Friday, October 30, 2015

Old Desert Sayings is moving to Tumblr

This blog will no longer be updated; you can find me here instead: http://olddesertsayings.tumblr.com/

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Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Deific Obediences for Eberron Deities

The Silver Flame

LG God of Exorcism, Crusades, and Protection
Obedience: Light a small candle, sprinkling the flame with powdered silver, and pray over it until it goes out. Gain a +4 sacred bonus on Sense Motive checks.
Exalted Boons
1: Light of the World (Sp) burning hands 3/day, align weapon (good or lawful only) 2/day, or continual flame 1/day
2: Righteous Strike (Sp) Once per day, you can channel the effects of holy smite through your weapon. You must declare your use of this ability before you roll your attack. On a hit, the target is affected as if targeted with holy smite.
3: Faithful Archer (Ex) You are particularly skilled at using the Silver Flame’s favored weapon. When using a longbow, you add your Wisdom bonus on attack and damage rolls against targets within 30 feet.

Arawai

NG Goddess of Fertility, Plant Life, and Abundance
Obedience: Stand outdoors basking in the fresh air for at least 1 hour and predict the weather for the day. Gain a +4 sacred bonus on Knowledge (Nature) checks.
Exalted Boons
1: Salt of the Earth (Sp) entangle 3/day, barkskin 2/day, or plant growth 1/day
2: Arawai’s Embrace (Sp) Once per day, you can summon 1d3+1 assassin vines to aid you in combat for 1 round per level.
3: Forest Friend (Ex) You gain a treant companion to permanently aid you. If it dies, you may call another one after 1 week. During this week, your attack rolls and saving throws take a -2 penalty.

Aureon

LN God of Lore and Magic
Obedience: Inscribe blessings to Aureon, arcane formulae, and lines of prayer on a blank parchment. Don’t inscribe a complete spell—only notations sufficient to potentially spur a reader to study magic in an effort to complete the incantation. At the culmination of your obedience, cast any spell or spell-like ability or activate a spell completion or spell trigger magic item. Gain a +4 sacred bonus on concentration checks.
Exalted Boons
1: Arcane Essence (Sp) mage armor 3/day, mirror image 2/day, or fly 1/day
2: Wand Mastery (Su) Up to three times per day, you may apply any one metamagic feat you know to a spell you cast from a wand by expending a number of extra charges from the wand equal to the number of increased spell levels from the metamagic feat.
3: Pure Magic Aura (Su) You radiate an aura of the pure essence of magic. You can use this ability a number of rounds per day equal to 1 + 1 for every 4 Hit Dice you possess (maximum 6 rounds). These rounds don’t need to be consecutive, and you can activate and deactivate your aura as a free action. You and any allies within 20 feet of you increase your caster levels by 1d4. Roll this die when you activate this ability and use the same value for all who gain this benefit. The increase affects spell qualities (such as duration and number of targets) that rely on caster level, as well as caster level checks made to overcome spell resistance. The bonus caster levels don’t grant higher-level spell slots or cause the recipients to learn new spells.

Balinor

N God of Hunting and Animal Life
Obedience: Run for one hour in the wilderness, chasing and killing the first prey you find. Utilize every part of the prey’s body, or preserve it for use at a later date. Gain a +4 sacred bonus on Survival checks.
Exalted Boons
1: Wild Ally (Sp) charm animal 3/day, animal aspect 2/day, or badger’s ferocity 1/day
2: Skilled Hunter (Ex) Gain the pounce ability.
3: Nature's Companion (Ex) Your animal companion develops greater combat prowess, mental acumen, and protection against natural elements. First, your animal companion gains a +1 bonus to its Intelligence and Wisdom scores. Second, your animal companion gains a +2 sacred or profane bonus on attack and damage rolls. Third, your animal companion gains a +4 sacred or profane bonus on all saving throws against cold, electricity, and fire spells and effects. If you don’t have an animal companion, you instead gain the ability to use summon nature’s ally VII as a spell-like ability once per day.

Boldrei

LG Goddess of Community
Obedience: Light a fire in a hearth. Pray over the fire as you write a blessing for your village, town, or home. If no hearth is available, give 7 silver pieces to someone in need. Gain a +4 sacred bonus on Diplomacy checks.
Exalted Boons
1: Community Guide (Sp) bless 3/day, shield other 2/day, or create food and water 1/day
2: Civilization Builder (Ex) Gain Leadership as a bonus feat. If you already have Leadership, add your Wisdom modifier to your leadership score in addition to your Charisma modifier to determine the number of followers you gain.
3: Warrior of Peace (Sp) Once per day, you can affect a creature struck by your weapon with the suggestion spell using your Wisdom modifier to determine its save DC, but the only suggestion you can make is to stop fighting and begin negotiating terms for surrender.

Dol Arrah

LG Goddess of Honorable Combat, Self-Sacrifice, and the Sun
Obedience: Make a detailed plan of today’s agenda, keeping in mind honor and proper strategy while you do so. In addition, go for a walk at sunrise for one hour. Gain a +4 sacred bonus on saves against mind-affecting effects.
Exalted Boons
1: Morning’s Radiance (Sp) sun metal 3/day, flaming sphere 2/day, or daylight 1/day
2: Valorous Smite (Su) If you have the smite evil class feature, you gain an extra use of that ability per day. You add the levels of sentinel to your paladin levels when calculating the extra damage dealt by your smite. If you successfully deal damage with your smite, your target must succeed at a Will saving throw (with a DC equal to 10 + your Charisma modifier + 1/2 your Hit Dice) or be stunned for 1 round plus 1 round for every 4 Hit Dice you possess (maximum 6 rounds). Once a target saves against this stunning effect, it is immune to the stunning effect from your holy smite for 24 hours.
If you don’t have the smite evil class feature, instead you can, as a free action, single out an outsider with the evil subtype or an evil-aligned dragon you plan to vanquish. Against this target, you gain a +2 sacred bonus on attack rolls and a sacred bonus equal to your sentinel level on damage rolls. The bonuses remain until the target is dead or you use this ability again, whichever comes first. If you choose a target that is not one of the listed creature types, the ability is wasted. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to your Charisma bonus (minimum once per day).
3: Heaven’s Aid (Sp) Once per day as a standard action, you may summon a shield archon to aid you. The shield archon follows your commands perfectly for 1 minute for every Hit Die you possess before vanishing back to its home in Heaven. The shield archon doesn’t follow commands that would violate its alignment, however, and particularly egregious commands could cause it to attack you.

Dol Dorn

CG God of War and Strength At Arms
Obedience: Engage in intense physical exercise for one hour, saying prayers for strength and skill to Dol Dorn while you do so. Gain a +2 sacred bonus on Climb and Swim checks.
1: Power Magic (Sp) enlarge person 3/day, bull’s strength 2/day, or keen edge 1/day
2: Enhance Weapons (Sp) Once per day, you may cast lead blades on a number of weapons within 30 feet of you up to your level. This spell lasts 1 round per level.
3: Strong Arm (Ex) When wielding a one-handed weapon, treat it as a two-handed weapon for the purpose of the Strength bonus you add to its damage and the damage bonus from Power Attack. When wielding a two-handed weapon, add double your Strength bonus to its damage rolls instead of one-and-a-half times your Strength bonus, and double your bonus damage from Power Attack instead of adding 50% to it.

Kol Korran

N God of Trade and Wealth
Obedience: Count your coin three times, making sure to get an accurate number. Then leave one gold piece on the ground for someone to find. Gain a +4 sacred bonus on Appraise checks.
Exalted Boons
1: Trader’s Tongue (Sp) comprehend languages 3/day, resist energy 2/day, or tongues 1/day
2: Journeyman (Ex) You ignore all nonmagical difficult terrain. You are still impeded by any magic that hinders your movement.
3: Master Tradesman (Sp) You may use discern lies at will.

Olladra

NG Goddess of Luck and Plenty
Obedience: Cook a meal for your friends, allies, and anyone who wishes to partake. Gain a +1 sacred bonus on all saving throws.
Exalted Boons
1: Luck’s Blessing (Sp) entropic shield 3/day, mirror image 2/day, or blink 1/day
2: Fortune Aplenty (Ex) Up to three times per day, when you roll a natural 1 on a d20, you may reroll the die. You must take the second result.
3: Communal Table (Sp) Your devotion to caring for your community allows you to evoke Olladra’s divine bounty to feed your friends with a banquet of cooked game and simple beverages. Once per day, you can use heroes’ feast as a spell-like ability. Creatures that eat from this communal table, a process that takes 1 hour, gain a +2 sacred bonus on attack rolls and Will saving throws instead of the usual +1 morale bonus. Whenever you cast this spell, choose one teamwork feat; you may select a new feat every time you cast this spell, but once it’s cast, your selection can’t be changed. Anyone who eats from the communal table gains the benefits of the chosen teamwork feat. The benefits of the heroes’ feast, including the bonus teamwork feat, last for 12 hours. A character doesn’t need to meet the prerequisites for a teamwork feat granted through this ability.

Onatar

NG God of Crafts, Industry, and Fire
Obedience: Craft an object. Use a forge if available; if not, anything will do. Gain a +4 sacred bonus on all Craft checks.
Exalted Boons
1: Fires of Industry (Sp) burning hands 3/day, heat metal 2/day, or flame arrow 1/day
2: Hammer and Anvil (Ex) As long as you wield a warhammer, you ignore a number of points of hardness equal to your level; you also ignore any damage reduction based on a type of metal such as adamantine, cold iron, or silver.
3: Master of Crafts (Sp) You may use major creation up to three times per day.

The Path of Light

LN Force of Positive Energy
Obedience: Meditate on your spirit for one hour in complete silence and under bright light. If the silence is broken, you must start over. Gain a +4 sacred bonus on Autohypnosis checks.
Exalted Boons
1: The Mind’s Eye (Sp) see alignment 3/day, see invisibility 2/day, or arcane sight 1/day
2: Repair the Damaged Body (Su) Up to three times per day, when you can cast a conjuration (healing) spell with a range of touch, treat it as having a range of close instead.
3: Spiritual Strikes (Ex) Add your Wisdom bonus to your attack and damage rolls with unarmed strikes.

The Undying Court

NG Ancestral Guides
Obedience: Name all of your ancestors on both sides of your family for at least seven generations back. Gain a +4 sacred bonus on Knowledge (History) checks.
Exalted Boons
1: Wisdom of the Ancients (Sp) detect undead 3/day, augury 2/day, or aura sight 1/day
2: Strike the Unrestful (Su) As a free action, you can grant the ghost touch weapon special ability to a weapon that you hold. If that weapon is not magical, it is considered magical while under the effect of this ability. This ability affects only weapons held in your hand; if you drop the weapon or give it away, the effect ends on that weapon. You can affect a weapon in this way a number of rounds each day equal to 1 + 1 for every 4 Hit Dice you possess (maximum 6 rounds). These rounds don’t need to be consecutive.

3: Consult the Court (Sp) Up to once per week, you may magically contact the Undying Court to answer your questions. This functions as a contact other plane spell to contact a being from the plane of Positive Energy, except with no chance of ability score decrease and any lies rolled are counted as true answers.

Thursday, October 2, 2014

The Crusader's Oath: Three New Cavalier Orders for Pathfinder

Order of the Claymore
Cavaliers belonging to the order of the claymore are sworn to be the strongest warriors they can possibly be. Some of these cavaliers do this to best serve some patron or worthy cause, but many simply seek strength for strength’s sake.
Edicts: The cavalier must prove his strength and worthiness at every opportunity, letting no insult or challenge to his abilities stand. If necessary, he must travel far and wide in search of appropriate challenges to his combat aptitude. If he encounters a foe seemingly more powerful than himself, he must attempt to best them unless such action would be obviously suicidal.
Challenge: Whenever an order of the claymore cavalier issues a challenge, he gains a +1 bonus on Intimidate checks against the target of his challenge. This bonus increases by +1 for every four levels the cavalier possesses.
Skills: An order of the claymore cavalier adds Perform and Survival to his list of class skills. When an order of the claymore cavalier succeeds on a Survival check to gain a bonus on Fortitude saves against severe weather, the bonus gained doubles.
Order Abilities: A cavalier belonging to the order of the claymore gains the following abilities as he increases in level.
Mighty Blade
At 2nd level, the cavalier deals double damage on a mounted charge with a greatsword as if it were a lance, or triple damage if using the Spirited Charge feat.
Punching Above Your Weight
At 8th level, when the cavalier challenges a creature with a CR of at least 2 higher than his character level, he treats his cavalier level as if it were equal to the target’s CR for the purpose of determining the bonus damage dealt by his challenge.
Sweeping Charge
At 15th level, when the cavalier makes a mounted charge while wielding a greatsword, he may attack multiple creatures that are all threatened by the cavalier; each creature targeted must be adjacent to at least one other creature targeted. He makes one attack roll with a -2 penalty for each target and applies it to the armor class of all targets; determine which targets are hit and roll damage separately for each target struck.

Order of Cold Iron
A cavalier who joins this order swears to guard the world against supernatural threats, with a special focus on demons from the Abyss. They swear to hold their own lives to no value in their service, as their fiendish foes are the most ravenous and bloodthirsty in the multiverse.
Edicts: The cavalier must seek out and purify any source of demonic corruption. He must protect the common folk from demons and those who serve them, at the cost of his own life if necessary.
Challenge: Whenever an order of cold iron cavalier issues a challenge, he gains a +1 bonus on saving throws against the spells and spell-like abilities of his target. This bonus increases by +1 for every four levels the cavalier possesses.
Skills: An order of cold iron cavalier adds Knowledge (Planes) and Perception to his list of class skills. Whenever an order of cold iron cavalier uses Knowledge (Planes) to identify the traits of an outsider with both the chaos and evil subtypes, he gains a bonus on the check equal to ½ his cavalier level.
Order Abilities: A cavalier belonging to the order of cold iron gains the following abilities as he increases in level.
Iron Hooves
At 2nd level, the cavalier may treat his mount's natural weapons as cold iron for the purpose of bypassing damage reduction.
Cold Iron Smite
At 8th level, when the cavalier using a cold iron weapon scores a critical hit on an enemy whose damage reduction is bypassed by cold iron, that enemy’s damage reduction is reduced to 0 for 1 round against all attacks.
Banishing Strike
At 15th level, the cavalier can make a single melee attack against an extraplanar creature as a standard action. If the attack hits and deals damage, the target must make a Will save (DC = 10 + ½ the damage dealt) or be sent back to its home plane, as the dismissal spell. The cavalier can use this ability once per combat.

Order of the Scorpion
The mysterious order of the scorpion swears its cavaliers to watch over and protect the various ancient temples, crypts, and other sacred sites that lay half-buried in the desert sands. These devoted warriors stop at nothing to track down and punish the perpetrators of any crimes against his guarded location.
Edicts: The cavalier must guard and ward not only his chosen site, but any ancient location of significance either religious or ancestral. He must respect his own ancestors and those of anyone he deems worthy of respect.
Challenge: Whenever an order of the scorpion cavalier issues a challenge, he gains a +1 bonus on trip and disarm CMB checks against the target of his challenge. This bonus increases by +1 for every four levels the cavalier possesses.
Skills: An order of the scorpion cavalier adds Perception and Survival to his list of class skills. When an order of the scorpion makes a Survival check to track while in desert terrain, he gains a bonus on this check equal to ½ his cavalier level.
Order Abilities: A cavalier belonging to the order of the scorpion gains the following abilities as he increases in level.
Scorpion Tail
At 2nd level, the cavalier gains proficiency in whips, and may make any combat maneuver with a whip as the attack for a mounted charge, gaining a +2 bonus on the CMB check for charging.
Scorpion Sting
At 8th level, when the cavalier successfully uses a whip to trip or disarm a foe that he threatens, he may make an attack against that foe with another weapon he is wielding as a swift action.
Scorpion Devotion
At 15th level, the cavalier may fight on beyond the normal reaches of death. As long as he is acting in defense of his edicts, he may stay conscious and not be staggered at 0 or fewer hit points, nor does he die when he reaches negative hit points equal to his Constitution score. Once he would normally be dead from hit point damage, however, he may only stay “alive” for up to three more rounds before dying. During these three rounds he may not regain hit points by any means, although spells that raise the dead (including a breath of life spell) work normally on him. He may still be killed by effects that do not deal hit point damage.

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

The Witchknight: An Inquisitor Archetype for Pathfinder

Rather than serving a deity or a church, a witchknight is an inquisitor in service to an occult patron the likes of those which grant witches their heathen power. Whereas witches are specialists in using their arcane powers to befuddle and jinx their enemies, the witchknight blends such eldritch crafts with martial pursuits in order to serve their mysterious lords in different ways.


Weapon and Armor Proficiency: The witchknight gains proficiency with one martial weapon of her choice. This replaces the inquisitor’s proficiency with her deity’s favored weapon.

Witch Training
A witchknight treats her witchknight levels as witch levels for the purpose of meeting feat prerequisites.


Patron Spells
A witchknight selects a patron from the list of witch patrons at 1st level.
As a witchknight increases in level, the witchknight’s patron adds new spells to the witchknight’s list of spells known. She learns the first patron spell at 2nd level, the second patron spell at 5th level, the third patron spell at 8th level, the fourth patron spell at 11th level, the fifth patron spell at 14th level, and the sixth patron spell at 17th level. The rest of the patron spells are not considered to be part of the witchknight’s spell list.
This ability replaces Domain.


Judgment
A witchknight gains the following judgment in addition to the normal list of inquisitor judgments.
Hexing (Su): When the witchknight scores a critical hit against the target of this judgment, she may cast one of her hexes on the target as an immediate action.


Familiar
At 1st level, a witchknight is granted a familiar by her patron. This is identical to the witch’s familiar class feature; the witchknight uses her inquisitor level to determine her effective witch level for the purpose of determining her familiar’s abilities. The witchknight's list of spells known, including patron spells, is stored in her familiar; she must commune with her familiar each morning to regain her spell slots.


This ability replaces Monster Lore.


Hex
At 3rd level, a witchknight learns one hex from the witch’s list of hexes. This is otherwise identical to the witch’s hex class feature, except that the witchknight uses her Wisdom modifier to determine her hexes’ save DCs and she learns a new hex at 6th level and every 3 levels thereafter.
This ability replaces Solo Tactics and Teamwork Feats.


Major Hex
Starting at 12th level, and every 3 levels thereafter, the witchknight may select a major hex from the witch’s list whenever she could learn a new hex.
This ability replaces Greater Bane.

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Changelog
9/24/14: Gets Bane back. Loses Monster Lore for a Familiar. Must commune with Familiar to get spells.
9/25/14: Witch Training added.