First Group Challenge

Someone in Twilight House has been manipulating trade deals from the driftdown and embezzling a poison known as Exquisite Kiss. Find out where this poison is being sold or distributed.  See what can be accomplished with this situation.  If you want to be the gather team, show ingenuity.  The team you are competing against has a different challenge, yet one that should force you to cross paths.  Remember that all of you are assets of Twilight house and should any deaths occur, replacement or equivalent value in return to the house is required.

The opposing team is a strange group made up of two half elven sorcerer's said to have fiendish blood, a elven ranger, and a tiefling thief.

Claret Pauchard: 1/2 elven sorcerer has a birthmark that looks like a skull above his left eyebrow.

Larratia Pauchard: 1/2 elven sorcerer sister of Claret, has a similar birthmark above left eyebrow but doesn't look as skull like. Her spells are said to be very unique.

Waymar: elven ranger known as a sniper for his skill with ranged weapons

Raice: Tiefling, red and blue skinned tiefling

Watermarks

These small leather badges allow citizens to pass through the Grand Stair’s gates after sunset as well as full access to magic. About the size of a human hand, a watermark is made of black leather, with Stormhaven’s coat of arms engraved with special copper filigree that shines blue under torchlight. A lifetime watermark costs 250gp and has the name of its owner engraved on a the other side of the badge, while temporary watermarks cost 0gp but the person must leave a deposit of 30gp at Staircase Keep, refundable when returning the badge. Watermarks are very valuable on the black market and criminals will not think twice about killing for the privilege of owning one.  The blue image with Latin is a temporary watermark. The badge with an eye is a lifetime watermark.  Some watermarks have additional enchantments. Both badges are said to be counterfeit proof.  Durg overheard two of the masked earth monks discussing a rumor that the Sevens have succeeded where so many others have failed.

Twilight Estate

You live in a tower compound on a large estate on the upside known as the Twilight Estate.  Besides your obvious draconic natures, the other reason the four of you are gathered together is that you confided to each other how little you remember beyond the last three months.  Jaren your memory is a bit longer at roughly five months.  You have begun to suspect that your groups recent consciousness might be due to magical age acceleration. 

All of you know that the servants on this estate that administer your education are all monks, disciplined in elemental styles.  Among the monks, many races are represented, Drow, Duegar, Derro, and creatures so heavily ensorceled, you can't be sure of what you are seeing. 

The Head Master of your education, you believe to be a male Drow weapon's master known to all of you as Arkielle.  Arkielle is the one to inform you of the upcoming competition, telling you that if the four of you succeed, not only will you be the first team, he will be promoted as well. He goes on to explain that beyond any reward the Twilight House may bestow upon everyone, he has several contacts in the driftdowns that can assist us in the future.  Due to magical constraints Arkielle claims he is unable to tell you much about the competition but he does offer this advice, be patient and observant, the best result wins.

Arkielle usually glows with magical energy.  All of you know that he wears magical bracers that have exhibited a variety of powers from elemental bursts to shield like force fields.  He is not sentimental or friendly but he is an excellent teacher.  Unlike many of your instructors that believe threats and pain accelerate learning Arkielle always worked to find a way for you to understand.  Unknown to Arkielle, Auge Von Bulle witnessed the drow in a street fight with two dwarves.  Auge can report that the drow's skill with a rapier is unmatched.  Each dwarf died with 3 piercing blows delivered with lightning efficiency.  Eye, throat, and crotch, the dwarves died in less than ten seconds.

Death is My Coin

My earliest memory is a mix of rats, darkness, the smell of the sea, the sound of wagering and of course, the pit. How many years I spent in the pit, with naught but rotting fish and rats thrown to me for sustenance, I do not know. My tormentors would toss rats in the pit, then make wagers on how long it'd take me to catch them all and eat them. Occasionally, they would take me from the pit for beatings. I'm still not sure what I had done to deserve the punishment... maybe nothing. I remember when I was half-grown, I was taken from the pit and was allowed to attend classes with the other children in the tower. I remember an elf, Urlien Greenwaves his name in the common tongue was. I know not how to say his elven name. Urlien of the snide remarks, Urlien of the smirks, that is how I came to know him. One day he went too far. He now grows his hair long on one side of his head to hide the scars. I've heard that the priests felt regrowing his ear was not worth their time nor attentions. Oh was that beating worth it. In fact, that was the last beating I ever received. I never again saw the pit again, either.
I come to you, my brothers, to enrich ourselves and our family. My name is Durg and death is my coin.

For the Record

Stormhaven Metropolis 93,000

Human 40% Orc 15%, Dwarf 15%, Elf 10%, Gnome 5%, Other 15%

Stormhaven is a free-floating, artificial island of white stone held three hundred feet above the sea by four great pillars, each a quarter mile in circumference and covered with ancient runes, known collectively as the Fingers of God. Each pillar also ahas a dwarven name: Vachan (Destiny), Dastos (Strength), Vespius (Freedom), and Olmak (Prosperity). The lands above the pillars are known as Upside, a vast expanse of rolling hills, cultivated gardens, and lavish estates. Below, a hive of warehouses and docks, the Driftdowns, spreads like a web between the pillars. The two are linked by the Great Lifts running up the side of Olmak and the Grand Stair that spirals around Dastons.

Law in Stormhaven:
Stormhaven Credo written on all flags: Free Trade Knows No Borders

In the Driftdowns its common to see graffiti on the flags that says: Nor Does Greed

The Law of Trust:  Fraud perpetrated against small business and especially guilds is punishable by death

The Law of Sanctity of Wealth: For robbery committed against small businesses, the sentence is hard labor for a period dependant on the value of stolen goods. For theft of guild property, the punishment is death.

The Law of Flame: Arson and the use of fire magic in the Driftdowns is heavily fined, and also carries a year of hard labor.

The Law of Forbidden Assembly: A death sentence hangs over anyone who attempts to establish a Wizards’s Guild

When a death sentence is required, the guardsmen who responded to the crime carry it out on the spot. If guardsmen do not have the means to administer the punishment, for example when encountering resistance from experienced adventurers, the city’s government has standing agreements with numerous skilled and ruthless bounty hunters, some of non-humanoid origin with better chances to bring justice to the perpetrators. Of course, there are other laws in the books, including those outlawing the slave trade and drug trafficking, but no one takes them seriously. The city guard has not arrested anyone under charges of slavery or drug related crimes in over a century.

The Flyers Club

The Flyers Club is an elite group of creatures both native and extra-planar who can freely travel from the Upside to the Driftdowns- just as one would cross the street. All members of the Flyers Club possess wings and can therefore fly. It does not entertain applicants who rely on spells, items or flying mounts (although intelligent mounts may apply) - only those who possess the innate talent of flight. It is as close as Stormhaven gets to a formal Wizard guild.

The only leadership the Flyers Club recognizes is a half genie-devil by the name of Memnon. He is known to have a crewel sense of humor, fluent in many languages and has expensive tastes. The actual total members of the Club hovers around one-hundred and at of the time of this writing The Flyers Club is the only group who can freely travel from the Upside to the Driftdowns without harassment.

As your elder I, Auge Von Bulle will lead us to greatness; our hoards will be plentiful and our adversaries’ be meager. We four possess the magic and the might to become a viable power in Stormhaven. I propose that we infiltrate or “join” this Flyers Club as a start and then “spread our wings” into larger more profitable ambitions. Yours, in the blood of our enemies... Auge.

Jaren

So brothers, we have joined in an alliance to further our lots in Father Nissians plans. I feel as if time has ripened unto this moment, and it has ripened for US. I, Jaren, will lend our fathers prodigious arcane talent to our cause, and I will burn to ashes those that stand against us as we gather unto us what is ours. Our hoards will know no equal.

It is interesting to me that none of you has uncovered the meddlesome 7s for what they do. They are a collection of the shiniest diamonds in the rough the Driftdowns cough up. They leave their triple seven logo in their work and territory markers. These upstarts are a gang that has long profited from its knowledge of Upside, and are the primary agents of the unsavory to gain admittance to Upside, sometimes for only a day, sometimes for a lifetime. That's the rub, they have helped enough people gain legitimacy that they are often politically protected, as if some noble fools actually think what they do provides a service. In fact, they are the ones who first thought to use the "child of Nissian" token to get Upside. They have gotten very good at forging documents and certificates with House Nissian credentials. Politically protected enough that they can't be murdered cold, I have spent many hours scheming the accidents and woeful fates that may befall this gang. I harbor particular hatred and murderous enmity for a certain half elf named Lyri Farsil, her death the candy I dream of when there are no voices droning in my head. She walks with impunity from Upside to under, and her affiliation is all but obvious. It is my belief that she is the one who obtains the Upside badges these miscreants peddle.

May your hoards ever swell

Jaren.

House Rules Part 3 Pathfinder Magic Item Body Slots Part 2 Confused yet?

Body slots in this game are going to be very important. At low levels this will not have much effect, at higher levels it should weigh heavily in strategic thinking. There are some changes now that we are in the age of dragons and most involve magic. Since our focus currently is on body slots I will explain in relation to these.




To begin with, spells now take up empty body slots. A spell doesn’t have to fit any category, there just has to be an empty body slot or Chakra available for a spell of any duration longer than instantaneous to take hold on a given character. While this can be limiting at higher levels, it also can provide a defense, should all your slots be full and an enemy caster tries to hit you with a Ray of Enfeeblement. This will lead to an increased importance for spells and effects that remove magical effects or suppress them. Just because I know you are wondering, if you cast a spell of duration against an enemy that is full up on slots, it is resolved with a caster level check against the slot/item with the lowest available caster level. If you win the check, then that item is suppressed for the duration of your spell as if you were wearing two items in the same slot. If you lose your spell is unsuccessful.

Future posts will detail other changes that will impact the game in relation to magic. A teaser of what is to come: Magic items and spells now draw more heavily on the host, increasing aging, and creating side effects that players will deal with. If you are wearing a magic item or have a spell cast on you, you begin to appear in sharper contrast than others without. The more magic items and effects you have on you, the more you stand out. Think of it as those wearing magic are in high definition, were those without are analog. The Illusion school of magic is an exception, its side effects occur after the spells duration. Permanent illusionary magic items usually have some steep side effects to deal with. As a result many people only wear items during the time of need, taking them off and keeping them in safe storage.

Pathfinder Magic Item Body Slots Part 1

Pathfinder Magic Items on the Body


Many magic items need to be donned by a character who wants to employ them or benefit from their abilities. It's possible for a creature with a humanoid-shaped body to wear as many as 15 magic items at the same time. However, each of those items must be worn on (or over) a particular part of the body, known as a “slot.”

A humanoid-shaped body can be decked out in magic gear consisting of one item from each of the following groups, keyed to which slot on the body the item is worn.



•Armor: suits of armor. (This is a new slot no longer part of Body)


•Belts (Waist): belts and girdles.

•Body: robes and vestments.

•Chest (Torso): mantles, shirts, and vests.


•Eyes (Face): eyes, glasses, and goggles.


•Feet: boots, shoes, and slippers.


•Hands: gauntlets and gloves.


•Head: circlets, crowns, hats, helms, and masks (masks used to be in Face Slot).


•Headband (New Slot): headbands and phylacteries.


•Neck (Throat): amulets, brooches, medallions, necklaces, periapts, and scarabs.


•Ring (up to two): rings.


•Shield (New Slot): shields.


•Shoulders: capes and cloaks.


•Wrist (Arms): bracelets and bracers.

Of course, a character may carry or possess as many items of the same type as he wishes. However, additional items beyond those in the slots listed above have no effect.

Some items can be worn or carried without taking up a slot on a character's body. The description of an item indicates when an item has this property.

Saving Throws Against Magic Item Powers

Magic items produce spells or spell-like effects. For a saving throw against a spell or spell-like effect from a magic item, the DC is 10 + the level of the spell or effect + the ability modifier of the minimum ability score needed to cast that level of spell.

Staves are an exception to the rule. Treat the saving throw as if the wielder cast the spell, including caster level and all modifiers to save DCs.

Most item descriptions give saving throw DCs for various effects, particularly when the effect has no exact spell equivalent (making its level otherwise difficult to determine quickly).

The Devil Made Me Do It

Devil True Names and Infernal Sigils[PCh]


Knowledge of a devil's true name or the ability to inscribe its sigil grants significant power over the fiend. In the cast of the spell planar binding, when a devil's true name is used to conjure a specific fiend, the target devil takes a -5 penalty on the initial Will save to resist being summoned; if its sigil is inscribed within the magic circle binding it, the devil takes a -5 penalty on all checks to escape the circle. True names and sigils might also be known to have other powers over devils, though most devil summoners keep the discovery of such powers closely guarded secrets.

Discovering True Names and Infernal Sigils

Research

By studying tomes of dark lore, infernal documents, and tragic histories, one might discover occluded riddles and hints at the names of devils working their will upon mortal kind. A researcher not specifically searching for the true name or sigil of a specific infernal creature might discover either of these details relating to a lesser devil by spending a month doing nothing besides studying in a sizable library of history or arcane lore. At the end of the month, the GM should make a DC 25 Knowledge (planes) check for the researcher, modified by aid from a single assistant and any tomes noted to be of particular value. If this check succeeds, the researcher discovers the type and true name or sigil (one or the other) of a random lesser devil. If the check fails, the researcher discovers nothing of value relating to true names; he may spend additional months researching again in the same library, but each subsequent check there takes a cumulative -2 penalty for that researcher until the penalty is so great it is obvious the place holds no valuable lore. If the researcher fails his check by more than 5, he believes he's discovered a creature's true name, but it is in fact a fake, and holds no power.



If the researcher knows of a specific devil, he may attempt to specifically research that creature's name or sigil. For a lesser devil, researching this information takes a month, while for a greater devil, it takes 3 months. At the end of this time, the GM makes a Knowledge (planes) check for the researcher with a DC equal to 20 + the devil's Hit Dice. Should the researcher already know the creature's true name but not its sigil (or vice versa) he gains a +2 bonus on this check in addition to any other bonuses for assistance or worthwhile tomes. Success on this check reveals the details being sought, while failure reveals no information, though the researcher may continue to study in the same library, as noted above. Failing by more than 5 uncovers false information, as previously noted.



One might also attempt to research the name of a diabolical being as powerful as an infernal duke or archfiend, but such can only be done in the libraries of Hell or with a tome of fundamental evil power (like the Book of the Damned). Although such beings can resist as summons that invokes their true names or sigils, they often choose to appear anyway merely to discover who has learned their secrets and how. Such encounters typically end with such brash devil summoners being dragged screaming back to the infernal prince's domain in Hell.



Interrogation

One might attempt to coax knowledge of a weaker infernal creature's true name or sigil from a summoned devil. Any devil has a percent chance equal to double its Hit Dice to know the true name of one or more fiends lower than it in the infernal hierarchy-- lesser devils typically know 1d4+1 true names and sigils, while greater devils usually know 2d8+2. There are certain exceptions such as lemures that never know any true names, osyluths that usually know as many names and sigils as true devils, and gelugons and certain other highly manipulative greater devils who might know double the typical number.



No devil betrays the true names of its inferiors freely, though. A devil summoned via planar binding or planar ally might be coaxed into revealing such details, but only for a high and often dangerous price. Fiends typically use this opportunity to entice their summoners into performing acts that further their own nefarious schemes or the goals of Hell. In addition, spellcasters employing planar binding still need to engage in a contest of wills to convince the fiend to reveal such a secret, forcing the caster to make an opposed Charisma check as described by that spell. A spellcaster planar ally using must perform a deed and pay his infernal contract for its knowledge in treasures equaling 2,000 gp times the Hit Dice of the devil whose true name or sigil is to be revealed. A devil only reveals one true name or sigil per summoning and returns to Hell upon doing so.