If you read the nitty gritty of the PFS Campaign Rules you'll notice
that part of the “core assumption” is the Seeker of Secrets book. It's the book dedicated to Pathfinders, and because of that, it's fully open and legal. Further, it's special status as core assumption means it is assumed to be at any table playing, just as the Core Rulebook, so a copy isn't necessary for you to be able to use the contents of the book. It is a good book, and well worth picking up if you want to get a lot more flavor on the vision of what the campaign is supposed to be about. What I want to look at are the cheap Ioun Stones that can be found towards the back of the book. WHAT IS AN IOUN STONE? First, what the heck is an Ioun Stone? They are little stones that can confer magical abilities when one “wears” them. You do this by tossing it up on your head and then it orbits your head like the planets around the Sun. You can have lots and lots of Ioun stones orbiting your head if you like. Once their it's hard to have them get knocked away. The stones will change their orbits, avoid things. The only real way to get them down is to grab it yourself, which is just an act of will on your part, or someone else needs to try and snatch them from you, but this is pretty hard to do. PRIMORDIAL D&D Where the heck did the idea of the Ioun stone come from? It sounds weird doesn't it? Ioun stones are old old school D&D. They in fact pre-date D&D. They were part of the Jack Vance's “Dying Earth” series of stories that helped to inspire Dungeons and Dragons. You've heard of “Vancian Magic” on message boards? That's where the whole idea of wizard spell preparation comes from. The Wizards in the Dying Earth series were obsessed with Ioun stones. Any rumor of a cache of them drove them to plot and maneuver and even kill to get at them. For the very powerful wizards, they were really the only currency they cared about. One hint lead a group of them on a space faring journey in what best can be described as a magical space ship to a far away planet. IOUN STONES ON THE CHEAP Anyway, there are lots of Ioun stones and most of them are very expensive, and thus not all that interesting unless you are drowning in gold. However, with the publication of Seeker of Secrets, they did offer up quite a few cheap (2000gp or less is my definition) Ioun stones that low level characters, or any level, might be interested in using. The reason why these are cheap is because they have a crack in them. The perfect Ioun stones are a lot more expensive. It should be noted, Ioun stones don't take up a head slot for magic item use. One of the reasons why they are awesome. Seeker of Secrets Cheap Ioun Stones:
Advanced Player's Guide Cheap Ioun Stone (note that this isn't Core Assumption, you need the APG to use this): - Ioun Torch: This item is merely a burned out, dull gray ioun stone with a continual flame spell cast upon it. It retains the ability to float and orbit, and allows the bearer to carry light and still have his hands free. 75gp Rules on Ioun Stones from the PRD: These crystalline stones always float in the air and must be within 3 feet of their owner to be of any use. When a character first acquires a stone, she must hold it and then release it, whereupon it takes up a circling orbit 1d3 feet from her head. Thereafter, a stone must be grasped or netted to separate it from its owner. The owner may voluntarily seize and stow a stone (to keep it safe while she is sleeping, for example), but she loses the benefits of the stone during that time. Ioun stones have AC 24, 10 hit points, and hardness 5. So toss some gold down and soon enough you'll have a bunch of rocks floating around your head, giving you little perks and telling the world you're a Pathfinder! |
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