Mondays & Magic; City of Spells: Alarm (By Steven D. Russell)

The Merchant Princess Butressa Oathtaker has gained a great deal of power and prestige amongst the Questor’s Society by providing a large number of permanent alarm spells throughout the Evocative City.

While she has crafted a few protecting the outer areas of Questhaven’s treasury, and the storage vaults and hidden ateliers of the Honorable Order of Theurgic Master Craftsmen, the majority of her work has been done for thePrincipled Fellowship of Upright Moneylenders, guarding their strong boxes and residences from thieving crews.

Secretly she also has aided the thieving crews in protecting their own precious wares and ill gotten earnings, she has refused their "requests" to reveal the secrets of her wardings. It is said she has a standing order with theValkyries of the Great Church of the Pantheon to recover her body and return her to life, should she be killed and as such she is immune to most threats, and her success makes apparently makes her immune to bribes as well.

There are rumors however that she has gone against guild law and sells stones of alarm and a variant that creates a silent alarm. an item that can create a single active alarm spell once each day. The craftsmen at this time have chosen not to purse or enforce their controls upon her due to the much needed service she performs.

Stone of Silent Alarm

Aura faint abjuration; CL 3^rd Slot —; Price 3,000 gp; Weight 2 lbs.

Description

This stone cube, when given the command word, affixes itself to any object. If that object is touched thereafter by anyone who does not first speak that same command word, the stone emits a mental alarm to the creature that affixed the stone to the object if they are within one mile of the stone.

Construction Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, alarm; Cost 1,500 gp

Fridays & Functions:: Interview with Robert N. Emerson (Part 1)

Illustration by Hugo Solis

Robert N. Emerson

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself and the designers who worked for you?

There’s really not much to say, I’m a lucky sod from the Pacific Northwest who, from time to time, gets to do freelance design and development for various talented companies and with folk who are often way more talented than I am. To say that I’m a life-long gamer is an understatement, as I’ve been throwing dice and making believe for over 30 years now and I doubt I’ll ever say, personally or professionally. So long as I’m able, I’ll game. So long as it’s publishable, I’ll write. The former is up to me, while the latter is up to others.

It’s pretty cool, for my first time as a developer, as I was able to work with some right talented folk whose own creativity I’ve enjoyed over the years. Also, thanks to the “Okay, it’s your turn” forums, I’ve spoken to them, off and on, over the years, which made it a bit easier transitioning from blathering idiot into developer.

Bill Collins, Hans Cummings, Clay Fleischer, Steve Russell, and Soren Thustrup are all pretty talented and fairly personable folk to work with, more so on your first big project. We’re talking about some talented folk, award nominees and winners, whose products I’ve enjoyed over the years, yet they’ve allowed me to edit and develop their own work for this project.

Humbling and awesome, rolled up together in one thing. It was quite cool, actually.

2. What attracted you to this project?

I love patronage projects, for one. I really enjoy the model and what it’s bringing to game development and design.

Also, it was an opportunity to be a developer and I couldn’t pass it up. While I’ve dabbled in freelance design over the past few years, I’ve recently enjoyed myself more as an editor and developer. There’s something about assisting someone with finding the best possible aspect of their concept and honing it for public consumption.

Lastly, though, is the fact that I really enjoy Litorians, as they’re one of my favorite races from Arcana Evolved. Noble, prideful, barely restrained ferocity, and a deep connection with the land. Who wouldn’t want to work on a project with them in it?

3. Litorians was developed as a patronage project, how does this make the final product different than if it had been developed as a retail product?

I’d say that the big difference between a patronage product and a retail one is that you already know that you’ve a paying audience, that the product is being bought, and you’re just making sure that they are gonna like what you’re given them. With a retail product there is a hope that they’re going to like it, but with a patronage product you know, to some degree, that they are gonna like it, it’s just a matter of how much.

Plus, there is the perk of speedy feedback and critique, good and bad. As you’re working through a product, the patrons get to tell us what they do and don’t like, with potential for adjustment, tweaking things, built right into the system.

I adore the patronage model, as it’s a more intimate customer experience, with respect to most anything, but especially to game design and development.

4. Could you please sum up "Litorians" in a sentence or three?

Litorians are a deep, noble people with an intrinsic connection to the Land that they are part of that it is often misunderstood as being primitive. Their society is complex, yet basic. All in all, they’re an indomitable people, flavored with stoic humility.

5. What are some of the strengths and weaknesses with “Requires the use of Monte Cook’s Arcana Evolved”?

First off, It’s Monte Cook’s Arcana Evolved. It’s that book, as well as its direct predecessor, that stopped me from playing those from which it was spun away from. Nothing against them, mind you, as I was a playtester for 3e, but AE was exactly what I wanted from 3e and more. That and I’ve been a mark for Monte Cook for awhile, especially after his and Wolfgang Baur’s work on DarkMatter for the Alternity System.

The only weakness, I think, is that Arcana Evolved, in print at least, is no longer an active line. I wish it was, especially as I’ve only two of the mainbooks and I wish I had more. But, who knows what the future holds.

6. How did you feel, when you were offered the option of being the developer for this Patronage Project?

It was an interesting moment, that’s for sure. Not only was it unexpected, it was humbling, as well. It was a modest change from simply editing, but it was a direction that I wanted to do in, too.

All in all, I was happy, yet fearful, and full of humility, all at the same time.

7. Could you list some of the major influences on the Litorians?

While there are a lot of literary influences for Litorians, obviously Arcana Evolved its self, I’d say that one of the major influences for the project was the various cultures of our own reality. In many ways fantasy races offer us an ability to take a magnifying class to any one of a hundred of our own cultures and bring a facet of them to a razor-fine focus.

With Litorians, there are so many cultures that have identifiers in common with these noble plains folk, some overt and some covert, and it makes for an interesting piece, I think.

8. Other than your own what is the most interesting piece you found within Litorians?

Now that’s a hard one, as I honestly see Litorians as the sum of its whole, not its pieces.

I know, it sounds of a copout, but it’s the truth.

Everything about the book is interesting and enjoyable and the artwork that it inspired was quite cool, as well.

9. Can you tell me about your experience so far of working with Rite Publishing Vs. say another publisher you have worked with?

My experience with Rite Publishing is a lot more intimate than any relationship that I’ve had with any publisher before.

While I’ve worked with several other companies before, either on a profit basis or a voluntary one, my work with Rite Publishing as been a lot more in-depth and communicative, often talking several times a day.

Heck, I’m fairly certain that I even heard from Steve, once or twice, while he was off on his honeymoon, drinking on a beach somewhere. Oddly enough, it sometimes feels quite fraternal, when I think about it.

10. Can you tell me about the work Hugo “Butterfrog” Solis has done as both the Cover Artist and the interior artist?

Simply put?

It’s quite awesome.

I’ve enjoyed Butterfrog’s work for awhile, which was made more the interesting by meeting him at PaizoCon 2009, and watching his work on Litorians evolve from concepts to product has been a privilege. I’ve not seen one piece that I wasn’t impressed by or thrilled at it being in the product.

It’s really a good feeling, for me, as a first time developer to have that feeling about the art.

New Monster: Aku-Boma (by Steven D. Russell)

his monster the Aku-Boma is part of Rite Publishing's newest racial book Litorians for Monte Cook's Arcana Evovled which goes on sale 04/04/2010, it is previewed here using the Arcana Evovled rules for your viewing pleasure.

Illustration by Richard Biggs Jr.

You see a great hedgework of many plants, each one the size of a horse, together they create a living fence that surrounds an encampment

Aku-Boma CR 8

Large plant

Init –1; Senses blindsight 30 ft., low-light vision;

Listen +17, Spot +17

Defense

AC 21, touch 7, flat-footed 21 (–1 Dex, +14 natural, –2 size)

hp 114 (12d8+60)

Fort +13, Ref +3, Will +11

Defensive Abilities plant traits; DR 10/crystal and slashing, elemental and energy absorption

Weakness to water and cold

Offense

Speed 5 ft.

Melee 2 bites +17 (3d6+9)

Ranged 4 thorns +7 (1d6+9)

Space 15 ft.; Reach 15 ft.

Special Attacks thorn swarm

Statistics

Str 29, Dex 8, Con 21, Int 12, Wis 16, Cha 13

Base Atk +9; Grp +22

Feats Ability Focus (Dimensional Snare), Iron Will

Skills Listen +17, Spot +17, Survival +17

Languages Common, Sylvan, (understand, but does not speak)

SQ Dimensional Snare

Ecology

Environment any warm plain

Organization solitary or hedge (4-40)

Treasure standard

Special Abilities

Constrict (Ex): An aku-boma deals 2d6+7 points of damage with a successful grapple check.

Deep Roots (Ex): Aku-Boma roots go extremely deep, usually a minimum of 50 ft., and they are covered with the same type of thorns as the upper area of the plant. This prevents burrowing creatures from entering the area beneath them, and creates an underground bowl of protection when there is an aku-boma hedge circle present.

Dimensional Snare (Su): An aku-boma creates a snare that captures extradimensional travelers, and puts them into a woodland prison upon a failed save (Will DC 19). Forms of movement that result in a snare include astral projection, blink, dimension door, ethereal jaunt, etherealness, gate, maze, plane shift, shadow walk, teleport, and similar spell-like or psionic abilities. Once a hedge circle of aku-boma is in place, extradimensional travel into or out of an area is not possible, as a successful save simply results in the subject appearing in front of the aku-boma.

An aku-boma does not block extradimensional perception or attack forms. Also, it does not prevent summoned creatures from disappearing at the end of a summoning spell.

Element and Energy Absorption (Su): All acid, air, earth, electricity, fire and sonic damage heals an aku-boma. If an aku-boma is at full hit points the damage is converted to temporary hit points; when these reach a number equal to the aku-boma's hit point total it creates another aku-boma in an unoccupied 10' square that is adjacent to the original. At this point the original aku-boma loses these temporary hit points.

Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, an aku-boma must hit with its bite attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple (+22) as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. If it wins the grapple check, it establishes a hold and can constrict.

Pinning Prison (Su): If an aku-boma successfully pins an opponent it can cast woodland prison on the opponent as a swift action (no save).

Swarm of Thorns (Su): An aku-boma can expel all its thorns as a standard action. When expelled, they animate into a swarm by the will of the aku-boma. The swarms of thorns are treated as a swarm of fine plants with a flying speed of 90 ft. (perfect manueverability), a 10 ft. space and 50 hit points. The aku-boma controls the swarm as a free action and can maneuver it out to a distance of 300 ft. The aku-boma applies its elemental and energy absorption to its swarm. If the swarm is destroyed, the aku-boma can completely re-grow all its lost thorns in 1 day. The aku-boma may reattach these thorns as a standard action.

Description

Gather round cublings, and do not just hear, but listen to the tale of the Aku-Boma. Long, long ago after the cursed dramojh destroyed the Hanavere Trinity, many of their servants, having witnessed the murder of their gods, fled before the hosts of the dragon-scions. One such being, however, had vowed never to retreat and never to allow a foe to pass. Standing its ground against overwhelming odds, eventually even this valorous one fell. Yet this being was not slain, but was captured by a Fangmaster in a woodland prison the cursed dramojh created from a bloody thorn bush it found on the field of battle. The Fangmaster took the bush and planted it in the garden of its Fortress of the Sky Isle built above a hidden valley of the Bitter Peaks. For over a thousand years the blessed one stayed imprisoned and lost, until the giants won the Battle of the Serpent’s Heart.

Yet still the Aku-Boma could not escape for even though the imprisoned one had evolved, becoming one with the thorns, still it could not fly. It also found that its new growth wilted in cold season that was no longer kept at bay by the dramojh fangmaster’s magics and that the rains brought too much water and risked turning the garden into a lake drowning the plant. It called out to the Green in fear and sorrow.

Hence came a litorian greenbond of the krashannarak tribe, one who had been enslaved by the dramojh. She spoke with the thorns, whose mind now only held on to its ancient oath. And so the Aku-Boma was brought from the Bitter Peaks past the snow-filled passes, down the river where unquiet spirits dwell till it came to the lands of the Krashannarak, and its descendants have grown to become a line that no foe may pass.

-Excerpt from Litorian Tales as translated by Esdiara Harrowstaff

In traditional litorian culture, a boma was used to keep livestock away from raiders and predators. A boma is an enclosure made of thorn branches, plants that were very strong, and has hooked spikes that hold on to animals tightly. The aku-boma is much stronger, filled with the power of a vow, and with spikes that seek out and grab hold of the foes of the litorians.

We, the aku-boma seek to hold the line, to keep those who are worthy safe. If dishonor were to come to a tribe, though, we would leave and seek out those who were honorable. There is only the vow and perfect service.

When the Moonlight Rustler sought to take the bulette from behind our walls it learned that even a dragon can fall to a storm of a thousand thorns and the herd of panicked bulette learned they could not pass our roots.

Lore:

Characters with Delve Into Collective Memory or Knowledge (dangerous beasts or litorians) can learn more about aku-boma. When a character makes a successful check, the following lore is revealed, including the information from lower DCs.

Common (DC 10): This is an Aku-Boma plant creature; it will allow only certain creatures to pass beyond it. This reveals all plant traits.

Uncommon (DC 22): “Aku-Boma” translates to “Great Corral” in the Litorian Tongue; read excerpt from "Litorian Tales."

Rare (DC 28): One of the most dangerous crops the litorians cultivate, the aku-boma can kill with its grasping tendrils of thorns, thrown thorn spikes, a swarm of flying thorns, or simply imprison you inside it. It is resilient to most forms of weapons and can absorb the power of almost every energy and/or element.

Obscure (DC 38): Aku-Boma hate crystal axes and all other weapons formed of crystal that can cut a tree to kindling.

Epic (DC 48): Legends say an aku-boma will either abandon its charge or kill itself if ever it breaks its vow.