three things: necromantic prosthetics

Ghost-Touched Eye - This pale, milky-white eye will when inserted into an empty socket graft itself in place permanently causing incredible pain (treat as nauseated) for one round.  Afterwards, the eye sees normally and enables the wearer to see things that are out of phase or in the Ethereal plane by concentration to a distance of 120 feet. Someone with a ghost-touched eye still needs other magics to interact with things in the Ethereal but sometimes, forewarned is forearmed.
Market Value: 80,000gp
Creation: Caster level 9th, Create Wondrous Item, Heal 8+ ranks, true seeing.

Hand of Bloody Bones - This hand is skeletal and always dripping with dark blood, it activates when it is attached to the stump of an arm.  The hand is considered to have Strength 15 and can claw as a +1 weapon for 1d4 damage.  By smearing some of the blood along an slashing weapon then wielding it (a full-round action), the hand grants that weapon the wounding property until it is dropped by the wielder.  The hand of bloody bones smells of freshly-spilled blood, causing problems in certain situations (DM's discretion).
Market Value: 5000gp
Creation: Caster level 10th, Create Wondrous Item, spectral hand, vampiric touch.

Ghoul's Teeth - This set of teeth is activated by carefully affixing them against the gums, if the user had normal teeth, they all fall out.  They give the wearer a bite attack similar to that of a ghoul, inflicting 1d6 damage and forcing a Fortitude save (DC12) or causing paralysis for 1d6+2 rounds.  The downside is the elongated canines and thicker molars deform the face and lead to drooling, causing a -2 penalty to Charisma checks and Charisma-based skill checks.
Market Value: 20,000gp
Creation: Caster level 6th, Create Wondrous Item, Heal skill 8+ ranks, ghoul's touch

This content comes under the Open Gaming Licence v1.0

field of dreams - review: coliseum morpheuon

Coliseum Morpheuon by Rite Publishing
Metric: Nightmares (from the Khaaaaaan!!!). Got that out the way.  Now to business!
DISCLAIMER: This review is based on PDF copy provided by Rite Publishing with supporting map packs and paper miniatures.

Overall: 3.75 nightmares.  This is a book of two halves. Good ingredients with new rules, spells, feats and traits strewn among NPCs and monsters.  Nagging slips in organisation, mechanics bloat and chibi-esque artwork tarnish good stuff wrapped in Jason Rainville's gorgeous cover.  Canny GMs have lots to love with floorplans and riddles as well as quirky settings, fun encounters and memorable NPCs if they adequately prepare.  Fans of the Rule of Cool will be squeeing hard.

Content: 4 nightmares (5 nightmares in parts).
The introduction starts off a bit stiff but kicks up a notch as things turn to the Plane of Dreams, lovechild of Lovecraft's Dreamlands and the old World of Darkness Dreaming.  I like the setting and the gazetteer provides thumbnail sketches of various places to go and people to see along with some exquisite surreal art. 

The Dreamburning rules are reminiscent of White Wolf's Wraith or Evil Hat's Don't Rest Your Head. Creating a threat for high-level characters is a nice idea - attacking what drives them makes it different.  Mechanically there are assorted feat-like traits but repairing dreams requires serious magic or sacrificing others and their dreams.  There's no way good characters can inspire hope (or Hope). The mechanics are thematically consistent with the Coliseum's setting and explains the attitude of many major NPCs.  A table summarising the Dreamburning options (and other feats) would be very helpful.

An outline of what kinds of creatures live in the Plane of Dreams including new monsters like the chittering dream eater, malevolent denizens of Leng, oneirobound slaves who weave things from dreamstuff and predatory qarnjthak lends a more Dreamlands cast to the setting.  I'd have liked more creatures here but the Coliseum and Appendixes scratch that itch later.

Then the Coliseum itself, drawing on hints of Alighieri's Divine Comedy, early Bas-Lag, late Melnibone and the Village from The Prisoner.  The history of the Coliseum is outlined with it's origins as domain for the nigh-omnipotent Khan of Nightmares.  Now the Coliseum is a melting pot for the denizens of Dream, populated by primal entities, mechanical monsters, otherworldly opponents and feckless fey.  Some read like using a large hadron collider on monster templates.  For example the Hounds of Ill-Prophecy, tiefling were-Nessian hellhounds with levels.  This aside, there's interesting folk - the Queen of Thistles, the Pasha of Swirling Ashes, Deuce of Clubs and the Khan of Nightmares make memorable encounters.  Lady Puzzledeep is a gem showing how conflicting motivations can elevate a character.  All the major NPCs also have Dreamburning options so they can join in the fun.  Fans of Planescape will certainly approve.

Then a series of enjoyable riddles before Chapters 6 - 8 take you into the Coliseum proper; that second half I mentioned.   The Trials of the Damnation Epoch range from sublime to deadly and end in a very high-stakes game of King of the Mountain (yes even at 16th - 20th level!) before a series of proposed encounter structures in which the preceding pages suddenly make a lot more sense. Encounter setups make individual elements flow and offer staging tips and battlemaps.  Putting Chapter 10 (Secrets of the Coliseum) between Chapters 6 and 7 would offer a layered look at plots enmeshing the Coliseum and it's characters.  There are battlemap expansions for the encounters that are worth looking into including MapTool files - a nice touch acknowledging the presence of Internet-run games.  Jonathan Roberts again excels in his cartography.

Appendixes include NPC antagonists and potential characters who provide a benchmark.   Everything you need to play is here. GMs seeking continuity could use this after Paizo's Rise of the Runelords Adventure Path by using both products' ties to Leng.

Artwork: 3 nightmares.  While the cover and internal art by Jason Rainville is beautiful, elements are liberally recycled particularly as cameos for boxed text.  Minor NPCs get miniature-type artwork.  Personally I think the contrast jarring, even though the miniature artists provide art for both Rite Publishing and Paizo.  Maybe I'm being picky but it seems to detract from the visual appeal of an otherwise fine product.

Overall, this is good stuff.  It needs polish, an index for all the crunch would have been nice and the Dreamburning rules look balanced but maybe need their own indie game to truly shine.  High-level Pathfinder adventures are not exactly a common commodity and the re-usability of the Plane of Dreams and the Coliseum as a setting makes it worthwhile for those high-levellers who've been there, done that.

alchemist alternatives: poisoner

I recently reviewed Advanced Feats: Secrets of the Alchemist and mentioned an extra archetype or two would be appreciated. Alchemists are a strong mix of short-range offence, personal buffing and potion manufacture and Secrets expands those options further. So here's a classic archetype that will give a games master a twist on the alchemist and a ready-made villain for heroes to curse.

Poisoner
"Here's a little something for what ails you."
The poisoner makes a good villain for your Pathfinder campaign as they use dark methods. While more insidious than most, they can drop bombs like any alchemist worth their saltpetre. Starting poisoners take risks like anyone else but soon become less susceptible to their own tools. There are bombs for undead and poison-resistant inconveniences, the poisoner becomes a terrifying foe at higher levels.  Their skills makes them effective in treating comrades (including clerics) and providing support in the wilderness as well as the alchemist staples of providing potions and - of course - poisons.  Any race can pick this build - poisoners are a pervasive evil.

Abilities: Dex 13+ Con 13+
Skills: Craft (Alchemy), Heal, Knowledge (arcana), Knowledge (Nature), Sleight of Hand, Survival.

1st. Frugal Crafting feat 1
2nd. Smoke bomb discovery
3rd. Great Fortitude feat
4th. Stink bomb discovery, +1 Intelligence
5th. Master Alchemist feat
6th. Sticky poison discovery
7th. Point Blank Shot feat
8th. Concentrate poison discovery, +1 Wisdom
9th. Precise Shot feat
10th. Frost bomb discovery
11th. Advanced Alchemy feat 1
12th. Poison bomb discovery, +1 Intelligence
13th. Reliable Bombs feat
14th. Delayed bomb discovery
15th. Rapid Shot feat
16th. Elixir of life discovery, +1 Wisdom
17th. Opportunity Shot feat 1
18th. Extend potion discovery
19th. Improved Greater Fortitude
20th. Grand Discovery (Poison Touch), inferno bomb, eternal potion.

1 - feat in Advanced Feats: Secrets of the Alchemist

Formulae that work well with this build include:
1st: bomber's eye, crafter's fortune, cure light wounds, disguise self, expeditious retreat, true strike
2nd: bear's endurance, blur, cure moderate wounds, restoration, transmute potion to poison, undetectable alignment
3rd: absorbing touch, cure serious wounds, displacement, heroism, nondetection, remove disease,
4th: cure critical wounds, death ward, detonate, fluid form, neutralize poison, restoration, stoneskin
5th: delayed consumption, dream, magic jar, nightmare, polymorph, sending
6th: eyebite, heal, mislead, shadow walk, true seeing, wind walk

inns & taverns: the twopenny crow

The Twopenny Crow is a riverside inn and ferry to a forlorn island graveyard.  A sprawling cruciform bungalow with attached stable and rose garden, it's sign is a two-headed crow with spread wings.  The bungalow and stable is made of whitewashed cement with dark-stained beams and decorated shutters and doors.  The stable is quiet and a pair of black cart horses rest in two of the stalls.  A stand of yew trees shelters the inn from wind decorated with bright scraps of red and yellow fabric while a rowan and a blackthorn form an arch for travellers to shelter under.

Inside the inn is coloured autumn.  The walls are yellowed by pipeweed smoke or painted crimson, indigo  orange.  The beams are carved with ornate flower and leaf patterns.  Painted tiles of crows, scarecrows and various flowers hang between tallow lamps.  The furniture is lower set than usual, concession to numerous halfling patrons.  There are two main rooms, a large communal bar with tables and chairs arranged in orderly rows with a clear space for people to stand and talk and a smaller lounge with tables and chairs closer to the walls.  Those wanting food are encouraged to go to the lounge.

There is a variety of drinks available - a dark reddish beer with floral hints and bittersweet aftertaste unique to the house and at least three other beers as well as cyser, cornwine, a ferocious sloe gin, a bittersweet rowan spirit and in winter, mulled spiced cyser and a floral mead. For food there are a variety of pastries with seasonal fillings from spiced meats with parsnip and onion to a sticky apple and blackberry mixture.  Fresh bread and hard cheese is available with a generous dollop of dark, sticky and spicy elderberry and onion pickle.  This is particularly loved by the halflings who always try to learn the recipe from the landlord, Ebur.

Ebur is the rock the Crow rests on. An excellent cellarman, skilled carpenter and undertaker, his ordered mind and strong baritone quells most outbursts. He leaves the bar work to his younger sister, Iola - herself a herbalist of repute.  Both Ebur and Iola lost their spouses to the war and visit the island on quiet days to grieve.  Sometimes, Ebur will be called on to act as an undertaker.  Not much escapes the attention of these two who somehow instinctively side with the wrongfully accused and who find themselves helping put wrongs right, often with the help of itinerant adventurers.  This has led to the Crow being avoided by local sherrifs until things are getting out of hand.

The ferry to the island graveyard is operated by a pair of brothers.  One is blind (though his hearing is formidable), the other is mute.  Both are staunchly loyal to Ebur whose quick thinking saved them both from being eaten alive by ghouls.  Though the island is now cleared of undead, the brothers maintain a steadfast vigil and both carry swords and horns that are sounded in the event of unnatural activity on the island or from the river.  If the horns sound, all of the locals will come running - past incidents have involved attacks from ghouls and other undead raised by fugitive necromancers or evil cults.