Leaving Spell Slots Empty For Later (A Prepared Spellcaster Hack For Pathfinder)

There is a noted wariness among a lot of Pathfinder players when it comes to prepared spellcasting classes. Wizards, clerics, alchemists, and so on may have the ability to choose from larger lists of total spells, but they have to choose which spells they're putting in which slots, and if they choose the wrong spells, well, then they're screwed. Or so the thought process goes.

However, there's a piece of fine print that a lot of folks miss, or don't really think about. Prepared casters largely have the ability to leave a certain number of spell slots empty when they prepare their spells, and they can then perform a small ritual to fill that slot later, thus providing them some wiggle room to ensure the character can choose the proper spell when they actually need it.

It's a strategy that comes with its own risks, but it's still worth exploring to see if it will work for you.

Magic is all about rules, loves. Twist them until they serve.

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A Little Ace In The Hole

If you read through the description of classes like the wizard, cleric, and alchemist, you'll note in the fine print about their spells that the character may choose to leave spell slots open for the day, essentially acting as blank storage spots. These rules are also repeated in the Magic chapter of the Core Rulebook. At any time before the next time the character prepares their spells, they may go through a smaller version of their spell preparation ritual in order to fill that slot with a spell. Whether it's reading from a spellbook, going through a small religious rite, or breaking out their field laboratory to mix a fresh extract, these small rituals typically don't take more than 5 minutes.

This seems pretty straightforward. As a prepared caster, you are essentially hedging your bets that you might need a specific spell during the coming day that you can't predict, so you're leaving a slot open, and hoping that you have the time to prepare the spell safely. Time is the key, here, because as long as you're in a situation where you can crouch down and do some quick reading, praying, etc., this strategy is perfectly sound. When it isn't sound, though, is realizing that in the middle of combat, or when a trap has gone off and the walls are closing in to crush you, you have the perfect spell to deal with this situation... you just didn't pick it that day!

Ah, balls... I didn't take Commune With Eldritch Horror... it's on my list, though...

The strength of prepared casters is that they have access to a wider variety of spells than spontaneous casters do. Additionally, metamagic feats are more efficient when applied to prepared spells. However, while they might be a Swiss army knife in a lot of ways, the drawback is they can feel cumbersome. This is one strategy that can be quite useful, but it's one that should be done sparingly. Because sometimes you'll have the breathing room you need to memorize the new spell that will save the day... but other times if you can't whip out the solution in the next 6 seconds, it isn't going to matter.

As with everything else, though, it's important to have a varied approach to using magic as a tool... especially if you're a prepared spellcaster.

Consider checking out my older article 3 Advantages of Wands in Pathfinder, for instance. Because wands, potions, and scrolls are great for keeping access to certain spells on-hand that will be really powerful in specific situations, but they aren't something you want to keep memorized every day, taking up space in your spell allotment. Additionally, if you're playing a wizard or a cleric (or you're combining the two for a Mystic Theurge with 2 aces in the hole) take the bonded item feature for the former, and gain the bonded holy symbol option for the Ecclesitheurge archetype in the Advanced Class Guide. These features allow you to, once per day, immediately cast a spell that you know which is on your class list as if you had prepared it that day, making it a get-out-of-screwed-free card if you have the perfect tool for the job.

Taking a layered approach with a prepared caster can help ensure that you really are prepared for every situation you might come up against. So make sure you've got a variety of tools in your bag, and help get yourself (and your party) through your next adventure!

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The Failed Wizard's Apprentice

Vizjerai's arm shot out in from of Carriel, stopping him from entering the chamber. The spearman glowered down at the slender halfbreed.

"What is it?" the warrior asked.

"Something's wrong," Vizjerai said.

"I don't see anything," Carriel said.

"Of course you don't," Vizjerai replied, crouching near the door and turning her head to listen. "That's why you brought me along. Now hush, and let me do my job."

Vizjerai carefully ran her hands over the door frame, frowning as she felt for something no one else could see. She nodded, and reached into a small pouch on her belt. She tossed a handful of white sand across the threshold, and frowned at the way it fell. She took out a long, silver piton, and jammed it into the upper left-hand corner of the frame. Then she did the same with the upper-right hand corner. There was an audible impact on the air, and the pitons vibrated like they'd been struck with a hammer. They stilled after a moment, and Vizjerai nodded.

"There," she said. "It should be safe now."

"I thought you said you were a failed apprentice?" Carriel said.

"I am," Vizjerai answered, giving him one of her enigmatic smiles. "But you don't study under Agorn Redwing for as long as I did and not pick up a trick or two."

Always keep a trick up your sleeve. Just in case.

A Failed Apprentice Can Be A Successful Adventurer

Lots of people try to be wizards, but not everyone has the raw brain power to hack it. Or, in some cases, they just don't learn well from books and scrolls, but find that magic comes to them more through intuition and instinct. In some cases the apprentice may leave with no spells at all... but they know more about magic than most people could learn in several lifetimes, and that knowledge has all kinds of applications in the wider world.

Take Vizjerai, for example. While clever, she never applied herself fully to the study of magic. However, what she learned at her teacher's knee made her an expert at sneaking past the magical defenses of others... even great sages who had been dead in their tombs for hundreds of years. As a Pathfinder character, she'd be an ideal rogue, able to bypass warding circles, sigil traps, and other hazards meant to catch thieves and intruders unawares.

Of course, there are other avenues a failed apprentice could take. If you're still talking Pathfinder, a mongrel mage might have sought out a wizard for help controlling their shifting bloodline. While the discipline and education about magic likely helped, the character is still a sorcerer, and thus may have needed to find another way to refine their personal technique (this one has overlap with The Academic Sorcerer). That same apprentice could have simply been considered a "failure" by their teacher, moving on to become a magus, or an arcanist, by embracing non-classical techniques and schools of thought. You could even become an alchemist, if potions, mutagens, and mind-altering substances were more your bag than summoning circles and fireballs.

Time is an illusion, and rounds a mere inconvenience to my mind.

 

This concept isn't edition-specific, though. If you prefer 5th edition over Pathfinder, you could easily fit the failed apprentice background to a warlock. Someone who wasn't good enough to master the intricate formulas of their master might have been just clever enough to contact a patron through use of a banned ritual (a concept I first mentioned in No One Wins When You Build A Stupid Wizard, and which inspired the rest of this entry). The eldritch knight and arcane trickster are tailor made for this concept, showing people who just couldn't get the concepts their master tried to teach them in the classroom... but then after some real-world experience found ways to blend that arcane tutelage into their repertoires.

There are dozens of paths you could take with this concept. Just start with the character's days an an apprentice, ask why they didn't become the traditional wizard their teacher was trying to make them into, and then ask how that solid base of education gave them the know-how and skills to become what they eventually turned into.

For more advice on breaking out of the stereotypes wizards tend to be pushed into, you may enjoy my 5 Tips For Playing Better Wizards.

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That's all for this installment of Unusual Character Concepts. Hopefully this one gave you something to chew over, whether you're a player, or a game master.

For more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio. Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my alley cat noir novel Marked Territory, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my most recent collection of short stories The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

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Delivering A Big Bang With The Underground Chemist

If you've ever sat at a table with me, you know alchemical items are one of my favorite things to use. To the point that I keep them around long past low levels, when most players sort of forget they're even a thing. While there have been more than a few occasions where a properly-utilized tanglefoot bag has put a serious monkey wrench into a DM's plan, most of the time alchemy stops being viable for anyone but alchemists by about fourth or fifth level (if we're being generous).

Which is why I love the Underground Chemist.

We're underground now, but don't worry, we'll be blowing up soon!

While the rogue gets a lot of hate (which has made my 5 Tips For Playing Better Rogues one of the best read articles in my 5 Tips series so far), the Underground Chemist is an archetype that lets you break a lot of rules. First off, at second level, it lets you draw alchemical items as if they were weapons, which opens up the possibility of using Quick Draw to get your full attack with acid, alchemist fire, and all the other goodies out there. You also get to add your Intelligence modifier to damage done with splash weapons, the same way an alchemist does. That's good times, right there. Secondly, at 4th level, you can sneak attack with a splash weapon. Provided it's your first attack of the round, that it's an attack on a creature and not a square, and that it meets all the requirements for sneak attack.

Those two things make flinging flasks pretty viable as an attack strategy. But if you combine them with a certain rogue trick, you can get a lot more bang for your buck.

Burn One Down For Me

In case you haven't dug through the lists of rogue tricks out there, there's one simply called Bomber. It allows you to make bombs as per the alchemist class feature, except that they deal damage equal to your sneak attack when they hit. And normally it doesn't allow you to add your Int modifier to the damage, but since you're an Underground Chemist, you have that as a class feature. Of course, the truly damaging part is when you catch an enemy flat-footed with your bomb. Because that is a two-for-one blowout.

So much for Vlacuul the Dread Necromancer. Next?

The sweet spot for this trick is when you can hit someone with one of your bombs under the conditions where it qualifies for sneak attack. Whether that's by having an insanely high Initiative modifier, downing a potion of invisibility, or just going for a target who can't see in the dark once you've snuffed the lights, you're essentially hitting them for double your sneak attack damage (once for the bomb itself, and once for the actual sneak attack with a splash weapon), plus your Intelligence modifier, in addition to any other feats and abilities you have. Even at 4th level, that can pack a punch. At higher levels, that could be on par with anything the evoker is going to throw out in terms of sheer dice volume.

Keep Your Options Open

While the combination of Bomber and Underground Chemist is a match made in some fiery, napalm heaven, it's important to remember that fire resistance is one of the most common varieties you're going to come across in the game. So remember to keep a variety of elements on hand, and to ensure you have an extra trick or two up your sleeve to ensure you're never out of options. Because, as any alchemist who's fought a demon will attest, you need something to fall back on.

That's all for this week's Crunch topic. While I haven't had a chance to put this particular trick into play just yet, I'm sure I'll share how well it worked. For more content, check out my Vocal archive, or head over to the YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio where I work with other gamers to bring the world of Evora to life. To stay on top of all my releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter. And if you'd like to help support Improved Initiative, then either head over to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a patron, or Buy Me A Coffee! Either way, I'll send you some sweet gaming swag as a thank you for your help.

4 Simple Tips For Using Poison in Pathfinder

Poison is one of those aspects of Pathfinder that we all know about, but most of us never really play around with. Much like combat maneuvers, poison is something anyone can technically use... but like anything else in the game, if you're going to make it a big part of your schtick, you should be sure your character is specialized in it.

If you can't make your own dangerous, lethal substances, then store bought is just fine.

If you've been thinking about embracing poison in Pathfinder, here are some hot tips I'd recommend using to minimize your frustration, while maximizing your effectiveness.

Tip #1: Make Sure You Have A Steady Source of Poison

Come here, dearest... time for your milking!

Most of the time when players encounter creatures that use poison, it's a poison they produce naturally. Rattlesnakes, pseudodragons, giant spiders, etc. all have an inexhaustible supply of poison. PCs don't typically have that luxury... most of them have to make due with buying poison, or finding it randomly on enemies like drow, or assassins who've been sent to kill them. The problem with buying poison is that it can get expensive... particularly when you consider it is, in essence, a save-or-suck for non-spellcasters. Even cheap poison can cost triple-digit gold pieces, and if you put it on arrows or darts that don't find their mark, then that's venom flushed straight down the drain.

If you're going to use poison on the regular, you need to make sure you know where your doses are coming from. The easy way to do that is to invest heavily in the Craft (alchemy) skill so that you can whip up just the right cocktail to make life uncomfortable, short, or both for your foes. If you take the feat Master Alchemist while you're at it, this allows you to simultaneously create multiple doses of a poison (equal to your Int modifier), and it helps you craft them more quickly.

Your other option, if you want an immediate, personal source of poison, is to make sure you have a trick up your sleeve. The vishkanya, for example, have a natural poison of their own they can use several times a day as a swift action. If your character has the 1st-level power of the Serpentine bloodline, then they can use their own fangs to deliver venom for a number of rounds equal to 3+ their Cha modifier (more on this strategy in How to Power Up Your Pathfinder Characters With The Eldritch Heritage Feats).

And remember, as the infamous Dungeon Keeper said in Better Traps and Tortures, if you poison enough things, eventually your enemy will fail a save.

Tip #2: Avoid Exposure

Don't slip... don't slip...

You know how when you attempt a combat maneuver check it provokes an attack of opportunity? Well, poison has a similar risk when you use it. If you don't have poison use as a feature, then you have a chance of poisoning yourself whenever you apply poison to a weapon, or whenever you roll a 1 while making a Craft check to make a poison. So, you don't typically see non-specc'd characters messing with poison for the same reason you don't see a lot of players making bull rush attacks if they haven't invested in the necessary feats.

Fortunately, there are a lot of ways you can get poison use. The easiest ways are to take levels in alchemist or ninja, though the assassin prestige class, and the poisoner rogue archetype also give you the ability. Vishkanya get poison use as a racial feature, as do several other races in the game. And, if you're clever, you can even get effective immunity to poison (or at least some kinds of poison). The rogue talent Developed Poison Immunity means you automatically save against any one kind of poison that you've saved against in the past, which means even if you decide to drink it, you save against its ill effects without rolling. And, of course, alchemists develop full poison immunity at level 10.

Tip #3: Unique Delivery Systems

Time to take your medicine.

Most of the time poison is delivered through a melee weapon. After all, if you put it on your knife, it stays until you injure someone with it. You can envenom a ranged weapon, as well, but if you miss and lose the arrow or crossbow bolt, then you also lose the dose of poison you put on it. Risky endeavor, unless you've got poison coming out of your ears... or other parts of your anatomy.

However, there are other options for getting poison into your enemies. Pitted bullets, for instance, allow you to shoot poisoned bullets into targets. The poison shot deed (which is a grit feat), allows you to spray a single dose of inhaled or ingested poison in a 15-foot cone, exposing all enemies in that cone to it. Or you could use the Adder Strike feat as a way to apply poison to your unarmed strikes (though you'll need either immunity, or gloves, to avoid making the save yourself). Additionally, if you take the Poison Bomb ninja trick, then you can add an inhaled poison to your smoke bombs, affecting everyone in the area. If you can get your hands on a Poison Vial of Distance, you can deliver a poison at range without any trouble.

Of course, you can also get tricky with your poison delivery. For instance, if you have poison immunity (or you automatically save against a particular kind of poison), then you could use it in all sorts of unusual ways. You could coat your palm in a contact poison, and shake someone's hand. You could poison wine, and then drink some harmlessly to assure others they're safe. The possibilities are rather extensive.

Tip #4: Remember, A Lot Of Things Are Immune to Poison

Ah crap.

Poison is similar to combat maneuvers in another way... the higher you get in level, the less effective it's going to be overall. Because while a DC 13 save might be a big danger at level 2 or 3, by the time you hit your stride at level 9 or 10 it's got a 5 percent chance of actually working. Even rare, powerful poisons with a DC in the 20s will likely be brushed aside by dragons, and creatures like demons, devils, and undead are outright immune to the effects of poison.

It's still a nasty surprise for that human wizard or sorcerer you tangle with around then, but that's a very situational use of this material.

So what do you do? Well, that depends on how much you've sunk into making poison a viable part of your character. If you use racial poisons, or bloodline poisons, then the DC increases with your character level, and thus remains a viable threat as you gain in power. While you might eat a feat slot or two for a unique poison trick, it won't take up too many of your resources. Most of the time, though, you just have to make sure your poison's ready to deploy, and hope for those low saves from the DM. Don't depend on them, though, and make sure that even without your venom you still have a way to contribute to the game.

With that said, there is one way you can get one over on your antagonists if they're evil creatures typically immune to poison (demons, devils, undead, etc.). An 8th-level alchemist can take the discovery Celestial Poisons, which infuses any poison they administer to a weapon with celestial power. This poison overcomes the immunity possessed by evil creatures, and forces them to actually make a save. However, depending on the poison's effect, it might still do nothing (poisons that deal Con damage will have no effect on an undead, for instance).

Well, that's all for my list! Hopefully folks enjoyed this week's Crunch installment. If you're looking for more content from me, then check out my archive over on Gamers. To keep up-to-date on all my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter. Lastly, if you want to help support Improved Initiative, then head over to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a patron. As little as $1 a month can make a big difference, and help me keep making the content you want to see.

Gross! Combine The Tumor Familiar With A Familiar Archetype For Disgusting Results

Familiars catch a lot of flak from people who claim they're a useless class feature. Sure they provide the caster with a small benefit, and they can deliver spells, but what happens when the familiar becomes a target? It's just a raven/snake/cat, after all, and all it takes is one good thwack to leave your party's magic user without his special friend.

How tough could it- HOLY SHIT WHAT IS THAT!

The familiar archetypes give us more flexibility when it comes to what our familiars can do. Maulers are a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield, Protectors can help the caster live to fight another day, and even the Pilferer can do some serious damage when it comes to stealth missions. But if you want to take this cheese wheel and crank it up to Limburger, you need a tumor familiar.

This Is When Stuff Starts To Get Gross

For those who've never looked at the alchemist discovery tumor familiar, it's pretty straightforward. The alchemist grows a specialized tumor on his body that acts as a familiar. It uses the alchemist's class level as his caster level, and it can detach from his body as a standard action. Even better, the familiar continues to provide bonuses to the master when attached, and as long as it's attached to his body it gains fast healing/5.

It's unpleasant at first... but it really grows on you.

 

By combining the benefits of the tumor familiar with an archetype, you begin to create some truly powerful combinations. A tumor protector, for example, can increase the master's AC using Bodyguard, and siphon off half his damage, while regenerating quite quickly. A tumor mauler is a dangerous, secret weapon that can be deployed when people thought the master was unarmed, and what's worse it can be beefed up using the master's mutagens and extracts to turn it into a snarling, rending beast. A snarling, rending beast which can still shrink back down and attach to his master to heal up if the last combat was particularly rough.

A Few, Final Thoughts

While this might seem like a toy only alchemists get to play with, there is a way you can give one of these disgusting little tricks to anyone with the aberrant bloodline. Simply take the fear Aberrant Tumor, and you gain a tumor familiar as if your levels in the class that grants the bloodline were your alchemist levels.

That might be a minor boon to a sorcerer, but an aberrant bloodline bloodrager would be hell on wheels with a protector sitting on his shoulder, or a mauler joining him in the fray.

Brew up a tumor buddy of your very own, today!

 

Lastly, there's the little matter of the Improved Familiar feat. While there's a whole list of creatures you could gain as familiars with this feat, it's not something you can combine with the tumor familiar ability by the rules. It allows you to create a basic animal familiar, and Paizo has ruled that's all you can make with it. So, as cool as it would be to have a tumorous pseudodragon with a poison-dripping bone tail, you'll need to persuade your DM to bend the rules for you if that's what you want.

Even if you can't, though, you've still got a disgusting surprise for anyone who thinks they've caught you unawares.

 

Also, since this might be relevant to folks' interests, don't forget to check out my 5 Tips For Playing Better Alchemists!

That's all for this week's Crunch update. Hopefully it wasn't too gross for you (either in terms of subject matter, or in bone-crunching possibility). If you'd like to help support Improved Initiative, then take a stroll over to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page, and toss some change in my cup. As little as $1 per month goes a long way in terms of helping me create the content you love to see. Lastly, if you haven't followed me on Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter yet, I've been saving a spot for you.

The Best Alchemical Items For Your Pathfinder Party

Alchemical items are one of the most overlooked tools available to adventurers in Pathfinder. These unusual creations may seem quaint, even quirky, but they can be the difference between character death and snatching victory from the jaws of defeat.

Below is a list of some of the more useful items and groups of items that players will run into. In the descriptions you'll find the upsides, the downsides, and the appropriate levels to use these items at. Some of them are only good for starting parties, while others can be used all the way through epic level. It just depends on where your game is at.

Grenade Weapons

Athos, Porthos, and Inflammable

Everyone knows these items: alchemist fire, acid flasks, and holy water. Found on page 160 of the Core Rulebook they're the three musketeers of lower-level dirty tricks. Alchemist fire does 1d6 of fire damage to the main target, automatically setting it on fire and splashing out to do 1 point of fire damage to all adjacent squares. Acid also does 1d6 with splash to all adjacent squares, but no recurring damage. Holy water does 2d4 damage to an undead or evil creature, and can be poured out over incorporeal creatures which makes it a handy weapon at lower levels against ghosts and evil there-not-there enemies.

That said, none of these items are really much use past level 5, and most players dispense with them by level 3 or so. The reason is simple: not enough bang for the buck. They're great against swarms, who take double damage from grenade weapons, and they're a lovely touch attack against enemies with really high armor classes, but they take a move action to draw and a standard action to throw. Even Quick Draw can't solve this problem. As such players tend to stop carrying any of these except for emergency situations, or because they just plain forgot they had a grenade left over in the bottoms of their backpacks.

Smokesticks and Thunderstones

Ninja Vanish!

These two items are very undervalued for their strategic capabilities in a fight. Thunderstones have a range of 20 feet, a radius of 10 feet from the point of impact, and they require a DC 15 Fortitude save to avoid being deafened for an hour. That's a -4 to Initiative, a 20 percent miscast chance on spells, and a field day for rogues who only have to worry about keeping out of sight instead of being heard creeping up. This is a big boon, but the problem is that it comes with a relatively low save. A 15 is a terrifying proposition at lower levels, with even fighters and barbarians being at a 50/50 shot to avoid being deafened. As the threat levels increase and creatures get bigger, badder, and have Fortitude saves that would make PCs cry if they could see them, these stones may seem pretty useless. On the other hand, spellcasters are squishy at nearly any level, and the potential to lose spells makes one round spent to chuck a thunderstone seem like a pretty worthy endeavor when it could save you from a fireball or a flamestrike.

The thunderstone's companion, also found on page 160 of the Core Rulebook, is the humble smokestick. It creates a 10-foot cube of smoke as per the fog cloud spell, and unless the smoke is blown away by a strong wind (not common in dungeon settings) the cloud provides concealment. Said concealment works both ways sadly, but for those players who need to hide from archers, who need a distraction to make a stealth check, or who need a ninja-vanish for a retreat, smokesticks are a great way to Batman in or out of a fight.

Sticky Situations

Why am I dripping with goo?

Tanglefoot bags have become a phobia for several DMs, and for good reason. While players rarely use these items they are a great way to debuff a villain regardless of the thrower's class or combat capabilities. On a direct hit it requires a DC 15 Reflex save, or the creature is stuck to the floor. If the creature was flying the results on a failure mean that it crashes. Even if the target makes the save though, it's entangled for 2d4 rounds. That's half movement speed, -2 on attack rolls, -4 on Dexterity related checks, and a concentration check of 15+spell level any time it tries to cast a spell. While it doesn't work on anything bigger than Large size, a tanglefoot bag can be a huge pain in the butt for any enemy of the appropriate size.

Tanglefoot bags come in other flavors though! The tangleshot arrow (found in Elves of Golarion) is still a touch attack, but it has the ability to be drawn and fired like any other arrow complete with range (well, half the range anyway) and rate of fire. The trade off is that it's only a DC 10 Reflex save not to be stuck to the floor, and the concentration check is only DC 10+spell level. On the other hand, a barrage of these arrows can very quickly stick your enemies in their tracks. Also, for those who prefer the flavor of the friendly neighborhood web slinger, there's Spider Sac (found in the Advanced Race Guide). Spider Sac is, more or less, a 10 foot web-shooter that can be used when climbing, swinging through the air, falling, or it can be used as a lasso when a touch attack is made against an opponent. This leaves the opponent entangled, and at the end of your rope.

Weapon Blanches

Apply With Caution

Weapon blanch comes in a variety of shapes and styles. When applied to a blade it gives that blade the ability to overcome different kinds of damage reduction, or in the case of ghost salts the ability to hit incorporeal creatures. These items are typically considered useful until the players can start buying magic weapons, but it never hurts to keep blanch on hand for fighting creatures whose DR isn't going to be pierced by the weapon you've got.

An Ounce of Prevention, And A Pound of Cure

Because sometimes the cleric is the first to go down.

One of the most overlooked items that players can use are Antitoxins and Antiplague (the former in the Core Rulebook, the latter in the Advanced Player's Guide). These things give a +5 bonus to poison and disease saves respectively for an hour once ingested. They're great to keep on hand in case plague-born undead start reaching out from the streets for you, or in case an assassin with a trademarked poison has marked a party for death. They need to be used carefully, but a +5 bonus is nothing to sneeze at when it comes to staying healthy. Soothe Syrup (found in the Advanced Player's Guide as well) has a similar effect on sickened and nauseated characters. Lastly, for those who want to be prepared when battle breaks out, it's a good idea to take a draught of Troll Oil. This disgusting brew automatically stabilizes characters that have drunk it (for one hour), and it has a 50% chance to end any bleed effects.

Alchemical items can also fix you right up even if you don't take them before getting hurt. Bloodblock (from the Advanced Player's Guide) ends any bleed effect instantly, and provides a +5 bonus on Heal checks as if the person had used a healer's kit. Smelling Salts (from the Advanced Player's Guide) give players who are rendered unconscious or staggered by a spell effect a new save, and they automatically revive a dying character to consciousness. A handy trick if the fighter needs to drink a healing potion or the cleric needs to channel energy, but they're currently at negative hit points. For those who don't have access to magical healing, or for those occasions where the healer is dying, a dose of Troll Styptic (Seekers of Secrets) is a great field dressing. It automatically ends all bleeding effects and ongoing damage, granting the recipient 2d4 rounds of fast healing 2. It does require a Fortitude save of 15 to not be sickened while the dressing does its work, but being a troll is far from pleasant.

Miscellaneous Alchemical Items You Should Keep Around

Like a Canadian armory, you never know what you might need.

Sometimes it isn't worth stocking up on a certain alchemical item, but it's still nice to have in a pinch. Some of these include:
Ward Gel: Made for particular elements, this gel acts as protection from energy 5 up to 20 points of damage for one hour. Great for raiding dragons and frost giants alike!
Bachelor's Snuff: Golarion birth control, this snuff renders male humanoids sterile for 2-3 days or so.
Smoke Pellets: The original ninja-vanish, these items are great for quick distractions that confuse enemies and allow for fast escapes (or assaults).
Everburning Torch and Sunrods: With so many characters that can't see in the dark, don't you want to have a few of these handy?
Clear Ear: It provides a +2 alchemical bonus on Perception and Knowledge checks, but a -2 on Charisma. Cranky rogues anyone?
Barbarian Chew: Side effects may include ugly red teeth, and an extra round of Rage if a barbarian enters it in the next hour after chewing.

Carrying it All

One of the biggest downsides of alchemical items is that they tend to ride in a backpack, or buried at the bottom of a bag of holding. For those who want to have them close to hand, along with wands and other useful items, it's a good idea to check out the bandolier, the adventurer's sash, and other great items listed right here in my guide to non-magical equipment.

You know you want one.

Why Bother?

It's true that the bonuses and usefulness provided by alchemical items can easily be provided, or exceeded by, magic. That's why few players bother with alchemical items past level 5 or 7. However, alchemical bonuses are one more category of bonus to add to a player's array, and what's even better is that they can't be dismissed or dispelled. They're great backup weapons, and they get around all those nasty immunities and resistances that many creatures have. They're also great holdouts for well-prepared rogues and combat characters who need to have a trick or two up their sleeves to make an impact on the big bads.

That's all for this re-print. I hope folks enjoyed it, and remember, you can support Improved Initiative over at The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page. And, to stay up-to-date on all my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter as well.

The Ballad of Baldric Brimstone Chapter Three: Big Gay Half-Orcs and Utterly Destroying Plot

Because this particular gaming story saga is now complete, I thought I'd list all three chapters here for easy navigation. Yes, I know you're on chapter three, but it's an easier list to mass-produce so that every chapter has its very own links.

- Chapter One: Don't Ever Field a One-Eyed Dragon
- Chapter Two: Why You Never Give Your Party The One Ring
- Chapter Three: Big Gay Half-Orcs and Utterly Destroying Plot

Caught up? Great, because today we're finishing this adventure off with the grand finale!

Chapter Three: Of Cohorts and Kings!

Time Travel and Leadership

When last we left our intrepid adventuring party they'd rescued one plot-relevant NPC and one non-plot relevant NPC from a floating city in the sky run by insane magical college deans. Our heroes return to their headquarters by a long and circuitous route, during which they are thanked for their service. When the NPCs tell the guild master and the royal family about what they heard while captives, our heroes are tasked with trekking into the center of a cursed city on the coast (which is conveniently a half-day's ride away) and investigating rumors of a potential legendary sword that could save the world.

Of course no one's been here in a thousand years... this place is creepy!

 

So, seeing where these rails are going, we saddle up and decide to go investigating. We ride up to the ruins of a once-great city, and find it mostly filled with rubble and poisonous smoke. We follow the open paths, very specifically staying away from the vapors while picking up a few odd coins here and there. We find a wishing well, Baldric throws one of the strange coins in, makes a wish, kills the water-double that comes out, and is gifted with a second gun. Overall pleased with my shenanigans we find the throne room. Seated in the throne room, to the surprise of no one, is a skeleton in the throne with a greatsword through its chest.

Nothing to see here, folks.

 

We walk the throne room a couple of times, and we have the central question of "do we pull it out, or do we leave it in?" Baldric is all for leaving it where it is, but our half-construct fighter pulls the sword. Right on cue the corpse re-forms into the ancient and powerful figure known as the Chaos Emperor, who immediately imprisons us all in huge shells of crystal.

Fast forward fifteen years or so...

We Slept Through The Apocalypse?

We wake up in a ruined city with no idea of what's happened. We make our way back to the capital, only to find that a decade and a half has gone by. The world's at war, the Chaos Emperor has taken over the Citadel, and roving tribes of raiders are everywhere.

Oh, and we gained a level.

So there's that.

 

It's at this point I decide to put something in play for another party member. Her character was a gay, male elf alchemist, and it had become a running gag that the only bi-curious NPCs he could find were half-orcs. I ask the DM if I can take Leadership and he okays it (for those DMs who don't know, that's a foolish thing to do). He lets me design my cohort, and I tell him that he was Baldric's apprentice back when he was still a fire bomber for an orc tribe. I trust our DM to work him in somewhere.

So what does the crumbling command faced with impossible odds ask us to do less than a day out of crio-stasis? Oh nothing big; just go and kill the Chaos Emperor.

Back to The Floating City in The Sky...

We truck back across the map with no idea of what the hell we're going to do or how the hell we're going to do it. We find a city-sized encampment at the base of the tower, along with the villain's three lieutenants.

One of whom looks strangely familiar...

 

Baldric recognizes his old apprentice, grown huge and having forced his way up the chain of command. That night he goes to meet him, and the two catch up on old times. They also get drunk... with alchemist fortitude saves. It isn't a pretty sight.

In the middle of the night the elf comes looking for Baldric, and finds him and his companion. Looks are exchanged, and Davor decides right then and there that he's going to switch sides to whoever that elf is fighting for. Lovely, not only do I have my cohort (who incidentally is how I field-tested my Incredible Hulk character build found here), but he happens to have information about the enemy. Wins all around!

All three of these characters are fetched to the base of the tower, and through a series of unfortunate events find themselves being magically transported up into the sky city itself.

Great Revelations

As I mentioned in the last chapter, Baldric's got a wishing ring up his sleeve. With that ring, and some clever shenanigans, we smash through the encounters our ST had meant to make challenging, leave the tower, and go on the lam back to the destroyed capital we'd come from.

While the 7-foot half-orc and the normally-reserved elf are making sheep's eyes at each other the rest of the party wants to know how the hell Baldric knows this guy. So he reveals his history as Brazen Red-Eye, a wanted war criminal responsible for the deaths of countless villages and all their inhabitants. There's some hemming and hawing from the other party members about this revelation, but ultimately Brazen decides he doesn't have time for it and informs the group what he's doing. The other two alchemists join him, and he marches up to the keep to demand a way to solve this whole convoluted problem.

And make it snappy, I'm sick of your bullshit!

 

The party is then given a series of combats, challenges, and fetch quests, the details of which blended together after a bit. The brute squad, with the support of the rest of the party, powered through whatever challenges were laid in front of them. They were eventually brought to a location that held a time machine. The goal of course is to send them back in time to stop this from happening. Because of course it is, why else would you slingshot a party into the future?

Most of the party is thrilled by this. They can go back, save their friends and families, and make the world how it was. For Brazen, he's finally found his friends and followers. He's in a world that makes sense, and he has a chance to rebuild it into something better and different than it was before. Here he's a man with a small army of followers, a strong right hand, and is a force to be reckoned with. Back there he's just another killer on the run from the rope.

A King By His Own Hand

The campaign was far from over, but it was very clear out of character that if this machine was going to render this future, horrible as it was, non-existent then Brazen, Davor, and probably Tirnel the elf would waste no time in blowing it straight to hell along with anyone who got in their way. Without this deus ex machina the game was over, and the epic final chapter would be impossible to reach without a lot of hand-waving and NPC magical bullshit.

As if we had any shortage of that in this game...

 

So our storyteller and the NPCs alike were quick to assure us that it wasn't linear time travel, but rather that this machine would punch a hole into a parallel timeline. A timeline that could still be saved. Brazen holstered his gun, folded his arms, and told them if they were getting they'd better go. He had shit to do.

Slightly confused, most of the rest of the party went. The players and ST alike were wondering what he was going to do, and so they ended the session by asking the $24 question.

Brazen Red-Eye purchased the cursed city and all of its properties from the Crown for a gold piece and a blot of ink. He took his cohort and followers (mostly alchemists, gunslingers, druids, and witches with a few barbarians and fighters for flavor), and rebuilt the city. He took in refugees of all stripes, and put them to work training for war, manning the walls, growing crops and assembling new structures. In time Lost Home became known as a place where anyone could find a a seat at the table if they were willing to work hard and follow orders. It established a college of alchemy and wizardry, as well as a gunworks where firearms and more dangerous weapons were built. In less than ten years it could field an army of warriors in construct armor, and an air force of dirigibles powered by alchemy and loaded down with smooth-bore cannons. Brazen Red-Eye ruled on the brass throne till the day he died, and he was burned with the honors of a great chieftain. His widow maker was placed in his hand, because wherever he was going he was going to need it.

And that, my friends, is quite possibly the most epic middle finger I have ever had a character give to a plot he was expected to keep following.

What's Next on Table Talk?

That's the end of this tale, but what would you like to see next time on Table Talk? Suggestions are always welcome!

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Table Talk: Don't Ever Field a One-Eyed Dragon

Do you have a gaming story of your own? Well we'd love to hear it! Contact Improved Initiative with your best tabletop tale, and we'll feature you on Table Talk. Make your friends jealous, and grab a little bit of the spotlight. You totally deserve it. Also, if you'd like to follow us, drop by Tumblr or Facebook.

Also, this story is part one of a trilogy, which is now complete! Here's the full list of The Ballad of Baldric Brimstone.

- Chapter One: Don't Ever Field a One-Eyed Dragon
- Chapter Two: Why You Never Give Your Party The One Ring
- Chapter Three: Big Gay Half-Orcs and Utterly Destroying Plot

Now, onward to this week's tale...

Being the new guy in an established game isn't easy. Most of the time you haven't met the other players, you don't really know what's been going on with the story, and you're not always sure if your character is going to gel with what's happening. However, not long after I published my short story "The Irregulars" with Paizo (you can still read it here) I was invited to join a campaign. It was a home-brewed affair that had been going on for some time, and I was told to put together a level 8 character.

Boy, did I ever.

The Ballad of Baldric Brimstone

Have gun, will travel.

The character I created for this game was a reformed villain with a secret history. To all appearances he was a human gunslinger/alchemist by the name of Baldric Brimstone. A quick draw specialist who relied on speed and overwhelming firepower to see him through most situations, he was a fairly good fit in a generally chaotic, and generally neutral, party. However, despite his human-like appearance (I burned a feat slot to take Pass For Human for this back story), he was actually a half-orc.

Bred to a savage tribe for quick wits and fast hands, he had been a fire-bomber who left little standing on any raid he was part of. A disagreement with the tribal chief, who got lit up like dry kindling in a lightning storm, led to this alchemist fleeing, lest vengeance be visited upon him. A frontier family found him half-starved and exhausted, along with some broken bones and no few deep cuts. They took him in and helped him recuperate, and that was his first brush with a culture where "might makes right" wasn't the whole of the law. He learned the trade of gunsmithing, and decided to try and make up for some of his dark deeds by taking up the cause of good. Nothing like a Chaotic Evil to Chaotic Good switch to grant you plenty of motivation.

So, Baldric shows up as a new recruit to a mercenary guild of adventurers. He's assigned to a party, and told to go and deal with a dragon problem.

Hunting Trouble

It should be mentioned that before this game session began I asked the DM very specifically if he first, allowed advanced firearms if the player could afford them, and second, if he allowed called shots. He did, and he did. This needs to be mentioned up-front.

So, the party finds its way to a village that looks like something out of my character's past. Houses are burned to the foundation, people are scattered, and there's little enough left standing. The party is given directions to a certain mountain, and we pick our way along to a cave that looks big enough to house a dragon. We enter, weapons drawn. We see a horde with an unconscious child atop it; no dragon in sight.

So the party, being an adventuring party, starts exploring. We don't find hide nor hair of the dragon, but as soon as the mysterious orphan on the horde awakens a red dragon lumbers in. He's big enough to be full grown, but whether it's a juvenile or a young dragon it's still several challenge ratings higher than the party. However, the DM mentions that the dragon looks wounded. It's covered in deep cuts, it's limping, breathing hard, and one eye has been completely destroyed.

Don't get ahead of me, now.

Because we aren't commanded to roll initiative immediately, the bard begins to parley with the dragon. Most of the party speaks draconic, including Baldric, but he feigns that he doesn't. There are exchanges back and forth, rolls are made, and mechanically speaking the negotiation is going about as well as a thing like this can be expected to. After the third or fourth exchange though, I turn to the DM and declare a readied action. The readied action in question is to draw my pistol, and make a called shot to the beast's remaining eye.

Bulls-Eye.. Er... Dragons-Eye

Despite the out of character knowledge that the negotiation is going well, all Baldric is hearing is that we, the heroes, are negotiating with a creature responsible for destroying lives and attempting the murder of an entire town. So, butting into the negotiation, he demands to know why the red dragon in question decided to just attack the town.

Its response? "Because I felt like it."

Polyphemus, eat your heart out.

I cannot emphasize this enough; no one at this table has seen me game before. For some of them this is their first campaign. We are facing a threat somewhere between 2 and 5 challenge ratings higher than we should be, and before anyone can stop him Baldric drags iron, pulls the trigger, and rolls an 18 on the die. After all the negatives were calculated, that was a 19 on a touch attack against a flat-footed opponent.

I hit.

The Aftermath

Fortunately for yours truly I had built a character with a very impressive initiative. Unfortunately for most of the rest of the party, the dragon went directly after me. I took another shot, and got out of the way. The dragon, being evil, blind, in pain, and a dragon, blew fire all over the cavern. The blast torched most of the party, and dropped a goodly number of them. Baldric remained untouched and kept shooting.

For three or four rounds this fight continued, with flung alchemical weapons and flying lead peppering this already injured creature. The still-standing members of the party got in on the action, and some of the bombs were having a noticeable effect. Before the dragon could be dropped though, it took wing and got the hell out of dodge. The party's in shambles, and standing over them is a lunatic with a smoking gun who not only hasn't taken any damage, but is reloading his pistol and demanding to know if they're going to let that thing get away.

You want us to what now?

I had never seen that many looks of dumbfounded disbelief at a gaming table before. First that I had an extraordinarily stupid idea, and then that it worked out in my favor. Also, the DM learned a valuable lesson that night; no matter what you put on the table, or how powerful it is, someone in the party is going to try and kill it. Always be prepared for that.

The truly funny thing about the whole situation? This was only the second game where I had to roll out hit points for my character. I did not roll well. I was at the controls of a glass hammer who was getting by on little more than a high initiative, brass balls, and a decent intimidate check. Baldric's hit points didn't dramatically improve as he gained levels, either. Despite that he not only survived the campaign, but became a king by his own hand, building an empire from ashes with little more than a fast hand and a can-do attitude.

In time this story shall also be told...