Happy Sunderday from Down Under

Greetings fellow Ramblers!

I have a treat for you today, something that I’ve only discovered the versatility of in the last few years, despite 25+ years of gaming. To me a shield was always a tool, much like a weapon but with less variety, and never really something that stood out as useful for anything more than extra AC for a melee character. All this changed a few years ago (probably about 3-4 years under the 3.5 rules) when I made an Azerblood Fighter (Tank) by the name of Jock McStrap (yes, it was a joke name but this is a rare thing for me and I was playing outside my comfort zone at the time). He had a fairly high Constitution, I think it was about 24 by 8th level, and as many of the feats that gave him more hit points or AC as I could stack on him. Since he was built to take punishment, he also needed a high AC, and after looking through the special shields I came upon the Spined Shield and was instantly smitten. A shield that doubled as a ranged weapon (something that my Dexterity challenged character didn’t have) was A-OK in my book and so with my GM’s permission I added on as many extra pluses as I could afford with my starting gold (he was a replacement for my previous character and so started at 8th level) and thus my view of shields was forever altered. He went on to miss waaaaay more times than he actually hit with the spines, but that never deterred him (or me) from using it.

So now when I make a character who can use a shield, I look beyond its AC bonus and try to see whether or not I can find other uses that will complement the character I am building. To this end, I now present a new column for you here that I hope will give you some extra versatility when rolling up your Pathfinder Fighter or Paladin, Druid or Inquisitor, Cleric or Cavalier or any other concept that you imagine.

Thanks to Theodric, each Sunday I’ll give you a new shield and I hope that you enjoy them and can get some use from them. And as an added bonus for my first week, I’m also gonna give you a new shield Magical Property as well.

The reconnaissance shield was devised by a wizard general during a massive civil war to help his scouts get close enough to the enemy camps to gather useful information without getting caught. After the enemy commander learned of the tactic, he ordered large cleared areas be made around their campsites, but despite this sound order enough of his tactics and troop movements had been gleaned by that time to lead to his eventual defeat.

Reconnaissance Shield

Aura Moderate Illusion; CL 6th

Slot shield; Price 22,150gp; Weight 45 lb.

DESCRIPTION

This +1 Tower Shield looks like any other wooden shield of its kind, except for the carved leaves along the front border. It is used primarily by armies and forest scouts as a useful device for spying on enemy encampments.

While Proficiency with Tower Shields is needed for normal use, its other power can be used by anyone without penalty.

Three times a day, the wielder can crouch down behind the shield and make the image of a tree appear around herself. This illusion acts as a major image in all ways, save it is centered on the shield and cannot be moved. The tree can be made to appear as any kind the wielder wishes to blend in with their surroundings and can be any height from 10-20ft. A viewing slot in the shield (undetectable from the front facing) can be opened up once behind the shield so as to spy upon whatever the user wishes. The duration lasts for as long the shield is held, although movement in any direction of more than a foot from the spot the illusion was first enacted also cancels the effect.

CONSTRUCTION

Requirements Craft Magic Arms and Armor, major image; Cost 11,075gp

Originally developed by a magus who employed a shield as his weapon of choice to confuse his enemies, this special ability has made its way into general use, although its cost means it is still quite rare.

Shield Special Ability

Invisible: A shield with this special ability can be made invisible at will as a swift action. This invisibility lasts for up to 10 rounds, after which time it becomes visible again. The wielder can make the shield visible again at any time during the 10 rounds as a free action. Once the shield has been made visible, it cannot become invisible again for a number of minutes equal to the rounds it was invisible.

While active, an invisible shield gives it’s user a +5 bonus on bluff attempts to feint in combat. It also imparts an additional +2 deflection bonus to AC while it is active, as your opponent is never quite sure where your shield is positioned.

Strong Illusion; CL 9th; Craft Magic Arms and Armor, shield, greater invisibility; Price +3 bonus.

New! Sunderday from Down Under!

by Dave Mallon

New Feature!  New Guest blogger!  Warriors, get more out of your shields!

You may have noticed Flash cxxi quietly added to the author roll this week.  He's another friend I made over the years thanks to the Paizo boards, and in particular, the [in]famous FaWTL threads (in Off Topic -- what could this mean?).  This thread has produced a publisher, authors, artists, an RPG SuperStar and RPGSS placers over the years -- not to mention innumerable laughs, curses, and brilliant ideas.  They've been a wonderful source of support and friendship to me, in-blog and off-blog.  Flash is the most recent in this fawesome line of Fawtlies to go from reader to contributor.  He will be offering a feature that focuses on shields, and he is the first contributor from outside the US: Australia, represent!  Tune in later today for his first post!  All hail IssacX!

by Hugo Solis

Frightful Fridays! Behemoth Teleost

When Patrick pointed out this illustration of a monstrous land-walking angler fish, I had to create a Frightful Fridays! entry from it. In keeping with the sources, the behemoth teleost uses its lure to attract prey, but it will chase down those who resist its lure.  

I had a lot of fun working on this creature, and I hope you like it as well. See you next week!

Illustration by Christopher Burdett

A light cuts through the darkness slowly revealing an enormous creature that looks like an angler fish attached to an elephantine body.
Behemoth Teleost CR 13
XP 25,600
CN Huge aberration
Init +3; Senses see in darkness, tremorsense 300 ft.; Perception +32

Defense
AC 27, touch 11, flat-footed 24 (+3 Dex, +16 natural, –2 size)
hp 180 (19d8+95); regeneration 15 (acid)
Fort +13, Ref +9, Will +15
Immune cold, electricity, fire, poison

Offense
Speed 50 ft., burrow 20 ft.
Melee bite +23 (3d8+10/19–20 plus disease and grab), gore +22 (3d8+10)
Space 15 ft.; Reach 15 ft.
Special Attacks disease, fast swallow, light lure, powerful charge (gore, 6d8+20), swallow whole (4d6 acid damage, AC 18, 18 hp)
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 19th; concentration +23)
At will—deeper darkness
3/day—blindness (DC 16), searing light (DC 17)
1/day—prismatic spray (DC 21)

Statistics
Str 31, Dex 16, Con 20, Int 13, Wis 19, Cha 18
Base Atk +14; CMB +26 (+30 grapple and overrun); CMD 39 (43 vs. trip)
Feats Bleeding Critical, Combat Reflexes, Critical Focus, Great Fortitude, Greater Overrun, Improved Critical (bite), Improved Overrun, Power Attack, Skill Focus (Perception), Weapon Focus (bite)
Skills Intimidate +26, Knowledge (nature) +23, Perception +32, Stealth +17, Survival +26
Languages Aklo
SQ Resilient lure

Ecology
Environment any terrestrial
Organization solitary or pair
Treasure standard

Special Abilities
Teleost Withering Disease (Ex) Bite; save Fort DC 24; onset 1 day; frequency 1 day; effect 1d6 Str damage; cure 3 consecutive saves. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Light Lure (Su) A behemoth teleost can activate or deactivate its lure as a free action. The lure cuts through darkness of any kind, including that created by deeper darkness. Any creature within a 300-foot radius of the lure must succeed at a DC 23 Will save to avoid becoming entranced by the lure. Those who successfully save are not subject to the same teleost’s lure for 24 hours, but those who fail move toward the teleost using the most direct means possible. A victim passing through a dangerous area receives a second saving throw to shake off the effect. If anything attacks an affected victim, the effect automatically ends. This is a mind-affecting charm effect with a Charisma-based save DC.
Resilient Lure (Su) The lure is treated as having SR 30 with respect to spells or effects that would extinguish the lure’s light.

An eating machine that prefers to lure its prey to itself, a behemoth teleost is capable of depopulating square miles worth of land when it embarks on its short-term binges. A typical specimen measures 15-feet in all dimensions and weighs two tons.

Dread krakens were not content to create only underwater abominations; after all, their most likely enemies lived on the surface. So, they crafted the behemoth teleost, a predatory creature that would call forth darkness that so easily frightens surface dwellers, but then would offer false hope and ultimately death to those who fall prey to its lure. Like other predators that consume multiples of their own weight, a behemoth teleost feeds for a week and then falls into a deep slumber for months at a time—after burying itself deep within the earth. A hunting teleost finds a spot near a well-traveled path where it creates pockets of deeper darkness and then activates its lure when it senses the approach of potential prey. The creature also buries itself just below the ground’s surface and extends its lure above the ground to attract prey. While reasonably intelligent, a teleost fights to the death when it is hungry (which is almost always).

Drinking in Waterdeep

It might not be obvious how this belongs in Tomeful Tuesday, but I'm actually asking for help I'm not finding in the books I have -- or online, for that matter.

I had a one player game Saturday night due to some unfortunate circumstances with the other player, so there was lots of time for him to get to know Waterdeep.  (I'm having fun bringing my own versions of local NPCs to life.)  It's a dance of making stuff up and reinterpreting to suit myself and the game, but also wanting to have a sense for myself and the players of what the shared experience of Waterdeep is for gamers and readers.

Zzar is the margarita of Waterdeep, culturally speaking, says this Texan.  There's an accepted description of how it tastes: a dry white sparkling wine fortified with almond liqueur.  So I was surprised to not be able to find a description of how elverquisst -- the almost totemic elven wine in the Realms -- tastes.  How is that not in Volo's?  Or E.G. Presents the F.R.?  Or in the F.R. Wiki?  Are things elvish so ineffable?

Any setting sommeliers out there who can help a brother out?

Frightful Fridays! Monkey and Dragon

It's time for another Frightful Fridays! feature. I apologize for missing last week's update due to illness, but it was for the best, since my thoughts would have turned to evil phlegm monsters or something. Instead, this week, you get an evil monkey monster and another not-so-evil kaida. 

The akumasaru is a monkey from Hell that takes the idea of the mischievous monkey to an extreme. I envision an adventuring party stopping in a town where everyone is carrying around these cute, little critters (they can shapechange) and being weirdly protective of and doting towards these pets. If the party uncovers the truth, the akumasaru-influenced villagers threaten the characters and make it clear that the characters will have to kill them to get to the akumasaru.  

The flask kaida is Neutral, rather than Good like its page kaida cousin, but that's due to the fact that sometimes it ends up protecting poisons as well as potions. Despite its somewhat corrupt morality, a flask kaida is a wonderful addition to an alchemist character or an arcane spellcaster who might get a friendly potion-maker to accompany her.

I hope you enjoy these latest Fright Fridays! creatures, and I'll be back next week for another installment.

When the facade drops on this innocent-looking monkey, it reveals vicious claws and fangs, as well as eyes that hold nothing but malice.
Akumasaru CR 5
XP 1,600
LE Tiny outsider (evil, extraplanar, lawful, shapechanger)
Init +3; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +14

Defense
AC 19, touch 15, flat-footed 16 (+3 Dex, +4 natural, +2 size)
hp 52 (7d10+14)
Fort +4, Ref +8, Will +9
DR 5/good; Immune fire, poison; Resist cold 10; SR 16

Offense
Speed 30 ft., climb 20 ft.
Melee bite +12 (1d3–2 plus curse of subservience), 2 claws +12 (1d2–2 plus poison)
Space 2.5 ft.; Reach 2.5 ft.
Special Attacks curse of subservience, poison
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 12th; concentration +16)
At will—charm person (DC 15), detect thoughts (DC 16), nondetection
3/day—suggestion (DC 17)

Statistics
Str 7, Dex 17, Con 14, Int 16, Wis 18, Cha 19
Base Atk +7; CMB +8; CMD 16 (20 vs. trip)
Feats Agile Maneuvers, Deceitful, Persuasive, Weapon Finesse
Skills Bluff +16, Climb +11, Diplomacy +16, Disable Device +10, Disguise +16, Intimidate +14, Perception +14, Sense Motive +14, Sleight of Hand +10, Stealth +21
Languages Common, Gnome, Infernal, Sylvan; telepathy 60 ft.
SQ change shape (monkey; beast form I)

Ecology
Environment any
Organization solitary, pair, or troop (3–40)
Treasure incidental

Special Abilities
Curse of Subservience (Su) bite—injury; save Will DC 17; frequency 1/week; effect 1d4 Wis drain and victim automatically fails Will saves against the akumasaru’s spell-like abilities. An akumasaru can only apply this curse to one victim; if something frees the victim from the curse, the akumasaru becomes instantly aware of this.
Poison (Ex) claws—injury; save Fort DC 15; frequency 1/round for 6 rounds; effect 1d2 Wis and Cha; cure 2 consecutive saves.

An akumasaru is a monkey-like creature from Hell that delights in controlling humanoids and leading them to increasingly self-destructive acts. An akumasaru measures a mere foot in length, including its 4-inch long tail, and weighs two pounds.

Hunted and tormented in Hell, an akumasaru happily escapes its miserable existence when an interplanar portal leading to the Material Plane opens up. The creature immediately looks for safety in the form of a suitable, easily manipulated humanoid who will take it as a “pet.” An akumasaru that first arrives does not understand how unsettling its appearance is to the local populace, but its abilities to detect thoughts and shapechange quickly allow it to assume a more pleasing form. It acts playful when it finds a victim and puts on an act where it accidentally bites its new owner in order to inflict a curse of subservience. In due time, the unfortunate victim will carry the akumasaru around and become overprotective of the creature. After a few weeks of this, the akumasaru goes from feeling secure to feeling complacent and finally to boredom, at which point its curse has made its victim highly suggestible. The akumasaru suggests that its “owner” perform bizarre acts, each more dangerous than the last, until the creature’s victim perishes.

A troop of established akumasaru plays a sadistic game where they invade a village and the individual creatures latch onto as many villagers as they can. They then work to drive out those who resisted their influence—or surplus villagers in the case where there are more inhabitants than akumasaru. Then, for their amusement, the akumasaru divide up the village into factions and coerce the villagers to fight each other to the death. After wiping out the village, the akumasaru force the survivors to travel to another community where they can start their game over again.

Illustration found here

Liquid flows out of an open vial and forms into a tiny dragon; mere seconds after it emerges, almost completely solidifies, with the exception of moisture dripping from its claws, fangs and tail.
Flask Kaida CR 2
XP 600
N Diminutive dragon
Init +6; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +9

Defense
AC 17, touch 17, flat-footed 14 (+3 Dex, +4 size)
hp 25 (3d12+6)
Fort +5, Ref +6, Will +6
Immune magic paralysis, poison, and sleep, dragon traits

Offense
Speed 10 ft., fly 30 ft. (good), swim 20 ft.
Melee bite +5 (1d3–2 plus poison), claws +5 (1d2–2 plus poison)
Space 1 ft.; Reach 0 ft.
Special Attacks poison, spray
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 3rd; concentration +5)
Constant—detect poison
At will—create water

Statistics
Str 6, Dex 15, Con 14, Int 11, Wis 17, Cha 14
Base Atk +3; CMB +2; CMD 10 (14 vs. trip)
Feats Brew Potion, Improved Initiative
Skills Craft (alchemy) +14, Fly +16, Knowledge (arcana) +12, Perception +9, Sense Motive +9, Spellcraft +5, Stealth +20, Swim +10, Use Magic Device +6; Racial Modifiers +8 Craft (alchemy), +8 Knowledge (arcana)
Languages Common, Draconic
SQ amphibious, apply potion
Ecology
Environment any urban
Organization solitary, pair, lab (3–8)
Treasure incidental

Special Abilities
Apply Potion (Ex) A flask kaida can store a single potion within itself (either one it drinks or one it creates with Brew Poison); it can feed this potion to a willing or unconscious creature as a full-round action.
Poison (Ex) Due to exposure to a variety of liquids, including poisons, a flask kaida can poison a foe using any injury poison. The frequency, effects, and cure remain unchanged, but the Fortitude save DC is based on the kaida’s Constitution (a typical flask kaida requires a DC 14 Fort save).
Spray (Ex) A flask kaida can spew stored water in a 20-foot line at an opponent. This deals 2d6 bludgeoning damage (DC 14 Reflex save for half), and a victim who fails his Reflex save is stunned for 1 round. The kaida can use this ability once every 1d4 rounds.

A flask kaida charges itself with the protection of potions and other liquids. It makes its home in the same places as the fluids it protects and takes on the properties of those fluids. When it is fully exposed to air, it gains a solid shell around its otherwise liquid body; this shell varies in color depending on the liquid it guards, but it always measures 1-foot in length from snout to tail. The shells adds no appreciable weight to the dragon, so it weighs as much as a typical potion.

This odd dragon finds a home in alchemist laboratories or other places where any sort of brewing takes place. Having accumulated a fair bit of knowledge regarding the potion production, a flask kaida enjoys working with skilled craftspeople to create new formulas. A flask kaida sometimes travels with those it enjoys working with, and it provides a boon to its erstwhile companions with its ability to create water seemingly out of nothing. A flask kaida might pair up with a page kaida where the latter provides arcane formulae to the former, so it can brew new potions from spells it had not previously been exposed to. This species of kaida is friendlier than others, but it still desires a lot of time alone in its container. A well-adjusted flask kaida can thrive for 250 years before dissolving utterly—usually breaking down into a powerful potion at the time of its death.

A spellcaster can choose a flask kaida as a familiar. The spellcaster must be at least caster level 7th, have the Improved Familiar feat, and provide a potion containing a 2nd-level or higher effect. The kaida usually requires a container where it can rest or assume liquid form.

All rations are iron rations...

...when you're a rust monster.  I recently rambled across Satisfactory Comics, where Isaac is indulging in an activity that never fails to charm me: the Illustrated Abecediary.  By his permission, his happy old school rust monster graces this post above.  I love how he's captured the glory of its dorkiness.  The original post may be a year old, but it clearly deserves more love and in it he sketches a nice, abbreviated version of the creature's history.  In addition to Mike & Isaac's blog, check out their online store.

This reminds me, I still haven't set down my ideas about this classic monster.  I've got to do this one of these days, as it builds on an element of folklore that I like that D&D has pretty much ignored.

Real Old School D&D

Courtesy of Messrss Butterfield, Parker, & Honigmann

Many claim Old School status, but few truly have it.

Populating Undermountain with Old Modules

I assume you, like everybody else, have already picked this up.

I've been thinking about my new group's adventures in Waterdeep, and one thing I need to have ready is the possibility of their heading into Undermountain.  Almost all my resources are for Waterdeep itself, and I own nothing of Undermountain.  But then, its long and varied history in setting feel like permission to me to make it my own, putting almost any and everything in this sprawling megadungeon.  I'll start with In Search of the Unknown.  I really like module B1, and can easily imagine Zelligar and Roghann as heroic adventuring partners of Waterdeep who disappeared years ago, leaving behind their lost stronghold Quasqueton in Undermountain.

So, what would you adapt from old modules to put in Undermountain?  I'd love to hear.

BFGs to meet in Tenkar's Tavern

No, not Big Friendly Giants, although that would also be cool.  Fine, I left the "R" out.

Patrons of publican Tenkar's fine establishment will know of his upcoming gathering for appreciators of Basic Fantasy Role-playing Game. This red-headed stepchild of the OSR is the product of the generous labors of Chris Gonnerman and is supported by the ongoing dedication of its fans who put out a considerable body of supplemental material.  All of this is available for free download at the site linked above, Basicfantasy.org.  This game has been on my radar for a while, though I've yet to play it.  One of these days I'm going to give it a good going-over, to see if my own home-brewing project of B/X, Holmes, S&W -- together with what I appreciated about AD&D and 3rd era gaming -- is either reinventing the wheel or has something to learn from Basic Fantasy.

In any event, I look forward to seeing what tomorrow will bring, and hope you too will take a look and join me in appreciating the appreciators!

Bewitched by a Winter's Tale

No, not Shakespeare's, but Elaine Cunningham's.  Recently the recipient of a less-than-pleased review, I am happy to report that this is not the case with the author's Winter Witch.  In fact, I am enjoying this book even more on the second read.  And check out the awesome Advance Reader Copy with the beautiful Jesper Esjing cover!  I won that from an Atomic Array contest, and have been meaning to give it to my daughter ever since.  Yeah...it's not easy letting go -- maybe after this reading, since I did the first one out of the mass market paperback that came with my subscription.  I'll wait to give my final grade once I finish, but for now, I'm loving the setup and lots of little details that I did not notice in my first reading, when I gobbled the story up.  I can't help but think that there's a lot of little Easter eggs and nods in here.  Oh, and some fellow named Dave Gross apparently chipped in.  Maybe you've seen him around.  So, thanks to this Pathfinder Tale, I'm coping with all the crazy warm weather down here in South Texas that keeps it from feeling like winter.

On the finished front, I've now read through the three Waterdeep books in the first Ed Greenwood Presents omnibus.  Blackstaff Tower, Mistshore, and Downshadow.  All are quite enjoyable, in spite of the setting later than I prefer and all the Spellplague business (more prominent in the last two novels).  I'm not sure I'm going to grade these.  For now, let me just say that it is hard to choose between Blackstaff Tower and Downshadow, but all were pretty strong on character, which seems to me one of the pitfalls of the genre, and my annoyance with timeline and Spellplague were overcome by the characterization and plots.  The latter, while not particularly ambitious, ranged from serviceable to more than serviceable.  So, I'll be on the lookout for the second Waterdeep series.   All fodder for future Tomeful Tuesdays.  Happy reading!

Having a Gaming Group is Awesome

So, we've now had session number two.  Maybe it's too early to say, (how's that for being superstitious?), but having a regular gaming group again is Awesome.

A fun time was had as we got the S&W Waterdeep campaign from generation to action.  I decided that since Waterdeep is completely new to the guys, maybe it should be fairly new to their Elf Druid (home rule) and Human Monk as well.  These two devotees of Mielikki will be based in Our Lady's Hand's in Sea Ward, but how about a little backstory to explain how they got there and let the players identify with their characters' sense of discovering the City of Splendors?

The idea actually came from a random Dragon Magazine article that somebody had ripped out and put inside the City System boxed set I bought: Forest of Doom (Scott Butler, May 1983).  In it, there's a giant tree in the middle of an evil forest that is a fortress of drow and their quaggoth and bugbear minions.  I relocated the tree to a sacred grove in Ardeep and made it the home of Theophan the elf druid and Bro. Axthelm the human monk.



Mielikki's boys are sent on a mission to look for a missing member of their community.  They find his body strung up, flayed, and disemboweled outside of the ruin of an old mill.  Now, I didn't like the idea of drow having an army of bugbears, as I like the idea of bugbears being solitary, spooky murderers.  But in addition to a force of hobgoblins, I could see the drow having a bugbear or two tagging along to join in the mayhem.  I gave a 75% chance that it is was a single bugbear and a 25% that there were two.  And that's how there came to be two bugbears who took advantage of an experienced but incautious ranger who lived in forest that had not seen any such dangers in his lifetime.  The guys saw signs that the mill was occupied, but they could have tried to make up with the body without waking the nocturnal bugbears. Instead, they noticed the signs of occupation and decided to find out who was in the mill.  When their calls for the occupants to come out did not meet with success, they set the old mill on fire.  The fight that ensued was tough.  I decided that, given my portrayal of bugbears, I'd do a morale check for one of them to see if it fled, having been surprised in its sleep and trapped in a burning building.  One bugbear was plenty tough for a first level monk and first level druid.  ( I was using the stats from the original Monster Manual and the morale score from B/X.)  A series of great rolls from the druid who grappled the bugbear from behind and terrible rolls on the part of the bugbear who fell and then couldn't break the grapple allowed the monk to survive after a pummeling from the bugbear, and the two of them finally finished him off.  It was bloody and exciting.  The duo then headed back to the tree, arriving in time to discover witness the final scenes of its fall to the drow siege.  They began the long, hard trek to Waterdeep in their diminished state, setting the stage for the rest of the campaign.

Thus ends, I hope, my gaming drought.  And I got a guy in his forties who hadn't played since college back in the game and a new player inducted into our hobby.  I hope your rambles of late have been as good!

Extra-challenge: Any body have any suggestions more inspiring as a name for the campaign than "Swords & Wizardry in Waterdeep"?  Or am I over-thinking it?

Frightful Fridays! Gullion

Hello and welcome back to Frightful Fridays! This image once again thanks to Flash, who pointed it out to me shortly after I started this feature 3 months ago. Sometimes it takes a while for inspiration to strike, but an idea started to form thanks to an image that Theodric called to my attention a couple of weeks ago (one I haven't featured yet). Here is the gullion, an intelligent aberration that likes to conceal the fact it can fly so it can launch a surprise attack against those it deceives.

I hope you like the gullion, and I'll be back next week with another Frightful Fridays! installment.

Image from this article

This octopus not only has fleshy wings,bird-like in appearance,allowing it to stay aloft, but it also has a wicked gleam of intelligence in its otherwise black, expressionless eyes.
Gullion CR 11
XP 12,800
CE Large aberration (aquatic)
Init +10; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +29

Defense
AC 25, touch 15, flat-footed 19 (+6 Dex, +10 natural, –1 size)
hp 152 (16d8+80)
Fort +10, Ref +11, Will +14
Immune cold; Resist acid 10, electricity 10, fire 10

Offense
Speed 20 ft., fly 30 ft. (average), swim 60 ft., jet (300 ft.)
Melee 4 tentacles +20 (1d6+8/19–20 plus grab)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 15 ft.
Special Attacks burning ink, constrict (1d6+8), surprise flyer

Statistics
Str 26, Dex 22, Con 21, Int 13, Wis 18, Cha 15
Base Atk +12; CMB +21 (+25 grapple); CMD 37 (can’t be tripped)
Feats Combat Reflexes, Critical Focus, Improved Critical (tentacles), Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Sickening Critical, Skill Focus (Perception), Weapon Focus (tentacles)
Skills Bluff +17 (+21 to conceal its ability to fly), Fly +15, Intimidate +17, Knowledge (geography) +11, Perception +29, Stealth +21, Swim +27
Languages Aklo, Common
SQ amphibious

Ecology
Environment any aquatic
Organization solitary, pair or mob (3–8)
Treasure incidental

Special Abilities
Burning Ink (Ex) A gullion can emit a 10-foot-radius sphere of ink once every 1d4 rounds as a free action. This ink deals 8d6 fire damage to every creature within the sphere (DC 23 Reflex save for half). The ink also provides total concealment in water, and persists for 4 rounds (only dealing the fire damage once).
Surprise Flyer (Ex) A gullion attempts to conceal its wings from its opponents, hoping to lure them into a false sense of security. Once per combat encounter, it may attempt a Bluff check, opposed by a foe’s Sense Motive check. A character who previously encountered a gullion, or one who succeeds at a C 26 Knowledge (dungeoneering) check, gains a +4 circumstance bonus to his Sense Motive check. If it succeeds, it can take a full-round action to make a single tentacle attack against the flat-footed AC of a foe within range of its fly speed. Additionally, Bluff counts as a class skill for a gullion.

Created by dread krakens millennia ago, gullions delight in fooling victims who believe being shipboard or land-bound protects them from obviously aquatic creatures. This vile creature measures 14 feet in length (including its massive tentacles) and weighs one ton.

While a gullion is subservient to its dread kraken creators, it still has a great deal of autonomy and always enjoys the missions it executes for its masters. These missions usually involve the disruption of shipping lanes and other mayhem against waterborne humanoids, ultimately to coerce those humanoids to provide tribute—in the form of treasure or sacrifices—to the gullion’s masters. Oftentimes, a gullion oversteps the parameters of its mission and ends up slaughtering the ship’s crew or scuttling the ship. No one knows what sort of punishment, if any, a dread kraken doles out to an overenthusiastic gullion.

Dread krakens provided gullions with the ability to procreate naturally, but the gullions’ subservience passes on to their offspring. One of the creatures kills a large marine creature and deposits two to four eggs in the corpse, and another gullion fertilizes the eggs, which become live gullions in a year’s time. An average gullion specimen lives for close to 200 years and rarely has to worry about any natural predators.

Recent Finds in HPB

Special Late Bonus Edition!
A recent trip to HPB (15% coupon firmly in hand) found the two above books: a Zelazny I had never heard of (which worked out well last time when I found Changeling) and the Dungeoneer's Survival Guide.  I didn't have the latter back during my AD&D days, and it was a good deal to expand my collection.  It also may provide some inspiration for Undermountain in my Swords & Wizardry in Waterdeep campaign.

Happy hunting, bibliophiles, and may all your Tuesdays be tomeful.

A Splendid Start in Waterdeep Ends Sourly

Targete's dramatic cover illustration

There are times when one takes joy in giving a bad review: when one feels oneself or something closely connected to one's self wronged by the author; it's a sort of joy in holy destruction.  But I doubt that anyone of goodwill who has had interactions with Ed Greenwood and Elaine Cunningham could enjoy delivering a bad review of one of their books.  Their interactions with me online -- just one fan among so many -- shows them as gracious as they are imaginative.  So I've been in no hurry to write this review, and even thought about not writing it.

There's a special kind of pain as a reader when one has gotten drawn in by a book and seduced by its attractions, only to find the ending disappointing.  City of Splendors paints the best portrait of Waterdeep that I have found in fiction so far -- even more so than Cunningham's enjoyable first two Songs & Swords novels.  I cared about the characters.  The villains were interesting.  I ogled the setting like a hungry tourist.  What soured me on the book was the twist ending, which I found unbelievable on the level of characterization, as well as a bait-and-switch of my readerly sympathies.  To compare it to the two novels I just mentioned, it has a lot more going for it up to the point where two of the main noble characters switch identities, but this critical misstep means that, as a whole, it squanders the advantage it has for the majority of the story on the surprise twist.

While I will continue to recommend it as a introduction to Waterdeep, it will be with the warning that an unpleasant twist lies ahead to soften the jar the reader will suffer.  A denouement that undoes so much of what the novel previously accomplished must greatly effect my assessment of it as a novel.  Since I can still see a use for it apart from plot resolution, I will soften the harshness with which I grade it.
Grade: C-

Religion in Games

This Mythopoeic Monday sees post #400!  Huzzah!

In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, it is fitting to have an explicitly religious posting today.  A friend of mind recently directed me to three videos on Penny Arcade TV.  In my professional work, I've given a lot of consideration to the issues around faith and rationality, and I've witnessed a lot of close-minded vitriol from those who are convinced that they know what, for example, science and religion are all about, and are unable to entertain any challenging or broadening of the mind.  So I was impressed at what the folks at PATV put together, but not as surprised as they were by the response their videos garnered.

So for a very good perspective on what faith is, on the relationship between faith and science, and for some starting points for consideration of how one includes these in one's gaming, check out these videos.  Though the videos are made with an eye towards video games, they can just as well inspire your thinking about religion in your RPG.

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Religion in Games Part I
Religion in Games Part II
God Does Not Play Dice