Le Cirque Funeste: Professor Class [Please PEACH]

[The Tygre]

After long experience, I've come to find guys playing chicks creepy, very creepy but that's just me.

I'm not sure you could call the Dust Witch anymore a woman than a -thing-. She was even creepy in the movie version, which I also recommend getting.

[Kallisti]

I think he meant my character. Although she's not exactly human, either...

[Mulletmanalive]

Ok, this one is a little bit more up in the air than these things normally are when i post them. Between this and Bard, i've been having a real games-design headache so i'm throwing it out there for assistance.

I have a running idea about taking negative levels to cause rats or the like to grow into new copies of slain menagerie creatures and one about kind of bonding with a mount and becoming one creature but i'm otherwise stumped. That and i can't figure out how i want the taming of humans and monsters to work...

The Beast Tamer:
The key spectacle to many circuses is their array of strange and exotic beasts; within the lifetime of most people outside the army, there was no other chance to see such beasts as a lion or elephant. Along with this, many circuses plumped out their array of beasts with fictional beings such as the hippogriff and the esquilax.

The core performance routines of a beast tamer were to make the animals perform tricks at the limits of their obvious abilities; bears would dance, horses leap through burning rings and lions leap 12ft into the air to snatch baubles. Other routines included such things as boxing with kangaroos or the tamer putting his head inside the mouth of a bull lion.

Le Cirque Funeste's creatures are even more suspect than those of other circuses, though not because of their core performances. The Beast Tamers can bring their wards to do remarkable things, such as count and spell words in the sand; they can climb ladders despite being elephants or rhinos and some of the more remarkable creatures will do even more. There was once a tale of monkey archers.

The reason for this behaviour is somewhat more dubious than mere skill, for the beasts did not begin their time as such. To be precise, the beasts were not originally the creatures that they are now. Most began as mere rats, cats, dogs or horses that went missing when the circus visited a town at some point. Some, the more exceptional examples, began their time as people who pried a little too closely into the circus' secrets.

Who?: Those who are drawn to the path of the Beast Tamer are often bitter over a loss related to animals. This may be a loss of a farm or the loss of their family because of an animal. Equal proportions come from farms as they do towns but all have a dark secret that leads them to hate animals.

In play, the Beast Tamer is a variant of the officer model. They command and empower a relatively small number of powerful beasts and can also implement a limited amount of control over their enemies as a stern voice, perfectly tuned, can impact on primitive areas of the brain.

Beast Tamer [Carnival]
{table=head]Level|Base[br]Attack[br]Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Defence|Special

1st|

+0

|

+2

|

+2

|

+0

|

+0

|King of Beasts, Menagerie I

2nd|

+1

|

+3

|

+3

|

+1

|

+1

|Chair Shield, Incite Rage

3rd|

+2

|

+3

|

+3

|

+1

|

+2

|Crack of the Whip

4th|

+3

|

+4

|

+4

|

+2

|

+3

|Menagerie II

5th|

+3

|

+4

|

+4

|

+2

|

+3

|Infuse Carnival

6th|

+4

|

+5

|

+5

|

+3

|

+4

|Stern Voice

7th|

+5

|

+5

|

+5

|

+3

|

+5

|Menagerie III

8th|

+6

|

+6

|

+6

|

+4

|

+6

|Greater Crack the Whip

9th|

+6

|

+6

|

+6

|

+4

|

+6

|Incite Frenzy

10th|

+7

|

+7

|

+7

|

+5

|

+7

|Menagerie IV, Merge

11th|

+8

|

+7

|

+7

|

+5

|

+8

|Born to Perform

12th|

+9

|

+8

|

+8

|

+6

|

+9

|Clever Girl

13th|

+9

|

+8

|

+8

|

+6

|

+9

|Menagerie V

14th|

+10

|

+9

|

+9

|

+7

|

+10

|Mass Incite Rage

15th|

+11

|

+9

|

+9

|

+7

|

+11

|Tame the Wilful

16th|

+12

|

+10

|

+10

|

+8

|

+12

|Menagerie VI

17th|

+12

|

+10

|

+10

|

+8

|

+12

|Mass Incite Frenzy

18th|

+13

|

+11

|

+11

|

+9

|

+13

|Taurian

19th|

+14

|

+11

|

+11

|

+9

|

+14

|Menagerie VII

20th|

+15

|

+12

|

+12

|

+10

|

+15

|The Wild Hunt[/table]

Hit Dice: d10
Class Skills: Bluff [Cha], Escape Artist [Dex], Handle Animal [Cha], Manipulation [Cha], Perform [Cha], Ride [Cha], Survival [Wis], Swim [Str]
Skill Points per Level: 4 + Int

Class Features:

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Weapon and Armour Proficiency: Taming the greatest of beasts is difficult and dangerous. As such, a Beast Tamer is proficient with all Simple and Martial weapons, Whips, Light armour if he can get it, and shields.

King of Beasts [Su]: Within the aura of Carnival, Beast Tamers have an almost unholy control over animals, even those normally loyal to others. The Beast Tamer may add their class level to all Handle Animal checks.

Additionally, they may take 10 on Handle Animal checks relating to true animals within Carnival [though not on checks made against people, see later].

Menagerie: The Beast Tamer has access to parts of the Cirque's collection of animals, the numbers and power of these beasts being directly related to his ability.

At 1st level, the Beast Tamer gains control of a single creature of the Animal type with a total HD equal to 3+ ½ the Beast Tamer's class level and the Fæ subtype. He may swap this animal for another that he can control from the cages of the circus.

At 4th, 7th, 10th, 13th, 16th and 19th level, the Beast Tamer gains control of an additional creature. These animals need not be of the same species and are handled separately. He may form units from them if he wishes and they are similar type.

Creatures gained via this ability can be Ordered individually using a Swift action, as if they had a Course of Action applied to them. Each animal knows the Perform training package and can be pushed [DC 25 Handle Animal check] as normal to perform tricks that it does not know. As with normal soldiers, beasts will continue with their last order until it is complete and then tend to either wander off or attack anyone that is attacking them.

Note that there is no obligation for Cirque animals to be 'normal' animals and many are uniquely built from the creature kit. Feel free to be creative, after all, who wouldn't be impressed by a mammoth or griffon?

Chair Shield [Ex]: Due to experience, a Beast Tamer of 2nd level can defend himself with almost anything. He may improvise a shield from anything of suitable shape [a chair, a table, a dustbin-lid]. If he successfully deflects an attack with his shield, his opponent is automatically driven back 5ft.

Incite Rage [Su]: Circus animals aren't usually trained to attack because once they have been trained to take part in the act, they get confused if you try to teach them even more things. One simple way for a Beast Tamer to get around this is to learn to brew their beasts into a defensive rage and convince them that the desired target has threatened their young. As a Standard action, a 2nd level Beast Tamer may attempt to Incite Rage in one animal within 30ft [this is a verbal ability so it can be enhanced by Loud Voice and the like] and make a successful DC 25 Handle Animal check.

The affected creature gains a +4 bonus to Strength and Constitution, granting them a +2 bonus on Attack rolls, a +3 bonus on primary attack damage and a +1 on secondary damage, a +2 bonus on Grapple checks and a +2 bonus on both Fortitude and Will saves. In addition, they gain 4hp, +2 per HD. They suffer a -2 penalty to Defence. Rage lasts for 5 rounds/one minute and the creature becomes Fatigued when the duration runs out.

At later levels, this ability can be used on monsters and humanoids using the Stern Voice ability.

Crack of the Whip [Su]: Carnival turns a snapped whip into a violent rumble of thunder. A 3rd level Beast Tamer may make an Intimidate check against any one target within 10ft per level and line of sight.

Infuse Carnival [Su]: By touching a creature that has been trained [trained animals usually] and willingly obeys him and speaking kind words into its ear, a 5th level Beast Tamer can apply the Carnival Beast template to the creature over the course of a total of 47 minutes. If this is disrupted, all progress is lost.

Stern Voice [Ex]: Thanks to years of practice and having dealt with the fæ and even wrestled them into obedience, a 6th level Beast Tamer may attempt to handle monsters and people. Unlike Animals, these creatures use their Psyche score oppose such attempts. Use of the Handle Animal skill on Monsters inflicts a -10 penalty on the check while Humanoids inflict a -30 penalty on the check [basically making it impossible to anyone other than high level Beast Tamers].

Normal uses of the Push action [one cannot handle an untrained creature] take a Full action and work basically like a Suggestion spell with a duration of 1d4 rounds [sometimes people realise what they're doing faster than others]. Incite Rage and Frenzy abilities function normally.

Greater Crack the Whip [Su]: Such is the Such is the magical fear inspired by the Beast Tamer's Whip, Shaken characters must make a Will save [Fear], DC 5 + Class level, or be unable to approach within 20ft of the Beast Tamer. This ability functions only while the Beast Tamer has a whip in hand.

Incite Frenzy [Su]: At 9th level, the Beast Tamer's ability to whip up his charges increases allowing him to incite true frothing frenzy in his charges. As a Standard action, he may attempt a DC 35 Handle Animal check to force a single creature within 30ft [audible range] into a Frenzy.

Frenzied creatures gain a +6 bonus to Strength [+3 on attacks, +4 on primary attack damage, +1 on secondary, +3 on Grapple], one additional attack per round when making a Full attack action [using their primary attack form] with no penalty, takes a -4 penalty to defence and suffers 2 points of Subdual damage each round. Frenzy lasts for 5 rounds [like rage].

If the Beast Tamer wishes, he may spend a Full action in order to incite both Rage and Frenzy in a single target at once using the higher DC of 35.

Merge [Su]: At 10th level, the Beast Tamer gains the ability to meld himself into his Menagerie, combining his physical substance into his pool of beasts and emerging from whichever he chooses. When adjacent to one of his Menagerie beasts, the Beast Tamer can use a Shift action to enter the beast's square and merge with it. While so merged, the Beast Tamer cannot be harmed directly and can order his beasts normally, though he cannot act except to relocate to another beast, regardless of distance, as a Standard action. Exiting the beast is a Swift action but the Tamer may only enter or leave a beast once per round. If the beast he is inside is killed, the Tamer must make a Massive Damage save against the damage of the final hit.

Born to Perform [Su]: The beast of an 11th level Beast Tamer's Menagerie are literally born to perform, having probably been killed more than a dozen times previously. When a creature attached to the Beast Tamer's menagerie dies in combat, its essence [its soul is already long gone] is stored as part of the Beast Tamer's own. If the Beast Tamer can get within 20ft of a suitable organic vessel [usually a horse or a dog, but anything as small as a rat will do], he can reform the beast in exchange for tearing a little bit of his essence free.

The Beast Tamer takes a Negative level and the animal regrows over a period of 2d6 rounds with full hit points and all conditions removed. The Beast Tamer recovers negative levels at a rate of 1 per day, as per the norms of MV.

Clever Girl: Carnival Beasts have a tendency to reflect the intelligence of their keeper. As of 12th level, all of a Beast Tamer's Menagerie creatures are considered to have the same Intelligence score as him and have a sort of hive mind, meaning that each can perceive what all the others can. If one is aware of a target, all of them are.

Mass Incite Rage [Su]: At 14th level, the Beast Tamer gains the ability to incite rage in multiple targets simultaneously. From this point on, he can target a number of creatures equal to his Wisdom modifier with each Incite Rage action.

Tame the Wilful [Su]: At 15th level, a Beast Tamer learns the secrets of taming the most wilful beast of all; Man. In order to do so, the Beast Tamer must successfully use his Stern Voice ability to Push the target into behaviour of his choice a number of times equal to the target's Charisma Modifier each day for a number of days equal to the target's Wisdom score.

Once this is accomplished, the target individual is broken and as a human, knows how to perform any task put to him. While humans are powerful additions to the Menagerie, bringing with them all of their knowledge, experience and skills, they cannot be regrown using the Born to Perform feature and thus no Beast Tamer relies on them too heavily.

Mass Incite Frenzy [Su]: At 17th level, the Beast Tamer gains the ability to incite frenzy in multiple targets simultaneously. From this point on, he can target a number of creatures equal to his Wisdom modifier with each Incite Frenzy action.

Taurian [Su]: The pinnacle of the Merge ability is the ability to blend half way with your beast without being completely subsumed. At 18th level, the Tamer may opt to reveal his torso from the beast, usually replacing its head at the cost of a Standard action after the Merge is completed. A Taurian Tamer retains his own actions and may also take those of the beast on its turn, though any Bite attacks or breath weapons are lost, though senses and Gaze attacks are transferred to the Tamer's own head.

Damage dealt to a Taurian mix is split equally between the two components of the merge, with both taking Massive Damage saves if the original total damage exceeds the beast's own threshold. In all cases, the better of the two creature's saves is used. A Taurian Tamer cannot move to another beast without recombining with the first as a Swift action.


The Wild Hunt [Su]: Should they reach 20th level, Beast Tamers have come closer to the wild forces of the world and become more akin to superstition than any other member of the Carnival. Perhaps this is why the Lords treat them unequivocally as one of their own. The Beast Tamer does not actually become a fæ but is elevated to the status of Lord of the Hunt. He becomes a Lord of Mournful Laughter for voting purposes and once each year, he may declare the Wild Hunt.

When the Hunt is Declared, ten Hounds of the Wild Hunt emerge from the nearest suitable Tweens on the tail of a thick bank of Obscuring Mist and serve the whims of the Beast Master for three days and three nights before returning from wenst they came. Hounds of the Wild Hunt know all the Tricks in the book and can be handled as a Free action, so they effectively act independently of the Beast Tamer.

Carnival Beast Template:

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The beasts [and some of the people] of Carnival are more than a little altered by their close contact with the Fæ. In many ways, they become like the changelings of myth, without much of their original nature but resilient and touched by the fæ.

Carnival Beast may be applied to any Animal, Humanoid or Monster that does not already have the Fæ subtype.

Abilities: Str +2, Dex +6, Con +2, Wis +2

Speed: +10ft on all Speeds within Carnival

Blend [Su]: Within Carnival, the animals and assistants become difficult to spot against the noise and excitement. As long as Carnival has not turned violent [Initiative has not been rolled], Carnival Beasts may Hide in Plain Sight, though they become visible if they try to approach a character with intent to attack.

Tween [Su]: All Carnival beast can Tween between two very specific liminals. They may enter the Hedge by crawling under the bedding in their cages within carnival. They may emerge only from the shadow of a Beast Tamer to whom they are bound by the Menagerie feature. They will only emerge at the command of the tamer. As usual, entering or leaving the Hedge through these gates is a Swift action.

CR: +1

The Hounds of the Wild Hunt:

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Hounds of the Wild Hunt:
The wild hunt is an old legend, something that occurs before thunder storms as the sea mists or the densest fogs rolls through the valleys. A Hound of the Wild Hunt is a beast similar to a wolf that stands almost 12 feet at the shoulder and has a mass comparable to a rhino. Their fur has a bark like texture and turns aside blades and bullets as easily as the others. Their howl is terrifying in an extreme and their slather glows a ghostly green, infecting the fog that forms around them.

Huge Fæ Carnival Beast Animal 16 CR 14
Init: + , Senses: Listen + 23 , Spot +23, Infravision 120ft, Scent 60ft
Languages: understands all
Defence: 28 [-2 Size, -3 Wis, +5 Deflection, +12 Class] Flatfooted: 13 , +2 Passive if moved 10ft+
Damage Reduction: 16/Natural materials
HD: 16d8+160+30 Hp: 262, Regeneration 10 [Cold Iron]
Massive Damage: 30
Thresholds: Green, [ 131 ] Yellow, [ 65 ] Orange, [ 26 ] Red
Resist: Size Matters [Con on Will saves]
Fort: + 23 Reflex: + 9 Will: + 18 Psyche: 27
Speed: 100ft, 200ft in Hedge
Space: 15ft Reach: 10ft
Melee: +21 Bite 3d6+10 [Crit 18/x2], Snatch, Powerful Charge +3d6, Skirmish +2d6, Trip

BAB: + 12
Grapple: +30
Special Actions: Skirmish [+2d6 Precision damage if the hound moved more than 10ft in the round], Trip [If it strikes a Huge or smaller target that is Flanked or Flatfooted, the target is knocked prone], Snatch [Begin Grapple as a Free action if Bite hits. Drop as Free action or Fling 1d6x10ft as Standard action.] .
Abilities: Str: 30/+10 Dex: 12/+1 Con: 30/+10 Int: 6/-2 Wis: 16/+3 Cha: 4/-3
SQ: Liminal Tweening, Dissolve, Spell-like abiities,

Feats: Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Powerful Charge [+3d6 damage on the charge], Run, Snatch, TrackB, Weapon Focus [Bite].

Skills: Hide +13, Listen +23, Move Silently +13, Spot +23, Survival +19

Special Abilities:
Liminal Tweening: As a Fæ creature, a Hound of the Wild Hunt has the ability to slip through tweens by using a Shift action. While in the Hedge, its movement distances are doubled. It can tween through abstract boundaries, physical boundaries, the space beneath and shadows as it wishes. Creatures in the Hedge can perceive events in the real world as if through thick foliage; Hounds navigate the Hedge primarily by scent.
Spell-like Abilities [Sp]: [Once every 1d4 rounds, CL 16] Double Enlarged Fear [90ft Cone, Panicked, Will DC 24 = Shaken], Barkskin [Already used, +5 Deflection bonus], Air Walk [Fly 50ft as Ground movement], Obscuring Mist [20ft spread of Fog around you, those within 5ft have Concealment, those beyond have Total Concealment], Hold Animal [Will 20 or Animal is Paralysed for 16 rounds].
Dissolve: When killed, a Hound of the Wild Hunt breaks up into a heap of leaves, grave dirt and broken arrows,, veiled in mist.

Another Cracking template for this is the Spiderbelly by Vorpal Tribble; I'm not entirely sure how to fit that in though

[Mulletmanalive]

Feats:
Some variation is always nice and as I've been unable to get anywhere with my other two classes, I thought I'd share these little things that I've been working on.

[Puppet] type feats are intended for use by the Professor class. Some are inspired by puppets that we have in Chester every year and some are inspired by Naruto. I've included a small handful of other things, including a way of getting Carnival feats into normal play and some other circus themed stuff. More to come.

Traits:
Feats that may only be taken at 1st level.

Child of Carnival [Trait]:
You have, either through birth or exposure, a strong connection with the Fæ, allowing you to do great things.
Prerequisites: You must be 1st level when this feat is selected.
Description: Select one Carnival class. You may use the powers of that class without being inside the aura of Carnival. When within an actual Carneval aura, you gain a +1 bonus on Attacks, Saves and Defence as you draw more power than you are used to from the Fæ environment.

Puppet Feats:

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Claim Chest [Puppet]:
With the approval of your sponsoring lord, you claim the chest of a defeated Professor sponsored by another lord and make it your own.
Prerequisites: Theatre Macabre [2]. Must have defeated a Professor and retrieved his chest. Service to your lord.
Description: You now possess an additional chest, which makes it easier to field multiple puppets. You can store this additional chest within your own while it is not in use. The presence of this chest makes it easier to use multiple puppets; you may control one additional puppet at a time, at a cost of 2 Flourishes. This is in addition to the puppets you may produce via Theatre Macabre. You are still bound by the limitation that only Innamorati and Guards may be duplicated.
Special: If you somehow manage to claim further chests, you may take this feat multiple times. Each time, increase the number of puppets you may field and the Flourish costs by 1 [you may still field smaller numbers for the previous costs, however].

Dragon [Puppet]:
You can create and control Dragon, one of the most powerful puppets imaginable.
Prerequisites: Phoenix, Giganti, Theatre Macabre [3], Perform (Puppetry) 10 ranks
Description: You can create a giant variant of the Phoenix puppet; Dragon. Doing so applies all of the normal effects of the Giganti feat and the puppet replaces its normal abilities with the following:

Dragon: The dragon, like many of the larger puppets, is based on religious sources. As such, the Dragon puppet has a variable number of heads, along with scales of shining gold, silver and purple. Its great wings beat idly as it plays of the wind. Dragon flies like Phoenix and has two secondary abilities. At least 3 puppets must be combined to form it, making its minimum size Large.

Primary Attack [Manybite]: Dragon makes one bite attack, dealing 1d6+Str +1d6 per additional puppet damage, per head that it possesses [and thus puppet in its construction]. These attacks must be directed at separate targets in range.
Secondary Ability [Fire-breath][3]: Dragon breaths one gout of fire per 2 puppets included in its construction. Each gout functions like a flame thrower, dealing 6d6 fire damage and possessing a range increment of 10ft.
Secondary Ability [Wind-wings][2]: Dragon beats its wings in one direction, creating a 20ft wide blast of Hurricane force wind that is 20ft long, +10ft per additional puppet.

Giganti (Giants) [Puppet]:
Truly large puppets are possibly under sufficient leverage. You have learned to create the great procession puppets of the Mysteries and can control their brutal force in battle.
Prerequisites: Theatre Macabre [2], Perform (Puppetry) 10 ranks
Description: You may summon forth giant versions of your known puppets by combining several puppets into one [by paying the normal costs for multiple puppets, Marionettes don't count and Innamorati count as one]. No more than three additional puppets may be added to the base in this way. The basic effects are as follows:

• The Puppet's size increases by 1 category per additional puppet.
• All of its attacks gain a +2 bonus to hit and have their damage dice increased by one size [in cases of multiple dice, increase the size of individual dice] per additional puppet.
• It suffers a -2 penalty to defence but has its hit points increased by 20 per additional puppet.
• Save DCs for their abilities are increased by +2 per additional puppet.
• The puppet's reach increases by +5ft per additional puppet.

In addition, each puppet undergoes specific thematic and rules changes, shown below:

1. Punch: The Troll. Punch becomes a fairytale monster of great strength.
2. Harlequin: The Ghost. Harlequin becomes a kite-like puppet of flapping black fabric and lashing trails. Most of the puppet is not solid and he is as difficult as ever to pin down. Slapstick causes knockdown if the damage dice rolls the maximum, minus the number of additional puppets [7 or 8 on 1d8 for 1 additional puppet, 8, 9 or 10 on 1d10 for 2 additional puppets, etc]. Harlequins dance functions as normal.
3. Columbine: The Siren. Columbine becomes a great, birdlike being topped with the head and torso of a beautiful woman, with a song that draws men to their doom. Siren is one of few puppets that function well against mechs. Her Acting Coy ability's range doubles for each additional puppet and targets move their full Shift distance per 5 points or part thereof they fail the save by.
4. Croccodillo: The Serpent. The crocodile becomes an enormous serpent, like the one that tempted Eve. Little changes, though it is more than likely going to sever limbs and grind foes to death with its abilities.
5. Scaramouche: The Champion. Scaramouche becomes a great armoured figure, bearing a shield carrying a motif of the Questing Beast and a shinning silver sword. His primary attack now deals 1d8+Dex damage, +1d8 per additional puppet and may be used to Sunder instead of Disarm. His secondary ability counts puppets incorporated into him, negating the Defence penalty and granting a further +2 bonus [plus any additional puppets in the field adding +2 bonuses].
6. Clown: The Devil. Clown turns into a great shifting monster with enormous bat wings, tusks and horns. His features still shift for optimum fear. Clown's strikes cause fear effects if their maximum -1 per additional puppet is rolled [5-6 on d6s for 1 additional puppet, 6-8 on d8s for 2 additional puppets etc].
7. The Soldier: The Ogre. When the soldier is enhanced, he becomes thick set and brutal looking, a nightmare of a knight on a great wooden horse. His attack now deals 1d8+professor level, +1d8 per additional puppet.
8. The Dog: The Barghest. A powerful puppet, the Barghest takes the form of a great rough cut black dog with fur like scales and mirrors mounted in its eyes. While its biite is fierce, its greatest danger is its ability to bowl over its foes.

To date, no-one has succeeded in creating giant versions of the Innamorati or the Vecchi puppets. Phoenix has an upgraded form called Dragon, but that is a distinct feat.

Phoenix [Puppet]:
You have learned the eastern tradition of formation kites and can control a beautiful bird on the wing.
Prerequisites: 2 puppets
Description: You gain the Phoenix puppet. Phoenis is unique in that it flies; it may move a total of 120ft to execute its attack and ignores most intervening objects. It is also Small, gaining a +1 bonus to Attack and Defence.
Phoenix: Rightly called Firebird, the Phoenix puppet is a construct of paper, feathers and wicker that flies lightly on the breeze, dipping and diving to amuse others. The puppet itself is as resilient as normal ones and is festooned with brilliant orange feathers.

Primary Attack [Fireseeds]: As it flies, the Phoenix drops small firecrackers that pose a phenomenal danger, of which is seems to have an infinite supply. At any two points in its movement, it may drop a fireseed into a square. Targets are attacked normally and those hit take 2d6 fire damage and must make a Reflex save against the damage or catch fire [1d6 per round, DC 15 Reflex extinguish].
Secondary Ability [Distracting Swoop][2]: When a character within 30ft of Phoenix makes an action, the puppet may be activated to swoop through their space. Phoenix makes an attack and if it hits, it deals no damage but the target loses their action.

Squirrel Hole [Puppet]:
Some Professors realise that the greatest weakness of their art is the danger it exposes them to. They learn to force their way into the Hedge through the small portal in their puppet and hide their while they conduct their battle.
Prerequisites: Professor, Skill Focus [Hide]
Description: At any point in a combat, the Professor may move into the square of either your current puppet or the chest puppet of a Theatre Macabre set and step into it. Doing so halves the number of Flourishes he remaining but he cannot be attacked while within the Hedge in this fashion.

The Professor is ejected to a square adjacent to the puppet when he chooses to leave the Hedge, the puppet he is hiding in is destroyed or he no longer has any Flourishes remaining.

Some Professors willingly accept the halving of their flourishes and the discomfort of being a mortal in the Hedge and remain so hidden constantly. Paranoia is a wonderful thing…

The Guard [Puppet]:
Some Professors favour numbers over complex characters. The two puppets of the Guard are easy to use and very resilient thanks to their hawthorn construction, rather than the neater, softer oak. The Soldier is strong and rough and the Dog makes life difficult for everyone.
Prerequisites: Punch [Pulcinella]
Description: You gain the Soldier and the Dog puppets. Each of these is made of hawthorn and thus has a Hardness of 12 and 60hp. These puppets are designed to be simple to use so they have only a single attack form and for every puppet that a Professor could normally use, he may employ two of these puppets. Drawing out each pair of these puppets costs 1 Flourish:

Soldier: The Soldier rarely makes much of an appearance, appearing to give news to Scaramouche, arrest Pantalone or drive off Pulcinella, but when he appears, he often arrives in force. He wears a breastplate and carries a mace, along with a mask bearing a broad moustacheo.

Attack: The Soldier strikes hard with his Mace, dealing 1d10 + Half Professor Level in damage. This attack has an x3 critical multiplier.

Dog: The Dog is usually featured as a joke character, stealing Punch's sausages but at times, he is a guard dog or a harrying hunter. The Dog is usually poorly painted and stylised to resemble a hunting hound.

Attack: Dog bites the target for 1d8+Dex damage. If it strikes a flanked or Flatfooded target, the target is knocked prone automatically.

Vecchi [Puppet]:
You have learned to create and control the powerful Vecchi [old men] puppets of Carnival, a deed that exacts its toll on your.
Prerequisites: Theatre Macabre [2]
Description: You gain access to the three following Vecchi puppets. When used, these puppets count as two puppets [necessitating the use of Theatre Macabre]:
Pantalone: The miser and schemer of the troupe, Pantalone was occasionally the employer of Clown but often went along with his schemes. As a Vecchi [old character] he had a mean looking mask and dressed as a Venician. Pantalone is armed with a whip of six cords and is notable as the sole user of poison in the collection.

Primary Attack [Scourge]: Pantalone's Scourge drips with poison and tears flesh mercilessly. the scourge deals 3d6 damage and any character wounded by it suffers 1d6 points of bleeding damage. Note the bleeding rolled; the character takes this much damage in each end phase. This can be halted by magical healing or a DC 15 Heal check.
Secondary Ability [Utterly Repulsive][2]: People are driven from Pantalone's cruelty and lack of people skills. This has an aura of effect of 10ft around Pantalone when activate. All characters in the aura are subject to a Bullrush with the puppet's roll being a Perform [Puppetry] check.

La Signora: The Lady is another of the Vacchio [Old ones], though she is not usually so old as the others. She is beautiful but past her years and overdressed to the point where peacocks blush. Her goals are satisfaction of her desires; comfort, jewels and sex and she will stop at nothing to assure these desires are met.

Primary Attack [Signora's Dance]: La Signora is a gifted dancer, flinging herself amongst her unsuspecting partners and twirling through rapid, complex turns. Her foes are cut to ribbons by blades amidst her dresses. La Signora attacks everything adjacent to her attacking position, as if she had Whirlwind Attack. Hits with her blades deal 2d6+Str damage as this is a taxing motion for the Professor to perform.
Secondary Ability [Yours is Mine][3]: As far as La Signora is concerned, the moment you meet, you're indebted to her. When activated, the puppet moves up to the target and attacks him with her fan. If the attack hits, the target is Dazed for one round and loses one item from his possession [odds, the Professor's choice; evens, whatever the target had in hand]. Should La Signora be destroyed or retracted by the Professor, this item is left where she last stood.

Mezzetino: [the Priest/Statesman]A classic example of a Vecchi character, Mezzetino is a washed up statesman in regal garb and usually found carrying a book which he holds close to his large nose to read. Alternatively, he may be a priest and a conspirator in marrying the Innamorati. Either way, he is deathly dull.

Primary Attack [Weight of Law]:On command, Mezzetino moves up and strikes his target hard with his big book. This is a distracting experience. This attack deals 1d8 points of Subdual damage. If he strikes a target that is Flanked or Flatfooted, and successfully deals damage, that target is Stunned for 1 round.
Secondary Ability [Drone][1]: Do not misunderstand what is ment when it is said that Mezzetino is boring. One of the common Lazzi is that when he speaks, all the other characters become unable to perceive him. When this ability is activated, Mezzetino becomes Invisible to all other characters until he attacks or he acts on the next turn. Using this is a Free action and the effect is Phantasmal and Sonic as it only affects those who can hear him.

Woden Cage [Puppet]:
Using a technique similar to the one needed to hide yourself in your puppet, you have devised a manner of using it to hold one of your foes in the Hedge, though make no effort to protect them from the Fæ there.
Prerequisites: Squirrel Hole, Skill Focus [Hide]
Description: Your puppets, Punch, Clown and Pantalone gain the following ability:

Tertiary Ability [Woden Cage][5]: The puppet's chest opens and gapes wide as you sweep it forward, trapping a target inside a cage within the Hedge. The target must make a Reflex save or be caught and trapped in the cage. Each round on their turn, trapped characters may attempt a DC 25 Strength check to break free; if they do so, they are deposited in the real world. While in the cage, characters suffer 1d6 damage from the foreign nature of the Hedge and may find themselves being attacked by fæ if they make noise. Puppets other than the capturing puppet [being made of fæ materials] may attack the contents of the cage by stabbing the swallowing puppet. They treat the target as Flatfooted. This deals no damage to the puppet.

Lion Dance [Carnival]:
You have learned the lion dance and the martial arts that it entails. Two men fighting as one in this way is dangerous indeed. The lion itself is a great papier mache head with a cloak like arrangement that houses two people and shows only their legs. The dance is of Chinese origin.
Prerequisites: Flurry of Blows
Description: Within Carnival, the already complex Lion Dance takes up new levels of symbiosis. When two characters with this feat don a lion costume, their hit points are combined into one pool and they effectively become one creature. The lower level monk takes the rear and cannot act, while the higher level monk takes the head and receives:

• +4 on Attack and Damage rolls when unarmed
• +4 Deflection bonus on Defence [Passive]
• +4 bonus on Grapple checks
• +4 Stability bonus to resist Bullrush, Overrun and Trip attempts.

The lion takes up space as a Large creature. A successful Trip or Bullrush breaks the partnership and splits the hp evenly between the two dancers.

This'll have to do for the moment, I have a couple of additional ones I'm working on, including combat Lion Dancing.

[Kallisti]

Hmmm...interesting. I'll read the feats in a moment, but for now: Beast Tamer.

I like a lot of what I see, especially the Carnival beasts, although the +20 ft. speed seems a little generous.

I'm not so sure about the Handle Animal rules for humans and monsters--skill-boosting is pretty easy, although without magic items it'll be easier to manage. I'd houserule the DCs up if I were transplanting this to 3.5e, though, but in MV they're probably too high. Also, I'm just not too sure about the rules...it's a tricky thing to nail down...if I were you, I'd raise the DCs, but give benefits on repeat checks to represent the slow domestication of what he's training, And I think the image of the tamer going to a caged prisoner each day, treating him like an animal to be tamed, and the poor victim slipping farther and farther until he really is just another animal and the Beast Tamer's beck and call fits the Cirque.

I'm not sure about the Crack of the Whip, either. At third level, the ability to keep people from coming within twenty feet is pretty huge. If I were you, I'd split the ability and put in Greater Crack of the Whip (probably with a better name...) at maybe eighth or so?

[Mulletmanalive]

the Carnival beast is open to mutation at the moment; it's based on a thing called Fay-bred i was given in a non-formatted state. I have no idea where it was scooped from.

I'll get around to posting the Animal creation kit in a bit, but the table is complicated and trying to post that now would drive me mad.

I'll have to do the maths again on the DCs. Psyche is Wisdom Score + Level + Int bonus + Cha bonus + save bonus against Fear so it scales and is usually around 16-20+level, given that Wisdom is the protective stat.

An average score in a +1/class level class is 10+double level. That's 3 basic ranks, +3 for Skill Focus and +4 for stats. If i went all out, i think i can make about 15+2.2*level.

Lessee, level 10, assuming an average PC, you're gunning for a DC of 50 to influence them.

So, i'd need about 15 levels to influence that on a 10. If i did the all out bit, i'd be able to get a +37 by 10th though... hmmm, thats a 13 roll. I still can't shake the feeling that it still isn't more powerful than using Suggestion on a 10th level fighter.

The greater crack the whip is a fine idea. I'll have a look at that. The 'breaking in' thing, i was planning to have as a high level feature anyway. I just haven't worked out how to do it.

[Kallisti]

the Carnival beast is open to mutation at the moment; it's based on a thing called Fay-bred i was given in a non-formatted state. I have no idea where it was scooped from.

I'll get around to posting the Animal creation kit in a bit, but the table is complicated and trying to post that now would drive me mad.

I'll have to do the maths again on the DCs. Psyche is Wisdom Score + Level + Int bonus + Cha bonus + save bonus against Fear so it scales and is usually around 16-20+level, given that Wisdom is the protective stat.

An average score in a +1/class level class is 10+double level. That's 3 basic ranks, +3 for Skill Focus and +4 for stats. If i went all out, i think i can make about 15+2.2*level.

Lessee, level 10, assuming an average PC, you're gunning for a DC of 50 to influence them.

So, i'd need about 15 levels to influence that on a 10. If i did the all out bit, i'd be able to get a +37 by 10th though... hmmm, thats a 13 roll. I still can't shake the feeling that it still isn't more powerful than using Suggestion on a 10th level fighter.

The greater crack the whip is a fine idea. I'll have a look at that. The 'breaking in' thing, i was planning to have as a high level feature anyway. I just haven't worked out how to do it.

Sounds good. I wasn't sure how Psyche score was generated, but with a stat as a base and two others adding their modifiers, even without magic items that could get really high. You don't want it to be easy, but if it's too hard to be useful people actively resent getting a useless ability. I know that a lot of people I game with are happier with levels that grant no ability at all than those that grant a useless ability. After all, all you can do is get them to perform some tricks. You can get Attack and Defend that way, so you could force someone to attack their friends for a round or two, but it eats up your actions (Full action to push, right?) and isn't much more than you'd get with an enchantment spell.

[Mulletmanalive]

You should see the Psyche scores that you can end up with if a character has a Victoria Cross...

One guy managed VC/Double Bar due to ridiculous bravery in game [held up an entire mech squadron alone, Stormed a heavy mech alone, boarded and successfully held up a battleship alone]. +7 Psyche.

You reckon that a 13+ success if you use most of your feats to get it is balanced?

I've been trying to think of Beast feats to augment the whole beastly teamwork thing but i had assumed that there would be Animal Companion based ones to work with and i can't find any... It would certainly be more attractive than wasting time with boosting your Handle Animal ever higher...

[Kallisti]

I think success should be around thirteen to fifteen normally. If you burn a bunch of feats to get there, you should probably have a much better rate.

And, EDIT: Just read the feats. I like it, although the Vecchi are pretty expensive. If I were you, I might upgrade Pantalone, since he looks pretty much the same as he did when he was a regular puppet, only now he eats two slots. La Signora I like, and Pierrot is pretty cool too, although the main ability is a little weak for a two-slot puppet, especially since you won't be able to make use of the flanking with other puppets until you have Theatre Macabre [3]. Firebird is really awesome, though, and I like the Giganti. the Squirrel Hole feat I'd be careful with, since it lets you hide in a box outside of sombat, but then again, the price is that you're in the Hedge, which is probably a little dangerous in its own right.

[Mulletmanalive]

this is a 10th level example. It'd probably be roughly automatic at 20th against a medal free target.

well, if you burn feats.

[Kallisti]

Well, that's a problem. It's too hard at lower levels and too easy at higher ones. If I were you, I'd lower the base penalty to the roll, then add to it based on the target's level/HD. Also, I notice that the Professor has some unattractive dead levels. Would bonus Puppet feats work, or would that be too much? The professor has a lot of good stuff, but the flourishes/encounter are low enough that they can't just unload with all of it.

[Mulletmanalive]

right, beast tamer's maths needs a check. i'll have a fiddle untill an unoptomised character can affect monsters half chance at 8th ish, and humanoids at 15th ish.

I didn't upgrade Pantalone because i thought he was around Clown's power level. I then tried to make the other two about the same power level [still the goal] and then charged 2 puppets for them so that they COULD be had at low levels but were more use at higher. If they're not around the same power, if in different situations, they'll need looking at. If La Signora is too powerful, as i'm beginning to worry, i think that's the problem.

I was anticipating Pierot being more useful when teamed with Columbine anyway...

I assumed that reducing yourself to half-1 of your current flourishes would be a reasonable price for the hidy-hole thing...

[Kallisti]

right, beast tamer's maths needs a check. i'll have a fiddle untill an unoptomised character can affect monsters half chance at 8th ish, and humanoids at 15th ish.

I didn't upgrade Pantalone because i thought he was around Clown's power level. I then tried to make the other two about the same power level [still the goal] and then charged 2 puppets for them so that they COULD be had at low levels but were more use at higher. If they're not around the same power, if in different situations, they'll need looking at. If La Signora is too powerful, as i'm beginning to worry, i think that's the problem.

I was anticipating Pierot being more useful when teamed with Columbine anyway...

I assumed that reducing yourself to half-1 of your current flourishes would be a reasonable price for the hidy-hole thing...

My problem with the Squirrel Hole isn't the cost, it's that if you do it out of combat you're hidden indefinitely until you get into a fight, which seems like it has a lot of unintended uses...

As for Pierrot, I'm not arguing that he's too weak necessarily, but that it feels like he won't be the most useful until you have three puppet slots.

I think La Signora is at about the right power level, since it costs two slots to deploy her. She doesn't do as much pure damage as Punch and Harlequin would, or maybe Punch and the Innamorati, or even two pairs of Innamorati, but she makes up for it by being able to hit a lot of people at once, and having a fairly powerful, but not overbalanced, secondary. Although if I were you, I'd specify how the lost item is chosen.

In other news, my Professor in the game I mentioned to you just challenged a bunch of burly half-orcs to a duel. My current plan runs Theatre Macabre->The Guards (Deploy four hounds)->Giganti->Giant Cerberus->Kill half-orcs. It'll only leave me a few flourishes, but whatever. The main is powerful enough. Although I might deploy La Signiora instead if they all jump me at once rather than having their strongest man duel me like I challenged them to. After all, they're half-or mercenaries. Dirty fighting seems more likely...

[Mulletmanalive]

Well, you'd be hidden away happily but the puppet's still there. What uses are you thinking of, given that if you stuck with the Professor, you can't get another way of Tweening and would be stuck in the Hedge?

I'll probably look at Pierot as a bonus for high levels [how often have you heard of people using the Momentum Swing ability from the Brute Fighter tactical feat before 11th level?] That and his mere presence makes a Spy, Assassin or Thug into a terrible danger.

For the Half Orcs, that sounds like a solid plan. Hardness 12 and 120hp is a tough order for them and Cerberus is pretty dangerous. Then again, so is The Troll...Or most of the features of the class. :P

[Kallisti]

Well, none of them seem to have ranged weapons, so I'm considering just deploying Phoenix twice and laughing at them as they try to catch them, but if they have magic weapons (which they might...) then being incorporeal won't save me entirely if they come after me directly, in which case I'd be very glad of a big nasty Cerberus for my Interpose rather than a poor fragile Phoenix.

I could go Phoenix+Harlequin or the Innamorati, though. One think I have to bear in mind is that there are several people watching, many of whom I'd like to impress, so the big, showy Phoenix would be a plus. Then again, Cerberus is pretty impressive to behold, too...

[Mulletmanalive]

Phoenix is only small so it wouldn't be that Impressive and it can't be upgraded by Giganti. Might be best to go for Cerberus and keep your other abilities hidden for the time being.

Less they know about you, the more advantage you have.

Summon frikkin huge dog = impressive/14th odd level mage

[Kallisti]

Well, the phoenix may be small, but it's very showy. A red-and gold paper kite-bird, flying around dropping firecrackers? But I'm going with Cerberus if they all attack me at once, and either Cerberus or the Ogre if they don't. I can't bite one target with all of Cerberus' heads at once, and I think the Ogre gets better damage. He gets 4d8, Cerberus gets 2d8. Although Cerberus is just plain cooler, which does count.

[Owrtho]

I like the looks of the new puppet feats. There were a few odd things though. The on the Vecchi, you said "Pantalone's Scourge drips with poison and tears flesh mercilessly. the scourge deals 3d6 damage and any character wounded by it suffers 1d6 points of bleeding damage. Note the amount rolled, the character takes this much damage in each end phase. This can be halted by magical healing or a DC 15 Heal check.", but which ammount to note is not clear. Also, the Child of Carnival seems too powerful. I feel like it should be more along the line of you can act as if in the carnival x number of rounds y times per day. With the variables based on your carnival class level.

Also, I can't help but think of Karakuri Circus when I think of the Professor.

Owrtho

[Mulletmanalive]

Right, well, it's noting the amount of bleeding damage suffered: I'll change that so that it's clearer.

I've found poison as it works in D&D a waste of space. It's difficult to work out, common as muck and everyone forgets about it because it affects something from which other values are derrived but doesn't effect the front/rolled values.

So i changed it. No save, ongoing effects. can be ended with therapy or a Fort save when your body has had time to metabolise it.

The idea behind Child of Carnival was to allow players to play these classes [should they wish to] while paying a price for it, i.e. losing a feat that could be otherwise spent on something. Your suggestion makes that not work. The secondary bit was simply intended to give a small advantage to the self sufficient when facing a true Carnival.

That and I don't use per day things, just in general.

[readsaboutd&d]

"Le théatre souillé" seems a bit off. Its good and showy but with one of its abilities up to the dm (demoralisation), once per adventure is ridiculous. The monk's ample step is hated for being 1/week so an ability usable once seems slightely...

[Mulletmanalive]

"Le théatre souillé" seems a bit off. Its good and showy but with one of its abilities up to the dm (demoralisation), once per adventure is ridiculous. The monk's ample step is hated for being 1/week so an ability usable once seems slightely...

Technically, a booing crowd DOES have a stated morale effect in MV [the revised d20 system that i'm working in] and also in D&D for that matter, assuming that the GM has CW [there's a section on Gladatorial combat at the back]. Effectively, here it makes it easier to succeed on Manipulation, Bluff and Intimidate checks against the target. By 5 for a hostile crowd in a Social Conflict...

Plus, you get 3-4 puppets without spending Flourishes. The set dressing is really just an advantage for the creative...

The per Adventure thing is linked to a) my dislike of 1/day abilities [i don't think they make sense and i've long since become sick of players griping when i won't let them rest in what's supposed to be a chase sequence] and b) because the original states "Once per Mission" which is how encounters are strung together in MV.

If you can think of a better way of wording it, i'm all ears, but i'm not making it more powerful.

Side Note: After a comment about 'dead levels' in the Professor [they really aren't, but i digress] i've been working on a few minor and useful but not powerful add ons for the class [bonus feats would lead to all Professors being samy...].

So far, i have a sort of puppet-toy thing that can be used a bit like Mage Hand, the ability to see through they eyes of your puppets and one that makes puppets able to move silently. Perhaps one that allows puppets to be disguised [or would that be better as a feat?]?

Anyone got any other ideas?

[Kallisti]

Maybe a jack-in-the-box that lets you get puppets cheaper, the price being that they pretty much can't move? I kind of like the idea of a Pantalone-in-the-box, or a Pierrot-in-the-box.

[Mulletmanalive]

I'm nt sure what i'd charge for the privelage but the idea of puppet based traps is damn appealling.

As optimisation monkey playtester, do you think i should remove the Ogre and Cerberus options from Giganti or turn it into a distinct upgrade feat. I'm worried that they overshadow the others...

[Kallisti]

I'm nt sure what i'd charge for the privelage but the idea of puppet based traps is damn appealling.

As optimisation monkey playtester, do you think i should remove the Ogre and Cerberus options from Giganti or turn it into a distinct upgrade feat. I'm worried that they overshadow the others...

Hmmm...as-is, Cerberus is basically the Troll, only better. The Ogre's not so bad, because he doesn't really have any special powers other than being a Giganti, but Cerberus gets the triple bite. I think some of the normal puppet-turned-Giganti like the Siren need a boost, but Cerberus should definitely be nerfed. Maybe replace Cerberus with some other giant hound. I just don't think it's a good idea to give the Guards extra special abilities on top of them being the Guard Giganti.

[Mulletmanalive]

Can you think of another giant hound? I'm stumped...

His tripping bite should be enough on the upgraded hound, you're right.

What change would you have me make to Siren [or others], they already have +2 to hit, increased damage and +2 to save DCs per additional puppet used.

I think it'll be worth capping the additional puppets at 3, stop things going into the numeral Colossals while i'm at it.

[Kallisti]

Hmmmm...a giant mythic hound other than Cerberus? Maybe the Hounds of Hell or the Wild Hunt.

And the reason I said that maybe some of the other Giganti needed upgraded was that the benefits primarily help the physical warrior puppets, even with the DC bonuses. It just feels like it'd almost always be better to pick, say, the Troll or the Ogre than the Siren.

[Mulletmanalive]

Barghest. Only recognisably named dog critter in Wikipedia.

Right, changes made. Anything to add before i start trying to figure out how to word Little Hans?

Edit: I'll have a look. The retardedly powerful one in the lineup is actually the Serpent. I'm wondering what i could do with the Siren, maybe luring mechs in. It's characterful...[plus, can you imagine the look on a GM's face the one time you manage to bring a ship onto the rocks with it?]

Ok, Little Hans is in play. Woo for ranged Disable Device/turning keys on the other side of locked doors...

Which out of Puppets able to sneak and puppets whose eyes you can see through should be at 6th and 8th?

[Mulletmanalive]

Animals:
Because of the Beast Master, I need to illustrate how i've been going about monsters. MV uses a "simple" system of critter kits to put things together. I'll try to explain.

Creature Kits:
In MV, all creatures that do not have class levels are built from monster "classes" called Kits. Each Kit comes with basic stats for the creature based on its size and a level based table.

Each table has the basic components of a creature, the Attack, Defence and Saves. These tables also include the number of Feats that a creature has and two other enteries; Quirks and Upgrades.

Quirks are minor benefits that influence the creature's abilities: they may be boosts to stats, defences, movement modes or minor powers. Some are more powerful than others but they should all have roughtly comparable game effects.

Upgrades are more significant, including such things as Spell-like abilities, Improved Grab and the frankly terrifying Constrict.

Calculating Threat and Common Sense:

Spoiler

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The most important thing to remember here is that this is a GM's toolkit. This fundamentally cannot be abused or broken. If you think that a combination is too powerful for something of it's level, increase the CR of the creature by one or two points.

In general, by MV logic, a creature has a Combat Rating equal to their Base Attack bonus. This is obviously not the case with D&D monsters. However, if you wish to use MV Creatures in D&D, simply assume that 4 creatures on the MV scale are worth about their CR+2 in D&D ECL.

The Table:

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{table=head]Level|BAB|Fort|Ref|Will|Defence|Feats|Quirks|Upgrades

1|

+0

|

+2

|

+2

|

+0

|

+0

|

1

|

2

|

0

2|

+1

|

+3

|

+3

|

+1

|

+1

|

1

|

3

|

0

3|

+2

|

+3

|

+3

|

+1

|

+2

|

2

|

3

|

1

4|

+3

|

+4

|

+4

|

+2

|

+3

|

2

|

4

|

1

5|

+3

|

+4

|

+4

|

+2

|

+3

|

2

|

4

|

1

6|

+4

|

+5

|

+5

|

+3

|

+4

|

3

|

5

|

2

7|

+5

|

+5

|

+5

|

+3

|

+5

|

3

|

5

|

2

8|

+6

|

+6

|

+6

|

+4

|

+6

|

3

|

6

|

2

9|

+6

|

+6

|

+6

|

+4

|

+6

|

4

|

6

|

3

10|

+7

|

+7

|

+7

|

+5

|

+7

|

4

|

7

|

3

11|

+8

|

+7

|

+7

|

+5

|

+8

|

4

|

7

|

3

12|

+9

|

+8

|

+8

|

+6

|

+9

|

5

|

8

|

4

13|

+9

|

+8

|

+8

|

+6

|

+9

|

5

|

8

|

4

14|

+10

|

+9

|

+9

|

+7

|

+10

|

5

|

9

|

4

15|

+11

|

+9

|

+9

|

+7

|

+11

|

6

|

9

|

5

16|

+12

|

+10

|

+10

|

+8

|

+12

|

6

|

10

|

5

17|

+12

|

+10

|

+10

|

+8

|

+12

|

6

|

10

|

5

18|

+13

|

+11

|

+11

|

+9

|

+13

|

7

|

11

|

6

19|

+14

|

+11

|

+11

|

+9

|

+14

|

7

|

11

|

6

20|

+15

|

+12

|

+12

|

+10

|

+15

|

7

|

12

|

6

[/table]

{table=head] Size:|Hit Dice| Strength| Dexterity |Constitution |Claw/Slam |_Bite_ |Tentacle

Fine |

Special

|

1/-5

|

24/+7

|

1/-5

|

1

|

1d2

|

-

Diminunative|

Special

|

2/-4

|

20/+5

|

2/-4

|

1d2

|

1d3

|

1

Tiny|

1

|

6/-2

|

16/+3

|

6/-2

|

1d3

|

1d4

|

1d2

Small|

1-3

|

8/-1

|

12/+1

|

8/-1

|

1d4

|

1d6

|

1d3

Medium|

2-7

|

10

|

8/-1

|

10

|

1d6

|

1d8

|

1d4

Large|

4-11

|

14/+2

|

6/-2

|

14/+2

|

1d8

|

2d6

|

1d6

Huge |

8-15

|

18/+4

|

4/-3

|

18/+4

|

2d6

|

3d6

|

1d8

Gargantuan|

12-20

|

22/+6

|

4/-3

|

22/+6

|

3d6

|

4d6

|

2d6

Colossal|

16-20

|

26/+8

|

2/-4

|

26/+8

|

4d6

|

6d6

|

3d6

[/table]

Animal Basics:

Spoiler

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Hit Dice: d8
Skills: 2
Attacks: Claws OR Bite
Intelligence: 1-6
Wisdom: 10-14
Charisma: 4
Base Speed: 40ft

Size Matters: Animals use their Con modifier on all Will saving throws.

Quirks:

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Basic:
Simple modifications that increase the basic mental and combat abilities of the creature are included here.

1. Agile: The creature gains the Agile ability [Swift to add Dex to defence as a Dodge bonus] and gains a +2 bonus to Dexterity. Every second application of this Quirk adds a +4 bonus instead.
2. Armoured: The creature has tougher armour than one might expect. The unit's Hardness increases by 2. This applies to both Full and Substantial hardness, varying with type.
3. Cunning: The beast's mind is faster and more adaptable than one might expect, gaining a +2 increase to its Intelligence score. Every second application of this Quirk adds a +4 bonus instead.
4. Fast: The construct moves faster than normal, gaining +10ft to one of its movement speeds. Combined with Quadruped, this grants a +20ft bonus to ground movement.
5. Feats: The creature gains a bonus feat. It doesn't need to meet the prerequisites of the feat but usually will anyway [they do tend to stack well].
6. Focused: The personality of the creature is far more potent than average, granting a +2 Charisma. Every second application of this Quirk adds a +4 bonus instead.
7. Hunter: The beasty is very able to find its prey. It gains the Track feat as a bonus feat and a +2 bonus on all Perception checks.
8. Large: The creature is a size category larger than normal for its hit dice. If taken above Colossal, the creature enters the numeral Colossals, adding +4 to Str and Con, -2 to Dex [minimum 0] and increases the dice size of the attacks by one. If you feel it necessary to enter the City-Mech scale classifications, the creature is so large that natural 1's do not count as automatic misses against it.
9. Perceptive: The creature's ability to perceive the world is better than normal, granting it +2 Wisdom. Every second application of this Quirk adds a +4 bonus instead.
10. Quadruped: The creature moves rapidly on all fours. This doubles the creature's weight limits but also alters the effects of certain other Quirks. A creature need not have this ability to have four legs, merely to gain the benefits.
11. Powerful: Better enchantments or more muscles grant the creature improved brute forces and a +2 bonus to Strength. Every second application of this Quirk adds a +4 bonus instead.
12. Resilient: The beast is a good deal more able to take punishment, suffering painful but not debilitating wounds far more often than others. The creature's Constitution score is increased by +2. In addition, the beast gains a +1 bonus on Fortitude saves above the norm. Every second application of this Quirk adds a +4 bonus to Constitution and a +2 bonus to Fortitude saves instead.
13. Sense Package: The creature gains up to three of the following sense modes; they may be taken multiple times, stacking ranges or bonuses arithmetically:
    
    • Blindsense [10ft]: The creature can sense the presence of enemies within the range automatically.
    • Blindsight [20ft]: The creature uses sonar or some form of ESP to detect its enemies and perceive its surroundings. It must still make spot and listen checks against concealed targets.
    • Infravision [30ft]: The creature can see in black and white out to the stated range, even in complete darkness. This has no benefit in magical darkness of any kind.
    • Low Light Vision: The creature can see twice as far in poor lighting compared to a human.
    • Scent: The creature has an extra sense with a range of 30ft and gains the Track feat for free. Tracking is considered a perception effect.
    • Thermovision: The creature can detect heat signatures. This functions like normal vision, trying to locate candles in the dark.
    • Ultravision: A mostly cosmetic benefit, the creature can see in the ultraviolet spectrum. This allows the creature to ignore the vision effects of overcast days.
14. Stealthy: Blending in slightly with the surroundings, often by unnatural means, the creature is hard to detect. It gains a +4 bonus on Hide and Move Silently checks, to a maximum of twice its HD.

Attack Modifications:
These Quirks add additional attacks to the repertoire of the creature. In general, creatures come with at least one natural attack based on their type; these abilities add either new types of attack to the creature or add abilities to their existing attack forms.

1. Augment Critical: The critical effects of the creature's attacks are far more dangerous than normal. Increase either the Threat range of one attack by +2 or the Multiplier of the attack by +1.
2. Bite: The creature gains a bite attack, if it doesn't already have one. If it does, each application of this Quirk increases the attack damage by one dice size or the critical Threat range of the attack by +1
3. Claws: If it does not already have them, the creature gains Claw attacks with damage as noted for their size. This Quirk can be taken multiple times. Each time it is taken, the claws either increase in dice size or increase their Threat range by +1.
4. Energy Strike: The creature's primary attack deals an additional 1d6 energy carrier damage. If the creature has an energy subtype, the damage matches this. Otherwise, you may choose the type it deals.
5. Extra Limbs: The creature has more limbs than normal granting it additional attacks. Purchases of this ability grants increasing numbers of twice the additional limbs of the previous link [1, 2, 4, 8 etc]. No creature may direct more than 5 attacks at a single target. This ability can be used to add an offensive tail.
6. Favoured Prey: A creature with this ability gains the Favoured Enemy feature, directed at a specific species. This is often merely flavoursome, as few creatures specifically hunt humans or mechs.
7. Gore: The creature replaces its bite attack with horns or tusks that can be used rather like a lance on the charge. The attack deals normal bite damage and deals double damage on a charge. Multiple selections of this Quirk adds to the charge damage multiplier.
8. Harry: The creature is an especially gifted employer of wolfpack style tactics. Whenever this creature successfully flanks a foe, all other creatures that attack the target in melee also count as flanking.
9. Pounce: The creature gains the lethal pounce of lion or tiger. It may make a Full attack when they make a Charge attack. If combined with the Quadruped Quirk, the creature gains the Rake special ability [two claw attacks usable in a pounce or grapple].
10. Quills: The spines on the creature deal 1d4 damage to anyone that attacks it with a natural attack or grapples the creature. Additional selections either increase the dice size or increase the reach to effect include attacks with melee weapons.
11. Rage: The creature can enter a Rage, similar to that of a Brute. The creature adds +4 to Strength and Constitution, -2 on AC and a +2 on Will saves. The rage lasts for 3+enhanced Con bonus rounds and leaves the creature with a -1 penalty on most things once it expires.
12. Rend: The creature uses its claws to grip and tear the flesh of their opponents. When two or more claw attacks hit the target in a single action, the damage of these attacks are added together for the purposes of Hardness and Massive Damage.
13. Skirmish: The creature is very dangerous in mobile combat. It gains a Skirmish bonus of +1d6/+1 for each time that it selects this Quirk.
14. Sneak Attack: The creature gains +1d6 Sneak attack as the Spy/Thug special ability.
15. Tentacles: One or more of the creature's natural weapons is replaced with tentacles. The net effect of this is to reduce the dice size of the attack by one and grant the Natural Reach quality to the attacks.
16. Trip: When attacking a foe that is Flatfooted or the creature flanks, the target is knocked prone if the attack hits.

Defences:
These Quirks add to the defences of the creature.

1. Alternate Form: The creature has a second shape it can adopt. If a creature is humanoid in one form, that is the form that is bought with this upgrade. The creature's Ability scores and size category remain the same in both forms, most powers apply in one form only unless you buy a second copy of this ability [a spider with a human form would need to spend two Quirks to be able to climb and spin webs in human form]. Changing shape is a Standard action.
2. Camouflage: In one specified kind of terrain, the creature can hide without concealment.
3. Concealment: The creature has a shroud of mists, shadows or something even more exotic that grants them concealment for purposes of incoming attacks. It combines with similar atmospheric effects, improving the concealment grade by one.
4. Deflection: The creature has an intangible barrier around it, protecting it from attack. It gains a +2 Deflection bonus on defence.
5. Evasion: When the creature is attacked with an attack form that grants a Reflex save for half damage, a successful save negates the damage entirely.
6. Evasion, Improved: When subject to an effect that has a Reflex save for half damage, the character always suffers half damage if it fails the save [this is usually combined with Evasion, but not necessarily].
7. Fear: The creature is monstrous enough to scare even veteran soldiers. When the creature first does something to make its presence felt, all enemies within 30ft must make a Will save with a DC equal to the creature's HD + size bonus, or become shaken.
8. Intrinsic Damage Reduction: For reasons not included in the creature's type, it has a great resistance to attacks from anything other than specific weaknesses. This DR is equal to 10 per 5 HD of the creature. The Antigen needed to penetrate it must be semi-common, but not necessarily obvious, such as wood or slashing damage. This Upgrade could be taken a second time, doubling the DR and making the Antigen very rare, possibly even unique, but all wounds with the antigen are automatic critical hits.
9. Parry: The creature's limbs are like steel and can be used to block attacks like a shield. Taking this multiple times grants additional uses each round at the different defence penalties [1, 2, 4, 8 etc parries at -0, -5 etc penalty]. Obviously, a creature must have sufficient limbs to produce these parry effects.
10. Resistances: The creature gains 10 points of resistances, split up as you wish.
11. Uncanny Dodge: The creature's reflexes and instincts are excellent. It retains its active bonus to defence when Flatfooted or surprised but the normal consequences of these conditions still apply.
12. Uncanny Dodge, Improved: The creature cannot be flanked.
13. Webs: The creature can create webs as a defence mechanism. This fills four 10ftx10ft squares per HD of the creature with effects equivalent to the Web spell, as long as the creature has had at least one hour to prepare its lair.

Movement Modes:
A lot of the advantages available to a creature are based on their ability to gain positioning on their opponents. Each of these abilities grants a movement ability; these all interact independently with the Fast quirk. Two uses of the quirk could be used to enhance all of the movement modes of a creature by one step.

1. Aquatic: The creature can breath underwater as well as it could in air. It may not seem like a movement mode but it's a pretty useful way of getting around, even if you're not a strong swimmer. Creatures that don't breath don't need this upgrade.
2. Burrower: The creature can cut through earth and rock with ease, granting it a Burrowing speed of 10ft.
3. Climb: Agile as a monkey or a spider, the creature can climb with incredible grace, granting a Climb speed of ½ their base movement. The creature gains a +8 racial bonus on Climb checks and may take 10 on all Climb checks, even if threatened or under stress.
4. Fly: The Creature has wings, gas sacks or some other means of getting airborne, granting them a Fly speed of twice their base movement. Small creatures have Good manoeuvrability, reduced by one grade per size above Small. Applications of Fast either increase the speed by 20ft or the speed by 10ft and improves the creatures manoeuvrability by one grade [maximum of +2]
5. Swim: The creature is a swift and able swimmer, having a Swim speed equal to its land speed. A fish like creature can replace its land movement with this for free. This doesn't directly grant the [aquatic] subtype.

Upgrades:

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An Upgrade is more powerful than a Quirk, often significantly so. In general, they are available in a very finite progression, though in the case of certain classes, they may come from other sources such as the skill of the builder for constructs or the age of a spirit.

1. Breath Weapon: The creature has a spray shaped attack of some kind, often a breath weapon such as fire breathing. The attack is a flame thrower or steam breather type attack [choice at creation] that deals a damage type of your choice. Normally, a breath weapon deals 1d6 damage per 2HD of the creature and a range of 10ft, though a more powerful one can be created by adding quirks to increase the dice size by one or the range by 10ft. 2d6 can be traded for 1d8 if you prefer [it makes quirk effects greater at higher levels]. The breath weapon is usable once every 1d4 rounds.
2. Compact: The creature is smaller than normal for its hit dice by one size. This may not seem like a worthy investment but it can make a big difference to combats including mech, especially where lines of sight are limited. The creature loses its statistic adjustments for size.
3. Constrict: The creature deals damage equal to the base claw damage for its size each and every time that it wins a Grapple check. Quirks may be spent to increase this damage.
4. Displacement: The creature appears to be somewhere else within about 5ft of its actual location. This grants them Total Concealment and requires the attacker to guess at the actual location of the creature as if it were Invisible. Sounds originate in the image. Once the creature is found, the Concealment drops to normal Concealment until the creature moves again.
5. Double Enhancement: A simple Upgrade, this grants two copies of a Quirk
6. Energy Attack: The creature gains an "At Will" ability that deals 1d6 per two levels of the creature as a Charisma or Constitution based Use Occult effect. This attack deals Fire or Cold damage as a basic. One quirk buys Acid, Lightning or Poison damage and two buys Sonic or Necrotic.
7. Energy Aura: The creature is surrounded by a nimbus of fire, a constant snow flurry or crackling lightning field. The field deals automatic, armour piercing damage to everything in the aura equal to a dice of half the creature's HD [level 2 = 1, level 4 = 1d2 etc].
8. Fast Healing: The creature gains Fast Healing 1. Quirks may be used to increase this in a 2, 5, 10, 15, etc progression. Fast healing cannot raise a creature above its current damage threshold.
9. Foresight: The creature treats all attacks made against it as 'Reflex half' effects, with a DC equal to the attack roll.
10. Hide in Plain Sight: Similar to Camouflage, the creature can hide without concealment as long as it is within 10ft of a shadow, including hiding in other people's shadows. It cannot hide in its own shadow.
11. Impossible Blow: The creature hits really hard and without finesse. When attacking a creature smaller than itself, it takes a further -2 size penalty on the attack roll but treats any successful attack as a Bullrush with a dice roll equal to the attack's d20. It doesn't follow the target as it moves and the target must make a Reflex save or Tumble check, DC equal to the damage of the attack, or fall prone.
12. Improved Grab: The creature gains the Improved Grab ability, allowing them to begin a grapple as a free action when they hit with both claw/slam attacks; no roll is required to begin the grapple. The consequences apply as normal. If the construct has a bite, it may use that to initiate a grapple instead. If combined with the Quadruped Adaptation, the creature gains the Rake ability for free. If combined with Tentacles, only one tentacle strike is needed to begin the grapple.
13. Invocation: The creature gains a number of invocations with a total effective spell level equal to the creature's HD.
14. Potent Venom: The creature's venom gains a secondary effect. The save against this is equal to the damage dealt by the attack plus 10. standard effects include:
    
    • Additional Damage: The creature takes additional damage equal to the margin the save was failed by.
    • Hallucinations: The character automatically fails all perception checks and becomes Shaken. Lasts for 10 minutes, at which point the character may make another save.
    • Neurotoxin: The poison directly attacks the nerves of the target, producing swelling and intense pain. The Victim takes 1d6 Subdual damage each round and must make a DC 10 + ½ HD + Con Fortitude save or be Nauseated with pain. Success on 2 consecutive saves ends the effect.
    • Paralysis: A common poison type, the character becomes stunned. They must save every round. If they pass three in a row, the effect ends, should they fail three in a row, they become paralysed.
15. Powers of the Mind: The creature has the Talent feat as a bonus feat. For each copy of this Upgrade possessed by the creature, it gains one Psionic feat and two Powers of your choice.
16. Regeneration: The creature gains the Regeneration special ability, healing 5 points of damage per round per five HD of the creature. This assumes that the creature has at least one relatively common antigen [Fire for example]. The regeneration rate can be reduced by 5 [to a minimum of 1] to have a less common antigen [silver or cold iron]. Incredibly rare antigens reduce the regeneration rate by 10 [minimum base of 10, reduced to 1] [specific items or unlikely seeming chemicals]. Regeneration can raise a creature above its current threshold but doesn't function for one round if the creature is wounded with its antigen.
17. Shroud: The creature has the ability to seem like something it is not. Its effective size is reduced by up to one for purposes of fitting into areas and it has a permanent Disguise Self effect making it look like one specific individual. This is found with ogres looking like men, bargests looking like wolves and ghosts pretending to be shadows.
18. Spell Power: The creature has a mystical ability that it can use in combat. The actual explanation of this varies widely but grants the creature an "at will" ability with a spell level equal to ¼ of the creature's HD, rounded down, to a minimum of level 0. The ability can be traded for two powers of one level lower than the maximum.
19. Swallow Whole: While the creature has an opponent grappled, it can attempt to swallow the victim. Doing this requires a successful grapple check. A swallowed creature suffers 1d6 damage plus 1d6 per four HD and 1 point of acid damage per 2 HD. Cutting your way free from a creature requires you to be able to deal damage equal to the creature's Constitution to the creature's gut [which has an AC of 10, but you count as squeezing].

And that's how you build an Animal for MV. This particular kit is one that i've used before without issue. You'll have to excuse the fact that a lot of the Quirks and Upgrades are somewhat "Generic Fantasy" in nature, but I just scooped the entire General Modifications section out of my notes.

Now all i have to do is sort out the Carnival Beast template so that potential Beast Tamers have some critters to boss around. [Phew that took some effort...]

[Mulletmanalive]

Okay, here's the deal.

While both pondering the Beast Tamer and the glaring dead levels on the Professor [17th and 19th], i came up with a couple of things. The first is a pair of additional puppets [both of which i've seen in either Punch and Judy or ballet]; the issue here is that one of them is actually a Vecchi and i'm considering swapping him out for Pierot and putting the hapless lover into the main lineup after clown [where he won't show up often but will serve a little better; he unlike the other Vecchi puppets doesn't do so well alone]

The second thing is that while i have a strong idea for the Beast Tamer Capstone, i'm not sure how to word it.

Hence, here i present what i have and hope that folks can offer opinions:

Beast Tamer Feature:

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The Wild Hunt [Su]:Should they reach 20th level, Beast Tamers have come closer to the wild forces of the world and become more akin to superstition than any other member of the Carnival. Perhaps this is why the Lords treat them unequivocally as one of their own. The Beast Tamer does not actually become a fæ but is elevated to the status of Lord of the Hunt. He becomes a Lord of Mournful Laughter for voting purposes and once each year, he may declare the Wild Hunt.
When the Hunt is Declared, ten Hounds of the Wild Hunt emerge from the nearest suitable Tweens on the tail of a thick bank of Obscuring Mist and serve the whims of the Beast Master for three days and three nights before returning from wenst they came. Hounds of the Wild Hunt know all the Tricks in the book and can be handled as a Free action, so they effectively act independently of the Beast Tamer.

Hounds of the Wild Hunt:
The wild hunt is an old legend, something that occurs before thunder storms as the sea mists or the densest fogs rolls through the valleys. A Hound of the Wild Hunt is a beast similar to a wolf that stands almost 12 feet at the shoulder and has a mass comparable to a rhino. Their fur has a bark like texture and turns aside blades and bullets as easily as the others. Their howl is terrifying in an extreme and their slather glows a ghostly green, infecting the fog that forms around them.

Huge Fæ Carnival Beast Animal 16 CR 14
Init: + , Senses: Listen + 23 , Spot +23, Infravision 120ft, Scent 60ft
Languages: understands all
Defence: 28 [-2 Size, -3 Wis, +5 Deflection, +12 Class] Flatfooted: 13 , +2 Passive if moved 10ft+
Damage Reduction: 16/Natural materials
HD: 16d8+160+30 Hp: 262, Regeneration 10 [Cold Iron]
Massive Damage: 30
Thresholds: Green, [ 131 ] Yellow, [ 65 ] Orange, [ 26 ] Red
Resist: Size Matters [Con on Will saves]
Fort: + 23 Reflex: + 9 Will: + 18 Psyche: 27
Speed: 100ft, 200ft in Hedge
Space: 15ft Reach: 10ft
Melee: +21 Bite 3d6+10 [Crit 18/x2], Snatch, Powerful Charge +3d6, Skirmish +2d6, Trip

BAB: + 12
Grapple: +30
Special Actions: Skirmish [+2d6 Precision damage if the hound moved more than 10ft in the round], Trip [If it strikes a Huge or smaller target that is Flanked or Flatfooted, the target is knocked prone], Snatch [Begin Grapple as a Free action if Bite hits. Drop as Free action or Fling 1d6x10ft as Standard action.] .
Abilities: Str: 30/+10 Dex: 12/+1 Con: 30/+10 Int: 6/-2 Wis: 16/+3 Cha: 4/-3
SQ: Liminal Tweening, Dissolve, Spell-like abiities,

Feats: Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Powerful Charge [+3d6 damage on the charge], Run, Snatch, TrackB, Weapon Focus [Bite].

Skills: Hide +13, Listen +23, Move Silently +13, Spot +23, Survival +19

Special Abilities:
Liminal Tweening: As a Fæ creature, a Hound of the Wild Hunt has the ability to slip through tweens by using a Shift action. While in the Hedge, its movement distances are doubled. It can tween through abstract boundaries, physical boundaries, the space beneath and shadows as it wishes. Creatures in the Hedge can perceive events in the real world as if through thick foliage; Hounds navigate the Hedge primarily by scent.
Spell-like Abilities [Sp]: [Once every 1d4 rounds, CL 16] Double Enlarged Fear [90ft Cone, Panicked, Will DC 24 = Shaken], Barkskin [Already used, +5 Deflection bonus], Air Walk [Fly 50ft as Ground movement], Obscuring Mist [20ft spread of Fog around you, those within 5ft have Concealment, those beyond have Total Concealment], Hold Animal [Will 20 or Animal is Paralysed for 16 rounds].
Dissolve: When killed, a Hound of the Wild Hunt breaks up into a heap of leaves, grave dirt and broken arrows,, veiled in mist.

[The Tygre]

What do you mean by 'word it'? Like, how to connect it to a carnival theme? Also, I've been thinking about what to put into your missing levels. How about something that lets the Beast Tamer control magical beasts or dragons or something like that. I dunno', I'm just thinking out loud.