Not a Monster Monday... An archetype

This week instead of Monster Monday I present a work by a friend and sometimes collaborator John Karatovic. He wrote this awhile back as an audition peice to a world I will introduce to this blog at some point down the line. Its called Celtris and its a very cool co-creation of mine and Jeff Harris.

This week's theme is Arabian Nights and this will tie strongly with Wed article so stay tuned...

The Genie-Bound Noble

 

John Karatovic

DM_aka_Dudemeister
@johnpocalypse

 

Genie-Bound Noble (Summoner)

The genie-bound noble is born or adopted to one of the four powerful noble families in the secret city of Glim. As such you have a powerful pact with a genie who willingly harnesses the power of wishes and elemental power at your bidding.

Class Skills: A genie-bound noble gains Diplomacy and Sense Motive as class skills and does not gain Handle Animal and Ride as class skills.

Genie: At first level a genie-bound summoner  gains a genie. Unlike an eidolon a genie’s form is relatively fixed. As such genies use the following statistics:

Starting Statistics

Size: Medium; Speed 30 ft.; AC +2 Natural Armor; Saves: Fort (Good), Ref (Bad), Will (Good); Ability Scores:Str 15, Dex 14, Con 13, Int 11, Wis7, Cha 12.Bonus Feats: Light Armor Proficiency, Medium Armor ProficiencyFree Evolutions: limbs (arms), limbs (legs), Weapon Training.

Evolution List:Genies may select from the following Evolution List. Note evolutions marked with an asterisk are from Ultimate Magic.

1 Point Evolutions: Basic Magic*, Bite, Claws, Climb, Gills, Improved Damage, Improved Natural Armor, Low-Light Vision*, Magic Attacks, Pull, Push, Reach, Resistance, Skilled, Slam, Swim.

2 Point Evolutions: Ability Increase, Constrict, Energy Attacks, Flight (Su only), Grab, Immunity, Minor Magic*, Rend, Tremorsense, Trip, Weapon Training.

3 Point Evolutions:Blindsense, Burrow, Damage Reduction, Frightful Presence, Major Magic*, See In Darkness*, Swallow Whole

4 Point Evolutions: Blindsight, Breath Weapon, Dimension Door*, Fast Healing, Incorporeal Form*, Large, Lifesense*, No Breath*, Spell Resistance, Ultimate Magic*.

Summoning the genie is a full-round action and requires speaking a summoning phrase whilst holding the genie token.  Unlike an eidolon a genie remains active even if the summoner is unconscious or asleep, but if the Summoner loses contact with the token (such as if it is stolen or disarmed) then the genie immediately returns to within the token and remains there until the genie-bound summoner can perform the summoning action again. This ability otherwise is the same as the Eidolon ability.

This ability alters the Eidolon ability.

Genie Token (Su):At 1^st level thegenie-boundNoble gains a token. This token is a focus for the genie-bound Noble’s magic, and a place for the noble’s genie to reside when not summoned. A genie-bound noble begins with a token at no cost and must fall into one of the following categories: amulet, ring, staff, wand or weapon. These objects are always of masterwork quality. Weapons acquired at first level are not made of any special material. If a genie-bound summoner attempts to cast a spell without the bonded object worn or in hand, he must make a concentration check or lose the spell. The DC is equal to 20 + the spell’s level. If the object is a ring or amulet it occupies the ring or neck slot accordingly.

Unlike an eidolon while a genie is not summoned it heals hit points at a rate of 1 hit point per summoner level per day. The genie must remain within 100 feet of the Token at all times, if it is between 100 to 1,000 feet the genie’s maximum and current hit point totals are immediately reduced by 50%. If the genie is between 1,000 to 10,000 feet its maximum and current hit point totals drop by 75%. If  the genie is more than 10,000 feet away it is immediately recalled into the token. Current hit points lost in this way are not restored when the genie gets closer to the token, but its maximum hit points return to normal.

This ability replaces Life Link.

Fleeting Wish 0 (Su): At 1^st level a summoner may make a fleeting wish as a move action a number of times per day equal to 3 + his Charisma Modifier. Doing so allows his eidolon to cast a single conjuration cantrip from the sorcerer/wizard spell list as a spell-like ability for one round, unlike a normal spell-like ability any material components costing more than 1 gp must be provided. The summoner must verbalize his wish, thus this ability does not operate in an area of silence or if the Eidolon suffers the deafened condition. At 3^rd Level and every two levels thereafter the power of this ability increases by one spell level to a maximum of 9^th level conjuration spells 19^th level. At 19^th level the genie may instead cast limited wish instead (the summoner or genie must still pay for any material components as normal).

This ability replaces Summon Monster I .

Elemental Wish(Su): At 10^th level the genie-bound noble may use his Fleeting Wish ability to have his genie cast any spell from the sorcerer/wizard list with any one energy descriptor. Once the descriptor is chosen it may not be changed.

This ability replaces Aspect.

Miraculous Wish (Su): At 18^th level the genie-bound noble may use his Fleeting Wish ability to have his genie cast any spell of the conjuration descriptor from the cleric/oracle spell list at one level lower. To a maximum of 8^th level spells.

This ability replaces Greater Aspect.

True Wish(Su): At 20^th level the genie-bound noble may three uses of his Fleeting Wish ability to have his genie cast Wish. The genie or the noble must provide any required material components.

 

 

 

 

 

Sidebar: Genie-Bound Nobles

The design behind the Genie-Bound Noble is to provide a summoner with more of a foot in the lore of a hero with a powerful genie, playable out of the box at 1^st level. In many ways the genie is less of a combat monster than an eidolon since it receives far fewer attacks. The Genie-Bound Noble turns a summoner into a sort of limited wizard.  Ultimately the Genie-Bound Noble should take less screen-time at the table due to the limited number of attacks from a genie, and smaller number of summoned beasts on the table at a time.

Recession Reviews: Wrath of the Righteous 2

by Frank Gori

Recession Reviews: Wrath of the Righteous 2

Times are hard and while a gaming book beats any trip to the theatre, our loved ones don’t always see it that way. When you can spare the money what products deserve your hard earned gaming dollars? Who balances enough crunch with the fluff to allow the frugal GM to recycle, after all the best games are the ones you can play over and over again without losing interest.

Want to see a reveiw of your product here? I'll give any Pathfinder or 3.5 product an honest reveiw for a reviewers copy just email me at theflyingpincushion@gmail.com and we can discuss it.

Book 2 Sword of Valor :

Written by: Neil Spicer

Page count: 98 counting the inside covers

Throw Away pages: 17 (covers, forward, advertisements, and a story not directly useful to the adventure)

Golden Pages: 47 (reusable npcs, spells, reusable maps, monsters, new items, relics, demon graft system)

Cover price: $22.99

Price per page: $0.23

Modified price per page: $0.18 = Cover price/pages + golden pages – throw away pages= modified price per page

Crunch to Fluff Ratio: 5.76 to 1

Our Rating out of 10: 9 very reusable

Description (minor spoilers): I’m still reluctant to adopt the mythic system, but this AP is so full of awesome last week I dove in to the first book and left off at Neatholm. In this installment you’re PCs will be leading an army of 100 paladins through a series of challenges that will test your Pc’s skills as individuals and as commanders.

The mission is to take an artifact that will also aid you in regaining a lost city in the world wound. When I read this and when I GM this, I will channel Heart of Darkness it has a little of that vibe.

This is the first time I’ve seen the mass combat rules of Kingmaker back in action and Neil Spicer shows a mastery of them. I fully expect that half the fun is figuring out when your PCs need to foray ahead and when they need the full might of their army. There’s a good mix on both the encounters and the rewards. Its clear that you will be given a downtime period to perhaps revive the kingdom building rules, I fervently hope I’m right and that this goes beyond just one installment.

 

The monsters presented are quite useful, the items are awesome including magical medals which I love, and I’ll be using the crunchable demon grafting article on tons of baddies (and expanding it as a game designer.) If you never run this AP but like throwing demons, or run Kingmaker and want some new prestatted armies there’s allot to poach from this installment.

This AP had a tremendous start, this was a vital hand off and Neil Spicer rose to the occasion and delivered like a champ. Keep up the good work Paizo.

Jeff Crunch: Statting Grendel

by Jeff Harris


Grendel         
male half-thawn cave creature troll barbarian 2
Description: Grendel is a twisted and awful creature to behold.  The blood of thawn, hag, and troll mixing do little to make him physically beautiful to any.  His body is malformed and lop sided, however his miss treatment and the rage it fuels make him terribly strong and resilient.  His massive hands end in jagged claws, and sharp fangs unevenly fill a maw that suffers a severe under bite.  Grendel wears little more than a tattered loin cloth and uses a filthy moth eaten quilt as a cloak.                                                                                                                                          


Grendel CR 6
NE Large humanoid (giant, cave creature, troll, thawn)
Init +2; Senses blindsight 60 ft., darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent; Perception +6
Aura Repulsive appearance 30 ft.
===== Defense =====
AC 16, touch 11, flat-footed 16; (Dex +2, natural +7, size -1)
hp 81 (4d8+28, 2d12+15); regeneration 2 (acid and fire)
Fort 14, Ref 3, Will 2
Defensive Abilities uncanny dodge
===== Offense =====
Spd 40 ft., Climb 20 ft.
Melee Claws +14/+14 (1d8+8), Bite +12 (1d4+4)
Ranged Rock +6 (1d6+8), 
Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
Special Attacks Rage 11 rounds/day, Rend (1d8+12)
===== Tactics =====
Before Combat Grendel always attacks at night, and uses the dark to pick off individuals.  Grendel seeks to use his unusual stealth to separate his target from help.
During Combat Grendel always enters rage on the first round of combat, and then targets the unfortunate soul whom he has stalked and hopefully cut off from aid.  Grendel attempts to kill targets one at a time, if attacked by more than one foe, he rips chunks from the walls or hurls furniture or other objects as missiles to keep multiple foes at bay.  If in melee with more than one foe Grendel uses his knockdown rage power.
Morale Normally Grendel fights to the death, however if he fails two consecutive saves when shown his own reflection, he flees regardless of the progress of the battle.
Base Statistics Grendel’s base statistics have been modified to reflect the effects of the barbarian rage class ability. Normally Grendel has Strength 22, Constitution 20, AC 18, and Will +0
===== Statistics =====
Str 26, Dex 14, Con 24, Int 6, Wis 8, Cha 4
Base Atk +5; CMB +14 CMD 26
Feats Stealthy, Multi-attack, Nightstalker.
Skills Acrobatics +6, Climb +12, Perception +6, Stealth +6 (+12 in shadows or darkness), Survival +3, Swim +12
Languages Giant
SQ fast movement, knockdown (rage power), light blindness, silent hunter,  
Other Gear: Golden dragon mead horn.

===== Special Abilities =====
Repulsive appearance (Ex): Grendel finds his appearance disturbing as do other intelligent begins whether out of revulsion or pity. As such, Grendel wears a heavy cloak or otherwise obscures his countenances when not engaged in combat. All creatures with an intelligence of 1 or greater within 30 feet of Grendel must make a DC 15 Will save or be sickened for 1 round. This repulsion is all the more severe when Grendel sees his own reflection. Should Grendel be confronted with his own reflection (such as being presented with a mirror) he must make a DC 15 Will save or be sickened for 1d4+1 rounds.  However at the end of this effect if Grendel is still conscious he will automatically go enraged even if he has exhausted his total rounds of barbarian rage for the day.  If this is the case then the rage lasts 1d4+1 rounds.

Blindsight (Ex): A cave creature can discern objects and creatures within 60 feet regardless of concealment. It usually does not need to make Perception checks to notice creatures within range of its blindsight. A silence spell negates this ability and forces the cave creature to rely on the base creature’s senses.

Light Blindness (Ex): When abruptly exposed to bright light (such a lightning bolt in a dark room), a cave creature is blinded for 1 round. When operating in an area of continual bright light (such as daylight or a daylight spell), the cave creature takes a –1 circumstance penalty on all attack rolls, saves, and checks.

Mishelved: Beowulf

From Lit to Battleboard legit

By Frank Gori

They have seen my strength for themselves,

Have watched me rise from the darkness of war,

Dripping with my enemies' blood. I drove

Five great giants into chains, chased

All of that race from the earth. I swam

In the blackness of night, hunting monsters

Out of the ocean, and killing them one

By one; death was my errand and the fate

They had earned. Now Grendel and I are called

Together, and I've come. –Beowulf

Beowulf has some obtuse turns for a modern audience. The story builds up Grendel as the primary threat when we eventually learn that his mother is a greater threat. The two conflicts establish Beowulf as a hero, but then we skip to fifty year later when Beowulf is an old king for his last battle against a dragon.

For once I think the movie made a better story. Grendal’s mom being the most compelling villain, partly because she acts first on vengeance which for the culture was a proper response to Grendel’s death. When the hero confronts the mother she seduces and uses him, in time he is forced to face that and his own weakness.

Back to the written work, what makes Grendal’s mother a more potent threat for me is the lair. I think this is a good lesson for fantasy design, its not filled with traps but obstacles and the set up is creepy. The lair mimics a hall like the one Beowulf is from, it’s a twisted mirror of culture, modeled the same way but inaccessible to society.

Give Beowulf another read it sounds like an RPG campaign, there’s even a sword that kills the main bad guy in the dungeon. Apologies to my regulars I do not have the energy for more crunch today… Consider this another open call throw an email in the comments section and we’ll chat.

Monster Monday's: Grendal's Mother

by Frank Gori

I love Beowulf, aside from being the oldest example of a written tale in english, its also a rather good one. We see a culture's idea of a hero, and later their ideal of an elder king. We see the things that culture fears and values and its very fantasy RPG.

There's a bit of a controversy with Grendal's mother check our wikipedia for more on that...

In her natural form Grendal’s mother appears to be a repulsive mix of Green Hag and Thawn. Unfortunately few men have the mental fortitude to see her as such and she appears to be a lovely Dryad or Nixie.

Hag Thawn CR 7
XP 3,200
NE Medium Monstrous Humanoid
Init +5; Senses darkvision 60 ft. ,; Perception +17
Aura Pheromones (60 ft., DC 20 fort counts as a poison, failure makes victim mentally pliable -6 to will saves)

----- Defense -----
AC 19, touch 11, flat-footed 18 (+8 Nat, +1 Dex)
hp 95 (12d10+24);
Fort +8, Ref +9, Will +9
Immune poison; SR 16
Weaknesses repulsive

----- Offense -----
Speed 30 ft., swim 30 ft.
Melee 2 claws +16 (1d4+4 plus weakness),
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 12th)
Constant—pass without trace, tongues, water breathing
At will—alter self, dancing lights, ghost sounds, haunting mists, invisibility, silent image
3/day— charm person, deep slumber
1/day—Aqueous Orb, Hallucinary Terrain, Rain of frogs

----- Statistics -----
Str 19, Dex 12, Con 14, Int 15, Wis 13, Cha 6
Base Atk +12; CMB +16; CMD 27
Feats Alertness, Blind Fight, Combat Casting, Great Fortitude, Improved Initiative, Throw Anything,
Skills Climb +13, Craft (traps) +23, Intimidate +13, Perception +17, Stealth 17(+21 amid mud or rocks), Survival +11, and Swim +29; Racial Modifiers +6 Craft (traps), +4 Stealth amid mud or rocks
Languages Aklo, Common, Giant
SQ mimicry

----- Special Abilities -----
Mimicry (Ex) A thawn hag can imitate the sounds of almost any animal found near its lair.
Repulsive (Ex) Thawn hags find the appearance of themselves and others of their kind revolting. As such, most wear heavy cloaks or otherwise obscure their countenances. All thawns within 30 feet of an uncloaked thawn must make a DC 15 Will save or be sickened for 1 round. This repulsion is all the more severe when a thawn sees its own reflection. Should a thawn hag be confronted with its own reflection (such as being presented with a mirror) it must make a DC 15 Will save or be sickened for 1d4+1 rounds.
Weakness (Su) A thawn hag's claws sap strength from those she strikes. Each time a thawn hag hits a foe with her claw attack, the victim takes 2 points of Strength damage unless he resists the weakness with a DC 16 Fortitude save.

 

Jeffcrunch: Schooled Swordsman

by Jeff Harris

Today we bring you one of Hamlets most distinctive scenes, the battle between Hamlet and Leartes. In the play is is mentioned that both were schooled in Luxembourg, which waqs at the time known for its fencing school. Thus the inspiration of this archetype.

Schooled Swordsman (Fighter)

There are many styles and forms of the martial art of the sword.  Swashbucklers and their rapiers, plate mailed paladins wielding great swords, dervish and their scimitars.  Yet there is no more a noble and celebrated sword style than that of the unarmored man wielding the war sword (long sword) and buckler.  Kings and aristocrats send their sons to formal fighting schools to ensure they can answer challenge with steel and calculating logic.  For those who call themselves graduates of these schools the art of the blade is a mirror for the political battles they fight just as often.  Thus the schooled swordsman is as dangerous with words as with a war sword.  Regardless of the nature of the battlefield, political or earthen, schooled swordsman (or swordswoman) are worthy allies and foes.  Those who find themselves as foe also find that a schooled swordsman leaves no opening unexploited and no mistake un-repaid.                                                                                                               

Skills: The schooled swordsman adds Bluff, Diplomacy, and Sense Motive to their class skill list.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency
A schooled swordsman is proficient with all simple and martial weapons as well as padded, quilted cloth, and leather armor.  A schooled swordsman is proficient with only the buckler and no other form of shield.

Canny Defense (Ex)
When wearing padded, quilted cloth, leather, or no armor, a schooled swordsman adds 1 point of Intelligence bonus (if any) per class level as a dodge bonus to their Armor Class while wielding a long sword. If a schooled swordsman is caught flat-footed or otherwise denied their Dexterity bonus, they also lose this bonus.

Strong or Swift (Ex) 
The schooled swordsman knows many secrets of the long sword, including how to use it more flexibly than most.  A schooled swordsman may treat a long sword as a finesse weapon for the purposes of applying feats and long sword may be substituted for scimitar for the purpose of gaining the Dervish feat.

Buckler Bash (Ex)                                                                                                                          
At1st level, a schooled swordsman can perform a shield bash with a buckler (use the same damage and critical modifier as for a light shield).

This ability replaces Bravery.          

Parry (Ex)
At 2nd level, a schooled swordsman learns to parry the attacks of other creatures, causing them to miss. Whenever the schooled swordsman takes a full attack action with the long sword, they can elect not to take one of their attacks. At any time before her next turn, they can attempt to parry an attack against themselves or an adjacent ally as an immediate action. To parry the attack, the schooled swordsman makes an attack roll, using the same bonuses as the attack they chose to forego during her previous action. If the attack roll is greater than the roll of the attacking creature, the attack automatically misses. For each size category that the attacking creature is larger than the schooled swordsman, the schooled swordsman takes a –4 penalty on the attack roll. The schooled swordsman also takes a –4 penalty when attempting to parry an attack made against an adjacent ally. The schooled swordsman must declare the use of this ability after the attack is announced, but before the roll is made.                                                                              

War Sword Training (Ex) 
At 3rd level, the schooled swordsman gains a +1 bonus on attack and damage rolls with the long sword. The bonus improves by +1 for every four levels beyond 3rd.

This ability replaces Armor Training 1, 2, 3 and 4.

Observant Combatant (Ex)
Starting at 4th level the schooled swordsman has seen enough men in armor to know that every armor has a gap.  The schooled swordsman may attempt to find the weakness of a foe’s defenses.  As long as the schooled swordsman’s perception check is equal to or greater than the targets Armor Class the schooled swordsman succeeds in finding a chink.   This grants the schooled swordsman the ability to target the opponents touch armor class for one round and make all attacks in that round at a +2 insight bonus to hit.  This ability does not affect those not using manufactured armor, and will only work once on a given target in a 24 hour period.  This ability may be used by the schooled swordsman a number of times equal to 3+the schooled swordsman’s intelligence modifier.

This ability replaces the 4th level fighter bonus feat.

Razor Tongue (Ex)
At 5th level the schooled swordsman learns that sometimes the best weapon in a fight is the one you are not expected to use.  The schooled swordsman may use his Bluff skill to mentally unbalance opponents in a fight.  A successful Bluff attempt causes the opponent to lose focus as you have struck a nerve with your words, causing that opponent to focus on you as a target and suffer a -2 on attack rolls against you as well as -2 Armor Class against your attacks.  This ability lasts for one round per two schooled swordsman levels you have, and may be used a number of times equal to 3+the schooled swordsman’s Charisma modifier.  As with observant combatant this ability may only affect a given target once in a 24 hour period.  The penalty the target takes increase by -1 for every 3 levels beyond 5th.

This ability replaces Weapon Training 1, 2, 3, and 4.   

Style Mastery (Ex)
At 12th level the schooled swordsman approaches the pinnacle of their art.  The schooled swordsman gains Shield Mastery as a bonus feat.  If the schooled swordsman has taken this feat, they may instead choose any other shield feat that may apply to a buckler as a bonus feat and need not meet the prerequisites for this feat.  Additionally anytime the schooled swordsman succeeds in a parry, they are granted a free attack of opportunity against that opponent as a riposte.

This ability replaces the 12th level fighter bonus feat.

Schooled Master (Ex)
At 19^th level the schooled swordsman has nearly reached the pinnacle of their art.  This ability grants the schooled swordsman a reduction in the penalties for parries, reducing the size difference and adjacent ally penalties by -2.  Additionally anytime the schooled swordsman succeeds in a parry, the attack of opportunity gains an additional 1d6 damage, this damage is not considered precision damage for the purposes of reduction or immunity.

Weapon Mastery (Ex)
The schooled swordsman gains this ability at 20^th level as normal fighters do, but in the case of the schooled swordsman they may only apply this ability to the long sword.  Otherwise this ability functions as written in all other ways.

Mishelved: Hamlet

From Lit to Battleboard legit

By Frank Gori

 

Hamlet is an amazing piece of literature but hard to write two game centered articles about. I also gave a couple ideas away. Do I make an undead Ophellia that lures unsuspecting men into a watery grave? It’s been done. Oh I could make Yorick’s skull into a weird undead talking skull like Bob from the Dresden Files but then everyone would be like, that’s not Yorick that’s Bob. I could play with making a more powerful poison or make an archetype around Hamlet pretending to be insane, but all that is filler.

While there’s little in way of supernatural elements to tap, Hamlet has allot to teach a GM about consequences and timing. Shakesphere is a master at setting the scene and escalation. Every action has a reaction which in turns sets further actions into motion until the bloody crescendo at the end.

The thing to take from Hamlet is a cheat sheet of plot hooks and twists that haven’t become tropes in fantasy fiction, here’s a list of 5 great story hooks you can borrow, after all Shakespeare borrowed from Marlow form time to time!

-The inconvenient possibly evil relative- One of the PCs gets a wedding invitation from a parent, or uncle, or cousin. All seems well except for little red flags that seem to crop up time and again. Is this person a villain? Should you intervene against your family with not enough proof? Is this person really genuine and your time adventuring has made you hyper-vigilant?

-Waiting in the wings- Your PC has saved a beautiful impressionable young woman. She finds the PC attractive and offers herself. IF the PC takes her up on that is the PC ready to marry her? Will the PC simply use and discard her? What if she doesn’t accept being cast aside? OR becomes pregnant? Then there’s her blowhard father.

-The Long Con- Defeating a foe beyond your PCs requires a deception. The deception is supposed to be short term but circumstances change making it a matter of weeks or months (this can be a montage style scene) a will save is needed because the lines of who the PCs are have been blurred.

-The Traitors henchmen- Give your PCs henchmen early, let them become increasingly useful but remember that eventually you have a card to play. Nothing is ever free and at some point when it is convenient change sides with them.

-Accidental Bystander- Using illusion or paranoia put your PCs in the position to accidentally kill an innocent. Do they spend the gold to raise the dead man? A relative wishes revenge, do they flee or fight?

Going Gonzo with John: Play within a Play

by John Belliston

Hamlet is arguable the most well know piece of theatre in the modern era. Given my natural theatrical proclivities I was most interested when our dear Pincushion announced that our next subject would be our dear Danish Prince. I wasn’t quite sure at first what direction to travel in as the obvious was so deeply enticing. There is a prevalence of death and undeath in that play that with just a little redirection could be a most profound gaming experience.

However my thoughts are forever on the strange and absurd and that was just too obvious for me. Nevermind the fine job others would do with that theme.

No, no. I would walk on paths less travelled and instead play with the “Play within the Play”.

For those unfamiliar with the play. There is a point when Hamlet hires a troupe of actors to perform a piece that is filled with the same details of his Uncle’s crimes. It is in his Uncle’s reactions that he finds guilt and eventually vengeance.

So how will one put this forth into the context of our favorite hobby?

A haunt.

Obviously.

 

The Play (CR 6)

XP 2,400

Alignment and Aura: LE (30’ by 30’ stage in the round)

Notice: DC 18 Linguistics or Knowledge (History) check to recognize the lines from the play being whispered in their ears.

Weakness: tricked by invisibility

Trigger: Proximity, Advanced Version triggered by Character with a secret.

HP: 12 Reset: 24 hours

Effect: All caught within the haunt who fail a DC 19) will save begin to act out a scene from an ancient play about a savage murder. After being attacked a new will save is allowed to break the effect. One effected character (selected at random) will attack each other effected creature until they are all dead or make their will saves. If however there is a character with a secret the haunt will always choose that character. The play itself will become a playing out of the details of their secret and they will feel compelled to silence the others caught in the haunt violently.

Destruction: Burn a script and theatrical mask in the middle of the haunt while it is active.

Monster Mondays: Royal Revenant

By Frank Gori

As we kick off Hamlet week here at The Flying Pincushion, I’m reminded of why this is my favorite of Shakespeare’s plays. Hamlet isn’t given a clearly good or evil option, he is left to pick between the lesser of two evils. Does he let his father go unavenged? Does he kill his uncle on the word of a ghost and potentially hurt his mother without cause?

He struggles with his choices and attempts to gain more information to make a choice which of course makes the situation more of a nightmare ending (spoiler alert) with everyone dead.

This monster is inspired by Hamlet’s father who is also Hamlet, I hope you enjoy.

Revenant

This once proud king is caught in a horrible state of decay and his eyes glow red with rage. His face is a grimace and his presence a commanding one

ROYAL Revenant CR 8 XP 3,600 LE Medium undead Init +7; Senses darkvision 60 ft., sense murderer; Perception +13 DEFENSE AC 19, touch 13, flat-footed 16 (+3 Dex, +6 natural) hp 76 (9d8+36) Fort +7, Ref +6, Will +7 DR 5/slashing; Immune cold, undead traits; SR 17 Weaknesses self-loathing OFFENSE Speed 30 ft. Melee 2 claws +14 (1d8+7 plus grab) Special Attacks baleful shriek, constrict (1d6+7) Spell-Like Ability (CL 8th) 3/day—murderous command, charm person, cause fear 1/day—ray of enfeeblement, hold person   STATISTICS Str 24, Dex 17, Con —, Int 7, Wis 12, Cha 19 Base Atk +6; CMB +13 (+17 grapple); CMD 26 Feats Cleave, Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Step Up, Weapon Focus (claw) Skills Intimidate +16, Perception +13 Languages Common SQ reason to hate SPECIAL ABILITIES Avenge Me (Su) The slain regent may impart his Reason to Hate to a willing member of his bloodline for a period of 48hrs. This grants his heir haste and the profane bonus when confronting the killer. If the chose heir fails in this mission the heir will die unless they succeed in a DC 22 fortitude save. On death the heir rises again as a normal revenant to aid its royal counterpart. While the heir is active the Royal Revenant is temporarily incorporeal. If the heir succeeds the Royal Revenant may bestow a permanent +1 bonus to any attribute it chooses. Baleful Shriek (Su) Once every 1d4 rounds, a revenant can shriek as a standard action. All creatures within a 60-foot spread must make a DC 18 Will save or cower in fear for 1d4 rounds. This is a mind-affecting fear effect. The save DC is Charisma-based. Reason to Hate (Su) A revenant’s existence is fueled by its hatred for its murderer. As long as the murderer exists, the revenant exists. If the murderer dies, the revenant is immediately slain. A murderer who becomes undead does not trigger a revenant’s destruction. When a revenant encounters its murderer, it gains the benefits of a haste spell (CL 20th) that lasts as long as its murderer remains in sight. Against its murderer, the revenant also gains a +4 profane bonus on attack rolls, weapon damage rolls, grapple checks, and saving throws. Self-Loathing (Ex) When confronted with its reflection or any object that was important to it in life, a revenant must make a DC 20 Will save to avoid becoming overwhelmed with self-pity. This condition renders the revenant helpless, and lasts until the revenant is attacked or sees its murderer. If a revenant resists becoming overwhelmed, the revenant becomes obsessed with the source that triggered the saving throw and does everything it can to destroy it, reacting to the trigger as if the trigger were its murderer and gaining bonuses from its reason to hate ability. Sense Murderer (Su) A revenant knows the direction but not the distance to its murderer—this sense can be blocked by any effect that blocks scrying. Against its murderer, a revenant has true seeing and discern lies in effect at all times (CL 20th); these abilities cannot be dispelled.