Traveller: Io Swimmer

I know that I haven’t posted much for Traveller lately. Have no fear my gamer friends, JBE is still very much creating material for this fun game. Take today’s blog post for example. I was trying to think of something really out there for a Traveller vehicle when it came to me, a mining vehicle that swims lava seas. Setting it near the Solomani Worlds means that calling it the Io Swimmer would make sense. With that, we present to you a new Traveller vehicle for your game.

Remember to check out all of our Traveller supplements and d66 lists at DriveThruRPG.

Io Swimmer

NameIo Swimmer
TL14
SkillSeafarer (submarine)
Agility1
Speed (Cruise)Medium (Slow)
Range (Cruise)200 (300)
Crew3
Passengers—
Cargo11
Hull60
Shipping10 tons
Cost2,228,250
Autopilot (skill level)3
Communications (range)1000 km
Navigation (Navigation DM)+4
Sensors (Electronics (sensors) DM)+2, 2.5 km
Camouflage (Recon DM)—
Stealth (Electronics (sensors) DM)—
Armour
Front4
Rear4
Sides4

Equipment/Traits
Safe Depth 2,000 m, Crush Depth 6,000 m, Life Support 400 days, Communication System (Advanced, Satellite Uplink), Computer/5, Control Systems (Advanced), Fire Extinguishers, Fresher, General Purpose Laboratory, Insidious Environment, Manipulator Arm (Advanced), Navigation System (Advanced), Sensors (Advanced, Magma)

PF2e: Go Limp

Back when I was in college I worked one summer for a major big-box store. I remember being told that if I ever got taken hostage by a crazed person, I should go limp. The hostage-taker will have to support my body weight completely, making it very difficult for them to use me as a shield. Fortunately, I have never been in a scenario to test to see if that is a good idea or not so I cannot recommend anyone actually try it in a real-life scenario. Let me state that again: don’t do this in real life based on this post. Having said that, this doesn’t mean it isn’t a good idea to do so in a roleplaying game. And I think this is perfect for a general feat in Pathfinder 2e.

Doing this is great for a general feat since it requires no skill whatsoever and it can be done by pretty much anyone. As such, it is a great 1st-level general feat. I don’t think it should be an action without the feat as it should take practice for someone to do without hurting themselves (aka not hitting their head on the ground when being let go), but it also shouldn’t require a skill check to do either.

Before getting into the feat itself, let me just post the obligatory link to our Pathfinder 2e products at DriveThruRPG, Paizo, and the Open Gaming Store. Help us to create more PF 2e products and blog posts today by download our products.

Go Limp [1 Action] Feat 1

General

As an action while grappled by a creature one size category larger than you or smaller, you can go limp letting the creature grappling you support you completely. As long as the grapple is maintained, both you and the creature grappling you are flat-footed. If the grapple should end, you become prone, and you both lose the flat-footed condition. 

PF1e: Tiny Chapel

I had a conversation this past weekend about secure shelter and how I think a paladin should have this on their spell list. Short of the long, paladins should be able to provide respite to those in need and defend the vulnerable by shoving the weak inside and fighting the monsters outside, knowing the defenseless are safe.

After thinking about it, I felt that what it really needs is a reflavoring so it is ideal for such a divine caster. This is the originals of tiny chapel.

Before we get to the spell, let me post our obligatory link to our PDFs at DriveThruRPG, Paizo and the Open Gaming Store. Ordering our books and downloading our PDFs helps us to keep making products and blog posts for you.

Tiny Chapel

School conjunction (creation); Level cleric/oracle/warpriest 5, paladin 4
Casting Time 10 minutes
Components V, S, DF
Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels
Effect 20-ft.-radius sphere centered on your location
Duration 2 hours/level (D)
Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance no

You conjure a sturdy chapel made of material that is common in the area where the spell is cast. The floor is level, clean, and dry. The chapel resembles a normal worship building for the caster’s deity, with a sturdy door, two shuttered windows, and a small alter with a fire going on it.
The chapel is warmed by the alter fire and does not harm the occupants not affect the building. The dwelling does provide considerable security—it is as strong as a normal stone building, regardless of its material composition. The dwelling resists flames and fire as if it were stone. It is impervious to normal missiles (but not the sort cast by siege engines or giants).
The door, shutters, and even chimney are secure against intrusion, the former two being secured with arcane lock and the latter by an iron grate at the top and a narrow flue. In addition, these three areas are protected by an alarm spell. Finally, an unseen servant is conjured to provide service to you for the duration of the shelter.
The tiny chapel contains crude furnishings—eight bunks, a trestle table, eight stools, and other furnishings in keeping with the deity’s theme. 

In-Person Gaming vs Online Gaming

Image by Matt Bulahao

Many people during the pandemic switched from in-person gaming where everyone sat around a table to gaming online, either over a chat program like discord or over a tabletop program like Roll20 or Fantasy Grounds. Now that the pandemic is waning, are you planning on returning to the tabletop or do you like the commute to the game being to your computer and being able to game in your jammies? Tell us what you’re doing? We want to know.

Be sure to check out all of our online gaming products at Fantasy Grounds and Roll20.

Future of PF2 and JBE

Just wanted to share that earlier this week the Pathfinder 2e Book of Beasts: Monsters of the Forbidden Woods sold it’s 20th copy in it’s first month. That’s the magic number. This was a test product to see if there’s enough of a market there to make continued work worth it.

The question from here is: where do we go from here. More monsters seems like a good option, as well as NPCs. Converting over some of our Pathfinder 1e adventures is another good idea. We are going to focus on GM-focused products for a while.

Proving to GM’s the quality of our products is important before we roll out more player focused products. We always aim to have high quality and well-balanced products and GM’s are the gatekeepers of new products at the table. So we want to show we’re exceptional so they feel comfortable allowing our products at their tables.

Now before anyone panics, Pathfinder 1e and Traveller are games we are still focused on and we will not be leaving these games any time soon. We’re working on solid products that GM’s and players will absolutely love. Stay tuned.

Download our products at DriveThruRPG, the Open Gaming Store, and Paizo. Play your games over Fantasy Grounds, check out our products available on this platform.

Unleash Awesome General Feats on Your PF2e Game

Options for Every Hero

Every Pathfinder Second Edition Hero needs General Feats. Now the best ones are no longer limited to Level 1 options. Grab yourself these 10 new choices for your higher-level character today.

This supplement includes the following feats:

  • Accustomed to the Dark
  • Armor Expertise
  • All-Around Senses
  • Greater Fleet
  • Hardened Mind
  • Sense Thy Enemy
  • Shield Deflection
  • Stone Step
  • Uncanny Acumen
  • Weapon Expertise

Be the Hero You’ve Always Known You Are With These Awesome Character Options Today.

Download Book of Heroes: 10 11th-Level General Feats today at DriveThruRPG, Paizo, and the Open Gaming Store.

PF2e: More General Feats

As we mentioned before, we’re creating Pathfinder 2e General Feats. There is a serious lack of general feats and the best ones are all level 1. So we’re creating more. We’re almost done with Book of Heroes: 10 11th-Level General Feats where you will find these and more. But until we’re finished, we wanted to share with you a few more.

I wanted to take a few moments and talk about what kinds of feats we created. We started off by creating upgrades to the original general feats. Take Stone Step here for example. Feather Step let’s you Step into difficult terrain but not greater difficult terrain. Well, the upgrade seems obvious: you can Step into greater difficult terrain. Greater difficult terrain is like hurricanes. So this should not be easy so I feel comfortable making this an 11th level feat.

Uncanny Acumen here is a different case. This one owes its origins to True Perception, the only Level 19 feat in the core game as much as it does to Canny Acumen. You can only take True Perception if you are Legendary in Perception and only a handful of classes get that. That just seems wrong. General feats, anyone should be able to take. So characters need a way to be able to reach that. So we borrowed the idea from Canny Acumen and made Uncanny Acumen as its upgrade. Mind you, Canny Acumen is not a requirement since even the most unperceptive classes in the game (I’m looking at you sorcerer and wizard) become expert at 11th level. If you have no interest in being more perceptive at lower levels, that’s your call. But if you want to hit Legendary and gain True Perception at level 19, this is the only feat you need to meet the prerequisites. Canny Acumen becomes an unnecessary speed bump. And speed bumps are just unfun.

Be sure to check out all of JBE’s Pathfinder 2e products at DriveThruRPG, Paizo, and the Open Gaming Store.

Stone Step Feat 11

General

Prerequisites Dexterity 16, Constitution 14, Feather Step

Even in the worst of conditions, you still step carefully and quickly. You can Step into greater difficult terrain.

Uncanny Acumen Feat 11

General

Prerequisites expert in either Fortitude saves, Reflex saves, Will saves, or Perception

Your avoidance or observation is unheard of in your profession. Choose Fortitude saves, Reflex saves, Will saves, or Perception. You must already be an expert in your choice. You become a master in your choice. At 17th level, you become legendary in your choice.

Unleash New Monsters on Your PF2e game with the Book of Beasts

Danger and Death Awaits in the Forbidden Woods

Deep in the heart of the Forbidden Woods lies a group of monsters too terrifying for most to face. Animals of enormous size, creatures part spider and bear, terrifying crocodile beavers, and things much, much worse. Only the bravest heroes dare to stand up to these foul abominations of murderous intent and save the people from a fate far worse than death.

Monsters of the Forbidden Woods is an exciting new supplement of monsters in Jon Brazer Enterprises’ best-selling Book of Beasts series and is our first for the Pathfinder Second Edition Roleplaying Game. These monsters are designed to frighten characters and leave your players recounting their tales of heroism time and again. Inside this volume, you’ll find:

  • 22 new monsters, ranging from levels –1 to 10
  • Items found in the monsters’ lairs, giving you ready ideas for a treasure horde
  • In-game descriptions of each monster, ranging from random NPC quotes to colloquial names given to the monster by nearby locals
  • Adventure hooks for using these monsters in unique and exciting ways
  • Battle suggestions with descriptions on how best to build an encounter

Face What Goes Bump in the Night.

Download the Book of Beasts: Monsters of the Forbidden Woods today at DriveThruRPG, the Open Gaming Store, and Paizo.

PF2: High Level General Feats

I was recently watching a video by NoNat1s where he talked about General Feats and how all the high level ones suck and how all the good ones are level 1 feats. So I said to myself, “Self, you’re a game designer. Let’s do something about this.” Like the gentleman in the video said, there has to be more than 1 or else that one created is the best at that level. So I’m going to make this a series and do 2 every blog post and we’ll bundle these up with others for a single PDF. I hope you enjoy the series.

Accustomed to the Dark Feat 11

General

Prerequisite master in Perception

You have spent so much time in the dark that your eyes are adjusting to your surroundings. If you have neither low-light vision nor darkvision, you gain low-light vision. If you have low-light vision but not darkvision, you gain darkvision. If you have darkvision, you gain greater darkvision.

Special You can select this feat more than once. Each time you do, you follow the above progression.

Greater Fleet Feat 11

General

Prerequisites Dexterity 18, Fleet

You move even faster. Your Speed increases by an additional 5 feet.