I would rather keep him an Unchained Rogue with no special abilities at all instead of try to retrain him into an Alchemist. The party needs a Rogue more than they do an Alchemist, and it suits Cob's character better by far, IMO.
We've already got three full casters, a 2/3 caster Alchemist would just be superfluous. Psychic Charlatan lets him remain a Rogue but with some low level psionics for variety and versatility.
I would rather keep him an Unchained Rogue with no special abilities at all instead of try to retrain him into an Alchemist. The party needs a Rogue more than they do an Alchemist, and it suits Cob's character better but far, IMO.
We've already got three full casters, a 2/3 caster Alchemist would just be superfluous. Psychic Charlatan lets him remain a Rogue but with some low level psionics for variety and versatility.
Eh, for me a Vivesectionis who puts his Discoveries into sneaky stuff and mutations is basically a better Rogue.
Not much casting, all of it limited to yourself.
But in exchange very good stabbing.
His Sneak Attack stays the same, he'd have Discoveries like Chameleon, maybe Inspiring Cognaton to boost his skills (which is reasonably Rogue-like).
There's even specifically weird goblin-stuff, like this.
Or just extra limbs, wings, etc.
BAB remains the same, his skills would, admittedly, suffer a bit in the total numbers, but in exchange he gets some nice boni.
Eh, for me a Vivesectionis who puts his Discoveries into sneaky stuff and mutations is basically a better Rogue.
Not much casting, all of it limited to yourself.
But in exchange very good stabbing.
His Sneak Attack stays the same, he'd have Discoveries like Chameleon, maybe Inspiring Cognaton to boost his skills (which is reasonably Rogue-like).
There's even specifically weird goblin-stuff, like this.
Or just extra limbs, wings, etc.
BAB remains the same, his skills would, admittedly, suffer a bit in the total numbers, but in exchange he gets some nice boni.
That's basically an entire character rebuild, though.
It would almost be like turning Kori into a Shadow Bloodline Sorcerer instead of a Shadow Oracle. He would stay a CHA-focused full caster, know many of the same spells, and keep the general theme, while being extremely different at the same time, and not necessarily for the better.
That's basically an entire character rebuild, though.
It would almost be like turning Kori into a Shadow Bloodline Sorcerer instead of a Shadow Oracle. He would stay a CHA-focused full caster, know many of the same spells, and keep the general theme, while being extremely different at the same time, and not necessarily for the better.
Also I don't understand how you arrived at the conclusion that he could use any Psychic Cantrips or level 1 effects?
I would have definitely read Minor and Major Magic so that you have to pick a single Cantrip or spell to cast, when you get the Talent.
Otherwise this line from Arcane Charlatan makes no sense at all:
At 11th level and 19th level, the arcane charlatan selects an additional 1st-level spell from the sorcerer/wizard spell list with her major magic rogue talent, gaining the ability to cast the selected spell as a spell-like ability once per day for every 2 rogue levels she possesses.
If you didn't have to pick one spell, you wouldn't need to pick a second and third. You'd just get more daily uses of the ability.
All in all I'd prefer to stay focused on doing sneaky stabbing best over getting an Archetype devoted to picking a few low-end spells.
Might as well just use our next Rogue Talents for the Minor and Major magic, if there is something in the zeroth and first level of Psionics you really want.
Sir Pisca, you soon discover, had been asleep. Not from spell, but from the same sort of sleeping potion one would be able to buy at any apothecary in Cassomir and likely sourced from there, the better to lose its trail. The knight himself remembers hearing an odd sound outside, opening a window onto the storm-wracked palace garden, and then blackness, rendered unconscious with a spell before being drugged and dragged into the depths. Not only had his kidnappers made off with the alchemist, but also with the concoctions he was preparing to imbibe, his armor, talismans, and even his ancient family sword, leaving him more disorientated and distraught in his anger than you had ever seen the men. "Highness, we must find them. My aunt, the Duchess... she'll never, she can't forgive me for this, losing a legacy of House Fahlspar..."
"And here I thought the legacy of House Fahlspar was honorable service." The knight recoils as if struck at the words, but she continues unabated. "A sword is mere steel, be that steel even forged under the Golden Gates before they were drowned by the sea. Legacy is in the deeds of those who bear it. Battle you have brought against enemies of the empire, those who would rob our trade lanes and who would twist the devotion of our citizens to service of the madman Razmir. If you have need for a sword, take this one." In one smooth motion she pulls the celestial blade from her hip and presents him the hilt. "I shall count its service in your hands no less than in my own."
"I...I can't..."
"Go on," she smiles, a bit of her old bravado slipping back into her expression despite the reek and desolation. "'T would make the Andorans less likely to eye-stab me every time I showed my face with it. I'm sure there's a knife somewhere in this mess I could use instead."
"You have five," her guard proclaims in the kind of perfect deadpan that indicates either the princess collects an improbable numbers of knives about her person, or she has a habit of trying to loot unholy shrines for them. Come to think of it, it might be both.
"Ah, but those are my emergency knives, they aren't for use unless I run out of other weapons. Seems to me like there are plenty of other weapons around here."
"Festering, poisoned, and accursed," he nods by turn to monster corpses, the drow bodies, and the light of the bale-fire still smoldering in the center of the chamber. "Don't disarm Her Highness," he adds to Pisca. A moment passes before he adds grudgingly: "Please."
"I wouldn't dream of it, good fellow," the knight, if anything, seems to recover more from being given the chance to do the right thing by his princess, but most of your attention is fixed on another task.
It is far from difficult to tell where the Lamashans had come from, they trail filth, half-rotted bone, and gristle the way a tunnel slug trails slime, but the elves in the vision, the ones who had brought Pisca here, there was really no way for them to make it through the cavern complex around the temple unless they were unseen and unheard, able to run full tilt through the horde or... They got out the same way you got in, by magic. At least that's Gorok's judgement and you see no reason to doubt him. Though that still raises the question...
"Would they have killed Saenar and disposed of the body, or try to take him back to Kyonin for questioning?" You pause to think. "Or something in between, killed him and taken his skull maybe?"
Some of the guards give you dirty looks, but you're much too used to that to return them. At least the princess seems to be paying attention. "Well, if they are out of reach there's one party in the city that can answer that question, and by Abadar's Perfect Scales they will answer to me!"
"If they did kill the drow his soul would be, by far, more straightforward to restore, assuming Highness that you are willing to pay the price your priests demand," Sirim notes, seemingly only mildly interested. "I can easily produce his likeness."
She starts, looks up at him, and without preamble asks. "What's your stake in this, shade?"
Sirim Bluff: 1d20+13+8 (Heroism+Bestow Insight) = 32
vs
Princess Sense Motive: 1d20+23 = 34
"Should I explain...?" He's asking all of you, and not just about the engine you had handed into Saenar's care. A deeper question lurks. If the Princess should introduce him to a priest able to resurrect the drow only from his likeness, than that priest would possess the lore Sirim needs to craft a puppet body for himself without appealing to necromancy.
That he would even ask the question shows trust that's hard to imagine coming from your daytime visitor aboard the White Eagle all those months past.
What does Kori think?
[] Tell her about the anima-engine and the hopes of cleaning out necromantic taint
[] Sirim should explain his condition
[] Deflect, it's too much of a risk she will take honesty badly in this
Sir Pisca you soon discover had been asleep, not from spell the same sort of sleeping potion one would be able to buy at any apothecary in Cassomir and likely sourced from there, the better to lose its trail.
Also I don't understand how you arrived at the conclusion that he could use any Psychic Cantrips or level 1 effects?
I would have definitely read Minor and Major Magic so that you have to pick a single Cantrip or spell to cast, when you get the Talent.
Otherwise this line from Arcane Charlatan makes no sense at all:
If you didn't have to pick one spell, you wouldn't need to pick a second and third. You'd just get more daily uses of the ability.
All in all I'd prefer to stay focused on doing sneaky stabbing best over getting an Archetype devoted to picking a few low-end spells.
Might as well just use our next Rogue Talents for the Minor and Major magic, if there is something in the zeroth and first level of Psionics you really want.
At 5th level, an arcane charlatan can channel spell energy from her minor magic or major magic rogue talents into a spell-like ability from the sorcerer/wizard spell list that she did not select with either of those talents. The arcane charlatan can "lose" one use of either rogue talent in order to cast any spell on the sorcerer/wizard spell list of the same spell level or lower as a spell-like ability.
This ability replaces the rogue's edge gained at 5th level.
They start off selecting Minor and Major Magic, to learn individual cantrips and spells, but that changes at 5th level. After that, they can just choose to use any cantrip at will and can use any 1st level spell, but only once per two levels per day.
The 11th and 19th level abilities just aren't worded very well.
Would you feel more comfortable if Cob used the Cryptic power list rather than the Psion list for his abilities? It's much more limited and would cut out some powers I was looking forward to Cob having, but it is very much Rogue-themed, IMO.
Okay, yeah, now is the best time we're likely ever going to get to rely on an appreciative and powerful royal with the enough power, political and with the clergy, to go about helping Sirim.
If Saenar can be recovered, Eutropia has a good chance of protecting him and helping get the Anima Engine perfected, and she can put in a really good word with the priesthood to see about restoring Sirim. [X] Full Disclosure
-[X] Tell her about the anima-engine and the hopes of cleaning out necromantic taint -[X] Sirim should explain his condition
Eutropia really does live up to the Paladin ideal, doesn't she? She would have happily parted with her sword to replace Pisca's lost heirloom.
I would feel comfortable supporting her from the shadows as best we can, when the opportunity presents itself. There are worse things we could be than occasional agents of the princess of Taldor.
She's destined for the throne of Taldor, but there is a lot of bad shit between now and that eventuality, including her death and resurrection, and a civil war.
I'll admit that it's a good thing we didn't leave for Andoran when we were done in Cassomir. Staying around to see the princess has worked out very well for us. For her, Pisca, and Taldor in general, as well.
I bet we could maybe even arrange an introduction between her and Urgor before we leave. She might be able to lend some support toward the efforts to reclaim his lost city from the Undead, maybe for diplomatic considerations once the deed is done? An embassy, trade deals, mutual defense treaties, etc., could all be on the table.
And we could be involved in making it possible, and just so happen to purchase some potentially valuable real estate in the city while it's still cheap. 🧐
Okay, yeah, now is the best time we're likely ever going to get to rely on an appreciative and powerful royal with the enough power, political and with the clergy, to go about helping Sirim.
If Saenar can be recovered, Eutropia has a good chance of protecting him and helping get the Anima Engine perfected, and she can put in a really good word with the priesthood to see about restoring Sirim.
[X] Full Disclosure
-[X] Tell her about the anima-engine and the hopes of cleaning out necromantic taint
-[X] Sirim should explain his condition
They aren't related, except they both have a similar potential solution.
If she can wrangle someone of sufficient power from the church of Abadar to resurrect Saenar, assuming he is dead, she can probably do the same for Sirim, or at least arrange an introduction to someone who could assist him with returning to corporeal form.
I don't see why we can tell her about both angles?
They aren't related, except they both have a similar potential solution.
If she can wrangle someone of sufficient power from the church of Abadar to resurrect Saenar, assuming he is dead, she can probably do the same for Sirim, or at least arrange an introduction to someone who could assist him with returning to corporeal form.
I don't see why we can tell her about both angles?
Well the first one involves consuming souls and the second one involves Sirim being a former member of the Umbral Court, a thing most people in Golarion do not even believe can exist because of the whole 'selling your soul to the god of darkness and torment' thing you have to do to get into the Umbral Court.
Well the first one involves consuming souls and the second one involves Sirim being a former member of the Umbral Court, a thing most people in Golarion do not even believe can exist because of the whole 'selling your soul to the god of darkness and torment' thing you have to do to get into the Umbral Court.
But it's not really souls that the Anima Engine consumes. It might just look like it at first glance.
The Umbral Court thing could be an issue, though. I guess it might be a bit much for Eutropia to take in. She does Detect Evil at will, after all, and Sirim is Neutral Evil, unless he's drifted toward Chaotic Neutral or True Neutral over the past few months?
But it's not really souls that the Anima Engine consumes. It might just look like it at first glance.
The Umbral Court thing could be an issue, though. I guess it might be a bit much for Eutropia to take in. She does Detect Evil at will, after all, and Sirim is Neutral Evil, unless he's drifted toward Chaotic Neutral or True Neutral over the past few months?
Sirim is definitely still NE, he just you know... likes the rest of the party and is willing to tolerate what he sees as foibles if it means he has someone to talk to and who he can trust at his back.
It seemed like something Mina was very excited about. After all, it has the potential to help deal with the Undead that have plagued her homeland for centuries.
Personally, I would prefer we get Sirim a body ASAP, but the Anima Engine seems like the more palatable option between the two, at least if we assume Sirim's ties to the Umbral Court could be a sticking point. If not with Eutropia herself, then probably with the clergy she would be able to reach out to.
@DragonParadox, does Sirim believes he would be in any danger from Eutropia if he revealed his origins to her?
Yes, but you should keep in mind he is paranoid enough to have that is a flaw on his sheet. The reason he's asking is because he is aware he has issues in that regard so he is trusting you to make the call.
I'm a bit distracted ATM, but I think the engine is small potatoes here.
We should focus 100% on Sirim's situation and forget the engine here.
This is an oppertunity we should not risk diluting.
[Sirim should be given Fortune hex for the big diplo roll. If Mina did not use her hex to cast greater Teleport, then she might also use it on herself?
Also, Mina might attempt aid another?
[Is she wearing the armour that gives + 5 co pretence diplo to those that already are positively inclined to her?]
I'm a bit distracted ATM, but I think the engine is small potatoes here.
We should focus 100% on Sirim's situation and forget the engine here.
This is an oppertunity we should not risk diluting.
[Sirim should be given Fortune hex for the big diplo roll. If Mina did not use her hex to cast greater Teleport, then she might also use it on herself?
Also, Mina might attempt aid another?
[Is she wearing the armour that gives + 5 co pretence diplo to those that already are positively inclined to her?]
I've updated my vote to have Sirim tell her about his condition and for Mina to help with a Fortune Hex and to attempt to use Aid Another. She won't be able to use it on herself, even if she hasn't already, due to actions economy.
It would be great if we could get Sirim a new body ASAP.
Fan art I've seen leans toward making them look more Human, but the official art from the sourcebooks is pretty consistent about giving them larger, darkly colored eyes and extremely prominent ears.
