I was just stuck at a traffic light on my way home and I had a funny thought. I don't think this has been mentioned, but I might have missed it or just forgotten.

Remember how we used to trade stories of our exploits to the Fey of the Orphne Court for extremely valuable goods or services? At the time it seemed crazy, but we wrote it off as a peculiarity of the Fey. They are living tales, after all, so it would make sense that the knowledge of deeds that very well might pass into legend would be of interest to them.

Now think about our own spending habits over the past years or so, how much money we have spent for books and lore, from every halfway friendly power or faction we have encountered. How different is that from the Orphne Court paying us for our stories which, when taken at face value, aren't that much different than rumors from foreign agents, Inquisition reports, or eye witness accounts of events. They wanted to learn more of the world, who the powers were and what they were getting up to, who was opposing them and how, etc., just like we want to learn more of the history of the Planes, what the gods and goddesses have gotten up to, who conquered who, etc.

Lots of things have changed throughout the quest as our power and resources have grown, along with the scope of our own goals and ambition, and the enemies we face. I just hadn't realized how we had changed in this manner. It's not that we've become more like the Fey, merely that our priorities may have shifted to align more closely with their own in at least one regard.
 
Might find a more fantasy image later but I had a go at making the Verdant Spine Hawk.

Though exceedingly fragile these creatures are somewhat protected from mass destruction by aoe spells, still likely falling to a single direct blow were it to land.

Designed to harry foes both land bound and in flight the Spine Hawk knows well it's capabilities and keeps the maximum range it can while remaining a viscous and distracting threat.



CR 1 + 1/3 = 2
Verdant Spine Hawk (Bladeleaf Variant - Replaced Leaf Swarm)
N Tiny Plant

Init +3; Senses low-light vision; Perception +14
DEFENSE
AC 15, touch 15, flat-footed 12 (+3 Dex, +2 size)
hp 4 (1d8)
Fort +2, Ref +5, Will +2
Immune cold, fire, electricity, mind-affecting, poison, sleep, paralysis, polymorph,stunning, critical hits

OFFENSE
Speed 10 ft., fly 60 ft. (average)
Melee 2 talons +5 (1d4–2)
Ranged 4 spines +5? (1d4 plus bleed and poison)
Special Attacks bleed (1d4), poison
Space 2-1/2 ft.; Reach 0 ft.
STATISTICS
Str 6, Dex 17, Con 11, Int 2, Wis 14, Cha 7
Base Atk +0; CMB +1; CMD 9
Feats Weapon Finesse
Skills Fly +7, Perception +14; Racial Modifier +8 Perception

Thorns (Ex)
A Spine Hawk's spines are razor sharp and as a standard action, the plant can launch up to four spines as a ranged attack (with a separate attack roll for each spine). This attack has a range of 180 feet with no range increment; the range is halved underwater. The Spine Hawk may not target multiple creatures with this attack.

Poison (Ex)
Spines
—injury; save Fort DC 14; frequency 1/round for 4 rounds; effect dazed; cure 1 save; no effect on creatures immune to mind-affecting effects.
 
Last edited:
Might find a more fantasy image later but I had a go at making the Verdant Spine Hawk.

Though exceedingly fragile these creatures are somewhat protected from mass destruction by aoe spells, still likely falling to a single direct blow were it to land.

Designed to harry foes both land bound and in flight the Spine Hawk knows well it's capabilities and keeps the maximum range it can while remaining a viscous and distracting threat.



CR 1 + 1/3 = 2
Verdant Spine Hawk (Bladeleaf Variant - Replaced Leaf Swarm)
N Tiny Plant

Init +3; Senses low-light vision; Perception +14
DEFENSE
AC 15, touch 15, flat-footed 12 (+3 Dex, +2 size)
hp 4 (1d8)
Fort +2, Ref +5, Will +2
Immune cold, fire, electricity, mind-affecting, poison, sleep, paralysis, polymorph,stunning, critical hits

OFFENSE
Speed 10 ft., fly 60 ft. (average)
Melee 2 talons +5 (1d4–2)
Ranged 4 spines +5? (1d4 plus bleed and poison)
Special Attacks bleed (1d4), poison
Space 2-1/2 ft.; Reach 0 ft.
STATISTICS
Str 6, Dex 17, Con 11, Int 2, Wis 14, Cha 7
Base Atk +0; CMB +1; CMD 9
Feats Weapon Finesse
Skills Fly +7, Perception +14; Racial Modifier +8 Perception

Thorns (Ex)
A Spine Hawk's spines are razor sharp and as a standard action, the plant can launch up to four spines as a ranged attack (with a separate attack roll for each spine). This attack has a range of 180 feet with no range increment; the range is halved underwater. The Spine Hawk may not target multiple creatures with this attack.

Poison (Ex)
Spines
—injury; save Fort DC 14; frequency 1/round for 4 rounds; effect dazed; cure 1 save; no effect on creatures immune to mind-affecting effects.
I like these a lot. We removed the Immunity to Cold, Electricity, and Fire from the template, though, as it is otherwise too strong to be just +1 CR. Your number for the Ranges Attack bonus is correct, BTW.

Since Hawks are normally just 1 HD, the fractional CR kinda sucks, but you can use the PFSRD monster advancer to increase them to 2 HD to create a 1 CR creature. That will let you create a 2 CR Verdant Spine Hawk with a bit more meat on its bones, so to speak.

Here is the updated stat sheet. The only thing that actually changes, however, is the HP total. Doubled Hit Points ain't bad, though.

Hawk ( +1HD ) CR 1
XP 400

N Tiny animal
Init +3; Senses low-light vision; Perception +14
DEFENSE
AC
15, touch 15, flat-footed 0 12 (+3 Dex, +2 size)
hp 8 (2d8)
Fort +2, Ref +5, Will +2;
OFFENSE
Speed
10 ft., fly 60 ft. (average)
Melee 2 talons +5 (1d4-2)
Space 2-1/2 ft.Reach 0 ft.
STATISTICS
Str
6, Dex 17, Con 11, Int 2, Wis , Cha Cha;
Base Atk 0; CMB 1; CMD 9
Feats Weapon Finesse
Skills Fly +7, Perception +14 Racial Modifiers +8 Perception
ECOLOGY
Environment
temperate forests
Organization solitary or pair
Treasure none
 
Last edited:
I like these a lot. We removed the Immunity to Cold, Electricity, and Fire from the template, though, as it is otherwise too strong to be just +1 CR. Your number for the Ranges Attack bonus is correct, BTW.

Since Hawks are normally just 1 HD, the fractional CR kinda sucks, but you can use the PFSRD monster advancer to increase them to 2 HD to create a 1 CR creature. That will let you create a 2 CR Verdant Spine Hawk with a bit more meat on its bones, so to speak.

Here is the updated stat sheet. The only thing that actually changes, however, is the HP total. Doubled Hit Points ain't bad, though.

Hawk ( +1HD ) CR 1
XP 400

N Tiny animal
Init +3; Senses low-light vision; Perception +14
DEFENSE
AC
15, touch 15, flat-footed 0 12 (+3 Dex, +2 size)
hp 8 (2d8)
Fort +2, Ref +5, Will +2;
OFFENSE
Speed
10 ft., fly 60 ft. (average)
Melee 2 talons +5 (1d4-2)
Space 2-1/2 ft.Reach 0 ft.
STATISTICS
Str
6, Dex 17, Con 11, Int 2, Wis , Cha Cha;
Base Atk 0; CMB 1; CMD 9
Feats Weapon Finesse
Skills Fly +7, Perception +14 Racial Modifiers +8 Perception
ECOLOGY
Environment
temperate forests
Organization solitary or pair
Treasure none

I remember discussion but no ruling on the immunities, and I'd like it to stay as is given we have made literal hundreds of Bladeleaf creatures on that basis.

It's also the only thing they get from the template besides the replaced Swarm, everything else is behind a CR wall. Otherwise they're just going to die by the hundreds to a wand of literally anything aoe.

Yeah the fractional are a bit annoying but I'm glad the fix for round numbers is so easy, thanks for that.

Edit:
Additional thank you for confirmation on the ranged bonus, I always suck at those particulars. Even this time I cheated by copying the melee bonus given it has Weapon Finesse :oops:
 
Last edited:
I remember discussion but no ruling on the immunities, and I'd like it to stay as is given we have made literal hundreds of Bladeleaf creatures on that basis.

It's also the only thing they get from the template besides the replaced Swarm, everything else is behind a CR wall. Otherwise they're just going to die by the hundreds to a wand of literally anything aoe.

Yeah the fractional are a bit annoying but I'm glad the fix for round numbers is so easy, thanks for that.
Huh?

No, you're misreading the template. I didn't notice you had left these out of the stat entry.

It gets all of these regardless of CR. At CR 5 or less, it merely gets the lowest tier; Fast Healing 5, DR 5/Slashing, Magic, & Cold Iron, and +10 Natural Armor.

The DR is very nice all on its own, as very few enemies will be equipped with a weapon that meets all three of the requirements to overcome.
Armor Class: Natural armor improves by +10.

Defensive Abilities: fast healing 5 (if the bladeleaf's CR is 6 or higher increase to 10, if 12 or higher increase to 20, see living form); DR 5/slashing, magic, and cold iron (if the bladeleaf's CR is 6 or higher increase to DR 10/ slashing, magic, and cold iron, if 12 or higher increase to 15/ slashing, magic, and cold iron); Immune cold, electricity, fire.
 
I was just stuck at a traffic light on my way home and I had a funny thought. I don't think this has been mentioned, but I might have missed it or just forgotten.

Remember how we used to trade stories of our exploits to the Fey of the Orphne Court for extremely valuable goods or services? At the time it seemed crazy, but we wrote it off as a peculiarity of the Fey. They are living tales, after all, so it would make sense that the knowledge of deeds that very well might pass into legend would be of interest to them.

Now think about our own spending habits over the past years or so, how much money we have spent for books and lore, from every halfway friendly power or faction we have encountered. How different is that from the Orphne Court paying us for our stories which, when taken at face value, aren't that much different than rumors from foreign agents, Inquisition reports, or eye witness accounts of events. They wanted to learn more of the world, who the powers were and what they were getting up to, who was opposing them and how, etc., just like we want to learn more of the history of the Planes, what the gods and goddesses have gotten up to, who conquered who, etc.

Lots of things have changed throughout the quest as our power and resources have grown, along with the scope of our own goals and ambition, and the enemies we face. I just hadn't realized how we had changed in this manner. It's not that we've become more like the Fey, merely that our priorities may have shifted to align more closely with their own in at least one regard.
They tend to just have less use for things like coin or precious metals, but make unique objects that are hard to obtain elsewhere.

One marked difference is we like dealing in coin just fine. Both selling or buying. Life is much simpler when you an go to the market and buy parts to put together a battleship or giant construct, and the people who live near that market can hop over and spend coin (which we can tax) on things that we really don't have trouble getting our hands on anymore.

Just wait until we build more alchemy factories. It would be nice to open more for sale, not really because it makes us a tremendous profit (it's nothing to scoff at) but because holy shit, any kind of alchemical item you can think of and you can buy it not just in single batches from some herbalist shop, but by placing a bulk order? Thousands of miles away? The magnitude of that is astounding. Only Planar marketplaces come close, and they do that mostly by means of magnitude and scale.
 
Huh?

No, you're misreading the template. I didn't notice you had left these out of the stat entry.

It gets all of these regardless of CR. At CR 5 or less, it merely gets the lowest tier; Fast Healing 5, DR 5/Slashing, Magic, & Cold Iron, and +10 Natural Armor.

The DR is very nice all on its own, as very few enemies will be equipped with a weapon that meets all three of the requirements to overcome.

Huh, so I was.

That makes a significant difference.
 
Spine*

It's a good picture of a Hawk but I was hoping for something pretty much literally made of vegetation or at least visually nodding to that.

It is a good picture though, fierce. Maybe I can colour mod it.
At only HD2/CR 2, these little guys would only cost 300 IM or 6 HD to grow. At that price we could produce significant flocks of them to turn loose upon our enemies.

Imagine if their master gave the command for a flock of 50 to all unleash their spine attacks simultaneously on a group of enemies, or even just a single larger, more dangerous threat. Even with just a +5 Ranged Attack Bonus, when you have dozens upon dozens of spines being launched in a round, there will be plenty of Nat 20s among those attacks, and it only takes a Nat 1 to succumb to their poison.

They would be a neat addition to the Griffon Knights, IMO. One or two Verdant Spine Hawks per Knight would be a helpful force multiplier.
 
At only HD2/CR 2, these little guys would only cost 300 IM or 6 HD to grow. At that price we could produce significant flocks of them to turn loose upon our enemies.

Imagine if their master gave the command for a flock of 50 to all unleash their spine attacks simultaneously on a group of enemies, or even just a single larger, more dangerous threat. Even with just a +5 Ranged Attack Bonus, when you have dozens upon dozens of spines being launched in a round, there will be plenty of Nat 20s among those attacks, and it only takes a Nat 1 to succumb to their poison.

They would be a neat addition to the Griffon Knights, IMO. One or two Verdant Spine Hawks per Knight would be a helpful force multiplier.
Wont volleys fall under the mass combat rules?
 
Last edited:
I think we should do juvenat fundamentals. If we can move up to the relic material version of juvenat, then that would extend the lives of several companions and heroes of the trust with hard to replace capacities.
Life extension won't be an issue for us. It's a fairly minor problem we can deal with when all the more pressing concerns are handled.
 
Which quest were you referring to?
Embers in the dusk. Planetary governor quest in 40k after the imperium collapses.


As far as this quest goes... we have cyclic reincarnation for life extension. Though I'm not sure we have anything that doesn't rely on vee. Add templete, become flesh golem that looks like you, maybe?


Edit: and before I forget

[X] Seek out a specific blessing (Cost 5000 XP)
-[X] Of the Senses
-[X] In preparation, have "Channel Vigor"'s effect switched to Spirit (+6 to willsave).
-[X] Have the spells Surge of Fortune (allows to take nat. 20 = +20 ), Grand Destiny (1/4 charges = +4), Moment of Greatness (doubling bonus from Dany's Persistomancy = +5), Ruin Delver's Fortune (equal to Charisma modifier = +12 Luck), Moment of Prescience(use Wild Arcana while having Lya cast Harmonic Chorus on Viserys beforehand - increasing CL to 24, and as the bonus is equal to CL = +24 Insight) cast appropriately before consuming the Heart.
--[X] Total Willsave = 100 +1d6 (Mythic Surge).
 
Last edited:
Verdant Spine Hawks also don't require sleep and their perception scores are nothing to scoff at.

While Goldfish has outlined their combat capabilities Flocks of Hawk at roost also provide a worthwhile defence to most locations as they are ever vigilant.

Whether that's a half dozen in a remote Weirwood tree or resting like pigeons in a bell tower or on the eaves of inns and keeps.

Embers in the dusk. Planetary governor quest in 40k after the imperium collapses.


As far as this quest goes... we have cyclic reincarnation for life extension. Though I'm not sure we have anything that doesn't rely on vee. Add templete, become flesh golem that looks like you, maybe?

Okay, but what the hell is a juvenat?
 
Back
Top