Path of Iron Update: Funding Progress and Vanguard Goodies

Hey everyone!

We're just over three days into the Kickstarter and we just passed 50% funding! We still have quite a bit of a way to go, so let your friends and local gaming groups know!

In the mean time, how about an update on the book's progress? I'm still moving onward with the book material, namely the material for the playtest at the end of the Kickstarter (and if it's completed fast enough, it'll be out before then!). Today I'm going to show off a few of the vanguard augmentations and resonance abilities that I've recently written.

If you don't know about augmentation and resonance, check out the blog post on the vanguard. The playtest version will include twenty-one augmentations, each with a corresponding resonance ability. The Mending Touch augment is granted for free, so that leaves twenty for you to choose from as you level. The main focus of the vanguard's resonance abilities is group support, so you'll see that reflected in the abilities. These aren't necessarily all of the augmentations that will be in the end product nor are they finalized; changed will be made in response to player feedback and new ones will be added based on suggestions (or by those who back the Artisan or Master Artisan reward tier, should they choose).

Here's just a few of the augmentations you can grant your construct companion:

ABLATIVE SHIELDING (SU)
Prerequisites: Level 10
Effect: A magical barrier of force surrounds the construct companion, mitigating incoming damage. The barrier grants the construct companion temporary hit points equal to 3 times its total Hit Dice. As long as the barrier has at least 1 temporary hit point remaining, the barrier restores 5 temporary hit points each round, back up to the its normal maximum. If the barrier is ever reduce to 0 hit points, it breaks and does not regain hit points for 1 hour, after which it is restored to 1 hit point.
Resonance: The barrier supercharges and can affect multiple allies. The temporary hit points of the barrier are restored to double its normal maximum. The barrier protects nearby allies; if an attack would harm an ally within 30 feet of the companion, half of the damage is redirected to the construct’s barrier instead. The resonance lasts for either 1 minute or until the barrier runs out of hit points. This resonance cannot be used if the ablative barrier is already at 0 hit points. Once the resonance ends, any temporary hit points in the barrier over its normal maximum are lost.

DISRUPTION FIELD (SU)
Prerequisites: Level 10
Effect: The construct emits a short-range field that disrupts magical energy. Creatures attempting to cast a spell while threatened by the companion take a -4 penalty to their Concentration checks to cast defensively.
Resonance: The disruption field grows larger and more potent, but only briefly. Any creature within 30 feet that attempts to cast a spell (including the vanguard or the companion) must make a Concentration check (DC 10 + the vanguard’s level + his Charisma modifier) or lose the spell. The field lasts for only 1 round.

ELDRITCH CASTER (SP)
Prerequisites: Charisma 11, Level 4
Effect: The companion gains the ability to cast a small number of spells. Choose any spell from the following list: break, burning hands, corrosive touch, feather fall, grease, magic missile, obscuring mist, shocking grasp,  stunning barrier, or thunderstomp. The construct companion can cast this spell once per day. For every three vanguard levels past 4th, the construct can choose an additional spell to cast once each day. It can also choose a spell it already knows to gain an additional casting of that spell each day. The caster level for these spells is equal to the companion’s Hit Dice, and the save DC for these spells is equal to 11 + the companion’s Charisma modifier.
Resonance: The companion’s magical expertise resonates to allies, making them more knowledgeable on how to defend against spells. All allies within 30 feet of the companion gain a +1 bonus on saving throws against spells and spell-like abilities. This bonus increases by +1 at 10th and 16th levels. The resonance lasts for 1 minute.

EXTRADIMENSIONAL ARSENAL (SU)
Prerequisites: Level 4
Effect: The companion gains an extradimensional storage space within its body. This functions as a bag of holding type I. The companion can draw items from the space as a move action. It can allow others to reach into the space to retrieve an item, though doing so is a full-round action for the other creature. At 11th level, it is instead treated a bag of holding type II. If the vanguard is shut down or broken, the items within the arsenal are not destroyed but cannot be retrieved until the construct is functional again; if the companion is ever annihilated or replaced, items left in the arsenal are lost forever.
Resonance: The vanguard can retrieve or store any item within the extradimensional arsenal. By using this resonance, the vanguard can teleport a single item to or from the arsenal weighing no more than 10 lbs. per vanguard level, as if by means of a teleport object spell (he only has to touch an object to teleport it into the arsenal, not out of it). An object teleported out of the arsenal appears in the vanguard’s hands or in the nearest open space (vanguard’s choice). The vanguard must have line of effect to his companion to use this resonance. The resonance ends once the item is teleported.

TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE (EX)
Prerequisites: Intelligence 10
Effect: The companion gains additional knowledge. The vanguard selects any three skills that are not already class skills for the companion: those skills become class skills for the companion. In addition, the companion gains 3 skill points per Hit Dice it has and an additional 3 skill points every time it gains a Hit Dice. This augmentation can be gained multiple times. Each time it is gained, the companion gains three new skills as class skills and gains three more skill points per Hit Dice.
Resonance: The companion shares its knowledge with nearby allies. All allies within 30 feet of the companion gain a +2 bonus on checks made with a particular skill. This bonus increases to +3 at 7th level, +4 at 13th level, and +5 at 19th level. The skill must be one that the companion is trained in.

Path of Iron Kickstarter is Live!

The Kickstarter campaign for Path of Iron is now live! Create constructs, make deadly traps, and delve into ancient rune magic with Ascension Game's latest Pathfinder Roleplaying Game book!

Path of Iron Kickstarter Page

A quick sampling of what you'll find within Path of Iron's 150+ pages of content:

• Three new base classes: the construct-controlling vanguard, the trap master saboteur, and the rune-casting archivist.
  
• Dozens of archetypes and options for your favorite classes. Use flurry of blows with a firearm as a Zen Marksman, utilize Spell Combat with a two-handed weapon as the Arcane Marauder magus, or tap into the mysterious souls of iron with the Metal spirit for shamans.
• Several feats to support all kinds of play styles, as well as brand-new Technique feats to learn specialized methods of combat. Use the Archon Technique to master the tower shield, or the Titan Technique to wield massive weapons against your foes.
• Over 80 spells for practically every magic user. Conjure innumerable weapons with the field of blades spell, animate a shield to defend you with dancing steel, and steal the power of magic items with the siphon enchantment spell.
• New magic weapons, armor, wondrous items, and more. Destroy any barrier with the gatecrasher or keep your favorite equipment in good repair with the apprentice's whetstone.
• Rune magic, a brand new form of magic casting where every spell grants the caster lingering power to strengthen his next spell.
  

Check here for a sample of the book featuring the vanguard base class.

The campaign will run for 30 days. With your help, we can make this massive book a reality!

Steel Yourself: A Look at Archetypes and Options in Path of Iron

One of the most common ways I hear people describe a character they want to play is "I want to be an X that wields a Y". Stuff like "a druid that wields a scythe" or "a ranger that wields a crossbow". In many cases, though, classes are built with certain weapons in mind. Rangers have their combat styles which narrow down what they should use, the magus is built around wielding a single melee weapon in conjunction with a spell. Some classes go so far as being built entirely around a handful of weapons, like gunslingers or cavaliers. As such, one of the primary focal points of many archetypes and options within Path of Iron will be granting different weapons and armor types to existing classes.

No more will a magus be forced to use only a one-handed or light melee weapon with his spell in his offhand. Want to dual-wield? Mystic Dervish. Want to use a two-handed weapon? Arcane Marauder. Ranged weapons? Eldritch Eye. All of these options will work in conjunction with primary mechanics like Spell Strike and Spell Combat, so you can use the gear you want without losing what makes magus unique.

Monks are getting firearms with Zen Marksman, and can use flurry of blows with a firearm. They focus on martial arts and skill with the gun above mystical training, and as such replace many of their supernatural abilities with gunslinger deeds. Rangers (and by extension, Slayers) will receive new fighting styles to support more weapons types like quarterstaves, spears, firearms, and unarmed strikes. Skalds receive the Ancestral Warrior archetype, forming a mystic bond with a chosen ancestral weapon that grows in power over time.

There are also archetypes and options that go for a more general "metal" theme. The Metal spirit for Shamans hybridizes some traits from its base Oracle mystery with new hexes and powers. The Forgeborn bloodline granted to both Bloodrager and Sorcerer gives them an innate power over metal, featuring new spells from Path of Iron as well as improving spells with the new metal descriptor. The Metallurgist Alchemist archetype grants them the ability to make special extracts called "salves" which can be applied to objects rather than to living creatures. There are also a handful of archetypes that use new abilities from Path of Iron, such as a Ranger archetype that gains a limited selection of saboteur traps or the Technique Master archetype for Fighter that lets him combine more than one of the new technique feat lines together at once.

I'll leave off with an example of one of the archetypes in the book: the Eldritch Eye magus. I hope you've enjoyed reading these teaser posts for Path of Iron; the Kickstarter launches tomorrow!

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ELDRITCH EYE

The following are features of the eldritch eye magus archetype.

Diminished Spellcasting: An eldritch eye may cast one fewer spell of each level than normal. If this reduces the number to 0, he may cast spells of that level only if his Intelligence allows bonus spells of that level.

Arcane Pool (Su): An eldritch eye uses his arcane pool to grant an enhancement bonus to a ranged weapon, rather than a melee weapon. At 5th level and above, he can add the following special abilities to a ranged weapon: conserving, designating, distance, flaming, flaming burst, frost, greater designating, icy burst, seeking, shock, and shocking burst. This changes the magus's arcane pool ability.

Point-Blank Shot: At 1st level, an eldritch eye gains Point-Blank Shot as a bonus feat. This ability replaces Spell Combat.

Ranged Spellstrike (Su): At 2nd level, an eldritch eye can cast a single-target touch attack ranged spell and deliver it through a ranged weapon attack. Instead of the free ranged touch attack normally allowed to deliver the spell, an eldritch eye can make one free ranged attack with his weapon (at his highest base attack bonus) as part of casting this spell. If successful, this ranged attack deals its normal damage as well as the effects of the spell. This attack uses the weapon’s critical range, but the spell effect only deals ×2 damage on a successful critical hit, while the weapon damage uses its own critical modifier.

Even if the spell can normally affect multiple targets, only a single missile, ray, or effect accompanies the attack. At 8th level, if used in conjunction with spell volley, the ranged attack takes all penalties given from spell volley ranged attacks, and the eldritch eye may deliver one ray or line of effect with each attack, up to the maximum allowed by the spell (in the case of ray effects). Any effects not used in the round the spell is cast are lost. This ability replaces spellstrike.

Safe Shot (Ex): At 7th level, an eldritch eye no longer provokes attacks of opportunity when firing a ranged weapon. This ability replaces medium armor.

Spell Volley (Ex): At 8th level, an eldritch eye learns to cast spells and wield his ranged weapon at the same time. As a full-round action, he can make all of his attacks with his ranged weapon at a –2 penalty and can also cast any spell from the magus spell list with a casting time of 1 standard action (any attack roll made as part of this spell also takes this penalty). An eldritch eye can choose to cast the spell first or make the weapon attacks first, but if he has more than one attack, he cannot cast the spell between weapon attacks. This ability replaces Improved Spell Combat and Greater Spell Combat.

Evasive Archer (Ex): At 13th level, the eldritch eye gains a +2 dodge bonus to AC against ranged attacks. This increases to +4 at 17th level. This ability replaces heavy armor.

Pinpoint Targeting (Ex): At 16th level, the eldritch eye gains Pinpoint Targeting as a bonus feat, even if he doesn't meet the prerequisites. In addition, the eldritch eye can spend 1 point from his arcane pool to perform a ranged spellstrike in conjunction with Pinpoint Targeting as a full-round action. This ability replaces counterstrike.

Weapon Mastery (Ex): At 20th level, an eldritch eye gains weapon mastery with a single ranged weapon, as the fighter class ability. This ability replaces true magus.

Eldritch Eye Arcana: An eldritch eye gains access to the following magus arcana. He cannot select any arcana more than once.

Arcane Grit (Ex): The eldritch eye may use points from his arcane pool as grit points. He may only use his arcane pool to perform deeds that spend grit points; having at least one point left in his arcane pool does not allow him to use deeds that can be performed as long as he has one grit point. The eldritch eye must be at least 6th level before selecting this arcana and must have the grit class feature (either by having levels in a class that grant grit or by the Amateur Gunslinger feat).

Arcane Marksman (Su): The eldritch eye gains proficiency with all firearms. When using his arcane pool ability to enhance his ranged weapon he can add the following effects to a firearm he wields:  greater lucky, greater reliable, lucky, and reliable.

Long Range (Su): The eldritch eye can spend one point from his arcane pool as a swift action to increase the range increment of a one-handed ranged weapon by 20 feet or the range increment of a two-handed ranged weapon by 50 feet for 1 round.

Ranged Magic (Su): The eldritch eye can cast one spell per day as if it were affected by the Reach Spell feat. This does not increase the level of the spell. The eldritch eye must be at least 12th level before selecting this arcana.

Rapid Reload (Su): The eldritch eye can spend a point from his arcane pool as a free action to magically load his weapon. For one round, any ranged weapon he holds is automatically loaded with ammunition after being fired, allowing him to make full-attack actions with a weapon that normally requires him to take actions to reload. This ability will load any ammunition that the eldritch eye has on his person that he desires, but he must actually have the ammunition. The eldritch eye must be at least 6th level before selecting this arcana.