Dreamscarred Press Introduces: Akashic Mysteries

[angellis_ater]

Is there a reason it's not up on DSP's own store? There isn't even an announcement that it exists.

Hi!

It takes different timeperiods for different stores to get the book online at their storefront. We usually wait until we have confirmation that it is online at all places before we announce it, even if people have found it already.

In addition, it IS up at our new website here: http://dreamscarred.com/product/akas...-subscription/ but we haven't worked around a small bug at our old store to get it up there, which is what is delaying the announcement right now.

So, an announcement is coming right around the corner! :)

[Ssalarn]

Wanted to repost this from the Paizo site as an FYI to you guys:
It's been brought to my attention that in an attempt to be concise, I may have obscured what I was actually trying to convey.
Eldritch Insight has a line that states: "The Vizier’s class levels count as arcane spell-caster levels for the purposes of qualifying for feats and abilities". It should read: "The Vizier’s class levels count as arcane caster levels for the purposes of qualifying for feats, and for other caster level based abilities, such as determining your caster level when using a stave". This change will be added to the .pdf once we've heard more feedback from our customers and have noted any other clarifications that may need to be made.
Thank you to everyone who has purchased this so far, and thank you to everyone who has taken the time to give thoughtful and constructive feedback to make sure that we can give you the highest quality products.

[PsyBomb]

Thanks for that update, it makes a big difference to several builds.

So... Any word on the Daevic update? I'm really curious where several things went, not the least of which is the Desire passion.

[Ssalarn]

Thanks for that update, it makes a big difference to several builds.

So... Any word on the Daevic update? I'm really curious where several things went, not the least of which is the Desire passion.

Hopefully I'll get it front of you before the end of day today, I'm working on getting everything approved and queued up for the subscription releases now.

[PsyBomb]

Glad to hear that so much of this project is getting into the queue, Ssalarn! It's good to see this system done RIGHT and in a much cleaner and more complete form (with the promise of more to come, too!)

[LordErebus12]

just waiting on an update for the Pharaoh... looks cool, as does the Daevic

[Ssalarn]

just waiting on an update for the Pharaoh... looks cool, as does the Daevic

I'm working on getting those up for you, just had a few other things take precedence. Speaking of which...

So, when we did our big correction of the .pdf, it looks like some comparisons were done with an out of date version of the Vizier doc. There's around 5 items requiring errata, so I'll be posting those up with their corrections as soon as possible so you all have good working information to play with. I'll note the errata in all relevant threads and it will be updated in the main .pdf for purchasers to redownload no later than the compiled release

[Extra Anchovies]

Just popping in to point out that you missed out big-time by not calling the book Magic of Incarnum 2: Akashic Boogaloo.

[LordErebus12]

Just popping in to point out that you missed out big-time by not calling the book Magic of Incarnum 2: Akashic Boogaloo.

There is still time...

[Ssalarn]

Hey everyone, here's that errata log for the Vizier I promised you. These changes will all be added to the .pdf before compilation or print:

pg. 4 - Eldritch Insight says "The Vizier’s class levels count as arcane spell-caster levels for the purposes of qualifying for feats and abilities"; it should read: "The Vizier’s class levels count as arcane caster levels for the purposes of qualifying for feats, and for other caster level based abilities, such as determining your caster level when using a stave".


pg. 5 - Path of the Crafter should read "The vizier gains a bonus equal to 1/2 his class level on all skill checks made as part of the crafting process, and can bypass the normal restrictions for spell prerequisites on spell trigger and spell activation items by adding 3 + spell level to the crafting DC".

pg. 13 paragraph 3 - Add the line "Unless otherwise noted, investing or reallocating essence to or from a valid receptacle is a swift action.

pg.18 - Coward's Boots should read "Class: Guru, Vizier Slot: Feet

pg. 18 - Cuirass of Confidence cuts off in the middle of the Essence description. It should read "For each point of Essence invested in this ability you gain a +1 insight bonus to Diplomacy checks against any creature that has been affected by this Veil’s primary ability within the past 24 hours."

pg. 18 - Dark Lord's Ring of Essence-Binding should direct you to the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary, not the Core Rulebook.

pg. 20-21 - Hand Cannons description entry should read as follows "Massive cylinders of whirling energy surround the arms of anyone wielding this potent Veil. While the Hand Cannons are manifested you gain the ability to make a special ranged weapon attack with a range increment of 20 feet that deals 2d6 points of bludgeoning and piercing damage. You can attack with this ability as many times in a round as your base attack bonus allows, and this ability can be modified by feats and effects which normally affect ranged weapon attacks, like Deadly Aim, Point Blank Shot, and Rapid Shot. You must have at least one free hand to attack with this veil, and you cannot attack with this veil in the same round you attack with any other weapon. The wearer may choose to use their veilweaver level in place of their base attack bonus to determine their to-hit and other abilities of this veil."

pg. 26 - Remove the word "melee" from the Storm Gauntlets wrist bind entry.

[Ssalarn]

Sorry for the double-post, but I wanted this to be more "open call" -

I may be hijacking anyone who's interested to help me with running numbers on something we decided to add to the project.

We're going to have a section in the Supplemental release discussing how to run an all akashic campaign by using generic archetypes to swap spellcasting out for veilweaving. I may need some people to help me run numbers, decide what list(s) they should provide access to, and other small items to make them work. As part of this, we're going to add about 5 more veils for each class that will appear in this document to help fill out important pieces that the akashic system might be weak on, so suggestions there are welcome.

The current plan is:

1/2 casters like the Paladin and Ranger may access the Daevic veil list. They get a point of essence at each spellcaster level, one veil shaped at their first spellcasting level and another every 3 levels thereafter. They'll get (I'm thinking but open to suggestions) 3-4 binds including hands, feet, wrists, and shoulders.

3/4 casters will have shape from vizier list if they're normally arcane, guru list if they're normally divine. They get 1 point of essence per caster level, and binds at 4th and every 4 levels thereafter, following the vizier progression. Their veils shaped follows guru progression.

Full casters get 2 points of essence at 1st level and 1 point every spellcaster level thereafter. Their veils shaped is basically vizier minus his slots for rings.


Things we should cover with the veils we're adding should include: larger AoE effects (we got an excellent suggestion for how to balance this with essence burn) an better status mitigation (specifically status effects that can't be addressed via the mercies you can access with Immaculate Touch).

Any thoughts on what else we need to be sure and incorporate?

[stack]

Any special alignment restrictions for divine casters verses the default shaping limitations?

Seems like a ranger might prefer guru veils in some cases. Or some Druids may want the daevic's natural attacks. Not sure I like rigidly tying the list to the type/strength of caster.

One step closer to my maneuver using, veil forming, shape-shifting Druid!

[Extra Anchovies]

Regarding veilweaving archetypes for Paizo classes: yes. Do this please; I don't like having to track spellcasting, especially when I only get four or five spells per day (e.g. with a Paladin, Ranger, or Bloodrager). Getting veils would be much more fun.

[PsyBomb]

Fun idea, and potentially very cool and thematic. Couple of thoughts:

1) unless you eventually add some kind of Meta-Veilweaving feat list or a way to map existing Metamagic to the system, classes which have them as bonus feats are going to lose out hard. We need to make sure there is a way to distinguish them from each other, and from Viziers, under this sidebar

2) as Stack said, which classes could best use what is not so simply defined on a general basis.

3) classes could end up with Akashic Archetypes instead of just a general sidebar.

[Ssalarn]

Fun idea, and potentially very cool and thematic. Couple of thoughts:

1) unless you eventually add some kind of Meta-Veilweaving feat list or a way to map existing Metamagic to the system, classes which have them as bonus feats are going to lose out hard. We need to make sure there is a way to distinguish them from each other, and from Viziers, under this sidebar

2) as Stack said, which classes could best use what is not so simply defined on a general basis.

3) classes could end up with Akashic Archetypes instead of just a general sidebar.

There will absolutely, 100%, be akashic archetypes for core classes. This would be a sidebar in addition to those.

This is more a general rule set covering either classes we don't get to for some reason, or classes we can't account for, like other 3pp classes or future classes from Paizo. Or, classes you want to use veilweaving with, but for whom you maybe don't want to trade something we traded away in our class specific archetype, because you felt it was more thematically appropriate for your character to have that then whatever new ability we replaced it with.

[squiggit]

So according to their entry in the PDF, Coward's Boots are a Guru only veil that binds to the Vizier slot. The actual description body is correct though.

edit: Oh. Hand Cannons don't show up in the list of veils table.

[stack]

For the record, I vote for reverting handcannons to full AC targeting.

[PsyBomb]

Hand Cannons have already been reverted, and Coward's Boots were fixed.

[stack]

Hand Cannons have already been reverted, and Coward's Boots were fixed.

Ah, missed that. Sorry.

[PsyBomb]

Ssalarn, a VERY important question regarding Daevics:

If you form a non-Blood Veil to the Blood Chakra and then Bind it... what Bind effect do you use? You are stated to be able to use the Binds, but Binds are location-dependent. This is especially important in the case of veils with multiple Bind locations, do you get none (wrong spot), one (one bind), or both (Power of the Blood, baby!) effects? If just one, do you choose which? If both, do I get effects from chakra locations other than Head, Headband, Neck, or Body (like the Gorget of the Wyrm's Shoulder benefit)?

Just ran into that while updating the Daevic guide a bit.

[stack]

I presume there will be some provision for increasing essence capacity alongside the spell replacement? Otherwise direct damage veils will quickly grow utterly irrelevant and save based veils will lag behind.

If I get a chance I will toss together a build or two this week and take a look. Since there is no mention of what happens with domains I will presume to replace them with warpaths or else have them as 1/day/level sla's.

[Ssalarn]

Ssalarn, a VERY important question regarding Daevics:

If you form a non-Blood Veil to the Blood Chakra and then Bind it... what Bind effect do you use? You are stated to be able to use the Binds, but Binds are location-dependent. This is especially important in the case of veils with multiple Bind locations, do you get none (wrong spot), one (one bind), or both (Power of the Blood, baby!) effects? If just one, do you choose which? If both, do I get effects from chakra locations other than Head, Headband, Neck, or Body (like the Gorget of the Wyrm's Shoulder benefit)?

Just ran into that while updating the Daevic guide a bit.

I'll review that and tighten up the verbage. You should be using whichever bind matches the slot that allowed you to shape the veil there to begin with. I think there will be some level-related notations that basically allow it to act as a bind slot for Neck, Head, Headband, or Body (only one at a time), unlocking those pseudo-binds at roughly the same level the Vizier gains them to avoid early access to abilities that are way too strong for earlier levels.

I presume there will be some provision for increasing essence capacity alongside the spell replacement? Otherwise direct damage veils will quickly grow utterly irrelevant and save based veils will lag behind.

If I get a chance I will toss together a build or two this week and take a look. Since there is no mention of what happens with domains I will presume to replace them with warpaths or else have them as 1/day/level sla's.

Yes. I figured I'd put some verbage in for classes gaining 1 instance of Expanded Essence Capacity per spell progression tier (so a full caster would gain it three times like a Vizier, a 3/4 caster like the Inquisitor would gain it twice, and a 1/2 caster like the Paladin would gain it once). Classes that would normally gain bonus spells from a domain or bloodline may need a replacement, but I'm not sure what. There wouldn't be a discriminating line necessarily between spontaneous and prepared casters, so spells known may not be something we need to balance against either way. Any input on the idea is, of course, very much appreciated as it's something I really think would be good to add in but am adding on a little late in the game. Working on getting some of the additional PrC's and archetypes out to you guys as well, which may help. Unfortunately, I just haven't had time to get near a non-work computer lately and I can't really write, post, or access google docs from my work computer.

[PsyBomb]

Thanks for that, Ssalarn. Also cleans up the "constant true seeing from level 12" issue.

[stack]

I agree that there doesn't need to be a distinction between spontaneous and prepared casters.

As for the bonus spell/domain issue...that is trickier. If we were just replacing a domain/bloodline/mystery, then those would be where you learn veils/increase capacity. Replacing casting entirely, though...my sla idea is unfortunately the only one I can think of, though it feels like a cheap way out.

[Extra Anchovies]

What I'd like to know: what would be the advantage of playing a veilweaving Wizard over playing a Vizier? A Vizier can just call themselves a wizard and carry around a funny book, and they'd get nine more points of Essence. Plus all the other Vizier side abilities (Mystic Attunement paths, Veilshifting, Twinveil Rings, etc). And the wizard is left with... arcane bond and school abilities. Doesn't seem like a particularly good trade. The nine points of essence is the big one, though.

Also, a note: the doc for the Daevic lists Hand Cannons as being a Daevic and a Vizier veil, and although the full description of Hand Cannons corroborates this, it is not listed in the summary list of veils available to the Vizier in that class's document (namely, the table where they are mostly sorted by chakra slot).

As an aside, I think I'm starting to warm up to the Middle Eastern/South Asian fluff you guys chose. I was originally more attached to radioactive soul energy, but I think I like this stuff better now.
I'll still probably slip up and call something a soulmeld every now and then, but that's because I love that word.

[Ssalarn]

What I'd like to know: what would be the advantage of playing a veilweaving Wizard over playing a Vizier? A Vizier can just call themselves a wizard and carry around a funny book, and they'd get nine more points of Essence. Plus all the other Vizier side abilities (Mystic Attunement paths, Veilshifting, Twinveil Rings, etc). And the wizard is left with... arcane bond and school abilities. Doesn't seem like a particularly good trade. The nine points of essence is the big one, though.

Honestly, most people will probably want to play one of the actual, fully developed archetypes for the wizard. The akashasizing sidebar is really meant as a world-building tool and a way to quickly graft the system onto a familiar and/or interesting chassis. In a world where veilweaving replaces standard magic, you probably won't be playing a wizard over a vizier, but you might want sorcerers, inquisitors, bloodragers, oracles or some other casting class that has handy/cool/thematic class features outside of its spells.

(Also, I did notice that Hand Cannons got bumped, we'll get the chart fixed.)

Regarding classes with extra spells known options like domains or bloodlines: Since prepared/spontaneous is no longer a dividing line, how would we keep the progression simple and account for these? Remember, a Sorcerer gets the because a Wizard has basically infinite spells known. If both are now on the same veilweaving progression, those less concrete advantage/disadvantage points are moot. I could see giving a free Shape Veil feat out, but I think that just disadvantages prepared classes who don't specifically have extra spells known features....

If the Wizard (and other classes) got to use his crafting/metamagic specific bonus feats to take [Akashic] feats, and the Sorcerer and Oracle got a free instance of Shape Veil at 8 and 16 (those are soft level points, we can move them) would that give us enough complexity and variance while still keeping the subsystem relatively balanced and consistent?

[Extra Anchovies]

Honestly, most people will probably want to play one of the actual, fully developed archetypes for the wizard. The akashasizing sidebar is really meant as a world-building tool and a way to quickly graft the system onto a familiar and/or interesting chassis. In a world where veilweaving replaces standard magic, you probably won't be playing a wizard over a vizier, but you might want sorcerers, inquisitors, bloodragers, oracles or some other casting class that has handy/cool/thematic class features outside of its spells.

That's a good point; I suppose in such a setting the Vizier would fill the Wizard's role (Wizier? Vizard?). A veilweaving Inquisitor would be fun, though, as would an Archery Ranger going nuts with the Hand Cannons. I really like that particular veil, by the way.

Regarding classes with extra spells known options like domains or bloodlines: Since prepared/spontaneous is no longer a dividing line, how would we keep the progression simple and account for these? Remember, a Sorcerer gets the because a Wizard has basically infinite spells known. If both are now on the same veilweaving progression, those less concrete advantage/disadvantage points are moot. I could see giving a free Shape Veil feat out, but I think that just disadvantages prepared classes who don't specifically have extra spells known features....

If the Wizard (and other classes) got to use his crafting/metamagic specific bonus feats to take [Akashic] feats, and the Sorcerer and Oracle got a free instance of Shape Veil at 8 and 16 (those are soft level points, we can move them) would that give us enough complexity and variance while still keeping the subsystem relatively balanced and consistent?

For the Sorcerer and Oracle (as a way to replace Bloodline/Mystery spells, and the casting-related powers/arcana/revelations), maybe each bloodline/mystery could have six associated veils, and at 3rd, 6th, 9th, 12th, 15th, and 18th level they add those veils to the list of veils that they can shape and gain +1 Essence capacity with those veils? For example, the Draconic bloodline could grant access to Wrathful Claws, Gorget of the Wyrm, Cincture of the Dragon, Behemoth Hide, Mask of Elemental Adaptation, and Stare of the Ghaele (for Frightful Presence-lite, because Bangles of the Jealous Seductress do not fit thematically). Not sure how well that would extend to the other bloodlines/mysteries (and might only be able to do the bloodlines in the CRB and mysteries in the APG; replicating all of them would be pretty intense); maybe only four or five bloodline/mystery veils would work better (at levels 4/9/14/19 and 3/7/11/15/19, respectively).

Note: Mask of Elemental Adaptation is, in the Guru veils table, referred to as Mask of Elemental Mastery.

[PsyBomb]

Honestly, most people will probably want to play one of the actual, fully developed archetypes for the wizard. The akashasizing sidebar is really meant as a world-building tool and a way to quickly graft the system onto a familiar and/or interesting chassis. In a world where veilweaving replaces standard magic, you probably won't be playing a wizard over a vizier, but you might want sorcerers, inquisitors, bloodragers, oracles or some other casting class that has handy/cool/thematic class features outside of its spells.

(Also, I did notice that Hand Cannons got bumped, we'll get the chart fixed.)

Regarding classes with extra spells known options like domains or bloodlines: Since prepared/spontaneous is no longer a dividing line, how would we keep the progression simple and account for these? Remember, a Sorcerer gets the because a Wizard has basically infinite spells known. If both are now on the same veilweaving progression, those less concrete advantage/disadvantage points are moot. I could see giving a free Shape Veil feat out, but I think that just disadvantages prepared classes who don't specifically have extra spells known features....

If the Wizard (and other classes) got to use his crafting/metamagic specific bonus feats to take [Akashic] feats, and the Sorcerer and Oracle got a free instance of Shape Veil at 8 and 16 (those are soft level points, we can move them) would that give us enough complexity and variance while still keeping the subsystem relatively balanced and consistent?

These work for a rough hack, though I am starting to work on more detailed Archetypes for Sorc and Wiz (the former working off of Passions theory with a selection of save-based and blasting veils, the latter working off of a Meta-Veil idea I had to emphasize their techical nature). Still tinkering with the mechanics and precise veil selections there.

Basically, in the general sidebar option losing some class identity is fine. The entire idea of that sidebar is that it's a rough, general hack for changing the base concepts of a campaign world. It's only in the Archetypes that you need to go to extreme lengths to maintain the feeling of the class.

[stack]

It would be nice to leave domains relatively intact so they can still be swapped for warpaths, or used for an animal companion in the druid's case.

[stack]

Sorry for the double post, just wanted to sew the seed of a variant race for the suqur-kha. Instead of hawks/eagles, a vulture variant would be cool. Different stats, high disease resistance, culture based on not wasting ANYTHING.