Big Preview: Enchantments of BTU 2 Spells

Well, today I commissioned a few additional pieces of artwork for Occult-Tech Armory, and I'm satisfied with the text. If the art gets turned in quickly, expect Occult-Tech Armory within a week or three.

With the writing done on that project, I'm looking forward to my next few books. I'm working steadily on the APEX factional sourcebook for Otherverse America, as well as Enchantments of Black Tokyo II. That's the book I want to preview today.

We're going to take a look at about half a dozen new spells I'm adding into the setting, including the incredibly gory yet super-fun Parade of Gory Deaths, which I'd promised to preview in my last post.

The artwork today is from the Image comic, Wayward, which I just started reading last weekend, and I'm already in love with. It's drawing on the same myths as Black Tokyo, but using them in a completely different way....there's even a version of Akaname, though Wayward's creative team chose to use a more traditional version of the Akaname than I did. Their filth lickers are stunted little predatory goblins, very similar to the race's portrayal in Paizo's Bestiary V than the scat-obsessed comic relief heroes I designed. I'll likely pick up the 2nd and 3rd volumes of Wayward this payday.

Anyway, on to the new spells!
CHRIS

Burning Justice!

School evocation (fire, good) Level paladin 4, inquisitor 5

Casting Time one standard action

Components V, S, F

Range personal

Duration one round/four levels             

Saving Throw None Spell Resistance No

A swirling corona of golden flames erupts around you, and your skin, hair and eyes blaze with sunlight and plasma. A surge of energy rushes through you, increasing your boldness and capacity for heroism.

For the spell’s duration, you are surrounded with a 5 ft aura of positive energy, which generates +1d4 points of positive energy damage per round (which heals many living creatures). This aura generates bright illumination in a 30 ft radius, which counts as natural sunlight.

For the spell’s duration, when making attack rolls against any creature with the evil subtype, you roll 2d20 and take the better of the two rolls. If performing a skill that would directly result in saving an intelligent life (such as a Heal check to stabilize a dying man, or an Acrobatics check to cross a burning room to rescue a trapped victim) you roll 2d20 and take the better of the two rolls.

Cake for the Heart

School transmutation (good) Level alchemist 2, bard 2

Casting Time one standard action

Components V, S

Range touch

Duration 1 minute/level                     

Saving Throw FORT negates (harmless) Spell Resistance Yes (harmless)  

Nothing warms a moe girl’s heart like cake! This spell conjures a fabulous selection of lavishly decorated, stunningly sweet and brilliantly colorful deserts on an assortment of small fine china plates.

The cakes for the heart last for the spell’s duration and than wink out in a flash of sparkling light if not consumed prior to that. There are enough cakes for the heart to affect a one creature/two caster levels. Those who eat the cakes, as a full round action, receive a +1 morale bonus on all saving throws for the spell’s duration, plus one effect chosen from the following list. These effects last for the spell’s duration.

Cherry: +2 morale bonus on FORT Saves versus death effects and negative energy effects

Chocolate: +1 morale bonus on melee attack rolls

Colored Frosting: Acid Resist 5 (green), Cold Resist 5 (blue), Electricity Resist 5 (yellow), Fire Resist 5 (red) Pleasure Resist 5 (pink)

Coffee: +2 morale bonus on Initiative checks

Lime: +2 morale bonus on saving throws against illusion effects

Nuts (various): +2 morale bonus on Drive and Pilot checks
Pomegranate: +2 morale bonus on Perform (sexual) and Perform (dance) checks

Strawberry:  +1 morale bonuses on ranged attack rollls

Catgirl Overload

School conjuration (calling) Level bard 6, cleric 6, sorc/wiz 6, summoner 5, witch 6

Casting Time one full round action

Components V, S, M (a rather ecchi catgirl magazine, worth 20 gp/DC 4)

Range close (25 ft + 5 ft/level)  

Duration one round/level                   

Saving Throw None Spell Resistance No

Need more catgirls in your life? Instantly? Like a delivery of rambunctious half-felines from heaven, which appear with a chiming of collar bells and a chorus of pleasant meows? Then cast catgirl overload, stand back and watch the chaos.

Catgirl overload functions identically to summon monster or summon nature’s ally. When you cast this spell, you can summon up to 2 units worth of catgirls, which are built using the various Nekomusume statblocks found in Black Bestiary I and Black Bestiary II. The units you may choose from include. The GM may also substitute Nekomusume NPCs of similar power levels if they don’t have one or more of these sourcebooks.

·         Unit A: 1 Assault Witch Strike Kitten (variant creature – BB2)

·         Unit B: 1 Smilodon Risk Catgirl (BB2)

·         Unit C: 1d2 Pettanko Kittens (BB2)

·         Unit D: 1d4+1 Feral Nekomusume (BB1)

·         Unit E: 1d6+2 Free Nekos (BB2)

Special: If cast by a Nekomsume or other feline Anthro, the caster may summon up to 3 units worth of catgirls, rather than 2.

Final Form

School necromancy (chaos) Level alchemist 6

Casting Time one immediate action

Components V, S

Range medium (100 ft + 10 ft/level)

Duration instant                                

Saving Throw FORT negates Spell Resistance No

A fallen monster is reincarnated, more powerful and dangerous than before, emerging from a pulsing column of black light as a heavily armored behemoth of jagged planes and uncanny angles. The resulting creature is hauntingly beautiful and staggeringly deadly, especially to exhausted adventurers who thought they’d slain the creature already.

When you cast this spell, you return one creature that cannot have PC class levels, and which has been slain or destroyed within the prior round to life/existence. The creature returns to life/existence with full Hit Points, in a new form. The creature gains the Advanced simple template, as well as one of the following simple templates, chosen by the caster at the time of casting:

• Advanced (second addition), Entropic, Fiendish, or Giant

Alternatively, you can substitute the Phallic Spear Technique feat and two Phallic Spear Mastery feats for the second template; the creature treats the Phallic Spear as a +2 magical weapon, and as a primary natural attack. The creature can make ititerative attacks with its Phallic Spear.

If the transformed creature survives the battle, it loses the two templates after approximately 24 hours, or after the creature next sleeps or rests.

Honey Rebuild

School transmutation (electrical) Level alchemist 5, sorc/wiz 5

Casting Time one hour

Components V, S, M (an inert POETICA android form, worth at least 5,000 gp/DC 23)

Range touch

Duration instant                                

Saving Throw None (see text) Spell Resistance No

This spell transfers a dying or recently departed soul into the waiting body of a POETICA android, the transfer accompanied by a storm of golden lightning. POETICA created in this manner have instantly recognizable golden hair, regardless of the default shade of the android body used in the ritual.

This spell functions much as reincarnate, save it transfers the subject’s soul into a POETICA chassis provided by the spellcaster. If the recipient identifies as male, over the next several hours, the POETICA’s body assumes masculine gender, producing a rare male POETICA. The recipient’s soul must be free and willing to return as a POETICA- if not the spell simply fails. The recipient’s soul chooses the POETICA’s job class. The recipient loses all existing racial traits and gains new POETICA racial traits; if the recipient has race specific traits or feats, they are lost and replaced with new traits and feats the recipient now qualifies for.

This spell will function on a subject that is currently dying (at 0 HP or fewer) if the recipient is willing, as well as on creatures dead up to one hour/2 caster levels when the ritual begins.

Horrorcore Transformation

School transmutation (chaotic, evil) Level cleric 7, sorc/wiz 7

Casting Time one standard action

Components V, S, M (a vial of virgin’s blood)

Range personal  

Duration 1d4 rounds + special              

Saving Throw None Spell Resistance No

You undergo a horrific and violent transformation, becoming a gigantic, hideously deformed avatar of murder, rage and carnage. While so transformed, you under go the following physical changes:

·         Your size increases to the next size category (Medium creatures become Large).

·         You gain a +20 ft increase to your base landspeed.

·         You gain a +6 enhancement bonus to your STR and CON scores, exactly as spells like bull’s strength.

·         You gain a +4 natural armor bonus to AC.

·         You gain Fast Healing 1 (good and fire).

·         You cannot speak, cast spells or use psionic powers, nor use abilities requiring patience or concentration, exactly as a barbarian’s rage.

·         You gain the Power Attack, Cleave and Great Cleave feats for the duration of the transformation.

·         You gain two claw attacks as primary natural attack forms (1d12+STR slashing plus Bleed 3, 18-20/x3). If you hit with both claws you may make a bite attack (1d10+STR piercing plus 1d6 acid, 20/x4) as an immediate action.

You remain in your horrorcore form for 1d4 rounds, but may extend this duration by your actions. Everytime you kill an opponent with HD at least equal to your own, you extend the duration of the effect by +1d4 rounds. This increase is cumulative and does not have a cap. You may not return to your normal form until the spell’s duration expires, the spell is dispelled or you are slain.

Life’s Resurgence

School conjuration (good, healing) Level cleric 5

Casting Time one minute

Components V, S, DF, M (seven pieces of Yurei Kosodate-Ame candy, worth 1,750 gp/DC 20 total)

Range touch

Duration instant                                                                          

Saving Throw None Spell Resistance No

When Life’s Resurgence is cast upon a willing undead creature, the eerie candies that are the spell’s material component flow around the undead like a thin sheet of pinkish crystal, while the chiming voices of ghostly children fill the air with song, a spectral chorus.

At the spell’s climax, the undead creature returns to life as a creature of its original race, as if returned to life via raise dead. The undead creature returns to life with the alignment and moral outlook it possessed at the moment of it’s death and transformation into undead. As an undead subject must be willing to undergo this spell, life’s resurgence offers no saving throw. If the undead is under any form of compulsion or enchantment, the spell fails.

Campaign Setting Note: If this spell, or it’s augmented version, ever ‘crossed over’ into the Otherverse America Campaign Setting, it would transform an affected Neverborn into a baseline human, despite the fact Neverborn began their existences as undead, and were never truly living humans. It’s up to the gamemaster if other exotic undead are affected in a similar manner.

Life’s Violent Resurgence

School conjuration (good, healing) Level cleric 8

Casting Time one standard action

Range close (25 ft + 5 ft/two levels)

Saving Throw WILL partial (see text) Spell Resistance Yes

Take the generosity of spirit and merciful absolution of the life’s resurgence spell and focus it, hone it, transform it into a weapon. Life’s violent resurgence functions similarly to life’s resurgence, save that it can affect unwilling undead who fail a WILL Save. On a successful saving throw, the undead suffers 8d6 points of positive energy damage, which may be enough to destroy it outright. The spellcaster may choose not to inflict energy damage upon an undead who resists this spell.

Parade of Gory Deaths

School necromancy Level cleric 9, sorc/wiz 9, witch 9

Casting Time one standard action

Components V, S, M (the skull or preserved entrails of a celebrity murder or suicide victim, worth at least 5,000 gp/DC 23)

Range touch

Duration one round/level                   

Saving Throw None Spell Resistance No

When this spell is cast, the subject’s skin takes on an unhealthy pallor, and trickles of blood dribble from their eyes, nostrils and sex organs. A rattling cough settles into their chest and they become half alive, and subject to the brutal whims of fate, subject to ultra-violent death after ultra-violent death after ultra-violent death. However, with a little creativity, the subject can use their dead selves in some pretty creative ways, as for the duration of the spell, they instantly return to life within seconds of each overkill.

For the spell’s duration, the subject becomes immune to ability score damage and drain, negative energy, level loss, death effects, disease, poison and fear. However, the character’s maximum HP total becomes 1 for the duration of the spell, and the character is slain at 0 HP! The character dies very easily, but returns to life, with a single HP in a perfect duplicate of their original body, at the next initiative count. Thus if the character is slain at Initiative 10, they resurrect at Initiative 9, could be killed again at Initiative 6 and resurrect again at Initiative 5 and so forth. The duplicate body is a perfect duplicate of the subject’s original form, retaining acquired traits like scars, tattoos, bionics, grafts, ongoing diseases (though they do not affect the character during the spell’s duration) and so forth. The character’s equipment remains with their original body: all resurrected bodies are nude.

All bodies created by this spell, and the subject’s slain original body are considered instant effects, and remain after the spell’s duration expires. These remains can be used: as cannibal food sources, sources of replacement organs or donated tissue, or even gory building materials. Cybernetics, grafts and symbiotes recovered from a slain subject are non-functional.

Once per round as an immediate action, when the subject subject is slain while this spell is in effect, he or she can name any 1^st level abjuration, conjuration, evocation, necromancy or transmutation spell. The subject’s cartoonishly violent and bloody demise duplicates the effect of this spell, often in an especially gruesome fashion. For example, gallons of hyper-pressurized blood spurting from a decapitated neck might function as grease; a ruptured bladder splashing urine functions as hydraulic push, or a bunch of rats chew their way out of the corpse’s stomach to duplicate summon nature’s ally I. All these effects end when the spell’s duration expires, if they do not end sooner.

When this spell ends, the subject gains a permanent negative level, from the sheer emotional and metaphysical trauma of being massacred so many times, in so many creative ways.

Last Art For Occult Tech Armory and Next Projects

Well, I'm waiting on the last few pieces of artwork for the Occult Tech Armory. I've got a handful of images still outstanding, and I should have this mid-length sourcebook up by next week.

After Occult Tech Armory, I'm going to start collecting artwork for Enchantments of Black Tokyo II. This sourcebook's grown a lot in the past few weeks, mostly due to some suggestions and rules questions from a particularly zealous fan. I've gone back and added about 20 all-new spells to the draft, as well as a bunch of new magic items. The subtitle for the book is Sex Toys, School Girls and Powered Armor, and yeah, it's got all that stuff. There's a bunch of enchanted powered armor, including some really fun Bubblegum Crisis homages for players to discover. There's a bunch of really weird new spells added, including one that's probably my favorite at the book: Parade of Gory Deaths. Basically, for the spell's duration, you've only got 1 HP, but if you die you self resurrect in seconds, and you can use all the corpses generated as tools and problem solvers. Really fun spell to write, and I'll preview it soon enough.

I'm also FINALLY doing an unnamed APEX sourcebook for Otherverse America. I've let Otherverse America lay kinda fallow this year, as I focus on Black Tokyo, and I've neglected the APEX faction for too long. This book will do for the Federal Government what Culture of Choice did for the Covenant, and what a future soucebook will do for the Lifers- a big, crunchy guide to building heroes from that faction.

So finally, let me preview a trio of fun magic items from the Occult Tech Armory: a magic armor, an enchanted weapon, and a neat artifact, illustrated by Amanda Webb.

Size Suit

Slot armor Weight 2-3 lbs

Size Suits are heavy, durable Kevlar and vinyl body stockings woven with uncounted miles of nearly pico-tech scale circuitry. These suits are fully sealed, functioning as an advanced spacesuit designed to allow the wearer to explore inner space. Most have a bright central torso stripe with darker, ribbed sections covering the limbs and flanks.

A Size Suit, regardless of type, functions as +2 action wear.

While wearing the Size Suit, the character can change her size at will as a move equivalent action. A character can remain at any changed size for as long as desired, but returns to their base size if unconscious or slain.

The Maximize Suit acts as enlarge person, allowing the wearer to increase their size by one category. The Minimize Suit functions as reduce person, allowing the wearer to reduce their size by one category.

Maximize Plus allows the wearer to enlarge their size by up to three categories, either as one transformation or in multiple steps. The wearer can also shrink down to their base size or one or two size categories larger than base. Minimize Plus functions similarly, but reduces the wearer’s size by up to three categories.

The Multiphasic Size Suit function as both a Maximize Plus and a Minimize Plus suit.

Size Suit Type	CL	Aura	Spells Required	Suit Price	Suit Cost
Maximize	4th	faint transmutation	enlarge person	17,200 gp (DC 28)	8,600 gp (DC 25)
Maximize +	11th	moderate transmutation	enlarge person	23,200 gp (DC 29)	11,600 gp (DC 26)
Minimize	4th	faint transmutation	reduce person	17,200 gp (DC 28)	8,600 gp (DC 25)
Minimize +	11th	moderate transmutation	reduce person	23,200 gp (DC 29)	11,600 gp (DC 26)
Multiphasic	15th	strong transmutation	enlarge person, reduce person	56,200 gp (DC 32)	28,100 gp (DC 29)

Construction

Requirements Craft Magic Arms and Armor, see chart

 Gauntlet, Gateway

Aura strong conjuration CL 14^th

Slot weapon Price 230,000 gp (DC 37) Weight 5 lbs

The Gateway Gauntlet is a milk white, slightly tapered cylinder fit tightly over the shooter’s dominant hand. A trio of glossy blue-steel pincers protrude from the barrel, and ‘weave’ colorful strands of aquamarine, blue and violet energy into a coherent energy beam each time the trigger is touched.

The Gateway Gauntlet is a +3 blaster gauntlet. Unlike normal Blaster Gauntlets, the Gateway Gauntlet inflicts force damage rather than fire damage.

The wearer’s user can utilize a heavily modified form of phase door at will by firing the Gateway Gauntlet and creating a short range dimensional portal. Once a new portal is created by the Gateway Gauntlet, all previously created portals vanish. The portal created is visible to all, a glowing aperture in reality surrounded by a corona of cold light, and you can see through the portal even without passing through it.

Only the Gateway Gauntlet’s wielder, and those he or she is in direct physical contact with at the moment of transition, can pass through this portal. Energy, however, can pass through the portal in both directions. For instance, an enemy can shoot at the portal’s creator through the portal via spells, energy weapons or innate energy projection abilities. Fortunately, the Gauntlet’s owner can at least shoot back.

                             

Construction

Requirements Craft Magic Arms and Armor, magic missile, phase door

Cost 115,000 gp (DC 34)

Knight Instance Module

Common Minor Artifact

Aura strong universal CL 20^th            

Slot none Weight 2 lbs

Knight Instance Modules (KIMs) are grape-sized, ebony, plastic spheres with a single glowing red display light that pulses rhythmically. These devices contain a copy of a powerful, widely distributed AI specialized in vehicle control and maneuverability. The high-level AI codenamed Knight has been installed in thousands of vehicles throughout the galaxy, and each KIM contains an individual copy of its core programming (an instance).

If installed in any vehicle, mecha or suit of powered armor, nanite foundries within the KIM come online, and rebuild the host vehicle as a sleek, stealth-configured ebony prototype. A crimson scanner pulses rhythmically as the advanced AI uses the host vehicle’s sensor package to scan the environment.

It requires 24 hours for a newly installed KIM to integrate with its vehicular host, and complete the transformation. When the transformation is complete, the vehicle, mecha or powered armor’s Hardness increases by 5 and its HP increases by 20% (rounded down).

The KIM-linked vehicle is attuned to a particular driver or pilot, and will not function for another driver or pilot. When piloted by its designated user, both the KIM and the pilot make separate Initiative checks and use the better of the two rolls; the KIM is considered to have a +8 modifier to Initiative.

The KIM-linked vehicle can pilot itself and activate all functions on its own initiative. In the case of powered armor or mecha, the KIM is considered to have a base attack bonus equal to its pilot, if operating independently.

The KIM provides its designated pilot with Weapon Focus with one integrated weapon system of choice (if present), as well as a +8 competence bonus on Drive or Pilot checks with the linked vehicle (or Acrobatics or Fly checks in the case of powered armor or mecha.) 

If a KIM-linked vehicle survives its pilots demise, it can act independently, and may designate a new pilot of its choice after a month elapses.

Personality and Attributes

The KIM is a stoic and professional LN intelligence with a bit of a snarky, sarcastic streak. The KIM will rarely initiate a struggle for dominance against its driver or pilot, only trying to take control if its vehicle host is threatened or if the driver or pilot is incapacitated behind the wheel. The KIM is vaguely hostile to other instances of it’s AI code, and encourages its pilot to destroy rival KIM AI whenever possible- a dramatic departure from its usual crisply professional demeanor. The KIM intelligence will reluctantly work with rival AI of its type if its pilot considers the rival vital to the current mission, or if the rival AI has similar goals or can be of obvious use.

The KIM has 14 INT, 12 WIS and 12 CHA, as well as an Ego score of 18.

Senses

The Knight Instance Module has blindsight 30 ft in its inactive state, can perceive unencrypted wifi/radio/television signals  and in can communicate vocally or wirelessly in this state. When installed in a vehicle, the KIM has access to all the vehicle’s sensors and communication systems. The KIM can speak English, Spanish, Russian, Japanese and several other common Earth languages.

The KIM can sense the distance and direction to all other KIM-linked vehicles within a 100 mile radius. The KIM-linked vehicle receives a +2 competence bonus on attack rolls against other vehicles with a similar system installed.

Destruction

A Knight Instance Module can be removed from a vehicle with a DC 25 Craft (electronics) check. Outside a host vehicle, the KIM has Hardness 8 and 25 HP, and can be destroyed relatively easily. Similarly, if a KIM-linked vehicle is reduced to -10 HP or fewer, the onboard KIM is destroyed with the vehicle.

Upcoming: The Occult-Tech Armory

Well, the next project I plan to release is a mid-length (75-150 pgs) magic item sourcebook building off of the content introduced in Technology Unleashed. I'm tentatively titling this sourcebook Techno-Magic Unleashed: Occult-Tech Armory. I'll be using the Techno-Magic Unleashed branding for future spell & magic item sourcebooks for my various campaign worlds, including a Heavy Future and more Otherverse America content.

Today I thought I'd preview a set of magic items all designed around a common theme, which you'll be seeing in Occult-Tech Armory. I plan to include riffs on some of the most famous gadgets & weapons in sci-fi. For instance, last night, I included a version of the mind-wiping wand from Men In Black, as well as an explosive face mask  that you'd find familiar after watching (the original) Total Recall and a pretty sweet magic blaster inspired by the 'weapon' from Portal. So I've been having a lot of fun stating out cool movie, comic and game homages- in the comments recommend me some favorite gear and gadgets to play with, I might have forgotten to do something cool.

Every item in this weapon and armor set has the "Street Judge" prefix, and is inspired by... you can probably guess from the page image. I'll show you some more new content soon. (And please ignore the wierd formatting: every time I post a preview from a Word document onto this blog, the thing comes out looking like that.)

Enjoy,
CHRIS

Helmet, Street Judge’s

Aura strong telepathy CL 13^th            

Slot head Price 109,200 gp (DC 34) Weight 5 lbs

This fully enclosed tactical helmet obscures the wearer’s face behind ebony mirror-glass. The helmet itself is glossy, iridescent black, and the frame around reflective visor is a striking crimson. An outsized, golden rank insignia is worn on the forehead.

The Street Judge’s helmet places the wearer under a constant personal barred mind effect. However, the wearer cannot manifest psionic powers, expend psionic focus or otherwise use personal psionic abilities while the helmet is worn. This helmet can attach to any suit of armor with the Space Suit property and preserves that property.

Construction

Requirements Craft Magic Arms and Armor, personal barred mind ^{(Ultimate  Psionics)}

Cost 54,600 gp (DC 32)          

Street Judge’s Armor

Aura strong transmutation CL 13^th     

Slot armor Price 71,250 gp (DC 33) Weight 30 lbs

The Street Judge’s Armor is an intimidating set of glossy black tactical body armor accented with heavy and exaggerated rank insignia worn on the pauldrons. A large police badge emblazoned with the designated wearer’s name, forged from a bullet-proofed alloy of gold and titanium is worn on the left breastplate.

Street Judge’s Armor is a +3 vigilant mass production tactical armor of heavy fortification.

                                         

A non-lawful creature who dons Street Judge’s Armor gains one permanent negative level, which never results in level loss, but cannot be removed while the creature wears the armor.

                     

Construction

Requirements Craft Magic Arms and Armor, creator must be lawful, limited wish, righteous might

Cost 35,625 gp (DC 30)

Street Judge’s Enforcer

Aura faint transmutation CL 4^th         

Slot weapon Price 13,300 gp (DC 27) Weight 4.5 lbs

The Street Judge’s Enforcer is a bulky personal energy pistol with a glossy black casing with the same harsh lines as Street Judge’s Armor. A golden eagle badge is stamped into the contoured black pistol grip.

The Street Judge’s Enforcer is a +2 jurist smuggler’s blaster of infinite ammunition.

                             

Construction

Requirements Craft Magic Arms and Armor, owl’s wisdom, infinite ammunition

Cost 6,850 gp (DC 24)

Street Judge’s Machine Pistol

Aura strong evocation CL 12^th           

Slot weapon Price 61,250 gp (DC 32) Weight 3 lbs

The Street Judge’s Machine Pistol is assembled from the same gloss black alloy as the hardened plating of the Street Judge’s Armor and matching helmet. A stylized eagle badge is stamped into the casing. The weapon glows with fiery internal light.

The Street Judge’s Machine Pistol is a +3 igniting, nimble shot military SMG.

           

Construction

Requirements Craft Magic Arms and Armor, bow spirit, fireball

Cost 30,625 gp (DC 30)

Street Judge’s Skullbuster

Aura faint enchantment CL 5^th          

Slot weapon Price 16,500 gp (DC 28) Weight 1 lb

This polymer plastic fighting stick has a durable ebony shaft. The hilt is capped in a large and baroque silver eagle, which clutches the weapon in its talons.

The Street Judge’s Skullbuster is a +2 invigorating shapememory truncheon.

                                                                                   

Construction

Requirements Craft Magic Arms and Armor, good hope.  

Cost 8,250 gp (DC 25) 

                                         

The Black Bestiary II Now On Sale!

As promised, Black Bestiary II is now on sale at RPGnow!

The book topped out at about 175 pages of very dense content with an initial 20 dollar cover price. Those of you who got a preview copy from me will see a slightly different book than originally intended. I removed a handful of monsters from the book simply because I hadn't purchased art for them, and the creatures were so visually unusual they couldn't be illustrated with stock. I'd already spent a ton commissioning art for BB II, so I decided to hold off a handful of creatures (Hell's Bozukuzo, Ramat Sect Hammer Loli, the Rice Taker and Snapping Maw Woman)  for inclusion in the eventual BB III. Yes, I'm already beginning work on a third bestiary for this absolutely freaky, super controversial setting! I'll preview some of these cut monsters in a later post.

I did however, add several new monsters not included in preview drafts, including the Adventuring Akaname, Smilodon Risk Cat-Girl and Landmate POETICA... the Landmate POETICA is one I really enjoyed doing, and fits well with my Assault Witch characters. Her genesis was simple- she was one of many illustrations John Picot sent a few months back. I must have just skimmed her, went on to the next thing, because I rediscovered the illustration last week and was blown away. Holy shit, here's the perfect militaristic mecha-musumune character to add to the book.


Here's the sales text from BB II, so you can see what you're going to be getting.

The Black Bestiary II is the second major bestiary for the adults-only, hentai-horror Black Tokyo Campaign Setting. Together the two volumes of this series detail and describe more than 200 new creatures for the world, some drawn from folklore and history, others inspired by some of anime’s most iconic heroes, villains and monsters.

Black Bestiary II conjures a host of terrifying new creatures that fill out the post-apocalyptic ecosystem of the Tottori Sand Dunes… takes an expanded look at the loathsome Rape Pure Tournament and it’s lethal, sexually predatory brawlers… and introduces the enigmatic, bio-mechanical Abyss to the Japan’s deadly skies.

High technology meets ancient horror, as several new models of gigantic Mecha stride the land and adaptable, alien Battlechangers wage a hidden war in Black Tokyo’s crowded, teeming mega-cities. Cannibalistic horrors like the Azukibabaa Chef and the Gakido Walker feed on the flesh of innocent women and children. Selfish sexual predators such as the darkly comedic Moe Collector, sadistic yet seemingly mundane Mortal Sex Criminals, or the shadow-dancing lust-murderer codenamed Boy Alpha stalk the shadows and kill at their leisure. Legendary monstrosities like the Shikome carry out The Ubume Empress’ dark designs for the Earth Realm.

Low level creatures like the hatefully jealous Black Issunboshi, or the extremely variable Oni Dreg, one of the vast hordes of Hell, challenge low level adventurers. Veteran demon-hunters can chase feral Gaki through the neon-lit Tokyo night, or cross swords with the insufferably arrogant Kappa of Blades. Meanwhile, highly experienced champions can risk themselves against the unholy might of bizarre new Kaiju unique to Black Japan: an endlessly hungry train that serves pitiless masters… a dragon that can crack the planet in half upon its death… or the legendary, earthquake-birthing Namazu itself.

Get ready. 

Nice, huh? Leave me some comments here, let me know what you think.
CHRIS

Laying Out Black Bestiary II

Well, I'm currently deep into the layout process for Black Bestiary II. I just finished the Gs with the Gurofiend entry. I'll start back up later tonight with the Hell's Conscript monster, a WWII vintage, CR 1 undead who opens up the Hs.

Expect the book up for sale by mid-week.And by the way, it's going to look fucking great.
CHRIS

More Black Tokyo Goodness

Hey, everybody, today I thought I'd preview some just released and upcoming Black Tokyo content.

First off, I've just released a new, 25-page collection of magic items for the setting entitled Back to School in Black Tokyo. This short collection is all about enchanted school uniforms, related weapons and magical items. It's a fun, quick sourcebook, which serves as a nice preview for the upcoming Enchantments of Black Tokyo Vol 2. The cover to this one is by Amanda Webb: I reused the image I comissioned of the Free Neko character (who you'll meet in Black Bestiary II) for the cover art.


Next, take a look at the cover art for Black Bestiary II, by John Picot. I'm waiting on four outstanding pieces of artwork, and then I'll put out this huge bestiary. I expect this one to top 175 pages, a little smaller than the first volume, but still pretty weighty and content-rich. 

Finally, John always sends me tons of random artwork that I pick through at my leisure and use for various projects whenever inspiration strikes. He honestly sends me more art than I can use some times. One of the images he sent was a Godzilla-esque monster, which I we both agreed belonged in Black Bestiary II. The only question was what to do with this creature, especially since Paizo already published a very passable Godzilla homage in their Pathfinder Bestiary IV. 

After playing around with the image for a while, I ended up building a very powerful Kaiju which incorporates a little of Godzilla plus a whole lot of Final Fantasy's Bahumet. He's a fun, epic-level threat.

Take a look at Ultimus the Unmaker, who will be one of the most powerful new monsters in Black Bestiary II, and certainly a worthy addition to named villains like the Ubume Empress or Taru Tsuyoi. 

CHRIS

Kaiju, Ultimus the Unmaker – CR 28

Colossal NE Dragon (extraplanar, kaiju)

XP 4,915,200

Init +5 Senses Lowlight vision, Darkvision 120 ft, see in darkness, true seeing, Perception +           

Languages Draconic, Infernal, Japanese

Defense

AC 42 Touch 16 Flatfooted 40 (-8 size, +1 DEX, +1 dodge, +26 natural, +12 deflection*)

HP 61d12+427 hp (824 HP)

Damage Reduction 20/epic

FORT +44 REF +29 WILL +34

Immune critical hits*, ability damage, ability drain, death effects, disease, energy drain, fear, radiation

Resist Electricity 20, Fire 20, Force 15

Spell Resistance 32

Weaknesses Reincarnation Vulnerability

Offense

Spd 120 ft, Swim 240 ft 

Melee two +74 claws (2d12+20 slashing, 20/x4) plus +74 bite (4d12+30 piercing, 20/x5 plus swallow whole)

Ranged +55 entropic fire (6d12 entropy*, 20/x4, 1000 ft maximum range)

Special Attacks Hurl Foe, Swallow Whole (6d12 entropy*, AC 36, HP 82)

Special Qualities Amphibious, Ferocity, Massive, Recovery

Spell-Like Abilities (CL 61^st Concentration +66) 

Special (when summoned) – Reproductive Apocalypse (F-DC 26)

Special (when reduced to 0 HP) – Planet Killer

Statistics

Str 51 Dex 13 Con 43 Int 9 Wis 22 Cha 18

Base Atk +61 CMB +89 CMD 100

Feats Assume Ultimus the Unmaker can perform any Combat feat desired, due to his immortality, rage and sheer innate power.  

Skills Climb +84, Intimidate +89, Perception +49, Sense Motive +29, Survival +70, Swim +92

Ecology

Environment any land or aquatic (native to the Black Else)

Organization solitary and unique

Treasure standard (in lair)

Special Abilities

Entropic Fire (SU)
The flames shrouding Ultimus the Unmaker and boiling in his blood are pure, primal entropy- the energy of unmaking. Energy resistance and immunity do not apply to Ultimus the Unmaker’s entropic fire ranged attack, nor against the damage inflicted by his swallow whole. A target reduced to 0 HP by these attacks is completely disintegrated, along with all their gear. Creatures slain in this manner can only be returned to life by the direct intervention of a deity.

These colorless fires surround Ultimus the Unmaker providing the creature with a deflection bonus to Armor Class.

Extraplanar (SU)

Though not an Outsider, Ultimus the Unmaker is considered an extraplanar creature on all planes aside from the Black Else. The creature is vulnerable to banishment and similar effects.

Price of the Summoning (SU)

Any being desperate enough, or furious enough to summon Ultimus the Unmaker from its icy coffin will pay the ultimate price. All members of the summoner’s ethnicity/nation or faith are affected by Reproductive Apocalypse (F-DC 26 negates), including the summoner himself. This ability affects the creature that turns the last of the five keys that would free the creature- he is considered the beast’s summoner.

Reincarnation Vulnerability (SU)

Ultimus the Unmaker is especially vulnerable to the actions of heroes with souls strong enough to remember their prior mortal incarnations. Characters who possess the Reincarnate feat can inflict critical hits against Ultimus the Unmaker.

Ultimus Flare (SU)
If the great dragon, Ultimus the Unmaker is ever defeated, the heavens themselves cry out in shock. When Ultimus the Unmaker is reduced to 0 HP and its Recovery special quality activates, this power also activates.

The nearest star to the planet upon which Ultimus the Unmaker was defeated upon erupts in a storm of lethal radiation. This functions as Planet Killer, targeted at the planet of the dragon’s defeat, striking the planet after Ultimus the Unmaker’s defeat. If Ultimus the Unmaker can be truly slain within before this period elapses, the Planet Killer is aborted.

Nature

Ultimus the Unmaker is a primal dragon- personification of entropy itself, of the end of all things. The great dragon is eternally dead, trapped in a coffin of ebony ice somewhere on a distant shore of the Black Else. The ice is a prison, a trap of absolute, cosmic zero- it can be melted and shattered if special obsidian keys are placed in obsidian locks and turned in proper sequence. The location of both the dragon’s prison, as are the locations of many of these keys, yet the Unmaker has only arisen to rampage a handful of times in the Multiverse’s long history. The Ubume Empress holds one such key, the Amakaze Executive board another, the Emperor of Japan yet another. Another obsidian key rests forgotten in a long abandoned temple in the Indian jungles, while others are scattered throughout the Three Realms and amongst the dreams of men and demons.

There are five locks on Ultimus the Unmaker’s coffin; five of the many obsidian keys, each wielded by a different hand must be placed within the ice-rimmed locks. The being that turns the fifth and final key, that completes the dark ritual of liberating the behemoth is considered its summoner, and he can command the Unmaker, or at least guide the creature’s endless rage. However, the curse bound to the Unmaker’s prison dooms the summoner, and the entirety of his race to extinction. This price, too, is well known.

When freed, Ultimus the Unmaker destroys everything, on a brutal path of annihilation carved out of the Multiverse, appearing on a plane of its summoner’s choice. It attacks the enemies of its summoner, their assets and people slightly ahead of other targets, but eventually, it destroys all things. When the great dragon eventually annihilates the world upon which it stands, it drifts through the void for a time, before it fades from the Multiverse to reappear within its primordial, freezing tomb.

Ultimus the Unmaker is a truly enormous dragon, with a mass greater than the entirety of many smaller Japanese towns. The creature is saurian, with a body similar to a tyrannosaur or other great sauropod. The Unmaker’s eyes are intelligent and malicious, taking a grim pleasure in genocide and wanton destruction.

Quick Art Preview: Black Bestiary II and Psi-Threats Vol III

I'm at work on my break so it won't be a long post, but I thought I'd preview some of the art for a couple of upcoming Bestiaries.From the top, we have an Akaname adventurer, who will show up in the revised race book and probably a future edition of Black Bestiary, by Amanda Webb.

Then, take a look at a psionic superhero in an X-Men esque costume by John Picot. I will either use her to illustrate either the Augmentus character or the Mutant Rescue Expert character in an upcoming Psi-Watch Bestiary.

After that, John Picot's illustration of the Codeword character, the mechanics of which you saw a preview of in my last post.

Next, you've got an inked sketch of a new monster called a Kappa of Blades from Black Bestiary II, by Vic Shane. The Kappa of Blades is a lot closer to the mythological version of the Kappa than Paizo's version, and as you can see from the illustration, he's going to be a fun, tough fight.

After the Kappa, take a first look at a major new setting villain for Psi-Watch, our Apocalypse analogue, Nyarlahotep the Obsidian Pharaoh. Adding a little Cthullu Mythos to Psi-Watch worked out really well, and opened up some interesting design space.

Next, you've got a rough sketch of the Road Dancer Mecha by Vic Shane. This light powered armor is inspired by the Knight Sabers & the Motoslave from Bubblegum Crisis, and will be appearing in Black Bestiary II.

Finally, Sekhmet Ammt makes the jump from the
Action Galaxy setting into Psi-Watch as the time-warping, ultra-manipulative power behind Nyarlahotep and his entire, pseudo-Egyptian faction. This illustration is John Picot's, and all these new baddies take advantage of the assortment of Egyptian flavored props & costume components he's got.

Talk to you in a couple days,
CHRIS