Pathfinder 1e: Magic Talismans

As a long time Pathfinder publisher, I’ve gotten to know the magic items available rather well. This is one of the things that I think need a refresh. Take scrolls for example. It’s a spell on a piece of paper. That can be changed some, I believe. Change them to talismans. Wear them around your neck, pull out the right one, and speak the spell completion words and poof the spell goes off. Same effect as a scroll but a different in the imagination.

This particular one is an update of a an old 3.5 feat that never got as much appreciation as I felt it deserved.

After you read the feat, be sure to check out all of our spells and other magical options for Pathfinder like the Book of Magic: Signature Spells 2 at the JBE Shop, DriveThruRPG, the Open Gaming Store, and Paizo.

Craft Magic Talisman [Item Creation]

You can create magic fetishes (also called charms) that hold spells until triggered. A talisman is a singleuse magic item and functions like a scroll.

Prerequisite: Caster level 1st.

Benefit: You can create a talisman of any spell that you know. Crafting a talisman takes 2 hours if its base price is 250 gp or less, otherwise scribing a scroll takes 1 day for each 1,000 gp in its base price. To craft a talisman, you must use up raw materials costing half of this base price.

The base price of a talisman is its spell level times its caster level times 25 gp. Any talisman that stores a spell with a costly material component cost also carries a commensurate cost.

Activating a talisman is the same as activating a scroll.

April 6, 2020 0

Pathfinder 1e: Lich Slayer

Last week saw the release of the Book of Beasts: Warpriest Codex which is part of the Character Codex Subscription. So far we’ve shared with you the Mercenary Priest and the Airborne Reanimator. Both of these are low level characters. Today we are sharing with you a higher level character. This level 12 lich slayer is more than your typical warpriest. They’re a champion of the faith. One of the things we incorporated in the Warpriest Codex is the use of archetypes. The even-numbered levels are thematic, but some use archetypes, making them more unique.

Download the Book of Beasts: Warpriest Codex today at JonBrazer.com, DriveThruRPG, the Open Gaming Store, and Paizo.com and tell your friends that are sticking with Pathfinder 1e about us. Your words are the best way for people sticking with the game we love to find us and what we produce, and we need your help to do so.

Lich Slayer CR 11

XP 12,800
Changeling warpriest (champion of the faith) of Alina ^BoHRAC 12
LN Medium humanoid (changeling)
Init +5; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +2

Defense

AC 23, touch 11, flat-footed 22 (+11 armor, +1 Dex, +1 natural)
hp 93 (12d8+36)
Fort +11, Ref +7, Will +12
Defensive Abilities sacred armor (+2, 12 minutes/day); Resist one energy type 10

Offense

Speed 20 ft. (30 ft. without armor)
Melee +1 undead-bane warhammer +20/+20/+15 (1d10+16/×3 plus 2d6 vs. undead) or 2 claws +17 (1d4+9)
Special Attacks blessings 9/day (Community: communal aid, fight as one; Law: axiomatic strike, battle companion), fervor 8/day (4d6), hulking changeling, sacred weapon (1d10, lawful, 12 rounds/day), smite chaotic 3/day (+1 attack and AC, +12 damage)
Warpriest (Champion of the Faith) Spells Prepared (CL 12th; concentration +14)
4th—divine power, holy smite (DC 18), spiritual ally ^APG
3rd—daylight, dispel magic, searing light, wrathful mantle ^APG (DC 17)
2nd—aid, arrow of law ^UM (DC 16), ghostbane dirge ^APG (DC 14), spear of purity ^UM (2, DC 16), spiritual weapon
1st—bless, command (DC 13), divine favor, protection from evil, sanctify corpse ^UM, shield of faith
0 (at will)—detect magic, guidance, light, stabilize, virtue

Tactics

Before Combat The warpriest casts aid and wrathful mantle on an ally, then gives their full plate energy resistance with sacred armor.
During Combat The warpriest begins combat by casting divine power before entering melee, using smite chaotic when engaging demons and chaotic undead.
Base Statistics Without sacred armor and divine power, the warpriest’s statistics are Resist —; hp 81 (12d8+24); Melee +1 undead-bane warhammer +16/+11 (1d10+12/×3 plus 2d6 vs. undead) or 2 claws +13 (1d4+5); CMB +13.

Statistics

Str 18, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 8, Wis 15, Cha 12
Base Atk +9; CMB +17; CMD 24
Feats Combat Casting, Divine Interference ^UM, Greater Spell Focus (evocation), Greater Weapon Focus (warhammer), Greater Weapon Specialization (warhammer), Improved Initiative, Spell Focus (evocation), Toughness, Weapon Focus (warhammer), Weapon Specialization (warhammer)
Skills Heal +11, Knowledge (religion) +8, Sense Motive +11, Spellcraft +8
Languages Aklo, Common
SQ detect alignment
Combat Gear lesser ectoplasmic metamagic rod ^APG; Other Gear +2 full plate, +1 undead-bane warhammer, cloak of resistance +2, silver holy symbol of Alina, 13 gp

April 1, 2020 0

A Mix Up with the Character Codex Subscription

Good day,

Earlier this week when I made Book of Beasts: Character Codex Subscription on DriveThruRPG, I made it as the wrong type of product. Short of the long, I fixed the error by remaking it so if you have not yet purchased the subscription and are about it, all is good. If you have already purchased the Character Codex Subscription, check your email (including your spam folder) to see if you received an email from DriveThruRPG, it will have a link to download the fixed version. If you do not have an email from DriveThruRPG, contact me at contact AT jonbrazer DOT com, and we will get this resolved.

My sincerest apologizes for the situation,

Dale McCoy, Jr
Jon Brazer Enterprises

March 25, 2020 0

Pathfinder 1e: Start a New Subscription with Warpriests

Divine Warriors and Dark Cultists

Do your PCs need to hire some divine muscle? Does your upcoming session need an evil sword wielder that can also raise the undead or call upon infernal powers? Are you seeking ideas for the terrible power at the end of your campaign? The Book of Beasts: Warpriest Codex has the solutions you need, arming game masters of the First Edition of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game with the following:

20 ready-made warpriest characters, one for each level of play
Tactical combat recommendations for every character, helping you to quickly and effectively run the NPC in a fight
Personalities and details to give you ideas on how to use the characters both in combat and in roleplaying interactions

Populate Your Campaign With the Exact Character You Need!

Download the Book of Beasts: Warpriest Codex today at JonBrazer.com, DriveThruRPG, the Open Gaming Store, and Paizo.com.

NPCs Assemble!

No matter how much you prepare, players will always manage to do the unexpected, often forcing you to improvise an encounter. Other times, you simply don’t have the time to create all the NPCs you need for a session.

One of our many solutions to these situations is the Book of Beasts: Character Codex Subscription. Within this series, you’ll find 20 ready-made stat blocks for each of a dozen classes, for every level of play. As each volume covering a single class is completed, those NPCs will be delivered to your downloads section. Once the entire series is complete, you’ll also receive the compiled Character Codex!

The Book of Beasts: Character Codex Subscription is a must-have series for any game master who enjoys running the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game.

When completed, the Book of Beasts: Character Codex Subscription will include:

Full stat blocks for over 200 characters, covering the alchemist, arcanist, bloodrager, brawler, cavalier, hunter, magus, oracle, slayer, swashbuckler, warpriest, and witch classes
Tactical combat recommendations for every character, helping you to quickly and effectively run the NPC in a fight
Personalities and details to give you ideas on how to use the characters both in combat and in roleplaying interactions
Hero Lab Classic files for each NPC, allowing you to quickly modify these characters to meet your exact needs

Subscribe today to meet all of these amazing characters!

Subscribe to the Book of Beasts: Character Codex Subscription today at JonBrazer.com, DriveThruRPG, the Open Gaming Store, and Paizo.com.

March 25, 2020 0

Pathfinder 1e: Airborne Reanimator

We are currently hard at work on the Book of Beasts: Warpriest Codex. It will be out soon, and we are so excited! This will be the first part of a new subscription that we are hard at work creating. The Book of Beasts: Character Codex will be one awesome book when completed and we hope that you will join us on this ride. Read all about what you get when you subscribe to the Character Codex here.

Today we are showing off another of the warpriests inside this Warpriest Codex. The last one was a dwarf, a race you would completely expect to see paired with the warpriest class. Today we are showing off a wyvaran warpriest, one very different than the last one. Heck, this race as the ability to fly. Clumsy, sure, but they can still get airborne. Like many evil clerics, this one loves to bring back the dead as a shambling corruption of life. If you like this one, just wait until you see what we have in store for the rest of these clerical warriors.

One thing to notice is that the Wyvaran’s deity is the Five Heroes. This deity comes from the Book of Heroic Races: Advanced Compendium. Each of the races inside have their own deities. Those are the only options we chose that do not come from one of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game line of books, and even then, we only used the deities from races in the BoHRAC. The rest we chose from mythology, deciding on alignments and domains (or blessings in this case) that best suited them. If you want a supplement that describes the mythological deities, and their domains, and the organization of their worshippers, let us know in the comments below. It is something we would love to do if you are interested in such a project.

Airborne Reanimator CR 3

XP 800
Wyvaran ^ARG warpriest of the Five Heroes ^BoHRAC 4
NE Medium dragon
Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +3

Defense

AC 19, touch 12, flat-footed 17 (+7 armor, +2 Dex)
hp 21 (4d8)
Fort +4, Ref +3, Will +7
Immune paralysis, sleep

Offense

Speed 20 ft., fly 20 ft. in armor (clumsy) (30 ft., fly 30 ft. [clumsy] without armor)
Melee +1 heavy mace +7 (1d8+3)
Special Attacks blessings 5/day (Death: from the grave; Magic: hand of the acolyte), channel negative energy (DC 15, 1d6), fervor 5/day (1d6), sacred weapon (1d6, +1, 4 rounds/day), slapping tail +5 (1d8+2 bludgeoning)
Warpriest Spells Prepared (CL 4th; concentration +7)
2nd—lesser animate dead ^UM, summon monster II
1st—obscuring mist, sanctuary (DC 14), shield of faith, summon monster I
0 (at will)—create water, detect magic, read magic, virtue

Tactics

During Combat The warpriest flies out of reach of melee attacks and casts lesser animate dead and summon monster spells, then making Flyby Attacks to stay out of reach of opponents, using sacred weapon on the masterwork heavy mace.
Base Statistics Without sacred weapon, the warpriest’s statistics are Melee mwk heavy mace +7 (1d8+2)

Statistics

Str 15, Dex 14, Con 10, Int 12, Wis 16, Cha 8
Base Atk +3; CMB +5; CMD 17
Feats Combat Casting, Flyby Attack, Intimidating Prowess, Weapon Focus (heavy mace)
Skills Fly –2, Heal +10, Intimidate +8, Sense Motive +10
Languages Common, Draconic, Elven
Combat Gear wand of hold person (8 charges); Other Gear +1 breastplate, mwk heavy mace, wooden holy symbol of the Five Heroes, 17 gp

March 18, 2020 1

Pathfinder 1e: The Character Codex Subscription Will Include …

A few weeks ago we announced the Book of Beasts: Character Codex and that it would be released as individual PDFs as well as a subscription. What we did not have finalized at that point was what all would be included in it. We asked your opinions and we made our decisions.

The Book of Beasts: Character Codex will include the NPCs from the following classes:

Alchemist
Arcanist
Bloodrager
Brawler
Cavalier
Hunter
Magus
Oracle
Slayer
Swashbuckler
Warpriest
Witch

Twelve classes in total will get 20 NPCs cover the entire level range. Half of them will be normal, standard builds, roughly what you expect from this class. The other half are thematic, experimental. Some of the latter group use archetypes. Half if the builds use races from the core rulebook. The other half utilize races in the Advanced Race Guide, with particular emphasis on races that also appear in the Book of Heroic Races: Advanced Compendium. The standard/thematic builds do not match up with core book / ARG builds. A changeling warpriest or oracle make more sense than an elf because a changeling posses a a Wisdom and Charisma bonuses while an elf possesses neither.

What books does this project draw from, you ask? Sure this book draws inspiration from the NPC Codex, but that book only used the Pathfinder Core Rulebook. This one uses classes that are not in the core rulebook and I already mentioned the Advanced Race Guide. So what other books are used? Obviously the core rulebook will be used. Classes in this book come from the Advanced Player’s Guide, Ultimate Magic, and the Advanced Class Guide so feats, spells, and archetypes from those books are fair game. We also had to have Ultimate Combat and Ultimate Equipment in the mix. The above books are pretty much the end of the list. The Warpriest Codex includes some spells from Horror Adventures because they made sense for the character, but they were the truly evil ones. Even lesser evil warpriests like the Champion of Greed did not go there. Only the truly heinous ones went there. So we may include other books from time to time, but they will be rare. And yes, we will be including some that have every last spell, magic item, feat, etc from the core rulebook and the book the class comes from and nothing else. This way you save some really simple builds and some characters with more involved builds.

So how does the subscription work precisely? Well, we will be launching the subscription at the same time as the Warpriest Codex and it will include that codex with it. Whenever we release a new PDF for individual sale, subscribers will automatically get a new PDF where they purchased the subscription. They get them all plus the final Character Codex when the project is complete.

As an added bonus, we will be including the Hero Lab Classic files for subscribers. Those that purchase the individual PDFs will not receive these included but can purchase them separately. Subscribers get this included as a way of saying, “Thank you,” for purchasing this early.

Now I know you’re thinking that all of this sounds great, but how much does it cost? That is a great question. Short answer: it’s complicated. Long answer: the final PDF will cost US$14.95 and individual PDFs will cost US$3.95. The subscription’s price is going to flux. The subscription will start off costing US$4.99 and as we increase PDFs, we will increase that price until we get to the final price of US$14.95. At that point, the price will remain there. So if you know you are going to want this collection of NPCs, you shouldn’t wait to grab it. It won’t be long before the Magus Codex is added to the subscription. We’re hard at work on that one already.

Be sure to follow us on Twitter and join our Facebook Group to stay up to date on all the latest from us. While you’re at it, check out all of our Pathfinder 1e offerings at the JBE Shop, DriveThruRPG and the Open Gaming Store.

March 16, 2020 1

Pathfinder 1e: What Kinds of Products Do You Want For Your Game?

We’re hard at work here at JBE on the upcoming Book of Beasts: Character Codex. While we have a number of our own ideas, we want to hear from you: what kinds of products do you want in your game? Vote in the poll below. If you have something specific in mind or if you can’t see the poll, leave a comment below.

Before we talk more about the poll, check out our existing Pathfinder 1e products at the JBE Shop, DriveThruRPG, and the Open Gaming Store while they are up to 40% off their regular price. This sale won’t last much longer, so grab these titles now.

Options include:

Low-level adventures (levels 1-5)
Mid-level adventures (levels 6-10)
High-level adventures (levels 11-15)
Game-ender adventures (levels 16-20)
Long adventures (cover 10+ levels, able to make a full campaign out of them)
Options for existing Paizo classes (includes archetypes, classes produced by Paizo only)
Options for existing Pathfinder Compatible classes (share which ones below, there’s quite a few)
New classes (something totally new, yes, we do have ideas)
New monster / NPC books
New feats or spells
New / expanded races
Small settings (cities, towns, etc that can be incorporated into any setting)
Large campaign setting (able to play several campaigns here)
Other (describe in the comments below)

EDIT: Because we can’t seem to allow multiple option voting (to many options, I guess), I allowed repeat voting. So you can vote in the poll as many times as you want. I ask that you don’t vote for the same option more than once; it will make the results less accurate. So let us know all the options you want.

Vote in the poll now:

March 11, 2020 2

Pathfinder 1e: Blood Scion Archetype

We’ve said before that we revised the Book of Heroic Races: Occult Intrigue in the Wilderness based on feedback. JBE wants to produce the highest quality gaming material on the market and your feedback concerning when we mess up is a critical part of that.

One of the revised archetypes is the Blood Scion for those that want to play a dhampir mesmerist. This class archetype now exude flavor of vampire and the mechanics work as intended. Read the full archetype and download the book at the JBE Shop while it is 40% off for the GM’s Day Sale.

Blood Scion

Vampires are known for their supernatural ability to charm others, which they often use to lure their prey into vulnerable positions. All dhampirs inherit some of this charm, but those with an affinity for psychic magic can tap into their bloodline to emulate their sires. These blood scions can charm even their enemies with a well-timed look, and the creatures of the night heed their call just as they would a true vampire’s.
Associated Class: mesmerist
Associated Race: dhampir
Replaced Abilities: touch treatment, mental potency, glib lie
Enchanting Stare (Su): At 3rd level, the blood scion can lock eyes with the target of his hypnotic stare as a standard action. The target must make a Will saving throw (DC 10 + 1/2 the blood scion’s mesmerist level + his Charisma modifier) or begin to see the blood scion as a friend, as per the spell charm person. The blood scion must be able to see the target to use this ability. The target remains charmed as long as it is under the effect of the blood scion’s hypnotic stare. Regardless of whether or not the target succeeds on its saving throw, it cannot be targeted by this ability again for the next 24 hours. The creature has no memory of a blood scion’s enchanting stare once the effect ends.
Servants of the Night (Sp): At 5th level, the blood scion can call allies once per day, much like a vampire. As a full-round action, he can cast summon nature’s ally III, though he can summon only dire rats, wolves, or a dire bat. At 10th level, this ability can be used three times per day and functions as summon nature’s ally IV (allowing him to summon additional creatures of these types), and the blood scion can also choose to summon a dire wolf. At 15th level, this ability functions as summon nature’s ally V, and at 20th level, it functions as summon nature’s ally VI.
Enthralling Stare (Su): At 11th level, the blood scion’s hypnotic stare can bend individuals to his will, drawing on his vampiric lineage. The blood scion must take a standard action and lock eyes with the target of his hypnotic stare in order to use this ability. The target is allowed a Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 the blood scion’s level + his Charisma modifier). On a failure, the target is affected as if by a dominate person spell. The blood scion must be able to see the target to use this ability. The target remains dominated for as long as it is under the effects of the blood scion’s hypnotic stare. So long as the target of this ability remains dominated, the blood scion can maintain his hypnotic stare against it regardless of the distance between them. Regardless of whether or not the target succeeds on the saving throw, it cannot be targeted by this ability again for the next 24 hours. The creature has no memory of a blood scion’s enthralling stare once the effect ends.
Greater Servants (Su): At 14th level, creatures the blood scion summons with servants of the night gain the advanced creature template.

March 9, 2020 0

My Pathfinder Renaissance

I’m going to deviate from my typical posts here for a moment and talk about myself personally instead of my company. I am going through what I can only describe as a Pathfinder Renaissance. What do I mean by that? Dan Rydell (played by Josh Charles) of the underappreciated Aaron Sorkin TV show Sports Night described his New York Renaissance as, “I have lived in New York my whole life. This is the time I should be sick of it, but I’m not,” and then he proceeds to tell everyone about how he wants to do classic New York things like riding the Staten Island ferry or getting a hot dog and going for a walk in Central Park.

So what do I mean by I am having a Pathfinder Renaissance. I love Pathfinder 1e. I have been supporting the game now for 11 years. At this point in my life, I should feel this is old hat, like I have played this game out and I should be have moved onto 2e or D&D 5e, 13th Age, or Traveller, but Pathfinder 1e is the game in my head as my mental default for gaming and I am loving it.

Where is this coming from, you ask. There are two main sources. First off, is all the work we at JBE are doing with Pathfinder these days. We have been hard at work at producing the upcoming Book of Beasts: Character Codex that I am falling in love with all the options available to characters again. No other game we support has the number off character choices available to them from the main publisher. Add in 11 years of compatible publishers creating other choices and you have a wealth of options that are simply unmatched in today’s game market. This level of freedom to make the character you want is something I am finding irresistible at the moment.

Add in to that the other main source of my Pathfinder Renaissance: a recent episode of Fear the Boot. If you are unaware, I joined the crew of Fear the Boot last year and am having tremendous fun being on this podcast. Our most recent episode we talk about supplements (or the term that the other hosts use, “splat books”). Listen to the episode and the other parts of it when they are released since we went long. But in that episode I defended supplements as a wonderful thing because they add variety and flavor to a game, giving players and game masters ideas for their games. But recording that episode reminded me of how much I love to just sit back and read a supplement filled all kinds of flavor and ideas and enjoy the thoughts of characters and adventures presented in those books. I had not done that in so long, and I am doing that again and am enjoying every moment of it.

Do you love Pathfinder as much as I do? Share your love in the comments below.

If you are sticking with Pathfinder 1e because you love this game as much as I personally do, check out our books at the JBE Shop, DriveThruRPG, Paizo, and the Open Gaming Store. with the GM’s Day sale going on now, you can grab our books for up to 40% off the regular price. Grab our books today.

March 6, 2020 1