Pathfinder in the Mists

[Ryan Naylor]

And while I'm thinking about it:

The conjurations of the Lady of Ravens should be re-skinned so that the creatures she summons are ravens.

For example, when she casts mad monkeys, the effects of the spell are the same (damage, nausea, stealing things, etc - all the stats of a monkey swarm) but it's ravens that appear, not monkeys.

[The Giamarga]

And a truly inspirational spell, albeit in note form:

Create Faux Henchman
Witch 6, Sorcerer/Wizard 6
Touch
Permanent

Humanoid form: Can be made small (Dex +2) or medium (Str +2). Also Cha +4. (plus Str +6, Dex -4 if diminutive, Str +4, Dex -2 if tiny). Keep natural AC bonus, senses. Spd 20’ (small) or 30’ (medium). Gains ability to speak one language you know, proficiency with simple weapons and light armour.
Hybrid form: Small. Modifiers from size change only (from diminutive or tiny). Gain special abilities and natural attacks of the animal form. Toads also gain a sticky tongue (as boggard). Also proficient with simple weapons and light armour. Can understand one language but not speak it (unless raven or thrush).

I love that spell. So no more NPC class levels ? Do you know Brandi's (3.0) Primer on Faux Henchmen? No own skills and feats? Also no speaking? Really? I would have figured familiars not being able to speak was based on their anatomy, which this spell obviously changes.

[Ryan Naylor]

Yes, I've seen Brandi's work.

The issue with the 3e spell is that it is overly complicated. The very fact that Brandi's primer exists at all shows how complicated the spell is - you basically have to rebuild the whole thing from scratch. A familiar already has skill ranks, hit points, HD, feats etc just from being a familiar, and there are already spells that turn animals into humans (anthropomorphic animal, for example) and the polymorph ability scores changes based on size. There's no need to redo all of that. That's not how the comparable spells work, and it goes against the basic design principles in Pathfinder.

Look at alter self, for example (which you could also cast on your familiar, for that matter). All you get is the size change, a polymorph stat bonus, and some new senses. Look at the beast shape spells - this is how it works in Pathfinder now. Your basic stats stay as similar to the original as possible.


So more specifically:

Yes, familiars have skills and feats, but they have them normally. They just keep their original skills and feats instead of you picking all new ones. From an in-game point of view, this is because they are still the same mind, with the same skills and knowledge, as before.


Animal form pros: Small, fast, natural attacks, usually natural AC bonus, reasonably innocuous looking. They can help you (i.e. aid another) with some skills that don't involve much more than mental communication (Perception, Spellcraft, Knowledge (arcana) etc).
Cons: Can't speak, usually no opposable thumbs.

Human form pros: Can blend in, bigger, stronger, has opposable thumbs, can speak - which means they can wear magical items, and (if you've got ranks in Use Magic Device), can use wands and so on to cast spells. This is one of the big bonuses of Improved Familiar, because many of them can talk. They can do things by themselves they can't do in animal form, like craft alchemical devices or assist you with preparing and casting spells (so they can aid another, or do more complex things by themselves).
Cons: No natural attacks, bigger (more of a target).

Hybrid form pros: Bigger, stronger, natural attacks, natural AC bonus, opposable thumbs
Cons: Can't speak (so it can't activate scrolls or wands, but can still wear arms and armour), not very innocuous looking.

So the not being able to speak in hybrid form is to balance the 3 forms: each one has its own set of pros and cons, so there are different advantages and disadvantages in each form. Quite intentionally, there isn't one which is clearly better than the others. If the hybrids could speak, there'd be less reason to make them humanoid - they'd have natural attacks (which can be a significant advantage in many cases), be bigger, stronger, able to use wands, weapons and armour.

Just to be clear though, the familiar can still communicate with their master, just as a normal familiar could, in thier individual secret language (which is probably a bonus in a lot of circumstances). And it can read and write as well, so it can still write notes to other people.

And unlike the 3e version, they still grant all their bonuses to their masters, regardless of form.

[Lord Soth]

*sigh* I wish I could find a Ravenloft DM using Pathfinder in the Miami, FL area.

[Ryan Naylor]

Can't help you there I'm afraid: wrong side of the world.

It has occurred to me that share spells becomes really useful with create faux henchman. Assuming you want to risk your familiar in combat, transformation really buffs them up.

Also on share spells: the Lady of Ravens can use mass enlarge person to enlarge her ravens even though they're outsiders not humanoids. So that's something else to think about tactically.

[The Giamarga]

I understand the need for streamlining, but what about giving them speech in human form? Or is Silessa mute now? Also she appears as an elf. Is that dependent on the masters race? Or a choice? Does it affect anything statwise? Or is it just cosmetic?

Is the spell powerful/useful enough for its level?

[Nathan of the FoS]

Also on share spells: the Lady of Ravens can use mass enlarge person to enlarge her ravens even though they're outsiders not humanoids. So that's something else to think about tactically.

Why, hello there, Big Bird.

I like this build for the Lady a lot! Especially since one of the reasons I made her a sorcerer was because [oh wow I feel old] 3e had just come out and sorcerer was the new hot "you've never seen anything quite like this before!" thing for spellcasters, so seeing her updated to an unfamiliar class has a bit of the same "wait a second, now just what is going on here?!?" feeling I wanted to inspire in my build for her.

Giving her this super-raven-centered mechanics highlights that she "is as one with the ravens", which I like, but I'm not sure if I really see her using the ravens as her primary combat tool. It seems to me that she would keep them out of combat as long as she could and send in mooks (combat-oriented fey, invisible stalkers) who she doesn't care about as shock troops, and only use the ravens if she were either very threatened or extremely pissed off.

[Ryan Naylor]

Also on share spells: the Lady of Ravens can use mass enlarge person to enlarge her ravens even though they're outsiders not humanoids. So that's something else to think about tactically.

Why, hello there, Big Bird.

I like this build for the Lady a lot! Especially since one of the reasons I made her a sorcerer was because [oh wow I feel old] 3e had just come out and sorcerer was the new hot "you've never seen anything quite like this before!" thing for spellcasters, so seeing her updated to an unfamiliar class has a bit of the same "wait a second, now just what is going on here?!?" feeling I wanted to inspire in my build for her.

Giving her this super-raven-centered mechanics highlights that she "is as one with the ravens", which I like, but I'm not sure if I really see her using the ravens as her primary combat tool. It seems to me that she would keep them out of combat as long as she could and send in mooks (combat-oriented fey, invisible stalkers) who she doesn't care about as shock troops, and only use the ravens if she were either very threatened or extremely pissed off.

Thanks!

She's still got the full range of summon monster spells, so that's still an option for her if that's how you want to play it. She does have literally thousands of ravens to call on though. And it's entirely possible the ravens she summons are also coming straight out of her imagination rather than being real ravens (Creatures of the Id feat).

[Ryan Naylor]

I understand the need for streamlining, but what about giving them speech in human form? Or is Silessa mute now? Also she appears as an elf. Is that dependent on the masters race? Or a choice? Does it affect anything statwise? Or is it just cosmetic?

Is the spell powerful/useful enough for its level?

Humanoid form: Can be made small (Dex +2) or medium (Str +2). Also Cha +4. (plus Str +6, Dex -4 if diminutive, Str +4, Dex -2 if tiny). Keep natural AC bonus, senses. Spd 20’ (small) or 30’ (medium). Gains ability to speak one language you know, proficiency with simple weapons and light armour.

So Silessa can still speak.

Silessa's also a special case, because the Twisting has freed her from being a familiar, so she's able to gain levels normally I would say.

Race is master's choice. As magical beasts, familiars already have darkvision and low light vision, and some also have scent. From the list of alter self abilities, that only leaves scent (possibly) and swim 30 ft as the abilities they could potentially have. So the elfiness is more or less only cosmetic.

Level 6:

Alter self is level 1 and lasts 1 min/level. This is permanent (the lowest level permanent polymorph spell is level 5), and more powerful than alter self because it lets you keep your senses and natural armour bonus. You also get added bonuses in terms of being able to assume hybrid form if the caster wills it, which makes it closer to polymorph (level 5). You can cast it on creatures of any type provided they're your familiar, so you could conceivably make your imp familiar into a human, or a horrific human-imp hybrid with all the abilities of an imp plus the extra ones they get from the spell. It also has the effect of a bestow weapon proficiency spell (level 2), as well as armour proficiency.

So I think level 6 is fair. I am open to counter arguments though.

[The Giamarga]

Huh? Must have misread the spell... Aah they can't speak in hybrid. Okay.

So why only one language? They do share the linguistic skill with their master...

[Ryan Naylor]

But not every wizard invests in Linguistics.

This is what you get if you don't.

e.g. Mage 1 speaks Draconic, Vaasi and Balok (because of his high Int) but doesn't have the Linguistics skill. His faux henchman can speak his choice of those three in human form, understand but not speak one of the three in hybrid form, and communicate freely with the mage in any form.

Mage 2 speaks 3 languages and has 4 ranks in Linguistics for a total of 7 languages. His faux henchman can speak his choice of 5 of those 7 in human form (1 from the spell, plus 4 from Linguistics), etc.

[Ryan Naylor]

Skills

Bear in mind the guidelines described in Chapter Two and Chapter Four when adjudicating skills in Ravenloft (for example, a very successful Perform check may attract a powerful patron, but won’t attract extraplanar beings). The vast majority of skill checks are unchanged in Ravenloft.

Diplomacy
Gather Information: In areas where a character inspires xenophobia, the DC of Diplomacy checks to gather information increases by 5.

Knowledge (the planes)
This skill can be used to learn metaphysical facts about Ravenloft, such as the fact that it is a demiplane (not part of the material plane), the existence of darklords and domains, closed borders and so on. These facts are not widely known; the DC of questions relating to Ravenloft should be at least 20.

Linguistics
Learning Languages: As previously noted, the people of Ravenloft are typically ignorant and insular. For that reason, people rarely have the opportunity to learn languages other than the dominant tongue of the domain they live in. Characters with high Intelligence scores must either be able to justify why they have been able to learn the extra languages, or leave the “slots” open to learn languages later as they are exposed to them during the course of the campaign. One week’s exposure should be enough to fill one of these slots.

The major languages of the Core are Balok (the language of the central and southern Core), Darkonese, Mordentish (spoken in the advanced domains of the eastern Core), and Vaasi (the language of Kartakass, Valachan, Nova Vaasa, Hazlan, and the Church of the Lawgiver). Falkovnian, Forfarian, Ghastrian, Grabenite, Lamordian, Luktar, Sithican, Tepestani, Thaani and Vechorite are also spoken, although typically in only one or two domains. Islands typically have their own languages too.

Racial languages (Dwarven, Elvish, Gnomish, Halfling and Sithican, as well as those such as Goblin, Sylvan and Aklo) are also available, although tongues such as Goblin are rarely learnt by humans and their allies. Draconic is used as the language of magic, although it is purely a written tongue, not a spoken one. Celestial, Infernal and Demonic are almost unknown outside of magical texts. Finally, the Vistani speak an argot known as Patterna, although they don’t teach it to outsiders.

Sense Motive
Hunch: This skill can be used to deduce the alignment of a creature (after sufficient observation). Observation is the only way to detect alignment in Ravenloft, although it is hardly foolproof.

[Ryan Naylor]

Feats

Gothic tales often feature characters whose strange abilities link them—perhaps unwillingly—to supernatural forces but allow them to prevail. Feats with roleplaying prerequisites (such as the brush with death required by Ghostsight) can be taken at 1st level if the event is incorporated into the character’s background.

Altered Feats
Alignment Channel
This feat is unchanged, except that any damage caused is not necessarily immediately obvious. In arbitrating this feat, GMs may wish to emphasise that hit points are as much luck as physical toughness. Abilities like this, or spells like forbiddance or holy word, “damage” the target by making its luck run out (so future blows are more likely to strike vital areas), not through actual damage. Thus, these abilities can be used unchanged while still following Ravenloft’s prohibition on direct detection of moral alignment.

Blood Drinker
Using this ability on an intelligent, unwilling creature is cause for a Powers check.

Command and Turn Undead
The channel resistance of all undead is increased by 1. Undead without channel resistance gain channel resistance +1. Undead darklords can instead apply their Wisdom modifier (minimum +1) to their channel resistance.

Evolved Familiar
Your familiar gains an aura of menace.

Eyes of Judgement
You can detect the ethical but not the moral alignment of the observed creature.

Fearless Aura and Sin Seer
These feats are not available in Ravenloft.

Improved Familiar
Skeletal dread companion and pseudofamiliar can be added to the types of familiar available. They can be summoned by casters of at least 5th level and of any alignment.

Pseudofamiliars act as normal dread companions and familiars, except they gain the vampiric regeneration trait.
Vampiric regeneration (Su): Whenever you or your pseudofamiliar suffers damage, it emits an enervating aura with a radius of 30 ft as a free action. Each round, all living creatures in this area must make a Fortitude save (DC 10 + half your level + your Intelligence or Charisma bonus—whichever you use to determine spell casting) or suffer 1 point of damage. The pseudofamiliar cures a number of hit points equal to the amount drained, divided between you and it (if you are both wounded and you are within 1 mile of it). You are immune to your pseudofamiliar’s enervating aura, but your allies are not. This is a death affect.

Skeletal dread companions acts as normal dread companions and familiars, except they gain the undead type and its associated traits, channel resistance equal to your Wisdom bonus (minimum +1) and can cast doom once per day with a caster level equal to its HD. The DC for this spell is Wisdom based.

Midnight cats, carrion bats, gremishka, pale morph dream spawn, king’s ravens, and zweifalk can be chosen at 7th level.

Leadership
Moral alignment is undetectable in Ravenloft. Cohorts may be of any moral alignment, but must be within one step of the character’s ethical alignment.

Monster Feats
The following Monster Feats are available to Ravenloft heroes, provided they meet the prerequisites:
Ability Focus, Craft Construct, Empower Spell-like Ability, Improved Natural Armour, Improved Natural Attack, and Quicken Spell-like Ability.

Shadow Caster
Characters of any race may select this feat. However, shadows released by the collapse of spells cast by characters with this feat (see Altered Magic below) have 1 Hit Dice more than usual.

New Feats
Ancestral Legacy
You belong to one of the great families of Ravenloft.

Prerequisite: Human or crossbreed subtype (half-elf, giomorgo, caliban or changeling).

Benefit: Your starting wealth increases by 1d6 x 10 gp. Further benefits you receive depends on which family you belong to. These bonuses are all trait bonuses.

Boritsi: +2 Sense Motive and Bluff checks regarding sending and intercepting secret messages; +1 to saves against poisons and drugs. Consummate courtiers famous for their refined manners, enduring beauty and phenomenally long memories for grudges (Borca).

D’Honaire: You gain a +1 bonus to all saves against mind-affecting spells and effects; +2 to Heal checks using hypnotism. Intellectuals attracted to the arts of medicine and hypnotism (Mordent, Dementlieu).

Dilisnya: You gain the Poison Use ability. If you already have this ability, you gain the Swift Poison rogue talent instead. You also gain a +2 bonus to Bluff checks to lie. Enormously widespread family with a treacherous reputation but clannish support for each other (any, especially Borca).

Drakov: +1 Intimidate, or +2 to intimidate Falkovnians; -2 Diplomacy to those from neighbouring domains; gain a Martial Weapon Proficiency or +2 to confirm critical hits with 1 martial weapon if already have that proficiency. Fierce warrior dynasty famous for its tendencies to depravity and violence (Falkovnia).

Graben: +2 Appraise; +1 saves against curses. Isolationistic, but wealthy family of merchants; reputed to engage in in-breeding and grave robbery (Graben Island)

Godefroy: +2 Diplomacy and saves against the special attacks of incorporeal undead; if you kill any member of your own race, you are haunted by their geists; you become a ghost upon your death which must be put to rest before you can be raised or reincarnated. Family known for its affinity with the spirit world (Mordent).

Gundar: On a critical hit, you deal extra damage equal to double the critical modifier of your weapon; +1 to CMD; -1 to saves against fear effects. The illegitimate offspring of the brutal but cowardly vampire warlord that used to rule Gundarak; almost all are dhampirs and almost none are aware of their heritage (Barovia, Invidia).

Hiregaard: +2 Fortitude saves and saves against compulsions, -1 to Madness saves or spells or effects that induce insanity. Lusty, known for their physical prowess and sense of duty, but prone to madness (Nova Vaasa).

Mordenheim: Gain spell resistance 6 + class level against divine magic, which can’t voluntarily be lowered; can’t use divine spells; the caster level of all Alchemist extracts you prepare is increased by 1. Family dedicated to scientific pursuits and medicine to an obsessive degree, rejected by the gods for ancient blasphemies (Lamordia).

Petrovna: +2 to saves against illusions; +1 to Survival, which is always a class skill for you. An in-bred clan of fallen nobles, prone to madness and stricken by poverty (Barovia, Borca).

Renier: +2 Diplomacy; +2 Sense Motive to discern lies and make hunches; -2 to saves against contracting wererat lycanthropy. Bourgeois dynasty famous for their skills in discerning how the winds of power blow (Mordent, Falkovnia, Richemulot).

Weathermay: +2 Will saves; +2 Diplomacy; -2 to saves against curses. A family famed for its nobility and heroism, but cursed with tragedy (Mordent).

Von Zarovich: Knowledge (nobility) is always a class skill; +2 Intimidate; +2 DC to saves against your Necromancy spells; -1 to saves against curses and death magic. Respected and feared, their cursed blood means they walk within the shadow of Death. Watched by their patriarch, Count Strahd, to ensure they don’t bring the name into disrepute (any, especially Barovia).

Cold One
The chill of the grave clings to you.

Prerequisite: You must be a dhampir or have suffered at least 1 negative level.

Benefit: Mindless undead ignore you unless you attack them first. Intelligent undead must succeed on an Intelligence check (DC 10) to realise you are alive. This is an extraordinary ability.

Creatures of the Id
You can summon outsiders and aberrations from your imagination.

Prerequisite: You must have suffered from Madness at some point.

Benefit: You can summon a wider variety of creatures than is usual with summon monster spells. These monsters can be summoned in any domain, even those with no ecology, as they are drawn from your subconscious, not the surrounding domain.

Normal: Spellcasters can only summon creatures that can be found in that domain.

Ethereal Empathy
You have the psychic ability to sense the emotions imbued within ethereal resonance.

Prerequisite: Wis 13+

Benefit: With a successful Sense Motive check, you can sense ethereal resonance within 30 ft. This is a move equivalent action. The DC is equal to 25 – (5 x rank of resonance). You can identify emotions and have some sense of the events that led to that resonance forming, but not see ethereal creatures.

Ghostsight
You can see creatures in the Near Ethereal.

Prerequisite: You must have had a brush with death.

Benefit: You can see creatures that are ethereal as though they were normally visible. Your ability is limited only by your normal visual range. You have no special ability to hear or physically affect ethereal creatures; just to see them. This is a supernatural ability. Ethereal creatures can see you unusually clearly and may be drawn to you out of curiosity, desperation or malice.

Haunted
The spirit of a friend or loved one watches over you as a geist.

Benefit: The geist allows you to reroll Perception checks and take the best result. It can also inform you of events that take place within 30 ft of your presence while you were asleep or unconscious. When others are present and conscious, it can only communicate empathically (a feeling of danger, for example). If not, it can manifest and speak to you verbally, although this causes you 1 point of temporary Charisma damage.
Your guardian spirit remains on the Near Ethereal, where it may be visible to those with Ghostsight or a magical ability to see ethereal creatures.

Hollow
You have no soul.

Prerequisite: Nongood alignment

Benefit: You are immune to energy drain, possession and any magic that affects the soul (magic jar, trap the soul). You cannot be raised, resurrected or reincarnated. You gain the Aura of Menace trait (see above).

Hypnotism
You have studied the hidden workings of the mind and can unlock its secrets.

Prerequisites: Wis 13+, Cha 13+, Heal 1 rank

Benefits: You can use the Heal skill to induce hypnotic trances.
Induce trance: Inducing a trance requires 1 hour and a successful Heal check (DC 10 if willing, or opposed by the target’s Will save if they are not). Loud or distracting surroundings add a +2 circumstance penalty to the check. If the trance is induced, the target is fascinated for 2d4 rounds. The target must be able to understand you. Once in a trance, you can either implant a suggestion or attempt to cure any Madness. You cannot induce a trace in yourself.

Implant suggestion: While the subject is fascinated, it reacts as though it were two steps more friendly in attitude. This allows you to make a single request of the affected creature. The request must be brief and reasonable. Even after the spell ends, the creature retains its new attitude toward you, but only with respect to that particular request.

Cure Madness: While the subject is fascinated, you can attempt to cure any Madness they are afflicted with. They can substitute your Heal check for their Will save to attempt to overcome madness. You can use this ability once per week per patient.

Minor Magic
You have some minor magical power you can draw upon.

Benefit: You can cast a 1st level spell 1/day as a spell like ability. Some examples are below. These spells typically only affect you. Their caster level is your character level or your Wisdom bonus, whichever is lower, with a maximum of 5.

Cat’s Eyes (Valachan): Speak with animals (cats only)
Poltergeist (Mordent): Unseen servant
Red Head (Forlorn): One 1st level druid spell.
Craven (any): Anticipate peril (self only)

Reincarnated
You have dim memories of a past life.

Benefit: A cross-class skill become a class skill for you. You gain a +2 bonus to Knowledge (history) checks, and a +1 bonus to saves against death effects and energy drain, including Fortitude saves to remove negative levels.

Sceptic
You refuse to believe in petty superstitions about magic and the supernatural.

Prerequisite: Int 15+, Knowledge (any) 1 rank

Benefit: +2 morale bonus to all saves against spells, spell like effects and supernatural abilities, including fear saves provoked by supernatural monsters.

Special: The benefits of this feat do not stack with the barbarian superstition rage power.

Voice of Wrath
You are good at laying curses.

Benefit: You gain +4 to Charisma checks to lay curses.

Warding Gesture
You know a simple folk gesture to keep evil at bay.

Prerequisite: Wis 11+, Cha 11+, Knowledge (any) 4 ranks

Benefit: Choose a creature type or subtype: aberrations, constructs, dragons, elementals, fey, giants, magical beasts, non-elemental outsiders, shapechangers, or undead. You need not select a subtype if you choose the outsider type. As a standard action that provokes an attack of opportunity, you can make a simple gesture. Creatures of your chosen type must make a Will save (DC = 10 + 1/2 your character level + your Charisma bonus) or be shaken. Creatures that make their save are immune to your gesture for 24 hours. You must have at least one hand free to make the gesture and the creature must be able to see you. You can make the gesture only once per day. This is a supernatural ability.

The Knowledge skill prerequisite must correspond to the creature type selected.

Special: You may take this feat multiple times. Each time you must designate a new creature type that is affected by the gesture.

[Ryan Naylor]

Some skills and feats to keep you going (and to complement the talk of familiars - look, pseudofamiliars!).

I'd be particularly interested in hearing about the feats - do they seem useful and interesting? Would you take them for your character? Over/under powered?

[Gonzoron of the FoS]

I've always loved the flavor of most Ravenloft feats, and you've done a good job fixing some of the rules issues. I like the way you folded the hypnotism skill into Heal. That seems very pathfinder. Similarly, changing Ethereal Empathy to a sense motive, rather than a straight-up Wis check. IMC, I allowed people with Ethereal Empathy to invest ranks into it to improve it, but I think folding it into an existing skill is a more PF way to do it. consider that yoinked.

I dunno about the family abilities as part of ancestral legacy. I think it might be better to make them traits or alternate racial traits (though it might be tough to make the latter work for use with human or part-human races. You should be able to be a Godefroy Caliban, for example, as you noted in the feat. But without checking now, I don't know if there are any racial traits that are common across all the human crossbreed races. probably not. )