Owen K.C. Stephens's Blog, page 5

3rd-Level Hasty Spells for Pathfinder 1e

Okay, this is where people begin to wonder if hasty spell balance is even possible — 3rd-level hasty spells. That’s right, hasty dispel magic, fireball, haste, and lighting bolt, all as swift action verbal-only spells.

How can it be done? Read on, fair viewer, and behold. If folks ask for it, we may do some more 3rd-level spells, but these took a lot more work than the 0-2nd-level spells did.

Dispel Magic, Hasty
School abjuration; Level antipaladin 3, bard 3, cleric 3, druid 4, inquisitor 3, magus 3, medium 3, mesmerist 3, occultist 3, paladin 3, psychic 3, shaman 3, spiritualist 3, summoner 3, summoner (unchained) 3, witch 3, wizard 3
Casting Time 1 swift action
Components V
Range short (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target or Area one spellcaster, creature, or object
Duration instantaneous
Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance no

If ever there was something arcane instructors tell their students not to get hasty about, it’s unraveling other magic effects. Still, some people never listen, and some of them use hasty dispel magic, despite its risks.

Hasty dispel magic functions as dispel magic except as noted above, and as follows. It can only be used for a targeted dispel, not counterspells. If you fail your dispel check, you take a -1 penalty to attackrolls and your caster level until you next regain the ability to prepare spells, or regain spell slots or uses of daily abilities. If you fail the dispel check by 5 or more, the penalty is to 1d3+1. If you fail it by 10 or more, the penalty is 1d8+2.

Fireball, Hasty
School evocation [fire]; Level bloodrager 3, magus 3, occultist 3, wizard 3
Casting Time 1 swift action
Components V
Range short (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Area 5-ft.-radius spread
Duration instantaneous
Saving Throw Reflex half; Spell Resistance yes

A fireball spell generates a searing explosion of flame that detonates with a low roar and deals 1d3 points of fire damage per 2 caster levels (maximum 8d3) to every creature within the area. Unattended objects also take this damage. The explosion creates almost no pressure.

When you speak the spell’s component word, it determines the range (distance and height) at which the hasty fireball is to burst. A glowing, pea-sized bead streaks from the pointing digit and, unless it impacts upon a material body or solid barrier prior to attaining the prescribed range, blossoms into the fireball at that point. An early impact results in an early detonation. If you attempt to send the bead through a narrow passage, such as through an arrow slit, you must “hit” the opening with a ranged touch attack, or else the bead strikes the barrier and detonates prematurely.

The fireball sets fire to easily combustible items and damages objects in the area. However, it is a brief flash fire and cannot melt metals.

Haste, Hasty
School transmutation; Level bard 3, bloodrager 3, magus 3, medium 2, occultist 3, psychic 3, spiritualist 3, summoner 3, summoner (unchained) 3, wizard 3
Casting Time 1 swift action
Components V
Range 15 ft.
Targets one creature/2 levels
Duration 3 rounds
Saving Throw Fortitude negates (harmless); Spell Resistance yes (harmless)

Hasty haste functions as haste except as noted above, and as follows. You cannot benefit from your own hasty haste. You are staggered the round after you cast hasty haste (and if you are immune to the staggered condition attempts to cast this spell automatically fail). Targets do not receive a bonus to attack rolls, AC, and Reflex saves.

Lightning Bolt, Hasty
School evocation [electricity]; Level adept 3, bloodrager 3, magus 3, occultist 3, witch 3, wizard 3
Casting Time 1 swift action
Components V
Range 30 ft.
Area 30-ft. line
Duration instantaneous
Saving Throw Reflex half; Spell Resistance yes

You release a powerful stroke of electrical energy that deals 1d3 points of electricity damage per 2 caster levels (maximum 8d3) to each creature within its area. The bolt begins at your fingertips. It can set fire to easily combustible items, but cannot melt metals. If it hits a barrier with hardness equal to or greater than the dice of damage it deals, its line stops.

Support
If you want to help me cover cancer treatment costs, right now, the main way to offer your support is to purchase Like A Boss, a charity project that friends and colleagues within the game industry created to help pay my medical costs. You can pick it up here or here.

Other options are to join (or increase your pledge level to) my Patreon or, if you prefer, donate directly through my Ko-Fi account – https://ko-fi.com/owenkcstephens

2nd Level Hasty Spells for Pathfinder 1e

Yep, 10 more hasty spells for PF1. This time, all 2nd level. Check out the original hasty spell article for the general rules on hasty spells.

(Art by Kalleek)

Aboleth’s Lung, Hasty
School transmutation; Level cleric 2, druid 2, witch 2, wizard 2
Casting Time 1 swift action
Components V
Range touch
Target living creatures touched
Duration 1 round/2 levels; see text
Saving Throw Will negates; Spell Resistance yes

The targets are able to breathe water, freely. However, they can no longer breathe air. Divide the duration evenly among all the creatures you touch. This spell has no effect on creatures that can already breathe water.

Acid Arrow, Hasty
School conjuration (creation) [acid]; Level bloodrager 2, magus 2, wizard 2
Casting Time 1 swift action
Components V
Range short (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Effect one arrow of acid
Duration 1 round + 1 round per three levels
Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance no

This spell functions as acid arrow except as noted above, and its additional damage per round is 1 point.

Alter Self, Hasty
School transmutation (polymorph); Level bard 2, magus 2, medium 2, mesmerist 2, psychic 2, shaman 2, summoner 2, summoner (unchained) 2, witch 2, wizard 2
Casting Time 1 swift action
Components V
Range personal
Target you
Duration 3 rounds

When you cast this spell, you can assume the form of any Small or Medium creature of the humanoid type you have seen that is allowed as a player character choice in your campaign. If the form you assume has any of the following abilities, you gain the listed ability: darkvision 60 feet, low-light vision, scent, and swim 30 feet.

Bear’s Endurance, Hasty
School transmutation; Level adept 2, bloodrager 2, cleric 2, druid 2, magus 2, medium 2, oracle 2, psychic 2, ranger 2, shaman 2, summoner 2, summoner (unchained) 2, wizard 2
Casting Time 1 swift action
Components V
Range touch
Target creature touched
Duration 3 rounds
Saving Throw Will negates (harmless); Spell Resistance yes

The affected creature gains greater vitality and stamina. The spell grants the subject a +2 enhancement bonus to Constitution, which adds the usual benefits to hit points, Fortitude saves, Constitution checks, and so forth. Hit points gained by a temporary increase in Constitution score are not temporary hit points. They go away when the subject’s Constitution drops back to normal. They are not lost first as temporary hit points are.

Blur, Hasty
School illusion (glamer); Level bard 2, magus 2, medium 2, mesmerist 2, occultist 2, psychic 2, spiritualist 2, summoner 2, summoner (unchained) 2, wizard 2
Casting Time 1 swift action
Components V
Range personal
Target you
Duration 3 rounds

Except as noted above, this spell functions as the blur spell.

Fiery Runes, Hasty
School evocation [fire]; Level bloodrager 2, druid 2, magus 2, wizard 2
Casting Time 1 swift action
Components V
Range touch
Target melee weapon touched
Duration 3 rounds or until discharged (see text)
Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance yes (see text)

You charge a weapon with a magic rune of fire. When the wielder of the weapon successfully strikes a foe in melee with the weapon, the wielder can discharge the rune as a swift action to deal 1d4 points of fire damage to the target. This damage isn’t multiplied on a critical hit. If the target has spell resistance, you attempt a caster level check (1d20 + caster level) against that spell resistance when the rune is discharged. If the rune is successfully resisted, the spell is dispelled; otherwise, the rune deals damage normally.

For every 3 caster levels beyond 3rd the caster possesses, the rune deals an additional 1d4 points of fire damage (2d4 at caster level 6th, 3d4 at 9th, and so on) to a maximum of 5d4 points of fire damage at caster level 15th.

Fog Cloud, Hasty
School conjuration (creation); Level druid 2, magus 2, shaman 2, summoner (unchained) 2, witch 2, wizard 2
Casting Time 1 swift action
Components V
Range short (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Effect fog spreads in 10-ft. radius
Duration 3 rounds
Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance no

A bank of fog billows out from the point you designate. The fog obscures (but does not totally block) all sight, including darkvision, beyond 5 feet. A creature within 5 feet can be seen and targeted normally. Creatures farther away have concealment (attacks have a 20% miss chance).

A moderate or stronger wind (11+ mph) disperses the fog immediately. The spell does not function underwater.

Gust of Wind, Hasty
School evocation [air]; Level bloodrager 2, druid 2, magus 2, occultist 2, wizard 2
Casting Time 1 swift action
Components V
Range 60 ft.
Effect line-shaped gust of severe wind emanating out from you to the extreme of the range
Duration instantaneous
Saving Throw Fortitude negates; Spell Resistance yes

This spell creates a single, brief, severe blast of air (approximately 50 mph) that originates from you, affecting all creatures in its path. The gust lasts roughly 1 second, so lacks the power to cause sustained effects of the standard gust of wind spell.

Tiny or smaller flying creatures must make a DC 20 Fly skill check or be blown back 1d6 × 10 feet and take 1d6 points of damage. Small or smaller flying creatures must make a DC 15 Fly skill check to move against the force of the wind. The movement and stability of creatures on the ground are not affected.

The force of the gust automatically extinguishes candles, torches, and similar unprotected flames. It causes protected flames, such as those in lanterns, to dance wildly and has a 25% chance to extinguish those lights.

In addition to the effects noted, a hasty gust of wind can do anything that a single sudden blast of wind would be expected to do. It can create a stinging spray of sand or dust, fan a large fire, overturn delicate awnings or hangings, and blow gases or vapors to the edge of its range.

Protection from Arrows, Hasty
School abjuration; Level bloodrager 2, psychic 2, spiritualist 2, summoner 2, summoner (unchained) 2, wizard 2
Casting Time 1 swift action
Components V
Range touch
Target creature touched
Duration 2 rounds or until discharged
Saving Throw Will negates (harmless); Spell Resistance yes (harmless)

This spell functions as protection from arrows, except as noted above and it only prevents 2 points of damage per caster level before being discharged.

Spectral Hand, Hasty
School necromancy; Level medium 2, occultist 2, psychic 2, spiritualist 2, witch 2, wizard 2
Casting Time 1 swift action
Components V
Range 15 ft.)
Effect one spectral hand
Duration 3 rounds
Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance no

Except as noted above, this spell functions as spectral hand.

Support
If you want to help me cover cancer treatment costs, right now, the main way to offer your support is to purchase Like A Boss, a charity project that friends and colleagues within the game industry created to help pay my medical costs. You can pick it up here or here.

Other options are to join (or increase your pledge level to) my Patreon or, if you prefer, donate directly through my Ko-Fi account – https://ko-fi.com/owenkcstephens

Hasty Spells for Pathfinder 1e; 1st-Level Spells

Hasty spells were first introduced in an article presenting a number of hasty cantrips. that’s proven popular enough that I’m expanding them to hasty1st-level spells. You can find the philosophy behind hasty spells and their general rules in that original article, here.

Not that since that article was first released, it’s been edited to add the following general rule: “Hasty spells are too quick and simple to empower other actions. Hasty spells cannot be used to trigger other abilities that normally function when a specific type spell is cast. For example, a unicorn bloodline sorcerer could not use their bloodline arcana to heal another creature if they had access to a hasty cure spell, a magus cannot use a hasty touch spell for spellstrike, and so on.”

This is obviously far from ever possible hasty spells, but it does represent a fair cross-section of different hasty spell types.

(Art by Dominick)

Abundant Ammunition, Hasty

School conjuration (summoning); Level bard 1, cleric 1, psychic 1, ranger 1, wizard 1
Casting Time 1 swift action
Components S
Target one container touched
Duration 3 rounds
Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance no

When cast on a container such as a quiver or a pouch that contains nonmagical ammunition or shuriken (including masterwork ammunition or shuriken, but not special materials, alchemical attributes, or nonmagical treatments on the ammunition), at the start of each round this spell replaces any ammunition taken from the container the round before. The ammunition taken from the container the round before vanishes. If, after casting this spell, you cast a spell that enhances projectiles, such as align weapon or greater magic weapon, on the same container, all projectiles this spell conjures are affected by that spell.

Advanced Scurvy, Hasty

School necromancy [disease, evil]; Level cleric 1, druid 1
Casting Time 1 swift action
Components V
Range touch
Target living creature touched
Duration 3 rounds
Saving Throw Fortitude negates; Spell Resistance yes

The subject contracts an advanced form of scurvy. He becomes constantly fatigued, suffers from bone pain (–1 penalty on Strength and Dexterity-based checks), and wounds easily (add +1 point of damage to any bleed effects affecting the target). The disease can be treated magically or ends after 3 rounds.

Ant Haul, Hasty

School transmutation; Level cleric 1, druid 1, medium 1, occultist 1, psychic 1, ranger 1, summoner 1, summoner (unchained) 1, wizard 1
Casting Time 1 swift action
Components V
Range touch
Target creature touched
Duration 2 rounds/level
Saving Throw Fortitude negates (harmless); Spell Resistance yes (harmless)

The target’s carrying capacity triples. This does not affect the creature’s actual Strength in any way, merely the amount of material it can carry while benefiting from this spell. It also has no effect on encumbrance due to armor. If the creature wears armor it still takes the normal penalties for doing so regardless of how much weight the spell allows it to carry.

Aspect of the Nightingale, Hasty

School transmutation (polymorph); Level bard 1, cleric 1, druid 1, inquisitor 1, paladin 1, ranger 1, shaman 1
Casting Time 1 swift action
Components V
Range personal
Target you
Duration 3 rounds

Your voice becomes clear and pleasant. You gain a +2 competence bonus on Perform (sing) checks and a +2 competence bonus on Diplomacy checks. Once during the spell’s duration, if you are subject to a charm effect that allows a saving throw, you may roll twice and take the more favorable result.

Bane, Hasty

School enchantment (compulsion) [emotion, fear, mind-affecting]; Level adept 1, cleric 1, inquisitor 1, mesmerist 1, shaman 1
Casting Time 1 swift action
Components V
Range 30 ft.
Area 30-ft. burst, centered on you
Duration 3 rounds
Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance yes

This spell functions as bane, except as noted above.

Bless, Hasty

School enchantment (compulsion) [mind-affecting]; Level adept 1, cleric 1, inquisitor 1, paladin 1, shaman 1
Casting Time 1swift action
Components V
Range 30 ft.
Area The caster and all allies within a 30-ft. burst, centered on the caster
Duration 3 rounds
Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance yes (harmless)

This spell functions as bless, except as noted above.

Brightest Night, Hasty

School transmutation; Level bard 1, cleric 1, druid 1, paladin 1, witch 1, wizard 1
Casting Time 1 swift action
Components V
Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Targets one willing creature
Duration 1 minute/level
Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance no

You grant low-light vision to the affected creature. A creature that already has low-light vision has their existing lowlight vision enhanced so that they can see four times as far in conditions of dim light. Creatures within 10 feet of someone under the effects of hasty brightest night do not gain concealment from dim light.

Clarion Call, Hasty

School illusion; Level bard 1, cleric 1, magus 1, wizard 1
Casting Time 1 swift action
Components V
Range touch
Target creature touched
Duration 1 minute
Saving Throw Fortitude negates (harmless); Spell Resistance yes (harmless)

The subject of this spell gains two benefits. First, the affected creature gains the ability to create a sound like the blast of a mighty horn or trumpet simply by miming the action of sounding one. Second, the subject can speak in a booming voice that carries easily over great distances, lowering the DC of any check to hear what is said by –15.

Magic Missile, Hasty
School evocation [force]; Level bloodrager 1, magus 1, psychic 1, wizard 1
Casting Time 1 swift action
Components V
Range short (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Targets up to five creatures, no two of which can be more than 15 ft. apart
Duration instantaneous
Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance yes

This functions as the magic missile spell, except as noted above, and that each missile does a single point of damage.

True Strike, Hasty
School divination; Level alchemist 1, arcanist 1, bloodrager 1, inquisitor 1, investigator 1, magus 1, medium 1, psychic 1, wizard 1
Casting Time 1 swift action
Components V
Range personal
Target you
Duration Until expelled or the end of your next turn

This spell functions as true strike, except as noted above, and the insight bonus it provides to an attack roll is only +2.

Support
If you want to help me cover cancer treatment costs, right now, the main way to offer your support is to purchase Like A Boss, a charity project that friends and colleagues within the game industry created to help pay my medical costs. You can pick it up here or here.

Other options are to join (or increase your pledge level to) my Patreon or, if you prefer, donate directly through my Ko-Fi account – https://ko-fi.com/owenkcstephens

Hasty Spells for Pathfinder 1e; Cantrips

Here’s a whole set of 0-level “hasty” spells, ready for use in your 1st edition Pathfinder Roleplaying Game campaign. Hasty spells are fast, easy-to-cast versions of existing spells that trade a significant amount of power (usually in the form of duration, range, number of targets, or general utility). All hasty spells are cast as swift or immediate actions or reactions, and have only verbal components.

The idea behind hasty spells is that sometimes a little bit of utility that doesn’t prevent you from doing something else more important is worth the significantly reduced power of a spell. Essentially all hasty spells are quickened still spells, which is a lot of benefit, but they are otherwise much less effective compared to other spells of their level. For cantrips, the main cost of using a hasty spell is that it takes up a spell known or spell preparation slot, which are in short supply for spellcasters. For higher-level spells, those opportunity costs are compounded by expending a spell slot to produce such a minor effect, even if it is done as a swift action.

Any character that receives the base version of a spell as a class feature (such as from a bloodrager’s or sorcerer’s bloodline, a cleric’s domains, an oracle’s mystery, or a psychic’s discipline) may choose to instead receive the hasty version of the spell. The exceptions to this are alchemists and investigators — alchemist formulas are never able to be hasty.

Characters that normally receive a spellbook with all cantrips in it do not automatically have hasty cantrips included. A character may decide to replace each normal cantrip known with its hasty version if any, when first receiving their spellbook.

All hasty spell are listed with the name of the spell it is based on, followed by “, hasty.” In cases where a hast spell is based on a spell from the core rulebook, the description of the hasty spell may refer to the original spell. If the hasty spell is based on a spell from another source, the entire text needed for the hasty spell is included.

In this article I’m just doing 0-level hasty spells. If they are popular, hasty spells of higher-level will be forthcoming.

(Art by Digital Cantrip)

Bleed, Hasty
School necromancy; Level cleric 0, inquisitor 0, medium 0, mesmerist 0, occultist 0, psychic 0, shaman 0, spiritualist 0, witch 0, wizard 0
Casting Time 1 swift action
Components V
Range touch
Target one living creature touched
Duration instantaneous
Saving Throw Will negates; Spell Resistance yes

This spell functions as bleed, except as noted above.

Dancing Lights, Hasty
School evocation [light]; Level bard 0, magus 0, medium 0, mesmerist 0, occultist 0, psychic 0, shaman 0, witch 0, wizard 0
Casting Time 1 swift action
Components V
Range 10 feet
Effect up to four lights, all within a 10-ft.-radius area centered on you
Duration 1 round
Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance no
This spell functions as dancing lights, except as noted above.

Guidance, Hasty
School divination; Level adept 0, cleric 0, druid 0, inquisitor 0, medium 0, occultist 0, shaman 0, spiritualist 0, summoner 0, summoner (unchained) 0, witch 0
Casting Time 1 swift action
Components V
Range touch
Target creature touched
Duration 1 round or until discharged
Saving Throw Will negates (harmless); Spell Resistance yes

This spell functions as guidance, except as noted above.

Jolt, Hasty
School transmutation [electricity]; Level wizard 0
Casting Time 1 swift action
Components V
Range touch
Target creature or object touched
Duration instantaneous
Saving Throw Reflex half; Spell Resistance Yes

You cause a spark of electricity to shock the target with a successful touch attack, for 1d3 points of electricity damage.

Message, Hasty
School transmutation [language-dependent]; Level bard 0, medium 0, mesmerist 0, occultist 0, psychic 0, spiritualist 0, summoner 0, summoner (unchained) 0, witch 0, wizard 0
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V
Range short (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target one creature
Duration Instantaneous
Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance no

This spell functions as message, except as noted above and as follows. You do not need to point at the target. The message can be no more than two words, and the target creature cannot respond.

Ray of Frost, Hasty
School evocation [cold]; Level wizard 0
Casting Time 1 swift action
Components V
Range touch
Target creature or object touched
Duration instantaneous
Saving Throw Reflex half; Spell Resistance Yes

A ray of freezing air and ice projects from your pointing finger, though it travels only about an inch. You must succeed on a touch attack with the ray to deal damage to a target. The ray deals 1d3 points of cold damage.

Resistance, Hasty
School divination; Level bard 0, cleric 0, druid 0, inquisitor 0, medium 0, occultist 0, paladin 1, psychic 0, shaman 0, spiritualist 0, summoner 0, summoner (unchained) 0, witch 0, wizard 0
Casting Time 1 swift action
Components V
Range touch
Target creature touched
Duration 1 round
Saving Throw Will negates (harmless); Spell Resistance yes

This spell functions as resistance, except as noted above.

Root, Hasty
School transmutation [earth]; Level wizard 0
Casting Time 1 swift action
Components V
Range touch
Target creature touched
Duration 1 round
Saving Throw Will negates (harmless); Spell Resistance yes

This spell strengthens the subject’s connection to the ground below, bolstering its defense against combat maneuvers. It gains a +2 insight bonus to its CMD to resist being moved or tripped and a +2 competence bonus on all Acrobatics checks made to balance or remain standing on earth, sand, stone, or a similar rocky substance.

Stabilize, Hasty
School conjuration (healing); Level adept 0, cleric 0, druid 0, inquisitor 0, medium 0, occultist 0, psychic 0, shaman 0, spiritualist 0, witch 0
Casting Time 1 swift action
Components V
Range touch
Target one living creature touched
Duration instantaneous
Saving Throw Will negates; Spell Resistance yes

This spell functions as stabilize, except as noted above.

Vigor, Hasty
School transmutation; Level adept 0, cleric 0
Casting Time 1 swift action
Components V Range touch Target creature touched
Duration 1 round or until discharged
Saving Throw Will negates (harmless); Spell Resistance yes

This spell functions as vigor, except as noted above.

Support
If you want to help me cover cancer treatment costs, right now, the main way to offer your support is to purchase Like A Boss, a charity project that friends and colleagues within the game industry created to help pay my medical costs. You can pick it up here or here.

Other options are to join (or increase your pledge level to) my Patreon or, if you prefer, donate directly through my Ko-Fi account – https://ko-fi.com/owenkcstephens

Health Update: The Long Haul

It’s been a while since I did a formal update on my health, in large part because the past couple of months have been “Hey, you’re on chemo!” and not much else. But some things have been clarified in the past two months, so here’s info on where things stand.

For background: I had a pulmonary embolism in February 2023, as told in these articles: Part One, Part Two

The bleeding I’d had before that meant I’d already scheduled a colonoscopy to look at it (which was going to happen in May), but my colonoscopy got moved up, as told here.

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.

That 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. 

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.

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.

All caught up? Good, because if my wife wasn’t keeping extensive notes for me, *I* would have lost track at this point. (My wife is the only person I know who actually got a job in part because she said she was the note-taker for her ttRPG groups. )

Obviously we began fighting the insurance (I haven’t played roleplaying games for more than 40 years without learning SOMETHING about taking on vast, shadowy organizations). That process would take until September sometime but we were all-in on the struggle… only to discover that they were pulling out of my entire state at the end of August. 

“Contact your State Insurance Board!” people cried. Well, sure. Except it’s my state insurance board that’s ending the company’s policies, because the company is bankrupt.

So, my insurance was going away at the end of August, and had no money. Time to get new insurance.

That meant going back to the ACA marketplace website, entering the secret words that allowed me to access it’s choices, and comparing scores of options. I had to balance monthly cost, deductible (because we were going to be considered to have not met any of our annual deductible with the new insurance), in-network options, surgery costs, chemo and RX coverage, specialist co-pays… all while suffering from brain fog brought on by poisoning myself to shrink my tumor.

Luckily, I spent a decade min/maxing Car Wars vehicles designs and Champions characters at 3am on no sleep. Soo, this kind of bleary number-crunching came naturally, if not easily.

And, a new policy was selected. It costs twice as much as our current one, but we also just paid off our car. So, we should be able to stretch to cover the bill. And while, yes, it has a whole new deductible for the last 4 months of the year, a coalition of amazing people came together to cover that for us “so you had one less thing to worry about.”

It did, indeed, lift a huge worry. Thanks, folks.

Similarly, I have folks covering my chemo cost (since insurance doesn’t), covering unexpected bills that we expected to be covered but weren’t, and putting together whole benefit products to help meet costs. Our friends, colleagues, and the industry as a whole have had a months-long outpouring of support that, frankly, leaves me humbled.

One of the rules I learned with social RPGs as my main interaction with humanity has been “don’t be a dick.” Turns out that policy may literally save my life.

With those minor life-and-death matters covered, all I’ve had to do is survive the chemo itself. I’m doing 2-weeks on, then a 1-week recovery, then 2 more weeks on schedule. Each day during those 2weeks, I take 12 poison pills on a pretty strict schedule, which dictates when I can eat, when I can sleep, and leaves my brain feeling like I am trying to think through a wall of oatmeal.

My side-effects have varied in intensity and frequency, but the most common ones are exhaustion, insomnia (a cruel combo with exhaustion), brain fog, chills, nausea, skin sores, intense body aches, and anxiety. The last one usually only hits me in the last couple of days of my 14-day cycle and, honestly, I always forget it’s coming.

After each cycle I see my oncologist (out-of-pocket atm, but that should change come September), and we try to tweak the things that can mitigate the side effects. We also do bloodwork each time, and the numbers all suggest the chemo is successfully shrinking and repressing my tumor. It ALSO killed my iron and hemoglobin, but we did two iron infusions (using my port, which at least mean that surgery wasn’t useless, even if it’s not what we installed it for), and atm that seems to have brought my numbers back in line.

(Cue game night quote -“I trust in iron!”)

After the next course of chemo, I’ll be going back to my trusty friend Frank the MRI, to get a look at the tumors and their suffering, rather than trust bloodwork. Which is important, because I’m on chemo to shrink and weaken my tumors, but there’s almost no chance this will get rid of it. For that, I’ll need surgery.

Well, two or three surgeries, actually. Likely with a 4-to-6 week recovery time between them. And, we currently think, I’ll be on 2-on-1-off 3-week courses of chemo the entire time, and maybe a bit past the last surgery.

So… 15 to 21 weeks more chemo is our best guess. Unlikely to be shorter than that, and could easily go longer depending on getting the needed surgeries scheduled and recovering from them without complications.

The Long Haul, not ending before November, and quite possibly running past next February.

But I’m here for it. And while I worry about missing a year of work due to medical issues, and only being able to think for a few days each month, and where all the money to pay for this will come from, none of that is going to stop me from poisoning, stabbing, and ripping out the tumors that have stolen nearly a decade of my life. Spite will carry me through.

And the love and support of SO many people, to whom I am eternally grateful.

Support
If you want to help me cover cancer treatment costs, right now, the main way to offer your support is to purchase Like A Boss, a charity project that friends and colleagues within the game industry created to help pay my medical costs. You can pick it up here or here.

Other options are to join (or increase your pledge level to) my Patreon or, if you prefer, donate directly through my Ko-Fi account – https://ko-fi.com/owenkcstephens

The “Skilled,” “Resilient,” and “Notable” 1-level Prestige Classes for Pathfinder 1st ed

Okay, let’s step away from concept pieces and rough drafts for a minute, and present three 1-level prestige classes for your PF1 campaign.

These exist to help players create a specific character concept, or meet a specific prerequisite earlier, or patch a hole they have discovered in their character build. Collectively, they are known as “booster classes.” Since the continuing education ability works the same for all three classes, I just presented it once at the end of the section.

While these booster prestige classes may seem overpowered, compare them to all the extra stuff you’d get if you took one level of rogue (compared to skilled), monk (compared to resilient), or fighter (compared to notable).

As these are 1-level prestige classes, you can only take each one once for a single level.

(“I finally got an angelic cloak of wings!! What do you mean, Fly is a skill? How am I going to get 12 ranks of fly, I only get 2 skill points a level!!” Art by Николай Акатов)

SKILLED
You have realized you simply are not skilled enough to address all the situations you encounter, and have focused all your recent efforts to rectify that situation.

Prerequisite: Character level 3
HD: 1d8 + Con modifier
Skill Points: 12 + Int modifier
Proficiencies: None

Lvl  Base attack  Ref  Fort  Will  Special
1            +0        +0   +0   +0    Continuous Education

RESILIENT
You have realized you simply are not sufficiently hardened against the rigors of the world, and have focused all your recent efforts to rectify that situation.

Prerequisite: Character level 3
HD: 1d8 + Con modifier
Skill Points: 0 + Int modifier
Proficiencies: None

Lvl  Base attack  Ref  Fort  Will  Special
1            +0        +2   +2   +2    Continuous Education

NOTABLE
You have realized you simply have not picked up all the knacks and tricks you think you need to get along, and have focused all your recent efforts to rectify that situation.

Prerequisite: Character level 3
HD: 1d8 + Con modifier
Skill Points: 0 + Int modifier
Proficiencies: None

Lvl  Base attack  Ref  Fort  Will  Special
1            +0        +0   +0   +0    Continuous Education, bonus feats

Bonus Feats: You gain two bonus feats of your choice. You must meet all their prerequisites normally.

For All Booster Classes
Continuous Education: When a character takes a level in a booster class, they must choose a class they belonged to before adding the prestige class to be their aligned class. When determining their effective spellcasting level and class level for prerequisites and class features of that class, they add their resilient level to that class level. They do not gain any additional spells known, spells per day, or new class features from the aligned class. 

For example Vrorga, a barbarian 4/resilient 1, treats her barbarian level as 5 when calculating her rounds of rage per day or meeting the prerequisites of rage powers. She does not, however, gain improved uncanny dodge until she actually takes a 5th level of the barbarian class.

Support

This week is my second week of chemo for this course, so generating and posting content is much harder than normal. But I’ve been working on this a while, and thought it was ready for folks to see.

If you want to help me cover cancer treatment costs, right now, the main way to offer your support is to purchase Like A Boss, a charity project that friends and colleagues within the game industry created to help pay my medical costs. You can pick it up by itself here, or as part of a bundle here.

Other options are to join (or increase your pledge level to my Patreon) or, if you prefer, donate directly through my Ko-Fi account – https://ko-fi.com/owenkcstephens

Revised Path: Revised Archetypes

Here’s my first peak at Revised Archetype designs for a potential Revised version of Pathfinder Roleplaying Game 1st edition. You can read about my design goals for such a project, and see an index of articles about it, here.

The idea for Revised Archetypes is that they have prerequisites that can be met by a broad range of classes. You take an archetype when you gain a new level in a character class, and the archetype is thereafter associated with that character class, including for calculating the effects of the archetype’s abilities.

Ideally the archetypes would be tightly connected to a single concept, be that game mechanical (as with the Esquive, below), or a role within a campaign (such as being a detective, or noblefolk, or cursed, or giantblooded). I’d built the archetypes so they have one or two core functions that all characters with that archetype have, and then optional powers you could grab of not as your concept dictates.

Here’s one example of what that might look like. (Right now you can only put this on the fighter class I’ve previewed, but I think the way it would apply to other revised classes is pretty clear.)

(Armor? We don’t need no stinking armor. Art by Bruno)

Archetype: Esquive

From fencers and martial artists to daring scouts, combat-oriented spellcasters, and nimble archers, some characters seek to leave the art of avoiding attacks while unencumbered rather than depend on steel and leather to protect them. Esquives are just as focused on and trained for combat as those in full plate, but have taken a different route to survive the threat of enemy attacks.

Prerequisites: Proficiency with light armor and medium armor.

Acquisition: You can gain the Esquive archetype as a beginning character by giving up all armor and shield proficiency. Alternatively, you can gain the archetype when you gain a new class level (including 1st level) by expending a feat slot.

AC Bonus (Ex): All Esquives gain the AC bonus class feature. Select one of the following ability scores — Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma. When unarmored and unencumbered, you add the ability bonus from the selected ability (if any) to your AC and CMD, to a maximum equal to your class level. If you are proficient in heavy armor and shields (or acquired this archetype by giving up those proficiencies), you also gain a +1 bonus to AC and CMD at 4th level and every four class levels thereafter, up to a maximum of +5 at 20th level.

These bonuses to AC apply even against touch attacks or when you are flat-footed. You lose these bonuses when you are immobilized or helpless, wear any armor, carry a shield, or when you carry a medium or heavy load.

Esquives can select from the following abilities when they gain a new level of the associated class, by expending a feat slot. Some abilities require a minimum associated class level (listed in brackets) before they can be selected.

Duck Back: When you have cover or improved cover from an attack, your cover bonus to AC against that attack is increased by +2. 

Fade Back: When an attack against you has a miss percentage due to concealment, the miss chance against you is 10% higher than normal.

Combat Expertise [Level 2]: You gain the Combat Expertise feat, without needing to meet its prerequisites. You ignore Intelligence score prerequisites for feats that also have Combat Expertise as a prerequisite.

Evasion [Level 4]: As the rogue ability.

Improved Evasion [Level 10]: As the rogue talent. A character must have evasion before they can take improved evasion.

Support

This week is my second week of chemo for this course, so generating and posting content is much harder than normal. But I’ve been working on this a while, and thought it was ready, as a draft, for folks to see.

If you want to help me cover cancer treatment costs, right now, the main way to offer your support is to purchase Like A Boss, a charity project that friends and colleagues within the game industry created to help pay my medical costs. You can pick it up by itself here, or as part of a bundle here.

Other options are to join (or increase your pledge level to my Patreon) or, if you prefer, donate directly through my Ko-Fi account – https://ko-fi.com/owenkcstephens

Revised Path: Massive Rethink of Fighter’s Starting Proficiencies

“Revised Fighter Week” continues, looking at how to revise the fighter class for a potential Revised version of Pathfinder Roleplaying Game 1st edition. You can read about my design goals for such a project, and see an index of articles about it, here.

I’ve been playing with some radically different ways to have customizable characters, options to make beginning a class different than picking it up as a multiclass option, and ways to play with starting proficiencies so they’re a crucial part of character design and give you options for even 1st level characters of the same class to be massively different in concept and play.

So, here’s a glimpse of what my Revised Path proficiency entry would like like for the fighter class.

(art by lombard)

Proficiency: A fighter is proficient with all simple and martial weapons, light and medium armor, and shields (except tower shields).
If a character takes fighter as their first class level, they also gain one of the following of their choice. Once this choice is made, it cannot be changed.
Arcane Pool: The fighter gains an arcane pool as the magus class feature, using their fighter level as their magus level for this ability.
Archer: Fighter gains the Far Shot, Point-Blank Shot and Precise Shot feats as bonus feats.
Brawler: Fighter gains the martial training and unarmed strike class features of the brawler class, using their fighter level as their brawler level for this ability.
Heavy Defense: Fighter gains proficiency with heavy armor and tower shields, and the Shield Focus feat
Heavy Offense: Fighter gains proficiency with heavy armor and the Furious Focus and Power Attack feats, without needing to meet their prerequisites.
Skirmisher: Fighter gains the Dodge, Mobility, and Sidestep feats as bonus feats, without needing to meet their prerequisites.
Swashbuckler: The fighter gains deeds and panache as the swashbuckler class features, using their fighter level as their swashbuckler level for these abilities.
Two-Weapon: Fighter gains the Double Slice, Two-Weapon Defense, and Two-Weapon Fighting feats as bonus feats, without needing to meet their prerequisites.

(art by lombard)

Obviously, this kind of revision would have to be done for *every* class. Also obviously, I’m playing with things that might make hybrid classes obsolete, though this is just one step in that process. This may also have serious implications with a revision of archetypes, but we’re in early stages of this thought experiment so that won’t come into play until later.

Support
This week is my break between my second and third courses of chemo, so I plan to post a lot more content than a typical week while I can.

If you want to help me cover cancer treatment costs, right now, the main way to offer your support is to purchase Like A Boss, a charity project that friends and colleagues within the game industry created to help pay my medical costs. You can pick it up by itself here, or as part of a bundle here.

Other options are to join (or increase your pledge level to my Patreon) or, if you prefer, donate directly through my Ko-Fi account – https://ko-fi.com/owenkcstephens

Revised Path: Thoughts on the Fighter’s Bonus Feats Class Feature

“Revised Fighter Week” continues, looking at how to revise the fighter class for a potential Revised version of Pathfinder Roleplaying Game 1st edition. You can read about my design goals for such a project, and see an index of articles about it, here.

Yesterday we looked at revising some fighter-only feats. While we’re at it, here’s a revision I have been playing with for the fighter’s bonus feat class feature itself. If I ended up turning “bonus feats” into “fighter talents” (as discussed yesterday) much of this language would just be adapted to the “Combat Feat” entry for fighter talents.

(art by lombard)

Bonus Feats: At 1st level, and at every even level thereafter, a fighter gains a bonus feat. These bonus feats must be selected from those listed as combat feats. When meeting the prerequisites for their bonus combat feats, fighters can ignore ability score prerequisites for any ability score equal to the fighter’s class level +10, or less. For example, a 3rd-level fighter with an 11 Intelligence can select Combat Expertise as a bonus feat despite its prerequisite of “Int 13+.”

Upon reaching 4th level, and every even level thereafter (6th, 8th, and so on), a fighter can choose to learn a new bonus feat in place of a combat feat they have already learned (even if it was not selected as a fighter bonus feat). In effect, the fighter loses the combat feat in exchange for the new one. The old feat cannot be one that was used as a prerequisite for another feat, prestige class, or other ability. A fighter can only change one feat at any given level and must choose whether or not to swap the feat at the time they gain a new bonus feat for the level.

Support
This week is my break between my second and third courses of chemo, so I plan to post a lot more content than a typical week while I can.

If you want to help me cover cancer treatment costs, right now, the main way to offer your support is to purchase Like A Boss, a charity project that friends and colleagues within the game industry created to help pay my medical costs. You can pick it up by itself here, or as part of a bundle here.

Other options are to join (or increase your pledge level to my Patreon) or, if you prefer, donate directly through my Ko-Fi account – https://ko-fi.com/owenkcstephens

Revised Path: Revised Fighter Feats

“Revised Fighter Week” continues, looking at how to revise the fighter class for a potential Revised version of Pathfinder Roleplaying Game 1st edition. You can read about my design goals for such a project, and see an index of articles about it, here.

A crucial element of the fighter class are “fighter feats,” that is feats that only fighters can take. These are essentially hidden fighter powers that lay in the feats section rather than with the class description (a fact that’s worth looking at when a final Revised Path core rulebook is being put together, but not a crucial point at this stage of revising the game).

(Though, as a huge parenthetical aside, one way to fix this issue would be to just call the bonus feats fighters get “fighter talents,” and have “combat feat” be one fighter talent option they could repeatedly take. This basically matches how rogue talents work, and would make it clear to new players that fighters had special options unique to the class. It would also mean people not playing fighters wouldn’t have to read through a bunch of fighter-only feats in the feats chapter.

I just had this idea, and I kinda like it, but that’s again not really a power level or game mechanic redesign, it’s more a presentation and naming issue. It’s also a question of whether the benefits of such a deviation from the Pathfinder RPG 1st-ed way of doing it was worth asking the fan base to accept another change.)

The following absolutely aren’t all the fighter feats I’d want in a core rulebook, but they are some of the most important ones. Most of the changes I have made are to increase fighter’s flexibility in combat, and give them interesting options a little earlier in their careers.

(art by lombard)

FIGHTER FEATS

Disruptive (Combat)
Prerequisites: 6th-level fighter.
Benefit: The DC to cast spells defensively increases by +4 for all enemies that are within your threatened area.

Penetrating Strike (Combat)
Prerequisites: Weapon Focus, 6th-level fighter.
Benefit: Your attacks with weapons that gain a feat bonus to their attack rolls ignore up to 5 points of damage reduction.
Special: A character with 6 levels of monk may take this feat without meeting the prerequisites, but only with the monk and unarmed weapon groups.

Penetrating Strike, Greater (Combat)
Prerequisites: Weapon Focus, 10th-level fighter.
Benefit: Your attacks with weapons that gain a feat bonus to their attack rolls ignore up to 10 points of damage reduction.

Shatterspell (Combat)
Prerequisites: Disruptive, Spellbreaker, 10th-level fighter.
Benefit: As a standard action, you can attempt to sunder an ongoing spell effect as if you had the spell sunder rage power (Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Ultimate Combat). You may use this feat three times per day, plus one additional time per day for every 2 points by which your base attack bonus exceeds +10.

Spellbreaker (Combat)
Prerequisites: Disruptive, 10th-level fighter.
Benefit: Enemies in your threatened area that fail their checks to cast spells defensively provoke attacks of opportunity from you.

Weapon Focus (Combat)
Choose one weapon group.
Prerequisites: Proficiency with a weapon in the selected weapon group, base attack bonus +1.
Benefit: You gain a +1 feat bonus on all attack rolls you make using the weapons within the weapon group with which you are proficient.
Special: You can gain this feat multiple times. Each time you take the feat, it applies to a new weapon group.

Weapon Focus, Greater (Combat)
Prerequisites: Weapon Focus, 8th-level fighter.
Benefit: Your feat bonus to attack rolls from Weapon Focus increases to +2. This applies to all weapons for which you gain a bonus to attack rolls from Weapon Focus.

Weapon Specialization (Combat)
Choose one weapon group for which you have already selected the Weapon Focus feat.
Prerequisites: Weapon Focus, fighter level 4th.
Benefit: You gain a +2 feat bonus on all damage rolls you make using weapons with which you gain a feat bonus to attack rolls from Weapon Focus.
Special: You can gain this feat multiple times. Each time you take the feat, it applies to a new weapon group.
Special: A character with 4 levels of monk may take this feat without meeting the prerequisites, but it only applies to weapons in monk and unarmed weapon groups with which the monk gains a feat bonus to attack rolls from Weapon Focus.

Weapon Specialization, Greater (Combat)
Prerequisites: Weapon Focus, 12th-level fighter.
Benefit: Your feat bonus to damage rolls from Weapon Specialization increases to +4. This applies to all weapons for which you gain a bonus to damage rolls from Weapon Specialization.

Support
This week is my break between my second and third courses of chemo, so I plan to post a lot more content than a typical week while I can.

If you want to help me cover cancer treatment costs, right now, the main way to offer your support is to purchase Like A Boss, a charity project that friends and colleagues within the game industry created to help pay my medical costs. You can pick it up by itself here, or as part of a bundle here.

Other options are to join (or increase your pledge level to my Patreon) or, if you prefer, donate directly through my Ko-Fi account – https://ko-fi.com/owenkcstephens