Dreamscarred Press Announces - Steelforge Playtest

[Lord_Gareth]

Those of you who have been following our Path of War playtest might know that we had a planned item section that never made it in. We've been trying to get it in for two books now, in fact, and it didn't work out. In the team chat, a few weeks back, Anthony jokingly proposed that we just write an entire item book and stick 'em in there.

Introducing Steelforge, the second in Dreamscarred Press's 'forge line (which began with Bloodforge)!

Steelforge deals in another theme that all adventurers, regardless of class, handle - items. Alchemical, magical, or mundane, adventurers rely on their gear to help them solve problems, face down lethal enemies, and learn more about the world around them. The lure of powerful magical items can motivate a party or even provide the crux of a world-shaking plot. We at DSP haven't been strangers to the idea in the past - Ultimate Psionics is chock full of new items - but in addition to adding to the roster of exciting adventuring and worldbuilding tools available to you, Steelforge talks about the role of items in the game world, how emphasizing or banning certain items can help shape the game you want to portray, and provides new archetypes and prestige classes that alter how adventurers interact with items.

Our initial playtest document - about thirty pages long - can be found here. As always, this is as live document that is subject to change and additions without warning. We're looking forward to playtesting with you fine folks, as well as with our fans on other communities, and hope you have fun with it.

My co-authors will be along to introduce themselves shortly, but you're familiar with all of them: Anthony (Path of War: Expanded), Matt (Bloodforge), Alex (Lords of the Night), and our newest addition to the freelancer pool, Jacob (who has currently written guides to the Akashic Mysteries classes, as well as for the Dread).

Ready?

Go!

[PsyBomb]

As you may have guessed from Lord_Gareth's brief description, I am the Jacob he's talking about. This is my first project as a freelancer, and it's a completely different thing from the homebrewing I used to do. A lot more goes into it than meets the eye, and there is a ton of teamwork making sure that what makes it onto the document is worthy of seeing play. There is much, much more coming (seriously, you're currently seeing only 30 of an expected 80-page PDF), and as usual for DSP the more feedback it gets, the better it will come out.

[leonfenrir]

Hi, Alex here.
As I mentioned in my introduction, when Lord_Gareth says "write", you say "how much".
This team is great to work with, and items are always fun. Writing items always starts with a "wait, why doesn't this exist" and often ends with "oh, that's why". Sometimes however, you do find niches that need filling, or even more broad ideas that for some reason just don't exist yet.
There's a lot more to come, but hopefully this is a good taste of what to expect.

[Ssalarn]

I've got a bunch of Inevitable themed veils I was trying to decide where to put, let me know if you want to add them here (might be appropriate since some of them fill in the unsupported Craft and Profession skills).

[Thealtruistorc]

Totally implementing the magecatcher net, warsong instruments, and chess pieces into my game. The only item I have any qualms with is the helm of lost flesh, which effectively reduces the wearer's hp to 35 against anyone who can identify it (suggest some sort of saving throw even if he wears it for over a day).

Other than that, solid stuff. These are consistently interesting and creative and I hope to see more projects like this.

[Elricaltovilla]

Man it's good to be writing for DSP. I hadn't had the chance to work with anyone else on this project aside from Jade yet, but it's been a ball so far. I never knew that Jake and I had such similar senses of humor, some of that even got snuck past Jade and into the Doc! We're still going to be adding new stuff to it so keep your eyes peeled here and elswhere for updates.

[Vhaidara]

You know, i was kind of hoping for a book dedicated to warforged. Oh well, items are pretty cool too.

Yeah, this is awesome. Helm of Lost Flesh, Rings of Bound Loyalty, and Chess Pieces will see use in my game.

And I notice you use Elric's Elder Evil in this. Very nice.

[Powerdork]

The wording on the destruction of the liar's quill is ambiguous. Is it a year (without [speaking or making written communications] with the quill)? A year ([without speaking], [making written communications with only the quill])? Some other alternative that I'm finding hard to word? (Also: divinIation.)

[Extra Anchovies]

Can we have Vest of Resistance? It hasn't been ported to Pathfinder yet and I like having options for my shoulders slot other than the standard CoR.

I love how Legendary Items are implemented.

I saw that Knowledge (tactics) in the Chessboard of the Astral Army description just before it got fixed. Too slow

Bearded (Weapon)

No. You didn't.

While wielding a bearded weapon, you sprout a thick metallic beard that protects you from harm.

Oh my gosh you did.

The Mountain Village, Altovilla

i c wat u did thar

Archetypes

Ooh, neat! I'm not super interested in items, but I'll be keeping an eye on this section.

Does the Ectoplasmic Manufacturer have access to any customizations? They lose access to the astral suit, so currently they don't. It also feels really similar to (and worse than) Ectopic Artisan, to the point that I don't see why EM needs to exist

Axiomite looks really fun, and takes the Daevic in a very interesting direction. I think I'd actually prefer one of these over a stock Daevic. It's cool that they can pick between support and self-buffs at 6th level.

Forgelord looks pretty good. I mean, it's a class that inherently breaks WBL (especially with Disposable and Spell item attunements), but it doesn't look like it would do so too egregiously.

[PsyBomb]

The wording on the destruction of the liar's quill is ambiguous. Is it a year (without [speaking or making written communications] with the quill)? A year ([without speaking], [making written communications with only the quill])? Some other alternative that I'm finding hard to word? (Also: divinIation.)

The latter of those two is intended

[Eox]

Oh this is right up my alley. Only one issue from my once-over, Alchemists Ice more or less already exists.

[leonfenrir]

Can we have Vest of Resistance? It hasn't been ported to Pathfinder yet and I like having options for my shoulders slot other than the standard CoR.

This has already happened and been added to the doc. Mostly. Blame Jade.

[Lord_Gareth]

Wording in some places - especially weapon properties - is currently very rough. Suggestions to fix it up are highly appreciated.

[Extra Anchovies]

This has already happened and been added to the doc. Mostly. Blame Jade.

Oooh, and it's a corset too! Neat. More interesting than just a shirt or a vest.

[Powerdork]

Wording in some places - especially weapon properties - is currently very rough. Suggestions to fix it up are highly appreciated.

You've already seen this, Gareth, but my suggested alterations to Spell Echoing in particular, for reference: https://www.irccloud.com/pastebin/AIpqmGjN/

Also:
> find/replace "strong enchantment"/"faint enchantment"/"moderate enchantment" (whatever terminology for the spells that influence minds and hearts) with "strong/faint/moderate/whatever bananas"
> find/replace "enchantment" with "enhancement" (fun fact: one of my buds didn't know magic weapons don't have enchantment bonuses for 14 years)
> find/replace "strong/faint/moderate bananas" with "strong/faint/moderate enchantment"

[Mithril Leaf]

I love you fine folk. Magic items are the lifeblood of my builds (levels form the organs). My only hope so far is that the unlike certain other books in the *Forge series, over 75% of the contents will not be elf exclusive.

[AmberVael]

In the team chat, a few weeks back, Anthony jokingly proposed that we just write an entire item book and stick 'em in there.

Introducing Steelforge!

It amuses me that so many things start off as a joke, then get serious when people really consider it and go "hey wait a minute that sounds pretty good actually." Its a tendency I definitely approve of.

[Mithril Leaf]

Warsong Instruments are just about the coolest Bard item I have ever seen. This is including the plethora of excellent 3.5 Bard items. A few things about it though:
Can you hold something in your actual hands while using it to attack (assuming you don't try to attack with the thing you're holding of course)?
Do ranged weapons have unlimited ammo?
Is the +50% cost modifier additive or multiplicative? For napkin math sake, say I want to use 3 +10 weapons, is the cost (around) 420k or 475k?
Do you need a free hand to play it?
Also I suppose I should also ask if you can use it with Haste and such.

EDIT: Also can you cast Magic Weapon on it?

[unseenmage]

This... looks fantastic.
Here's hoping we see even more items that interact with Constructs. Hopefully more for the burgeoning golem master than the golem hunter.

The Smuggler's Chest as written could be construed that it negates the weight of characters standing in it when it's open. Heck as written on might even be able to cart off masonry so long as the weight rested in the box.

[Sayt]

Helm of Lost flesh is very, very cool and I really want one on a lot of characters.

Steelwalker's boots is gonna be a must-have for a lot of classes.

Magecatcher's net and improved are both very cool.

Refinement Charm's don't seem to have a cost?

Bearded weapon is a little..... You hold a sword, so you get an iron brush on your face? That said, Dwarves getting an extra two enhancement is something I'm always a fan of Dwarves getting stuff.

Does Brave weapon double all flat damage+weapon dice, or just weapon dice? Do mounted chargers need another multiplier?

Jolting et. al seem like straight upgrades in terms of relevance to Flaming/shocking. You don't get them as long, but you probably get them long enough.

If the weapon is later enchanted as a shock weapon, this enchantment is replaced and the price of the jolting enchantment reduced by 400 GP.

Do you mean the cost of the shocking enchantment is reduced by 400gp?


I'm not sure what Spiritbound weapon/armour does. So it's +1-3, and you can thus add 2-6 essence in the weapon as appropriate, and it has an enhancement bonus equal to invested essence, so your +0 Spiritbound (1) weapon can have two essence invested and it becomes a +2 weapon?

[Nyaa]

Wow, another DSP book!

Girdle of Protection and Co.: I don't really get the need to print these. They can be stacked onto another item in their native slot for the same x1.5 price.
Non-Secrecy Amulet: no Will save, no ML check, no nothing?
Ironbody Cloak: looks like a contender for Big Six until you realize fast healing and even wands of CLW makes it almost worthless unless all you fight are CR+3 boss encounters. Not that there's something wrong with the item itself.
Chess Pieces of the Astral Army: IMO should be repriced into 1/day items. I have no idea who can afford single use versions.
Power Charm of Readiness: I bet whoever wrote this forgot about Grasp of Darkness (PoWEx) feat.
Power Charm of the Unyeilding: does adamantine DR/- stack with astral suit DR/-?
Power Charm of Versatility: Bane mind blades.
Refinement Charm: doesn't have price listed, only cost to create.
Grand Vizier’s Advice: does it grant +1.5 to aid another per point of essence?
Exploding (Weapon): I suppose Goblin bonus only affects this enhancement, not attack and damage rolls?
Morphing (Weapon): I fail to see how it's worth +3 bonus, and even +1 bonus it's worth in MiC.
Other Item Enhancements needs enhancement and price table.
The Font of Power: IMO prepared casters' benefit should be changed to two pearls of power of that level to prevent even more schrodingering.
Aegis Archetype: Ectoplasmic Manufacturer: is there a general rule that psi-like abilities are automatically augmented up to manifester level?
Disposable, Greater: probably should be highest mental stat modifier? Not that I have anything against Muscle Artificers.

[Extra Anchovies]

Non-Secrecy Amulet: no Will save, no ML check, no nothing?

Way too strong for its cost. Suggested balancing factor: those being listened in on know that they are being listened in on after each intercepted message is received by its intended recipient, but they do not know who is listening in or where the eavesdropper is.

Power Charm of Readiness: I bet whoever wrote this forgot about Grasp of Darkness (PoWEx) feat.

Yeah, that one is super-duper powerful for, well, every initiator, and I don't see how it can be balanced. I propose that it be removed, and initiators get something else instead.

Power Charm of Versatility: Bane mind blades.

You still need to select a type, though, because Bane isn't a weapon property, but [creature type] Bane is. Sure, you can change it up every day, but not everyone can spare 8 hours in addition to the normal time required for rest.

[Sayt]

Oh, one more question: Does the DOOM TIMER on helm of lost flesh count total cumulative time in the helmet, or just the most recent duration? Cause the latter is more reasonable, but the former is very, very cool and has a creeping damnation theme going on.

[Milo v3]

Uh, is there anyway to get your head back from a Headless Helm without regeneration magic?

[tekevil]

Wow, another DSP book!

Girdle of Protection and Co.: I don't really get the need to print these. They can be stacked onto another item in their native slot for the same x1.5 price.
.

Those rules are 100% optional and many DMs are more likely not to use them. At least they're more likely to use these items.

Also Warsong weapon treating Ranks of perform as BAB, too strong even for 10k gold.

[Elricaltovilla]

Those rules are 100% optional and many DMs are more likely not to use them. At least they're more likely to use these items.

Also Warsong weapon treating Ranks of perform as BAB, too strong even for 10k gold.

What price point would you consider fair then for an item intended to be used by someone for the majority of their adventuring career?

It's beyond most character's ability to afford until around 7th level, and most likely won't be a reasonable buy until 8th or 9th, meaning that it's off the table until around halfway of your adventuring career if you go 1-20 or 3/4ths if you're going 1-12 like in PFS (which this will never see play in, but is potentially a good comparison point). You could get it at 5th level, but you'd be spending 95% of your WBL on it, something I don't think anyone is going to do.

[Eox]

Any chance of an archetype/feat series that makes Alchemical items useful into mid-high levels? The tiny DCs pigeonhole you into stuff like tanglefoot bags later on if you want to use alchemical items. Maybe a feat that increases the DC of alchemical items you craft?

I'd say make it equal to the result of the check or your craft bonus but Alchemists would go straight to town with that.

[Elricaltovilla]

Any chance of an archetype/feat series that makes Alchemical items useful into mid-high levels? The tiny DCs pigeonhole you into stuff like tanglefoot bags later on if you want to use alchemical items. Maybe a feat that increases the DC of alchemical items you craft?

I'd say make it equal to the result of the check or your craft bonus but Alchemists would go straight to town with that.

That's not a bad idea. Maybe scaling the bonus off of your ranks in Craft (Alchemy)? +1 base, additional +1 per 5 ranks in Craft Alchemy.

[Ilorin Lorati]

That's the kinda thing that should really have been a skill unlock. Alas, Paizo. Note that I don't actually blame them for this one. It probably just didn't occur to them.

[Elricaltovilla]

Added a few more items to the playtest document. I'll probably be doing this throughout the day.

EDIT: The items, In no particular order: Toxin Drinking Needle, Angel Wing Cloak, and Firesight Eyes.