To celebrate the upcoming holiday and the play test paizo is running right now for the three new classes coming out next year, I thought I cook up an encounter with two of the new classes you can throw at some low level characters. And so I give you Hollee and Tensile.
Hollee is a young drow elf looking to make a name for herself. A gifted negotiator and burgeoning witch, she can be a part of whatever shady deal your players might be involved in. Of course, she doesn’t go anywhere without her indentured servant / favorite enforcer Tensile. A half-orc born into servitude on Apostae, Tensile is content to ride Hollee’s coat tails into whatever fortune she might be working toward, as long as he gets to bash a few heads and cause a little mayhem on the way.
The players should encounter Hollee and Tensile somewhere suitably shady, preferably in a back room or other enclosed area. The moment hostility breaks out Hollee will use her create darkness ability to plunge the area around her into darkness, which isn’t going to slow down Tensile at all. And she is not above a preemptive betrayal, if you want to give her a surprise round to get her darkness up. Tensile will delay until after Hollee goes, regardless of his initiative, and once she has killed the lights he will rush in to melee range with the nearest player. Next round, if she isn’t being pressed by the players, Hollee will use her infinite worlds ability to make the terrain around Tensile harder to navigate, making sure the half-orc can remain close to his foes and deal some damage. From then on Hollee will focus on using her spells and pistol to harry any player spell-casters while Tensile draws fire and fights up close. Tensile will fight to the death, and an additional round due to his orc ferocity, but Hollee will surrender if she is down to half her hit points or less, calling off Tensile when she does so.
Here are their sheets, with downloadable pdfs. Be sure to check out the play test surveys after you run the encounter and let paizo know what you think about the new classes.
DROW WITCHWARPER CR 1
XP 400
Drow corporate agent witchwarper 1
CE Medium humanoid (elf)
Init +1; Perception +4
DEFENSE SP 5 HP 9 RP 5
EAC 11; KAC 12
Fort +0, Ref +3, Will +1
Immunities sleep; Weaknesses light blindness
OFFENSE
Speed 30 ft.
Melee survival knife +1 (1d4 S; analog, operative)
Ranged azimuth laser pistol +1 (1d4 F; 80 ft.; crit burn 1d4)
Witchwarper Spells Known (CL 1st; ranged +1)
1st (3/day)- overheat, shifting surge
0 (at will)- charming veneer, energy ray, ghost sound, psychokinetic hand
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 1st)
at will – dancing lights,detect magic
STATISTICS
Str 10 (+0), Dex 12 (+1), Con 10 (+0), Int 11 (+0), Wis 12 (+1), Cha 18 (+4)
Skills Culture +4, Diplomacy +9,Mysticism +5, Perception +4, Sense Motive +2; (reduce the DC of Culture checks to recall knowledge about corporations and their executives and related topics by 5).
Feats Mystic Strike.
Languages Common, Elven/Drow, Orc, Ysoki.
Other Abilities infinite worlds, create darkness.
Combat Gear mk 1 serums of healing (2);
Other Gear flight suit station wear, survival knife, azimuth laser pistol with 2 batteries (20 charges each), industrial backpack, everyday clothing (5), flashlight, bedroll, blanket, sleeping bag, mess kit, field rations (1 week), hygiene kit, personal comm unit with a battery (20 charges),credstick (88 credits).
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Infinite Worlds (Su): Twice per day as a standard action, the drow can call upon infinite other possibilities to temporarily impose an alternate reality within a10-foot-radius sphere. The drow can target an area within medium range (110 feet), and the effect lasts for 1 round. This affects creatures, objects, and other aspects of the environment only as explicitly indicated in this ability. Unless otherwise stated, when the drow uses infinite worlds, they can apply any or all effects they know. The drow can cause the affected area to become difficult terrain. This might mean that metal flooring becomes rickety and bowed, a jungle floor becomes sticky with mud, the air becomes filled with detritus, or the fabric of reality shifts in some other subtle way. When the drow creates difficult terrain in this way, it is considered magically altered terrain for the purposes of other effects.
Drow Magic (Su): The drow can use the listed spell-like abilities, each as a standard action.
OTHER INFORMATION
Archetype None.
Key Scores Whitchwarper: Cha.
CHARMING VENEER
School illusion
Casting Time 1 standard action
Range medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./level)
Targets 1 creature
Duration 10 minutes
Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance no
You pull gossamer threads from other, more genteel realities and wrap the target creatures in them, smoothing the edges of their mannerisms and accentuating their charms to make them more appealing to those around them. The target creatures gain a +1 circumstance bonus to Charisma checks and Charisma-based skill checks. Additionally, a creature under the effects of this spell can attempt a Diplomacy check to spend 10 minutes to gather information (rather than the normal 1d4hours). Once any individual under the effects of a charming veneer spell you cast has succeeded at a Diplomacy check to spend just 10minutes to gather information in a specific settlement or local region, no target of a charming veneer spell you cast can do so again for 24 hours
SHIFTING SURGE
School transmutation
Casting Time 1 standard action
Range touch
Targets one willing creature or object
Duration instantaneous
Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance yes
You touch a willing creature and affect one of its weapons that deals energy damage. If the creature is capable of making attacks that deal energy damage without using a weapon, you can instead affect the creature and its weaponless energy attacks. You can change the type of energy damage dealt by the weapon or creature until the end of your next turn (to acid, cold, electricity, fire, or sonic). Whether or not you change the energy type, if the next energy attack made by the creature or weapon before the end of your next turn hits, the attack deals 2d6 additional energy damage if it targets only a single creature or object, or 1d6 additional energy damage if it affects an area or multiple targets.
HALF-ORC VANGUARD CR 1
XP 400
Half-orc death-touched vanguard 1
LE Medium humanoid (human, orc)
Init +3; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +5
DEFENSE SP 12 HP 14 RP 4
EAC 15; KAC 17
Fort +5, Ref +5, Will +0
Defensive Abilities orc ferocity
OFFENSE
Speed 20 ft.
Melee runner spark knife +4 (1d4+1 E & S; drain charge, operative, powered) or entropic strike +4 (1d3+3 A or B; block, operative)
Offensive Abilities entropic strike.
STATISTICS
Str 11 (+1), Dex 16 (+3), Con 16 (+3), Int 10 (+0), Wis 10 (+0), Cha 10 (+0)
Skills Acrobatics +6, Athletics+4, Culture +4, Intimidate +8, Perception +5, Survival +6; (can use Perception checks to recall knowledge of undead and negative energy effects)
Feats Improved Combat Maneuver (bull rush), Toughness.
Languages Common, Elven/half-orc, Orc
Other Abilities aspect insight (exergy), entropic pool, primary vanguard aspect (exergy).
Combat Gear mk 1 serums of healing (2);
Other Gear troop ceremonial plate, runner spark knife, basic riot shield (+1/+2), industrial backpack, everyday clothing (5), flashlight, bedroll, blanket,sleeping bag, mess kit, field rations (1 week), hygiene kit, personal comm unit with a battery (20 charges), credstick (13 credits).
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Entropic Pool (Su): When combat begins, the half-orc has 0 Entropy Points. While the half-orc have no Entropy Points, they can spend 1 Resolve Point as a move action to gain 1 EP. Each time the half-orc takes damage equal to or greater than twice their level from a single attack or effect from a significant enemy, they gain 1 EP. If the half-orc takes damage from a critical hit, they gain 1 additional EP, on top of any gained from the attack’s normal damage. The half-orc can have a maximum number of EP in their entropic pool equal to 3. As long as the half-orc has at least 1 Entropy Point in their entropic pool, they gain a +1enhancement bonus to their Armor Class. At the end of combat, the half-orc loses any Entropy Points they have gained. The half-orc can’t gain Entropy Points outside of combat.
Entropic Strike (Su): The half-orc’s entropic strike is a melee attack that counts as a magical advanced melee weapon with the block and operative weapon special properties and that targets EAC (even when dealing bludgeoning damage). For any calculation that requires the item level of their entropic strike (including those gained from entropic attunement), treat the half-orc’s vanguard level as their entropic strike’s item level. Although the half-orc does not need a freehand to use their entropic strike, it counts as a one-handed weaponfor other purposes.
The half-orc can also deliver an entropic strike with any melee weapon with which they are proficient or any shield that allows them to make unarmed attacks. When the half-orc does this, the attack acts as their entropic strike(targeting EAC, gaining the block and operative weapon special properties, and dealing the damage of their entropic strike). The half-orc’s entropic strike is considered to be made of whatever material the weapon or shield is made of for the purposes of bypassing DR or creature weaknesses. If the melee weapon or shield is no more than 2 item levels below their vanguard level, the half-orc can also apply any weapon special property, critical hit effect, or weapon fusion the melee weapon or shield has to their entropic strike.
Their entropic strike deals damage equal to 1d3+3 damage. For each attack, the half-orc can choose for this to deal acid damage, bludgeoning damage, or both. When the half-orc scores a critical hit with entropic strike against a significant enemy during combat, they can forgo dealing the extra damage from the critical hit to gain 1 Entropy Point.
Exergy Aspect Insight: The half-orc gains Improved Combat Maneuver (bull rush) as a bonus feat and a +2 insight bonus to Intimidate checks. These have already been included above.
Improved Combat Maneuver (BullRush): The half-orc gains a +4 bonus to their attack roll to resolve the bull rush combat maneuver.
Orc Ferocity: Once per day, a half-orc brought to 0 Hit Points but not killed can fight on for 1more round. The half-orc drops to 0 HP and is dying (following the normal rules for death and dying) but can continue to act normally until the end of his next turn, when he becomes unconscious as normal. If he takes additional damage before this, he ceases to be able to act and falls unconscious.
Toughness: The half-orc gains a+4 bonus to many Constitution checks to avoid damage or negative consequences from harsh environments.
OTHER INFORMATION
Archetype None.
Key Scores Vanguard: Con.
Categories: Uncategorized
Jeremy Corff
Artist and Writer