Kobold Quarterly #21 delves into the roles played by the divine in your campaign, featuring David “Zeb” Cook on using mystery cults in your game, Tim and Eileen Connors on soul-shredding clerical dilemmas, Marc Radle’s new shaman base class for Pathfinder RPG, and an ecology of the succubus with new feats, powers and traits for D&D.

KQ #21 also features official Pathfinder Society content, robber knights and vile wizards, new Zobeck and Midgard articles, and alchemists, druids, illusions, and seers for the AGE System – and a sultry pinup cover by Kieran Yanner!

The complete contents are after the jump:

• The Shaman by Marc Radle
• Daughters of Lilith by Sersa Victory
• It’s a Mystery by David “Zeb” Cook
• Clerical Conflicts by Tim & Eileen Connors
• Divine Archetypes by Stefen Styrsky
• A Background in Magic by Rodrigo Garcia Carmona
• Nine Treasures of Deep Midgard by Nicholas Milasich
• Saints of Mavros by Christina Stiles
• The Scriveners of Allain by Brian A. Liberge
• White Tongue, Black Heart by David Schwartz
• The Shadow Lodge Insurgency by Nicholas Gray
• Why No Monotheism? by Steve Winter
• Fun Happens Here: A Conversation with Bill Slavicsek by Jeremy L. C. Jones
• Ask the Kobold by Skip Williams
• Free City of Zobeck: Deadly Tolls and Honest Challenges by Wolfgang Baur
• d20 Monkey by Brian Patterson
• 10′x 10′ Toon by Stan!

Pick up Kobold Quarterly #21 in print or in PDF at the Kobold Store!

KQ #20 features Jeff Grubb on the lost elves of Midgard, a Q&A with Journeys to the West lead designer Christina Stiles and a new Zobeck adventure.

There’s also vile Derro ooze magic, new planar allies, AGE system specialties, 4e racial utility powers for gnomes, tieflings and minotaurs, and much more! Here’s the complete contents, after the jump:

• The Elven Archer Class
• Arrows of the Arbonesse
• Derro Ooze Magic
• Servants from Beyond
• Putting the Band Back Together: Veteran PCs
• AGE of Specialization
• The Bardic Arts
• Unearthed Ancestry
• Night Terrors by Jack Graham
• Captured in the Cartways
• Fey Hunters & Shadow Hounds
• Small Spirits
• Make Haste!

Plus our columnists and special guests:

• The Power of the Game Master by Monte Cook
• Ask the Kobold by Skip Williams
• Q&A with Christina Stiles
• The Ruins of Arbonesse by Jeff Grubb

Pick up Kobold Quarterly #20 in print or in PDF. Or hey, why not subscribe?
Twang!

Q: My group has been discussing the nondetection spell and its usefulness against various divination spells. We’re divided into two camps, whose positions can be summed up as follows:

Camp One: Nondetection works against all divinations spells, period. If you’re protected by nondetection no divination spell reveals anything about you unless the divination user makes a successful caster level check.

Camp Two: Nondetection only protects against scrying spells (clairaudience/clairvoyance, arcane eye, scrying, and others), locate spells (locate object and locate creature), detect spells (detect undead, detect magic, detect evil, and others), and magical items that duplicate these effects, such as a crystal ball. Other divination spells, such as see invisibility, true seeing, tongues, moment of prescience fall outside the protected spell groups, and nondetection does not thwart them.

So, which camp is right?

The nondection spell description could say that it defeats all divination spells (regardless of their descriptors or modes of operation), but it does not. Instead, it specifies a broad subset of divination spells against which it is effective. Camp 2 has it right…

So, what divination spells are subject to interference from nondetection? The spell description gives a few clues: nondetection gives some protection against divination spells that are directed against the warded subject or the area the subject is in. In particular:

• Divination spells with the scrying descriptor. Clairaudience/clairvoyance is the best example here. If you see the scrying descriptor in the second line of the spell description (right after the spell’s name and school), the divination caster must make a caster level check for the spell to work.

• Divination spells with any range entry other than personal or touch. When a divination spell has a range of personal or touch, it grants the spell recipient some extra ability to perceive things and nondetection cannot ward its subject against the spell. When a divination spell has a range other than personal or touch, the spell must be directed at an area or at a specific subject and nondetection is effective against it. It’s worth noting here that scrying spells generally have ranges other than personal or touch.

Nondetection can affect some divination spells with a range of touch. If the touched subject is granted some ability to perceive things, nondetection does not apply. If the spell reveals something about the touched subject, nondetection applies. Identify is an example of the latter kind of spell.

Here’s a quick (and incomplete) list of divination spells that nondetection does not affect:

arcane sight, greater arcane sight, augury, commune, commune with nature, comprehend languages, contact other plane, divination, find the path, find traps, foresight, guidance, know direction, legend lore, moment of prescience, read magic, see invisibility, speak with animals, speak with plants, stone tell, telepathic bond, tongues, true seeing, true strike, vision

In some cases, you may want to allow a nondetection recipient to waive the effects of the ward against a specific spell. Waiving protection in this way should apply only to a specific casting of nondetection and a specific casting of a divination spell.

Tweaking Nondetection

One might look at this installment’s discussion of the nondetection spell and ask: “If the key factors in the nondetection spell are the scrying descriptor and the spell’s range, why doesn’t the spell description just say that?” And you’d be asking a good question. The answer is pretty simple: when my colleagues and I rewrote the spell, we just plain didn’t realize we could do that. The full potential built into the game’s terminology simply hadn’t sunk in yet.

Long-time students of the game might find my answer to the nondetection spell unsatisfactory. After all, the classic illusionist’s gambit is nondetection combined with greater invisibility (the AD&D Open tournament made use of this trick one year, much to many players’ dismay). It’s simple enough to restore that combination to your campaign (if you think it’s worthwhile). Just change the see invisibility spell from “Range Personal” to “Area emanation with a radius 100 ft. plus 10 ft./level centered the caster.” You would still need a clear line of sight to whatever the spell reveals to actually see it. That is, despite the distance the emanation reaches, anything that obscures your vision also defeats the spell. The rewritten see invisibility spell now falls into the group of divination spells nondetection can affect. You could make the altered see invisibility spell’s area larger or smaller, but the value I’ve suggested here should leave the spell working pretty much as it always did for most campaigns.

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Originally published in Kobold Quarterly #16.

Q: Is it possible to use the major image spell to emulate the effects of other spells? Most of us are aware of the three different types of illusions and that things like major image shouldn’t be able to deal real physical damage since that’s the realm of shadow spells, but we’re interested in your advice on just what kinds of effects can be done with major image. Would an illusion of a hail of arrows from an unseen source cause those who failed their saves to believe themselves pierced by multitudes of arrows and have them collapse in unconsciousness? What if you created a swarm of fireballs (as with the meteor swarm spell) through major image?

You cannot use a figment spell such as major image to produce any real effects. Damage—even nonlethal damage—is a real effect. You can use major image to create an illusory hail of arrows, but those arrows cannot harm anything. They cannot even stick into anything; though you can make them look like they’re sticking into something…

Assuming the spellcaster knows what a hail of real arrows looks like (and I expect that most adventurers do), the hail of illusory arrows from major image looks, sounds, and even smells like the real thing. Creatures can hear them zipping through the air and hear them striking home. Anyone caught in the volley likely notices the arrows aren’t dealing any damage. In most cases, that provides incontrovertible proof the illusion isn’t real.

You can adjust for the circumstances, however. For example, heavily armored creatures might believe they’re protected from the “deadly” arrows. Even in such a case, I recommend that being caught in the hail of illusory arrows count as interacting with the illusion, so the heavily armored creatures should gain Will saves to disbelieve the illusion.

The major image caster can make the area where the illusory hail of arrows struck look like it’s strewn with spent arrows. This lasts only for as long as the spell lasts.

If you make the arrows look like they’ve turned something into a pincushion and that something is mobile, keep in mind the illusory arrows remain only so long as they remain with the major image spell’s area, which the caster must choose at the time of casting. The spell’s area is not mobile.

Figments are better at fooling creatures. You could use major image to create a hail of arrows that neatly brackets a creature or group, landing just a hair’s breadth away and thrumming with (apparently) deadly potential. In such a situation, creatures should not gain a saving throw against the illusion unless they take a moment to examine the arrows (at least a move action). Since major image doesn’t have a tactile element, trying to touch the arrows reveals the illusion. Just looking them over merits a saving throw for disbelief.

An illusory meteor swarm created with major image would work much like a hail of illusory arrows. The swarm looks, sounds, and smells like the real thing—assuming the caster knows what a meteor swarm looks, sounds, and smells like, which might not be the case. You might want the caster to attempt a Spellcraft or Knowledge (arcana) check to duplicate the actual spell. Skip the check if the major image caster actually knows how to cast the spell being mimicked. If the major image caster does not know how to cast the mimicked spell but has witnessed someone cast the spell, I recommend a skill DC of 15 plus the spell level.

If the major image caster has never witnessed the spell being cast, make the DC 20 plus the spell level. If the check succeeds, the major image caster creates a convincing image. If the check fails, the major image caster creates a flawed image and saving throws to disbelieve the image gain a bonus equal to the failed check result subtracted from the DC.

For example, a spellcaster who has never seen meteor swarm cast tries to create an image of one. The skill DC is 29. If the caster’s check result is 21, Will saves to disbelieve the image gain a +8 bonus. You can use a similar procedure whenever someone tries to make an image of an unfamiliar force or object. Use the appropriate Knowledge skill.

No matter how accurate a figment of a meteor swarm is, it cannot damage or burn anything. The major image caster can make the area where the illusory swarm struck look and smell burned, though only for the duration of the spell.

Q: Is it possible to “take 10” or “take 20” on an initiative check?

You can “take 10” on a check only when you are not threatened or distracted. Combat, even impending combat, is both threatening and distracting. So, in general, you cannot “take 10” on an initiative check. I can think of one possible exception: when a group plans an ambush and succeeds in surprising the foe, the GM might assume that the ensuing combat will go according to some prearranged plan, and in that case, the ambushers might be allowed to “take 10” when it’s time to determine initiative. Of course, the ambushers must have laid such a plan ahead of time. Anything that disrupts the plan, such as an enemy spotting the ambushers and being able to act in the surprise round, disallows taking 10…

I suppose also that if you want to save a little time during a game, you might assume everyone “takes 10” on initiative for the entire adventure. In that case, everyone has a static initiative value for the adventure. I don’t recommend this for campaign play, but for a quick game (at a convention perhaps), it could save some time.

“Taking 20” on any check represents trying the check over and over again until you get an optimal result. This is why “taking 20” consumes so much time (20 times the usual or two minutes for something that normally requires a standard or full-round action). You never have that kind of time available for an initiative check, which you make just as a combat begins. In cases where a group lays careful plans for an attack, apply the surprise rules or allow a small initiative bonus (generally +2).

Q: Is it possible to use the delay action during a surprise round? If you can delay when you have surprise, can you delay into the first full round of combat and, thus, get a full round of actions against your foes when they’re flat-footed (as opposed to the single action you get during the surprise round)?

Delaying is simply sitting back and seeing what develops. Delay isn’t an action, so there’s no reason you cannot delay during a surprise round. It’s possible to delay for a whole round and into the next, so you actually improve your initiative number at the cost giving up your action during the previous round. If you want to sacrifice a surprise action to guarantee yourself a high initiative score in the first full round of combat, I see no reason why you could not do so. You’re simply sizing up the opposition while they’re temporarily befuddled and still beating them to the punch. There’s a couple of things to keep in mind, however.

If you surprise a foe, you get a single action during the surprise round. If your foe is unaware and thus unable to act during the surprise round, you make an initiative check, and if you get a higher result that your foe gets, you’ll get to act against your flat-footed foe in the first regular round of combat. This gives you a single action during the surprise round and a full round’s worth of actions in the first regular round of combat. If your initiative bonus is higher that your foe’s (or if you’re just feeling lucky), it may be worth delaying in the surprise round and trying to beat your foe’s initiative result for the regular combat.

Foes who are aware of you during a surprise round get to act during the surprise round, in initiative order. If you delay during a surprise round when a foe is aware, that foe gets a single action while you delay. If you later act during the first full round of combat, you can do so with an initiative number higher that your foe’s; however, a foe who as acted during the surprise round is not flat-footed during the first full round of combat. You might be able to slip in your action early in the round, but your foe is fully aware of what’s going on and ready to react to you by virtue of his or her earlier action.

What is Initiative?

When my colleagues and I set out to revise the D&D, it wasn’t long before we realized that we needed to revisit the concept of initiative in some detail. We wanted to establish a clear procedure for starting an encounter and we wanted a system for deciding who can act when that worked quickly at the game table. The first thing we tossed out was the old, well-established practice of having everyone declare actions, then rolling initiative and running the round (more or less) according to everyone’s declarations. It seemed to us that in doing so, we were playing each round of combat twice.

After some experimenting, we settled on the straightforward method of checking initiative once as the combat begins and using the resulting order of actions for the whole combat. Under this system, your initiative check represents your ability to assess a developing situation, gather your wits, and act to affect it in some meaningful way. That’s why you’re flat-footed at the beginning of an encounter until you’ve taken an action. In cases where a situation is developing and you don’t know it, the surprise rules come into play,

After playing with the system for a while, it occurred to us that a high initiative score should be a resource you can expend to manage your actions more to your liking. That idea gave rise to the delay action (in which you literally burn off your high initiative number so you can act a time you choose). Once we had that idea in place, the ready action (in which you anticipate an event and prepare to act when it happens) seemed like a natural addition to the system.

Q: Does a suggestion spell leave the subject any way to evade the spell’s effect? Once the subject fails the save, the spell works continuously and the subject seems to have little recourse. In a recent session, a player character gave an opponent (an active combatant in an encounter) a suggestion to “stand still and don’t move!” I gave the enemy a new save whenever the party attacked or tried to attack, and the opponent finally made the save. Anyway, this seems overpowered for a fairly low-level spell…

Once it affects a subject, a suggestion spell does not allow the subject a save to throw off the effects as some other enchantment spells (such as dominate person) do. As with any lower-level enchantment spell, however, there are some pretty strict limits on what you can do with a suggestion spell.

A suggestion allows you to prompt the subject to follow some simple course of action that seems reasonable to the subject at the time you cast the spell. Standing still in the middle of the battle is a tad beyond reasonable. I suppose a suggestion to “hold your ground” might work in a battle, but the subject can do that just by staying in an area; the subject could otherwise fight on unhindered.

A suggestion spell also has a variable duration: 1 hour/level or until completed. Once the subject completes the action you’ve prompted, the spell ends. In the case of “hold your ground” that’s probably one round of combat. Of course, you could set some end condition, such as “hold your ground until all the enemy is defeated.” On the other hand, a subject following such a suggestion probably won’t be too restricted when it comes to actions. The subject likely would remain in the general location where the spell was cast, neither retreating from it nor advancing out of it (but free to move around in it) until all the subject’s foes fall in battle or retreat.

Q: The deathwatch spell allows you to sense the status of all nearby creatures. The spell description says emanation so is it blocked by a sheet of glass? Should I also assume that it requires line of sight? If it does require line of sight, can a rogue hiding in the shadows stay undetected? This seems like it could be an extremely powerful spell depending on the interpretation.

A deathwatch spell creates a cone-shaped emanation, 30 ft. long. As with any emanation spell, the effect continually radiates from the spell’s point of origin (in this case, the spellcaster). The spell must have of line of effect (not line of sight) to any creature whose status it reveals; the emanation does not extend anywhere line of effect is blocked. (See below for comments regarding line of effect.)

If you can see or touch a creature within the emanation, you know its status. If you cannot see or touch a creature, all you know is that creature’s status. You don’t know where it is. If there are several unseen, untouched creatures in the emanation, you know each creature’s status, but not which status goes with which creature.

What’s Line of Effect?

Nearly all spells require a clear line between the spell’s caster and the spell’s point of origin, and between the point of origin and any place where the spell’s effects extend. Often, the caster and the point of origin are the same.

Line of effect and line of sight are very similar; both are straight lines, traced from one grid intersection to another. It takes a solid barrier to block line of effect, whereas anything that obscures vision blocks line of sight. It’s possible for a barrier to block one and not the other. For example, a pane of clear glass won’t block line of sight (because you can see through it) but it will block line of effect (because it’s solid).

A solid barrier with a hole of at least 1 ft. square through it does not block a line of effect. In general, a barrier must be an object that fills a square on the battlefield or runs along the edge of a square. A creature generally does not block line of effect (because it will not completely fill a space).

To determine if line of effect is blocked, locate the point where the spell is cast, which must be an intersection on the grid; the point can be a grid intersection of any square the caster occupies. Most GMs that I know require you to pick a grid intersection along the outer edge of the space the caster occupies and trace a straight line to the place where the spell is aimed. This can be another grid intersection (in the case of an area spell) or a creature or object (in the case of a spell with a target). If the caster aims the spell at a target, trace a line of effect to any grid intersection in the space the target occupies.

If you cannot trace any line from the caster to the target or aiming point without passing through a solid barrier, line of effect is blocked. The spellcaster is allowed the try different combinations of casting points and aiming points to find an unbroken line of effect.

When tracing line of effect from a spell’s point of origin to any place inside the spell’s potential area, use the same process, except that the spell’s point of origin can’t change once the caster chooses it.

A net is equipped with a trailing rope that can limit an entangled target’s movement. The rules text doesn’t mention it, but a spider attacking with a web has the option to keep a strand connected to the target or just shoot the web as a blob. If the spider decides to keep a strand attached, the web attack works just like a net attack in which the attacker controls the trailing rope. That is, if the spider wins an opposed Strength check the target can only move within the limits that the strand allows.

A net’s trailing rope is 10 ft. long although it’s possible for the net wielder to shorten the rope’s effective length just by holding it somewhere other than the end. In the case a monstrous spider, the connecting strand is as long as the distance between the spider and target at the time the spider made the web attack.

No matter what the actual circumstances, an entangled creature can use a full-round action to escape with an Escape Artist check or tear with a Strength check. See the entangling effect’s description for the entangled creature’s options and for the check DCs. In the case of a monstrous spider, the webbing covering the entangled creature has the hp shown in the spider description. I suggest giving the trailing strand (if there is one) the same hp.

In any case, if an entangled creature attempts to cast a spell, it must make a Concentration check with a DC of 15 + the spell’s level or lose the spell. A net or a monstrous spider’s web is a bit more forgiving (at least according to the net’s weapon description). The Concentration DC is 15 and failure leaves you unable to cast the spell. I suggest, however, that you treat a net or monstrous spider’s web just like any other entangling effect, at least insofar as spell casting is concerned.

Q: If a character uses a summon monster spell and conjures a Medium fiendish monstrous spider, can the caster control the spider directly or do summoner and spider need to have a language in common? Does the spider respond to verbal commands at all?

When it appears, a summoned monster attacks the summoner’s enemies to the best of its ability. There need be no communication between summoned and summoner for that to happen. The summoned monster perceives as enemies exactly the same creatures that the spell caster perceives as enemies at the time the spell is cast, and it decides which enemy to attack based on its own assessment of the situation and the certain knowledge that is must attack. Mindless summoned creatures and those with fairly low intelligence probably just attack the nearest foe.

If the summoner wants the summoned monster to do something other than attack, to attack a specific foe, to maneuver for a better position, to change tactics, or to otherwise act as the summoner directs, there must be some mode of communication between the summoner and the summoned monster. Verbal communication generally is the most precise and reliable. Verbal communication, however, requires a common language or something that provides the equivalent, such as a tongues spell. It’s possible to direct a summoned creature’s actions through gestures, but there’s no guarantee such nonverbal commands would be understood.

Q: Let’s say that the spider from the previous example uses its web attack on a Medium target. The target has a spider climb spell active—is the target still entangled? Would there be a bonus on the saving throw?

Spider climb gives you a climb speed (with all that entails) and enables you to traverse vertical surfaces or even ceilings as well as a spider can. Spider climb does not help you deal with entangling effects, not even from spider webs.

Also, a monstrous spider’s web attack doesn’t allow a saving throw. It works like an attack with a net. The spider can shoot the net up to 50 ft. (range increment 10 ft.). The spider makes a ranged touch attack against a target up to one size category bigger than it, and on a hit, the target is entangled.

Not sure how a spell works? Curious why that monster does what it does? Trying to get your feats to play nicely together? Skip has the answer.

Post your new questions for Skip about the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game in the comments below. Whoever gives us the best question will win a Kobold Quarterly pdf subscription (or pdf gift subscription)!

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“And if you gaze for long into an abyss…”

Q: The listing for lycanthrope ability score adjustments in Pathfinder confuses me. The rules say to apply some flat bonuses (+2 Wisdom, -2 Charisma in all forms; and +2 Strength, +2 Constitution in animal/hybrid forms). However, they also say that, when in animal or hybrid form, the lycanthrope uses the highest of either his own stats for the base animal’s…

Do these adjustments stack with each other, or do they overlap? For example, if my fighter has an 8 Wisdom and then becomes a wererat, he’d have a 10 Wisdom in human form, but in hybrid/animal form, would it be 13 Wisdom (a dire rat’s Wisdom, overlapping the +2 adjustment) or a 15 Wisdom (a dire rat’s normal 13 Wisdom, +2)?

Judging from the ability scores shown in the Bestiary, you should stack the adjustments. That is, when dealing with an animal or hybrid form, start with the base humanoid’s ability scores or the base animal’s ability scores—whichever is higher—and apply all the lycanthrope adjustments (+2 Wisdom, -2 Charisma, +2 Strength, +2 Constitution). The example character would have a Wisdom score of 15 when in animal or hybrid form.

“Bwahahaha…”

Q: Just when can a character afflicted by a hideous laughter spell attempt a saving throw to end the spell? What can the character do when afflicted with the spell? The spell description says “no actions.” What does that mean? Is the subject unable to use standard actions, move actions, or all actions? As worded, it could mean no yelling of messages to an ally since that’s a free action.

When a hideous laughter spell strikes, the subject can attempt a Will save to negate the spell. This is not an “action” but a normal part of resolving the spell. If the save fails, the subject is afflicted with gales of laughter and falls prone. The subject isn’t helpless but can take no actions. In this case, an “action” is anything shown on Table 8-2, including non actions such as taking a 5-ft. step and any free action not specifically shown on the table (more on this in the sidebar). The subject does nothing but laugh and cannot communicate with foes or allies. You can think of the spell as forcing the subject to use a full-round action each round to laugh, but with no additional activities (such as free actions) tacked on.

Once hideous laughter strikes, the subject can attempt one more saving throw to end the effect. The subject makes the save during his or her next turn after the spell strikes. While this is not an “action,” a successful saving throw in this case counts as a full-round action for the subject (think of it as the subject making a supreme act of will to stop laughing). The subject can use free actions or take a 5-ft. step after ending the spell with a successful saving throw. On the other hand, if the save fails, the subject keeps laughing and can do nothing else.

FYI: What’s an Action?

The list of action types in the combat chapter, along with the text that accompanies it, does a pretty good job describing just what a character can do when the pressure’s on. There’s nothing in the rules, however, that spells out just what an “action” is. Here’s a working definition:

In game terms, an action is any activity a creature initiates that allows it to interact with or alter the game world in any significant way. This includes anything defined in the rules as a standard, move, full-round, free, swift, or immediate action. It also includes any act of will that moves the creature from place to place. If you cannot take actions, you cannot take a 5-ft. step.

Certain very important game activities are purely reactive and are not “actions.” These include making saving throws and mounting a combat maneuver defense. For example, since you’re caught unaware when a battle starts, you cannot act during the surprise round that begins the battle. You can, however, make saving throws and defend against combat maneuvers when surprised.

Some conditions might preclude some defenses. For example, you probably can’t resist a grapple if you’re paralyzed.