered for the Knights. Previous Knights include Tyr, Don Quixote, Jeanne D'Arc, Samson and Perseus.
Skills: The Knight can choose 5 skills.
Innate Ability: Knight's Cover. Prevents the Knight's Summoner from being hurt when within a certain amount of feet.
Innate Ability: Reflex. When an attack would hit the Knight, you may gain AC to block it at the cost of 20 mana per AC.
RPS Combat Style: The Knight is given good damage dealing capability, but mostly relies on taking as little damage as possible. The Knight is also helped by allowing their summoner to join them easier in combat without being in any harm.
Berserker, Offensive Martial Champion
The Berserker is the strongest and simplest class of all in direct combat, overwhelming foes with unstoppable physical might and superhuman endurance. However, the Berserker is shackled by a continual madness in exchange for this incredible power. Any legendary warrior that has displayed anger can be summoned as the Berserker. Previous Berserkers include Herakles, Hervor, Dian Wei and the Lernean Hydra.
Skills: The Berserker can choose 5 skills.
Innate Ability: Berserker's Rage. The Berserker has three levels of rage that empower her. These can be activated once per turn using a Berserk Attack, a damage bonus to regular RPS attack. The first level prevents the champion from speaking but adds extra damage. The second level prevents uses of active skills, reduces AC, but adds to the attack bonus. The third level puts the Berserker completely out of control, having her attack at random (Including their summoner), but gaining even further damage. Each round requires an amount of mana to maintain and level 1 and 2 can be ended at anytime. Level 3 however can only be ended by spending additional mana or when the champion runs out of mana.
RPS Combat Style: Kill the enemy as quickly as possible. No one has the damage potential of Berserker.
Monk, Defensive Skill Class
The Monk is a scrapper in a fight, holding out against superior opponents until the chance for victory arrives. The Monk controls the flow of RPS battle, setting up victory conditions that become more certain as battles drag on. An innate spiritual awareness gives them more options outside of battle as well. Any skilled brawler of spiritual man can be a Monk. Previous Monks include St. Anthony Thomas Aquinas and Gilgamesh.
Skills: The Monk can choose 6 skills
Innate Ability: Monk's Divination. The Monk can detect uses of magic in a wide area around her, both instantaneous and ongoing, including mana founts.
Innate Ability: Monk’s Meditation. The Monk may spend an hour in meditation to gain 5 mana. This can be done up to 6 times a day.
Bonus Innate: Counterattack. Whenever someone targeting the monk misses due to disadvantage, the monk may make a bonus basic attack against the foe.
RPS Combat Style: The Monk lays down the hurt with their counterattack ability. Attacks have increasingly devastating effects, so long as they keep hitting. Otherwise concerned with defense and manipulating the battlefield.
Assassin, Offensive Skill Class
The Assassin is in her element when she is stalking her prey, silently observing before moving in for the kill. The Assassin specializes in striking devastating attacks before the start of combat, but also in taking advantage of an opponent's weakness in a fight. She also has access to a wide variety of skills, which aid her in deceiving her enemies. The Assassin can be literal, but she can also be any legendary thief, trickster, betrayer, or similarly roguish character. Previous Assassins include Robin Hood, Hermes, Loki, Moctezuma I and Eris.
Skills: The Assassin can choose 8 skills
Innate Ability: Assassin's Stealth. Out of combat the Assassin is always assumed to be hiding so well that no one can see her unless she chooses to be seen (this is not invisibility).
Innate Ability: Assassin’s Toolkit. She can increase any skill check after it is rolled by spending 5 mana per +2 to the roll.
Bonus Innate: Sneak attack. The assassin performs a sneak attack whenever their target is unaware of them or when they have advantage. This will usually trigger bonuses on their rps attacks.
RPS Combat Style: With Sneak Attack, the Assassin gains sizeable damage and other bonuses whenever she gains advantage. In other respects she excels at attacking when least expected and her RPS attacks apply debuffs to opponents.
Archer, Defensive Tactical Class
The Archer excels at long-range combat, raining death from a distance where enemy Champions cannot reach her. The Archer’s true specialty, however, lies in perception, her senses allowing her to track down and detect her enemies without fail. The Archer can be any legend associated with a bow, but any ranged weapon is also permissible. Previous Archers include Sun Shang Xiang, Tripurantaka Shiva, Apollo, Zhou Tong and Simo Hayha.
Skills: The Archer can choose 5 skills
Innate Ability: Archer's Vision. The Archer can physically see a great distance away, and can easily spot and track enemies using this.
Innate Ability: Archer’s Enemies. The Archer can spend 20 mana to know the direction of the nearest enemy champion. He can also spend 30 mana when on top of a tall location to get an idea of where an enemy champion might be in his vision.
RPS Combat Style: None. The Archer works best when firing at an enemy from out of range, which does not RPS Clash. The Archer is weak against RPS clashes, and will fight to gain distance again.
Rider, Offensive Tactical Class
The Rider is the only class that has innate access to a mount, allowing her to swiftly travel over long distances and make powerful charge attacks from far. The Rider’s true specialty lies in having this enhanced movement capability, and she can both chase down and flee from her foes with frightening ease. The Rider can be any figure with a legendary mount (this does not have to be a creature), but free willed adventurers are also acceptable. Previous Riders include Genghis Khan, Bellerophon, Guan Yu, Francis Drake and the Dullahan.
Skills: The Rider can choose 5 skills
Innate Ability: Rider's Chase/Retreat. As long as she is on her mount, the Rider gains bonuses to pursue and flee from foes.
Innate Ability: Rider’s Speed. You may at any time spend multiples of 10 mana to gain bonuses of 10 feet of speed in any form that he possesses.
Bonus Innate: Riders mount. Rider's mount has a seperate health amount from rider and can die. If riders mount does die, Rider will be unable to use any ability or rps attack that requires the mount.
RPS Combat Style: The Rider is a versatile everyman, doing a little something of everything, and possessing more RPS options than other champions.
Savior, Defensive Strategic Class
The Savior specializes in casting Divine magic to heal and protect both her allies as well as herself, and has the highest defensive potential out of any class. The Savior is the strongest class in a battle of attrition, and is also the only class that can choose to either physically damage her enemies with her weapons, or pose a threat with select offensive spells. The Savior may be any mythic priest, shaman, or druid, and may also be any legendary healer. Previous Saviors include Charaka, Mogh Ruith, Hippocrates, Dr. Jekyll and Väinämöinen.
Skills: The Savior can choose 5 skills
Innate Ability: Savior's Resurrection. Once per game, upon her or her summoner dying, they may rise again in another pre-selected location of their choosing at the start of the next day.
Innate Ability: Savior’s Healing. Once per round, the Savior may spend 1 mana to gain 2 HP.
RPS Combat Style: The Savior is an annoying tanker and is hard to actually kill and even harder to keep dead. Power comes from buffs accrued over the length of the game.
Caster, Offensive Strategic Class
The Caster specializes in casting Arcane magic with incredible destructive power, and is the class with the highest unrestricted offensive potential as well as some of the highest versatility. The Caster can also utilize her magical prowess in a more indirect manner, often possessing surprising abilities that are difficult to deal with. The Caster can be any mythical wizard or witch, but may also be a legendary scientist or alchemist. Previous Casters include Isaac Newton, Leonardo Da Vinci, Circe, Hans Christian Anderson and The Fates.
Skills: Caster can choose 4 skills
Innate Ability: Caster's Concentration. By sharing mental energy, the Caster's summoner can use up to three concentration spells at once. In addition Caster automatically succeeds when casting defensively and is always assumed to be doing so.
Innate Ability: Caster’s Recall. You may recall any spell already cast this day or spell slot by spending 10 mana per spell level.
Bonus Innate: Caster has a certain amount of fixed spells up to a higher level than summoners can use. However she may still switch up and select spells of 5th level and lower as a summoner does.
RPS Combat Style: The Caster is weak on the get-go, but applies heavy debuffs and save breaks until the battle goes in her favor, all while backed up by powerful arcane spells.
Building your Summoner and Order Spells
Starting Stats: 100 HP, +8 attack, 17 AC, 1d6+5 melee attack and +2 initiative. +4 fort, +4 reflex and +6 will saves.
50 skill points with the highest modifier they can have in any one skill is +10.
In addition, each summoner had 40 ‘build points’ which can be used to purchase different options.
Each Summoner has 4 cantrips, four 1st-level spell, four 2nd-level spells, three 3rd-level spells, three 4th-level spells and two 5th-level spells and treats their caster level as 10. He or she chooses their spells from the wizard spell list and like a wizard, must decide in advance which spells to perform by having 8 hours of sleep and spending one hour studying a spellbook.
In addition, each summoner may choose an arcane school as per the wizard class feature. However this feature doesn’t allow the summoner to use school powers. However it does allow summoners to prepare an additional spell slot for each level of the school they choose, though this benefit comes at the cost of choosing 2 opposite schools which then require two spell slots to prepare.
Because it is assumed that each character at least has some accolades in wizardry. Each summoner is allowed to have one unique and homebrewed ability.
Last but not least. Each summoner has three order spells. Each order spell may be used once and when used it vanishes forever. These order spells may be used to
When a Summoner has used all of their order spells, they will start to lose mana every day at a rate of 25->50->100 for every day without an order spell. Additionally, the champion will no longer be under their control and may choose to no longer follow their commands. There is only one way to gain another order spell in the game.
50 skill points with the highest modifier they can have in any one skill is +10.
In addition, each summoner had 40 ‘build points’ which can be used to purchase different options.
- 1 point can be traded for +1 HP. This can be done a maximum of 20 times.
- 1 build point can be traded for 1 additional skill point
- 10 points can be traded to upgrade a skill from +10 to +15
- 10 points can be traded for +1 additional attack
- 10 points can be traded for +1 initiative
- 10 points can traded to increase one save roll by +1
- 15 points can be traded for +1 AC
- 15 points can be traded to increase your damage die from 1d6 to 1d8 or from 1d8 to 1d10.
- 30 points can be traded to give you a weapon with special, customized properties (such as a gun that has range or other homebrew things, however these will be fairly low in power.)
- 10 * Spell level points can be traded to give you an additional spell slot of that spell level.
Each Summoner has 4 cantrips, four 1st-level spell, four 2nd-level spells, three 3rd-level spells, three 4th-level spells and two 5th-level spells and treats their caster level as 10. He or she chooses their spells from the wizard spell list and like a wizard, must decide in advance which spells to perform by having 8 hours of sleep and spending one hour studying a spellbook.
Last but not least. Each summoner has three order spells. Each order spell may be used once and when used it vanishes forever. These order spells may be used to
- Teleport your champion to an adjacent, open square next to your summoner.
- Grant you 100 mana that vanishes at the start of your next turn.
When a Summoner has used all of their order spells, they will start to lose mana every day at a rate of 25->50->100 for every day without an order spell. Additionally, the champion will no longer be under their control and may choose to no longer follow their commands. There is only one way to gain another order spell in the game.
Mana and Mana Founts
Mana is shared by Champion and Summoner and is needed to use certain champion abilities. If ever a champion doesn’t have a summoner, or the summoner does not possess order spells, they can no longer gain mana and will instead lose mana at a rate of (25*N) a day, where N is the number of days the champion has been without an order spell. If the champion reaches 0 mana while without an order spell, the champion will vanish from the game.
Each champion starts with 50 mana. Every day they will gain an additional 25 mana so long as their summoner has at least one order spell.
Each summoner may also create up to 2 mana founts which give you an additional 25 mana for each controlled mana fount. It takes a one hour ritual to create a mana fount and may only be performed twice a day. If the Mana Fount is placed on a spiritually significant location it may yield more mana.
Mana Founts are nearly unobservable to common folk however other summoners or champions may detect opposing mana founts when in 25 feet of one and may destroy them by having the summoner spend 15 minutes to perform a counter ritual. Destroying the Mana Fount in this way, besides cutting off mana supply for the summoner, will grant the character who destroyed it an additional 25 mana. At the start of this rituatal, the summoner who owns the mana fount will be aware the ritual is being disturbed and know which mana fount is being targeted.
Alternatively, a summoner may conduct an hour long ritual which upon completion allows the summoner to scry on the summoner or champion (but not both) the mana fount is attached to. This scrying acts like the spell scry and the target may make a will save to prevent the scrying (with a -4 penalty as if you had a possession of their target). The target will not naturally be informed of this (however certain effects, like the Monk’s innate ability may detect it) though scrying in this way will bypass any normal protection against scrying. You may continue to scry this way as long as you stay next to the active mana fount though the target receives a new will save every hour. Similarly if the target makes their will save, they cannot be scryed on again until the next day and they will be informed that someone tried to use their mana fount to scry on them.
Mana Founts last for two days after creation, meaning that any Mana Founts made on Day 1 will produce mana for Day 2 and Day 3. After this period, they are destroyed. As you may only have two mana founts at a time, whenever a new one is created when you already possess two, the oldest mana fount you created will be destroyed.
Mana founts created on a spot where you have already had a mana fount will produce only 15 mana, except for the aforementioned spiritually significant locations.
Finally, you may gain mana from ritual murder. A discreet murder takes an hour and grants five mana, however doing this assumes you take the body to a remote place and thus the crime becomes much less notable.
You may also perform a reckless and bold ritual murder which throws caution to the wind and grants you 10 mana and only takes 10 minutes. Because of the brazen nature of this, these murders are much more likely to be noticed and details about the murder may become public knowledge and posted in the daily update.
Regardless of method, when murders are performed frequently, they will attract more attention and are more likely to draw aggression from citizens of the town, law enforcement and as a result, may cause information about the champion or summoner to become public knowledge.
Items and Setting and Healing
This competition takes places in modern day earth in a city or town that will be revealed once character creation is complete.
This world is exactly like our own and assumes that the common population has no clue about magic beyond fairy tales and legends. Magic for the most part is a complete secret to the world however you do not have to worry about any magical users besides the PC’s.
That said, the population of the city or town may have reactions depending on the various things going on. Possibly culminating in law enforcement or militaries becoming involved and various parts of the city or town becoming inaccessible through lawful means
In extreme cases, where a summoner and champion have intentionally acted to heavily disrupt the everyday life of the cities citizens through excessive killing, destruction of property and other malicious methods which threaten to expose the War to ordinary civilians, the Philosopher's Stone may place a bounty on the champion. This bounty will be announced in the morning update and a prize will be awarded to the person who deals the killing blow to the target of the bounty. Otherwise, the Philosopher’s Stone will automatically help to conceal most matters of this conflict to ordinary folk.
For simplicity sake. There are no items in the game in relevance to pathfinder (the exception being any items possessed by a champion upon creation, a chosen weapon of the summoner and any magical items that the summoner or the champion may create through abilities.) However you may find and purchase nearly any item you can normally find in a modern day city with some of the same limitations applied as in the real world.
Food and water is assumed and a non factor in this game. However each summoner needs 8 hours of sleep to refresh their spell list to avoid being fatigued the next day. The Champions exists off of mana and thus do not need to rest in this way, though they may meditate to recover hp. (Though a fatigued summoner will apply the same condition to their champion due to their shared connection).
Sleeping for 8 hours recovers 25% of your maximum health. Resting an additional 16 hours restores a total of 50% of your maximum health. This can be improved through the heal skill by giving long term care for 8 hours (DC 15) which on a passed check will double the healing received.
To join this game either indicate so in this thread. After sign ups are filled is when champion's will be determined and character creation will begin.
Sign Ups (10/9)
1. Ullar
2. Lightwolf
3. Hitmonleet
4. Internet
5. MoodyCloud
6. Agape
7. Julienrg
8. Maxim
9. Oddish
10. Pyra
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