Slithery D
2016-09-06, 05:57 PM
For those who don't have it yet, the Haunted Heroes Handbook (latest Player Companion) has quite a few strong options of interest. Any favorites?
Here's my notables:
For Martials
1. Ghostslayer is a combat feat that allows attacks against incorporeal at the cost of a swift action. If the weapon is already +2 you get Ghost Touch. Let the Fighter contribute against that Allip.
2. Guiding Spirit trait lets you roll a d20 twice once per day at the cost of cost of a swift action. (Burn the ability, then must use in the next round, so best for full attack low iteratives or crit fishing.)
3. The Possessed Hand line of feats gives you lots of nifty abilities of use to martials.
Possessed Hand: +1 insight to hit/damage, once per day swift action draw of a 5lb item, +1 to disable device and sleight of hand. -2 to Concentration checks, so beware Magus and other gish builds. This is a prereq for the following feats; for all of them except Hand's Detachment it's the only prereq.
Hand's Sight: Darkvision 60' and can't be flanked if your hand is empty.
Hand's Knowledge: Pick a knowledge skill to be a class skill. Also pick one of disable device, escape artist, heal, sleight of hand, or UMD to become a class skill. Once per day you can get a 1/2 level boost to a skill check with any of the foregoing, not just the one you picked.
Hand's Autonomy: Reduce penalties for TWF by -2, to a minimum of -1. Stacks with TWF. When you suffer most disabling conditions (but where is daze???) the hand can: perform some skill checks (including UMD!), retrieve/pick up an item, knock you prone and drag you, "other appropriate actions" (examples are pour a potion in your throat or slap you awake), make one melee or ranged (i.e. thrown) attack.
Hand's Detachment: Separate your hand to act as a crawling hand familiar. It doesn't get most familiar abilities, but does get empathic link and speak with master. Regenerates in 2d4 days if destroyed. Prereq: This one requires Hand's Autonomy in addition to Possessed Hand.
4. Spirit Ridden feat lets you do a 1 hour seance every day to gain skill ranks equal to your character level in any skill you choose (for that day) and it counts a class skill. Only lasts level hours, though, so take it mid career when you can do the seance at the beginning of the day and expect it to last. "The spirit influences your personality" in some unspecified way that allows some RP opportunities or GM shenanigans, I guess.
Resisting Mind-Affecting or Possession
1. Subconscious Inspiration feat allows you to reroll a failed Will save every round you are confused, compelled, or possessed. If you make it you can use a purely mental action that round. So SLA, some class abilities, still/silent spell, psychic spell, etc.
2. Spiritual Training feat allows a dominated or possessed PC to remain aware of what is happening and use a swift action to get a new Will save. If you succeed you get to act normally for one round (minus your swift action). If you fail, you can't try again for another hour, but the possessing entity doesn't get a swift action that round. Use at critical moments, I guess.
Equipment
1. Storm Glass - Only costs 80 gp, changes color if a non-native outsider spends 1 minute within 60' of it. Perfect for anyone worried about Succubus or similar infiltrators, just have everyone sit in a waiting room with one of these. Goes well with the standard Detect Magic scan.
2. Jar of Haunt Siphoning - 6,250 GP, you can deal 3d6 damage to a manifested haunt, if you neutralize it you harvest it for a negative energy grenade that works like alchemist's fire.
3. Shawl of the Lingering Phantom - Attention Spiritualists! Head slot, 3200 GP, you get the Skill Focus of your phantom even when it's manifested. When it's in your consciousness you get an extra +4 competence bonus.
Archetypes
1. The Alchemist Ectoplasm Master adds all relevant Necromancy spells of 6th level or fewer (there are more than I thought, mostly aura type stuff) to his formula list. You can also take three new discoveries. One provides Summon Monster I-VI on your extract list to use in extract form to summon critters with the ectoplasmic creature template. One trades out your Mutagen AC bonus for immunity to crits and precision damage. The last makes your bombs do full damage to haunts and incorporeals, and full nonlethal damage to everyone else.
What do you pay for these expanded options? Brew Potion, and nothing else.
2. Invoker Witch gets a menu of options that work like Hunter's animal focus. Works minutes per level in minute increments, activated with a swift action. The best ones lower DR/SR of a target by 2 (later 5), boost DC of hexes and patron spells by 1/2/3, gain a +3/6/9 bonus on Acrobatics(?) and Concentration checks, increase the duration of spells cast on self by 1/2/3 rounds (are their great 1 round self buffs?), boost spell/natural attack damage 1 per die and eventually get critical focus and improved critical on your spells and natural attacks. At level 10 you can run two of these at once. Total cost? Hexes at 1, 8, 10, 16.
3. LOL, LOL, LOL Pact Wizard (not to be mistaken for the Pact Wizard archetype previously published in the familiar book). You pick a Witch patron and add its bonus spells to your spell list and spell book (Healing patron, White Mage fans! Ancestors or Devotion if you want some meh other Cleric spells) You can spontaneously cast Patron spells with your prepared (non-school bonus) spells. You can prepare your spells in 15 minutes rather than an hour (whatever). At 5th level you get a half strength Oracle curse; if it provides bonus spells, you get those on your list (rarely relevant) and in your book. At 10th level as a free action you can 3+1/2 Int bonus times per day roll twice (not reroll) any caster level check, concentration check, initiative check, or saving throw. At 15th level when you double roll you also add your Int bonus to the result, and you get a 1 level discount on any metamagic applied to your patron spells or any Oracle curse spells. Ok, the 20th level ability is kind of lame, when you roll twice and get a 20 you automatically succeed even if you normally wouldn't. (Good if you're lucky on an obscene concentration check from really high damage, I guess.)
For this you pay Scribe Scroll and your bonus feats. Unless you really, really wanted to craft a lot or pick up Spell Perfection, please for the love of god take this archetype.
Dude, Whoa
1. Rivethun Adherent trait gives you a +2 bonus to will saves if you have any disease, poison, or Str/Dex/Con damage/drain, or a +2 bonus to fort saves if you are insane, charmed, compelled, or have Int/Wis/Cha damage. Take some drugs or poisons to strategically knock one point off an odd numbered mental and physical attribute and enjoy your dual Iron Will/Great Fortitude two feats from one trait at no mechanical cost.
2. Possessed Sorcerer Bloodline. Note this capstone, which gives you two characters to control with full actions, and is arguably the most powerful capstone in the game:
Dual Spirit (Su): At 20th level, you gain immunity to mind-affecting effects. Whenever you successfully employ a possession effect (such as magic jar or possessionOA), you remain in complete control of your body and the body of your possessed target.
Here's my notables:
For Martials
1. Ghostslayer is a combat feat that allows attacks against incorporeal at the cost of a swift action. If the weapon is already +2 you get Ghost Touch. Let the Fighter contribute against that Allip.
2. Guiding Spirit trait lets you roll a d20 twice once per day at the cost of cost of a swift action. (Burn the ability, then must use in the next round, so best for full attack low iteratives or crit fishing.)
3. The Possessed Hand line of feats gives you lots of nifty abilities of use to martials.
Possessed Hand: +1 insight to hit/damage, once per day swift action draw of a 5lb item, +1 to disable device and sleight of hand. -2 to Concentration checks, so beware Magus and other gish builds. This is a prereq for the following feats; for all of them except Hand's Detachment it's the only prereq.
Hand's Sight: Darkvision 60' and can't be flanked if your hand is empty.
Hand's Knowledge: Pick a knowledge skill to be a class skill. Also pick one of disable device, escape artist, heal, sleight of hand, or UMD to become a class skill. Once per day you can get a 1/2 level boost to a skill check with any of the foregoing, not just the one you picked.
Hand's Autonomy: Reduce penalties for TWF by -2, to a minimum of -1. Stacks with TWF. When you suffer most disabling conditions (but where is daze???) the hand can: perform some skill checks (including UMD!), retrieve/pick up an item, knock you prone and drag you, "other appropriate actions" (examples are pour a potion in your throat or slap you awake), make one melee or ranged (i.e. thrown) attack.
Hand's Detachment: Separate your hand to act as a crawling hand familiar. It doesn't get most familiar abilities, but does get empathic link and speak with master. Regenerates in 2d4 days if destroyed. Prereq: This one requires Hand's Autonomy in addition to Possessed Hand.
4. Spirit Ridden feat lets you do a 1 hour seance every day to gain skill ranks equal to your character level in any skill you choose (for that day) and it counts a class skill. Only lasts level hours, though, so take it mid career when you can do the seance at the beginning of the day and expect it to last. "The spirit influences your personality" in some unspecified way that allows some RP opportunities or GM shenanigans, I guess.
Resisting Mind-Affecting or Possession
1. Subconscious Inspiration feat allows you to reroll a failed Will save every round you are confused, compelled, or possessed. If you make it you can use a purely mental action that round. So SLA, some class abilities, still/silent spell, psychic spell, etc.
2. Spiritual Training feat allows a dominated or possessed PC to remain aware of what is happening and use a swift action to get a new Will save. If you succeed you get to act normally for one round (minus your swift action). If you fail, you can't try again for another hour, but the possessing entity doesn't get a swift action that round. Use at critical moments, I guess.
Equipment
1. Storm Glass - Only costs 80 gp, changes color if a non-native outsider spends 1 minute within 60' of it. Perfect for anyone worried about Succubus or similar infiltrators, just have everyone sit in a waiting room with one of these. Goes well with the standard Detect Magic scan.
2. Jar of Haunt Siphoning - 6,250 GP, you can deal 3d6 damage to a manifested haunt, if you neutralize it you harvest it for a negative energy grenade that works like alchemist's fire.
3. Shawl of the Lingering Phantom - Attention Spiritualists! Head slot, 3200 GP, you get the Skill Focus of your phantom even when it's manifested. When it's in your consciousness you get an extra +4 competence bonus.
Archetypes
1. The Alchemist Ectoplasm Master adds all relevant Necromancy spells of 6th level or fewer (there are more than I thought, mostly aura type stuff) to his formula list. You can also take three new discoveries. One provides Summon Monster I-VI on your extract list to use in extract form to summon critters with the ectoplasmic creature template. One trades out your Mutagen AC bonus for immunity to crits and precision damage. The last makes your bombs do full damage to haunts and incorporeals, and full nonlethal damage to everyone else.
What do you pay for these expanded options? Brew Potion, and nothing else.
2. Invoker Witch gets a menu of options that work like Hunter's animal focus. Works minutes per level in minute increments, activated with a swift action. The best ones lower DR/SR of a target by 2 (later 5), boost DC of hexes and patron spells by 1/2/3, gain a +3/6/9 bonus on Acrobatics(?) and Concentration checks, increase the duration of spells cast on self by 1/2/3 rounds (are their great 1 round self buffs?), boost spell/natural attack damage 1 per die and eventually get critical focus and improved critical on your spells and natural attacks. At level 10 you can run two of these at once. Total cost? Hexes at 1, 8, 10, 16.
3. LOL, LOL, LOL Pact Wizard (not to be mistaken for the Pact Wizard archetype previously published in the familiar book). You pick a Witch patron and add its bonus spells to your spell list and spell book (Healing patron, White Mage fans! Ancestors or Devotion if you want some meh other Cleric spells) You can spontaneously cast Patron spells with your prepared (non-school bonus) spells. You can prepare your spells in 15 minutes rather than an hour (whatever). At 5th level you get a half strength Oracle curse; if it provides bonus spells, you get those on your list (rarely relevant) and in your book. At 10th level as a free action you can 3+1/2 Int bonus times per day roll twice (not reroll) any caster level check, concentration check, initiative check, or saving throw. At 15th level when you double roll you also add your Int bonus to the result, and you get a 1 level discount on any metamagic applied to your patron spells or any Oracle curse spells. Ok, the 20th level ability is kind of lame, when you roll twice and get a 20 you automatically succeed even if you normally wouldn't. (Good if you're lucky on an obscene concentration check from really high damage, I guess.)
For this you pay Scribe Scroll and your bonus feats. Unless you really, really wanted to craft a lot or pick up Spell Perfection, please for the love of god take this archetype.
Dude, Whoa
1. Rivethun Adherent trait gives you a +2 bonus to will saves if you have any disease, poison, or Str/Dex/Con damage/drain, or a +2 bonus to fort saves if you are insane, charmed, compelled, or have Int/Wis/Cha damage. Take some drugs or poisons to strategically knock one point off an odd numbered mental and physical attribute and enjoy your dual Iron Will/Great Fortitude two feats from one trait at no mechanical cost.
2. Possessed Sorcerer Bloodline. Note this capstone, which gives you two characters to control with full actions, and is arguably the most powerful capstone in the game:
Dual Spirit (Su): At 20th level, you gain immunity to mind-affecting effects. Whenever you successfully employ a possession effect (such as magic jar or possessionOA), you remain in complete control of your body and the body of your possessed target.