Pathfinder in the Mists

[Ryan Naylor]

And so, one year (almost to the minute) after I started, I have come to the end of my Pathfinder conversions.

In that time, I've put up somewhere in the order of 500 A4 pages for you all to look at. I hope you've found them useful and interesting. Thank you to everyone who has provided feedback or otherwise joined the discussion, and thank you to those who took the time to say something kind about my efforts too.

I'm now going to compile and edit (based on your feedback) what we've got in this monster of a thread into 3 netbooks, which I'll release in a couple of weeks. So in the meantime, please feel free to keep providing feedback and ideas and asking questions and reviewing my builds.

Until then...

Tonight, I shall sit by the fire until it winks out, with a snifter in one hand and a novel in the other... In the morning, I will rise and open my doors to admit sweet breezes and sunshine. I shall sit by my window and drink tea, and perhaps welcome a friend or two. And I hope, gentle reader, that you will do the same.

[Nemesio]

Can't wait Ryan! How about converting a module step by step, here on the thread? Feast of Goblyns springs to mind...

[jules]

or how about ravenloftianizing a standard dnd adventure?

[Rogold Gildenman]

Master Naylor, please accept my congratulations on carrying your project for an entire year and right through to the very end! (I particularly admire both the quality of work you have posted AND your diligence - quite frankly I wish that I shared your ability to stick with a long term project).


As far as impudent requests for module conversion are concerned, I'll join Master Nemesio in the Peanut Gallery, but only so I can elbow him and jostle to share my own suggestion; Module I-10 The House on Gryphon Hill, which I'd like to note is far more self-contained and probably requires a good deal less statting than Feast of Goblyns (not least due to master Nemesio's own sterling efforts and your own!).

Please note, I'm sure that neither good Nemesio nor myself would take any refusal of our rather cheeky suggestions at all personally!

[Mortavius]

Malbus (the Ram-Headed, the Abomination)
(Al Kathos)

I like it Ryan. I have not seen the Satyr version of Malbus, but I like yours. I've never been attracted to running a game in Al-Qadim or a similar setting, but I'm interested in exploring the possibility in this domain.

I have one question though. What's his curse? If his curse is that he can't talk (which I think is appropriate) then his Telepathic ability sorta negates that, doesn't it? It's even better than speech in a way, because he could talk to a specific person without fear of being overheard.

[Mortavius]

Fenhound
Kindred Magic (Ex): Fenhounds are unharmed by spells from the Sun and Glory domains, and by any spell cast by a god of the moon, moors or revenge.

Solid conversion Ryan. The only thing I might suggest is changing the wording on this ability. I like that they can't be hurt by spells from Glory or Sun, that's clear. What's not as clear is the next bit. I understand that it's an effort to be inclusive of things outside of Ravenloft material from other settings, but I can see confusion on deities of the moon, moors, or revenge.

For example, Obad-Hai, the old nature god of 3E. He is a deity of all nature, so would he be included? As a suggestion, maybe there are more domains that could cover the moon, moors, and revenge. Also, does this include ALL spells from those domains, no matter what their source? Or only divine magic?

[Mortavius]

Goblyn
Special Attacks rend (2 claws; 1d6+3 plus xenophobia from scarring), grin

Faithful reproduction of the Goblyn. What's this bit above though? I didn't see anything about scarring elsewhere in the block. I always hated how such a low-level creature in 2E did so much damage to an ability in an edition where healing ability damage was not easy.

[Mortavius]

Mist Horror

This is a cool direction for this creature, making it a template. One question though; why does it ever assume solid form? It's more vulnerable that way, and it can still use it's spell-like abilities in Mist form.

[Mortavius]

Sea Spawn
Mucous cloud (Ex): The sea spawn master is surrounded by a cloud of mucous.

I assume the mucous cloud is only functional underwater?

And did you base your Sea Spawn Minion rules off of the module Wake of the Watcher? I'm running my players through that right now...they hated those little things.

[Mortavius]

Vampyre

Just a question, considering their lack of special abilities, did you consider making Vampyres defined by their class levels, rather than giving them racial hit dice? If so, what made you choose?

[Joël of the FoS]

the module Wake of the Watcher? I'm running my players through that right now...they hated those little things.

Is it in a Ravenloft game? If so, is the mood fun? I'm hesitating to program it in my RL campaign.

Joël

[Ryan Naylor]

Malbus (the Ram-Headed, the Abomination)
(Al Kathos)

I like it Ryan. I have not seen the Satyr version of Malbus, but I like yours. I've never been attracted to running a game in Al-Qadim or a similar setting, but I'm interested in exploring the possibility in this domain.

I have one question though. What's his curse? If his curse is that he can't talk (which I think is appropriate) then his Telepathic ability sorta negates that, doesn't it? It's even better than speech in a way, because he could talk to a specific person without fear of being overheard.

His curse is that, as an urbane, intelligent nobleman, he has been reduced to little more than a beast and enslaved by his passions. He is grotesquely bloated, ram-headed, clawed, has lost the power of speech, and is at the whims of his basest desires.

[Ryan Naylor]

Fenhound
Kindred Magic (Ex): Fenhounds are unharmed by spells from the Sun and Glory domains, and by any spell cast by a god of the moon, moors or revenge.

Solid conversion Ryan. The only thing I might suggest is changing the wording on this ability. I like that they can't be hurt by spells from Glory or Sun, that's clear. What's not as clear is the next bit. I understand that it's an effort to be inclusive of things outside of Ravenloft material from other settings, but I can see confusion on deities of the moon, moors, or revenge.

For example, Obad-Hai, the old nature god of 3E. He is a deity of all nature, so would he be included? As a suggestion, maybe there are more domains that could cover the moon, moors, and revenge. Also, does this include ALL spells from those domains, no matter what their source? Or only divine magic?

It should read "priest of." If the portfolio of your good includes the moon, moors or revenge, your spells can't affect the fenhound (which has always been the wording for the fenhound). As to specific examples, that's probably up to individual GMs, but I probably wouldn't include Obad-Hai, since he doesn't cover moors specifically.

[Ryan Naylor]

Goblyn
Special Attacks rend (2 claws; 1d6+3 plus xenophobia from scarring), grin

Faithful reproduction of the Goblyn. What's this bit above though? I didn't see anything about scarring elsewhere in the block. I always hated how such a low-level creature in 2E did so much damage to an ability in an edition where healing ability damage was not easy.

If a goblin rends you, it causes damage and xenophobia (from the scarring caused). It's not mentioned elsewhere in the block, in the same way that blood drain, Con drain or energy drain isn't mentioned elsewhere: everything you need to know is in that sentence.

No ability damage; just xenophobia.

[Ryan Naylor]

Mist Horror

This is a cool direction for this creature, making it a template. One question though; why does it ever assume solid form? It's more vulnerable that way, and it can still use it's spell-like abilities in Mist form.

Because it's a monstrous creature of horror who likes killing things, and it can't do that as a mist?

Because if you just cast fear on something, it runs away, and you can no longer feed on it, whereas if you break its legs, you can feed off it for hours?

Because if you commit enough atrocities, the Dark Powers will award you a physical body and a domain, rather than leaving you intangible and trapped in a tiny area of the Mists?

It's not actually more vulnerable - "killing" it destroys it's physical form, but the Horror itself is immortal, and can assume another form later.