Jeff Crunch: You've Just Crossed Over into the Witch Zone

By Jeff Harris

           Anyone who is a fan of the Twilight Zone (the original not the remake) I hope will recall that Rod gave us characters in his work that were often very witch like.  More often than not they were characters that advised or warned the stories protagonist.  They would serve as a moral compass for the audience, and a window into the ethical meta-plot of the episode. When they gave advice it was best heeded and usually wise.  However when they gave warning or condemned a protagonist’s actions we as views knew the protagonist was in the wrong and was going to learn a penitent lesson or suffer karmic justice.  Thus for your viewing and gaming pleasure The Flying Pincushion presents a new witch patron and new hexes that I hope do Rod Serling proud no matter the dimension.

Witch Patrons                                                                                                           

Karma: 2nd—doom, 4th—early judgment, 6th—fractions of heal and harm, 8th—terrible remorse, 10th—serenity, 12th—joyful rapture, 14th—resonating word, 16th—polymorph any object, 18—imprisonment.

Hexes

Curse of Baleful Irony (Su):  A witch may use this hex to turn the weapons, tools, and possessions of the target against them and their allies.  Weapons deal their damage to either the wielder (50% chance) or the nearest ally (50% chance) on successful attacks, tools give the broken condition to whatever they are used to work or create or a -4 to the skill check they modify, and miscellaneous non magical items, excluding clothing, do the opposite of what they are intended to do. Examples of this include, but are not limited to, rope trips or entangle the user, a lantern blinds them, spectacles make things blurry, a backpack opens spilling its contents, etc.  The curse lasts a number of rounds equal to half the witch’s class level.  The affect only applies to items the target tries to actively use during the hexes duration, and that are included in this entry.   A successful Will save negates this affect.  If magical weapons or tools are wielded or used by the target of this hex, they provide a miscellaneous +4 bonus to the Will save.  Armor, magical or not, cannot be the target of this hex.  Regardless of whether the save is successful or not a creature cannot be the target of this hex again for 1 day.

Curse of Twisted Beauty (Su):  The witch can use this hex to cause the target to be affected by a condition similar to that of the repulsive trait of a thawn.  The target of this hex finds the appearance of themselves and others of their kind revolting.  All creatures matching the targets race(s) and or types/subtypes within 30 feet of the uncloaked target must make a DC 15 Will save or be sickened for 1 round. This repulsion is all the more severe if the target sees its own reflection. Should the target of this hex 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.  For the purposes of applying this hex a creature belonging to more than one race or type/subtype (half-elves, tieflings, aasimars, half-orcs, hybrid monsters, etc) apply the affect to all races or types/subtypes to which they belong for the purposes of whom their appearance sickens.  This hex lasts for a number of rounds equal to half of the witch’s class level.  A Will save negates this affect.  Regardless of whether or not the save is successful a creature cannot be the target of this hex again for 1 day.

Major Hexes

Karmic Fate (Su):  The witch may use this hex to reward a karmic boon to those who harm none, or a karmic punishment to those who spurn balance and spread suffering.  Thus creatures of a good or neutral alignment that are the target of this hex receive a +4 insight bonus which they can apply to a total number of d20 rolls equal to half of the witch’s class level, these normally being attacks, saving throws, skill checks, and ability check rolls.  These bonuses must be used within 24 hours of becoming the target of this hex.  The target loses these bonuses if they commit any actions that violate their alignment.  Conversely evil creatures suffer a -4 penalty to a number of d20 rolls equal to half the witch’s level.  The same types of dice rolls can be affected as with a good or neutral creature.  As long as the target is affect by this hex the witch can chose what rolls take the -4 penalty, although the witch must be aware of the action the target is taking which he or she wishes to penalize.  As with good creatures these penalties must be used within 24 hours of the target being affected by this hex.  A Will save negates this effect, though it is harmless to good and neutral creatures.  Regardless of whether or not the save is successful a creature cannot be the target of this hex again for 1 day.

Grand Hexes

Karmic Justice (Su):  The witch may use this hex to reward those with good karma or bring those with bad karma the terrible consequences they have earned through their cruelty and evil.  A good or neutral creature that is the target of this hex is affected by the spells heal, greater restoration, and resurrection if dead.  Conversely an evil creature that is the target of this hex is affected by the harm, bestow curse, and destruction spells.  The target must save against each spell individually and the save is as noted in the spells description.  Regardless of whether or not any of the saves were successful a creature cannot be the target of this hex again for 1 day.

Mishelved: That DVD Collection of the Twilight Zone

By Frank Gori

 

As a kid I grew up on reruns of the Twilight Zone. As an adult I appreciate more the themes and the social commentary I missed as a child. However, the suspense and eventual emotional distress of the adults was always clear. Everything always starts out fine. Rod Serling paints a picture of the ideal 50’s middle class America and then foreshadows that things are about to go strange when he says the characters are about to enter The Twilight Zone.

The opening narration is crucial to the show. When Rod say people are about to enter or are already in The Twilight Zone it is a social contract to suspend disbelief. The opening credits (which had slight variations across the seasons) used images and narration to basically say that things were not going to operate in the reality to which everyone was accustomed.

If you’re a GM the take away might be to do a player handout that sets the scene or read a prepared paragraph. I’ve have games where I have done this and its an effective way to bring everyone into the reality you are about to present. As a player I have voices I do for my characters and little verbal exercises that help bring me into the proper mentality of the character. Little touches like this can make a game much more enjoyable.

Then there’s sound editing. Every suspenseful moment is punctuated with sound. The actors sometimes go a little over the top but the instrumentation always backs them up. The audience ends up so engaged they don’t even notice.

Everyone already knows about using music as a background but sounds aren’t hard to find either. A few bookmarks and a spare second could make the marsh more real to your players because they can hear light splashes from various creatures and the songs of hundreds of crickets or frogs.

Costuming and heavy supernatural elements are typically kept off screen. Threats are typically vague and rely on the imagination of the audience to make things worse..

Figurines are fantastic and can really add something to the battle map but if you want the threat to be more abstract or if it’s harder to see I recommend a token or coin be used until the PCs pass a perception check. Monster variants exist so feel free to change some of the appearance details on your monsters. For the grognard gamer who knows the beastiary as well as you do it will throw them off.

In The Twilight Zone, action is rarely direct until whatever it is that stalks the protagonists has a certainty of victory. I sometimes wonder at the weaker creatures in Pathfinder taking on clearly stronger ones.

Sometimes as gamers we sometimes forget, an encounter with a Troll or Worg would be terrifying for the normal character. More importantly even dull witted monsters should think, and plan, and utilize some basic tactical elements. Take Worgs as a prime example, they can mimic human sounding voices, see in the dark, and trip characters for free. It’s a rare GM I see using these enormous advantages effectively.

Irony is another engaging element of The Twilight Zone. The u-boat captain that sank an innocent passenger liner has to relive that moment time and time again on the liner in hell, or the woman that speaks of being a horrific freak looks beautiful to our eyes while everyone else appears freakish, or the man content only with books get his dearest wish an eternity of uninterrupted reading tome with all the books he could want only to have his glasses broken. There is a cosmic sense of justice where folk get the fate they deserve.

The hallmark of the best GMs Is succeeding in creating a world or universe that makes a sort of sense. It need not be cosmic justice, however there should be themes that expand beyond the surface of your games. For my games there’s typically an air of revolution against tyranny mostly because of my love of The Three Musketeers and Robinhood. Find something you enjoy and let it permeate your games.

Monster Mondays: Forlorn Spirit

By Andrew Hoskins
Forward by Frank Gori

"You unlock this door with the key of imagination. Beyond it is another dimension— a dimension of sound, a dimension of sight, a dimension of mind. You're moving into a land of both shadow and substance, of things and ideas. You've just crossed over into the Twilight Zone." -Rod Serling

This week The Flying Pincushion has chosen to look to The Twilight Zone for inspiration. Some might say that a TV show not matter how good is not literature, but lI find myself wanting to argue it could be.

The Twilight Zone was ground breaking in its time. Because it passed itself as suspenseful science fiction it got away with making statements and observations that would possibly be considered subversive in what was in retrospect a socially oppressive time.

There were 16 episodes that can directly be called ghost stories in the series run, dozens more that could be interpreted that way. While the Forlorn Spirit isn't recognizable from an episode the psychological games and elusively preditory nature of the spirit should be very familiar.

Forlorn Spirit

This ghostly apparition peers around, as if lost. The shadow of someone you once knew is spread across its features.

Forlorn Spirit CR 6

XP 2,400

NE Medium undead (incorporeal)

Init +7; Senses darkvision 60 ft., sense loss 100 ft.; Perception +10

Aura unnatural aura (60 ft.)

DEFENSE

AC 16, touch 16, flat-footed 13 (+3 deflection, +3 Dex)

hp 40 (5d8+20)

Fort +1, Ref +4, Will +6

Defensive Abilities channel resistance +2, incorporeal, natural invisibility; Immune undead traits

OFFENSE

Speed fly 40 ft. (good)

Melee incorporeal touch +5 (1d4 Wisdom damage plus euphoric dream DC 16)

Special Attacks nightmare of loss

STATISTICS

Str -, Dex 16, Con -, Int 13, Wis 15, Cha 17

Base Atk +3; CMB +6; CMD 19

Feats Deceitful, Flyby Attack, Improved Initiative

Skills Bluff +10, Disguise +13 (+23 with visage of the lost soul), Fly +11, Perception +10, Stealth +11

Languages Common

SQ visage of the lost soul

ECOLOGY

Environment any, usually urban

Organization solitary

Treasure none

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Euphoric Dream (Su) When a Forlorn Spirit succeeds at causing Wisdom damage with a melee touch attack, it can cause the target to make a Will save (DC 16) or be caught in a waking dream.  If successful, the forlorn spirit heals hit points equal to the Wisdom damage inflicted.  While in this state, the target believes it has been reunited with the subject of its loss.  The target may make a new saving throw at the beginning of each round to disbelieve the dream.  If the target’s Wisdom damage equals or exceeds its actual Wisdom score, then the Euphoric Dream immediately ends and the target falls under the effects of a Nightmare of Loss instead.  This functions like a mirage arcana spell, but is a phantasm instead of a glamer.  The DC is Charisma based.

Natural Invisibility (Su) Forlorn spirits are naturally invisible, but can be forced into view with spells like invisibility purge or glitterdust.

Nightmare of Loss (Su) The target suffers a waking nightmare similar to Euphoric Dream, but the subject of their loss is actively tormenting them.  The forlorn spirit’s selective invisibility ends immediately.  The target falls under the effects of a mad hallucination^(UM) spell, featuring the subject of their loss, with a permanent duration.  All mental ability damage is converted to ability drain and cannot be recovered while this effect persists.  This effect can only be lifted with break enchantment, greater restoration, heal, or remove curse.

Sense Loss (Su) A forlorn sprit can sense the feelings of depression and loss being experienced by a living creature within 100 feet.  The spirit gains knowledge of the subject from the point of view of the creature; it then becomes obsessed with the creature and the subject of their loss.  The subject of loss is usually a deceased family member, friend, or lover, but can be any living creature the target believes is dead and had a strong emotional bond with.  This is a mind-influencing affect.

Visage of the Lost Soul (Sp) As a standard action, a forlorn spirit may choose to drop its natural invisibility for a single creature that it can sense with its Sense Loss ability.  The spirit also falls under the effects of a disguise self spell, but the spell must duplicate the identity of the target’s subject of loss.  Any vocalization made while in this disguise will also mimic the voice of the form they have taken.

 

Forlorn spirits can manifest when a sapient creature’s emotional loss is so immense that the creature loses the will to live and dies.  If the creature is evil, or the presence of negative energy is strong in the location the creature dies, then the transformation is much more likely.  Once transformed, the creature remembers nothing of its past life but the intense pain of losing a loved one.  This pain quickly turns to anger, longing, and an urge to force others to suffer in turn.

 

These spirits are often found in urban areas where the selection of victims is broad, but they can exist in any area.  Forlorn spirits in the wilderness will often stalk travelers until they get to a populated area before attacking them directly and driving them mad.

 

Delighting in the thrill of torturing their victims, a forlorn spirit will often whisper in their victim’s ear remembered moments from when the subject was still alive.  These are particularly emotional statements such as marriage vows, pet names, or dying words.  Once the victim’s feelings are stirred, the spirit will appear to them as their lost love, but only in a crowd of people or just around a corner before disappearing again.  After the victim is especially distraught, the spirit will appear to them one last time, offering words of farewell, eternal love, or friendship.  While the victim finally feels some release and closure, the forlorn spirit feasts on the emotional energy.  Once the victim is completely drained, the forlorn sprit leaves them as a husk of consciousness, able to experience nothing but the overwhelming pain of their loss.

 

Mythic Forlorn

This ghostly apparition peers around with purpose seeking someone. It’s features resemble someone dear to you but lost, and you realize that it is you the creature seeks.

Mythic Forlorn Spirit CR 8/Mythic 3

XP 4,800

NE Medium undead (incorporeal, mythic)

Init +10; Senses darkvision 60 ft., sense loss 100 ft.; Perception +10

Aura fear aura (60 ft., DC 18)

DEFENSE

AC 18, touch 18, flat-footed 15 (+5 deflection, +3 Dex)

hp 69 (5d8+25+24)

Fort +1, Ref +4, Will +6

Defensive Abilities channel resistance +4, incorporeal, natural invisibility; DR 5/epic; Immune undead traits

OFFENSE

Speed fly 40 ft. (good)

Melee incorporeal touch +5 (1d6 Wisdom damage plus euphoric dream DC 18)

Special Attacks nightmare of loss, mythic power (3/day, surge +1d6)

STATISTICS

Str -, Dex 16, Con -, Int 10, Wis 15, Cha 21

Base Atk +3; CMB +6; CMD 21

Feats Deceitful^M, Flyby Attack, Improved Initiative^M

Skills Bluff +14, Disguise +17 (+27 with visage of the lost soul), Fly +11, Perception +11, Stealth +11

Languages Common

SQ visage of the lost soul

ECOLOGY

Environment any, usually urban

Organization solitary

Treasure none

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Euphoric Dream (Su) When a Forlorn Spirit succeeds at causing Wisdom damage with a melee touch attack, it can cause the target to make a Will save (DC 18) or be caught in a waking dream.  If successful, the forlorn spirit heals hit points equal to the Wisdom damage inflicted.  While in this state, the target believes it has been reunited with the subject of its loss.  The target may make a new saving throw at the beginning of each round to disbelieve the dream.  If the target’s Wisdom damage equals or exceeds its actual Wisdom score, then the Euphoric Dream immediately ends and the target falls under the effects of a Nightmare of Loss instead.  This functions like a mirage arcana spell, but is a phantasm instead of a glamer.  The DC is Charisma based.

Fear Aura (Su) All living non-mythic creatures within 60 ft. of a mythic forlorn spirit are shaken while within the aura, mythic creatures may make a DC 18 Will save to negate the effect.  If the creature can see the mythic forlorn spirit in its natural form, the creature must make a DC 18 Will save or begin cowering.  A creature may make a new save against the cowering effect on the end of each turn.

Natural Invisibility (Su) Forlorn spirits are naturally invisible, but can be forced into view with spells like invisibility purge or glitterdust.  When forcefully exposed, the mythic forlorn spirit may immediately use Euphoric Dream against all creatures within 30 feet.

Nightmare of Loss (Su) The target suffers a waking nightmare similar to Euphoric Dream, but the subject of their loss is actively tormenting them.  The forlorn spirit’s selective invisibility ends immediately and it regains 1 mythic power.  The target falls under the effects of a mad hallucination^(UM) spell, featuring the subject of their loss, with a permanent duration.  All mental ability damage is converted to ability drain and cannot be recovered while this effect persists.  This effect can only be lifted with mythic versions of break enchantment, greater restoration, heal, or remove curse.  Additionally, wish can lift the condition. 

Sense Loss (Su) A forlorn sprit can sense the feelings of depression and loss being experienced by a living creature within 100 feet.  The spirit gains knowledge of the subject from the point of view of the creature; it then becomes obsessed with the creature and the subject of their loss.  The subject of loss is usually a deceased family member, friend, or lover, but can be any living creature the target believes is dead and had a strong emotional bond with.  This is a mind-influencing affect.

Visage of the Lost Soul (Sp) As a standard action, a forlorn spirit may choose to drop its natural invisibility for a single creature that it can sense with its Sense Loss ability.  The spirit also falls under the effects of an alter self spell, but the spell must duplicate the identity of the target’s subject of loss.  Any vocalization made while in this disguise will also mimic the voice of the form they have taken.

 

Mythic forlorn spirits are formed when a standard forlorn spirit drains the emotional energy from a mythic creature, or when a mythic creature dies when losing the will to live because of an incredible emotional loss.  They often cause even the most stalwart of foes to run in fear.

 

It’s a Long way to the top if you want to Game Design…

By Frank Gori

I’m going to focus on the writing game design side but my advice should apply to art and layout as well.

So you want to Freelance… Something inside of you has clicked. Maybe it was the forums, maybe it was a nice compliment from a player at your gaming table, or maybe you just realized you’ve been playing tabletop rpgs for most of your life and have figured out you have logged that 10,000 hours it takes to be an expert on something.

Listen to this song it’s relevant to the article.

Now what? Write. It’s harder than it sounds but you need to start producing material immediately, even if it isn’t immediately useful the habit of writing is. Write character stories, start doing character builds, alter storylines in your favorite APs, and maybe get on some forums and share your work.

I say share you work because…

You need feedback. Writing is all about taking feedback and making your work better.  Not every idea baby that forms in your skull deserves to be put in front of someone and you’ll learn that when you start by putting them all in front of someone.

Writing takes practice. You might know the game better than most but that doesn’t translate to writing for it. You also need to be gracious about feedback even negative feedback. That doesn’t mean be a doormat for abuse, which can and will happen on the internet, it means learn to handle even shitty feedback because you need a thick skin.

You might be wondering…

How hard can it be? I can only speak for myself but I’m getting what one might call moderate success after about 10 months of working at it. I have a blog, I’m a partner in 2 start ups and scored a publishing agreement for both, I have stuff on a prominent publisher’s blog, I have publishing credits in 2 fanzines, and contribution credits in 3 established publisher’s printed lines (some of which are not yet released.)

I’ve been paid for my work on 6 occasions, not counting contributer copies. You need to put yourself out there allot to get anywhere, you need to put together an approach.

Once you have that you can…

Start submitting to publishers. Look for open calls, be prepared for allot of No thank yous and even more non replies. Publishers are busy and allot of them suck at communicating rejection because of it. Good thing you developed that thick skin right?

It you get some bite great, work it out but do not get cocky. Publishers hate cocky authors. The reality is…

Accept you will be writing allot for free. Try Wayfinder, Blogs, and fanzines. Get yourself contributer copies and start building yourself a resume. If you can handle the pace and insanity of constant deadlines try your own blog or more reasonably get a regular slot on an established one. Reviews are a great way to break in, as are GM advice content, or even something simple like item or monster design.

Save links and pdfs of your stuff, this will be useful later. Next you should look at…

Research Publishers. Buy their products if you can afford it, if not consume everything they let out for free, and read reviews summarizing their content. You need to know your publishers if you want to pitch them.

For that matter…

Social Media is really important. You need to be assessable and you need to be able to communicate to the audience you are building. For a writer twitter, facebook, pretty much everything google, reddit, pintrest, skype, and dropbox are all important tools in your kit. Being savy with communication technology is a huge upside in a designer.

For that matter so is…

You’re a salesperson as a writer. You’re selling yourself to publishers, and your ideas to your audience. That means being nice, that means keeping your ego in check, and that means when someone does publish something of yours you need to be willing to promote it.

If they make money off you you’ll get more work from them. There’s something in it for you and them so don’t be arrogant of course you’re going to promote products you’ve contributed to. That reminds me, you should buy this, its very good and deserves lots of sales. Don’t take my word read this review.

You might be a salesperson but don’t expect…

Game design doesn’t pay the bills. I’m not saying I don’t get paid, but I will say getting paid within 6 months of starting was an accomplishment. You’re not going to get paid anything near minimum wage for the time you put in for a long time.

The first payment I got I refused to use paypal so I could scan and print myself a color copy of the check. It also had a nice sticky note from the publisher saying nice things, they are in a scrapbook now. I’ve gotten paid more and more frequently by other publishers but I cherish that little piece of paper more than it was worth ($25) because getting it meant my words had value to someone.

One cent per word is an industry standard for small publishers. They don’t really make much and their profit margins are small. They have to pay for art to sell their work and art is way more expensive then written work, accept this as fact and deal with it.

This is ok because…

Write or Game design because you love it. If you don’t, it will show in your work and your attitude. If you want to make money as a writer approach ad agencies and write commercials. This will be a low paying part time job unless you really strike it somewhere but you need to pay your dues in the industry first.

This will eat time. Time your significant other might resent. Carve it out of time that doesn’t normally belong to them, maybe out something else aside. Communicate. If someone love’s you and this is your dream let them know and they should understand and make allowances for that. If not then its not a healthy relationship or you need to examine what time you do give to that person.

I have been paid a few times but I’m well aware that…

No one knows who the frak you are. Listen, people don’t read the credits on allot of game books. You probably do but that’s because you’re a writer, you aren’t a casual consumer at this point. Maybe you haven’t dealt with much rejection yet and got paid early. Maybe your started in a fury and got paid quickly a few times and maybe did some huge numbers on a blog, enjoy it but understand something very simple- you aren’t Kanye West. Don’t be an ass, you aren’t big enough to get away with it yet or really ever in this industry.

Don’t start lording your paltry publishing creds over your gaming friends. Don’t demand things form your publishers because you’ve had some success. Build good will and be a solid cotozen, the world has enough writers that let themselves turn into a-holes don’t be that guy or gal.

If you’re still interested in freelancing, read our open call and contact me. I’m partnering with d20pfsrd and we’ll be publishing under that name in conjunction with some of my other partners by the end of 2013.

Jeff Crunch: Aletheian Scholar

A note from the author,                                                                                                                                           

This archetype is delving into untested ground, as it modifies an NPC class, the expert.  I personally believe the expert to be a viable player character, though it can be difficult and trying as I also personally believe that even with an enhanced expert they are still bellow the bar of many PC classes.  Also because of the nature of this class, I strongly suggest allowing the use of the tomes presented by Frank Gori earlier in our week of H.P. Lovecraft madness.  But without further ado the Flying Pincushion presents to you the aletheian scholar.

                                                                                                                                                           Sincerely,                                                                                                                                   

                                                                                                                                                           Jeff Harris      

Aletheian Scholar (Expert)

What thing is all at once the most powerful weapon, most deadly poison, most useful tool, and most seductive drug known to all men?  There are many answers to give, but to some there is but one true answer, knowledge.  As a weapon against it there is little defense, it easily poisons even the truest of hearts,  as a tool there is nothing in this world that knowledge did not create, and as a drug, none is more addictive, as the hunger for it can never be truly sated. For those who feel this in their very being there is a name, the aletheian scholar.  They are willing to risk death and madness to relearn what we have forgotten, and discover that which we are afraid to. To them there is no greater calling then truth, no knowledge too dangerous or taboo, for knowledge is neither good nor evil. If knowledge is the sword and men the hand, should it not be the hand that terrifies us then, for like the sword, without the hand knowledge has no will, and can do no harm of its own.  It would stand to reason then that exposing the worlds many secrets to the harsh light of truth is worth any cost. For truth should be unbound by the shackles of morality.  No matter their ethical standings however, all aletheian scholars share the belief that truth and knowledge are mans keys to unlocking reality, and our place in it.   

Weapon and Armor Proficiency Same as a standard expert plus the following; fire arms (both one and two handed) and one martial or exotic weapon of your choice.  Aletheian scholars are also proficient with bucklers and small shields as well as light armor.

Skills In addition to picking 10 class skills, Linguistics, Perception, and Knowledge (history) are always class skills for the aletheian scholar.

A Use for All Things: Sometimes the search for knowledge leads to dangerous places, and sometimes you have to adapt to the situation at hand.  Because of this at 1^st level the aletheian scholar receives Equipment Trick as a bonus feat and may pick one item and use its associated tricks, you must still meet the requirements for using the specific tricks in each item category.  Every six levels attained (7^th, 13^th, and 19^th) after 1^st you gain this feat again as a bonus feat and may choose an additional item from the list.  Also this ability reduces the penalty to hit when using improvised weapons from -4 to -2 for an aletheian scholar.  This reduction also applies to using a fire arm as a melee weapon, such as pistol whipping or stock bashing, as these attacks are being considered improvised weapon attacks.

Candle of Truth: Because of the boundless curiosity and unending appetite for knowledge aletheian scholars often know at least something about many subjects, they simply need to recall that knowledge from the library of their mind.  As a result beginning at 3^rd level you may add a bonus of ½ your class level in this class (minimum 1) to any knowledge skill check you wish.  You may use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your intelligence modifier. 

Harbor No Secrets:  Because bringing to light all the knowledge of the world is an intrinsic part of the aletheian scholar’s philosophy, finding that which is hidden in words comes as second nature.  As a result at 3^rd level whenever the aletheian scholar attempts to use the Linguistics skill to decipher a code or unfamiliar language or the Perception skill to investigate books and documents in any way they add a bonus to the die roll equal to 1/2 of their class level (minimum 1) in this class.

Right Tool for the Job: Long hours spent in seedy taverns waiting for contacts and battling strange horrors have honed the everyday tools and items aletheian scholars carry into an effective means of self defense.  At 6^th level the aletheian scholar gains Improvised Weapon Mastery as a bonus feat.  For the purposes of applying this feat melee attacks with a fire arm, such as pistol whipping or stock bashing, are also considered to be improvised weapon attacks, and are subject to this feat.

Rune Foil (Su):  Because runes are simply an attempt to hide knowledge behind archaic mystic symbols aletheian scholars delight in deciphering and unraveling them.  At 8^th level the scholar gains a +5 insight bonus on all Perception checks to find magical glyphs and spell runes.  Additionally an aletheian scholar can attempt to dispel such runes (symbol spells, sepia snake sigils, glyph or warding, etc).  For the purpose of dispelling a rune the scholar’s class levels count as his caster level, if this meets or exceeds the rune creator’s caster level, then the rune is dispelled.  Using this ability is a full round action.

Unravel Scroll (Su):  While aletheian scholars do not gains spells or spell-like abilities, they do have an amazing knack for deciphering writing.  Because of this at 10^th level the aletheian scholar may attempt to use spell scrolls even if they have not invested skill ranks into the Use Magic Device skill.  In this case the scholar’s class level is considered their total modifier for the skill check.  However if the aletheian scholar has ranks in Use Magic Devise then they may roll their skill check twice and take the better of the two results when attempting to use a spell scroll. Using a scroll remains a standard action, and all scrolls are covered by this ability regardless of if arcane or divine.

Read Weakness (Ex):  An aletheian scholar may not seem to be a dangerous opponent, as spectacles and ink wells are rather no threatening.  However many that have tried to stop an aletheian scholar’s pursuit of knowledge has found otherwise.  At 12^th level the scholar has gained an almost supernatural ability to spot the weaknesses of their foes.  As a standard action a scholar may attempt a Perception check against an opponent.  If this skill check result meets or exceeds the targets Armor Class, the aletheian scholar has found a weakness.  As a result for 1d4 rounds the target of this ability losses the benefit of their armor and or shield to their Armor Class.  Magic pluses and enhancements are not lost, only the armor’s base defense value.  You may only affect a given target once with this ability in a 24 hour period, and those not wearing armor or carrying a shield cannot be affect by this ability.

Dangerous Knowledge (Su):  The greatest strength of the aletheian scholar is their mind, and the stores of lost or taboo knowledge contained therein.  As a result a 15^th level the aletheian scholar may choose a special class feature of another class and use that ability for a short time.  The class feature may not be spell casting.  A short list of choices includes; evasion, wild shape, channel energy, weapon training, armor training, monks unarmed strike, and uncanny dodge.  When using this ability you gain access to the chosen class feature for a number of rounds equal to your intelligence modifier.  Also for any class feature that scales by level, your level in the “class” is considered to be 3/4^th of your aletheian scholar level.  Also if you happen to have the class feature already from levels in another class, when using this ability you gain the improved version of the class ability (such as improved evasion or improved uncanny dodge) if one exists.  Class features that do not have an improved version are not affected in this way and are used normally if selected.  You may use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your intelligence modifier.  Using this ability is a full round action.  Feats cannot be taken and used by this ability.

Master of the Mind (Ex):  An aletheian scholar’s mind has become so strengthened by knowledge, and so strong in will, that few can sway them from their goals.  As a result at 18^th level the aletheian scholar becomes immune to all charm or mental domination affects.

Ascended Scholar (Su):  At the pinnacle of their studies, the aletheian scholar has gained so much knowledge and delved so many secrets that they are often compelled by posterity to record for all time the truths they have learned.  This takes the form of a special book, which can be a standard magical tome, grimori, or manual. Also any one of the Lovecraft themed books presented in “mishelved; H.P. Lovecraft” by Frank Gori would be appropriate.  Additionally an aletheian scholar may roll twice and take the better of the two results whenever they are forced to make a save or percentile role regarding a negative effect of a tome or book.  It should be noted that books that only function once still disappear after use, so chose carefully.