Gifted Heroes

Golarion PF1


 

Golarion has many heroes, but there are a few among them who stand head and shoulders above the rest due to their superior talents and abilities. These heroes are destined to lead parties, organizations, factions and even kingdoms, reshaping the world in their image as they do so.

 

Ultimate Edition's adventure-strategy layer aka Master of Heroes was inspired by my love for the masterpiece—and Insomnia's 1994 Game of the YearMaster of Magic. When I saw a couple of years ago that a remake was in the works [ > ] I headed over to the developer's Steam blog to see what they were planning for it. They had a woman say that the coolest thing about the original game were the wizards, and that they therefore planned to lavish much care and attention on them. Right then and there I knew the new game wouldn't amount to much, because not only the wizards weren't central to the game, they were next to utterly forgettable, the proof being that I don't remember anything about them. You picked a jpeg among them at the start of the game, and never saw them again in any way, shape or form. What you DID see all the time in the game were the HEROES you recruited, and a few of them were so much better than all the rest and so awesome that past a certain point I played the game only for them. That's why, when I decided to craft the true follow-up to my 1994 favorite, I knew that the heroes would be at the center of it, as Jon Van Caneghem knew when he named HIS game Heroes of Might and Magic (—which is first runner-up to Insomnia's 1995 Game of the Year). Unfortunately, it was the heroes in that game that were forgettable, but its multiplayer—which Master of Magic lacked, and which its remake hilariously still lacks—was amazing, so I knew that when I made my follow-up to these two, the game would have 1) multiplayer, and 2) awesome heroes; and of course it would be called Master of Heroes.

 

And it makes sense that the heroes would be... the heroes of these games, since these—along with Van Caneghem' earlier King's Bounty—were the foundational titles in the adventure-strategy genre, labelled such because by giving you a mere dude at the start of the game instead of a ready-made kingdom, they allowed you to work up to it; work up from nothing to the level of strategy, rendering the world so much deeper and more immersive than any given generic strategy game's. And of course you'd get attached to your heroes more than to anything else in the game, since, again, they were... your heroes!

 

You see I think what happened with the remake's programmers is that they saw the "Magic" in the title, and thought, "Well, since magic is in the title, the wizards MUST be the game's selling point!" Programmers think like this because they don't play games you see, or at most play them casually. So they have no reference experiences when thinking about games, and are forced to navigate, like complete ignoramuses, based on the shallowest, most superficial signs and symptoms. Hence we get some random woman that doesn't even play games (and don't get me started on why programmers hire so many women when they start making money, the reason is even more wretched than their shitty taste in games, and will force me to link you my PUA book) telling people like me who've been playing games since Pong what the central feature of one of my favorite games is—and missing by astronomical units.

 

But I don't miss, and therefore my games don't either, so in the 3-decades-coming true sequel to Master of Magic it is the heroes that are the game's focus. And I have pulled all the stops to make them as awesome as modern game design and technology can make them. Hence they are built in the deepest tactical and roleplaying system ever—Pathfinder First Edition—, and I made sure they are the handsomest and prettiest collection of lads and lasses to ever appear in any form of artwork. Oh, and I made them infinite, because MoM's couple dozen get old very quickly. And I removed the cap on them, so you can have as many as you want. I always hated that the game limited how many I could own, as of course it should, being a programmer game, and thus taking place in a piddling little world full of invisible walls that would be overwhelmed by anything more than half a dozen heroes.

 

But I went even further, and turned one of MoM's most famous bugs into a feature. I am referring to the game's couple of OP heroes to which I got addicted the moment I recruited them. It's not just that their stats were so much better, it was that their LOOKS were also superior to match. There was nothing in all of gaming at the time—and there still wouldn't be without my Master of Heroes—, no comparable experience to recruiting one of MoM's OP heroes and putting him in control of your soldiers and your regular heroes, and letting them loose on the world to carve a path of destruction and conquest. In every other respect, Civ was superior, except this, because Civ didn't have heroes, and its units were generic and fungible; forgettable. Fantasy 4Xes are inherently inferior to historical and sci-fi ones because the fundamental aspect of 4Xes is evolution, which the fantasy theme lacks; but what fantasy brought to the table was its D&D-inspired focus on heroes, and attendant squad-level tactics; and in Master of Magic—with its limited city-building, again due to the crippled evolution aspect of the fantasy theme—the heroes carried the whole game. The wizards, in comparison, were a mere band-aid; a desperate attempt to reskin Civ's tech tree in some form that made sense in a fantasy world. And the solution the designers devised was better than nothing, and certainly added to the game, don't get me wrong. But I wouldn't be playing the game without the heroes. They were the ONE thing the game brought to the table that previous 4Xes had lacked. How can you work on a remake and not realize this? Fucking programmers. So I knew that when I made my sequel, it would have OP heroes, and they would not only be stronger but also far better-looking than anyone else. And I would make not just a couple, like MoM had to my dismay, but dozens of them to start with, and in the long-term also infinite. And thus I arrived at my gifted heroes.

 

At this point I needed some mechanism of generating this superiority in game terms, and with Pathfinder it was easy, so I created regular heroes using the 20-point buy method, but for gifted heroes I used the 30-point method (for a discussion on the differences, check the Ultimate Edition forum thread on the subject [ > ]).

 

So when acquiring a new hero, roll 1d100 ; if the result is 90 or less a regular hero will be generated for you, but if you roll 91-99 you get a gifted hero! (rolling 100 gets you... something else that's revealed in the next chapter and that takes my hero-centric approach to adventure-strategy to a whole new level). And then just roll 1d66 on the Gifted Heroes table to determine which one you get. Alternatively, if you have specific and especially ambitious plans and needs in Golarion and would rather not leave hero acquisition to chance, you can purchase the gifted hero(es) of your choice at any time (see sidebar).

 

How heavily a player leans on heroes in general and gifted heroes in particular depends on what he wants to accomplish in Golarion. Some players just want to wander around, take in the sights, and find treasure and adventure, while others are pencil-sketching combat academies or baronies, and daydreaming about their personal exotic samurai bodyguards and master ninja squads. Players' investment levels will therefore differ in both time and effort; strategy is a much more logistically demanding pursuit than adventuring. That's even its main draw.

 

All gifted heroes are unique and irreplaceable, and all deaths are final. Heroes in play will be removed from the list, and be eventually replaced by new ones. GMs running their own Ultimate Edition worlds are encouraged to use these heroes—who were lovingly handcrafted by me to conform to all the highest standards of epic fantasy gaming with optimization help from famed PF community guru T.E. "RPGBOT" Kamstra for that added gifted "oomph". Even their names are cool; I probably spent more time devising the NAMES of the gifted heroes than other designers spend on their ENTIRE CHARACTERS.

 

That said, UE gifted heroes are NOT as OP as the "worst" MoM ones. I WOULD have made them that OP if this was a pure strategy game, but it isn't, it's not even adventure-strategy, it is roleplaying-adventure-strategy, and therefore every layer must be carefully balanced against every other. I can't have the adventuring heroes totally outshine the roleplaying characters, and therefore I must give each unique advantages. The advantage of gifted heroes is that the player is guaranteed 30-point stats and a great build, while roleplaying characters have to roll for their stats every time, meaning their average will be lower BUT they may also roll higher than gifted heroes when the player gets lucky. We already have a couple players with such stats in the game, and we also have a couple with bottom-of-the-barrel stats, and that's great: it makes the rolling process exciting, and the extended range of results in both the "good" and "bad" directions enhances roleplaying, which is the whole point of the roleplaying layer. You see what great design looks like? It looks like Ultimate Edition.

 

The starting lineup of 66 gifted heroes includes at least one representative from each of Pathfinder First Edition's 42 classes; but once heroes start being taken off the list, the classes of their replacements will be randomized to generate that feeling of scarcity that Master of Magic had (you had to play multiple runs to land ONE OP hero, so most of the time you were playing you were stuck with regular ones). Statistically, therefore, probably the only time the list will contain all 42 classes is at launch, so if you have your eye on a particular class, grab them before they're gone for many months if not years!

 

Note that, as of this writing, only the 11 core classes have been unlocked for play in the Battlegrounds' roleplaying layer, and the same goes for the regular hero generator. The additional 31 classes are for the time being reserved for gifted heroes until such a time as, one by one, they're unlocked in the roleplaying layer, and thereby also in the regular hero generator. But this will take years. In the meantime, players who acquire a gifted hero from a locked class will unlock for themselves on Battlegrounds the relevant rule chapters.

 

Plenty of females are provided to pair up with the males who want it, so don't skip them if you're planning a dynasty, or even merely a romantic adventuring duo!

 
 

Alchemist

Alchemists are masters of alchemy, using extracts to grant them great power, mutagens to enhance their form, and bombs to destroy their enemies.

1. Glarrumir Orebrew

Boom!

CN dwarf male alchemist
Str: 16 Dex: 16 Con: 14
Int: 16 Wis: 12 Cha: 6
Cost: $50
Qty. Available: 1

 

 

Antipaladin

Antipaladins are extraordinary individuals who embrace evil, hatred and corruption to a degree few mortals can match.

2. Adaranth Killoran

Kill them all. The gods will know their own.

CE human male antipaladin
Str: 18 Dex: 12 Con: 14
Int: 14 Wis: 8 Cha: 16
Cost: $50
Qty. Available: 1

 

 

3. Vorkalth Grimsbane

They'll pay for what they did. And for what they didn't.

CE human male antipaladin
Str: 20 Dex: 12 Con: 14
Int: 8 Wis: 8 Cha: 16
Cost: $50
Qty. Available: 1

 

 

Arcanist

A melding of sorcerer and wizard, arcanists are arcane tinkerers and spell-twisters, reshaping magic to their whims to achieve unmatched options and variety in their spellcasting.

4. Akron

Don't bother me or I will ruin your day.

CN half-elf male arcanist
Str: 7 Dex: 14 Con: 15
Int: 20 Wis: 10 Cha: 14
Cost: $50
Qty. Available: 1

 

 

Barbarian

Barbarians are brutal berserkers from beyond the edge of civilized lands.

5. Maxgor the Barbarian

Pigeons flock together, but eagles fly alone.

CG human male barbarian
Str: 20 Dex: 14 Con: 16
Int: 10 Wis: 12 Cha: 7
Cost: $50
Qty. Available: 1

 

 

Bard

Bards use skill and spell alike to bolster their allies, confound their enemies, and build upon their fame.

6. Lirien Echomere

Your passion is waiting for your courage to catch up.

N human male bard
Str: 12 Dex: 14 Con: 16
Int: 12 Wis: 11 Cha: 18
Cost: $50
Qty. Available: 1

 

 

7. Anairelle

Pull up a chair and hear a song, friend.

NG half-elf female bard
Str: 10 Dex: 16 Con: 14
Int: 12 Wis: 10 Cha: 19
Cost: $50
Qty. Available: 1

 

 

Bloodrager

Blending the wrath of the barbarian with the innate magic of the sorcerer, bloodragers tap into their rage to create brutal magical effects of eldritch savagery to support them in combat.

8. Cynara the Untamed

You know nothing, stranger.

NG human female bloodrager
Str: 18 Dex: 14 Con: 15
Int: 11 Wis: 12 Cha: 14
Cost: $50
Qty. Available: 1

 

 

Brawler

Unifying two of the greatest types of pugilists, the fighter and the monk, brawlers forgo mysticism and spiritual training to focus on raw physical mastery and take on their opponents in fierce hand-to-hand combat.

9. Aaron Gauntlett

You talkin' to me?

CG human male brawler
Str: 20 Dex: 12 Con: 16
Int: 10 Wis: 13 Cha: 8
Cost: $50
Qty. Available: 1

 

 

10. Gable Raith

Calm down or I will calm you down.

CN human male brawler
Str: 19 Dex: 16 Con: 12
Int: 11 Wis: 12 Cha: 12
Cost: $50
Qty. Available: 1

 

 

Cavalier

Mounted upon their mighty steed, cavaliers are brave warriors, using their wit, charm, and strength at arms to rally their companions and achieve their goals.

11. Mainard the Fierce

Chaaaaaarge!

N human male cavalier
Str: 20 Dex: 12 Con: 16
Int: 10 Wis: 10 Cha: 11
Cost: $50
Qty. Available: 1

 

 

12. Warner the Allegiant

Give them nothing. Take everything from them!

LN human male cavalier
Str: 19 Dex: 11 Con: 16
Int: 9 Wis: 10 Cha: 15
Cost: $50
Qty. Available: 1

 

 

Cleric

Devout followers of a deity, clerics can heal wounds, raise the dead, and call down the wrath of the gods.

13. Daniel Trevino

To be or not to be? Let me patch you up, and you can figure it out after.

NG human male cleric
Str: 13 Dex: 12 Con: 14
Int: 10 Wis: 20 Cha: 13
Cost: $50
Qty. Available: 1

 

 

14. Darian Lightbringer

Through the deepest darkness, I'll carry forth the Light.

LG human male cleric
Str: 16 Dex: 10 Con: 14
Int: 10 Wis: 19 Cha: 12
Cost: $50
Qty. Available: 1

 

 

15. Tannith Vor

This cross? A relic from another world.

CN human male cleric
Str: 13 Dex: 10 Con: 14
Int: 12 Wis: 19 Cha: 15
Cost: $50
Qty. Available: 1

 

 

Druid

Druids are worshipers of all things natural—spellcasters, friends to animals, and skilled shapechangers.

16. Keyleth

Hahahaha

N human female druid
Str: 14 Dex: 16 Con: 14
Int: 10 Wis: 18 Cha: 10
Cost: $50
Qty. Available: 1

 

 

Fighter

Brave and stalwart, fighters are masters of all manner of arms and armor.

17. Durnak Hardhand

It will be done.

LN dwarf male fighter
Str: 16 Dex: 14 Con: 18
Int: 10 Wis: 12 Cha: 12
Cost: $50
Qty. Available: 1

 

 

18. Sylvar

Now you see me. Now you're dead.

NG elf male fighter
Str: 16 Dex: 18 Con: 12
Int: 12 Wis: 10 Cha: 14
Cost: $50
Qty. Available: 1

 

 

19. William Dragonheart

I am grabbing my armor and coming.

CG human male fighter
Str: 20 Dex: 14 Con: 14
Int: 10 Wis: 10 Cha: 13
Cost: $50
Qty. Available: 1

 

 

Gunslinger

Gunslingers are rare warriors who forgo blades and bows in favor of the mysterious art of black powder.

20. Wyatt Gold

You bet!

NE human male gunslinger
Str: 9 Dex: 20 Con: 12
Int: 10 Wis: 16 Cha: 12
Cost: $50
Qty. Available: 1

 

 

Hunter

Combining the natural skills and animal mastery of the druid and the ranger, hunters team up with and focus their attentions on a devoted animal ally to help them confront the enemies of the wild.

21. Feredis

Here, boy.

CG elf male hunter
Str: 12 Dex: 16 Con: 14
Int: 10 Wis: 17 Cha: 12
Cost: $50
Qty. Available: 1

 

 

22. Freyja

The wild called my name, and I answered.

LN human female hunter
Str: 17 Dex: 14 Con: 15
Int: 10 Wis: 16 Cha: 11
Cost: $50
Qty. Available: 1

 

 

Inquisitor

Scourges of the unfaithful and hunters of horrors, inquisitors root out the enemies of their faith with grim conviction and an array of divine blessings.

23. Livia Cayn

He'll talk one way or another.

LN human female inquisitor
Str: 17 Dex: 16 Con: 12
Int: 12 Wis: 15 Cha: 12
Cost: $50
Qty. Available: 1

 

 

24. Mauger Krante

Confess, heretic!

LE human male inquisitor
Str: 18 Dex: 16 Con: 14
Int: 12 Wis: 15 Cha: 7
Cost: $50
Qty. Available: 1

 

 

Investigator

Mixing the alchemist's arcane insight with the shrewdness of a rogue, investigators are clever characters who are always prepared and use their knowledge and a wide range of talents to overcome any conundrum.

25. Emil Ravirral

It's elementary, my dear.

NG human male investigator
Str: 13 Dex: 18 Con: 14
Int: 16 Wis: 10 Cha: 12
Cost: $50
Qty. Available: 1

 

 

Kineticist

Instead of casting psychic spells, kineticists use their connection to the elements and unique psychic spell-like abilities called wild talents to manipulate elemental energy and matter and bring forth energy in the form of kinetic blasts.

26. Ionra Dresar

You call my body beautiful, but my mind is even more.

N human female kineticist
Str: 7 Dex: 16 Con: 20
Int: 11 Wis: 14 Cha: 11
Cost: $50
Qty. Available: 1

 

 

Magus

Maguses blend both the mage's arts and the warrior's arms with devastating results, slicing apart foes and blasting them with eldritch flames.

27. Valdasten

What kind of fighting I prefer? Fighting.

CG human male magus
Str: 8 Dex: 18 Con: 14
Int: 18 Wis: 12 Cha: 8
Cost: $50
Qty. Available: 1

 

 

Medium

By contacting spirits in places of power and holding seances to benefit themselves and their allies, mediums allow the personalities of legendary heroes to overcome their own, vastly changing their spells and abilities.

28. Tellanua

I see dead people.

N elf female medium
Str: 7 Dex: 19 Con: 14
Int: 13 Wis: 14 Cha: 14
Cost: $50
Qty. Available: 1

 

 

Mesmerist

The mesmerists' piercing stare lets them insinuate themselves into other people's minds. Masters of enchantment and illusion, mesmerists control and influence the behavior of others.

29. Querresette

Do you like me?

CN human female mesmerist
Str: 7 Dex: 14 Con: 16
Int: 12 Wis: 10 Cha: 20
Cost: $50
Qty. Available: 1

 

 

Monk

Students of martial arts, monks train their body to be their greatest weapon and defense.

30. Sister Leonela

Without that suit, what are you?

LG human female monk
Str: 19 Dex: 13 Con: 16
Int: 8 Wis: 16 Cha: 7
Cost: $50
Qty. Available: 1

 

 

Ninja

Ninjas are a type of rogue whose mystical powers augment keenly honed reflexes, rendering them deadly spies and assassins.

31. Killstreak

...

N human female ninja
Str: 12 Dex: 19 Con: 16
Int: 10 Wis: 10 Cha: 14
Cost: $50
Qty. Available: 1

 

 

Occultist

To make use of their powers, occultists channel psychic energy into a varied collection of antiques and mementos with storied pasts, with every type of implement allowing them to use a different school of magic.

32. Draigh Maganti

There are more things in this world than are dreamt of in your philosophy.

NE human male occultist
Str: 7 Dex: 16 Con: 16
Int: 20 Wis: 11 Cha: 7
Cost: $50
Qty. Available: 1

 

 

Omdura

Acting as divine warriors, omduras embody the tenets of their gods and serve as divine vessels.

33. Elysia Faithsworn

Bow in the presence of your makers!

LN human female omdura
Str: 10 Dex: 14 Con: 16
Int: 9 Wis: 9 Cha: 20
Cost: $50
Qty. Available: 1

 

 

34. Orsotte Stormheart

A god speaks through me!

LG human female omdura
Str: 12 Dex: 16 Con: 16
Int: 9 Wis: 9 Cha: 18
Cost: $50
Qty. Available: 1

 

 

Oracle

Drawing upon divine mysteries, oracles channel divine power through their body and soul, but at a terrible price.

35. Seraphina

I didn't choose, I was chosen.

N human female oracle
Str: 16 Dex: 12 Con: 14
Int: 11 Wis: 12 Cha: 18
Cost: $50
Qty. Available: 1

 

 

Paladin

Paladins are the knights in shining armor, devoted followers of law and good.

36. Aric Ironsoul

I will strike fear into darkness.

LG human male paladin
Str: 18 Dex: 12 Con: 16
Int: 9 Wis: 9 Cha: 16
Cost: $50
Qty. Available: 1

 

 

37. Thorne Ironsoul

I'll stay true to the end.

LG human male paladin
Str: 18 Dex: 10 Con: 16
Int: 11 Wis: 9 Cha: 16
Cost: $50
Qty. Available: 1

 

 

Psychic

With their incredibly potent mind, psychics can cast more powerful spells than those of members of any other occult class: psychic spells which they access through a specific discipline, bending and amplifying them as they cast them.

38. Myraah

Of the mind, do not be mindless.

LN human female psychic
Str: 7 Dex: 14 Con: 15
Int: 19 Wis: 16 Cha: 9
Cost: $50
Qty. Available: 1

 

 

Ranger

Trackers and hunters, rangers are creatures of the wild and of tracking down and hunting their favored foes in their favorite terrains.

39. Ararora Sylrieth

Shhhh... Listen! Or your tongue will make you deaf.

NG human female ranger
Str: 14 Dex: 20 Con: 15
Int: 10 Wis: 14 Cha: 7
Cost: $50
Qty. Available: 1

 

 

40. Faelor

What's there to eat in this forest? Us.

NG half-elf male ranger
Str: 18 Dex: 15 Con: 14
Int: 12 Wis: 14 Cha: 11
Cost: $50
Qty. Available: 1

 

 

Rogue

Rogues are thieves and scouts, opportunists capable of delivering brutal strikes against unwary foes.

41. Jitter Jingletoes

I was just playing.

CG halfling male rogue
Str: 8 Dex: 20 Con: 14
Int: 14 Wis: 11 Cha: 14
Cost: $50
Qty. Available: 1

 

 

42. Ori Quenchblade

You should have kept your mouth shut.

NG dwarf male rogue
Str: 8 Dex: 18 Con: 18
Int: 14 Wis: 13 Cha: 7
Cost: $50
Qty. Available: 1

 

 

43. Scarface Carlisle

I want what's coming to me: the world, and everything in it.

CN human male rogue
Str: 8 Dex: 20 Con: 16
Int: 12 Wis: 11 Cha: 12
Cost: $50
Qty. Available: 1

 

 

Samurai

Samurais are a type of cavalier, disciplined warriors whose skill is matched only by their impeccable sense of honor and ironhard resolve.

44. Haragawa Rie

You can always die. It's living that takes real courage.

NG human female samurai
Str: 20 Dex: 12 Con: 15
Int: 10 Wis: 12 Cha: 12
Cost: $50
Qty. Available: 1

 

 

45. Sakizuki Naoshi

I know nothing of surpassing others, only how to outdo myself.

LN human male samurai
Str: 19 Dex: 12 Con: 18
Int: 10 Wis: 12 Cha: 7
Cost: $50
Qty. Available: 1

 

 

Shaman

The occult mysteries of the oracle and witch combine in shamans, enigmatic spirit-speakers who call upon powers from beyond while seeking new routes to eerie divine powers.

46. Ilma Nidramryv

Men's law changes, only the spirit-laws remain.

NG half-drow female shaman
Str: 7 Dex: 14 Con: 16
Int: 10 Wis: 20 Cha: 12
Cost: $100
Qty. Available: 1

 

 

Shifter

Whether riding on the wind as a falcon or hiding in some fetid bog waiting to strike, shifters are true masters of the wild.

47. Glynven

The frog does not drink up the pond in which he lives.

CG half-elf female shifter
Str: 19 Dex: 16 Con: 16
Int: 7 Wis: 14 Cha: 7
Cost: $50
Qty. Available: 1

 

 

Skald

Skalds blend the passion and relentlessness of the barbarian with the voice of the bard, inspiring their fellows from the frontlines, both joining their allies in battle and bolstering their might.

48. Caethoran

Warriors don't show their heart until the axe reveals it.

NG half-elf male skald
Str: 14 Dex: 16 Con: 15
Int: 12 Wis: 11 Cha: 16
Cost: $50
Qty. Available: 1

 

 

Slayer

Deft stalkers of the most dangerous prey, slayers deal death from the shadows by merging the ranger's combat training with the rogue's crippling attacks.

49. Darin Zayne

I do not kill, I release death.

CN human male slayer
Str: 18 Dex: 16 Con: 16
Int: 10 Wis: 10 Cha: 10
Cost: $50
Qty. Available: 1

 

 

50. Isilynor Dirke

One shot, one kill.

NG human female slayer
Str: 14 Dex: 20 Con: 16
Int: 10 Wis: 12 Cha: 7
Cost: $50
Qty. Available: 1

 

 

Sorcerer

Sorcerers are spellcasters born with an innate knack for magic and possessing strange, eldritch powers.

51. Drazahr

Less thunder in the mouth and more lightning in the hand.

CG human male sorcerer
Str: 7 Dex: 14 Con: 16
Int: 10 Wis: 12 Cha: 20
Cost: $50
Qty. Available: 1

 

 

52. Ravenna

Don't run. You'll only die tired.

N human female sorcerer
Str: 16 Dex: 14 Con: 14
Int: 11 Wis: 12 Cha: 17
Cost: $50
Qty. Available: 1

 

 

Spiritualist

Attuned to the spirits of the dead, spiritualists form a bond with a phantom—a returned spirit that has unfinished business but did not become undead. This spectral ally can alternate between forms, emerging from the safety of the spiritualists' mind to take on an incorporeal form or an ectoplasmic body.

53. Raritana Galloryn

Don't think. Feel.

CG human female spiritualist
Str: 7 Dex: 16 Con: 19
Int: 13 Wis: 16 Cha: 8
Cost: $50
Qty. Available: 1

 

 

Summoner

Bonded to a mysterious creature called an eidolon, summoners focus their power on strengthening that connection and enhancing their strange, otherworldy companion.

54. Valtyra Angelsin

I collected knick-knacks as a child. Now I collect monsters.

NG aasimar female summoner
Str: 7 Dex: 18 Con: 16
Int: 12 Wis: 12 Cha: 16
Cost: $100
Qty. Available: 1

 

 

55. Xander the Xenophile

Summoners are a strange bunch. But wait until you see what we summon.

CG human male summoner
Str: 7 Dex: 16 Con: 14
Int: 10 Wis: 12 Cha: 20
Cost: $50
Qty. Available: 1

 

 

Swashbuckler

Bringing together the martial mastery of the fighter and the style of the gunslinger, swashbucklers are quick, daring combatants who use fast weapons and bewildering melee skills to lay their opponents low.

56. Granger "Captain" Deadeyes

When in doubt, shoot the wizard.

CE human male swashbuckler
Str: 7 Dex: 20 Con: 16
Int: 10 Wis: 12 Cha: 14
Cost: $50
Qty. Available: 1

 

 

Vampire Hunter

Though they are dark-cloaked bringers of death and hybrids of hunters, inquisitors, paladins, and slayers who instill fear in both the living and the dead, most vampire hunters do not survive their first encounters with vampirekind, as no amount of study or training can truly prepare one to face the Nobles of the night.

57. Rain Gravewalker

The good can be found in the darkest corners, if only one remembers to turn on the light.

NG human male vampire hunter
Str: 20 Dex: 14 Con: 14
Int: 12 Wis: 14 Cha: 7
Cost: $50
Qty. Available: 1

 

 

Vigilante

By day, vigilantes maneuver through society, dealing with other nobles or influential individuals. By night, they don a disguise and pursue an entirely different set of goals, taking the fight to their foes and solving problems with a blade when words will not suffice.

58. Night Lance

Be polite. Be social. And have a plan to kill everyone in the room.

CG human male vigilante
Str: 18 Dex: 12 Con: 16
Int: 10 Wis: 8 Cha: 16
Cost: $50
Qty. Available: 1

 

 

59. Headshot

I am the night.

NG human male vigilante
Str: 12 Dex: 18 Con: 16
Int: 10 Wis: 8 Cha: 16
Cost: $50
Qty. Available: 1

 

 

Warpriest

Adding a fighter's physical might to the force of a cleric's convictions, warpriests are battle-hardened divine champions who strike against enemies of their faith.

60. Wulfric Giantheart

Time is the fire in which we burn.

LN human male warpriest
Str: 18 Dex: 12 Con: 15
Int: 12 Wis: 17 Cha: 7
Cost: $50
Qty. Available: 1

 

 

Witch

Lurking on the fringe of civilization, witches make a powerful connection with a patron that grants them strange and mysterious powers through a special familiar.

61. Gresselda

Relax... it's only magic.

CN human female witch
Str: 7 Dex: 15 Con: 15
Int: 20 Wis: 14 Cha: 8
Cost: $50
Qty. Available: 1

 

 

Wizard

Wizards master magic through constant study that gives them incredible magical power.

62. Eldrin

Magic is believing in yourself.

NG human male transmuter
Str: 16 Dex: 15 Con: 15
Int: 18 Wis: 10 Cha: 7
Cost: $50
Qty. Available: 1

 

 

63. Igneous

No firepower without fire.

CE human male evoker
Str: 7 Dex: 16 Con: 16
Int: 20 Wis: 11 Cha: 7
Cost: $50
Qty. Available: 1

 

 

64. Loscivia

Truth is but a wizard's tower, where a solemn death-bell tolls, and a forest round it rolls.

NG drow female wizard
Str: 7 Dex: 18 Con: 14
Int: 18 Wis: 11 Cha: 9
Cost: $100
Qty. Available: 1

 

 

65. Necht

All living things are afraid in the face of danger. The dead on the other hand...

NE human male necromancer
Str: 7 Dex: 15 Con: 14
Int: 18 Wis: 12 Cha: 16
Cost: $50
Qty. Available: 1

 

 

66. Opianne

Belief in the absence of illusions is yet another illusion.

CG human female illusionist
Str: 7 Dex: 15 Con: 16
Int: 18 Wis: 12 Cha: 14
Cost: $50
Qty. Available: 1

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Table: Gifted Heroes
 
Combat

Due to their superior stats and pro tuning, gifted heroes count as CR +1/4 for the purposes of adventure layer combat, i.e. one level above regular heroes.


 
What if I don't like my hero?

Once you've rolled a hero, they're yours to take wherever you wish, both literally and figuratively. Nothing is set in stone, and everything can evolve, even alignment. Use your actions in the game to chart your hero's arc, whether a good character's descent into evil, or an evil one's embracing of good. Post fanfic in their thread (after clearing it with the GM) to flesh out their journey, if you wish. The backgrounds are mere starting points.


Purchasing Heroes

Gifted heroes can be purchased for $50 above the normal hero cost ($100 for superior races like the aasimar, azlanti or drow). To purchase a gifted hero, start a hero thread in the Master of Heroes forum as usual (or multiple threads if purchasing multiple heroes), making sure to state your choice in order to reserve it, and link back to this article. Then calculate the cost and send the amount via PayPal to paypal.me/akbattlegrounds.

 
Hero Credits

Prices in this list assume the player has a hero credit in his account per hero purchase. If not, add $50 per hero to your payment.

 
Pay-to-Win Much?

Buddy, trust me on this: You don't have enough money to win this game. So just buy or don't buy whatever you want to achieve the experience you want to achieve, and chill out.

Powergaming

The method used to generate the stats for the starting slate of gifted heroes was as follows: 1. Start from RPGBOT's optimal 25-point arrays for each class [ > ], 2. Using James H. White's PFRPG Ability Score Calculator [ > ], raise the point-buy to 30 and—after careful study of each class handbook—surgically distribute the extra points where they can make the biggest impact. For alternate versions of a class, specialize the heroes in different class facets, to flesh out the class and complement each other. The end result is the biggest, deepest and coolest hero roster of ultrahardcore combat builds in all of gaming for the tacticians among the playerbase to sink their teeth into, many of whom also possess solid leadership skills for the strategists, which, when paired into appropriate party builds, should prove devastating both on the battlefield, and in diverse activities and goals including political intrigue.

 
Why Gifted?

Master of Heroes—and therefore Battlegrounds' adventure-strategy layer—was inspired by my love for the 1994 masterpiece Master of Magic. If you're wondering why the game needs OP heroes at all—let alone handed out at semi-regular intervals—play Master of Magic and you'll understand. The OP heroes were the whole point of the game. Ergo the "sequel"'s name.

 
Where's the Diversity, Bro?

The overriding concern with the initial slate of gifted heroes was to have a stunning effect; they had to be beautiful above all, the most charming-looking selection of heroes in any game ever. And it's very difficult to achieve this effect with diversity... It can be done, to a certain extent, especially by taking heavy artistic liberties with the source material, but it's extra work the Cult Games team in charge of the chapter couldn't spare at the moment. So the players will have to make do with what we have, and a reasonable amount of diversity will be gradually introduced, I give my word on this. As for why this issue exists, it's philosophy, bro. Study it.

 
Why 66?

Because that's how many it would take to produce the 4K widescreen wallpaper from which the game's cover (meaning the standalone Master of Heroes) would also be made. And that's why each and every hero had to be beautiful, to achieve this instantly-stunning effect. Even a single subpar face would have brought the whole down with it. Ergo, because this was the game's launch, it was the number one consideration. Not that future gifted heroes won't be beautiful! But the requirements won't be as strict, because those faces won't be going on the cover.

 
Excuse our Dust

We know the portraits aren't perfectly centered, or even the exact same size for that matter. But they will be. Sizing and centering them is challenging because they are all kinds of different aspect ratios, and so their positioning in the 500x500 transparent background must be judged largely by eye on a per-case basis, and doing this in one go for 66 of them would have taken days and exhausted me. So I opted to launch the page in this state, and put the sizing and centering on the backburner. That said, every hero will be perfectly sized and centered the moment a player has chosen to put them in the game.


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