(I do not like the Thunder Junction MTG set. Its worse sin by far is repeating the terra nullius myth in an act of blatant colonialism apologia, but that terra nullius also just means a setting nearly empty of worldbuilding and a bunch of villain characters who have way better things to do wandering into a shitty saloon. Marchesa? Rakdos?? And if this happened so recently why is it all dusty?
I do like the rattlesnake horse, though. That's fun. And I like cool mounts and this is the set that introduced mounts as a concept, so... snorse.)
CR2 TN Large Magical Beast
Snorse are magical hybrids of snake and horse, volatile and dangerous creatures created as mounts of war. They proved to be ill-tempered and dangerous rides, and most that did not escape were culled. Feral populations now roam areas of chaparral and desert, where their endurance and speed combined with their venom makes them deadly hunters; ironically, their preferred prey is horses, as they can match their running capabilities.
A small domestic population of snorse have endured, and they are mostly kept as pets and novelties for the particularly adventurous. Some keepers remove the venom glands of the animal to make them safer to own and ride; others consider this abuse. Although the original project was a failure, individual snorse have subsequently been tamed and used as war mounts, where their venomous bite and intimidating presence has been put to good use. Outlaws and fledgling nations alike may flock around a snorse rider, as the creatures have become a status symbol of might and cruelty.
This beast has the body and legs of a horse but black scales and the head of a deadly viper.
Misc- CR2 TN Large Magical Beast HD2 Init:+2 Senses: Perception:+6, Heat Vision 30ft
Stats- Str:19(+4) Dex:14(+2) Con:16(+3) Int:2(-4) Wis:17(+3) Cha:12(+1) BAB:2 Space:10ft Reach:5ft
Defense- HP:23(2d10+12) AC:14(+2 Dex, +2 Natural) Fort:+6 Ref:+5 Will:+1 CMD:19
Offense- Bite +5(1d8+6 plus Poison) CMB:+7 Speed:50ft Special Attacks: Poison
Feats- EnduranceB, Run
Skills- Acrobatics +5, Perception +6
Special Qualities- Rough Ride
Ecology- Environment- Deserts (Hot) Languages- None Organization- Solitary Treasure- None
Special Abilities- Heat Vision (Ex)- Snorse have viperlike heat pits in their face, giving them the ability to detect temperature differentials. This ability functions like blindsight, but only for creatures that are at a different temperature than their surroundings. Rough Ride (Ex)- Despite being able to be ridden, snorse are known to buck and twist in a particularly skilled way that makes them hard to ride on. Riders take a -4 penalty to Ride checks made to Stay in Saddle and Soft Fall. Poison (Ex)- Bite-Injury Save:DC13 Effect:1d2 Dex damage Frequency: 1/round for 3 rounds Cure: 2 consecutive saves
“Yasmin, what do you think about the mtg change to put Universes Beyond in standard?”
It’s objectively bad. Also, wotc’s done worse. They literally invented booster packs, in case you forgot, and you’ve been giving them money up til now. You can stop if you want—we stopped a long time ago, and we still play the game—but don’t expect me to join your social media crusade just because this is where you finally realize how bad capitalism is. Because seriously, that’s how you people are acting.
More importantly, in case you missed it, Israel’s now bombing 3 countries (including my home). So I couldn’t give less of a fuck about what you think is the point of no return in a game that’s always been made by one of the grossest corporations in the world. If you haven’t yet reconciled your moral insufficiency and learned the ways you can and can’t have fun despite the horrible world we live in? Don’t put that on the rest of us.
I’m not saying big problems mean small problems don’t exist, or that you can’t be mad. It’s good to be mad about injustice. I’m saying get some perspective. Be a fucking adult about it. We notice when you say capitalism is bad but only act like it when it affects you. We notice what you use all your energy to yell about, and what you don’t. Now leave us alone.
me, talking about playing with my cat: yeah, the meta's real stagnant rn. under the bed is good, but can't survive in the late game; scratching post has no interactivity; and chasey-ball is so weak to disruption when comboing off. wotc needs to print a more interactive pieces if this format is gonna survive.
(Nightstalkers are an example of how early MtG preferred splitting creature types, whereas modern MtG prefers lumping. Nowadays these would just be typed as Zombies or Spirits, but because of old cards they got grandfathered into their own creature type, which makes them stick out as their own thing.
Mechanically, I though that "they use rifles" was an interesting hook- the set they're in, Portal Second Age, was notable for being the only Magic cards with guns in their art until they started bringing in external IPs. So now you can give your zombie army some backline artillery!)
NE CR3 Undead
Nightstalkers are artificial undead created as shock troops to serve wicked spellcasters, typically in plans of conquest and campaigns of terror. They are specially created for long-range combat, a role that most undead falter at, and are traditionally outfitted not with bows but with muskets; lieutenants may use more powerful weapons, like a blunderbuss or a double musket.
Nightstalkers rarely disobey orders, but they are not particularly organized or well-behaved troops. If not kept busy, they will find entertainment for themselves by forming loose raiding parties and looking for victims to fire at. As the name suggests, they are generally nocturnal, and are quite capable of moving stealthily and speedily when they need to, but prefer to sing and cheer when on the warpath. A land tormented by nightstalkers knows not to travel at night, and to fear the howling, hissing songs of these cruel undead.
Powerful nightstalkers advance by class; typically ranger or gunslinger, but dirge bards are not unheard of.
Creating a Nightstalker
Nightstalkers are created using the spell Create Undead. Creating a nightstalker requires a corpse that has been submerged in acidic, low-oxygen water for at least a month to dessicate it. A magic user must be at least caster level 12 to create a nightstalker.
This thin, corpselike humanoid has hair like straw, a chin like a spade, and a wide, sharp smile. A musket is slung under its shoulder.
Misc- CR3 NE Medium Undead HD4 Init:+7 Senses: Perception:+9, Darkvision 120ft
Stats- Str:12(+1) Dex:17(+3) Con:- Int:8(-1) Wis:13(+1) Cha:14(+2) BAB:+3 Space:5ft Reach:5ft
Defense- HP:34(4d8+4) AC:16(+3 Dex, +3 Natural) Fort:- Ref:+4 Will:+4 CMD:18 Special Defenses: Undead Traits
Offense- +1 Musket +6(1d12+1+1d6) or 2 Claw +2(1d6+1) CMB:+5 Speed:30ft Special Attacks: Wicked Shot
Feats- Improved Initiative, Deadly Aim
Skills- +9 Perception, +10 Stealth, +6 Survival
Special Qualities- Swampwalk
Ecology- Environment- Swamp (Any) Languages- Common Organization- Solitary, Raiding Party (2-4) Treasure- Standard (+1 Musket)
Special Abilities-Swampwalk (Su)- A nightstalker ignores all natural difficult terrain when moving through wetlands, swamps, and graveyards. Wicked Shot (Su)- Ranged weapons fired by a nightstalker deal an additional 1d6 negative energy damage.
(I FUCKING LOVE MYR! They're cute, they're iconic, they're interesting bits of worldbuilding... I HAD to make 'em! Mercifully, I've separated Mirrodin from New Phyrexia, and created the Plane of Steel, a fun little plot hook roughly referencing Mirrodin's creation. If you want to make these native to the Plane of Metal- new to PF2- or simply old machines of a dead culture, feel free.
Also, this will contain rules for Mana Myr, which I spiraled off the five colors of Magic, but expect more myr in the future!)
Myr are mysterious creatures native to the Plane of Steel, an artificial plane ripped from the Plane of Earth and turned into a vast network of self-sustaining machines. Myr themselves are the most common denizens of the plane, servitors to an unknown master and performing upkeep on their more complicated cohabitants.
Myr have been imported from the Plane of Steel in rare quantities, and serve as a rare treasure on the Material Plane, loyal servants infused with magical energy. Some, however, fear inviting such mysterious creatures into their homes, especially paranoid wizards and watchful politicians, as it's a known fact that myr are vulnerable to scrying- and it's a distinct possibility that their master is still watching.
Myr are unique among constructs in being easily repairable once slain. Upon reaching 0 health, a construct with the Myr subtype is not destroyed; rather, it turns inactive, and will reactivate upon being returned to positive hit points. However, a myr that reaches -20hp is destroyed as usual. Additionally, the knowledge of how to create myr has been lost or well-hidden, and they lack rules for construction. Fortunately for myr, they are capable of reproducing themselves, although attempts to study how they do so have not succeeded in creating animate constructs.
There are thousands of different kinds of myr, most being only slight modifications on a basic design; what is presented are some common archetypes and a few notable variations.
Mana Myr
(Myr Moonvessel by Danny Orizio)
Among the most common servitor myr, mana myr work on the machinery that makes up the bulk of the Plane of Metal, and these servitors are attuned to one of the eight schools of magic. Of the myr of the plane, it is the mana myr who are most desired, and those who find themselves in possession of multiple, or let them reproduce, sell them for exorbitant prices.
Each school of magic produces a myr of a different color. Even though they are all made of the same substance, the magic forged into their bodies makes them appear as one of a variety of colors; the mana myr of each school of magic is named after a metal or mineral it resembles.
This small humanoid construct has a strange head shaped like a heavy beak. It resonates with magical energy.
Misc- CR1 LN Small Construct (Myr) HD2 Init:+2 Senses: Perception:+3
Stats- Str:8(-1) Dex:15(+2) Con:- Int:4(-3) Wis:14(+2) Cha:14(+2) BAB:+2 Space:2.5ft Reach:0ft
Defense- HP:21(2d10+10) AC:13(+1 Size, +2 Dexterity) Fort:- Ref:+4 Will:+2 CMD:13 Special Defenses: Construct traits
Offense- Slam +2(1d3-1) CMB:+0 Speed:25ft Special Attacks:
Feats- Lightning Reflexes
Skills- Perception +3, Spellcraft +0
Spell-like Abilities-
Share Memory /at-will
Make Whole 1/day
Special Qualities- Mana Servant, Scrying Focus
Ecology- Environment- Any Languages- Common (Can’t speak) Organization- Solitary Treasure- None
Special Abilities- Mana Servant- A mana myr is designed as a vessel for magic. When created, it is infused with magic from one of the eight schools of magic. When used as a focus to cast a spell of that school, the spell is cast at a +1 caster level and with a +1 DC. A mana myr registers as strong magic of its school when viewed through Detect Magic or similar spells. Scrying Focus- Myr are perfect vessels for scrying on. They get a -5 penalty to saves against spells with the Scrying descriptor, and magical sensors made to scry on a myr and its surroundings get a +5 bonus against rolls to perceive it. Additionally, myr- and any object or creature they are in contact with- are not protected by spells such as Nondetection and Screen.
I'm back in the Myr Mines! There are a lot of myr in MtG, and although most the original batch are just Weird Big Robots, by Scars Myr had solidified to be "small guys that might make mana" and so we got a lot of variations on that theme- which of course makes it interesting to modify my own mana myr stat block! These are two myr that you may not want to use so lightly...
Myr, Plague
This myr is made with a small humanoid spine and has strange riblike protrusions coming out of its body. It drips with a discomforting fluid.
Misc- CR2 NE Small Construct (Myr) HD3 Init:+3 Senses: Perception: +14, Darkvision 60ft
Stats- Str:8(-1) Dex:16(+3) Con:- Int:6(-2) Wis:10(+0) Cha:13(+1) BAB:+3 Space:2.5ft Reach:0ft
Defense- HP:26(3d10+10) AC:14(+3 Dexterity, +1 Size) Fort:- Ref:+4 Will:+1 CMD:15 Resist: Immunity: Weakness: Special Defenses: Construct Traits
Offense- 2 Claw +4(1d3-1 plus Disease) CMB:+2 Speed:30ft Special Attacks: Disease, Pounce
Feats- Weapon Finesse, Skull Focus (Perception)
Skills- Perception +4, Stealth +13
Spell-like Abilities-
Share Memory /at-will
Inflict Moderate Wounds 1/day
Special Qualities- Scrying Focus
Ecology- Environment- Any Languages- Common, Necril (Cannot speak) Organization- Solitary Treasure- None
Special Abilities- Modified Mana Servant (Su)- A plague myr can be used as the focus of Necromancy spells as a lead mana myr. When a plague myr is used as a focus to cast a necromancy spell, the spell is cast at a +1 caster level and with a +1 DC. A plague myr registers as strong necromancy when viewed through Detect Magic or similar spells. Using a plague myr in this way exposes one to its disease. Scrying Focus (Ex)- Myr are perfect vessels for scrying on. They get a -5 penalty to saves against spells with the Scrying descriptor, and magical sensors made to scry on a myr and its surroundings get a +5 bonus against rolls to perceive it. Additionally, myr- and any object or creature they are in contact with- are not protected by spells such as Nondetection and Screen. Disease (Ex)- Myr Cough- Type: Disease, Injury, Inhaled Save: Fort DC14 Onset: 1d2 days Frequency: 1/day Effect: 1d3 Str and 1d3 Con, victim has a haggard dry cough Cure: 2 saves
Modified by an outsider from the original myr purpose, a plague myr is intended as the perfect vector for disease. It is programmed to, once unleashed, viciously attack any living creature it can see, infecting it with disease and fleeing so the victim spreads its new gift. This myr is infected with Myr Cough, but other diseases may be applied.
(Myr Mindservant by Dave Dorman)
Myr, Mindsifter
This small humanoid construct has a strange head shaped like a heavy beak. It resonates with enchanting energy.
Misc- CR4 TN Small Construct (Myr) HD4 Init:+2 Senses: Perception: +7 Aura:
Stats- Str:7(-2) Dex:14(+2) Con:- Int:19(+4) Wis:16(+3) Cha:15(+2) BAB:+4 Space:5ft Reach:0ft
Defense- HP: AC:17(+1 Size, +2 Dexterity, +3 Natural, +1 Dodge) Fort:- Ref:+3 Will:+4 CMD:13 Resist: Immunity: Weakness: Special Defenses: Construct Traits
Offense- Slam +2(1d3-2) CMB:+1 Speed:25ft
Feats- Dodge, Skill Focus (Bluff)
Skills- Bluff +9, Knowledge (Planes) +8, Knowledge (Local) +8, Linguistics +8, Perception +7, Stealth +10
Spell-like Abilities-
Share Memory /at-will
Make Whole 1/day
Psychic Magic- (CL4, Concentration +8) 7 PE- False Belief (1PE), Mind Thrust II (DC16, 1PE), Blink (2PE), Modify Memory (DC19, 4PE)
Special Qualities- Locked Memories, Modified Mana Servant, Scrying Focus
Ecology- Environment- Planar (Plane of Metal) Languages- Common, Telepathy 100ft Organization- Solitary Treasure- Half (1d4 Enchantment scrolls lv 1-4)
Special Abilities- Locked Memories (Ex)- A myr mindsifter can voluntarily lock away parts of its memory; such memories cannot be accessed by any sort of mind reading without a successful DC22 Caster Level check. Modified Mana Servant (Su)- A Mindsifter is a specialized bismuth myr, and can be used as a focus for enchantment spells as a mana myr. However, spells cast this way cannot affect the mindsifter, and it can choose to counter or redirect spells cast this way. Scrying Focus (Ex)- Myr are perfect vessels for scrying on. They get a -5 penalty to saves against spells with the Scrying descriptor, and magical sensors made to scry on a myr and its surroundings get a +5 bonus against rolls to perceive it. Additionally, myr- and any object or creature they are in contact with- are not protected by spells such as Nondetection and Screen.
Mindsifters are an insidious breed of myr, an offshoot of bismuth mana myr. Unlike most mana myr they have a will and agenda of their own, using their usefulness as servants and ability to modify memories to manipulate and eventually control a spellcaster who takes one as a familiar. They carry within them knowledge of the master of the Plane of Metal and whatever long-term goals they have with the place, and are even rumored to have knowledge of their current whereabouts. None have yet succeeded in extracting this information, as very few even are aware of the existence of mindsifters.