The Wayfinders - Expedition to Tempest Isle

SelcSilverhand · Oct 28, 2011

OOC:

I'm good with the frenzy variant.

Since there's no strong feelings either way, I'll write up the next adventure segment and try to get you to a few more regions this time. I should be done soon, I already have a few ideas put together.

Shayuri · Oct 28, 2011

[sblock=Selc]As I was puttng my sheet together, I thought it might be good to go over the Changeling race. The various races all got a few spiffs going from 3.5 to Pathfinder...I thought I'd see if I could beg at the table for some scraps as well. After all, Changelings were originally designed to be balanced with ordinary 3.5 races.

Here's their traits as they stand:

Shapechanger subtype
+2 to save vs sleep and charm effects
+2 to Bluff, Diplomacy, Sense Motive
Natural Linguist - Linguistics is always a class skill
Minor Shapechange (Su) - Change appearance as per Disguise Self, only
changes are real, and do not affect clothing.

I have a few notions...surprise surprise.

First, my sense of changelings is that they are creatures that have a varied, versatile outlook. Thus, I think they should get a 'floating' +2 attribute mod, like humans and half elves. That would let them prepare to fit whatever role they wished to assume.

The +2 vs Sleep and Charm could be rolled up into a simpler to manage +2 vs Enchantment, like elves.

Skill bonuses are probably ok...maybe drop one of them, since they're usually doled out in pairs...but I doubt it makes much difference.

Minor Shapechange is based on Disguise Self, not Alter Self. Important distinction since Alter Self allows size change and conveys abilities and stat bonuses. Despite the base effect, the shapechange is a transmutation (polymorph) effect, not an illusion. It offers no saving throw to see through (though it can be seen through as per the Disguise skill), and only affects the changeling's physical body and voice...not possessions. It has indefinite duration, and can be used at will as a standard action.

That's a good starting point, I'd think...what do you think?[/sblock]

SelcSilverhand · Oct 31, 2011

Shayuri said:
[sblock=Selc]As I was puttng my sheet together, I thought it might be good to go over the Changeling race. The various races all got a few spiffs going from 3.5 to Pathfinder...I thought I'd see if I could beg at the table for some scraps as well. After all, Changelings were originally designed to be balanced with ordinary 3.5 races.

Here's their traits as they stand:

Shapechanger subtype
+2 to save vs sleep and charm effects
+2 to Bluff, Diplomacy, Sense Motive
Natural Linguist - Linguistics is always a class skill
Minor Shapechange (Su) - Change appearance as per Disguise Self, only
changes are real, and do not affect clothing.

I have a few notions...surprise surprise.

First, my sense of changelings is that they are creatures that have a varied, versatile outlook. Thus, I think they should get a 'floating' +2 attribute mod, like humans and half elves. That would let them prepare to fit whatever role they wished to assume.

The +2 vs Sleep and Charm could be rolled up into a simpler to manage +2 vs Enchantment, like elves.

Skill bonuses are probably ok...maybe drop one of them, since they're usually doled out in pairs...but I doubt it makes much difference.

Minor Shapechange is based on Disguise Self, not Alter Self. Important distinction since Alter Self allows size change and conveys abilities and stat bonuses. Despite the base effect, the shapechange is a transmutation (polymorph) effect, not an illusion. It offers no saving throw to see through (though it can be seen through as per the Disguise skill), and only affects the changeling's physical body and voice...not possessions. It has indefinite duration, and can be used at will as a standard action.

That's a good starting point, I'd think...what do you think?[/sblock]

OOC
[SBLOCK]
It all looks good to me. Rolling the +2 vs sleep and charm into vs enchantment is fine. My thought is keep the 3 skills since all of them fit the race well and they need a bit of a boost to compare with the other races.

The floating mod, is that something you want to be able to reassign every day or just make it like the human/half-elf where you apply it at 1st level wherever you want? I wasn't sure which you meant after reading the part about "preparing to fit whatever role they wished to assume". If it was a RL game I would definitely go for the first option since its easier to make the changes. I could see the changling making its joints looser and more limber by adding the +2 to dex, then tomorrow focusing on enhancing its muscles and move the +2 to str. For an online game though we might want to make it just the second option for ease of play. Either way though we could make it work so long as you update your sheet every time you want to change it.

Or if you meant the second option of assigning it one time, that's great too!
[/SBLOCK]

Shayuri · Oct 31, 2011

[sblock=Selc]Oh oh no, I meant a one-time +2 to any one stat, at 1st level that can't be changed...just like a Pathfinder human or half-elf. Hee. The reference to 'preparation for any role' was just a fluffy way of saying that a changeling can be decent at any class (like a human or half elf can be). I think between the stat boost, the upgrade to Enchantment from sleep/charm, and the 3 skill boost, a changeling is pretty much on par with humans/half-elves as far as racial goodies. Their shapechange power is clearly a bit more powerful in a non-spellcasting class, but the fact that it's permanent and at-will helps mitigate the fact that it's, in some ways, inferior to a 1st level spell. Certainly if we import the Vestments of Many Styles, then its main weakness can easily be circumvented and, as we've seen in-game, the ability can be used to great effect since it allows only an Insight vs Bluff check, not a Will save. So yeah, if that all seems kosher, then I'll have one Whisper coming right up.

[/sblock]

Also submitted for your approval; a Pathfinderized version of:
[sblock=Minor Shapeshift]Minor Shapechange (Transmutation, Polymorph, Su)
You make your body and voice - but not clothing, armor, weapons, and equipment - appear different. You can become 1 foot shorter or taller, thin, fat, or in between. You cannot change your creature type (although you can appear as another subtype). Otherwise, the extent of the apparent change is up to you. You could add or obscure a minor feature or look like an entirely different person or gender. *You can assume the appearance of specific individuals.

The ability does not provide the abilities or mannerisms of the chosen form, nor the appearance or properties of your equipment. If you use this spell to create a disguise, you get a +10 bonus on the Disguise check.

Based on the description for Disguise Self, with a few changes to account for it being a transmutation effect rather than an illusion.

* This clause is here because Polymorph effects are specifically noted as not being able to imitate specific appearances unless noted otherwise.[/sblock]

SelcSilverhand · Nov 3, 2011

OOC:

I received a board message from a user named Damage Inc who is interested in joining our game. I told him to write up a backstory and post it here so we can see if they'll be a good match for the game.

Shayuri - It all looks good to me!

jkason · Nov 3, 2011

SelcSilverhand said:
OOC:
I received a board message from a user named Damage Inc who is interested in joining our game. I told him to write up a backstory and post it here so we can see if they'll be a good match for the game.

Shayuri - It all looks good to me!

Hooray for new blood.

I think I have the basic stats for NuMidian done. Just need to figure out equipment...

[sblock=basics]STR 14
Dex 14
Con 13
Int 10
Wis 20 (+2 race, +1 4th level, +1 8th level)
Cha 12

Nature Bond: Domain: Water (Oceans)

skills (4 + 1 human per level)

Skills (full each): Climb, Fly, Handle Animal, Know (nature), Perception

Feats:
1st - Spell Focus (Conjuration): +1 DC conjuration spells
Human - Dodge: +1 AC
3rd: Augment Summoning: +4 str/con to summoned creatures
5th: Natural Spell: cast in wildshape
7th: Quick Wildshape: WS as move (form -2 druid level) or swift (form -4 druid level)[/sblock]

Deuce Traveler · Nov 5, 2011

I just found a pdf called 'Pathfinder Conversions: Beguiler to Psychic Warrior. Can you check it out and see if you approve of Doral converting to this sort of Pathfinder Beguiler? It looks mostly the same as the 3.5 version. However, I do understand we would have to change his spell list. Would you be alright with me creating a new list of allowed Beguiler spells based off of the Enchantment and Illusion spells in the Pathfinder Core Book?

SelcSilverhand · Nov 6, 2011

It all looks good to me. I didn't see anything that stood out so go ahead and use that for Doral. Also, on Page 18 of that pdf they have a beguiler spell list but it looks like just stuff from the Core book. It may save you some work at the beginning though. If you have the advanced players and the ultimate magic you can pull from there too. Just give me a list of what you want to add to that spell list.