A new preview has been released for the Heroes of the Jade Oath Patronage Project

Rite Publishing is proud to present a new player race for Monte Cook's Arcana Evolved, compatible with the 3.5 version of the world's most popular roleplaying game. Mandragorans are an exotic plantlike humanoid species known for their unique, tapered, head-vines called "nahmaun gorah". Mandragorans consider signed contracts as binding and unbreakable no their part. Paper is sacred and the written word is just as sacred as the paper it is written on. The spoken word is another matter altogether

Design Diary: Rituals of Choice (The Chosen Change)

“Nothing’s the same anymore” –Jeffery Sinclair, Babylon 5 “Chrysalis” by J. M. Straczynski

Well I made a decision

I cannot complete The Rituals of Choice Adventure Path by myself in a timely fashion, this has more to do with the work I am doing running Rite Publishing than anything else. Therefore, I am happy to announce that Soren Keis Thustrup (Circle of Rites, Vault of the Iron Overlord) is now looking over the outline to adventure #6.

I made a major design change to adventure #4 Ceremonies of Sacrifice today shifting to a more open location based encounters (along with event encounters). I also brought back a NPC that died in a previous adventure.

I wanted to show the true power of choice in this game. There is no alignment so undead can choose to act as they will they are not compelled to acts of evil, simply by being undead. In this way the NPC becomes a helpful spirit, but I made him more of a poltergeist so that he is not used as a DM’s mouthpiece. It also let itself to the idea that when you die you might stick around because of unfinished business, which this NPC will have because he got the whole ball rolling that could end all existence and knows that the PCs are the best chance of causing this to happen and preventing it based on their choices.

I just realized this NPC changes he does not stay as one thing throughout the course of the adventure he was A and death has caused him to evolve in to B, I think the next time he will change one more time and that will strike at the AE them of Evolution.

Thus "The Chosen Change".

Steve “Quillion” Russell
Rite Publsihing

Wayne Reynold's cover for Heroes of the Jade Oath is now online

The Time of Waiting is Over!
The Heroes of the Jade Oath Patronage Project!
It arrives before Chinesse Democracy.



Rite Publishing is happy to release the cover for Heroes of the Jade Oath, with artwork by Wayne Reynolds, layout by Corey Graham. The Project currently only needs 11 more patrons to meet thier production goal for this fan-favorite project of Monte Cook's Arcana Evolved, the Sign-up deadline for the production goal is Oct 22nd

My newest work: Items Evolved Rituals

Rite Publishing has released Items Evolved: Rituals for Monte Cook's Arcana Evolved and the 3.5 version of the world's most popular roleplaying game. This supplement offers 10 new theme specific magic items in a simple reference format that includes read-aloud text descriptions, object loresight, and Lore DCs for each specific item.

Sslartrack (Cast of the Rituals of Choice Adventure Path)

Sslartrack is a major npc in the Rituals of Choice Adventure Path. 

Art by Eric Lofgren

Description

 A tall man-like figure wearing a deep black robe with star patterns bears a staff made of crystal. If you can see past the deep robes (Spot DC 15), you see a thin humanoid, with a long narrow reptilian-head, spindly arms supporting long fingers. Its body is covered in small greenish-brown scales and it sports a snakelike tail.

Sslartrak has a habit of looking at the comet even when talking to someone. It is a gifted magister, especially in researching long forgotten spells, and has a great love of researching written lore. It has dealt with great prejudice, both for its love of books, rather that depending on the collective memory, and for its choice in becoming a mojh. It is extremely introverted and tends only to notice those around it when confronted; it then deals with them in an efficient and curt manner. Its love of books and its hate of the akashic memory drive it, along with a desire to prove its devotion as meaningful. Sslartrak knows the location of the Infinite Library, and a number of different ways to reach it. Sslartrak could reveal that information to a PC that befriended him.

 History: (Delve Into Collective Memory, Gather Information or Knowledge (Mojh) DC 35) Once a human researcher, who was spurred in his research by society’s reliance on Akashics, he went through the transformation into a mojh and began to seek the Infinite library, where it found a ritual to summon a “heavenly repository of knowledge beyond the akashic memory.”

Secret: (Delve Into Collective Memory, Gather Information, or Knowledge (ceremonies) DC 40) 

Sorry, you failed your difficulty check, try again next level!

Sslartrak          CR10

Medium Humanoid (Mojh) Magister 10

Init 2 (+2 Dex); Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Listen +1, Spot +1

Languages Common, Draconic

 

AC 16, touch 14, flat-footed 14

hp 49/-2/-13 (10HD)

Fort +4 Ref +5 Will +8

Speed 30 ft. (6 squares)

Melee +2 quarterstaff +6 (1d6+1)

Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft.

Base Atk +5; Grp +4

 

Magister spells prepared: (CL 10, +4 melee touch, +9 ranged touch)

5th (2/day)--unstoppable energy, hunter‘s serpent, defensive field

4th (4/day)--conjure energy creature IV, everlasting charm, protection from energy, tongues

3rd (4/day)--attack from within (energy) (DC 18/F), clairaudience/clairvoyance, unknown magic circle, tracer (DC 18/F)

2nd (5/day)--enhanced magical flow, energy blade, lesser drain away speed (DC 17/F), bypass word, read mind (DC 17/W)

1st (6/day)--creature loresight, cold blast (DC 16/F), conjure energy creature I, harden, protect staff, precise vision, wind churn (DC 16/R)

0 (7/day)--appropriate size (DC 15/F), canny effort, detect creature, detect magic, lesser glowglobe, minor illusion (DC 15/W),read magic, saving grace, scent bane (DC 15/W)

 

Abilities Str 8, Dex 15, Con 13, Int 20, Wis 12, Cha 10

SQ darkvision 60 ft. and familiarity with magic

Feats Bonded Item; Brandish Magical Might, energy mage (fire, electricity), Modify Spell, Quicken Spell, Signature spell

Skills Balance +7, Decipher Script +14, Forgery +8, Knowledge (Cosmology) +17, Knowledge (Magic) +17, Knowledge (Science) +17, Spellcraft +13

Possessions +2 quarterstaff, robe of stars, cloak of protection +1, amulet of natural armor +1, headband of intellect +4, ring of shooting stars, bracers of armor +1, 12 gp, 4 sp, 13 cp.

 

Personal Info: Ht: 6' 4", Wt: 124lbs, Scale Color: Green, Eyes: Black, Age: 165.

 

Familiarity With Magic (Ex): Sslartrak gains a +2 competence bonus to all saving throws against spells and spell-like and supernatural abilities (including magic items). Further, it gains a +2 competence bonus to Armor Class against spells requiring attack rolls.

 

[Adventure Tropes] Rites of Passage part III (Coming of Age)

Either growing up sucks or its cool to be an adult because you can do stuff, it all depends on your point of view, Bring the magic and tragedy of this transition to your adventure with a coming of age story.

Coming of Age (Rite of Passage)
In Far-Rough, children choose a mentor (or a parent/guardian chooses one for them). These mentors generally teach the children a trade, skills, philosophy, religion, and/or simple morality. At some point in the relationship the mentor will declare that the child has "come of age" and is ready to become an adult. A Runethane, Runelord, Champion of Runes, Runechild, Runeblade, Shuryn, or someone with runic knowledge (usually a relative or the mentor themselves) will place the rune for “Coming of Age” upon the forehead of the adolescent using the mentor's blood. The mark is to remain until the end of a ritual celebration. Invitations for this celebration are sent out, during which the newly declared adult receives money and special gifts.

ADVENTURE HOOKS

Uninvited Guest: The PCs are invited to the coming of age celebration. Ur-glif the rune reaver disrupts the beginning of the celebration kidnapping the Runechild mentor, the PCs are asked to rescue the runechild.

Childhood’s End: The family of the child contacts the PCs, having found the dead mentor. The only clue is some note about the location of an immoratlity scroll, it seems the child plans to stay a child forever. The family begs the PCs to help their child.

New Beginning: The adolescent seeks out the player characters telling them a strange man once visited telling him “You belong to me once you come of age.” The adolescent asks for the PCs aid if the stranger comes calling, The stranger is a military recruiter come to enforce the daft upon the newly eligable (or an arranged marriage etc, have fun with it. )

Put Away Childish Things: A mentor is ready to allow the child to come of age but he discovers that the adolescent has an imaginary friend. Ashamed the adolescent runs away, the PCs are asked to help locate him, discovering the friend is not imaginary and has a dark plan for the adolescent.

[Adventure Tropes] Rites of Passage Part II: Menarche

You can avoid this one if you wish, or you can use it to show the importance of rituals and mark a radical cultural difference for the setting , I challenge you to take your PCs where they fear to tread. The best way I know how to put this is summed up by Tvtropes.org No Periods Period.

Menarche (Rite of Passage)
When a girl has her menarche in the town of Far-rough, she is henceforth called a woman. An interpreter of dreams (priest, diviner, witch, or somnomancer) is contacted and will speak to her about her next dream, to help guide her choices about the future. A ritual bathing is preformed at the Ceremonium, where the women of the family scrub the girl all over her body; she then is dressed in blue. Invitations for a party are sent out, during which the girl receives money and special gifts.

Adventure Hook:

The Gift: The mother of the woman ordered a very special gift related to her daughter's dream, it has been stolen, and the Mother asks the PCs who were guests at the party to recover it before the party ends.

Carrie: An uneducated and repressed young girl comes screaming to the PCs seeking their help because she has been stricken by a horrible curse, as her witchery powers also manifest at this time.

Not Rite: A young girl is seen by the PCs throwing away bloody stained sheet, she is uncooperative and eventually tries to flee, the young girl is only covering up her first Menarche so that she does not have to perform the ritual but she knows her family will not respect her wishes.

Moonblood: It is not what you think, because at the height of the party the young girl transforms in to a monster, she is suffering from Curse! (Go nuts use the Monstrous Lycanthrope Template from the Advanced Bestiary or the Totem Curses from Diamondthrone.com).