The problem with potions and scrolls is not their gold cost, but the difficulties of using them in combat when it counts. The rules provide that retrieving a stored item is a move action that provokes attacks of opportunity. Drinking a potion or reading a scroll is a standard action that provokes attacks of opportunity. With these rules, the cost in both time and potential reprisals is very high—drinking a potion of cure light wounds is rarely going to be worth essentially an entire turn and further damage. Scrolls are slightly less dangerous to use in combat because they allow a concentration check to cast defensively just as a spell does. That said, there remains the issue of retrieving the scroll.

Open Design’s The Complete Advanced Feats ably tackles these issues with the Bottoms Up and Organized Inventory feats. These additional feats also address the problem of the high action and attack of opportunity cost of using potions and scrolls.

Chug

You are experienced at draining drinks quickly and in multiples—an ability likely gained from spending too much time at the tavern waiting for your party to show up.

Prerequisites: Con 13

Benefit: You can drink two potions with one standard action. This feat cannot be used when applying oils. When retrieving a stored item, you may retrieve two potions with the same action. You apply triple your Constitution modifier when calculating how many alcoholic beverages you can tolerate before being sickened (see Pathfinder Game Mastery Guide). You gain a +4 bonus to Fortitude saves against ingested poisons.

Familiar Fetch

You have trained your familiar to fetch small objects for you.

Prerequisites: Ability to acquire a familiar

Benefit: If your familiar occupies your same square at the beginning of your turn, as a swift action that does not provoke opportunities, you may command your familiar to retrieve a stored item from anywhere on your person and place it in your free hand. This consumes a full-round action for your familiar this turn, which also does not provoke attacks of opportunity.

Note: Utilizing this feat requires that the familiar be able to manipulate and carry the desired object.

Hidden Flask

You excel at concealing and retrieving hidden reservoirs of liquid—good for the long dungeon crawl or the long day at work.

Prerequisites: Sleight of Hand 1 rank

Benefit: You can retrieve a hidden item as a move action that doesn’t provoke attacks of opportunity. You can avoid attacks of opportunity from retrieving a stored item, drinking a potion, applying an oil, or reading a scroll by succeeding on a Sleight of Hand check with a DC equal to the opponent’s Combat Maneuver Defense. You get a +2 bonus on this check and on checks to hide small objects on your body.

On the Go

You can retrieve gear and drink potions while on the move.

Prerequisites: Dex 13

Benefit: You can retrieve one stored item, drink a potion, or apply an oil as a free action combined with a regular move. You gain a +4 dodge bonus to Armor Class against attacks of opportunity caused when you retrieve a stored item, drink a potion, or apply an oil. A condition that makes you lose your Dexterity bonus to Armor Class (if any) also makes you lose dodge bonuses.

Scroll-Slinger

Your fingers are especially nimble when dealing with magical scrolls. You never get a paper cut.

Prerequisites: Scribe Scroll, Profession (Scribe) 3 ranks, or Craft (calligraphy) 3 ranks

Benefit: You can retrieve a stored scroll as a swift action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity. You gain a +2 bonus to Use Magic Device checks to decipher a written spell and to use a scroll, to caster level checks to cast a spell of a higher caster level from a scroll, and to concentration checks when casting a spell from a scroll.

Shield Inventory

You are practiced at using your shield to guard from enemy attacks while retrieving and using items from your gear.

Prerequisites: Shield Focus

Benefit: When using a shield, you do not provoke attacks of opportunity for retrieving a stored item, sheathing a weapon, drinking a potion, applying an oil, or reading a scroll. When using a heavy shield or a tower shield, you may carry items in your shield hand as though you were using a light shield.

This 36-page collection of materials provides players with an overview of the central  region of the Midgard Campaign Setting, plus a wide range of new powers and options for any Pathfinder Roleplaying Game campaign, including:

• 3 New PC races: Kobolds, ghoulish Darakhul, and Gearforged
• The Shadowsworn Class: a 20-level class of roguery and shadow magic, with 7 new spells!
• Dark Holidays of the Crossroads
• New options for Cavaliers, Paladins, and Rogues, including Griffon Knights, Fixers, and White Lions
• Ghoulish and Vampiric Sorcerer Bloodlines
• Clockwork and Illumination Schools of Magic
• 60 new feats and dozen of regional traits
• 8 new weapons for dwarves, gypsies, and rogues, including the rat poniard and Nordmansch greatax

Master the secrets of the Crossroads region and unleash its new spells, feats, and mysteries!

Blood Scent
The trail of blood leads into the marketplace. Tracks are of no value here, but scent will sort out this lot.

Heroic Tier
Prerequisite: Werewolf theme
Benefit: You gain a +2 racial bonus to Perception checks used to track and to Insight checks used to detect enemies hidden by disguise, illusion, or stealth. If the creatures is bloodied, this bonus increases to +5.

Charging Pounce
As the flesh flies, you catch your enemy off balance, and you quickly throw your weight against him before he can recover.
Heroic Tier
Prerequisite: Werewolf theme
Benefit: Whenever you hit with a charge attack using your bite or claw, you knock the target prone.

Eyes of the Wolf
The light of the moon is all you need.
Heroic Tier
Prerequisite: Werewolf theme
Benefit: You gain low-light vision.

Gushing Bite
Your teeth slice through a major vein, and life blood springs from the wound.
Heroic Tier
Prerequisite: Werewolf theme
Benefit: Whenever you hit with a melee basic attack using your bite, the target takes 3 (per tier) ongoing damage (save ends).

Sudden Leap
Knowing the distance but needing to move quickly, you tense your legs up for a sudden release, taking your enemy by surprise as you fly through the air.
Heroic Tier
Prerequisite: Werewolf theme
Benefit: When using Athletics to jump, you are treated as having a running start even if you do not move 2 squares before jumping.

Wolf’s Bound
You’ve mastered your curse better than you could have believed. The speed of the wolf flows through you, even when you do not take full form.
Heroic Tier
Prerequisite: Werewolf theme, form of the wolf power
Benefit: Your gain a +1 racial bonus to speed while in human or hybrid form, to a maximum of 8.

Death Grip
You bury your teeth into flesh, and you lock your jaw. There is no escape for this fool; your foe’s struggles just make the wound deeper.
Paragon Tier
Prerequisite: Werewolf theme, Gushing Bite
Benefit: Whenever you hit with a melee basic attack using your bite, the target is grabbed. The target takes 3 (per tier) + your strength modifier in ongoing damage until the grab ends. This replaces the benefit from Gushing Bite.

Greater Blood Scent
The smell of your enemy floats all around you, making it perfectly clear where to strike.
Paragon Tier
Prerequisite: Werewolf theme, Blood Scent
Benefit: Adjacent bloodied creatures gain no benefit from concealment or total concealment against you, and invisible adjacent bloodied creatures are effectively visible to you.

Pack Fighter
Instincts take over in the fray, and your allies have learned to adapt to your predatory nature, forcing enemies to constantly refocus their defenses.
Paragon Tier
Prerequisite: Werewolf theme
Benefit: Whenever you and an ally are adjacent to an enemy, that enemy grants you combat advantage.

Pack Lord
You are the master in battle and your command your allies with but a growl, setting you up for unforeseen strikes.
Epic Tier
Prerequisite: Werewolf theme, Pack Fighter
Benefit: You gain combat advantage against any enemy that is adjacent to one of your allies.

Spine Rip
As your enemy’s precious life dwindles, you sense its weakness and suddenly snap your neck back, jaw still clenched around bone and nerve.
Epic Tier
Prerequisite: Werewolf theme, Gushing Bite, Death Grip
Benefit: If the ongoing damage from Death Grip reduces an enemy to 25 hp or fewer, it is instead dropped to 0 hp, and the grab ends.

About the Author
Brian Liberge is an upcoming freelancer and father of one from Boston, MA. In addition to his previous work on the Kobold Quarterly front page, Brian Liberge is regularly featured on Stuffershack, The Gamer Assembly, and RPG Circus.

The empathic connection between a master and familiar has a way of shaping the behavior of both…

[previously]

__

Lennox pleaded with the grey-bearded man in the park. “C’mon… I know you know the old woman in the swamp outside the city. You told a nobleman she could raise animals from the dead. Now please, help me broker a deal.”

Shevats replied instead, “Well, there’s also this pet cemetery I know of… you know, the soil of a man’s heart is made of stone and…”

“Never mind that idea. I’ve heard of that place and, uh … sometimes dead is better…”

“I don’t know if I can help you.”

“You’ve GOT to help me out! It took me days just to track you down!”

“Look my friend, why don’t you just summon another familiar?”

“I don’t want another familiar… I want Shila!”

“Okay… here’s my price.” He wrote a figure down on a scrap of paper with a pencil stub.

Lennox looked at it. “Are you kidding me? The temple of Asmodeus would charge me almost as much to raise a human being! You’ve got to be joking! I can’t raise that kind of cash all at once. I’m a wizard. I can do you a service of some kind. Maybe make a magic item for you at cost or cast a spell. Think of it as an exchange of services. What d’ya say?”

Shevats sighed. “Okay, okay, but I’m making no promises! You’ll have to come with me if you want her to help you. Zhemrafel doesn’t speak our language, so you’ll need me to translate.”

“Okay, let’s go! A quick trip into the wetlands… how hard can that be?”

***

What do you do when a familiar dies? Up until now, your only option was to get a bag and a shovel, then gather reagents for an expensive “replacement ritual.” Is this any solution when you’ve lost a dear friend? There is another option.

Raise Animal

School conjuration (healing); Level adept 3, druid 3, cleric/oracle 4, witch 3
Casting Time 1 minute
Components V, S, M (reagents worth 1,000 gp; 5,000 gp for a witch’s familiar), DF
Range touch
Target dead animal touched
Duration instantaneous
Saving Throw none, see text; Spell Resistance yes (harmless)

DESCRIPTION

As raise dead except you restore to life an animal, animal companion, or familiar.

Homunculi

Another interesting option is to create a homunculus instead of or in addition to your animal familiar. The telepathic link alone is almost worth the price! They are able to count coins, hold light sources, and fetch tiny objects like wands and potions (making drawing them a free action for the owner). The examples below are interesting variations on the standard homunculus. Use the homunculus entry in the Pathfinder RPG Bestiary and apply the variations listed for each.

Apply the following changes to standard homunculus statistics.

Doll—Created from rags and sticks or made entirely of wood, these come in a variety of forms. The example below is for a marionette. Substitute poison for horror gaze (Su) 1/day within 30 feet like scare spell (CL 3; DC 13).

Eye—Little more than a large eye with tiny wings, vestigial legs, and a tail, this Fine homunculus can fit through even the smallest of openings to spy on the unwary.

Hand—This creepy “thing” carries a certain amount of prestige among necromancers. Though not undead, it certainly looks it. Its appearance is dependent on the creature of origin. Very strong for its size, it can punch by launching itself at opponents for 1d2 +1 nonlethal damage. It can also grapple tiny foes (CMB +2). Because of its size and shape, it is very stealthy and acrobatic.

Headless—How about a headless cat, rabbit, tiny dog, or chicken? Why not! Headless homunculi can use their blindsight ability to detect invisible or hidden opponents and communicate the location to their masters via telepathy. Oddly, they behave exactly like living animals—minus a head of course.

• Doll: hardness 2; no fly speed; attack (needle +3, 1d2−1); horror gaze; no poison.
• Eye: AC (+8 size); 5 hp, speed 5, fly 50; no attacks; Str 2; CMB —; CMD 5; Stealth +18; no poison.
• Hand: blindsight 15 ft.; AC (+4 size); 6 hp; speed 10, no fly speed; claw or punch +5 1d2+1; Str 13; CMB −4; CMD 7; Acrobatics +10, Stealth +16; grab; no poison.
• Headless: blindsight 30 ft; no fly speed; no attacks; Perception +6, Stealth +14; no poison.

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With a cry the warrior raised his warhammer and charged the lich, his eyes blazing with holy fervor…

The cleric has a vital yet complex role within a party: healer, backup wizard, backup fighter, and a specialist in dealing with the undead. Divine Favor: the Cleric is an invaluable resource to anyone wanting to play one of the oldest character classes in fantasy roleplaying, with many new options for the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game.

Designed by Stefen Styrsky, Divine Favor: the Cleric begins with a meaty section on making the most of the class, defying conventional wisdom that its primary role is as the party healer. From there it dives into new domains (Alchemy, Apocalypse, and Prophecy) and subdomains (Books, Entropy, Exorcism, Gambling, Horoscope, Lies, Potion, Transmutation, Truth, and Weapons.)

The book offers 9 new cleric archetypes that bring to life a rich variety of styles one could take advantage of when playing this class. Enthrall others with the power of your words as a charismatic, strike with holy fervor armored only with the power of your faith as an enthusiast, battle the lords of the Abyss for the souls of their wretched victims as an exorcist, or do honor to your god through mastery of its favored weapon as a weapon-sworn cleric.

Following a section on new channeling variants, six new spells help build out the cleric’s role as party magic-user. For clerics whose gods are patrons of luck, wealth or fortune, there’s fortune’s frown, lucky break, and lucky totem. Other spells include reading aid, manipulate symbol (which protects against a symbol spell) and wind down (which decreases the duration of one ongoing spell or spell-like ability.)

Pick up Divine Favor: the Cleric in the Kobold Store and put the fear of the gods into evildoers! Also check out the other books in the Divine Favor series covering cleric, druid, paladin, and inquisitor.

The book provides six new mysteries as well. A clockwork oracle can alter the workings of machines and construct items out of thin air. An oracle of the old gods can command aberrant creatures and hear whenever his or her name is spoken aloud – and at higher levels, instantly appear before the one foolish enough to speak your name. An oracle of the moon has abilities that reflect its shifting phases, a plague oracle wields powers of corruption and death, an oracle of snakes has unnerving abilities to grapple, bite, crawl and command serpents, and the oracle of wine combines Bacchic traditions with the tipsy badassery of Jackie Chan’s Drunken Master.

Finally, there are new feats for the oracle. Divine Intervention trades the use of a spell for a saving throw bonus, and Forbidden Knowledge allows an oracle to cast a cure or inflict spell even if the spell is not on his or her list of known spells. Empowered Mystery and Mystery’s Alignment provide new advantages to the spells granted by an oracle’s mysteries, and Summon Avatar provides a summoned creature with a mystery-based benefit.

Pick up Divine Favor: the Oracle in the Kobold Store and part the veils of time and space! Also check out the other books in the Divine Favor series covering cleric, druid, paladin, and inquisitor.

The empathic connection between a master and familiar has a way of shaping the behavior of both…

Lennox rose lazily in his small apartment: his first real sleep in days. He slept better here than he did in his company’s last dungeon delve. He yawned and stretched and splashed his face with cold water from a basin to revive himself. Squinting through the shuttered windows, he saw it was late afternoon.

He proceeded to wash himself and comb his hair. His owl familiar, perched in her usual place, was preening her feathers. Lennox and Shila often found themselves engaged in the same activities. She had picked up his mannerisms, and he had found himself sleeping more in the daytime and staying up all night. After feeding her some rabbit, he pulled on clean clothes, held out his gloved hand for Shila, and locked the door behind them…

Familiars are great! An animal familiar is an intelligent, magically endowed companion as meaningful as any cohort or fellow adventurer. Every familiar receives special abilities and imparts special abilities to her master. They can scout, deliver messages, use the master’s skill ranks, and even aid another or fight when necessary. What follows are some ways to make your animal familiar more useful, more fun, and more like a real NPC!

Familiar Traits

PCs have traits that add flavor and small useful bonuses. Why not familiars? Familiars receive one of the following familiar traits.

Charismatic Spirit: Your familiar is very charismatic. Instead of rising in Intelligence as you go up in level, her Charisma increases at the same rate. Intelligence remains steady at 6. This must be chosen when first selecting your familiar.

Dodgy: Your familiar senses danger readily and is adept at avoiding attacks. Add a +1 dodge bonus to its AC.

Fleet Familiar: Whether crawling, flying, or swimming, your familiar is faster than average. Its primary movement rate increases by 10 feet.

Gifted: Stronger, smarter, or abler, your familiar is extraordinary. Add +2 to one ability score.

Handy: Whether by mouth or paw or serpentine tail, your familiar is able to handle tiny objects with ease. It can manage any reasonable activity requiring a hand (such as striking a tinder twig or opening a lock with a key). With GM approval, Craft skills can be accomplished. A mouse can sew clothes, a viper can hold a pen with its tail and write calligraphy, a rat can cook lunch, etc.

Muse: The Powers That Be bestowed an inspiring spirit within your familiar. Pick one skill, and add +2 to your skill checks whenever the familiar is within arm’s reach.

Talented: Your familiar has a particular affinity for a certain skill. Pick any skill, and give it a +2 enhancement bonus.

Thick Skinned: A tougher hide protects your familiar. Add +1 to its natural armor.

Tough: Your familiar is blessed with a hardy physique. Add +1 hp for per character level of yours.

Wand Wielder: Your familiar has Use Magic Device as a class skill. Prehensile hands (such as a monkey) or the Handy trait may be required for some devices like wands. You must have ranks in Use Magic Device. As usual, use your ranks but with familiar’s ability bonus.

New Feats (for Masters)

Animal Familiar Ward
Through an elaborate ritual requiring the fresh blood of a magical beast, your familiar gains a protective ward.
Benefit: This feat adds a +2 armor bonus to the familiar’s AC. It also adds a DR 1/magic for every 4 character levels of yours.

Extra Familiar Trait
You have an exceptionally gifted familiar.
Benefit: Your familiar gains two additional traits.

Advanced Animal Familiar
Your animal familiar’s special abilities are advanced.
Benefit: Your level is considered +1 for determining familiar bonuses like natural armor adjustment, Intelligence, and special abilities. For instance, a 10th level sorcerer’s familiar considers his bonded partner as if he were 11th level. The familiar would have a +6 natural armor, an 11 Intelligence, and spell resistance.

To really bring your familiar “to life,” consider your familiar’s habits and lifestyle. This is an intelligent being in animal form. What does she eat? Where does she sleep? What does she like to do when she’s not adventuring? Does she have any particular interests (favorite skills, collections, habits, attire, etc.)? What are her attitudes toward your other companions? Chapter 4 of the Game Mastery Guide has some helpful suggestions for NPC development. Study up on whatever you can find on NPC creation… but with your familiar in mind.

In Part 2, death is not the end, and what to do with a headless chicken…

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It’s raining drakes! Find a whole slew of these fierce mini-dragons in the Book of Drakes. Masters Daigle and Welham can show you the way…

Style Feat

Drake Style: Mimicking the unpredictability of drakes, practitioners of this style attack their foes with a series of confounding, random movements, which eventually provide a clear opening for more deadly attacks. Masters of this style learn to jump so well they appear to actually fly.

Feats Path: Drake Style, Drake Trickery, Drake Wing…

Feats

Drake Style (Combat, Style)

Your unpredictable, yet weak, strikes create openings for you to truly damage your opponent.
Prerequisites: Acrobatics 3 ranks, Bluff 3 ranks, Improved Unarmed Strike
Benefit: You only take a −2 penalty to feint attempts against a nonhumanoid. You also deal an additional 1d6 damage to a creature you have successfully deceived with a feint. If you fail to feint your opponent, your damage rolls take a −2 penalty (minimum 1).

Drake Trickery (Combat)

Prerequisites: Acrobatics 5 ranks, Bluff 5 ranks, Drake Style, Improved Feint
Benefit: If you succeed at a feint attempt, your target treats you as if you have total concealment until the beginning of your next turn.

Drake Wing (Combat)

Prerequisites: Acrobatics 9 ranks, Bluff 9 ranks, Drake Trickery, Greater Feint
Benefit: As a full-round action—provided you succeed at a Acrobatics check (DC 20)—you may jump up to 15 ft. in the air, attack your opponent at your highest melee attack bonus, and attempt a feint against that opponent. You may land in any square adjacent to your opponent, provided it is no more than one size category larger than you. This does not provoke an attack of opportunity. If you fail the Acrobatics check, you incur attacks of opportunity from eligible creatures (including your target)

Magic Item

Summoning Bullet

Aura faint to moderate conjuration; CL 1st (lesser summoning bullet), 7th (summoning bullet), 13th (greater summoning bullet)
Slot none; Price 222 gp (lesser summoning bullet), 1,622 gp (summoning bullet), 4,772 gp (greater summoning bullet); Weight —

This +1 firearm bullet deals no damage but, instead, breaks open to reveal a creature that lands on a target square. The bullet summons a creature per summon nature’s ally I, summon nature’s ally IV, or summon nature’s ally VII, depending on the type of bullet fired. Alternately, the bullet can summon a drake with a comparable CR to the creatures from the summon nature’s ally spells. Each bullet is etched with an image of the creature it summons.

Requirements Craft Magic Arms and Armor, summon nature’s ally I or summon monster I (lesser summoning bullet), summon nature’s ally IV or summon monster IV (summoning bullet), summon nature’s ally VII or summon monster VII (greater summoning bullet); Cost 111 gp (lesser summoning bullet), 811 gp (summoning bullet), 2,386 (greater summoning bullet).

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