Owen K.C. Stephens's Blog, page 3

A Vision for a Rebalanced Cure Light Wounds Spell for Pathfinder 1st edition

This is a first stab at an idea I’ve been playing with for a while when considering a RevisedPath version of the 1st edition Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. I’d love folks to give me feedback before I reveal what I like about this idea.

(Art by warmtail)

Cure Light Wounds

School conjuration (healing); Level adept 1, alchemist 1, bard 1, cleric 1, druid 1, hunter 1, inquisitor 1, investigator 1, occultist 1, oracle 1, paladin 1, ranger 2, shaman 1, skald 1, spiritualist 1, warpriest 1, witch 1
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S
Range touch
Target creature touched
Duration instantaneous
Saving Throw Will half (harmless); Spell Resistance yes (harmless); see text

When laying your hand upon a living creature, you channel positive energy that cures 1d8 points of damage + 2 points per caster level (maximum +10). Since undead are powered by negative energy, this spell deals damage to them instead of curing their wounds. An undead creature can apply spell resistance, and can attempt a Will save to take half damage.

If this spell is cast directly by a character using a class ability (rather than an item or spell-like or supernatural ability), it grants an additional benefit to creatures it heals depending on the class casting it, as follows.

adept +1 point of healing
alchemist 2 temporary hit points for 1 round/level
bard +1 morale bonus to skill checks for 1 round/level
cleric +1 divine bonus to saving throws for 1 round/level
druid +1 enhancement bonus to natural armor bonus for 1 round/level
hunter select druid or ranger effect, for half duration (minimum 1 round)
inquisitor +5 morale bonus to Sense Motive checks for 1 round/level
investigator +5 morale bonus to Perception checks for 1 round/level
occultist DR 1/magic for 1 round
oracle +3 divine bonus to saves against illusions for 1 round/level
paladin +1 divine bonus to melee attack rolls for 1 round/level
ranger +1 divine bonus to ranged attack rolls for 1 rounds/level
shaman +1 divine bonus to caster level for 1 round
skald 1 to spell DCs for 1 round
spiritualist armor bonuses to AC apply against incorporeal attacks for 1 round/level
warpriest +1 to damage rolls for 1 round/level
witch +5 to Bluff checks for 1 round/level

Cancer Support

I have cancer, and am on chemo (and likely will be for months to come). If you want to help me cover cancer treatment costs, right now, one great way to offer your support is to pick up The Traveler’s Guide to the Darklands: For Pathfinder 2E, which a vast number of amazingly talented people put together as a charity product to aid me. And it’s got excepts from Alphonse Lord Tabbington! Also, the product Like A Boss – A Book of Boss Encounters is a community project put together by Samurai Sheepdog to help me cover costs.

Or, if you prefer, I do accept donations to my Ko-Fi, which doesn’t take a cut before passing the money on to me. (Also, there are cat pics there!)

And, of course, a big part of my income comes from people supporting my Patreon, so joining that is a big help!

Skills, Proficiencies, and HP for the Pellar: A Pathfinder 1st ed Base Class

I’m working on the pellar class, for Pathfinder 1st edition. You can check out my initial thoughts on the class and a look at the first class features I created for it here. (And if you check out the backer-exclusive version of this article on my Patreon, you can go to a page that compiles all the class material into one place as I go along).

Having taken a stab at the spellcasting ability and main class feature of the pellar, I want to pin down the remaining “basics” for the class — hit points per level, class skill, skill pints, and armor/weapon proficiencies. Let’s look at each of those in turn.

(Art by warmtail)

Hit Points

As with most factors that every class gets, there are a series of analyses you should do when determining a class’s hp/level. There’s a complex analysis you can do to look at how many hit points we should give the pellar… and a simple analysis. While the simple analysis is much easier and just as accurate for this class, the complex analysis is useful to understand if you are going to make more Pathfinder 1st-edition classes in the future.

The Complex Analysis – The number of hit points a class gets at each level is an important indicator to players who their role is supposed to be in combat. The d10/level classes (which all have a +1/level base attack bonus) are supposed to get in close and suck up damage as needed. The d6/level classes (all of which are spellcasters with access to 9th level spells and no armor proficiency) are supposed to stay back from the front line and try to help without becoming primary targets (though that may require expenditure of resources rather than just not drawing attention from foes).

Looking at what we already have and our plans for the pellar, it looks clear we’re designing a class that serves a very similar function to the arcanist/sorcerer/wizard, all of which are d6 hp classes. On the other hand, it’s not going to have as many spells resources as those classes which limits its ability to both avoid direct confrontation and contribute to a conflict. Giving the class d8 hp/level helps pellar have a slightly greater margin in a fight, which is a good match for their resources.

The Simple Analysis – Every class in the game with access to spells from 0 to 6th level gets d8 hp per level. (They also all have a +2/3 levels base attack bonus and at least light armor proficiency.) Despite having gone with the weaker +1/2 So, that’s what we’ll do with the pellar.

Hit Die: d8

Skills

Despite being a spontaneous spellcaster, I intend for the pellar to be an Intelligence-based class. that’s unusual, but there is a Charisma-based prepared spellcaster (the paladin), so clearly the Charisma = spontaneous design trend is not an absolute. Since that means pellars will constantly be looking to boost their Intelligence score, we don’t need to give them a ton of skill points per level for them to be able to take max ranks in a lot of skills. (This is also why wizards, who classically are supposed to be educated sages, only get 2 skill points/level).

Even so, I think asking a class to make due with 2 skill points/level is needlessly skimpy, and we have them as 6-level spellcasters to give ourselves some extra room for utility without making them overpowered, so I’ll give pellars 4 per level.

For the list of class skills, I essentially grabbed the wizard skill list, removed some of the least eldritch-related Knowledge skills. I added in Perception (since pellars are supposed to study the world around them) and Use Magic Device (as I am going to give them a special power regarding UMD and spell-trigger items).

The pellar’s class skills are Appraise (Int), Craft (Int), Fly (Dex), Knowledge (arcana, engineering, history, nature, planes, religion) (Int), Linguistics (Int), Perception, Profession (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), and Use Magic Device (Cha).

Skill Points at each Level: 4 + Int modifier.

Starting Proficiencies

For the same reason we’d normally give the pellar a d8 hit die, we’d normally give them light armor proficiency. And, despite keeping them in a lower base attack progression than typical for 6-level spellcasters, that’s the route I’m going to take. As for weapon, there’s no real need to give them a specialized list of specific weapons. We can simply grant simple weapon proficiency, and if a pellar wants to use a morningstar (the best simple melee weapon), that’s fine.

But no shields (they need that free hand to cast and hold a wand or somesuch, and we don’t want to *encourage* them to get into close combat), no medium armor (for similar reasons, and mobility).

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A pellar is proficient with all simple weapons. Pellars are also proficient with light armor (but not shields). A pellar can cast pellar spells while wearing light armor without incurring the normal arcane spell failure chance. Like any other arcane spellcaster, a pellar carrying a shield or wearing medium or heavy armor incurs a chance of arcane spell failure if the spell in question has a somatic component. A multiclass pellar still incurs the normal arcane spell failure chance for arcane spells received from other classes.

Cancer Support

I have cancer, and am on chemo (and likely will be for months to come). If you want to help me cover cancer treatment costs, right now, one great way to offer your support is to pick up The Traveler’s Guide to the Darklands: For Pathfinder 2E, which a vast number of amazingly talented people put together as a charity product to aid me. And it’s got excepts from Alphonse Lord Tabbington! Also, the product Like A Boss – A Book of Boss Encounters is a community project put together by Samurai Sheepdog to help me cover costs.

Or, if you prefer, I do accept donations to my Ko-Fi, which doesn’t take a cut before passing the money on to me. (Also, there are cat pics there!)

And, of course, a big part of my income comes from people supporting my Patreon, so joining that is a big help!

Skills, Proficiencies, and HP for the Thaumaturge: A Pathfinder 1st ed Base Class

I’m working on the thaumaturge class, for Pathfinder 1st edition. You can check out my initial thoughts on the class and a look at the first class features I created for it here. (And if you check out the backer-exclusive version of this article on my Patreon, you can go to a page that compiles all the class material into one place as I go along).

Having taken a stab at the spellcasting ability and main class feature of the thaumaturge, I want to pin down the remaining “basics” for the class — hit points per level, class skill, skill pints, and armor/weapon proficiencies. Let’s look at each of those in turn.

(Art by warmtail)

Hit Points

As with most factors that every class gets, there are a series of analyses you should do when determining a class’s hp/level. There’s a complex analysis you can do to look at how many hit points we should give the thaumaturge… and a simple analysis. While the simple analysis is much easier and just as accurate for this class, the complex analysis is useful to understand if you are going to make more Pathfinder 1st-edition classes in the future.

The Complex Analysis – The number of hit points a class gets at each level is an important indicator to players who their role is supposed to be in combat. The d10/level classes (which all have a +1/level base attack bonus) are supposed to get in close and suck up damage as needed. The d6/level classes (all of which are spellcasters with access to 9th level spells and no armor proficiency) are supposed to stay back from the front line and try to help without becoming primary targets (though that may require expenditure of resources rather than just not drawing attention from foes).

Looking at what we already have and our plans for the thaumaturge, it looks clear we’re designing a class that serves a very similar function to the arcanist/sorcerer/wizard, all of which are d6 hp classes. On the other hand, it’s not going to have as many spells resources as those classes which limits its ability to both avoid direct confrontation and contribute to a conflict. Giving the class d8 hp/level helps thaumaturges have a slightly greater margin in a fight, which is a good match for their resources.

The Simple Analysis – Every class in the game with access to spells from 0 to 6th level gets d8 hp per level. (They also all have a +2/3 levels base attack bonus and at least light armor proficiency.) Despite having gone with the weaker +1/2 So, that’s what we’ll do with the thaumaturge.

Hit Die: d8

Skills

Despite being a spontaneous spellcaster, I intend for the thaumaturge to be an Intelligence-based class. that’s unusual, but there is a Charisma-based prepared spellcaster (the paladin), so clearly the Charisma = spontaneous design trend is not an absolute. Since that means thaumaturges will constantly be looking to boost their Intelligence score, we don’t need to give them a ton of skill points per level for them to be able to take max ranks in a lot of skills. (This is also why wizards, who classically are supposed to be educated sages, only get 2 skill points/level).

Even so, I think asking a class to make due with 2 skill points/level is needlessly skimpy, and we have them as 6-level spellcasters to give ourselves some extra room for utility without making them overpowered, so I’ll give thaumaturges 4 per level.

For the list of class skills, I essentially grabbed the wizard skill list, removed some of the least eldritch-related Knowledge skills. I added in Perception (since thaumaturges are supposed to study the world around them) and Use Magic Device (as I am going to give them a special power regarding UMD and spell-trigger items).

The thaumaturge’s class skills are Appraise (Int), Craft (Int), Fly (Dex), Knowledge (arcana, engineering, history, nature, planes, religion) (Int), Linguistics (Int), Perception, Profession (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), and Use Magic Device (Cha).

Skill Points at each Level: 4 + Int modifier.

Starting Proficiencies

For the same reason we’d normally give the thaumaturge a d8 hit die, we’d normally give them light armor proficiency. And, despite keeping them in a lower base attack progression than typical for 6-level spellcasters, that’s the route I’m going to take. As for weapon, there’s no real need to give them a specialized list of specific weapons. We can simply grant simple weapon proficiency, and if a thaumaturge wants to use a morningstar (the best simple melee weapon), that’s fine.

But no shields (they need that free hand to cast and hold a wand or somesuch, and we don’t want to *encourage* them to get into close combat), no medium armor (for similar reasons, and mobility).

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A thaumaturge is proficient with all simple weapons. Thaumaturges are also proficient with light armor (but not shields). A thaumaturge can cast thaumaturge spells while wearing light armor without incurring the normal arcane spell failure chance. Like any other arcane spellcaster, a thaumaturge carrying a shield or wearing medium or heavy armor incurs a chance of arcane spell failure if the spell in question has a somatic component. A multiclass thaumaturge still incurs the normal arcane spell failure chance for arcane spells received from other classes.

Cancer Support

I have cancer, and am on chemo (and likely will be for months to come). If you want to help me cover cancer treatment costs, right now, one great way to offer your support is to pick up The Traveler’s Guide to the Darklands: For Pathfinder 2E, which a vast number of amazingly talented people put together as a charity product to aid me. And it’s got excepts from Alphonse Lord Tabbington! Also, the product Like A Boss – A Book of Boss Encounters is a community project put together by Samurai Sheepdog to help me cover costs.

Or, if you prefer, I do accept donations to my Ko-Fi, which doesn’t take a cut before passing the money on to me. (Also, there are cat pics there!)

And, of course, a big part of my income comes from people supporting my Patreon, so joining that is a big help!

Pellar Class: Creating a Pathfinder 1st ed Base Class

I’m going to walk through how I go through the process of creating a new bae class for Pathfinder 1st edition. In this case, the class is the “pellar.”

I always start with a concept. That concept has to narratively describe what the class is within the game’s fictional world, give an idea for what kinds of things the class can do within the game’s mechanics, and consider what kind of player might want to play this class. In at least the first and last of those cases, the concept should be one that isn’t adequately covered by existing options. (Though “adequately” is very much a judgment call. A lot of people felt the magus class was unnecessary because the eldritch knight prestige class existed, but the magus allowed the concept at 1st level and provided game mechanical options that made it play more smoothly.)

The core concept of the pellar class is a 6-level arcane spellcaster, using the occultist spell list, that focuses on the manipulation of magic and spells. Additionally, I want to make something that is exciting for a specific type of player I have run into who like the idea of being a “mage,” but find the wizard too limited and too lacking in fun special features, find the sorcerer too focused on bloodline, and find the arcanist too complex. Despite being a 6-level spellcaster, the class should be able to function as the primary arcane spellcaster in a group.

Pellar Class Features

I prefer to begin class construction with the core features of the class — the things most important and defining to the class’s concept and in-play options. Obviously for a major spellcaster that has to include their spells, and for the pellar I have decided to go with spontaneous spellcasting, but still be an Intelligence-based class. (I have a specific narrative reason in mind for that, which I’ll flesh out later).

Power-wise, I want lots of room for special abilities beyond spells known and spells per day. That brings me to a second unusual core decisions — despite being a 6-level spellcaster, I’m going to give the pellar the worst base attack bonus progression. I may also go with d6 HP and 2 skill points/level… we’ll see. But for now, being the only class with just 6 levels of spellcasting and the worst attack progression gives me more room for special abilities.

And I want that core special ability to be spell manipulation, in the form of a pool of points for the class. This pool should help pellars do some core arcane spellcaster abilities without the player having to think about or prepare for them in advance, so that needs to be the first thing I write a draft version of. That lets me space out those abilities, which will serve as the structure for anything else the class gets.

Here’s a first stab at that feature, and the class progression chart.

(Art by warmtail)

ClassBaseFortRefWillSpellsPerDayLevelAttack
BonusSaveSaveSaveSpecial1st2nd3rd4th5th6th1st+0+2+0+2Pellar pool (counterspell, spell known)1–––––2nd+1+3+0+32–––––3rd+1+3+1+3Pellar pool (Silent & Still)3–––––4th+2+4+1+431––––5th+2+4+1+442––––6th+3+5+2+5Pellar pool (arcane spell)43––––7th+3+5+2+5431–––8th+4+6+2+6442–––9th+4+6+3+6Pellar pool (heighten spell)543–––10th+5+7+3+75431––11th+5+7+3+75442––12th+6/+1+8+4+8Pellar pool (staves and wands)5543––13th+6/+1+8+4+855431–14th+7/+2+9+4+955442–15th+7/+2+9+5+9Pellar pool (limited wish) 55543–16th+8/+3+10+5+1055543117th+8/+3+10+5+1055544218th+9/+4+11+6+11Pellar pool (wish) 55554319th+9/+4+11+6+1155555420th+10/+5+12+6+12Pellar pool (supernatural)555555(More stuff TBD)

Pellar Pool (Sp) [1st]: A pellar studies the interaction between magic energy and the specific patterns of using that magic known as spells, granting them a pool of pellar points that can be used to generate and manipulate spells. A pellar has a number of points in their pool equal to their Intelligence modifier plus 1 per 4 pellar levels, to a maximum equal to their pellar class level (minimum 1).

Unless an ability says otherwise, using points from a pellar pool is connected to a single casting or use of a spell, and takes no additional action beyond the normal casting time of the spell. If a spellcasting or spell slot is lost (such as if attempting to cast defensively and failing), any pellar points used in conjunction with the spell are also lost.

At 1st level, if a pellar successfully identifies a spell being cast they can expend a number of points from their pellar pool equal to half the spell’s level (minim 1 point) as a reaction to attempt to counterspell the spell, as if using dispel magic to counterspell.

Also at 1st level, the pellar can expend a number of points equal to half a spell’s level (minimum 1 point) from their pellar pool to cast any pellar spell they have selected as a spell known.

At 3rd level, a pellar can expend 2 points from their pellar pool to cast any pellar spell they know without fulfilling its verbal or somatic components, as if using the Silent Spell and Still Spell feats. This does not change the casting time of the spell.

At 6th level the pellar can expend 3 points from their pellar pool to cast an arcane spell with a spell level no greater than half their class level that is on a scroll or in a spellbook in their possession (on their person or in a container on their person, and not held or grabbed by any other creature). This does not expend the scroll or erase the spell from the spellbook.

At 9th level, a pellar can expend 3 points from their pellar pool to heighten a pellar spell or spell cast using their pellar pool to have a spell level equal to half their class level (maximum 9th level), as if using the Heighten Spell metamagic feat. This does not change the casting time of the spell.

At 12th level, a pellar can expend 3 points from their pellar pool to activate a staff or wand without expending a charge from it. This does not allow them to activate a staff or wand they cannot normally use.

At 15th level, a pellar can expend 4 points from their pellar pool to cast limited wish, as if they were a wizard and had prepared the spell. They must fulfill all the spell’s normal components and requirements, and cannot use their pellar pool to modify the spell.

[Design Note – this gives a pellar access to this spell one level after the wizard gets it, and prevents them from bypassing the material component cost.]

At 18th level, a pellar can expend 5 points from their pellar pool to cast wish, as if they were a wizard and had prepared the spell. They must fulfill all the spell’s normal components and requirements, and cannot use their pellar pool to modify the spell.

[Design Note – this gives a pellar access to this spell one level after the wizard gets it, and prevents them from bypassing the material component cost.]

At 20th level, a pellar can expend 5 points from their pellar pool to use a pellar spell known as a supernatural ability.

[Design Note – This lets a pellar ignore components, not provoke, and not be subject to counterspells. Which is insanely powerful, but it doesn’t apply to the limited wish or wish, and it’s a capstone so hey.]

Cancer Support

I have cancer, and am on chemo (and likely will be for months to come). If you want to help me cover cancer treatment costs, right now, one great way to offer your support is to purchase the Fight Owen’s Cancer megabundle, which offers $1000 worth of material, 355 pdfs from 15 companies, for just $40!

Alternatively, you could pick up The Traveler’s Guide to the Darklands: For Pathfinder 2E, which a vast number of amazingly talented people put together as a charity product to aid me. And it’s got excepts from Alphonse Lord Tabbington!

Or, if you prefer, I do accept donations to my Ko-Fi, which doesn’t take a cut before passing the money on to me. (Also, there are cat pics there!)

And, of course, a big part of my income comes from people supporting my Patreon, so joining that is a big help!

Thaumaturge Class: Creating a Pathfinder 1st ed Base Class

I’m going to walk through how I go through the process of creating a new bae class for Pathfinder 1st edition. In this case, the class is the “thaumaturge.”

I always start with a concept. That concept has to narratively describe what the class is within the game’s fictional world, give an idea for what kinds of things the class can do within the game’s mechanics, and consider what kind of player might want to play this class. In at least the first and last of those cases, the concept should be one that isn’t adequately covered by existing options. (Though “adequately” is very much a judgment call. A lot of people felt the magus class was unnecessary because the eldritch knight prestige class existed, but the magus allowed the concept at 1st level and provided game mechanical options that made it play more smoothly.)

The core concept of the thaumaturgy class is a 6-level arcane spellcaster, using the occultist spell list, that focuses on the manipulation of magic and spells. Additionally, I want to make something that is exciting for a specific type of player I have run into who like the idea of being a “mage,” but find the wizard too limited and too lacking in fun special features, find the sorcerer too focused on bloodline, and find the arcanist too complex. Despite being a 6-level spellcaster, the class should be able to function as the primary arcane spellcaster in a group.

Thaumaturge Class Features

I prefer to begin class construction with the core features of the class — the things most important and defining to the class’s concept and in-play options. Obviously for a major spellcaster that has to include their spells, and for the thaumaturge I have decided to go with spontaneous spellcasting, but still be an Intelligence-based class. (I have a specific narrative reason in mind for that, which I’ll flesh out later).

Power-wise, I want lots of room for special abilities beyond spells known and spells per day. That brings me to a second unusual core decisions — despite being a 6-level spellcaster, I’m going to give the thaumaturge the worst base attack bonus progression. I may also go with d6 HP and 2 skill points/level… we’ll see. But for now, being the only class with just 6 levels of spellcasting and the worst attack progression gives me more room for special abilities.

And I want that core special ability to be Thaumaturgy, in the form of a pool of points for the class. This pool should help thaumaturges do some core arcane spellcaster abilities without the player having to think about or prepare for them in advance, so that needs to be the first thing I write a draft version of. That lets me space out those abilities, which will serve as the structure for anything else the class gets.

Here’s a first stab at that feature, and the class progression chart.

(Art by warmtail)

ClassBaseFortRefWillSpellsPerDayLevelAttack
BonusSaveSaveSaveSpecial1st2nd3rd4th5th6th1st+0+2+0+2Thaumaturgy pool (counterspell, spell known)1–––––2nd+1+3+0+32–––––3rd+1+3+1+3Thaumaturgy pool (Silent & Still)3–––––4th+2+4+1+431––––5th+2+4+1+442––––6th+3+5+2+5Thaumaturgy pool (arcane spell)43––––7th+3+5+2+5431–––8th+4+6+2+6442–––9th+4+6+3+6Thaumaturgy pool (heighten spell)543–––10th+5+7+3+75431––11th+5+7+3+75442––12th+6/+1+8+4+8Thaumaturgy pool (staves and wands)5543––13th+6/+1+8+4+855431–14th+7/+2+9+4+955442–15th+7/+2+9+5+9Thaumaturgy pool (limited wish) 55543–16th+8/+3+10+5+1055543117th+8/+3+10+5+1055544218th+9/+4+11+6+11Thaumaturgy pool (wish) 55554319th+9/+4+11+6+1155555420th+10/+5+12+6+12Thaumaturgy pool (supernatural)555555(More stuff TBD)

Thaumaturgy Pool (Sp) [1st]: A thaumaturge studies the interaction between magic energy and the specific patterns of using that magic known as spells, granting them a pool of thaumaturgy points that can be used to generate and manipulate spells. A thaumaturge has a number of points in their pool equal to their Intelligence modifier plus 1 per 4 thaumaturge levels, to a maximum equal to their thaumaturge class level (minimum 1).

Unless an ability says otherwise, using points from a thaumaturgy pool is connected to a single casting or use of a spell, and takes no additional action beyond the normal casting time of the spell. If a spellcasting or spell slot is lost (such as if attempting to cast defensively and failing), any thaumaturgy points used in conjunction with the spell are also lost.

At 1st level, if a thaumaturge successfully identifies a spell being cast they can expend a number of points from their thaumaturgy pool equal to half the spell’s level (minim 1 point) as a reaction to attempt to counterspell the spell, as if using dispel magic to counterspell.

Also at 1st level, the thaumaturge can expend a number of points equal to half a spell’s level (minimum 1 point) from their thaumaturgy pool to cast any thaumaturge spell they have selected as a spell known.

At 3rd level, a thaumaturge can expend 2 points from their thaumaturgy pool to cast any thaumaturgy spell they know without fulfilling its verbal or somatic components, as if using the Silent Spell and Still Spell feats.

At 6th level the thaumaturge can expend 3 points from their thaumaturgy pool to cast an arcane spell with a spell level no greater than half their class level that is on a scroll or in a spellbook in their possession (on their person or in a container on their person, and not held or grabbed by any other creature). This does not expend the scroll or erase the spell from the spellbook.

At 9th level, a thaumaturge can expend 3 points from their thaumaturgy pool to heighten a thaumaturge spell or spell cast using their thaumaturgy pool to have a spell level equal to half their class level (maximum 9th level), as if using the Heighten Spell metamagic feat.

At 12th level, a thaumaturge can expend 3 points from their thaumaturgy pool to activate a staff or wand without expending a charge from it. This does not allow them to activate a staff or wand they cannot norrmally use.

At 15th level, a thaumaturge can expend 4 points from their thaumaturgy pool to cast limited wish, as if they were a wizard and had prepared the spell. They must fulfill all the spell’s normal components and requirements, and cannot use their thaumaturgy pool to modify the spell.

[Design Note – this gives a thaumaturge access to this spell one level after the wizard gets it, and prevents them from bypassing the material component cost.]

At 18th level, a thaumaturge can expend 5 points from their thaumaturgy pool to cast wish, as if they were a wizard and had prepared the spell. They must fulfill all the spell’s normal components and requirements, and cannot use their thaumaturgy pool to modify the spell.

[Design Note – this gives a thaumaturge access to this spell one level after the wizard gets it, and prevents them from bypassing the material component cost.]

At 20th level, a thaumaturge can expend 5 points from their thaumaturgy pool to use a thaumaturgy spell known as a supernatural ability.

[Design Note – This lets a thaumaturge ignore components, not provoke, and not be subject to counterspells. Which is insanely powerful, but it doesn’t apply to the limited wish or wish, and it’s a capstone so hey.]

Cancer Support

I have cancer, and am on chemo (and likely will be for months to come). If you want to help me cover cancer treatment costs, right now, one great way to offer your support is to purchase the Fight Owen’s Cancer megabundle, which offers $1000 worth of material, 355 pdfs from 15 companies, for just $40!

Alternatively, you could pick up The Traveler’s Guide to the Darklands: For Pathfinder 2E, which a vast number of amazingly talented people put together as a charity product to aid me. And it’s got excepts from Alphonse Lord Tabbington!

Or, if you prefer, I do accept donations to my Ko-Fi, which doesn’t take a cut before passing the money on to me. (Also, there are cat pics there!)

And, of course, a big part of my income comes from people supporting my Patreon, so joining that is a big help!

The Second Epoch: Sketch of a Homebrew Campaign for Pathfinder 1e

Let’s say I wanted to start a Pathfinder 1st-edition homebrew game that supported lots of different player species all working together, an easy source of threats for them to face, and some quick and easily understood lore I could build off of as the campaign goes on and levels up.

It might look a lot like this.

“The Second Epoch”

The First Epoch ended 253 years ago, when the Twelve Mythic Champions defeated the great threat of that age, the Elder Madness and its agents, the aberrations. While each champion had powers that made them nearly gods and artifacts beyond the comprehension of any now living, their final victory came with the creation of the Torc of All Things, which could grant limitless and unintended-consequence-free wishes on command. To ensure no one of them could command that kind of power again, the Mythic Champions broke the torc into 12 parts, and each took one and went to their own corner of the world, swearing to never pass into or interfere within the region of another champion.

The only two champion Pcs need to worry about to start are Tianna the Peacemaker, and Khernin the Diabolist, whose two realms lay side-by-side, Tianna’s to the East, and Khernin’s to the West.

Tianna set out to build a kingdom of peace, acceptance, mutual respect, and understanding. She invited refugees from around the world, displaced by the War against the Elder Madness, to come live together in harmony under her guidance. Members of scores of cultures (each with a dozen or more native species) answered her call, and came together to form a single kingdom of Tiannavel. While acclimation was difficult, the mythic Peacemaker was up to the task, and though Tianna died a century ago, Tiannavel continued to grow and thrive as a land of art and philosophy — by no means perfect or without dangers, but increasingly a land with plenty and growing safety. The disparate peoples and societies within its borders came to interact without constant war, and their differences came to be seen as a pride in diversity, rather than cause for hatred. Tiannavel is ruled now by the Serene Council under the symbol of the Peacock Hall — representing dozens of colors and shapes taking pride in their combined beauty.

(Art by Bruno)

Khernin set out to conquer every inch of his realm to control directly, establishing local Praetors to rule under his control. He sought ever-more power, claiming to wish to be ready if another threat such a the Elder Madness arose. He raised up Monstrosities — summoned demons, created undead, bred magical beasts, and gave great leeway to any underling showing a sign of discovering new forms of power. His empire of Khernobolg was feared by most rational beings, but Khernin kept to the compact of the Champions — no force or agent under his command was allowed to set a single toe outside his realm’s borders.

(Art by Bruno)

Three years ago, Khernin died. Khernobolg was thrown into chaos as his Praetors and Monstrosities fought to take control of it and Khernin’s Basalt Throne. But in the past year, things from Khernobolg have begun to cross the border into Tiannavel. The most powerful threats can be handled by the great heroes of the peacock hall, but they are few in number and many of Khernin’s old lieutenants are resistant to scrying. for the Great Heroes to be in the right place at the right time, Tiannavel’s borders must be patrolled, and minor threats investigated by adventurers competent enough to survive minor threats, and wise enough to recognize problems above their pay grade.

Also known as “player characters.”

The campaign begins in the town of Ulcazar, which was built late in the first Epoch to oversee the Three Crossings — a point where the Basalt Mountains have multiple passes a few days to the northwest, the Midnight River has a major ford two days due west, and the Dragontooth Coast has a single harbor, in the small port town of Bandarvey three days to the southwest (or one by river). These form the southern border between Tiannavel and Khernobolg, and has become one of the hot spots in the growing incursions from the western Kingdom.

Ulcazar is ruled by the Solstice Table, a group of eight sages and seers appointed by the Serene Council (who also control Bandarvey and everything with a week’s travel of Ulcazar). Their powers wax and wane with the seasons, and the further from a solstice it is, the weaker they are. The Solstice Table has a small Solstice Guard, to protect the town itself, and the Lunar Scouts who patrol surrounding territory. But most importantly, each member of the Table is patron to a number of less powerful “adventurers” who can be sent to investigate reports of mysteries, strange occurrences, portents, and potential breaches of the border. If such threats are minor enough, PCs can deal with them. If not, they should gather what data they can, and bring it back to the Solstice Table.

As the campaign begins, the 4th-level characters are gathered by one or more patrons and asked to go into the Midnight Swamp, at the base of the Basalt Mountains north of the Midnight river Pass. Local lye-makers from the hamlet of Seffield who gather materials at the edge of the swamp have reported strange green lights dancing deeper in the swamp. They could be fey, wil-o-wisps, undead… or something worse.

Cancer Support

I have cancer, and am on chemo (and likely will be for months to come). If you want to help me cover cancer treatment costs, right now, one great way to offer your support is to purchase the Fight Owen’s Cancer megabundle, which offers $1000 worth of material, 355 pdfs from 15 companies, for just $40!

Alternatively, you could pick up The Traveler’s Guide to the Darklands: For Pathfinder 2E, which a vast number of amazingly talented people put together as a charity product to aid me. And it’s got excepts from Alphonse Lord Tabbington!

Or, if you prefer, I do accept donations to my Ko-Fi, which doesn’t take a cut before passing the money on to me. (Also, there are cat pics there!)

And, of course, a big part of my income comes from people supporting my Patreon, so joining that is a big help!

Three-level Spellcasters for Pathfinder 1st edition

It’s often bothered me in 3.0/3.5/Pathfinder 1st edition that full spellcasters cast 0 to 9th level spells, secondary spellcasters 0 to 6th, and minor spellcasters… 1st to 4th. The lack of 0-level cantrips takes away some of the roleplaying an utility options that would be great for paladins, rangers, et al; and 4th level spells are a bit much for a lot of those classes.

Plus, the 9/6/4 division just bugs me. Going 9/6/3 is more pleasing to my brain, and makes room for 0-level spells without adding more stuff for the minor spellcasting classes to track. It also opens up some room for more powerful spellcasting options in ways other than spell level, which allows us to explore how to make spellcasting more satisfying and customized for the minor spellcasting classes.

I’ve been toying with the idea since 1999, and still am not done with it, but this is finally in a place where I could do early playtesting on it.

(Art by warmtail)

Caster Level and Swift Spells

One of the things that can frustrate players of minor spellcasters is that often taking time to cast a spell actually reduces their effectiveness in combat encounters. Obviously if we’re bumping things down by a spell level from 1st-4th level spells to0-3rd level spells that’d be even worse… unless we do something about it.

So, first, I’d just make caster level for these classes equal to class level.

More importantly, my envisioned redesigned system would give minor spellcasters specific circumstances, thematically linked to each class’ role and flavor, under which they could cast a spell as a swift action. And, yeah, that makes guidance the go-to 0-level spell for these classes, and true strike a no-brainer for the medium, but that kind of issue can be tackled after some playtesting of the core system. (Similarly, the question of what to do with class-specific 4th-level spells, such as holy sword, can be tackled later.)

*An antipaladin can cast spells from his class spell list as a swift action on himself and any target he has as the focus of his smite good ability.

*A bloodranger can cast spells from his class spell list on anyone but himself as a swift action while blooodraging.

*A medium can cast spells from his class list on anyone who participated in his last séance to invite a spirit to inhabit him.

*A paladin can cast spells from her class spell list as a swift action on herself and any target she has as the focus of her smite evil ability.

*A ranger can cast spells from his class spell list as a swift action on herself and any creature that is a favored enemy.

Spells Per Day

All the minor spellcasters would use the same spell class chart under this revised system. The table below uses my no-columns spell-list shorthand, which is something I occasionally develop ideas in before bothering to put it in a final format. Each line presents the character level, then the number of cantrips (noted as a numeral and then ‘c’), 1st-level spells (numeral and then ‘i’), 2nd-level spells (numeral and then ‘ii’), and 3rd-level spells (numeral and then ‘iii’). Thus, a 14th level minor spellcaster (‘3c, 2i, 2ii, 1iii’) gets 3 cantrips, two 1st-level spells, two 2nd-level spells, and oone 3rd-level spell per day.

Spells Per Level

4 1c

5 1c

6 1c

7 1c, 1i

8 2c, 1i

9 2c, 1i

10 2c, 1i, 1ii

11 2c, 2i, 1ii

12 2c, 2i, 1ii

13 3c, 2i, 1ii, 1iii

14 3c, 2i, 2ii, 1iii

15 3c, 3 i, 2ii, 1iii

16 3c, 3i, 2ii, 1iii

17 4c, 3i, 2ii, 2iii

18 4c, 3i, ii, 3iii

19 4c, 4 i, 4 ii, 3iii

20 4c, 4i, 4ii, 4iii

Once polished, this might become part of a “Revised Path” edition of Pathfinder 1st ed from me. In many ways it’s perfect for that — the revised class would work as desired, but someone could play the old version of the class if they preferred.

Cancer Support

I have cancer, and am on chemo (and likely will be for months to come). If you want to help me cover cancer treatment costs, right now, one great way to offer your support is to purchase the Fight Owen’s Cancer megabundle, which offers $1000 worth of material, 355 pdfs from 15 companies, for just $40!

Alternatively, you could pick up The Traveler’s Guide to the Darklands: For Pathfinder 2E, which a vast number of amazingly talented people put together as a charity product to aid me. And it’s got excepts from Alphone Lord Tabbington!

Or, if you prefer, I do accept donations to my Ko-Fi, which doesn’t take a cut before passing the money on to me. (Also, there are cat pics there!)

And, of course, a big part of my income comes from people supporting my Patreon, so joining that is a big help!

Origins of a Game Writer: The Nurture Part

I am very clearly in part the product of my ancestry. Everything from the shape of my skull, my balding hairline, my medical history, to how I react to various foods tells me there’s some pure biology involved, especially since both my parents grew up in different location (in one case a different continent) than I did, and still had very similar childhood reactions to the things that kids get exposed to.

But, I am also very much a product of my environment. Not just my upbringing (though, to be sure, that’s had a huge impact as well).

I grew up in the same house, in the same room, from the time I was brought home from Norman Regional Hospital to the day I moved in permanently with my wife-to-be. And that space shaped part of who I have turned into.

My parents bought a house when my mother was pregnant with me, and made sure it had a space for my older sister, and a different one for me. That space was a good-sized room (at least 15 ft. square, though I don’t recall ever measuring it), with a built-in sliding door closet that had drawers above and below, and a built in hardwood bookcase inset in one wall. It easily held a double bed, three chests of drawers, a desk, a workbench, a toychest, two freestanding bookcases, an antique upholstered chair, two floor lamps, a component stacked stereo, and a wall’s worth of wooden record cabinets and cubbies.

It was banks of windows on 2 sides, one facing the backyard (which was huge, and very sloped) with a highly-climbable mulberry bush right outside of it. We had numerous indoor/outdoor cats when I was growing up, and some of them would jump on the outside windowsill and meow to get my attention so I could let them into my room. I had space to craft, play, a reading nook, a writing zone, and enough floorspace that (if I had it clean, which was rare, I admit) I could practice foam weapon swordplay.

I even, at one point in my mid-teens, hung a tire from a rope in one corner of my room, with broomhandles sticking out of it at odd angles. I’d hit it with a PVC sword, and as it swung around block its counterattacks with my wooden-backing-of-a-resin-Aztec-calendar-and-bike-tire-rim shield.

When I talk about my privileged upbringing, in addition to never worrying as a child about health care or food or clothing, and the family being able to take an out-of-state vacation every 2-3 years, I remember how big and accessible that room was.

But the influence of that location growing up was more than about its size or amenities. My room was the furthest from the living room, kitchen, and parents’ bedroom… which meant it was the furthest from oversight. My sister was specifically forbidden as a teen from having a boy in her room with her bedroom door closed, and her door was easily spotted from the chairs that faced the TV in our living room. While I officially had the same restriction applied to me a few years later once I began to have girls over to the house… you couldn’t see my bedroom door without walking into the back hallway and specifically looking. So while that rules was strongly enforced on my sister, it almost never was for me.

It was also at the end of the hall that served as the family library, where pulp and scifi and fact books abounded. There were tons of books and speculative fiction magazines from the 20s, 30s, 40s, and 50s. Here I learned to love John Carter of Mars and Carson of Venus, Skylark, Conan, Kull, Elric, Slan, Foundation, the Star Beast and Space Cadet, the War of the Worlds and Sherlock Holmes, Worlds Colliding and Darkness Falling.

And my family were all readers, new books would get stacked wherever they would fit as others in the house finished their new acquisitions. If Azimov, Heinlein, Cherryh, Clarke, Le Guin, Foster, Herbet, McCafferey, Butler, Gibson, Atwood, Niven, Pohl, or any of a dozen other authors released a new book, in time it appeared on the shelves. Similarly, lesser-known writers’ works appeared at random, and if some where not for me, others took their place in my mind with the great creators of speculative fiction. Even the pile of fanzines, largely from the university’s local scifi club, showed me how small articles and semi-polished ideas can spark the imagination, even without a formal publisher.

My love of games may have gone off in its own direction once my Uncle casually introduced me to RPGs, but my love of games game from that hall of books. Hoyles from different centuries, books and chess variants, the history of GO, and reprints of Little Wars. Books on the rules of various sports and where they came from, and 50 different ways to play poker. I absorbed them all, and adored when they overlapped (as with Jetan).

I often wonder how I would have turned out with a different home growing up.

Cancer Support

I have cancer, and am on chemo (and likely will be for months to come). If you want to help me cover cancer treatment costs, right now, the main way to offer your support is to purchase the Fight Owen’s Cancer megabundle, which offers $1000 worth of material, 355 pdfs from 15 companies, for just $40!

Or, if you prefer, I do accept donations to my Ko-Fi, which doesn’t take a cut before passing the money on to me. (Also, there are cat pics there!)

And, of course, a big part of my income comes from people supporting my Patreon, so joining that is a big help!

Health Update: The Endless BS of Being Sick In America

I haven’t done a health update since July, in large part because I’ve been on Chemo for four months and it turns my brain to mush. But people worry, and a blog post is the easiest way to get word out to everyone, so strap in and get ready for what is definitely just an “A” ticket ride (and yeah, I am dating myself with a reference to Disney’s old A-E ticketing system).

So, how did we get here? Well, I tell you, it sucked. Here are the details of the most notable stuff I’ve dealt with in health this year.

As an appetizer, I had a pulmonary embolism in February 2023, as told in these articles: Part One, Part Two. I am, for note, STILL on blood thinners because of that.

The bleeding I had already scheduled a colonoscopy to look at (which was going to happen in May) got my colonoscopy moved up, and it happened last week as told here. Note that if I hadn’t been on blood thinners, the bleeding likely wouldn’t have been bad enough to move up my colonoscopy. Also note, colonoscopy prep drink is aweeeeeeeeeeeeful.

So, that broght on the main course: The colonoscopy resulted in a cancer diagnosis , and I saw a colorectal surgeon as told here. Then a cardiologist, as told here. Then I was nearly tortured by an MRI, as told here. The fatigue was terrible, and constant doctor’s visits were not helping.

Then I had to offer a blood sacrifice to a CAT scan, got a massive kidney infection, and was rediagnosed as having late Stage 1, rather than Early Stage 2 cancer, as told here. That led to my case being presented to the shadowy and mysterious Tumor Board, and the decision to start me on three months of Chemotherapy, as told here. (Yep, you read that right. Three months of chemo was prescribed four months ago, and I am still on chemo. )

Then I got surgery to have a port installed for chemo… and discovered my insurance wouldn’t pay for chemo infusions at the only place that could book me in time, as told here.

But I managed to begin chemo anyway in June, and discovered my battle with cancer requires me to settle in for the long haul, as told here.

Got it? Great.

Of course, things did not get easier from there. We’re NOT at dessert yet.

First off, let me talk about the chemo. Since my insurance would not pay for chemo infusion (which I fucking got surgery for, those fucks), we switched to pill chemo. Each day, I had to swallow 12 huge pills the size of the last joint of my little finger. They make me feel like I have the flu, give me skin lesions, suck all energy out of me, and just for fun cause me to be nauseous and/or vomit basically at random. Eating a meal is like playing bingo, but if you win a poison punches you in the gut hard enough you fire off a cookie catapult and hope your aim is good enough to hit a puke pail. (And I promise, it’s worse than I make it sound.)

They also make me increasingly confused and slow. During one course of chemo, on the 13th day I could not recognize my own face in the mirror. I perfectly well knew I was looking at my reflection, but none of it looked familiar. I freaked out like a cat hearing its people all leave the house while there’s only 1 kibble left in its food bowl.

That’s been the worst, so far, but I literally have 5 prescriptions (antipuke A, antipuke B, antianxiety, antiacid, and antibiotics… no uncles, weirdly) just to deal with the side-effects of my chemo.

And since they aren’t soo bad I refuse to take them, my condition is categorized as “tolerating chemo well.”

The chemo isn’t to cure me, by the way. Oh, fuck no. It’s a stopgap. A band-aid of poison to terrorize my tumor into submission until I can have surgery. Four surgeries, in fact. But, more on that later.

While I was on chemo, my heart started randomly beating so fast it made my chest hurt. Now, if you have cancer and you say the words “chest pains,” people leap up to fucking DO something, and I appreciate that. Although my cancer is in my butt, not my chest. On the other hand my cancer has also launched attacks on my other internal organs for nine years now, so maybe we should in fact treat it as a criminal mastermind with minions, rather than a lone gunman.

(There’s a joke here somewhere about Sylvester Stallone as Cobra rattling off about how “Cancer is the disease. And I’m the temporary stopgap procedure that’ll keep you alive until the cure comes along,” but I can’t be bothered to workshop that until it’s actually funny. Also, yes, Cobra damn it. 1986. Look, I’m old and I have cancer, I am NOT taking the time to look up TikTok references for my health update — you get the jokes you get.)

In this case, the action my cardiologist took was to mail me a “halter monitor” that I glued to my chest and wore nonstop for 14 days, 8 hours, and 5 minutes. It itched, it pinched, it made julienne fries! But mostly, it itched. Anyway, I mailed it off and heard back… NEVER! I kinda assumed that meant I was not going to die, but then my cardiologist prescribed me a beta blocker. Which, I mean, fine, but WHY am I getting a beta blocked? What did beta do to me?

I finally actually talked to my cardiologist (for about 90 seconds, at the end of a 2-hour doctor’s appointment, during which I saw two nurses and a physician’s assistant soo the doctor only needed to be in the rom for the 90 seconds), and she said the Itch Monitor recorded a number of tachycardia events (which is Latin for “fast heart beat,” or alternative, Greek for “that’s what I already told you, doctor”), and it was nothing to worry about.

Oh, good. Glad I knew two months ago not to worry about it. I wasted some worry. A shame the only way to get medical information is to see your doctor in person, or by FUCKING RAVEN APPARENTLY.

Anyway, the beta blocker made it all stop, which apparently is NOT why she prescribed it, but if it works, she sees no reason to change it.

Okay, now an aside.

Back in 2021, a test found traces of blood in my urine and my GP wanted me to see a urologist. Also, since I had been complaining about low testosterone since 2015, I was told he’s also address that. I was fine with seeing an All-Things-Penis-Doctor, but they were all booked months in advance. Then, when my appoint came along in 2022, I got pneumonia and couldn’t go. So it got rescheduled for 2023… and in order fell on the dates of my pulmonary embolism, my kidney infection, and my MRI. When it came to having luck seeing a urologist, I did not have a pot to piss in.

But we DID finally get to see him since my last health update, and he turns out not to be worried about the blood in my urine, because I am not and never have been a smoker. He did a centrifuge test on a used mountain dew donation I gave him, and found no sign of cancerous or abnormal cells in the golden spray, so for now it’s not a concern. He also talked about my low testosterone, and how it was likely being affected by the cancer, and the chemo, and my antidepressant, and a bog hag curse on me. I’ve heard all those before when I asked doctors about my low T, and previously they always wanted to treat and fix ALL other issues and see how my testosterone rises. But, I was finally here, so I screwed up the emotional strength of be my own medical advocate, and asked “Okay, but it there anything we can do now to help.”

The doctor looked at me like I was bringing a 5e character to play at a PF2 game, then said. “Oh yes. We are going to give you more testosterone. Intermuscular shots, every 2 weeks, to begin, and see if we can raise it by 400 points.”

BTW, intermuscular shots suck when you are on chemo that makes you ache like you have the flu. Just an FYI. OTOH, having anything close to a normal level of testosterone does help not literally fall on the floor in exhaustion while on chemo, so I come out ahead.

Then it was time for Frank the MRI again. I expected it be fine — I’d already done this once, and I was slightly less massively obese so I should fit better. Right?

Yeah, it turns out trauma responses don’t give a flying fig (or any other airborne drupes) if you “should” handle stress better than last time. I have cPTSD, and it decided to be an overachiever that day. I freaked out early, held it together for about 30 minutes, then pressed the panic button (– okay, it wasn’t a button. I actually “squeezed the air bulb of significant concern,” but ‘panic button’ sounds better), and told the techs I was about to split my own chest open so my ribs could chew through the loud PING machine. They got me to calm down, to take one more 5-minute set of images, and then gently suggested that next time (and there WILL be a next time), I get my doctor to give me a Vallium.

A big Vallium.

But, true to form, Frank did right by me. The MRI shows the tumor is significantly reduced in size. So, the poisonous stopgap is working, and thank goodness. Because I’m going to be with it for a while.

Which brings us around to why I am still on chemo 4 months in to my 3 month planned course. Long story short (too late), the first of the 4 surgeries I need has a fucked-up intake process. You have to do an online application, then an online seminar, then they email you an intake form, and you must return in within 7 days. If you don’t, you have to start all over.

This medical center is so overbooked atm, it took 2 months to get me in to a seminar. Then I didn’t get the email packet. I tried to call and tell them, but their system doesn’t let pre-patients leave messages–it just directs you to their online page. I tried to get hold of them. My GP’s patient advocate tried to get hold of them. My oncologist’s scheduler tried to get hold of them. My surgeon’s patient advocate never got back in touch with me despite my leaving 3 messages. Finally, I called my surgeon’s front desk, and the receptionist took time off from polishing her crusader sword and halo, then spent two hours on the phone to help me get past this raodblock.

So, since I have cancer, I was scheduled for the very next seminar, which was Thursday. I got the email with the uptake form Friday. Problem “solved.”

But it’ll still be weeks before I can get that first surgery (their typical scheduling time is 2 months… we’ll see if we can carve some time off that). Then it’s recovery for a few weeks, then surgery, then recovery for a few weeks, then surgery, then… Well, you get the idea.

So, here I am. Moving forward, on 20 prescriptions regularly (ranging from 1-shot-ever-2-weeks to 12-pills-daily-for-14-out-of-21-days, to 2-per-day-with-meals, to 3-a-day-apart-from-meals… ) and 6 as-needed. A lot of side effects we have zeroed in on and mitigated, but new ones keep popping up, or ones that used to be mild get suddenly worse. And, of course, I have new insurance as of this month, so that’s its own thing.

(A mighty parenthetical aside — Because Walgreens once sent all my prescriptions to another state without asking me, I currently have all my RX with CVS. So I gave them my new insurance at the beginning of the month, and they noted it all down. Blue Cross/Blue Shield, btw, not ‘IffyVagueInsuranceCo.’ A couple of weeks later, I needed some refills, and sent in the request. CVS responded by saying my new insurance did not cover any of my prescriptions. I blew a gasket, to say the least. I’d spent hours making sure my new policy would cover every RX I was on at the time. So I called, to find out what was up. it turns out, CVS has no contract with BC/BS. So it’s not ‘my new insurance doesn’t cover any of my prescriptions’ but instead ‘oh we won’t work with one of the largest insurers in the country and we didn’t tell you that when you gave us the new info but the automated system doesn’t have a message for that so it defaults to claiming your insurance is denying thing things.’

…

Anyway, to my shock that’s worse than sending my RX to another state, and CVS closes at 9pm now anyway, so Walgreen’s gets my business back. I remain ever joyful that life can still surprise me with these little lessons.

…

The motherf[CENSORED] [CENSORED] cranial [CENSORED] in the [VERYVERYCENSORED].

And that’s where we are.

Still here? Want to help? Well, all this BS takes money.

If you want to help me cover cancer treatment costs, right now, the main way to offer your support is to purchase the Fight Owen’s Cancer megabundle, which offers $1000 worth of material, 355 pdfs from 15 companies, for just $40!

Or, if you prefer, I do accept donations to my Ko-Fi, which doesn’t take a few before passing the money on to me. (Also, there are cat pics there!)

Baleful Spells for Pathfinder 1st Ed

I love the idea of offensive versions of spells that are normally beneficial, or “baleful” spells.This line of Pathfinder 1st edition spells is based on an idea from my wife Lj, who pitched this to me years ago and I never finished any of the ideas that came from it.

Blur, Baleful

School illusion (glamer); Level alchemist 3, bard 2, magus 3, medium 3, mesmerist 2, occultist 3, psychic 3, spiritualist 3, witch 2, wizard 3

Casting Time 1 standard action

Components V

Range medium (100 ft. +10 ft./level)

Target one creature

Duration 1 minute/level (D)

Saving Throw Will partial (see text); Spell Resistance yes

A field of blurred light blocks the sight of the subject of this spell, causing everything it looks at to look blurred, shifting, and wavering. This distortion causes the subject to treat everything as having concealment (20% miss chance). Anything that already has concealment adds 20% to its miss chance against attacks from the subject of the baleful blur’s. The spell’s effect also causes the subject to have a 20% chance to misread anything, including scrolls.

A creature subject to this spell ignores the spell’s effect when targeting a creature it cannot see (though fighting an unseen opponent carries penalties of its own). A see invisibility spell cast by the subject does not counteract the baleful blur’s effect, but a true seeing spell does.

A creature that makes its save against this spell is only affected until the 20% miss chance or misread chance causes it to miss a target or misread text.

Dancing Lights, Baleful

School evocation [light]; Level bard 1, magus 1, mesmerist 1, psychic 1, witch 1, wizard 1

Casting Time 1 standard action

Components V, S

Range medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./level)

Target one creature you can see

Duration 1 minute (D)

Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance no

You evoke four dancing lights (as the spell), which move with and face in front of the face of the target creature. In addition to sheading light as typical dancing lights, they cause the target to be dazzled, give it a -10 penalty to any Stealth check, and reveal what space the target is in to anyone able to see them.

You must be able to perceive the target with a visual sense to cast baneful dancing lights on it.

Jump, Baleful

School enchantment (compulsion)[mind-affecting] ; Level bard 2, mesmerist 2, psychic 2, shaman 2, spiritualist 2, witch 2

Casting Time 1 standard action

Components V, S, M (a grasshopper’s hind leg)

Range medium (100 ft. +10 ft./level)

Targets 1 creature/2 levels within a 30-ft.-diameter circle

Duration 1 round/level

Saving Throw partial (see text); Spell Resistance yes

Targets affected by this spell must take a move action each round to make an Acrobatics check with a +10 bonus to make a long jump. Targets that fail their save must jump a number of feet equal to their check (rounded down to the nearest 5 feet, with a 5-foot minimum regardless of their check result) in a randomly determined direction. Targets that make their saving throw are only affected for 1 round, and are allowed to choose the direction of their jump.

Mage Armor, Baleful

School conjuration (creation) [force]; Level antipaladin 1, inquisitor 1, occultist 1, psychic 1, spiritualist 1, summoner 1, summoner (unchained) 1, wizard 1

Casting Time 1 standard action

Components V, S, F (a piece of cured leather)

Range medium (100 ft. +10 ft./level)

Target 1 creature, +1 creature per 4 levels, all within a 15-foot-radius

Duration 1 minute/level (D)

Saving Throw Will partial (see text); Spell Resistance no

You fire a bolt of force energy at one or more targets, requiring a ranged touch attack. On a successful hit, a translucent but tangible field of force surrounds the subject of a baneful mage armor spell, providing a +4 armor bonus to AC. Baneful mage armor is made of force, so incorporeal creatures can’t bypass it the way they do normal armor.

Unlike mage armor, baneful mage armor has a bulk that can hinder its wearer. It imposes a -2 armor check penalty (which also applies to attack rolls if the target is not proficient with light armor), reduced movement speed as if it was a breastplate (which is a 20-foot move rate for most creatures that normally have a 30-foot move rate), and creates a 20% arcane spell failure chance.

A target that succeeds at a Will save is only affected by this spell for 1 round.

Raise Dead, Baleful

School conjuration (healing); Level adept 6, cleric 6, shaman 7, spiritualist 6, witch 7

Casting Time 1 minute

Components V, S, M (diamond worth 10,000 gp), DF

Range touch

Target dead creature touched

Duration instantaneous

Saving Throw Fort negates, see text; Spell Resistance yes

This spell functions as raise dead, except as detailed above, and that the target need not be willing to be raised (though its soul must be available, rather than trapped somehow).

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