three things: automatarch's regalia

The Automatarch rules a nation where mechanical wonders perform laborious tasks and great engines harness the elements.  Lost in the Siege of Unmaking, restoring the regalia earns royal patronage.  To say nothing of access to all manner of marvellous machinery and mechanical conveyances...

Crown Cognate
This ornately-tined gold crown is studded with tiny sapphires, violet garnets and ornate cogs of alchemically-hardened amber.  When worn, the crown clicks and whirrs to life, the cogs turn and small arcs of electricity move around the tines of the crown. This provides the wearer with a +4 enhancement bonus to Intelligence.
Market Cost: 24,000gp
Creation: Caster level 9th, fox's cunning.

Orb of Foreknowledge
This chased orb of bronze, gold and sapphire emits wisps of aromatic steam and makes a continuous ticking sound audible up to 10 feet away that negates any attempt at stealth.  Once a day, it may provide answers to five yes or no questions in the manner of a commune spell.  The questions are answered by a lawful entity obsessed with simple order and mechanical precision. 
Market Cost: 10,000gp
Creation: Caster level 9th, commune


Scepter of Manifold Purpose
This stout rod decorated in gold filigree and indigo lacquer conceals a number of blades within it in the manner of a brandestock.  By depressing parts of the filigree, the scepter can extrude various blades, spikes and other items which allow it to perform the following functions.

• +2 short trident (treat as a +2 shortspear).
• +1 shocking light mace
• By extruding a slim copper prong to the ground, the scepter provides resist electricity 20 but cannot be used as a weapon while this property is being used.
• A lens may be extruded which acts as a magnifying lens (+2 circumstance bonus to Appraise checks on small or detailed items). 

Market Cost: 32,000gp
Creation: Caster level 9th, alter self, magic weapon, resist energy, shocking grasp


This content is published under the Open Game Licence 1.0

inns & taverns: pudding's tavern

Pudding's Tavern is tucked in a busy side-street, jostling with bakers and four storey narrow houses. The circular oak sign has the name painted in gold. It's dark walls and doors radiate warmth and a constant hubbub of activity. The smell of bread and hops is a constant companion interrupted by cooked food. The guild marks etched in the lintel showing the approval of bakers, butchers carpenters and potters who drink here.

Inside Pudding's is bustling, often crowded. Tables and stools occupied by off-work artisans clump together. The smells of food and drink mix with fresh sawdust on the floor and the orange light of the hearth and lamps at the larger table. Stairwells leading up are sometimes taken by guests laden with clay tankards. Kitchen staff emerge with boards of pot pie and sticky tartlets intent on their buyers who bellow directions. The bar alternates between quietly occupied and stacked two deep as the artisans drink in waves with the industrious staff scratching tallies on a huge chalkboard behind them.

The house ale is dark ochre with a potent bite and treacle aftertaste. Other ales are served, a pale ale favoured by thirsty smiths and a thick, dark stout more commonly served by halflings to their friends. Those who don't drink ale can buy either red or white wine or a measure of fortified red wine to keep the chill away. In food, the tavern excels. The local bakers provide pot pies and cakes in return for a tab and this benefits all parties. Pudding's is used to showcase some of the finer eating. Prices are a little above average but the quality is repaid with interest. Artisans out to impress often visit Pudding's as part of an evening's entertainment.

Games of chance are a regular occurence, the butchers who drink here play games of draughts and lay wagers. Students of human nature will notice the butchers here are skilled gamblers capable of bilking the unwary in drinking contests, draughts or even simple wagers. They are often accompanied by a squat, tenacious dog of uncertain breeding and many sharp teeth. This beast is beloved of many regulars and waddles around like he owns the place.

For accommodation, Pudding's is functional. A few coins will rent a key to a narrow room for a night with a straw mattress and a chamberpot with a covered lid - the keys all fit each other's locks and guests are told that their possessions are their own concern. Most guests leave the key in the lock. Larcenous types don't usually visit and those who do attract the malicious attention of the landlord's cat, an ill-tempered, aged beast with broken teeth and razor claws who stalks the halls with the stealth of a goat. Guests will find the cat glaring balefully at them when they leave the room. The cat never visits the ground floor - the dog and it are well-acquainted of old.

The tavern is named for the family who founded it forty years ago. Former bakers, they decided to change direction and their fortunes were assured as a result from careful deals negotiated with the artisans of the town. The latest owner works as the landlord and business is booming under his careful eye. He brews the house ale to a family recipe and keeps this secret. Barring war, famine, pestilence or even sudden death, the Pudding Tavern will continue to prosper for some time.

three hundred...

...as of now.  That proved the old adage the first hundred are easy what follows makes it interesting.  Now a question - what do you want?  

What I'm working on right now:

1. Putting together a PDF of selected inns & taverns and some extras with it.  Sort of a combination pub/dungeon crawl in the tradition of Griffin Mountain.  This ensures I meet the Chatty Challenge since 4E's transmogrification into Essentials derailed my sekrit project.  Barrowman! (shakes fist).
2. Exploring Gameful.  There is cool stuff and some familiar faces though the tabletop RPG enclave is a small part of a seriously cook picture.  Everything has that new paint smell and for those thinking games can change the world, it's serious gravy.  It will be interesting to see what happens next...  

Seriously, what do you want to play?

high in his stirrups - review - advanced feats: the summoner's circle

Review: The Summoner's Circle by Siegfried Trent  
Metric: Pentacles.  Pokéballs came a close second but let's not go there.
DISCLAIMER: This review is based on a PDF copy provided by Open Design
Overall: 4 pentacles.  The walkthrough brings people up to speed on an ambiguous class and expands it's options, the feats are versatile and provide pointers on how to get the best out a class with hidden depths though a couple are a bit shaky and one is missing.  The builds illustrate the virtues of the class though GMs may want to review the master of arms build before allowing it at the table.

Content: 4 pentacles.  The walkthrough shows how a summoner sits ambiguously to more traditional roles.  Spells like a sorceror specialised in conjuring and buffing, a cleric's hit points, thief armour and weaponry.  This chimera is a tactical nightmare with the right player and Siegfried Trent gives some insights in how to do that which is seriously needed for some players who want to try something a bit different without breaking the flow of an established game while they find their feet.

The feats are a balanced selection and fill in some gaps though a few will cause discussion at the table (I'm looking at Improved Multiweapon Fighting and Multihanded Weapon primarily) and Usurp Spell is missing but if you have Advanced Feats: The Witch's Brew you'll find it there.  The feats are a mix of class specific and versatile, particular favourites include Hardened Spell, Improved Shield Ally and Touch of Grace.

The builds are interesting stuff.  The Chess Master is an excellent tactical build and my favourite of the three as it showcases the archetype.  The Mythic Rider will appeal to the players who want something a bit different from their summoner.  The Master At Arms is ambitious in building a combat tag team and at high levels is a holy terror but most GMs will try to apply some sanity - something that Siegfried himself admits needs to happen.

Art & Layout: 4 pentacles.  The cover art by Michael Bielaczyc is good and shows the distinctive nature of the eidolon.  Interior art and design suggests otherworldly flavour with some silhouettes reminiscent of Chaosium's Call of Cthulhu.  Layout is clean and concise and the winged eyebeasts add a touch of whimsy.

Overall this is a good product and for the price a worthy addition to your Pathfinder toolkit.  There are a couple of glitches on content which surprised me given Open Design's recent exceptional quality - it went a bit Wizards of the Coast there!  It would be an interesting exercise to see how some of these feats combine together but that may be a subject for another article.