#siktempora

[thecreaturecodex]

Siktempora, Love

Image by Brian Despain, © Paizo Publishing. Accessed on Archives of Nethys here

[The last of the siktemporas, and the last monster I had in reserve before shit started really going down at work in the last couple of weeks. I've been so busy playing "Guess Which Students Are Nazis" that I haven't gotten a lot of writing done. So I'm hoping for another new monster by Friday, but I make no guarantees.]

Siktempora, Love CR 16 NG Outsider (extraplanar) This creature appears to be two smallish humanoid fused together, with three legs, two arms and two heads. Its heads are featureless except for a hint of blush about the cheeks. The creature wears fine clothing, albeit in an exotic style, and carries a crossbow in each hand.

Love siktemporas are among the most benevolent of this class of temporal outsiders. They are formed by the impressions of great love that imprints on the fabric of the Dimension of Time. Romantic love is usually the catalyst of a love siktempora’s creation, but not exclusively. They are powerful combatants, capable of starting or ending wars, but are compassionate and fight to protect rather than out of aggression. They are also excellent diplomats and counselors, although they have to use their telepathy to communicate rather than speak.

A love siktempora can create crossbow-like structures at will and fire bolts of emotional energy. Those struck by a love siktempora’s emotional bolt, or who raise a hand to strike the creature, are temporarily overwhelmed by a feeling of intense love and peace. Oftentimes, this emotional cue is enough to start negotiations–a common tactic of a love siktempora is to fire its bolts into multiple enemies at once, and then propose an end to hostilities while its foes are still reeling. If negotiations fail, however, a love siktempora will not hesitate to kill to protect what they love. Love siktemporas are capable of enhancing their allies with telepathic music, but cannot themselves benefit from such abilities. Love siktemporas’ abilities do not affect other siktemporas, as the whole lineage is immune to mind-influencing effects, and love siktemporas may seek allies among mortals or celestials if they find themselves in conflict with crueler siktemporas. 

Love Siktempora            CR 16 XP 76,800 NG Medium outsider (extraplanar, good, siktempora) Init +15; Senses darkvision 60 ft., Perception +33

Defense AC 32, touch 26, flat-footed 22 (+9 Dex, +1 dodge, +6 insight, +6 natural) hp 230 (20d10+120); fast healing 20 Fort +13, Ref +19, Will +18 DR 15/evil or orichalcum; Immune disease, mind influencing effects, pain, poison Defensive Abilities deflect aggression (6/day), temporal sense 

Offense Speed 50 ft., air walk Melee 2 claws +24 (1d6+4) Ranged 4 emotional bolts +29 (2d10+9 plus heartsong)  Special Attacks burst of uncanny speed Spell Like Abilities CL 16th, concentration +25 Constant–air walk At will–temporal jaunt

Statistics Str 18, Dex 29, Con 21, Int 18, Wis 23, Cha 28 Base Atk +20; CMB +24; CMD 44 (46 vs. trip) Feats Alertness, Blind-fight, Dodge, Great Fortitude, Improved Critical (emotional bolt), Lingering Performance, Persuasive, Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot,Toughness, Whirlwind Attack (B) Skills Acrobatics +29, Diplomacy +36, Intimidate +36, Knowledge (arcana, planes) +27, Perception +33, Perform (sing) +32, Sense Motive +33, Spellcraft +24, Stealth +32 Languages Aklo, telepathy 500 ft. (cannot speak) SQ bardic performance (43 rounds/day, swift action, inspire competence +4, inspire courage +3, inspire greatness, inspire heroics),telepathic singer

Ecology Environment any land or underground (Dimension of Time) Organization solitary or fellowship (2-5) Treasure incidental 

Special Abilities Bardic Performance (Su) A love siktempora can use some bardic performances as a 16th level bard. Its rounds of use per day are as if it were a 16th level bard. A love skitempora cannot use bardic performances except those listed, such as countersong or distraction, unless it takes levels in the bard class. Burst of Uncanny Speed (Su) On the first round of combat, a love siktempora moves as if it were affected by a haste spell. It can use Whirlwind Attack on this first round of combat as a standard action, making one melee attack at its highest base attack bonus against each opponent within reach. Deflect Aggression (Su) As an immediate action when it is the target of any attack, a love siktempora can grant itself a +2 deflection bonus to AC and take 15 less damage from the attack if it does hit. The creature whose attack triggered this ability is affected by the love siktempora’s heartsong ability. A love siktempora can use this ability a number of times per day equal to its Wisdom modifier (6/day for the average specimen). Emotional Bolt (Su) A love siktempora can fire two emotional bolts as an attack action, and four as a full attack action. This does not provoke an attack of opportunity. Treat these as ranged attacks made with a projectile weapon with a range increment of 80 feet. A creature struck by an emotional bolt takes 2d10 points of piercing damage plus the siktempora’s Charisma modifier, and must save against the siktempora’s heartsong. Heartsong (Su) A creature struck by a love siktempora’s emotional bolt, or that triggers its deflect aggression ability, must succeed a DC 27 Will save or be dazed for one round. A creature affected, whether it succeeds or fails the saving throw, is immune to the heartsong of that siktempora until the end of its next turn. This is a mind-influencing emotion effect. The save DC is Charisma based, and includes a -2 racial penalty. Telepathic Singer (Ex) A love siktempora can use its bardic music abilities telepathically. Creatures must have an Intelligence score of 3 or higher to receive a benefit from the love siktempora’s bardic music.  Temporal Jaunt (Sp) As a standard action, a love siktempora can vanish into the time stream, reappearing in another location. This ability functions as dimension door (so a typical love siktempora can jaunt up to 1040 feet), but the siktempora can take other actions that round after reappearing, and the destination must be in a location the siktempora could reach normally by walking. Temporal jaunts are not true teleportation—the siktempora simply travels to a later point in the time stream—so the ability can be used in areas that bar teleportation effects; however, in such areas a siktempora can travel only a distance equal to its speed. Temporal Sense (Ex) A siktempora can sense all the possible futures of the coming seconds. This grants it an insight bonus on its Initiative checks and to its Armor Class equal to its Wisdom bonus (+6 for a typical love siktempora).

#pathfinder 1e #pathfinder rpg #pathfinder 2e #siktempora #love siktempora #outsider

[monstersdownthepath]

Would death by paradox/death by time shenanigans work for a daemon?

It's probably not possible in the actual game but I know we have Chronogeists so there's some precedent.

------

I'm... not entirely sure what happens to the souls of people who are retroactively erased because of time shenanigans. I don't think there's enough left behind to become a daemon. Chronogeists exist because of one particular mage's tampering with time, they don't exactly represent death through paradox.

I think the current closest equivalent is the Siktempora.

#asks #pantherlord3

[dailycharacteroption]

Class Feature Friday: Chronomancy Anchor (Precog Anchor)

(art by Dominik Mayer on Artstation)

 Ah, the precog, the fourth spellcasting class in Starfinder, introduced in Galactic Magic. The precog class are individuals with magical power to see the flow of time, letting them potentially see possible futures and how to guide others to those outcomes, in addition to their other magical abilities.

While there are certainly many applications for just seeing the future, ranging from long-term prophecy to seeing attacks coming to help avoid them, the precog is not just a diviner. Their ability to perceive the flow of time lets them manipulate it as well, altering it’s flow on certain beings, speeding them up or slowing them down, or even using it to attack, accelerating the effects of time and entropy to age foes to dust, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

However, all precogs need an anchor, something that acts as the source of their power and how they focus themselves, which in turn helps indicate some of their abilities.

Our first anchor we’ll be covering is chronomancy, referring to those precogs that were blessed (or cursed) with their abilities by a powerful being with a connection to time and it’s manipulation. Beings like the fey Eldest Shykka the Many, one of the many strange entities that dwell in the Dimension of Time like Ilee and siktemporae.

This power might have been directly granted, or perhaps inherited. Either way, these chronomancers likely view their powers as a mystical art to master rather than some innate ability that they struggle to control, though obviously there are exceptions. Either way, they may find their greatest insights in hidden occult lore associated with past (or future) chronomancers and the like.

 One of the distinct abilities of the precog is their ability to look into the threads of fate each day and guide themselves to favorable outcomes. This is represented by their pool of paradox dice, that they roll and record at the beginning of each day, choosing to substitute those recorded numbers on certain rolls. As they grow in power, precogs can use paradoxes on more and more things, but their anchor adds to that list, and once per day when they use a paradox on one of those focused areas, they regain a new paradox afterwards. In the case of chronomancers, their focal paradox lies in controlling their own magic, as well as one skill of their choice, both of which reflect their focus on mastering the flow of time and other skills.

Over time, their mastery improves, and these prophets learn to slow down time in their immediate vicinity just enough to possibly prevent foes from reacting to their actions or those of their allies. This is useful for getting the precog out of tight spots surrounded by enemies.

True masters learn to accelerate their own actions, potentially casting two spells in the space of a few moments. However, doing so puts a strain on them that makes them slow to act moments later.

The anchors don’t provide too many abilities since they can be further customized by temporal anomaly abilities, but this is a fun option for a back line precog that focuses mostly on spellcasting, what with their ability to use paradoxes to help bypass spell resistance and having an ability to duck out of close combat and cast two spells once a day. With that in mind, I’d choose options based on staying out of direct combat and supporting allies with buffs, debuffing foes, and so on.

 In the far future, time manipulation and time travel are no doubt explored both with magic and with science, so I can imagine some of these chronomancers working with technomancers and engineers eager to test the limits of those fields. However, I can also see others resisting such efforts, having taken on a guardian role of the time stream against wanton intrusion.

  On a volcanic world like Aukon, there are very few “permanent” natural wonders, most lasting a century at most before new activity destroys them. It was that fleeting nature that drove Boco, a quorlu geologist, to study chronomancy, seeking a way to be able to see one of a kind wonders that long vanished from their worlds.

 They say that time is thin on the spire of Mt. Nobrac, a dizzyingly tall and narrow spike on a distant world. Those studying the flow of time sometimes travel there to study the effects of the anomalies. However, one must be aware of the blood-drinking winged horrors that dwell near it, similar to the Niaqs of Verces.

 The party is suddenly attacked out of the blue by a mysterious figure that seems to know them, shouting something about “getting it right this time”. However, they have no memory of this being, who vanishes again once he is driven off.

#starfinder #precog #chronomancy #quorlu #niaq #Galactic Magic

[rowdy-revenant]

Why would I remove my own memories?

A misery siktempora based off my pathfinder character, Trager.

#tw blood #tw horror #pathfinder #siktempora #trager #victor #if you have questions about the design feel free to ask! #ask to tag tws #my art

[thecreaturecodex]

Siktempora, Triumph

Image © Paizo Publishing. Accessed at Archives of Nethys here

[The triumph siktempora might be my favorite of that flavor of outsider. Look at how smug he is! What a jerk.]

Siktempora, Triumph CR 14 LN Outsider (extraplanar) This creature resembles a small humanoid with four arms and too many joints in their legs. They wear a robe of gold and various medals and badges. Their face is locked into a triumphant grin, never adjusting or changing expression.

Triumph siktemporas are created on the Dimension of Time as reflections of great emotional satisfaction for a job well done. Anything from winning a war to successfully removing a particularly onerous splinter can theoretically spawn a triumph siktempora. They travel the planes in search of victories, as they see their sense of purpose in always striving to win or die trying. Athletics competitions and pitched battles are natural habitats for a triumph siktempora, but they may also intervene in legal battles or other contests of skill. Triumph siktemporas believe in following the rules of a competition very strictly, and go out of their way to punish cheaters and those who manipulate luck.

A triumph siktempora fights with their fists and feet rather than with teeth or claws or manufactured weapons (although they will engage in weapon duels if challenged). They are fond of combat maneuvers, especially against single targets, and are skilled wrestlers despite their small size. Although their facial expressions rarely change, they can add a thrust of emotional energy to their smug grins that literally harms their opponents psychically. Triumph siktemporas are somewhat disdainful of creatures without naturally rapid healing, like themselves, and often go out of their way to harass anyone healing themselves or others.

A triumph siktempora typically stands about three feet tall, and may be mistaken for halflings or gnomes. They rarely disguise themselves intentionally, unless entering a masquerade or other costume contest.

Triumph Siktempora      CR 14 XP 38,400 LN Small outsider (extraplanar, lawful, siktempora) Init +9; Senses darkvision 60 ft., Perception +25 Aura cheaters never prosper (50 ft., Will DC 23)

Defense AC 29, touch 20, flat-footed 24(+1 size, +1 dodge, +4 Dex, +4 insight, +9 natural) hp 189 (18d10+90); fast healing 15 Fort +16, Ref +15, Will +10 DR 10/good or orichalcum; Immune disease, mind-influencing effects, pain, poison

Offense Speed 60 ft., air walk Melee unarmed strike +27/+22/+17/+12 or +25/+25/+20/+20/+15/+15/+10 (2d6+8) Special Attacks burst of uncanny speed, clinch victory, pugilist training, winning smile Spell-like Abilities CL 14th, concentration +19 Constant—air walk At will—temporal jaunt 1/day—plane shift (self only)

Statistics Str 26, Dex 18, Con 20, Int 19, Wis 19, Cha 21 Base Atk +18; CMB +25 (+27 disarm, grapple, trip); CMD 40 (42 vs. disarm, grapple, trip) Feats Combat Reflexes,Dodge, Improved Disarm, Improved Grapple, Improved Trip, Improved Unarmed Strike (B), Mobility, Power Attack, Step Up, Spring Attack, Whirlwind Attack (B) Skills Acrobatics +21 (+33 when jumping), Climb +29, Diplomacy +23, Heal +22, Intimidate +23, Knowledge (planes) +25, Perception +25, Perform (any one) +26, Sense Motive +25, Swim +29 Languages Aklo (cannot speak); telepathy 300 ft.

Ecology Environment any land (Dimension of Time) Organization solitary, pair or ceremony (3-6) Treasure incidental

Special Abilities Burst of Uncanny Speed (Su) On the first round of combat, a triumph siktempora moves as if it were affected by a haste spell. It can use Whirlwind Attack on this first round of combat as a standard action, making one melee attack or combat maneuver at its highest base attack bonus against each opponent within reach. Cheaters Never Prosper (Su) A creature gaining a luck bonus to any die rolls, or gaining a reroll from luck effects (such as the Luck domain or the fortune hex) within 50 feet of a triumph siktempora must make a DC 23 Will save or be staggered for 1 round. The save DC is Charisma based. Clinch Victory (Su) A triumph siktempora can make an attack of opportunity against any creature taking an action to heal itself, even if that action (like a channel energy or using a wand) does not normally provoke attacks of opportunity. Pugilist Training (Ex) A triumph siktempora gains Improved Unarmed Strike as a bonus feat. It deals damage with its unarmed strikes, and gains access to the flurry of blows ability, as if it were a monk with character levels equal to its Hit Dice. Temporal Jaunt (Sp) As a standard action, a triumph siktempora can vanish into the time stream, reappearing in another location. This ability functions as dimension door (so a typical triumph siktempora can jaunt up to 960 feet), but the siktempora can take other actions that round after reappearing, and the destination must be in a location the siktempora could reach normally by walking. Temporal jaunts are not true teleportation—the siktempora simply travels to a later point in the time stream—so the ability can be used in areas that bar teleportation effects; however, in such areas a siktempora can travel only a distance equal to its speed. Temporal Sense (Ex) A siktempora can sense all the possible futures of the coming seconds. This grants it an insight bonus on its Initiative checks and to its Armor Class equal to its Wisdom bonus (+5 for the typical triumph siktemporas). Winning Smile (Su) As a standard action, a triumph siktempora can flash a smile at an enemy within 15 feet. The creature targeted takes 10d6 points of damage, and all of its attacks deal nonlethal damage against the siktempora for the next round. A successful DC 23 Will save halves the damage and negates the nonlethal damage effect. This is a mind-influencing emotion effect, and the save DC is Charisma based.

#pathfinder 1e #pathfinder rpg #pathfinder 2e #siktempora #triumph siktempora #outsider

[thecreaturecodex]

Siktempora, Hatred

Image by Brian Despain, © Paizo Publishing

[Commissioned by @coldbloodassassin. The siktemporas were one of the last outsider categories invented by Paizo during Pathfinder 1e, with the misery siktempora appearing in one of the issues of Return of the Runelords. The Second Edition Bestiary 3 fleshed them out a bit more and invented more members, and so I’ve been commissioned to convert one back to PF1e. My version borrows from the 1e misery siktempora for some of the abilities.]

Siktempora, Hatred CR 18 NE Outsider (extraplanar) This creature appears as a distorted humanoid, its skin missing and exposing its tendons and bones. It has oversized hands and feet, and one joint too many in its legs. Its face is a blank mask, except for a single livid scar. Cords of strange blue material emerge from its hands.

Especially strong emotions can leave lasting ripples in the Dimension of Time, spawning a siktempora—an outsider that is the embodiment of that emotion. Few siktemporas are stronger than the hatred siktempora, spawned from an act of loathing or spite. They are cold-blooded killers that stalk all creatures that cross their paths, even other siktemporas. On rare occasions, a few hatred siktemporas will work together to hunt especially big game, but these associations are brief.

A hatred siktempora can form cords of pure hate from its hands, using them like whips and garrotes. A creature grabbed by a hatred siktempora has the breath magically forced from its lungs, and a hatred siktempora may have two foes grabbed at once, the better to savor the panic in the second when the first begins to suffocate.  Although they have the supernatural mobility of other siktempora, a hatred siktempora often loses itself to bloodlust, fighting until slain instead of fleeing a losing battle.

Hatred siktemporas have no way to travel the planes on their own. They may be conjured by spellcasters looking for powerful assassins, or on rare occasions bully another creature into letting them escape the Dimension of Time. Some mortal bigots assume that they can control a hatred siktempora with their particular prejudice, but this is a foolish supposition—hatred siktemporas hate everything other than themselves with the same fervent intensity. Their favorite haunts are the courts of tyrants, sites of hate crimes and other places where acts of great loathing were committed.

Hatred Siktempora             CR 18 XP 153,600 NE Medium outsider (evil, extraplanar, siktempora) Init +18; Senses darkvision 60 ft., Perception +30 Aura frightful presence (Will DC 26, 150 ft.) Defense AC 33, touch 25, flat-footed 33 (+7 Dex, +1 dodge, +7 insight, +8 natural) hp 290 (20d10+180); fast healing 20 Fort +14, Ref +19, Will +19 DR 15/good or orichalcum; Immune disease, mind-influencing effects, pain, poison Defensive Abilities temporal sense, uncanny dodge Offense Speed 80 ft., air walk Melee 2 loathing lashes +29 (2d10+9 plus 1d10 cold plus grab) Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft. (10 ft. with loathing lash) Special Attacks burst of uncanny speed, constrict (2d10+14 plus 1d10 cold), multigrab, strangle, suffocating grasp Spell-like Abilities CL 18th, concentration +24 Constant—air walk At will—temporal jaunt Statistics Str 29, Dex 25, Con 26, Int 18, Wis 24, Cha 23 Base Atk +20; CMB +29 (+33 grapple); CMD 46 Feats Blind-fight, Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Improved Critical (loathing lash), Improved Initiative, Mobility, Power Attack, Spring Attack, Stand Still, Toughness, Whirlwind Attack (B) Skills Acrobatics +30 (46 when jumping), Bluff +29, Climb +19, Intimidate +29, Knowledge (history, planes) +27, Perception +30, Sense Motive +30, Stealth +30, Survival +30, Swim +19 Languages Aklo (cannot speak), telepathy 300 ft. SQ no breath Ecology Environment any land (Dimension of Time) Organization solitary, pair or contempt (3-6) Treasure incidental Special Abilities Burst of Uncanny Speed (Su) On the first round of combat, a hatred siktempora moves as if it were affected by a haste spell. It can use Whirlwind Attack on this first round of combat as a standard action, making one melee attack at its highest base attack bonus against each opponent within reach. Loathing Lash (Ex) Treat a hatred siktempora’s loathing lash as a primary natural weapon that deals bludgeoning damage. Multigrab (Ex) A hatred siktempora does not gain the grappled condition when it is grappling a single foe. It can maintain a single grapple as a swift action, or two as a standard action, and only suffers a -10 penalty when grappling using only part of its body. Suffocating Grasp (Su) Each round a creature is pinned by a hatred siktempora, it must succeed a DC 29 Fortitude save or begin to suffocate. The save DC is Strength based. Temporal Jaunt (Sp) As a standard action, a hatred siktempora can vanish into the time stream, reappearing in another location. This ability functions as dimension door (so a typical hatred siktempora can jaunt up to 1080 feet), but the siktempora can take other actions that round after reappearing, and the destination must be in a location the siktempora could reach normally by walking. Temporal jaunts are not true teleportation—the siktempora simply travels to a later point in the time stream—so the ability can be used in areas that bar teleportation effects; however, in such areas a siktempora can travel only a distance equal to its speed. Temporal Sense (Ex) A siktempora can sense all the possible futures of the coming seconds. This grants it an insight bonus on its Initiative checks and to its Armor Class equal to its Wisdom bonus (+7 for the typical hatred siktemporas).

#siktempora #hatred siktempora #pathfinder 1e #pathfinder 2e #commissions

[dailycharacteroption]

Chronomancer (Wizard Archetype)

 Ah, time, that inexorable force that we cannot escape. Whether you believe that time is a stream, a branching path, or simply the sum of all events, one of the greatest fantasies out there is having even a tenuous handle on its flow. Travelling through time, altering its flow, even reversing or stopping it are all things that mortals have fantasized about doing.

Sadly, even in the system of Pathfinder, time travel remains out of reach save for the rarest of magical artifacts, or any of the strange denizens of the Dimension of Time like time dimensionals, the irii, and siktemporas. The manipulation of the flow, on the other hand, is achievable in short bursts. Spells like time shudder, slow, haste and time stop can accelerate, slow, or briefly almost stop the flow of time. Other spells like certain divinations look briefly into the future, while spells like temporal divergence allow the user to glimpse the effects of different spells in the immediate future and pick the best timeline accordingly, and temporal regression lets the spellcaster return their body and mind to a previous point, restored to their original position with new knowledge. And then there are even spells that call upon alternate reality versions of yourself that briefly threaten foes and provide aid as needed.

That list is by no means exhaustive, but the fact that those spells exist proves that time in Pathfinder is not immutable, and can be affected by those with the know-how. And where there is a form of magic, there are those who specialize in it.

Enter the chronomancer! These wizards study the esoteric nature of time itself in order to understand and master it. To what end is uncertain. Some may wish to alter the course of history, for good or evil, while others may seek knowledge lost to time.

Chronomancy is a hard to define specialization, as it can be unclear what divination spells are truly time magic, looking into the future or past, and it is almost certainly one of the most frustrating fields to work in due to how little is understood about time as a force and as a dimension. Even the tiniest breakthroughs are cause for celebration.

It is these breakthroughs that power the unique magic of the chronomancer, which we will see below.

 Forgoing an arcane school and several techniques they would otherwise learn, these mystics learn to foster a pool of energy within themselves that they can use to activate many minor temporal effects. These include gaining minor awareness of future events to improve their or an allies reaction to danger, rewinding the magic of a failed spell to cast it again later, accelerating a single creature, gaining greater control over contingent magic, and even, at the zenith of their abilities, calling upon an alternate self from another timeline to finish the fight should they die.

While this archetype only grants one ability with a myriad of uses, it is a doozy, granting some buffs to allies and themselves, as well as the ability to re-prepare spells similar to mage’s lucubration but with a caveat, and even various contingencies! While you are not required to take the various time-manipulating spells, they are available for thematic purposes. That being said, you should definitely take the contingency spell if you plan on playing the archetype at high level, setting up many a useful effect for emergencies. Beyond that, the exact build and spell choice is up to you. Just remember that you are missing out on extra school spells and school abilities.

 This archetype is associated with the multi-formed Fey Eldest Shyka The Many, but one does not need to be a worshipper or disciple of the fey demigod to take this path, though I imagine that many do honor him, or other masters of time.

Regardless, these mages may alternate between strangely knowledgeable to the point of being unnerving, to being intensely frustrated with the limitations imposed on them by linear time and by their own limited magic.

  With a flash of light and crack of thunder, an unexpected guest has appeared on the duchess’s breakfast table. The strange cecaelia had a curious accent and clothes of unknown make, and managed to elude the guards with magic that sped up and slowed down the world around her. If confronted about where she came from, she offers only the cryptic words “Time is not a river, it is an ocean.”

 Pursued from the outer planes to the material world, a mysterious wizard flees from the insectile fury of empusa outsiders. Whether they decide to help or hinder the mage, the mystery only grows when the mysterious box he was carrying breaks open, causing reality to warp and distort.

 Mystic scholars often joke that the irony of true time travel is that if anyone truly learned how to do it, the universe would never know, for changes to the past would have always been. The multiverse, however, exists on a different timescale from the material, and they occasionally recruit heroes when the irii and time dimensional are not enough.

#pathfinder #archetype #wizard #chronomancer #cecaelia #empusa #irii #time dimensional #Legacy of the First World

[dailycharacteroption]

Creature Corner: Outsiders (Monitors) part 3

 Foes

 Just as monitors might align with the party, they might also align against them, particularly as their duty clashes with the goals of the party.

 For aeons and inevitables in particular, the party might be part of some great imbalance or injustice, making them targets for such otherworldly threats. In the former case, the aeon may not bother to explain, or be utterly confusing in what communication it offers. In the latter the inevitable may never shut up, proclaiming their guilt if they fail to explain themselves or argue their case. Given that many inevitables are built to target specific types of lawbreakers, they might indeed be correct in their attempts to apprehend or slay one or more party members, or they might be mistaken.

Psychopomps, Shinigami, Valkyries, and marut inevitables all have a vested interest in protecting the sanctity of life and death, and as such, they might target a necromancy-wielding party member, or one that is currently benefiting from some unnatural method of preserving their life. Or, perhaps most horribly, the party stands between them and a group of people that have been marked for death for some fateful reason.

Creatures of whim, proteans are perhaps the most likely to turn on the party at the drop of a hat. This is not always the case, but if a protean is bored they might decide that it would be fun to cause mayhem at the party’s expense, especially if they are of a lawful persuasion.

Kami tend to keep to themselves, but adventurers that defile their ward or fail to show proper respect, or even are merely suspected of being in league with oni might be attacked.

Ennocites are varied, with caulborn being dangerous for not always asking permission before feeding on memories, shulsaga defending their territory like any other being, and the powerful adachros being dangerously insistent on their personal version of reality. Meanwhile, negative siktemporas and positive ones with conflicting interests might be aggressive.

Outside of broad categories, it is simply possible that there is a misunderstanding, that the party runs across a monitor on a mission that ends up with the monitor assuming they are in league with their target. The forces of the divine are hardly omniscient all the time, after all.

Consider also the possibility of monitors that have been corrupted by some external force as well, such as inevitables exposed to toxic algorhythms, or a psychopomp on the verge of falling and becoming a sakhil.

Conversely, perhaps the outsider is behaving normally, but its task is so terribly amoral that it will be incredibly hazardous to all involved, such as a kolyarut trying to fulfill an ancient pact regardless of whether that will cause widespread devastation by unleashing an ancient evil.

Even without such high stakes, sometimes monitors are set to guard something of great importance, forcing them into conflict with adventurers. The jyoti guarding the positive energy plane, inevitables guarding an artifact, and so on.

 Monitors are hardly typical foes for your heroes, but not improbable, so it’s important to note how they might be used for such stories. That will do for today though. Tomorrow, we’ll look at some ways that these beings inspire and inform player characters!

#pathfinder #creature corner #outsider #monitor

[dailycharacteroption]

Creature Corner: Outsiders (Monitors) part 2

 Allies

 Monitors follow their personal philosophy quite strongly, and when that philosophy aligns with the PCs, they can be quite useful allies. However, that very dedication can also make it difficult for the same reasons. An inevitable might agree that something must be done about a wicked king on the throne, but might refuse to aid them in a revolution, for example.

Even so, the fact that monitors are mostly predictable means that calling upon their aid can work out nicely as long as one’s goals are aligned.

 The monitor type that is perhaps the most difficult to deal with would definitely be aeons. For one, while they can understand all languages, they only communicate in psychic images and impressions, when they deign to communicate their desires at all. For two, their mindsets, focused on the imbalanced duality they were created to correct. With that in mind, allying with aeons, or conjuring them to aid, is extremely difficult, as they do not negotiate, and have no interest in most treasures or payment. The only real way to do so is to know of an obvious imbalance that needs correcting, and hope the aeon agrees to the same.

By comparison, inevitables are much easier to deal with as each type of inevitable is literally built to protect some law or orderly concept, so if you have such a task that protects or serves that law, it’s simply a matter of finding or being powerful enough to call upon an inevitable focused on the law broken by the problem you wish to solve. Hunting an oathbreaker with a kolyarut, facing a lich with the might of a marut at your back, or even defeating a dishonorable warrior with a squadron of novenarut beside you. Such inevitables expect fair and honest bargaining, however, and are quick to punish deceivers.

Proteans can be quite flexible in the roles that they can be called to serve, which makes sense given their nature. However, they have to be tightly controlled, as while they might be amenable to performing any task, they have the ulterior motive to cause chaos, either performing any mischief they can manage within the confines of the magic that binds them, or by escaping that bond entirely and wreaking havoc. Of course, they type of havoc they cause could range from catastrophic to childish whimsy. As such, counting proteans as allies is a gamble, even when they’re fully on board with your desires.

Utterly driven by their duty to protect the cycle of life and death, psychopomps will potentially answer the call of anyone, as long as their goals align. Goals not having to do with the dead are likely to be ignored unless traded for a favor in protecting the cycle. However, those callers that wish for the psychopomps aid in destroying the undead, or correcting some perversion of the cycle will find negotiations much easier if the outsider deems the task worthy of their attention. However, it should be noted that psychopomps pursue their duty with no qualms concerning morality or method, so one must be careful that they don’t do something horrible in the pursuit of their goal.

As native outsiders, kami are not usually called for aid, but sought out and asked directly. However, most kami prefer to remain bodiless within their ward unless needed, so complex rituals honoring them may be required for them to take notice. Once you have their attention, a kami treated with respect may offer aid of some kind, either directly or indirectly if the need involves protecting nature and that which is sacred. They do have their wards, however, so such aid must not involve them travelling too far from their duty.

Ennocites and siktempora are poorly-understood outsiders, if they could be considered monitors at all, and as such are rarely called upon by mortals. More typically, one of these might ally with the party after meeting them, such as shulsaga working with mortals to fight threats to their home plane, caulborn seeking new and interesting memories, or various siktempora associated with positive emotions aiding heroes. To say nothing of individual outsider species offering aid, such a jyoti begrudgingly accepting help from mortal visitors, axiomites offering work, and so on.

 Unlike celestials, the goal and duty-focused nature of most monitors means that gaining allies from them is considerably more situational, but nevertheless useful for those who can acquire their aid. However, it also means that one cannot always rely upon their help to succeed.

We’ve covered allies, but tomorrow, we’ll see what monitors are like as foes.

#pathfinder #creature corner #outsider #monitor