#dragonkin artificer

[sad-deads-stories-dump]

Ighrix Garthyuxt Elywr Drinhps'xy or as he's commonly known: Ighi, is a Dragonkin from an ancient and obscure dragon lineage, known as Nakarkos, they are a species of sea squid dragons and thus Ighi spent most of his life at sea.

Ighi left his clan very young, the reason is unknown even to himself since he has mostly fuzzy memories of his time there, as far as he remembers, he has been living adrift and nomadic for a long time, learning to travel, to hunt, to fight, to survive and specially how to procure the means and ingredients necessary to cure his wounds and ailments, as is he had some previous knowledge of some of those ingredients, but he was certain that he never dabble in herbalism.

While drifting aimlessly in the sea, he was approached by an elderly couple of sea elves that were curious about seeing a creature involved in bones, he explained that it is kind of a habit for protecting himself, he sticks them around his body courtesy of the mucus that he secreted, creating some sort of exoskeleton (pun intended), after some time chatting and learning about him and his travels, the couple offered him to stay at their village for some time until he finds a place to stay.

At first the people of the village were skeptic about his presence, not that it was surprising since his kin has close to nonexistence in the world, the first years he hid his mouth using his tentacles and a mask made of bones of the creatures he hunted, since the folk on the village kept staring at it, and it was freaking out some of the young, he mostly helped the elderly couple and the leaders of the Carran Ebrathru (Dreamfriend) village, since his knowledge of herbs would prove most helpful for their transactions.

The village was quite famous for getting ingredients below and on the side of the islands, as such, in the surface there's an outpost for both trading and for tired sailors to rest a bit, Ighi helped with negotiating the prices since having knowledge of how rare they are and for what are they used for helps to find a fairer price, as he worked more and more with them, he stated learning a bit more of elvish through the continuous conversations with the villagers and some of the sailers, until he was as fluent as they were.

One day, after helping negotiate with a trader whose ship was full of crates, Ighi got curious about the ingredients they wanted since they all seemed like reagents for potions, the trader was impressed that he knew that so easily, and as such gave an old book teaching the ways of an artificer who dwells in alchemy, to say that he was intrigued was an understatement.

He spent the following years learning from that book learning about infusions, using magic through his tools, leaning how to make elixirs and dwell in the alchemical ways, creating simple cures for the folk around the village and even some antidotes and remedy for the people that came to the outpost needing help, this opened up a hole new way for the village to profit and grow, he started to take requests for specific potions and so became the local alchemist of the Ebrathru village.

On his 26th birthday, he was tasked by one of the head chiefs to gather some specific ingredients in some far away islands, when he got back the whole village was silent, no one insight until he heard the sound of a small boat horn and went to investigate, what he found on the docks of the outpost was the entire village together to celebrate his anniversary, the festivities divine, the young were playing with Ighi and the toys he made for them, the rest laughing, drinking eating and sometimes testing their might on barrel throw, Ighi was always terrible at that.

Later that day, a more melancholic tone took the festivities, since Ighi came to the village they grew so much both in reputation and riches, and so they felt in dept to him, as such they talked to that old alchemist he got the book from and bought his old small boat, and now it was his boat, docked at the outpost, Ighi did sometimes say that he wanted to explore more and become an even greater alchemist, but never expected that, it was a simple but effective boat, inside there was a living quarter, an alchemical station in a separate room and a kitchen, most of the storage was in waterproofed barrels floating on the side and behind the ship.

And so, the next morning, he packed all his stuff, give a heartfelt hug to everyone, a small and simple present (a small statute of the three together) to the old couple that helped him and went to his boat, after a tearful goodbye, he said: "When I come back, I'll bring marvelous gifts for everyone! In a bigger and better boat!" and sailed away.

[rionnag-losgaidh-blog]

[dailycharacteroption]

Deity Drop 1: Apsu

Though today’s subject is also lawful good, he is much less involved than Erastil. I present the draconic deity Apsu!

 It always seems that in fantasy settings, at least the ones with their roots in D&D, there are always two major dragon gods, one good, one evil, and Pathfinder is no different. However, while the classic duo in many D&D settings are brother and sister, in Pathfinder, the duo is father and son, and today we are looking at the father.

According to draconic belief, Apsu is in fact one of the deities responsible for the creation of the multiverse, and while that is likely an exaggeration on the part of dragons, it no doubt has a grain of truth to it. In any case, Apsu originally did not go by a name, and was originally described as one of two great waters (which ties into the description of his real Mesopotamian namesake), the other being Tiamat (whom is implied to be, or at least a version of the very same Tiamat running around D&D’s various settings, but who is only mentioned in Pathfinder briefly because of legal reasons), whom was his mate and wife.

The pair had many children together, but one in particular, Dahak, was a violent and destructive being whose rampages are the very thing that turned the plane of Hell into a burning place of suffering long before the first devils or even asura arrived on the plane. He was not content to end his rampage at an entire plane of existence, however, and slew many of his siblings, whose broken remains fell to the material plane and were reborn as the first metallic dragons.

Enraged, Apsu named himself and took form, joining with the metallic dragons against his wayward son, defeating him. However, before the final blow was struck, Dahak pleaded for aid from his mother, who answered, offering the dragons injured in the fight healing if they would turn on Apsu. Those that accepted became the first chromatic dragons.

Dahak escaped in the ensuing fight, but Apsu ordered his followers not to pursue, turning to ask his mate, who took the name Tiamat, why he had aided his son.

Tiamat only answered that she blamed Apsu for the death of their children, and cast them out from their home to wander.

Since that time, Apsu and Dahak have only met once, when they teamed up to help other gods defeat the monstrous Rovagug. After the battle, Dahak swore he would kill his father, and left. Ever since then, Apsu has been a distant leader of dragonkind, quietly preparing for the day when he and his son will have their final showdown on the surface of Golarion.

Apsu himself, who dwells in a roving demiplane home called the Immortal Ambulatory, teaches that one should seek glory and peace, and that leaders should be just and fair, which makes sense as he is the patron deity of all good dragons, metallic and otherwise. However, while many good dragons worship him, very few among them actually take training in divine magic under his guidance, perhaps out of draconic independence. However, he does have a small following of humanoids on Golarion, most notably the group known as the Platinum Band, who do train as proper priests of Apsu.

Unsurprisingly, Apsu has a much wider following on the planet Triaxus, where the native Rhyphorians and their dragonkin allies among the Dragon Legions of the Allied Territories.

Though Apsu’s parenting skills are called into question by the existence of Dahak, he is nonetheless a god of justice and good, serving as an inspiration to those who wish to uphold his ideals. He commands his followers to help those in need, as well as guide them to become stronger, and punish the wicked that betray your mercy.

This aligns him with a lot of paladins, as a lawful good god he is at least respected by many civilizations, but he is most commonly worshipped by those who travel and do his work across the world. However, it is notable that Apsu apparently refuses to have a hand in the creation of oracles, even as part of a pantheon, as it is against his beliefs to force power upon a mortal, especially not that which also curses them. Oracles that come to worship him later do exist, apparently, as those that do gain access to unique spells. Additionally, as he is associated with the preparation for war, he is often given prayers by architects and craftsmen who build fortifications and other tools of protection for coming war.

 Apsu is served and worshipped by most good dragons, metallic and otherwise, as well as even some wyverns and drakes that have risen above bestial concerns. He does command some angels as a celestial god, but he counts no one specific outsider type as his own. He does have a herald in the form of the celestial silver dragon Oreganus, as well as Blameless Flame, a coatl surrounded by the flame of a gold dragon’s breath and Syrax the Platinum, a clockwork dragon with the mind of a once-living brass dragon.

Apsu rules over the domains of Artifice, Good, Law, Scalykind, and Travel, as well as the subdomains of Archon (by way of good or law), Construct, Dragon, Exploration, Toil, and Trade. The inclusion of Artifice is tied to the oft-forgotten aspect of Apsu as the builder of fortifications.

His second edition domains are creation, protection, travel, and wyrmkin, as well as granting spells associated with bolstering natural attacks, creating temporary items, and shapeshifting into draconic form.

Those who are devout enough to follow his deific obedience perform a daily ritual of walking in one direction for half an hour, then walking back. When traveling away from their starting point, they consider the tactical and strategic advantages of the terrain, while on the way back, they consider it’s wonder and beauty and contemplate on the Wayfinder’s role in its creation. Such devotees are granted heightened awareness, particularly when it comes to attackers.

Evangelist devotees tap into Apsu’s aspect as a crafter and preparer, gaining spells to carry large loads with a disk of force, bless weapons with the divine power of law, and create wards against the environment; as well as enchant weapons to fight on their own, and the power to pour life into an object you have crafted, animating it.

For those that follow the path of the exalted, they imbue his aspect as a traveller, blurring their movement, defying gravity, and moving with incredible speed. What’s more, they are blessed with the ability to monitor the places they have been, placing short-lived sensors whenever they teleport away, letting them see what goes on afterwards, be it pursuers, or potential spies or sneaks. Additionally, they can set up safe locations and teleport back to them with allies at later dates.

Draconic fury is the gift granted to those who become sentinels in his name, blasting foes with sprays of light, bolts of fire, and imbuing themselves with draconic wards against the elements. What’s more, they can surround themselves in a ward against foes that is most effective against evil dragons. Additionally, they can imbue their weapon with the normally reserved fury of Apsu in battle, making for supernaturally accurate attacks that are almost guaranteed to deliver deadly wounds to evil dragons.

As far as I know, neither Apsu nor Dahak have been mentioned in Starfinder yet, so it is unknown what their status is. Both deities were prophesized to end their struggle once and for all on Golarion someday, but in the far future of Starfinder the planet Golarion is missing. So, either their battle has already happened before or during The Gap, or that prophecy was derailed in the same way as most other prophecies in the Age of Lost Omens and beyond. If Apsu does exist, either with or without Dahak, he is no doubt most popularly worshipped among the Skyfire Legion and among more goodly parts of the Drakelands on Triaxus, much as they have always done. Still, any world where metallic or otherwise goodly dragons exist may see some of his influence, and I imagine that he might even have a small following in the Knights of Golarion.

That does it for today, but it’s good to demonstrate how even gods outside of the Inner Sea grouping can be just as influential in their own way.

[cerothenull]

CeroTheNull’s Homebrews: Troodons, the Intrepid Explorers

Another of my homebrew ideas for D&D 5E, this time for the (now retrosaur qualifying) Troodons and heavily inspired by the Dinotopia series. They were planned for inclusion into a Spelljammer campaign but they can fit in nearly any campaign if a DM wishes to use them.

Feel free to use them as PCs or NPCs as long as credit is given back to me, Justin Wiysel for their creation. Would love to hear sometime that someone used them and had fun.

Troodons: Hailing from a world of dinosaurs and titanic beasts, the diminutive Troodons relied on their quick wit and ingenuity to dominate their home. This same intelligence and tenacity caused them to rapidly become one of the more curious and inquisitive races to sail the Aether Sea in the recent decades since leaving their homeworld.

Size - Standing at 3 to 4 feet tall and 7 to 8 feet long including their tail, and an average weight of 110lbs they are considered of Small size.

Speed - 35ft per round

Stats - Fleet of foot and mind Troodons get +1 Dex +2 Int

Darkvision 

Languages learned - Common, Draconic and Saurian (native language of them and other intelligent dinosaurs) 

Primal Lessons - Troodons are an intellectual and curious race, allowing the choice of 2 proficiencies from Animal Handling, Arcana, Perception, Investigation, or Tinker Tools

Dinosaurs Friend - Troodons cultural reverence and reliance on the dinosaurs and other similar beasts gives them an inborn skill with interacting with these creatures. Gives advantage to Animal Handling checks involving Dinosaurs, Reptiles and Bird Beasts, and non-sentient Dragonkin

Sickle Claws - While their teeth and most of their claws are delicate and unsuited for combat Troodons possess a wickedly sharp sickle claw on each foot giving them a deadly kick if needed. Unarmed attacks can do 1d4+(Dex or Str mod) in piercing damage rather than the standard bludgeoning.

Appearance - Members of raptor-kind Troodons are bipedal theropods. They have a somewhat flexible tail they use for balance in motion or as pseudo-third leg when at rest. Troodons are covered in finely pebbled scales that can range from smooth or rough to the touch, their skin hues coming in a wide assortment dependent on regional demographics. Like many of their raptor cousins some Troodons sport feathers with just as varied colors, patterns, and shape, while other demographics lack feathers all together.

Typical adventurer classes: Rogue, Wizard, Artificer, Monk

[fayelafaye]

Possible concepts to flesh out today for DnD:

Artificer pirate ship that flies powered by the belief of the crew that it can fly.

Baby prismatic dragon that summons dragons.

Kobold alchemist working on a potion to become to dragonkin

Vampire sovereign who runs a bunch of top rated Queer bars