Owen K.C. Stephens's Blog, page 55

Technomancers of the Really Wild West 4: Telethurges

Not so long ago I noted on Facebook and Twitter that in the Really Wild West, the most common kinds of technomancers are Cartogramancers, Edisonades, Lovelacers, Telethurges, Teslics, and the Prophets of John Moses Browning.

I thought it might be fun to examine those ideas, and we’ve gotten to the Telethurges.

[image error] (Image by Phil)



Telethurges

While telethurges are very strongly associated with telegraph wires in the 1891 of the Really Wild West, their discipline is significantly older than that. The idea of ranged data transmission goes back almost as fat as the discovery of fire, and numerous ancient cultures used signal fires, smoke signals, and even lighthouses to send coded messages. The first “modern” telemancer, however, was British polymancer Robert Hooke, who combined a series of optical telegraph stations with specific theosophic principles on how to boost and encypher transmissions using that system.

However, the first widespread, successful use of optical telegraphs enhanced by theosophic principles was built by French engineer Charles Chappe during the French Revolution, and as a result numerous telethurge schools still teach in French. This was also adopted by naval “weather witches” who developed flag signals and eventually the large-flag system of wigwag, which proved its use during the American Civil War.

The development of the electric telegraph, followed quickly by Samuel Morse’s code for using it in 1838, turned telethurges to find theosophic ways to transmit and receive electric telegraph signals without the wires normally required. This allows access to such wonders as the Babbage-Bell Grid (a global cogitating and data storage system normally accessed through teletype machines in cities and major educational centers), global communication, and in recent years even telephone communication.

Telethurges are often see as “common folk” spellcasters, on par with linemen, polemen, and telegraph operators. In smaller towns, especially in the years just after the War of the Worlds, the local telethurge may be the most reliable method for getting news, sending important letters, and calling for help.

Technomancer Alternate Class Feature: Telethurge

Graphapathy (Su): A telethurge can access information from a telegraph, telephone, or other telecommunication wire without the normal equipment needed to do so. The wire or device must be within 400 feet +40 feet/level, and within line of sight and line of effect. The telethurge can use the communication system as if she was sitting at an appropriate device wired into it. The telethurge can even take a message from one wire or device, and move it to another (such as taking audio from a telephone line and transmitting it directly to a wax-cylinder recorder or Edisonade’s playback device).

A telethurge can extend the range of this ability by expending a spell slot. This allows the ability to function if there is a telecom wire or station within a range of 50 miles, +50 miles per level of the spell slot. Anything that would block a detect magic spell from detecting a source of magic at the same location as the telecom wire or station blocks the telethurge from being able to reach it. When messages are send or received in this way, they have a maximum of 10 words per caster level for each spell slot expended.

Additionally, when using telecom devices to send coded messages or trying to decipher coded messages, rather than Bluff or Sense Motive, the telethurge can use Mysticsm, and gains an insight bonus to their checks equal to 1/3 their class level.

A telethurge gains the following spells known as bonuses when they gain spells of the appropriate level — telepathic message (0-level), akkashic download (1st level), status (2nd-level), tongues (3rd-level), telepathic bond (4th-level), telepathy (5th level), telepathic jaunt (6th-level).

A telethurge has one fewer spells known at each spell level.

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Aall this content is only possible because of my wonderful Patrons! The support of my Patreon is crucial for my continued game writing and creative career. Please consider joining, even for just a few dollars a month!

Technomancers of the Really Wild West 3: Lovelacers

Not so long ago I noted on Facebook and Twitter that in the Really Wild West, the most common kinds of technomancers are Cartogramancers, Edisonades, Lovelacers, Telethurges, Teslics, and the Prophets of John Moses Browning.

I thought it might be fun to examine those ideas, and we’ve gotten to the Lovelacers.

[image error] (Art by Andrey Kiselev)



Lovelacers

Lovelacers are students of the principles of Augusta Ada King, Countess of Lovelace, and her the Mathimatikí Poíisi, the mathematical poetry that allows Analytical Engines and Cogitators to do more than solve equations. Ada Lovelace was the only child of famed poet Lord Byron and mathematician Lady Byron, and she recognized the potential of Charles Babbage’s mechanical calculating machines, beginning with his first Difference Engine, and combining their capacities with the clockwork minds of automatons, making the standardized construction of Androids possible. (Countess Lovelace also formed the Sapience Sequence, a series of questions and tests that can differentiate between a difference engine pretending to be sapient, and a true android that is the vessel for a soul.)

It’s also worth noting that Countess Lovelace was not, herself, a technomancer. Though she created numerous Mathimatikí Poíisi formula for use by technomancers, she herself was not a spellcaster but a pure theoretician and thinker. She had a sapient drone built using her designs and created numerous theosophical principles that have since become tehcnomancer spells, all without any spellcasting ability herself.

Lovelacers are respected as adepts at mathematics, poetry, and machine intelligence. Even before the social upheaval of the War of the Worlds broke numerous gender-based biases against women as technomancers, Lovelacers of any gender where considered respectable and competent, due in no small part to their ties back to Countess Lovelace herself, who was seen as a nearly divine intellect and the inheritor of significant social cachet as a result of her parentage.

Lovelacers are generally expected by the public to be “genteel” technomancers, the sorts of people who spend time in intellectual salons and academic settings, rather than on the frontier or in grimy workshops. However, they are also perceived to be serious thinkers, and when they do feel moved to put themselves in rougher ettings, people take their reasoning seriously.

Technomancer Alternate Class Feature: Lovelacer

Data Cache (Ex): A Lovelacer has a series of cogitator gears and difference engine formula that allow her to quickly and easily store data, run sums, and operate certain kinds of gizmos. Rather than a spell cache, this serves as a data cache. The Lovelacer’s data cache does not function as normal for a technomancer. Instead, it acts as a computer, with a tier equal to half the Lovelacer’s tier. At 2nd level, and each even technomancer level thereafter, the Lovelacer can add one module, countermeasure, or upgrade to the computer at no additional cost. Additionally, as long as you have your data cache, you are considered to have access to an InfoSphere. Your data cache can be repaired or replaced in the same way as a spell cache. Your data cache counts as a spell cache for prerequisites and interactions with other class features.

This replaces spell cache and cache capacitor.

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All this content is only possible because of my wonderful Patrons! The support of my Patreon is crucial for my continued game writing and creative career. Please consider joining, even for just a few dollars a month!

Technomancers of the Really Wild West 2: Edisonades

Not so long ago I noted on Facebook and Twitter that in the Really Wild West, the most common kinds of technomancers are Cartogramancers, Edisonades, Lovelacers, Telethurges, Teslics, and the Prophets of John Moses Browning.

I thought it might be fun to examine those ideas. I started with the one I’ve used the most, cartogramancer. Now its time to look at the Edisonade.

[image error] (Art by LaCozza)



Edisonades

Edisonades are inspired by one of the most famous living technomancers, Thomas Edison. Many can trace their training back to Edison himself–usually not from instruction directly from the Wizard of Menlo Park, but having learned from those who worked at Menlo or Edisons current facility (as of 1891) in Fort Meyers, Florida.

Edisonades are often seen as the “best” technomancers by the general public, due in large part to their continuation of Edison’s work in the theosophic value of sound, electricity, and data recording. They are also often seen as arrogant and too business-oriented to be trusted by common folk. While neither of these generalizations are actually rooted in the techniques of the Edisonades, they are widespread enough impact how most people react to these technomancers.

Many Edisonades try to also try to be inventors, seeing that as part of the Edison tradition, but their success rate is no greater than any population of educated, scientifically savvy people.

Technomancer Alternate Class Feature: Edisonade

An Edisonade can convert any damaging spell they cast to do electricity or sonic damage. If casting a cantrip that does electricity or sonic damage (including those that normally do some other damage type which they convert with this class feature), the Edisonade adds their class level +1d6 per 3 class levels to the damage done for spells with a single target, and add half their level +1d4 per 3 class levels for spells with an area or multiple targets.

This focus on energy types and manipulating them comes at a cost in other technomancy expertise. An Edisonade has one fewer spells known at every spell level.

Edisonade Magic Hack

A character with the Edisonade alternate class feature can select the following magic hack in place of a standard magic hack.

Playback (Su): An Edisonade with this magic hack can record and playback video and audio using their spell cache. The playback can be seen and heard by anyone able to see and hear the Edisonade. They can record up to 1 hour/level of audio and visual and play it back if they choose to do so in advance, though if they exceed a total of 1 hour/level of recorded material, some older recording must be erased. For any specific detail to be revealed in their playback, the first time they attempt the playback they must make an Engineering check with a DC equal to the Perception check DC to notice the detail when it first happened. The total recording time that can be stored can be divided into multiple recordings, but each recording uses at least 5 minutes of capacity.

An Edisonade can attempt to playback up to 1 minute of audio-visual they experienced but did not think to record at the time. This is always fuzzier, less perfect recordings, and the Engineering check DC to reveal any detail is equal to 10 + the DC of the Perception check to notice that detail when it first happened. this check can only be attempted once for any given moment. If the Edisonade wishes to keep this playback beyond a single viewing, it counts against their total stored recording time.

Patreon!
Aall this content is only possible because of my wonderful Patrons! The support of my Patreon is crucial for my continued game writing and creative career. Please consider joining, even for just a few dollars a month!

Writing Through Grief

Whether you write as your whole career, just do some freelancing, or write only for your own satisfaction but are driven to do that, it’s going to come up. At some point, you are going to find yourself needing to write while experiencing grief.

I wish this essay told you how to do that. It doesn’t. It can’t. I don’t know how. Every time I find myself having to do it, it becomes a new problem, because every moment of grieving is different. The problems grief causes change. Sometimes I lack motivation. Sometimes I find myself getting angry. Sometimes I can’t see the screen through the nonstop tears.

Whenever I talk about writing while grieving, a slew of well-meaning people come out and tell me to just give it time. I know they think I am just being too hard on myself, but I come from more than 20 years of writing professionally. This is my job. I’m a full-time freelancer again. I don’t get sick days, or bereavement. If I don’t write, I don’t get paid.

And yes, most people in the industry will cut you slack when you are dealing with something hard, but there are limits. Printers wont change their print dates for you. Conventions won’t shift when they are happening so you can have a big release bump a month alter than planned. People who make money by selling the work you are writing can’t hold off on payroll until you can get yourself together. Some projects have lots of slack built in, others have used it all. It’s worth talking to the people you owe work to, but trust me friends and fans, sometimes I have to write.

Other commentators want me to build everything around their favorite grief roadmap, such as the 7 stages of grief. If someone is totally unaware of some of thinking on how grief works, mentioning the existence of various roadmaps can be useful. But, again, I’ve been here. I know the maps are out there, and I also know the map is not the map is not the territory. Some grief follows different paths. It may jumble the order, or hop back and forth, or find brand new trails of misery, especially through my already-compromised brain.

So, advice from the outside tens not to do me much good. Support can help, like a blanket against the cold–it doesn’t make the cold any less, but it helps you to weather the storm. Of course some support helps more than others, and beyond noting that support that does not give pointless advice or make demands on me in return for the support has a much better track record than those that do, I can’t really tell you which will help more for any given grief.

Because every grief is different, and I can’t analyze it until i am at least mostly past it.

But the grief itself is not really the problem when writing. It’s the symptoms it causes, and those I can try to work through. Sometimes I’ll be successful. Sometimes I won’t. But I’ll get more writing work done by trying than by giving up on it.

So, what have I found works best?

*Accept that it’s not going to be as fast as if you weren’t grieving. Yes, maybe you need it to be for career purposes, but reality often doesn’t play nice with career goals. Take steps accordingly. Reach out to people you owe work to see which projects can spare some slipped deadlines. Cut back on expenses. Consider scaling back optional projects. Whatever you can do to reduce the impact of your reduced capacity.

*Prioritize. Don’t spend a lot of mental time and energy on it if that’s hard for you, but take a moment to decide what is most important. There’s very little as annoying as realizing you’ve been grinding through something you could have skipped, and not touched the crucial thing that needs all your time and attention.

*Write down every step you take. I, at least, suffer serious memory issues when grieving. Having a single place where I keep track of any deadlines, extended deadlines, changed project scopes, and so on, lets me go back and see where I am on things.

*Consider timing things. Need a break? Decide how long you need, set a timer. Having trouble focusing on work? Decide to hammer on a project for 20 minutes, then walk away. Need to do some online research? Set a timer so it’ll pull you back if you go down a rabbit-hole. Much as I have trouble remembering and tracking things when i am grieving, I often lose track of time. A nudge that I’ve been checking Facebook for 10 minutes when I meant to look up a single thing keeps me from wasting what time I have.

*Forgive yourself. If you can. If not, see if you can get therapy to help you forgive yourself. Some things are going to go wrong. I can’t say anyone else will forgive you, and you may make life hard for others or end up damaging your career. But you know why, and there’s no point in adding guilt or anger with yourself to the heavy emptions you are already carrying.

*Make self-care checklists. I often wallow in my grief, and if I am not sleeping, eating, taking my prescriptions, or socializing at all, my writing is going to suffer. Yes, sometimes I need to put off socializing to make more time for writing, or pull an all-nighter because the drop-dead deadline is 8am, but for the long haul, you can’t be an effective writing machine without fuel, downtime, and maintenance.

I wish I had more advice. But the one thing I can add is that writing through grief is possible, but will always take more effort and produce less results. Try to be kind to yourself and others when you have no choice but to give it a try.

Patreon
I have a Patreon. It helps me carve out the time needed to create these blog posts, and is a great way to let me know what kind of content you enjoy. If you’d like to see more game industry or professional essays, (or Pathfinder 1st edition options, or more rules for other game systems, fiction, game design articles, worldbuilding tips, whatever!), try joining for just a few bucks and month and letting me know!

Removing action penalties for gear swaps in tabletop Roleplaying Games

An essay on a specific element or ttRPG game design.

When I first got into playing RPGs, a round of combat was generally viewed as being a minute. As a result, no one worried about how long it took to draw a sword, reload a gyrojet pistol, or get a potion out of your pack.

I’m not saying none of the games had different action economies. Just that no one I played with ever worried about those things. You could do one thing a round, maybe two, and it was assumed in-play that you could get the gear you needed for that.

That changed, over time. Some of that change grew from better-written rules in more games to handle the action economy for such issues. Some from games moving to shorter durations for player turns (though I don’t remember ever having to declare I was drawing a pistol in Car Wars games, where a phase was 1/10th of a second).

Now most popular RPG rulesets have explicit rules for determining how long it takes to draw a weapon, change a battery, sheath a wand, dig a potion out of your bag, and so on. It makes sense. It helps with verisimilitude.

I’m not convinced it adds much fun.

I’m leaning toward trying some games where it is just assumed you can have any one set of held equipment at the beginning of your turn. Things you have to strap into or carefully adjust still take time, but if you want to be using a greatsword one round, twin nickel-plated Colt .45s the next, and a zippo lighter and healing potion the third, fine.

Changing gear in the middle or a round still takes time. Otherwise we hand-wave it, and focus on the interesting things characters are doing with their equipment, rather than making them waste a turn getting what they need to have fun ready.

This could be adapted to nearly any game system, though games with Quick Draw options, or limited charges as a power balancing factor, or characters who focus on equipmentless options in order to have reduced effect for increased readiness might nee tweaking.

Patreon
I have a Patreon. It helps me carve out the time needed to create these blog posts, and is a great way to let me know what kind of content you enjoy. If you’d like to see more Pathfinder 1st edition options (or more rules for other game systems, fiction, game industry essays, game design articles, worldbuilding tips, whatever!), try joining for just a few bucks and month and letting me know!

PF1 Barbarian/Rogue Hybrid Class: The Wolfshead

Last week I was looking through some old files on my computer, and found a list of Pathfinder Roleplaying Game 1st-edition hybrid classes I had thought at one time I might write up as products for Rogue Genius Games. Some where mostly written up, but not completed, while others where little more than a concept.

The most interesting of these that was also pretty far along in the design process was the wolfshead, a barbarian/rogue hybrid class. I mentioned the discover and some notes about the class on social media… and a number of people said they’d happily pay money to get their hands on a finished version of the class.

Always looking for ways to make being an RPG designer/developer/professional profitable, I decided to see if I could find a way to let people pay me to release THIS class, as a draft, on my blog. So, after some research into online-tip-jar options, as an experiment, I ran a Facebook business fundraiser. (The business category was crucial, because this isn;t like raising money for medical bills or some horrifical emergency, and I wanted to be clear about that. Plus, it means Facebook will know to report it as income I’ll pay txes on, which is as it should be.)

If the fundraiser made $300 by Dec 31st, I said, I’d post a playable first-draft version of the class at least 1,000 word on my blog for all to enjoy. I thought 50 days would be enough time to see if there was sufficient interest.

It took 4.

Obviously I will be extremely interested in seeing if this is a new mechanism for me, as a ttRPG content creator, to raise funds to make game material. But for now, let’s post the class and fulfill my first “FaceFunder” campaign.

[image error] (Art by Konstantin Gerasimov)



WOLFSHEAD

Wolfsheads are masters of the stealth and cunning common among natural predators, from big cats to sharks and, of course, wolves. A wolfshead can be equally at home in the savage wilderness and the densest urban settlement, comfortable using her instincts and ease in dangerous situations to make her way through nearly any situation.

Role: The wolfshead is an excellent scout, ranged combatant, and hit-and-run skirmisher. Wolfsheads are best when able to cull outlier foes from a primary group, or move quickly in and among a group to strike at vulnerable target. While often lightly armored, a wolfshead can depend on her bedlam to increase her AC when in the thick of fighting, or to overcome the armor check penalties of thicker medium armor to gain better protection.

Alignment: Any.

Hit Die: d10.

Parent Classes: Barbarian and rogue.

Starting Wealth: 5d6 × 10 gp (average 175 gp.) In addition, each character begins play with an outfit worth 10 gp or less.

Class Skills
The wolfshead’s class skills are Acrobatics (Dex), Appraise (Int), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Disable Device (Dex), Disguise (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (geography) (Int), Knowledge (local) (Int), Knowledge (nature) (Int), Perception (Wis), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Sleight of Hand (Dex), Stealth (Dex), Survival (Wis), and Swim (Str).

Skill Ranks per Level: 6 + Int modifier.

LevelBase Attack
BonusFortRefWillSpecial1+1+0+2+0Bedlam, fast movement, finesse fighting2+2+0+3+0Evasions, sneak attack +1d63+3+1+3+1Stalk, trap sense +14+4+1+4+1Wolfshead talent5+5+1+4+1Sneak attack +2d6, uncanny dodge6+6/+1+2+5+2Armored speed, trap sense +27+7/+2+2+5+2Sneak attack +3d68+8/+3+2+6+2Wolfshead talent9+9/+4+3+6+3Swift bedlam, trap sense +310+10/+5+3+7+3Sneak attack +4d611+11/+6/+1+3+7+3Advanced wolfshead talent, greater bedlam12+12/+7/+2+4+8+4Sneak attack +5d6, trap sense +413+13/+8/+3+4+8+4Wolfshead talent14+14/+9/+4+4+9+4Hide in plain sight15+15/+10/+5+5+9+5Sneak attack +6d6, trap sense +516+16/+11/+6/+1+5+10+5Wolfshead talent17+17/+12/+7/+2+5+10+5Sneak attack +7d618+18/+13/+8/+3+6+11+6Trap sense + 6, wolfshead talent19+19/+14/+9/+4+6+11+6Avoidance20+20/+15/+10/+5+6+12+6Sneak attack +8d6



Class Features

The following are class features of the rogue.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency
Wolfheads are proficient with all simple and martial weapons, light armor, and shields (except tower shields).

Bedlam (Ex)

A wolfshead can call upon inner reserves of passion and ferocity, granting her additional combat prowess. Starting at 1st level, a wolfshead can bedlam for a number of rounds per day equal to 4 + her Charisma modifier. At each level after 1st, she can bedlam for 2 additional rounds. Temporary increases to Charisma, such as those gained from spells like eagle’s splendor, do not increase the total number of rounds that a wolfshead can bedlam per day. A wolfshead can enter bedlam as part of any standard, move, full or swift action or reaction. The total number of rounds of bedlam per day is renewed after resting for 8 hours, although these hours do not need to be consecutive.

While in belam, a wolfshead gains a +2 morale bonus to her Strength and Dexterity skill and ability checks, a +2 morale bonus to AC and on Will saves. In addition, she gains a number of temporary hit points equal to double her wolfshead level, though she can only gain these once per ten minutes. While in bedlam, a wolfshead cannot use spells or spell-like abilities, or take 10 or take 20 on skill or ability checks (even if she has an ability that would normally allow her to do so).

Additionally, while in bedlam a wolfshead can apply some sneak attack dice to damage dealt to targets, even if those targets are not flanked or denied their Dexterity. The maximum number of sneak attack dice the wolfshead can apply is equal to 1 + 1/3 her wolfshead class level.

A wolfhead can end her bedlam as a free action and is unfocused, still unable to take 10 or take 20, for a number of rounds equal to double the number of rounds spent in the bedlam. A wolfshead cannot enter a new bedlam while unfocused. If a wolfshead falls unconscious or is dazed or stunned, her bedlam immediately ends. A wolfshead with access to rage from another source cannot be in bedlam and rage at the same time, and cannot enter bedlam if prevented from entering rage, or enter rage when prevents from entering bedlam.

Fast Movement (Ex)

A wolfhead’s land speed is faster than the norm for her race by +10 feet. This benefit applies only when she is wearing no armor, light armor, or medium armor, and not carrying a heavy load. Apply this bonus before modifying the wolfshead’s speed because of any load carried or armor worn. This bonus stacks with any other bonuses to the wolfshead’s land speed.

Finesse Fighting (Ex)

At 1st level, a wolfshead selects one melee or ranged weapon with which she is proficient. Once this choice is made, it cannot be changed. She can add her Dexterity modifier to the attack and damage rolls for that weapon, in place of any other ability score that would normally be added. If it is a ranged weapon attack (other than alchemical weapons), she can add her Dexterity modifier to damage even if using a weapon that does not normally allow Strength to be added. If any effect would prevent the wolfshead from adding the normal ability modifier to the damage roll, she does not add her Dexterity modifier.

A multiclass wolfshead using this ability gets her full base attack bonus from woflshead for these attacks, but only half the base attack bonus gained from other classes unless those classes also have abilities that would allow her to add her Dexterity to attack and damage rolls (as the unchained rogue or swashbuckler might).

The wolfshead gain an additional weapon choice at 4th level, and every 4 levels thereafter.

Stalk (Ex)

Beginning at 3rd level, as a full action a wolfshead can move up to double her movement (using any movement type she has access to) while making Stealth checks, even if she lacks any cover or concealment. She does not take the -5 penalty to her Stealth check for moving more than half her speed. Any creature that has already spotted the wolfshead gains a +10 bonus to Perception checks to notice her while she stalks, but this bonus ends of the wolfshead gains cover or concealment at any point in her movement.

Trap Sense (Ex)

At 3rd level, a wolfshead gains an intuitive sense that alerts her to danger from traps, giving her a +1 bonus on Reflex saves made to avoid traps and a +1 dodge bonus to AC against attacks made by traps. These bonuses rise to +2 when the wolfshead reaches 6th level, to +3 when she reaches 9th level, to +4 when she reaches 12th level, to +5 at 15th, and to +6 at 18th level. Trap sense bonuses gained from multiple classes stack.

Wolfshead Talents

As a wolfshead gains experience, she learns a number of talents that expand her options and showcase her expertise. Starting at 4th level, a wolfshead gains one wolfshead talent. She gains an additional talent at 8th, 11th, 13th, 16th, and 18th level. A wolfshead cannot select an individual talent more than once unless it specifically states otherwise. Wolfshead sneak attack talents are marked with an asterisk, and only one of these talents can be applied to an individual attack and the decision must be made before the attack roll is made.

Bewildering Injury (Ex)*: The first time each round the wolfshead deals sneak attack damage to a foe while in bedlam, she can also bewilder the foe for 1 round. The target takes a –2 penalty to AC and an additional –2 penalty to AC against all attacks made by the wolfshead. At 10th level and 16th level, the penalty to AC against attacks made by the wolfshead increases by –2 (to a total maximum of –8). Any form of healing applied to the target removes this penalty.

Disorienting Injury (Ex)*: The first time each round the wolfshead deals sneak attack damage to a foe while in bedlam, she can also disorient the foe for 1 round. The target takes a –2 penalty on attack rolls. In addition, the target takes an additional –2 penalty on all attack rolls it makes against the rogue. At 10th level and 16th level, the penalty on attack rolls made against the rogue increases by –2 (to a total maximum of –8).Any form of healing applied to the target removes this penalty.

Hampering Injury (Ex)*: The first time each round the wolfshead deals sneak attack damage to a foe while in bedlam, she can also disorient the foe for 1 round. All of the target’s speeds are reduced by half (to a minimum of 5 feet). In addition, the target cannot take a 5-foot step. Any form of healing applied to the target removes this penalty.

Improved Uncanny Dodge (Ex): As the rogue class feature. A wolfshead must be 8th level to select this talent.

Rage Power: The wolfshead gains a rage power, using her wolfshead level as her barbarian level for all rage-power-related purposes. She must meet the power’s prerequisites. Rather than working during rage, these abilities work while the wolfshead is in bedlam. Rage powers calculations based on a barbarian’s Constitution score are instead based on the wolfshead’s Charisma score. A wolfshead can take the rage power option more than once, but cannot select the same rage power more than once unless the power specifically allows it.

Animal Fury, Auspicious Mark (UC), Autumn Rage (UW), Battle Roar (ACG), Bestial Climber (UC), Bestial leaper (UC), Bestial Swimmer (UC), Bleeding Blow (UC), Boasting Taunt (APG), Brawler (UC), Brawer, Greater (UC), Clear Mind, Crippling Blow (UC), Deadly Accuracy (UC), Disruptive (APG), Elemental Rage (APG), Elemental Rage, Lesser (APG), Energy Resistance (APG), Energy Resistance, Greater (APG), Ghost Rager (APG), Good For What Ails You (APG), Ground Breaker (APG), Guarded Life (APG), Guarded Life, Greater (APG), Guarded Stance, Hurling Charge (APG), Internal Fortitude, Intimidating Glare, Knockback, Linnorm Death Curse, Cairn (ACG), Linnorm Death Curse, Crag (ACG), Linnorm Death Curse, Fjord (ACG), Linnorm Death Curse, Ice (ACG), Linnorm Death Curse, Taiga (ACG), Linnorm Death Curse, Tam (ACG), Linnorm Death Curse, Tor (ACG), Liquid Courage (APG), Lizard Stride (UW), Low-Light Vision, Night Vision, No Escape, Powerful Blow, Primal Scent (UC), Quick Reflexes, Raging Climber, Raging Flier (APG), Raging leaper, Raging Swimmer, Reckless Abandon (APG), Reflexive Dodge (UC), Regenerative Vigor (UC), Renewed Life (UC), Renewed Vigor, Renewed Vitality, Roaring Drunk (APG), Rolling Dodge, Scent, Sharpened Accuracy (APG), Smasher (APG), Spell Sunder (APG), Spring Rage (US), Sprint (UC), Staggering Drunk (APG), Strength Surge, Summer Rage (UW), Sunder Enchantment (UC), Superstition, Surprise Accuracy, Swift foot, Terrifying Howl, Unexpected Strike, Winter Rage (UW), Witch Hunter (APG)

Rogue Talent: The wolfshead gains a rogue talent, using her wolfshead level as her rogue level for all talent-related purposes. She must meet the power’s prerequisites. Rogue talents that add effects to a rogue’s sneak attack apply to the wolfshead’s sneak attacks, and count as wolfshead sneak attck talents. The wolfshead can select from the rogue talents listed below. A wolfshead can take the rogue talent option more than once, but cannot select the same rogue talent more than once unless the talent specifically allows it.

Assault Leader (APG), Befuddling Strike (APG), Bleeding Attack, Camouflage (APG), Canny Observer (APG), Careful Stab (AG), Charmer (APG), Combat Trick, Deft Palm (UC), Distracting Attack (APG), Expert Leaper (APG), Fast Fingers (APG), Fast Getaway (APG), Fast Picks (APG), Fast Stealth (APG), Finesse Rogue, Follow Along (UI), Follow Clues (APG), Guileful Polyglot (APG), Hard to Fool (APG), Honeyed Words (APG), Iron Guts (UC), Ledge Walker, Ninja Trick (UC), Offensive Defense (APG), Peerless Maneuver (APG), Positioning Attack (APG), Quick Disable, Quick Disguise (APG), Quick Trapsmith (APG), Rogue Crawl, Rope Master (UC), Shades of Gray (UI), Slow Reaction, Snap Shot (APG), Sniper’s Eye (APG), Stand Up, Strong Impression (APG), Strong Stroke (UC), Terrain Mastery (UC), Trap Spotter, Underhanded (UC) , Wall Scramble (UC), Weapon Training.

Trapfinding (Ex): As the rogue class feature.

Uncanny Dodge (Ex)

Starting at 5th level, a wolfshead can react to danger before her senses would normally allow her to do so. She cannot be caught flat-footed, nor does she lose her Dex bonus to AC if the attacker is invisible. She still loses her Dexterity bonus to AC if immobilized. A wolfshead with this ability can still lose her Dexterity bonus to AC if an opponent successfully uses the feint action against her.

If a wolfshead already has uncanny dodge from a different class, she automatically gains improved uncanny dodge (see below) instead.

Armored Speed (Ex)

At 6th level, a wolfshead takes no armor check penalty from light armor or shields (expect tower shields). Additionally, if wearing medium armor with which she is proficient, the wolfshead does not reduce her speed as a result of the armor’s speed penalty.

Swift Bedlam (Ex)

At 8th level, a wolfshead can choose to enter bedlam as part of rolling for initiative. If the wolfshead chooses to do this, she may add the bedlam’s morale bonus to Dexterity ability checks and skills to her initiative check.

Additionally, if the wolfshead has a rogue talent that can be used once per day (taken as a wolfshead talent), while in bedlam she can use the power by expending 5 rounds of bedlam without it counting against her total uses per day.

Advanced Wolfshead Talents

Beginning at 11th level, when a wolfshead gains a wolfshead talent, she may instead choose one of the following advanced wolfshead talents.

Advanced Rogue Talents: The wolfshead can select one of the advanced rogue talents listed below, using all the same rules as the rogue talent option for wolfshead talents.

Another Day (APG), Confounding Blades* (UC), Crippling Strike*, Deadly Sneak* (APG), Defensive Roll, Fast Tumble (APG), Feat, Frugal Trapsmith (APG), Hard Minded (UC), Hidden Mind (UI), Improved Evasion, Master of Diguise (APG), Master Tricks (UC), Opportunist, Redirect Attack (APG), Skill Mastery, Slippery Mind, Stalker Talent (UI), Stealthy Sniper (APG), Weapon Snatcher (UC).

Animal Focus (Su): Each time the wolfshead enters bedlam, she may also select an animal focus, from the hunter class feature. While in bedlam, the wolfshead gains the benefit of that animal focus, using half her wolfshead level as her hunter level.

Rage Powers: The following rage powers are added to the list that may be selected with the rage power wolfshead talent.

Eater of Magic (UC), Element Rage, Greater (APG), Energy Absorption (APG), Energy Eruption (APG), Fearless Rage, Flesh Wound (APG), Lethal Accuracy (UC), Mighty Swing, Raging Whirlwind (UW), Spellbreaker (APG)

Greater Bedlam (Ex)

At 11th level when the wolfshead enters bedlam the morale bonus to her Will saves, AC, and Strength and Dexterity ability and skill checks increases to +3.

Hide in Plain Sight (Su)

At 14th level, a wolfshead can use the Stealth skill even while being observed.

Avoidance (Ex)

At 19th level the wolfshead is able to duck or roll from nearly any source of damage, reducing all hit point damage taken from any source by 5 points. The wolfshead cannot use avoidance any time she loses her Dexterity bonus to AC.

Dire (Ex)

At 20th level, the wolfshead is a dire threat, able to perform at a level well above typical mortals. At the beginning of each round the wolfshead can select one of the following benefits, which lasts until the beginning of the wolfshead’s next round.

*All of the wolfshead’s critical threats automatically confirm.
*Whenever the wolfshead makes a Dexterity- or Charisma-based ability check or skill check, she rolls 2d20 and takes the best result.
*None of the wolfshead’s movement provokes attacks of opportunity.
*None of the wolfshead’s ranged attack provoke attack of opportunity.

New Feat

Extra Wolfshead Talent
You have unlocked a new wolfshead ability.
Prerequisite: Wolfshead talent class feature.
Benefit: You gain one additional wolfshead talent. You must meet all of the prerequisites for this talent.
Special: You can gain this feat multiple times.

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Technomancers of the Really Wild West 1: Cartogramancers

The technomancer character in my Really Wild West campaign “Doomstone,” is a cartogramancer–someone who uses magic to enhance maps and mapmaking tools, and can use those tools to divine some kinds of information.

I noted on Facebook and Twitter recently that in the Really Wild West, the most common kinds of technomancers are Cartogramancers, Edisonades, Lovelacers, Telethurges, Teslics, and the Prophets of John Moses Browning.

I thought it might be fun to examine those ideas, starting with the one I had used the most, cartogramancer.

[image error] (Art by ForeverLee)



Cartogramancers

Cartogramancers focus on cartography, exploration, and the map as a scrying device. It has multiple origins, having developed in different forms separately in Babylon, China, and India. These were all known to and evolved by Greek and Roman mappers, but the major advancements in cartogramancy occurred in the Muslim community during the Golden Age of Islam. The 12th century cartographer Muhammad al-Idrisi is considered the Founder of Modern Cartogramancy, and it was his time spent in Sicily at the court of King Roger II that brought this modern version of the art to Europe, from whence it spread to every place the Europeans eventually colonized.

Cartogramancers are among the most in-demand forms of technomancers among major companies, governments, and military groups. Though this ascendency had begun in the past generation to wane as less and less of the world was uncharted, the Martian Invasion changed so much topography, and stirred up so many Hollow Worlds, that demand has spiked again in the past two years.

Technomancer Alternate Class Feature: Cartogramancy

At 1st level, you gain access to cartogramancy. This replaces you spell cache. (You gain a spell cache at 6th level in place of a cache capacitor, and gain cache capacitor ( at 12th and cache capacitor II at 18th level).

You can make a Mysticism check to perform the Orienteering task normally associated with Survival. You double any equipment bonus that would normally apply to an Orienteering task check (such as from a cartographer’s kit). You also gain an insight bonus to checks made for Orienteering equal to 1/3 your technomancer level (round up).

Additionally, if you are in an environment you have taken at least 10 minutes to survey with a cartography kit from a vantage point that grants you a broad view (such as the top of a hill, rather than down in an alleyway), you gain a +2 circumstance bonus to initiative checks, Perception checks, Stealth checks, and Survival checks within the area you were able to see from your survey point.

Once per day, you can divine information about a region using a cartography kit. This takes 10 minutes, and can be combined with surveying an area, as described above. You generally gain information about one biome you can see out to one day’s travel from you. You can learn one piece of information, plus one piece per 4 technomancer levels.

You can learn the direction or distance to the nearest potable water source, what the natural weather will be over the next 24 hours, the CR of most dangerous creature native to the region, what the most dangerous natural hazard is and what its CR is.

If you ask the same question more than once, each answer moves down to the next relevant answer–for example of you discover CR 7 quicksand is the most dangerous hazard in a region and you asked that question twice, you might also learn than CR 5 rockslides are the second-most-dangerous hazard.

Cartographer’s Kit
Bulk: 1 Cost: 20 credits
A cartographer’s kit includes a compass, sundial, triangles, pens with various nib thicknesses, collapsible tripod, levels, spyglass with level, sextant, and plumb lines. It grants a +2 equipment bonus to skill checks for the Orienteering task or to craft a map. Additionally, if you are trained in a skill that can be used to perform the Orienteering task, and can see the stars or sun, you can take 10 minutes to make a DC 20 check with that skill to attempt to determine your longitude and latitude on the globe… if you know what world you are on.

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Reconsidering the Fighter for PF1

For years I’ve thought about altering the 1st edition Pathfinder Roleplaying Game fighter class so it has some kind of extraordinary ability that would augment it the way rangers and paladins have spells and supernatural powers. Something to represent that moment when the heroic warrior pits their will, skill, and determination into overdrive and overcomes obstacles that stymie lesser mortals. Not something too boost

But… that’d be a lot of work.

But… every project starts somewhere.

So, here is a really rough First Draft for Martial Techniques, a new alternate class feature for fighters. This is absolutely not how I would present these in a final format, but it’s something I would playtest to see how well the rough version works, to give me guidance on where to take it in development. These are very much not supposed to boost a fighter’s attack rolls, AC, damage, or threat range, but instead give fighters options when dealing with challenges the class isn’t otherwise well-suited to deal with.

[image error] (Art by PatSM)



Martial Techniques

You gain martial techniques in place of bravery (or in place of anything that replaced bravery if you took an archetype that removes bravery). You can use it once per day at 2nd level, and one additional time per day at 6th level and every 4 levels thereafter.

You can use only a single martial technique each round. You use a technique as part of a standard, move, full, or swift action, or a reaction. Martial techniques are extraordinary abilities and, much as the flight of a dragon or the existence of elemental entities, often seem magical without counting as spell-like or supernatural.

There are six martial techniques. You can select from the full list each time you use a martial technique.

Breakdown: You may add your base attack bonus to a single Strength ability check.
Heroic Threat: Select one foe that can see and hear you. That foe takes a -4 penalty to all attack rolls the the DCs of its spells and abilities until it has come within 30 feet of you to make an attack against you or force you to make a saving throw. This effect ends if you move away from the foe, are dazed or stunned, take cover or gain concealment, or the foe takes a standard action to regain their composure.
Overcome: A single attack ignores DR, and affects incorporeal and swarm creatures at full effectiveness even if it normally wouldn’t. If you use this a second time on the same target, it applies to all your attacks until the end of the encounter.
Reputation: Your reputation proceeds you. You may add your base attack bonus to a single Diplomacy, Intimidate, or Sense Motive check.
Shake It Off: You ignore one condition for one round. If the condition is one you could have negated with a saving throw, you also gain a bonus save (at the same DC) to end it.
Vault: An amount of movement up to half your normal move rate can be taken in any direction that does not require teleportation, including flight, underwater, or through difficult terrain. This does not give you additional movement, just frees the movement you take through your normal actions from most restrictions. At the end of your turn if you are not at a location that can support you, you suffer the normal consequences for being there (such as falling, or needing to make a Swim check to not sink).

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Revised, Partial List of Very Fantasy Words (Update!)

It’s been more than 18 months since I updated the Revised, Partial List of Very Fantasy Words (which can be found here)!

So if you want to have a vavasor gallivant across his demesne, or have the sigil in a grimoire be the campaign’s telos, these are the words for you!

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Why Is [Insert Game Product] Late?

A lot of projects from a lot of game companies are late. I don’t find this at all shocking, at least in part because I have projects of my own that are not just horrifically behind, but (at least to public eyes) look like they’ve had no progress for weeks or months.

But for those who want answers and don’t have access to the creators of whatever project they feel is unreasonably late, here’s a table of reasons whatever thing you wish you already had is late. Tongue in cheek… but also a lot of grains of truth.

[image error] (Pic by stokkete)

Roll 1d20

Roll twice. The first roll is the main reason the game product is late. The second roll is something that happened while the first roll was being dealt with, making it later.Nothing went wrong with the project. However, because game industry professionals always have multiple projects in the pipeline, an even older, even later project had an issue that delayed it, and that must be addressed before the project you are concerned about gets finished.While the publisher wasn’t dealing with major issues, a printer, distributor, freelancer, or shipper was, and that delayed things. By an unknown amount of time. We don’t have an eta yet. We’ll update you as soon as we know anything.Dog ate it.While only three days of work time was lost when a historic icestorm took the power out and killed cell phone access, it turns out that throwing out spoiled food, getting new groceries, getting emergency prescriptions to replace ruined insulin, clearing debris, calling insurance companies, checking in on elderly family members, and dealing with a three day backlog of emails, direct messages, and voicemails can take much longer than the time the power was out. Some issues take hours to deal with weeks and months later.Mental health issues. In this case, normal mental health issues that could have delayed the project in any year.Mental health issues… brought on by 2020. That might be a response to the pandemic, political turmoil, issues that call for protest, attacks from someone else flipping out over something linked to this year, or any of a dozen other things hammering this year.Aliens took it. … They may have been dog aliens.One or more of the creators is so overwhelmed that while they can dedicate time to trying to get the project out, when they do no useable creative work happens.A delay from someone else, linked to 5, 6, or 7, is serious enough other creatives need to take time to make sure the most impacted person is safe and okay.It was always going to be late. Let’s get real. It’s just worse because, you know, 2020.Time lost to having to have meetings virtually (rather than in person), and make plans to try to deal with the ever-shifting landscape of the industry, and answer questions publicly why projects are late, and try to find alternatives to plans made earlier in the pandemic which are already not viable, not only eats into time to actually make products, they tend to interrupt numerous times per day so what time can be applied to making progress on the delayed project is broken up and inefficient compared to conditions back when the project schedule was written out.All the time that should have gone to working on the project was wasted screaming into a pillow. And collecting bigger, more sound-absorbent pillows from other locations in the home.It’s hard to get much done when you are woozy from selling plasma, which you can do twice a week if you want the big donation bonuses… I mean the money has to come from somewhere.The pandemic, and the shutdowns and economic challenges it brings, have caused cash flow to drop so seriously that the project doesn’t have the money budgeted for some part of it. That work now has to be done in-house or by the lead creator, who has to squeeze it in around all the rest of the demands on their time.[This space left intentionally blank. Otherwise filling it would have taken so long, this blog post would have been late. The irony is not lost on us.]As the game industry takes hit after massive hit, time was taken to see if any Federal aid was available to make up for lost income, or to pay freelancers, to to act as a bolster for the downturn. Whether aid was found or not, the labyrinthine process of finding what options exist, reading the rules to understand if they apply, getting documents together, applying for the program, answering questions that come up, and letting others know what did and did not work, took enough time that an entire hardback book could have been written with the same effort–if anyone had a reason to think it would sell well right now.Time-travelers came from the future to delay the publication, claiming that if it was released on time, somehow things would get unimaginably worse.
They looked… haunted.With all the joy and inspiration sucked out of them by nonstop horrorshows in their life, the creators just gave up. They aren’t happy about it, and hope to get to it later. When the world seems less terrible. If they haven’t moved on with their lives and let the industry behind forever.The creative team loved the game, the project, the fanbase, and the industry, and is working on the “Better late than bad” principle. Stated simply, this principle says “If a project is late, it’s only late until it’s delivered. If it’s not given the time and resources it needs and is bad, it’s bad forever.”

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