The Song Pharaoh’s Coda

New Abilities, Items and Spells

Rising Edge

This +1 reliquary bronze short sword bears the holy symbol of Hathor on its guard, and retains a wicked sharpness despite its extreme age. Forged for the Song Pharaoh and wielded by her in ancient battles, it still retains a bond to her trapped Ka. It will answer only to her hand until that spirit is laid to rest.

Abilities
Legendary Power 4/day
Legendary Surge 1d6, attack rolls, skill checks (CHA-based)
Mythic bond the Song Pharaoh
Powerful 2 more legendary power than usual; figured in above
Unyielding hardness 14, 45 hp, immune to non-mythic sunder attempts
Adroit bonded wielder may spend 1 legendary power for a +20 insight bonus on 1 Perform[sing] check
Songburst When the wielder of Rising Edge successfully hits a creature in combat, she may spend a use of legendary power to make Rising Edge resonate, dealing extra damage. Make a Perform (Sing) check. Add one half of the result as sonic damage.

Variant Ghosts

The Ka and Ba are presented as standard ghosts, but have the following new ghost abilities.

Ka Song (Su)

In life, Shemayet was the Song Pharoah. She relied on music to give her an edge in combat. In undeath, her Ka may contiue to draw on that power. When she uses Inspire Courage, she gains its full benefit despite her immunity to morale effects. In addition, the unworldly undertones of her song cause all creatures within earshot to take a -2 penalty to saves versus fear and charm, and a -2 penalty on attack and damage rolls. This is a mind-affecting effect.

Ba Weapons

A Ba gains 2 claws and wing buffets. These natural weapons function as incorporeal touch attacks. The Ba may apply its Corrupting Touch ability on the first successful attack each round.

An Akh is a spiritual entity resulting from the reunification of a Ba and Ka. Although it is a type of ghost, it varies from ordinary ghosts in the following ways:

Akh (variant ghost)

  • An Akh does not gain the corrupting touch ability.
  • Unlike most undead, an Akh is healed by positive energy, and harmed by negative energy.
  • An Akh remains vulnerable to mind-affecting effects.
  • An Akh does not gain the rejuvenation ability. An Akh that is destroyed is permanently destroyed, and cannot be restored by any means short of a wish or miracle.

On the material plane, an Akh is treated as incorporeal. On the astral plane it is treated as corporeal.

New Spell: Summon Pharaonic Guardians

School conjuration (summoning); Level bard 3, cleric 3
Casting
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, F/DF (shabti of pharaonic guards)
Effect
Range medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./level)
Target creature touched
Duration 1 round/level (D)
Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance yes

Description

You call the spirits of two pharaonic guards to manifest in the mortal world and attack your enemies. Each appears as a transparent image of a grim, stern guard armed with a traditional osiriani weapon of your choice. These spirits move and attack at your direction, each having the abilities of a spiritual weapon, except they can attack different targets and deal physical damage (bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing, according to the weapon the spirit wields) instead of force damage. Like creatures conjured with a summon monster spell, your pharaonic guards are not harmed if these manifestations are destroyed.

Note: this is basically a reflavored version of the spell Summon Ancestral Guardian.

The Scrolls of Thoth

Aura overwhelming necromancy and enchantment; CL 20th; Slot none; Weight 1 lb.
Description

At first glance, the glyphs on this papyrus scroll seem unremarkable. On closer inspection, they are in motion: the ink flows within the boundaries of each glyph like a lazy river, and the human and deific figures gaze unnervingly back at the viewer. Dictated by the goddess Maat and scribed by her husband Thoth, the Scrolls lay forth an elaborate code of morality designed for rulers of nations. Though there are many nuances, the key points are:

  • Whosoever would rule a nation must first rule self. Seek discipline.
  • Peace rises from stability; seek balance.
  • Life is change; adapt when necessary. Beware dogmatism.
  • Power corrupts; beware excess.
  • Temper justice with mercy; yet beware allowing an asp to nest.

Anyone may read the Scrolls, even if they do not ordinarily know the language it is written in. On reading the Scrolls, a PC gains the following:

  1. Ancient Osiriani as a bonus language.
  2. A +10 bonus on Sense Motive and Diplomacy checks.
  3. Detect Evil and Detect Chaos as at-will spell-like abilities.
  4. If the PC holds or gains a leadership role in a kingdom, treat their key ability score as 10 points higher when calculating the benefits to the kingdom from their leadership. For example, if the PC becomes a Ruler, treat their Charisma as 10 points higher.

Failing to honor the Precepts of Maat does not incur any penalty in life. However, on reading the Scrolls the PC’s soul is divided into a Ba and Ka. On death, the PC must be mummified and the two soul-parts reunited, after which the resulting Akh must journey through the Duat to the Halls of Amenti. There the PC’s soul will be judged according to how well they lived by the Precepts of Maat.

Destruction

The Scrolls of Thoth may be destroyed by stealing Maat’s scale from the Halls of Amenti and using them to weigh the Scrolls against a fang taken from Apep’s true head.

Hero Lab Files

I have produced Hero Lab files for all of the creatures in this adventure.

Usage: First, download egyptian-ghosts.user and Head-of-Apep.stock and save them to your Pathfinder Game System Data folder. You can find this folder by starting Hero Lab, loading the Pathfinder system, and going to Tools → Explore Folders → Game System Data Folder. The Head of Apep should appear in the Encounter Builder.

Note that I have made free use of many different sources of mechanics in building the NPCs. The source books I’ve used are:

  • Advanced Class Guide
  • Advanced Class Origins
  • Advanced Race Guide
  • Advanced Player's Guide
  • Agents of Evil
  • Bestiary
  • Bestiary 3
  • Black Markets
  • Blood of Shadows
  • Classic Horrors Revisited
  • Giant Hunter's Handbook
  • Inner Sea Magic
  • Inner Sea Monster Codex
  • Inner Sea World Guide
  • Magic Tactics Toolbox
  • Mythic Adventures
  • Pathfinder Unchained
  • Quests & Campaigns
  • Taldor, Echoes of Glory
  • Ultimate Combat
  • Ultimate Intrigue
  • Ultimate Magic

If you haven’t licensed all of these in Hero Lab, you are likely to encounter errors when loading these files. It should allow you to open them, but content that you don’t have access to will be suppressed, if I understand correctly.