Arcane Notation
I think that wizards are sort of like the doctors of the fantasy world. They’re extremely intelligent, spend way too much time studying, and possess the kind of handwriting that can prescribe horse tranquilizers for a nosebleed.
Anywho, today’s gag relies on some fairly esoteric rules lore. Just to make sure we’re all on the same page, here’s the relevant bit of text from the Pathfinder Core Rulebook:
To record an arcane spell in written form, a character uses complex notation that describes the magical forces involved in the spell. The writer uses the same system no matter what her native language or culture. However, each character uses the system in his own way. Another person’s magical writing remains incomprehensible to even the most powerful wizard until he takes time to study and decipher it.
This rule exemplifies one of my favorite aspects of RPG design. On the surface level, it exists to provide a bit of a challenge for wizards, making the Spellcraft skill and the read magic spell feel useful. It also serves to make magical writings mysterious. They’re not just ink on a page; they’re eldritch signs and symbols beyond the understanding of mundane folk who must rely on feats to muddle through their dreary little lives. But while this rule may have been designed with these purposes in mind, it is precisely the kind of rule that gives gamers room to imagine. Questions begin to occur. What does this notation look like? Why can’t we standardize this stuff? Could wizards lacking a common language communicate via arcane writing? Why might that be a bad idea? Suddenly you’ve got an adventure about an international wizard’s conference in which carelessly copied spellbooks have become full of malevolent sentient writing. Can our heroes broker a peace between these most learned of men, or will the seemingly random acts of magic that plague the conference trigger war? Find out on the next exciting adventure of etc. etc.
These are the kinds of rules that appear to be throwaway details, but actually represent a terrific source of inspiration for encounter design and world building. Other examples include the source of a barbarian’s rage, the nature of thieves’ cant, and the reason why animal companions instinctively know to seek out 4th level rangers.
Question of the day then. Have any of you guys ever stumbled upon a “throwaway rule” and decided to use it as fodder for new storylines? What was the rule? What did you do with it?
REQUEST A SKETCH! So you know how we’ve got a sketch feed on The Handbook of Heroes Patreon? By default it’s full of Laurel’s warm up sketches, illustrations not posted elsewhere, design concepts for current and new characters, and the occasional pin-up shot. But inspiration is hard sometimes. That’s why we love it when patrons come to us with requests. So hit us up on the other side of the Patreon wall and tell us what you want to see!
There was a really fun thread on reddit some time ago about the bonded witch archetype. For those not in the know, witches are a class in Pathfinder, a 9th level prepared arcane caster excelling in SoX effects and being creepy as hell (Seriously, one of your workhorse supernatural abilities is to extend duration of your debuffs by laughing like a serial killer). Unlike wizards, witches “store” their spells in their familiars – as in, the familliars knows your spells and helps you prepare them every morning. Bonded witch archetype allows you to replace your little pet with a bonded item, and the rules say something like this:
„[bonded witch] can even add spells by learning them from scrolls in the same way [as regular witch]”
Here’s the twist – vanilla witch adding a new spell involves a ritual during wich a special brew made from the scroll is fed to the familiar. And taking this literally opens up so many new and fun ways to freak out the party paladin! Just imagine having a scroll-tea party with the tiny skull attached to the end of your wand! Or just go all the way and use a stuffed body of a small rodent as the bonded item, and then force feed it the scroll-slushie. Tie a string to your roadkill „familiar”, you get an amulet. Tie the other end of the string to a stick, you have a wand. Make the stick longer, you have a stave. Put something pointy at the end of the stick, you have a weapon. The possibilites are endless!
I believe you’re referring to the “roadkill familiar.”
https://www.reddit.com/r/Pathfinder_RPG/comments/57xbn9/roadkill_familiar_archetype/
That’s some Grade-A fan content right there.
So I suppose that’s what happened to Scabby once Wizard’s Necromancy Phase ended?
My dear cookieless fellow, are you suggesting that this comic has some kind of continuity? Heaven forfend. 😛
If it had, I suppose Mooching would be the final page 😛
I am now tempted to start a contest that calls for folks to re-order panels and write a bit of narrative to make a coherent story out of the Heroes’ shenanigans.
lol, the ranger one xD
I was involved with a forum thread not long ago that hypothesized a druid organization that helps to re-home dismissed familiars and animal companions.
“I don’t care if Nighthowler the wolf is now mechanically inferior to an allosaurus. He needs love too!”
My one group had a Druid with an animal companion. It started as a wolf (named Dire, because he wanted a dire wolf but didn’t have the level for it), but when it came time to upgrade (to a bear) he felt bad and just kept rolling for handle animal (or used charm animal, I don’t remember) to keep it around. We felt like releasing a wolf down about 6 levels into the under dark was kinda mean.
That’s not a bad premise for a noble animals campaign. Your masters have all been slain, and now you’ve got to find your way out of the Underdark.
http://www.d20pfsrd.com/extras/community-creations/caedwyr-s-lab/noble-wild-species
Oh man, when I get a shot at DM of that group thats a great idea…
I have not, but man that campaign concept sounds amazing!
I may have inadvertently come up with my next module.
I haven;y done anything with this since I haven’t played since college, but I’ve always wondered how werewolves work in settings with more than one moon. I know that Spelljammer has partial explanations scattered about (planet hopping lycanthropes transform based on the lunar cycle of the planet where they acquired the affliction, a specific one of the bodies orbiting Oreth is designated as the moon for all mystical purposes, etc.) but I don’t think it’s ever been covered exhaustively
Thanks to the recent solar eclipse, some of the GMs in my group started speculating about “super werewolves.” The kaiju template seemed to be the focus of conversation.
I think I might’ve taken that a step in an odd direction. Pathfinder goblins hate writings; steals the words from out of their head. Alchemists can copy spells from a wizard’s book, but not the other way around. Therefore, I propose (and enacted in my particular Goblin Alchemist’s case) that goblins who live long enough to become alchemists record their formula not as writings, but by associative images; a very twisted picture book, basically.
I’ve got a gnome alchemist in my game who plays his dude like a little kid. He describes his formula book as a coloring book.