The Blackfire Blade

A Blackfire Blade is a specific weapon enhancement.
It is designed as an assassin's blade, and used almost exclusively by the Bloody Blades, an organization of devastatingly skilled assassins.
The secrets of this blade's creation are said to only exist within that cult.
However, those who say that are wrong.
Blackfire Blades can be created by anyone with the skill, so long as they have the schemata required.
And several of these schemata exist, having been stolen from the Bloody Blades in a daring raid by parties unknown.
However, the result is obvious enough.
Blackfire Blades are becoming more and more common than they have any right to be.


Blackfire
A Blackfire weapon is aligned with the foulest of evils. It makes the weapon evil aligned, and thus bypasses corresponding damage reduction.
A Blackfire weapon is irrevocably changed. The appearance of the weapon shifts to a shimmering black sheen, regardless of what it is made of. It seems to be perpetually wet, but does not reflect the light, seeming to hoard it instead. Any room with a bared Blackfire weapon seems slightly dimmer than it should (this provides no mechanical benefit or drawback).
The wielder can, as a free action, cause the Blackfire weapon to become sheathed in the Blackfire from which it gets its name.
Doing so causes the shimmering black appearance to change to a vibrant angry red, shot through with veins of darkness. The blade then deals an additional 1d4 Vile damage on each hit.
A Blackfire weapon must be a bladed weapon of some kind.
If a Blackfire weapon is ever wielded by someone who is not of Evil alignment, the wielder takes 1d4 Vile damage every round, and cannot release their grip on the weapon unless they make a DC 20 Will save (they can attempt this save once each round).
Moderate necromancy [evil]; CL 9th; Craft Magic Arms and Armour, unholy blight, symbol of pain, creator must be evil, creator must have access to Blackfire Schemata; Price +2 bonus.

The Force Unleashed II: Saga Edition Part 5: Imperial Dropship Transport

Another ship originally created by the Force Unleashed series, and then kept in canon due to the saving grace of Star Wars Commander.
This one, oddly enough, did not get statted up in the Star Wars The Force Unleashed Campaign Guide. Well, it means that I get to stat it up now, so I'm not really complaining.

Imperial Dropship Transport (IDT) CL 10

Colossal Air Vehicle (Airspeeder)

lnit +0 ; Senses: Perception +8

Defenses: Ref 15 (flat-footed 13), Fort 26, +13 armour, Vehicular Combat

HP 120   DR 15;  Threshold 76

Speed 12 squares (max velocity 580 km/h)

Ranged

Light Blaster Cannons +10 and Missile Launcher +8 and Missile Launcher +8

Fighting Space: 6X6 Cover: Total (None for passengers if doors are open)

Base Atk +5; Grp +37

Atk Options: Autofire (light laser cannons, blaster cannons), Fire Link (Missile Launcher, Light Laser Cannons, Blaster Cannons)

Abilities Str 34, Dex 14, Con -, Int 16

Skills: Initiative +0, Mechanics +8, Perception +8, Pilot +0

Crew: 2 (Expert) Passengers: 18

Cargo: 1 ton Consumables: Two Days Carried Craft: None

Payload: 18 missiles

Availability: Military Cost: Not available for sale

• Light Laser Cannons (Pilot)
• Atk: +10 (+5 autofire) Dmg: 3d10 X2
• Blaster Cannons (Pilot/Gunner)
• Atk: +10 (+5 autofire) Dmg: 4d10 X2
• Mass Driver Missile Launcher (Gunner)
• Atk: +8 Dmg: 6d10 X2, 2-square splash

Design Notes:
So, this thing is odd.
In the game it is a threat, but isn't shielded or anything. It isn't too too big of a threat, you just throw its missiles back at it.
But, according to Wookieepedia, it is very similar to the LAAT/i gunship, but only carries 18 troops. It also has far fewer crew, and less armaments.
So, how to design it?
The statblock comes from a mash-up of the LAAT/i and the Republic Troop Transport (Page 167/168 Clone Wars Campaign Guide). I took the chassis of the RTT, added on the missiles and important elements of the LAAT/i, and then added on the, according to Wookieepedia, appropriate types of cannons (from Starships of the Galaxy).
As such, this is a fairly straightforward design. It flies in, drops the troops, provides some fire support, and then leaves.
It can't really stand up to the LAAT/i in combat, but it should be able to take out (or delay) those enemies that it needs to in order to get its complement safely landed.

The Force Unleashed II: Saga Edition Part 4: All Terrain Missile Platform

The AT-MP, or All Terrain Missile Platform, is often described as a stunted AT-ST. It was originally designed for FUII, but when the rest of that game was given the boot by canon, it stuck around, in Star Wars: Rebels, and Star Wars: Commander, much to my happiness.
The AT-MP is so fun. It sucks to fight, it is a pain with its swarms of missiles and devastating rotary blaster, but I always liked the AT-ST's stumpy cousin.
Because, well, why wouldn't an Empire fanboy like me like the Empire's version of the Hailfire droid?

Anyways, on to the stats.

AT-MP Walker CL 12

Huge Ground Walker

lnit +6 ; Senses: Perception +8

Defenses: Ref 11 (flat-footed 11), Fort 18, +3 armour

HP 80   DR 5;  Threshold 28

Speed 4 squares (max velocity 70 km/h)

Ranged

• Rotary Blaster Cannon (Autofire only) +1 and Missile Pods +7
• Missile Pods +7 and Missile Pods +7

Fighting Space: 3X3 Cover: Total

Base Atk +5; Grp +27

Atk Options: Fire Link (Missile Pods)

Abilities Str 34, Dex 10, Con -, Int 14

Skills: Initiative +6, Mechanics +8, Perception +8, Pilot +6

Crew: 2 (Expert) Passengers: None

Cargo: None Consumables: Two Days Carried Craft: None

Payload: 32 Missiles

Availability: Military Cost: Not available for sale

• Rotary Blaster Cannon (Pilot)
• Atk: +1 (autofire only) Dmg: 4d10 X2
• Missile Pods (Single tube) (Gunner/Pilot)
• Atk:+7 Dmg: 4d10 X2, 3 square splash
• Missile Pods (Two Tubes) (Gunner/Pilot)
• Atk: +7 Dmg: 5d10 X2, 3 square splash
• Missile Pods (Four Tubes) (Gunner/Pilot)
• Atk: +7 Dmg: 6d10 X2, 3 square splash

Design Notes:

So, this thing is a bit weird. It is basically a hybrid between the AT-ST and the Hailfire droid, statwise. It takes the chassis of the AT-ST, slows it down (hence the lower speed and Dexterity), makes it less tough (hence the lower armour, DR, and HP), and adds a bucketload of missiles.

I was really torn between using the AAT's missiles and the Hailfire missiles, but the AT-MP seems too small to launch missiles as devastating as the Hailfire droid, and the AAT missiles don't work well with the Fire Link rules.

So, I went halfway. The missiles are smaller than the Hailfire's; thus, they do less damage (by two dice) and have a smaller radius.

However, unlike the Hailfire droid, this walker gets two missile attacks in a round, meaning that it can do some truly devastating damage, especially when using fire linked missiles to fire all eight tubes at once.

6d10X2 damage with a 3 square splash either hitting the same place twice, or two areas at once? Yikes. This, in my opinion, lives up to the AT-MP's name. However, the vehicle is also nowhere near as tough as walkers with less...unstable armaments. And, it can be taken down by concentrated small arms fire very easily, as seen in Star Wars: Commander.

This means the lower DR and HP; these things aren't meant to be the front line, if only because there is not supposed to be a front line remaining after one of these shows up.

I'm not sure if the CL of 12 is right or not. It probably isn't, considering that the Hailfire also has a CL of 12, and this thing could probably wreck a Hailfire droid. So, use with caution. I don't know where exactly the CL for this thing should be, but do be warned.

Because I statted this one up, I'll stat up the AT-MP Mark III (the Hero unit, as seen in Star Wars: Commander)

AT-MP Mark III Walker CL 15

Huge Ground Walker

lnit +10 ; Senses: Perception +12

Defenses: Ref 11 (flat-footed 11), Fort 18, +4 armour

HP 80   DR 10;  Threshold 28

Speed 4 squares (max velocity 70 km/h)

Ranged

• Rotary Blaster Cannon (Autofire only) +8 and Missile Pods +14
• Missile Pods +14 and Missile Pods +14

Fighting Space: 3X3 Cover: Total

Base Atk +5; Grp +27

Atk Options: Fire Link (Missile Pods)

Abilities Str 34, Dex 10, Con -, Int 18

Skills: Initiative +10, Mechanics +12, Perception +12, Pilot +10

Crew: 2 (Ace) Passengers: None

Cargo: None Consumables: One Days Carried Craft: None

Payload: 56 Missiles

Availability: Military Cost: Not available for sale

• Rotary Blaster Cannon (Pilot)
• Atk: +8 (autofire only) Dmg: 4d10 X2
• Missile Pods (Single tube) (Gunner/Pilot)
• Atk:+14 Dmg: 4d10 X2, 3 square splash
• Missile Pods (Two Tubes) (Gunner/Pilot)
• Atk: +14 Dmg: 5d10 X2, 3 square splash
• Missile Pods (Four Tubes) (Gunner/Pilot)
• Atk: +14 Dmg: 6d10 X2, 3 square splash
• Missile Pods (Seven Tubes) (Gunner/Pilot)
• Atk: +14 Dmg: 10d10 X2, 3 square splash

Design Notes:

This Walker is a monstrosity. It has an additional 3 missile pods on each side, putting its total from 8 missile pods to 14. This means it carries an additional payload, but the room spent on munitions storage and weapon systems means that it cannot support additional structural reinforcement. The best that the Empire could do for this elite walker and team (reflected by its Ace crew) was to add on some better plates (putting its DR up to 10).

However, this monstrosity now hits a lot more reliably, and can put out a blistering 20d10 (X2) of damage in one turn. And, then it can do this for three more turns before needing to resupply.

Odds are, it will likely open with a missile barrage of that extent, and then use the Rotary Blaster Cannon and only a single (or maybe two) tubes to fire in the remaining rounds. Of course, if things get out of hand, it can definitely fire another barrage of 14 missiles should it need to.

Again, I would love to see how this measures up in actual game CL. Probably, if it were this thing against an AT-AT, it would be creamed, because its armour cannot stand up to the the AT-AT's firepower. But against characters? Who knows. Anyways, that is all from me for tonight. Enjoy the AT-MPs!

Characters and Classes

First off, sorry about the lack of updates for this past week. I got kinda swamped by stuff. As such, this is also going to be hastily written, and not edited. Apologies. Anyways, on to the blog.

Characters and classes, classes and characters.
Often, class is the defining basis of a character.
When someone new sits down at the table and asks how to make a character, you say "what do you want to do? Fight, cast spells, heal, sneak, or *insert generic description of other class here*".
You don't usually start by saying "What kind of character do you want to play?" or "What species do you want to pick?" or, the question to make every min-maxer shudder, "What kind of story do you want to tell?"
You start by saying "What do you want them to do?"
Because it is easiest. When people sit down at the table, with no idea how to play, and little idea what D&D is, that first moment will be overwhelming if given so open-ended a question as "What story do you want to tell?" or something similar.
No, you give them narrow options, and ask them to choose what to do during combat, or while adventuring.
But, when you sit down around the table the next time they need to make a character, their first thought is, almost invariably, "What class do I want to play?"
Now, at some level this makes sense. Because D&D is a class based system where you gain levels, the biggest change throughout the game is going to come from your class, not your race or story.
And, since it is often a combat-driven game, set in a class based system, the party needs to be "balanced" in order to survive the challenges that they will face. Without a healer of some kind, the party will die, unless they are canny enough to almost never take damage. Without an arcane caster, the party will not have access to that huge battery of options that spells can provide. Without a stealthy, sneaky character, adventurers will go into almost every encounter blind, and blunder into every trap. Without a fighter equivalent, there will be nobody to absorb the blows before they slam into the vulnerable wizard.
Of course, the wily party can circumvent these traditional set ups by getting the right kinds of magic items, learning the right kinds of spells, and using the right kind of tactics.
But, that is not the point I am trying to make.
The point I am trying to make, is that, though there are reasons to think about class first and foremost when sitting down at the table, those reasons need not always take precedence.
Many players I know will choose their class, then pick a race that suits that class, then pick a backstory that the two match well enough.
And that is fine.
But sometimes it can be fun to pick a race first, then pick a class that suits that. Or, pick a backstory first, then make a character that fits that, ignoring whether or not the class and race suit each other.
Now, many people will eventually think about things other than class first. They may come up with a concept, and pick the class that best fits it. They may decide that they always want to play a dwarf, regardless of campaign, and then build that dwarf into whatever role needs to be filled (I've seen Dwarven wizards, sorcerers, clerics, fighters, barbarians, rogues, ninjas...I have, in my time, seen dwarves in more professions than any other race, bar humans. Must be something about those Russian Miners [yes, my dwarves are Russian]).
But, the keyword here is eventually.
How long might it take a player to do that? Would they be more likely to do it sooner, and more often, if they were asked "What kind of story do you want to tell?" when they first sat down at the table?
It isn't a question that I can answer.
However, maybe, someone else will someday be able to.
And, I hope, perhaps the next time you sit down to create a character, or ask someone else to make a character, you decide whether or not you want to start with the class...or with something else.

The Current State of Affairs: Vezzer Hearthhome

The second dwarven gladiator, Vezzer Hearthhome is a sorcerer, and a dangerous man.
Vezzer is a servant of nefarious beings, and has his own agenda, sure to clash with that of the PCs. A sorcerer who has embraced his Abyssal heritage, he is sure to be a dangerous foe, more so due to his mastery of the potent magical energy called Spellfire (the essence of magic, this is unique to the Forgotten Realsm campaign setting; should you be using him in a different setting, or not wanting to include Spellfire, change out the Spellfire Wielder feat. Alternately, make it so that he is the only one who knows how to, a perversion of natural magic that he has created using his demonic heritage).

Vezzer Hearthhome Dwarf Sorcerer 9 CR 9

Init +1    Senses S/L +2/+4 Darkvision   Languages: Common, Dwarven, Abyssal

Defenses AC 17 (+1 dex, +2 nat, +4 arm) Will +12   Ref +9(+1 in)   Fort +14 +2 vs spells, +2 vs poison

HP 97 (9d6+53)  DR 1/Adamantine

Speed 20 ft

Melee:

Quarterstaff +4 (1d6)

Ranged:

Crossbow +6 (1d8+1/19-20)

Base attack +4     grp +4

Special actions: Spells, Spellfire

Abilities   STR 10  DEX 12  CON 24 [20]  INT 10  WIS 14  CHA 18 [16]

Feats(4): Demonic Skin, Heart of the Nabassu (3 negative levels/day), Precognitive Visions, Cloak of the Obyrith, Spellfire Wielder, Alertness

Skills: Spellcraft +12, Concentration +17, Listen +4, Spot +2, Escape Artist -2, Handle Animal -2

Equipment: Bracers of Armour +2, Amulet of Health +4, Cloak of Charisma +2, Vest of Resistance +4

12,000

When target and caster in contact with ground, double range of spell, +1 DC

Spells:

• 0 - 6/day - resistance, detect magic, detect poison, read magic, dancing lights, prestidigitation, polish weapon, mage hand
• 1 - 8/day - magic missile, feather fall, disguise self, charm person, mage armour*
• 2 - 8/day - earthen grasp (CA 104), summon swarm, web, invisibility
• 3 - 8/day - dispel magic, lightning bolt, displacement
• 4 - 5/day - burning blood (CA 100)

Vezzer suffers from precognitive visions, clouding his eyes and making him constantly see things.
He generally pretends to be a decent person until his goals are threatened, at which point he cuts loose with a burning blood targeted at the physically weakest looking person, then follows with webs and summoned swarms for battlefield control,
Design notes: Precognitive Visions, Heart of the Nabassu and Demonic Skin all come from Fiendish Codex I. Don't remember where burning blood comes from; likely Complete Arcane or Complete Mage.
Vezzer generally participates in the Arcane Duels, using his Spellfire Wielder feat to gain huge advantages over mages casting targeted spells, He fights, for now, in order to find those who he might sway to the service of his dark masters, or to find pawns for his schemes.