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The necromancer is an archetype whose power players crave, but whose darkness many gamemasters will look askance at. This is particularly true for gamemasters who want groups of heroes, not simply characters who are a lighter shade of gray than the servants of darkness they’re standing against. Those who deal with the dead are often …
Friars are the spiritual leaders of their community, protecting the bodies and souls of their people from the temptation and evil that plagues the hearts of humanity. Friars are ordinary men and women who are made powerful by their faith in their deity, and the faith their followers have in them. Healers and Inspirers The …
Rare Magic: The Friar, a Fifth Edition Variant Cleric Read More »
Let’s take a moment to remember those brave souls who are no longer with us. They were so full of life when penciled onto their character sheets and brimming with synergistic crunch. Now struck down before their time. Some found themselves in the wrong type of campaign while others just weren’t cut out for the …
In Memoriam: Obituaries for Four Imprudently Optimized Pathfinder PCs Read More »
You grew up in a cult, worshiping a demon, evil god, or some unpronounceable horror from beyond time and space. You were not a priest or anyone in power—just one of the chanting horde. Good thing for you that you found your way out of that mess. Work out with your gamemaster the nature of …
You spent your early life going from one plane to another. Perhaps you were born to it or perhaps you are but a refugee from a cosmic disaster that spilled into your native plane. Your formative years spent thus, you have acquired a unique perspective on the multiverse, and while you may have settled down, …
With all the different play styles and current ways to customize characters with archetypes, it can be overwhelming enough to do a straight-up 1-20 level class. Even more so if one is using one of those really cool 15-20 page character portfolios that spread out and detail all the facets of the PC. Do any …
Mish-Mashing: A Way to Keep Track of Complicated Characters Read More »
Precision over power is the credo of the swashbuckler. Daring swordfighters who rely on skill and speed, most people picture swashbucklers as swaggering bravos with dueling capes over their shoulders. However, while a duelist in a feathered hat or a pirate captain storming the deck of a ship may be swashbucklers, it’s important to remember …
Among all the new hybrid classes in the Advanced Class Guide, few of them got as big a cheer as the brawler. “Finally,” the cry went up, “we can play unarmed fighters without having to take even a single level of monk!” That probably would have been enough, but the brawler gave us even more …
Martial Flexibility: The True Power of the Brawler Read More »
Fighters come in all shapes and sizes, but for the longest time any player who wanted to really capture the flash of steel and the swagger of characters like Inigo Montoya or d’Artagnan had to make do with the duelist prestige class. Then the Advanced Class Guide came out, and it brought the swashbuckler to …
What’s in a Name? The Swashbuckler vs. the Duelist Read More »
Bards have a long and storied history of being the butt of a party’s jokes. Fighters and barbarians fight, rogues and rangers skulk, wizards and sorcerers fling spells, and clerics make sure no one dies. What does the bard do? All of that, but none of it very well. While it’s possible for bards to …
Heavy Metal Bards: The Pros and Cons of the Skald Read More »
Through this series, I’ve argued that paladins should not be relegated to a single alignment, and I’ve given rules and advice for playing paladins of other alignments. This installment will detail my rules on playing a paladin who worships a chaotic neutral deity. If you’ve been following thus far, I hope you’ve enjoyed everything up …
The Paladin: Expanding the Boundaries of Faith, Part V Read More »
The Paladin. To many roleplaying groups, this character doesn’t even have a name; he, or she, is simply “The Paladin,” as if there is no point in further description or that word is enough to convey the entire personality of an individual. The character’s backstory is irrelevant, the paladin’s physical features are fluff, and the …
The six talismans monk, an archetype for the monk class detailed in New Paths #5: The Expanded Monk and Ninja, introduced a monk that utilizes ki-infused paper talismans in combat to damage, bind, or seal away opponents. These feats present new options for the six talismans monk, broadening the possible application of paper talismans.
Often confused with lay minstrels, fireside storytellers and scoundrels, the troubadour is a highly skilled chronicler of events, an orator, a counselor, and a musician. Relying on his or her ability to weave a convincing story, morality play, or sonnet, the troubadour is often seen among the upper crust of society. The adventuring or wandering …
“When I bestride him, I soar, I am a hawk: he trots the air; the earth sings when he touches it; the basest horn of his hoof is more musical than the pipe of Hermes.” ― William Shakespeare, Henry V Fantasy novels love a good cavalry charge, or a hero who fights alongside a wolf, …
Old Hat Monsters: Animal Companions, Familiars, and Mounts Read More »
We didn’t have room in Defenders of Midgard for the enigmatic mage paragon path features needed to round out the clockwork and glyph magic schools, so we’re featuring them here on the Kobold Press website. This book is available at DriveThruRPG and Paizo. Glyph mages, also known as scriveners, master the arcane power of the …
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