I think I am short on the charms and talismans. Could you list them?

Well, I am done enough for play. Needs to be neatened up and a lot of little lists updated - but it's not like any of the things on them have ever been relevant.

For John...

Charms and Talismans can be found in The Practical Enchanter with more on the authors web site. There are hundreds of the things, and inventing your own is mostly just "come up with something interesting but very weak and ask the GM."

Sample Charms: Allweather Cloaks (Cool or warm as need, water and stain resistant, Very comfy). Automatic Writer. A pen that will write down notes for you while your hands are full. Contraceptive Charm. Copy Paper - touch the sheet to something with writing or a picture on it and it copies it. Comes in packets of 50 single-use sheets. Foothold Boots; create a momentary disk of force under themselves three times per day to help avoid falls, allow longer jumps, and so on. In general, cantrip level.

Talismans are better - things like Earth-Blessed Plows (makes plowing fields much easier and quicker), Helm of War (negates the extra damage from a critical a few times per week), Rubydraught (basically Goodberry once per day), and so on. They're handy, but are generally similar to a weak first level spell once a day or a tool for working people or some such. Sure, you can drink from your Unicorn Goblet knowing that it will change color if touched by poison - but it can't help you if the poison is in your food instead.

I have these written down

Charm: Alchemists Flask (Quickly fractionates liquids)
Charm: Ditty Bag (Produces an item worth up to 1 CP 3/Day (for when you want
 a bit of candle, string, or other minor item)
Charm: Fireworks Pouch (Produces up to (Dex(3)) minor fireworks per day).
Talisman:  Zakari Stormbow. 4×/day
The shafts fired from this repeating crossbow detonate on impact (ranged
 touch attacks) as per flasks of “Alchemist’s Fire” up to (3 +L/3) times
 per day. It’s used as a simple weapon which does acid damage.


I think Drew gave me a link once to The Practical Enchanter, but I cannot find it.

It's in the setup thread. http://www.box.net/shared/4ydfzh2088

And I have passed the revised John off to the GM for his inspection. If he feels it works you will have a variety of boosts and some party-wide boosters.

Hopefully I get a chance to see it as well.....

Well, he might want changes...

More importantly, it's a PDF file. I can set up a download link if you want to look at the current version.

Have we handled Xenophon's upgrades? I saw John's, but wanted to make sure everyone was squared away before I moved things forward.

I haven't. I would, but I've got no information beyond in-character observations (spearman, personal haste, presumed heavy armor proficiency since he wanted it, etc).

Sorry for the delays guys, I have been trying to read through all the references so far and I've been kind of overwhelmed to be honest.
There seems to be the 3.5 system and the points buy system on top of that and I've been just getting confused.

Ok, so if I'm understanding this right:
I leveled up, so its 6 CP (per level up) + 2 CP (from INT modifier) for a total of 8 CP to use.
So I would use 6 CP for Heavy Armor Proficiency and use 2 CP to buy Drink the Heartblood from the Bloodrune Spear Style.
That would use all my CP from this level up. My HP would also increase by 4.
(18:46, Today: Xenophon rolled 4 using 1d4+2 with rolls of 2.  HP.)

Does this look right to you guys? I think keeping things simple and moving along would be best while I take some time to read through more of the reference materials.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:00, Fri 03 Nov 2023.

Oh dear... Leveling up is:
24 CP base
+2 Duties
+6 Feat
---
32 CP - No character

And you don't have to do it yourself. Experts are standing by! :P

Wow, I was way off.
Ok, one more time:

6 CP for Heavy Armor Proficiency.
8 CP for all of Bloodrune Spear Style (Beast of Blood, Drink the Heartblood, Baleful Bloods Call, and Blood Poisoning).
2 CP for Shield Wall (Shield/+4 Shield Bonus to AC, doubled to +8 via Specialization)
6 CP for Lightning Strike Technique (Opportunist/get a chance to make an Attack of Opportunity on any opponent within reach who attacks you and misses)
4 CP for Mouse Flicks Ear (Awareness with Flankless. The user cannot be caught flat-footed or flanked)
6 CP for Perfidious Rat Strikes (Presence/all enemies within 10′ are attacked by Persistent Blades and so are automatically flanked, +2d6 Sneak Attack)

...for a total of 32 CP. Hope this looks better than my last attempt lol.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:57, Fri 03 Nov 2023.

Well, in one way, but you forgot the important basics:

HD - unless you only want a d4
Saving Throws - but you have this covered all the way to 9th level technically...
Warcraft aka Base Attack Bonus  is usually a smart buy for warriors, though you're fine for now.

Technically, you're not supposed to spend all your points on abilities if using the Adventurer's Framework rules.

But, silly question - why heavy armor proficiency?

(Also, you'd have to first buy light armor and medium armor proficiency first) But Xenophon doesn't wear armor. This makes spending 15 CP to use heavy armor a pretty hefty price.

I think I'm just gonna stick with the d4 HD for now, since there is so many healing options to keep me going (from amulets to spells and whatnot).
Saving throws and Warcraft I'm thinking of buying for the next level (?) since it doesn't seem to be as necessary for now as you stated.
I kind of want the heavy armor proficiency so that I can use the shiny new piece of plate armor without penalty (also Xenophon was a mercenary, so new shiny things would probably grab his attention), and more AC can't hurt.

One of the things I've found fun about Eclipse is that every time WOTC published some cheap low-level spell that made some of the other classes stuff irrelevant... those other classes could just take advantage of it.

I believe you have some Innate Enchantment already. I am not sure how much. But...

• Master's Touch (Spell Level One x Caster Level One x Unlimited-Use Use-Activated x 2000 GP x.5 (Armor Only) = 1000 GP. Or 1 CP in Innate Enchantment. This will not extend to learning special bonuses like "Smooth" - but it's a fine shortcut and I think that Xenophon could do with a little cheese.
• Wealth Note: Armor and Shields are treated as one category lighter for movement and special ability purposes, have their armor check penalties reduced by two (zero minimum), and gain +2 bonuses.

6 CP for Lightning Strike Technique (Opportunist/get a chance to make an Attack of Opportunity on any opponent within reach who attacks you and misses). Works. Do you have Combat Reflexes?

When it comes to the rest... basically you've got two levels of Stances here - 2 CP and 4 CP with a total cost of 16 CP. Thus you can use 4 CP worth at a time  - one of the major stances (Mouse Flicks Ear and Perfidious Rat Strikes) or two of the minor ones. To make this easier to track, it would be best to break up the two major stances into four minor ones.

Now, you've listed 18 CP for various Stances and this is only 16 CP so far. I'm going to presume that John helps you out by customizing your armor a bit (one of his new powers) - granting you +1 to BAB, Saves, and AC plus a bonus Feat/6 CP. Spending that (and the leftover 2 CP) on more stances will get you to being able to use three of them at a time. Sadly, the GM doesn't like Lions Charge in Stances or Auras or anything else continuous, so how about the other four proposed?

1. Blades Of Blood:  Presence/all enemies within 10′ are attacked by Persistent Blades (and so are automatically flanked),
   
2. Bloodstrike: +2d6 Sneak Attack.
   
3. Bloodsong: Awareness. The user cannot be caught flat-footed
   
4. Bloodsong Symphony: The user cannot be flanked (requires that Bloodsong Awareness be in use).
   
5. Beasts of Blood: Summons a Dire Wolf to fight for you (As per Summon Nature's Ally in general, Caster Level = Your Level). If you happen to be fighting an undead creature the wolf will look either starving or skeletal, and if you happen to be fighting a construct it will seem to be made of metal, stone, or whatever, but the difference is only cosmetic. This is a great way to keep crowds back and to flank opponents though.
   
6. Drink The Heartblood: Vampiric Touch upon the creature struck.
   
7. Baleful Bloods Call: Attempt to inflict Bestow Curse on the creature struck.
   
8. Blood Poisoning: Attempt to inflict a Poison spell on the creature struck.
   
9. Blood Infusion Stance: Presence/Two L1 effects that apply to the user only. Your Armor is affected by Chitin Mail (Lighter, fewer penalties, no momvement penalty) and your Weapons do damage as if they were one size category larger.
   
10. Invigoration Of The Blood: Presence / Two L1 effects that apply to the user only. Floating Disk (the user may run a few feet above the ground - or above water - and Resurgence (the user gets a second chance on a saving throw once per round) (2 CP).
    
11. Vigorous Flawing Blood: Opprotunist / Each time you make an attack you can take a 5' Stop
    
12. Rage Of Blood (Awesome Wrath): +4 Morale Bonus to Str and Con, +2 Morale Bonus to Will Saves.

That's 25 CP so far.

Shield Wall: That was more a question from John than something to buy - but does Xenophon even use a physical shield, or is he using the Force Shield innate enchantment?

I already have Innate Enchantment in Martial Mastery, Force Shield, Force Armor, Personal Haste, Immortal Vigor, and Sustenance for a total of 7.

I do not have Combat Reflexes, but would like to add it if possible.
I do not have a physical shield (I thought I did) just the Force Shield.

I'll use one of the major stance (Mouse Flicks and Rat Strikes) instead of the two minor ones.

From the list, I'll take:
Blades of Blood, Beasts of Blood, Drink the Heartblood, and Vigorous Flowing Blood, for a total of the four proposed.

So now, there is a total of 25CP.

As for the remaining 7 CP, I'll use 6CP to add +1 to Warcraft and the remaining 1 CP to improve my Will Saving Throw (if possible).
I think that should be all of 32CP for the level up.
But honestly, I'm pretty satisfied with what there is so far and I don't want to be holding up the session any longer than necessary.

No worries. The GM gave me some more information, so my usual horrific over-optimization is almost done...

One thing there though; your race includes a "Heritage" - a bonus feat-level package and a disadvantage connected to it.

That's supposed to be things like "Your house was chosen to be the hereditary priests. Even those who do not take it up gain a few minor spells, but must attend the seasonal celebrations of the god in question or suffer his curse".

Or maybe "your family are famous horse-breeders, and everyone in it gets a free Animal Companion (Horse) but is obligated to do something about it when he sees people mistreating their horses".

And so on. So... what sort of family did Xenophon come from? What did they do? (Well, "Farmers", but that's kind of broad and leaves ancestry and such out).
This message was last edited by the player at 01:25, Sun 05 Nov 2023.

Horse thieves?

Certainly possible. As they say; you are not responsible for your family. It's pretty much the other way around.

Oh, I upped John's DR, put the combat luck back in, and dropped Lion's Charge since the GM felt that it was unreasonable. The only thing left is which of his options he'd be applying to his own armor, and since that can change overnight it doesn't seem worth figuring it in on the sheet.

The GM has it now, since typos and errors are always possible.

And just a heads up...


With the holidays bearing down upon us, I'm going to be looking forward to some proper self-care. My goal is between Thanksgiving (November 23rd) through Christmas (December 25th) to take a break and recuperate. I don't often take breaks, so this seemed a good time to go and give folks an opportunity to not feel pressured to post with vacations, visiting family or just doing whatever they want.

In the spirit of keeping those folks who need a gaming fix or escaping the holidays and this is the only safe place to do so - I'll slap a thread or two for continued role-playing and a side adventure that can be pursued without GM supervision.

For Heritage:
Inept Ancestor. Xenophon's grandfather was a notoriously drunkard who squandered what little wealth the family had left on hard ale. His drinking habits also caused frequent quarrels with the other members of his village, which slowly isolated him and his family over time. This resulted in great difficulty for the Xenophon's father and his family, which had to toil away more laboriously than the other families in order to fund his grandfather's drinking habits and to make ends meet.

As for what the family did:
Xenophon's family had tended to wheat and rye as far back as anyone could remember. He would help his father and brother plant wheat in the early spring, when the spring rain had come and the ground had almost softened into mud. From sunrise to sundown he would work with his family to tend to the fields and in the summer, as the air began to cool, he would harvest the fruits (in this case grains) of their labor. Though the work was hard and sometimes grueling, it was simple yet honest. If the weather held, then they would have just enough to hold through the winter, which was thankfully mostly mild.

Also, sounds good GM, a good time for a well-deserved break.

Now, what about that should be a positive effect from that heritage?

Recovering from bouts of overindulgence might call for Grant of Aid, but that doesn't really make a lot of sense. Now if he kept beating you that might result in some Damage Reduction - but you've given no indication of anything along those lines.So... in an attempt to keep his Grandfather's drinking under control Xenophon learned to brew supernaturally powerful drinks from strange and marvelous components, for when his Grandfather demanded distilled visions of the outer planes, or hallucinogenic whiskey, or something similar.

• Create Artifact: Specialized and Corrupted for Reduced Cost / only to create various sorts of potions, inks, and lotions. albeit usually in multi-dose flasks, always produces (2d6) doses at random (2 CP). Note that this is not limited to spell-potions. If you want to brew an "Elixir of Frost" to stop fires, create walls of ice, and so on, you are free to do so.
• Immunity/Any need for a potions lab to brew his exotic formulas (Uncommon, Minor, Trivial, 1 CP).
• Specific Knowledge: Exotic "Potion" formulas (1 CP)
• Major Privilege, Specialized and Corrupted / Unless actively prevented the user will always be able to find enough ingredients to keep (Int Mod) moderately-potent concoctions ready to go, but the GM gets the final say as to what you have the ingredients to keep ready each month. It is presumed that concoctions derived from this privilege get used up during downtime if not used up during the month.

This is essentially first edition potion-making - back when you might need giant octopus ink, basilisk ichor, rare herbs, and the quill of a cockatrice to scribe a scroll of Protection from Petrification.

The Drawback associated is Obligations (Every so often the Fey, who taught you this art, will ask that you locate a few ingredients and brew something for them - although there is rarely any rush).

How would that do?

Oh, anyone have any ideas for what they want?

Xenophon already has the Spear and Armor, so his shopping is pretty well covered even if I think that the spears official price is much too high.

The rest of us should have something between 12,000 and 13,000 apiece (counting the chandelier and a few other bits here and there. Perhaps more if the reward for clearing the graveyard and the other places we hit is worthwhile) - and Gerad's mobility is now pretty high, so he can pick things up for you if we need a larger city or something.

John is at his best when he can score criticals - so he might find it worthwhile to invest in a Greater Demolition or Truedeath (also provides Ghost Touch) crystal. They're kind of pricey, so maybe start with a 3/Day for a minute version instead of the constant effect? That should be 40% off and you can upgrade later. On the less pricey side, a Healing Belt (750 GP) is still one of the best deals out there and the standard Cloak of Resistance is never unwelcome.

Khorolf... well, as I recall the Code of Uthgar only allows for weapons, armor, and items made by divine casters (I could be wrong) - and he does his own weapons and armor. Gerads temporary gear was a gift from a spirit, so that was fine, but I don't know. A Healing Belt is still good though. Cracked Dusty Rose Prism Ioun Stone? +1 Competence to Initiative (500 GP), Ring of Anticipation (roll twice for initiative, keeping best, 6000 GP). A Feather Pouch perhaps?

Myself... Healing Belt for each Companion (always handy!), a few Chronocharms, Maybe some of Circlet Of Persuasion (4500 GP), Artificers Monocle with Detect Magic (2500 GP), Ring of Anticipation (Roll twice for Initiative, 6000 GP),Ehlonna's Seed Pouch (1400 GP), Ring of Silent Spells (2000 GP). Agates of Angry Tweety Birds for his companions? (6000 GP Each).

Is everyone good?

I'll set up a 'side thread' for you guys to do whatever, while I'm on hiatus.