Bellona's page

I'm running into problems too with the download ...

I've noticed that the inside covers of those APs which I've bought most recently (Legacy of Fire and Carrion Crown) seem to contain a lot of "local colour"/information. How are GMs supposed to use this information?

Is it for Gather Information/Diplomacy or Knowledge checks? Are they local colour stories which "everyone knows" (or at least, everyone who is local to the area in question) and so could be used as player hand-outs? Are they for GMs to use as plot seeds if they need to give their party more XP? Or red herrings if the investigation needs to be dragged out for some reason? Or is there some other purpose for them?

I think that I get Perrenland (Steve Perren?), but what are the allusions in Sunndi and Idee?

(Please excuse my spelling - I can't be bothered to find my books on Greek mythology.)

Iomedae = Athena
Torag = Hephaestos
Gozreh (sea aspect) = Poseidon
Gozreh (land-based nature aspect) = Demeter ... don't forget the Eleusinian mysteries
Sarenrae (in a male aspect) = Apollo
Lamashtu = Hecate?
Pharasma = the Fates (all three of them)
Calistria = the Furies (all three of them, if they're not LN or LE)
Zon-Kuthon = Hades? (a slightly kinky version)
Desna = Selene

... it's bit difficult. Either one has to ignore the gender of one side of the equation, or the alignment in some cases. For example, were Abadar not LN, I might be inclined to equate him (or Irori) with Hermes. Irori could also be a possibility for the more athletic aspect of Apollo.

I don't have access to Manual Of Planes currently. Wasn't Planar Champion precursor to the [http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/advanced/prestigeClasses/horizonWalker.html]Horizon Walker[/url] class?

The Planar Champion does collect some "Favoured Planes", but her big thing is being a Fighter-type who can move between the planes on her own (without spellcaster help), and who has no problems with ethereal (or invisible) foes. She can also "sunder portals" (dispelling a Gate spell, or suppressing a portal for a certain number of days) and "rip" (create) temporary ones in the fabric of reality. So she's not a terrain specialist in the same way that a Horizon Walker is, but more of a planar mercenary/warrior.

The 3.5 update document for MoP indicated that the DR should be changed to DR 10/magic.

For Pathfinder (and 3.5): some of class skills will of course need to be updated. I might be inclined to change some of the higher-level abilities of the class from Sp (Spell-like ability) to Su (Supernatural ability). And your suggested change to the Favoured Plane bonuses (bringing them more in line with that of the Ranger) is also a good idea.

If you do end up running the 3.5 version of Maure Castle, there is a thread on that sub-forum here which suggests the true identity of "Y".

I have followed most of the threads on the Maure pages, but I have NEVER been able to piece together who "Y" is. I had guessed that it was Tharizdun, but would you (Bellona) please inform me who Y is so I can implement it in the game. Regards, KGM

This was the conclusion reached by one researcher:

Of course, some posters support the Tharizdun option.

Here is the thread in question.

I suggest that this thread be moved to the Conversions section of the forum. You might get more feedback there.

I don't recall substitution levels from the 3.5 stuff, but my knowledge of 3.5 is limited to the Players Handbook, Dungeon Masters Guide, and the Monster Manual. If it came into the rules after that, I'm clueless. :) Archetypes sound like a lot of fun, though. Are they in the Core Rulebook or the Advanced Players Guide?

Pathfinder's archetypes are also comparable with 2e's class kits.

Of the Pathfinder Campaign Setting/Chronicles series (mainly for GMs), Inner Sea Magic has a lot of crunch. Other good ones include Seekers of Secrets, Gods and Magic, the Faction Guide, and maybe the Books of the Damned.

Obviously, the guide to any region in which the campaign is active will be useful (mostly for setting needs). The various city and dungeon books are also more setting-related. Depending upon the monsters that you want to use, the monster books can be good (warning: apparently the Dragon book is somewhat "out of synch" with the rest of Golarion and the final version of PF dragons).

The Player's Companion series is more spoiler-free, but generally contains useful crunch.

Looks like yet another must-buy!

It would be great to read about a deadly campaign based on G 1-3. Unless the giant sub-type gets a true lift in the upcoming Giants Revisited supplement (PF campaign setting series), I need as much Killer GM (TM) inspiration as possible for when I run this classic for my players.

If you do end up running the 3.5 version of Maure Castle, there is a thread on that sub-forum here which suggests the true identity of "Y".

Very nice!

I just might grab some of this for whenever my STAP campaign finally gets off the ground (... a year or more from now?).

I haven't run AoW yet, but one thing I've heard is that players should be warned that Monk characters will be at a disadvantage. (Something to do with the worms?)

I'm glad to have helped! :)

Glad to have helped! :)

If you're feeling particularly ambitious, the original H 1-4 series of modules (nothing to do with 4e's H series) takes place in/around Bloodstone Pass between Vaasa and Damara. It's not quite the Moonsea, but it's relatively near by - and the modules are rather high-level (some Battle System rules are in one module because of warring armies, and the end-game involves an extremely high-level jaunt to the Abyss).

However, I have no idea how they will convert to 3.x/PF. I suspect that one would have to look around for some decent conversions. Also, the main action of the 4-module series takes place in the late 1350s DR (according to the Grand History of the Realms). Various 3.5 supplements offer tidbits of information on the Bloodstone Pass region and certain classes, alternate class features, etc..

There have also been some 3.5 conversions in Dragon magazine. They might also be useful for converting things to Pathfinder.

Issue 315 (2004 January) has the Sha'ir as a base class and gives stats for gens.

Issue 321 (2004 July) offers prestige class versions of Holy Slayers, Barbers, Mamluks, and Corsairs.

Issue 334 (2005 August) has updated stats for the following monsters: Asag, Clockwork Eunuch, Flying Monkey, Humbaba, Relief Golem, Simurgh.

Issue 340 (2006 February) has a Master Astrologer prestige class (maybe not necessarily Al'Qadim, but it certainly could fit the flavour).

Note that the Legacy of Fire adventure path (while still 3.5) presents a Paizo/Golarion version of genies. AP 21 has an article on genies in general, AP 22 has one on dealing with/binding genies (including the 5-level Genie Binder prestige class), AP 23 deals with the City of Brass, and AP 24 discusses genies and wish magic. The entire AP is pretty much soaked in genie lore and doings, and other stuff which could be used for an Al'Qadim conversion to Pathfinder.

Furthermore, the Pathfinder Companion supplement for Qadira has the Daivrat prestige class (10 levels) for "friends of genies".

Smilodan, is your spontaneous Healer a Wisdom-based spellcaster or a Charisma-based one? And what does the Pathfinder version's class spell list look like?

If only I had seen this before I ran the 3.5 version.

But I'll still grab this delightfully deadly update for another time. Thank you for posting your notes!

(Granted, misused flaws can ruin a game. Despite that, I do like them.)

As has already be mentioned up-thread, Unearthed Arcana (the contents of which are available from the 3.5 SRD) has flaws. Note that characters are limited to max. 2 flaws. A flaw acquired later in a character's life does not give a bonus feat.

More flaws were published in the various Class Acts articles in Dragon magazine issues 324 - 330, and 333. (The ones in 330 were humorous ones "meant for commoners".) As far as I can tell, the only classes which didn't get a flaw article were Fighter, Monk, and Rogue. However, many of the flaws published in Dragon were not necessarily class-specific, despite being mostly in the Class Acts.

Flaws can generate some funny moments. Like the time a Non-Combatant female character tried to grapple a Light-Weight female character who was suffering from the Confusion spell. They were both so ineffective that it was decided that the "combat" didn't even rate as a cat fight, but was a kitten fight instead.

A flaw has also been the cause of character death in a recent game. A Sorcerer was unlucky/"non-tactical" enough to get surrounded by some Rogues. When the sneak attack-enhanced damage was calculated, the Sorcerer dropped below the point of death by 1 hp - thanks to the Metal Intolerance flaw.

Crunch-wise (if I recall correctly - I'm away from my books right now), aside from being her spellbook, the witch's familiar is just like the wizard's (or arcane sorcerer's) familiar. So I think that replacing the witch class' familiar with a spellbook won't be that unbalancing.

Actually, since such a witch would be losing the other common uses of a familiar (e.g., spying, keeping watch), maybe she should get something else to replace that class feature. Possibly the same arcane bond with an item that a wizard could get, or maybe something completely different (connected with the patron?).

Edit: Ninja'ed! :)

Would you post the details here after the final session? (I'm asking because it will be at least a year - if not more - before I get around the running the STAP.)

Nordic countries would be awesome... Just don't forget the Faroe islands. We Nords are the poor stepsister of everyone else regarding RPG supplements.

... and the publishers don't always get it right. I seem to recall one White Wolf supplement for the original World of Darkness, where Copenhagen was described as being just one big red light district. O_o

If you haven't done so already, take a look at Paizo's own "D 3, The Demon Within" (a 3.5 module by Stephen Greer and Tim Hitchcock). It takes place in Mendev, and goes from L 11 to 13.

You might already have the following, but I thought that I'd point them out anyway ...

Do you have Mysteries of the Moonsea (the 3.5 FR supplement from WotC)? It contains a string of smaller adventures which are tied together. The L 1 to 7 ones are based out of Melvaunt, the L 6 to 12 ones are out of Hillsfar, the L 9 to 14 ones are out of Mulmaster, and the L 12 to 18 ones are out of Zhentil Keep.

One could also add in the Sons of Gruumsh module (using the tougher L 8 version which was offered at WotC website). It too is based out of Melvaunt.

Just to add another factor to the discussion: literacy is not a single ability. It's divided into the ability to read and the ability to write. For example, in early modern Europe it was often more common that an individual could read but not write.

I always thought that "genasi" was derivative from "genie", seeing as the genasi reflect one of the four classical elements as do the genies (the djinn, efreet, marid, and dao/shaitan). Plus, a genie is a logical choice for an elemental ancestor.

An anti-magic field would wreak havoc with a lot of the paladin's class features (all Su and Sp ones, at least, plus any spellcasting). Depending on the circumstances, a dragon wouldn't mind fighting in a large anti-magic field as it still has a multitude of Ex attacks and the like, but the paladin can't Smite Evil (plus her armour and weapons are temporarily reduced to masterwork items).

+1 from me!

Thank you, Kolokotroni, for the proper link and most of the clarification! :)

But ... the introduction at the start of the section on Wildblooded archetypes states that such a Wildblooded sorcerer should "use the normal bloodline's class skills, bonus spells, and bonus feats, and the mutated bloodline's bloodline arcana. Use the normal bloodline's bloodline powers, except when the mutated bloodline replaces one of those powers." (UM, p. 70)

Which I read as meaning that the Wildblooded version does _not_ use the original bloodline's arcana, but uses instead the mutated one. (Otherwise the normal bloodline's arcana would be listed with the normal bloodline's class skills, bonus spells, and bonus feats.)

+1 on that!

As has been mentioned up-thread, Empyreal is the Wildblooded archetype for the Celestial bloodline. You give up the Celestial bloodline's Arcana (gives summoned creatures DR/evil) in return for Wisdom-based spellcasting and a +2 bonus on Heal and Knowledge (Religion) checks. You also give up the Celestial bloodline's wings (L 9) and instead get the ability channel energy like a cleric a few levels lower (also received at L 9). See Ultimate Magic, or the PF SRD.

A Mordant Spire elf character turns up at the start of Second Darkness 4: Endless Night. But he's apparently a rather atypical Mordant Spire elf, and is only there to supply the means which which the party can complete their mission. That AP is also 3.5, not PF.

Hmm, it definitely looks like there's something wrong there. In 3.5, a Rogue 4 could have (at the most) 7 ranks in the Balance skill, and Amella can add a +2 ability modifier (Dex 14) which results in a +9 total modifier on Balance skill checks.

I notice that the Intimidate skill modifier is also off by 2 (+14 instead of +12).

+1 for a sourcebook about Golarion's fashions, architecture, cuisines, and the like.

Even what kind of foods are readily available in various areas, taking into account both locally-produced food and what is easily (or not so easily) imported from other regions. Which country/countries supply the vanilla pods, the cinnamon bark, the black peppercorns, the ginger rhizomes, etc.?

Are there sumptuary laws in some places - to make sure that nouveau riche up-starts don't out-stage ancient houses, or that the expensive import habits of silk-enthused rich folks don't ruin a country's economy?

Has anyone with good knowledge of minerals, etc., looked at Golarion's geology and indicated where one is most likely to find certain metals, gems, and the like? (Okay, admittedly in a magic-rich world there is the possibility of messing up the laws of geology, particularly if elemental beings are involved ...)

Sasserine itself is sub-tropical at the very least (if not actaully tropical), what with parrots and monkeys in/near the city, and plantations in the hinterlands. Eleder or Sargava on the western coast of Garundi might be good options, as the post-Chelaxian colonial days are similar to Sasserine's recent independence.

Scuttlecove could be Bloodcove, Drenchport, or even Ilizamgorti. Maybe the Crimson Fleet could be a faction of the Shackles pirates. (Note that the next AP after Jade Regent is Skull and Shackles, with related support material on pirates, etc.)

And the Isle of Dread is indeed "off the map" in the tropics somewhere.

The Metal mystery - in Ultimate Magic- might be of interest to the OP. It has some similarities to the Battle mystery.

It can allow you to move unimpeded by medium metal armour (Armour Mastery revelation), move faster with a metal weapon in your hands (Dance of the Blades revelation), gain proficiency with heavy armour and all martial weaponss (Skill at Arms revelation), create a weapon from nothing (Iron Weapon revelation, also makes it cold iron/adamantine and gives it a magical enhancement at higher levels), plus other stuff like the Iron Constitution and Iron Skin revelations.

Plus the the first mystery bonus spell is Lead Blades, which is normally a Ranger-only spell from the APG. (Similar to Gravity Bow, another nice spell.)

Note that Fungi from Yuggoth has apparently been re-titled to Curse of Cthulhu, then again to Day of the Beast.

Horror on the Orient Express does suffer a bit from being ... dare I say it? ... a railroad. Our keeper decided to change a few things at the very end.

Spawn of Azathoth was another global campaign. Very dark in parts, particularly as the endgame requires that at least one character sacrifice him-/herself just to keep the status quo going (and prevent the imminent annihilation of the world).

Tatters of the King is yet another campaign, one based in Britain. As I have not yet played or run it, I cannot attest as to its quality.

... And Masks of Nyarlathotep is still very dear to me, as it was the first CoC campaign (first adventure, actually) that I ever played through. Talk about a baptism of fire! :)

Is my arithmetic right? You're running 3 campaigns and playing in 3 more?

I'm very jealous - we have time for three, maybe four hours per week, if we're lucky. :(

Well, there are a few factors to keep in mind. Firstly, most of the players are still kid-free, and several of them are couples (therefore no jealous significant-other-of-doom to disrupt scheduling or actual gametime). Secondly, the frequency leaves much to be desired: some of them we're lucky to play/run once a month, and two have been put on hold due to moving.

On the other hand, we like to play from about 15:00 on a Saturday afternoon (or 14:00 on Sundays) to whenever we stop for the night (usually sometime between 21:00 and 02:00). With a break for dinner, of course, and copious amounts of caffeine and healthy/not-so-healthy snacks. So when we do play, we do get a lot in sometimes.

You're not helping that jealousy thing. :p

Sorry! :D

The Prophets of Kalistrade are one of the factions described in the Faction Guide (PF Chronicles/Campaign Setting). One might be able to distill some concrete information out of that two-page section.

Is my arithmetic right? You're running 3 campaigns and playing in 3 more?

I'm very jealous - we have time for three, maybe four hours per week, if we're lucky. :(

Well, there are a few factors to keep in mind. Firstly, most of the players are still kid-free, and several of them are couples (therefore no jealous significant-other-of-doom to disrupt scheduling or actual gametime). Secondly, the frequency leaves much to be desired: some of them we're lucky to play/run once a month, and two have been put on hold due to moving.

On the other hand, we like to play from about 15:00 on a Saturday afternoon (or 14:00 on Sundays) to whenever we stop for the night (usually sometime between 21:00 and 02:00). With a break for dinner, of course, and copious amounts of caffeine and healthy/not-so-healthy snacks. So when we do play, we do get a lot in sometimes.

It varies in our games.

With regard to myself as DM, I would like to see character classes taken from PF, and only use 3.5 classes if their equivalent do not exist in PF (e.g., binder). Prestige classes from 3.5 are becoming less common, but sometimes one hits just the right spot concept-wise (particularly in the case of setting-specific prestige classes) and so they get converted to PF. PF feats trump the 3.5 versions, ditto for spells. I try to be critical but fair when it comes to 'porting 3.5 spells and feats to PF.

If certain rules mechanics do not exist in PF, then I go looking in 3.5. I've kept the 3.5 DR system as I actually prefer the "golfbag" to the "one weapon to hit them all".

Monsters are PF unless they have not yet been officially converted (or will never be, like carrion crawlers, beholders, and mindflayers). Various setting-related materials continue to be used (Forgotten Realms, Ravenloft, Planescape, Greyhawk, Spelljammer, etc.), even some of the 1e and 2e stuff. Like others have said before, I refuse to throw out all those books just because of a change of edition.

As for within PF itself, the Core Rulebook and APG are allowed (with the occasional houserule), and UM and UC will most likely be trickling in (minus firearms). Golarion-specific rules content might be converted to more generic versions.

Modules/adventure paths ... I still have many unused ones from 3.5 (and earlier). They will be used/converted as necessary.

One campaign that I'm running is still mainly 3.5, but I'm slipping in as much PF content as I can manage (with a view to updating more as time goes on).

Another game is mostly PF, with one character from a 3.5 race. That's a goliath; I've done a slight conversion but I'm waiting for the Advanced Races Guide before making a complete PF update.

The third campaign is an unholy mish-mash between PF and 3.5. There's a PF monk/PF paladin/3.5 swordsage with at least one feat from C.Champion who represents the worst mix. The others are far more sedate.

As for games not run by myself, one is officialy PF but run by a "rules light" DM, one is still stuck in mostly 3.0 territory, and one is 4e.

Primus turned up again as a vestige (a less-than-deity-yet-more-powerful-than-a-mortal being used in pact magic). Pact magic itself is explained in Tome of Magic, but the Primus vestige is in Dragon 341.

The Dragon 354 article mentions the fate of the original Primus, and what happened to the modron race as a result of the Tenebrous/Orcus situation. Tenebrous returned as a vestige as well (his vestige is in Tome of Magic).

I have been SO looking forward to something like this! :)

A visit to a certain hill steading, glacier, and hall lies in the future of a particular group of PCs, and those giants really need some help (particularly after they were folded into the Humanoid type). Otherwise they simply become oversized bags of hit points with an astoundingly low touch AC.

Technically, it wasn't the sphere itself. But the 3.5 update described that particular trap as radiating "evil and magic (necromancy; CL 20th) if a detection attempt is made." Which is a dead giveaway that something is seriously wrong there.

The 3.x/Pathfinder mechanics for secret doors have also changed since 1e/2e. One Detect Secret Doors spell (Bard 1, Sorcerer/Wizard 1, and possibly some other classes) and the party practically waltzes through the tomb ... particularly if the Paladin uses his Detect Evil on things like a certain hidden sphere of annihilation and the like.

So there's no chance of recreating situations like the one where the party is desperately trying to find the secret door out of a room while the trap automatically resets at the end of each round.

I believe that all maneuvers were Extraordinary abilities, unless specified otherwise. The Supernatural ones tended to come from one of two specific schools (Desert Wind and Shadow Hand).

Aside from other factors (pre-requisites, class, etc.), access to maneuvers depended upon the initiator level. It worked similarly to a prepared full spellcaster's access to spells: for example, one had to be initiator level 5 or higher to get a level 3 maneuver.

And the whole thing required some common sense to adjudicate, or people would invent infinite loops of actions.

For a character with large bonuses in perception and disable devices, 3.5 Tomb is largely a joke...and even with average bonuses, it's still got rubber guide bumpers up. Since those things didn't exist in 1E, the character actually had to explain what they were doing, which made it an amazingly unforgiving deathtrap.

I leave it to you to decide which is better, a nerfed rubber bumper "dungeon" or a deathtrap. I prefer the deathtrap, since that's how it was originally intended.

Yeah ... I wanted the deathtrap version, but all I have is the the 3.5 nerfed one, unfortunately.

Having just finished running the 3.5 version of Tomb of Horrors myself, I can tell you that the Detect Secret Doors spell is equally annoying. There was a huge paradigm shift between 1e/2e and 3e/PF. Before, one had to specify what one was looking at and how one was prodding it; now, just one spell gives the character the locations of and methods for opening the secret doors - without even being a rogue. Grrr.

I sthere so much difference between the old version and the new one? I only have the old version. There some doors say: this door cannot be found by magic used to find secret doors.

Not that I recall. There are some doors which have some type of anti-magic on them.