Brent's page

I regret that the economic crisis has finally hit my family at the level that requires me to trim any remaining non essential expenses from my budget. So I need you to cancel all of my subscriptions to Paizo products. You guys make awesome stuff, but I simply can't afford a month to month subscription anymore. I saw in my email that they had already planned to ship the March stuff, so if you can I would appreciate it if you could intercept that and refund me the cost on it.

You guys have been incredible and I hope some day if and when our financial situation turns around that we will be able to afford to get the subscriptions and catch up on the stuff we missed. Thanks a bunch!!

This post will contain spoilers for Pathfinder #15, so if you don't want it spoilered don't read on....

When I first saw the cover art for Nolveniss I got it in my head he was going to be this Demon Summoner type Wizard who leads the Drow at Celwynian. So when they made him an Illusionist I was a little let down by it. Anyway, I want to make some changes to him without completely redoing his entire stat block to make him that kind of Demon Summoner I had envisioned. So what changes should I make. The obvious one to me is to change him to a generalist Wizard instead of an Illusionist so that he doesn't have Conjuration as a prohibited school. I think probably taking away Spell Focus Illusionist from his feat list makes sense, but I am not sure what to replace it with. Perhaps Dark Adept? Then for his spell list, I think maybe taking away a few of the spells like Shadow Conjuration and such and maybe throwing in a few summon monster spells? If any of the designers or just messagboard folk have some suggestions I would appreciat it. I don't want to completely overhaul him, I just want to tweak him to make him more Demon master than shadow illusionist.

I was suprised to see how heavy you guys took him Evoker and now even more suprised to see you already made the plunge into Eldritch Knight. I am really digging the way you are putting him together. I'm really happy you guys decided to go ahead with the PRC for his build as I think it makes him A LOT more effective as a multi class. One of my biggest worries about him as a playable character was that against Drow and Demons and the sorts of things I expected to see in the endgame of this path, that his spellcasting would be effectively useless against spell resistances because his caster level would be quite comparitively low.

Now all that said, the Eldritch Knight PRC totally takes care of that and because you only took the single leve of fighter, he will also have access to 6th level spells by 14th level. That opens up a world of options for him in the end game. You guys rock. Of the 12 iconics you guys did, I think Selytiel is by far the coolest. Which is saying something, because all the iconics are pretty much a 10 on the cool factor.

So I got an email yesterday telling me I had an order for my subscription stuff that would likely ship in the next week. So no worries there. Then I look in my order history and it says those products from the order in the email are expected in November. So is this stuff shipping in the next week or is it shipping in November or has customs once again decided to intercept stuff. If this is obvious forgive me, but I would kind of like to know when the stuff is going to ship so I can make sure I have the money in the bank for it.

Thanks as always.

You are doing a great job. Keep up the terrific work!!!

That is all.

I finally got a copy of The Book of Fiends. I won an ebay auction for a new copy and only paid $21.50. That was about a fourth of what I thought I would have to pay. I can't wait to actually get this one in my hands. I finally ordered advanced bestiary through Paizo. So now if I can just find a decent copy of Tome of Horrors I will be set on the trifecta of OGL monster books they use for Pathfinder. Just gotta keep looking. A copy of Tome of Horrors sold on ebay for $18.57 recently. Just gotta keep them eyes peeled.

That said, I can't wait to read The Book of Fiends. I've heard nothing but good things about it and what they have used for Pathfinder from it has been stellar.

Hi guys,

I got an email about this order saying there was a problem with insufficient funds on the payment method I was using. So I went online and switched the payment method to my credit card and I just wanted to make sure that it went through without any problems. If you could just let me know that everything is good to go now on this order I would appreciate it.

Thanks!!

Brent

Just got through with my first read through Pathfinder 13 and noticed that the way Seltyiel is built (Str 12 Dex 15 Con 13 Int 14 Wis 8 Cha 10) it implies that he will be a Wizard for his arcane class due to his high Intelligence but low Charisma. Further, in his item list there is a "mysterious spellbook" listed. I think it makes more sense to make him a Wizard due to his backstory, and he will get access to higher level spells sooner (which is an important thing for a 50/50 multiclass like he is going to be). So in any event, I only bring it up because I was fairly convinced he was going to be a Fighter/Sorcerer and feel like the Fighter/Wizard combo is the better choice. Oh, and the rest of the AP was freaking sick. I can't wait to watch this one unfold.

Hey guys. I just got an email telling me this order was about to ship with two items. Those items are The Crucible of Chaos and the Harrow Deck. Further, these two items showed up without a charge to my checking account. I didn't order either one of them that I recall.

So whats going on? I am waiting on order #988856, which I assume is shipping any day now. That is fine. But I don't know what those last two items are about. In any event, I already have Crucible of Chaos and thus would not want a duplicate copy in any event. The Harrow Deck is something I want, but that I intended to purchase later this fall when money wasn't tight from getting a big order like I am this week for August's stuff.

So could you please find out what is happening with Order 912470 and cancel it. I do want order 988856, which is my usual subscription stuff for August. Thanks in advance for your help on this one.

I read the Blog this morning and saw that some spells had to be cut from the Beta print edition due to space concerns and that those spells would be available as a web enhancement for free here at Paizo. My quetion is this.... Will those spells be part of the final print edition next August? If it's an issue of space, I would be happy to pay an extra 10 or 20 dollars on the final release to be sure to have all the spells from the PHB in that product. Do you guys have a sense of that at this point? Is it likely that there will be spells left on the cutting room floor in the final release? I understand that we are still a year away from the final release being out and if you guys haven't thought about this question yet, no worries. I can wait and see, but it is something I wanted to ask about when it occured to me reading the Blog this morning. Keep up the great work!!

Bump

Hi Vic,

I changed my shipping option to option 1 as you said I should to better get things shipped in the way that I wanted. I recieved an email saying that the order for my Pathfinder Volume 10 and Flight of the Red Raven was about to ship in the next week, and shows as pending in my order history now. What I was wondering is what an ETA might be for when I will at least be able to look at the pdf's?

There isn't a huge hurry beyond my own addict type impatience, but I figured it didn't hurt anything to ask to see if maybe it might be soon. I am totally going through Pathfinder withdrawal and I am dieing to see the new issue. Many thanks for the good work and don't sweat it if it is still several days out. I just figured it didn't hurt anything to ask.

Hi guys,

I have a quick question about this order. I recieved my confirmation email on June 8th which stated that this order would ship via USPS priority mail at a shipping charge of $9.26, which is exactly what I want to happen, so no worries. Then I get the actual shipping email this morning and it said the order was shipped via UPS ground at a rate of $7.35. So I was wondering, which one actually happened. Did it ship via UPS or via USPS? It isn't a huge deal if it shipped with UPS, but as a rule I don't use them as a shipping company. I've had one too many packages left at my front door damaged by them. So if it did go with UPS, no worries this time but could you let me know what I did wrong so that I don't end up with them in the future? Thanks for the great job!!!

Brent

In the design focus thread, Jason asked everyone to comment on any spells they think need to be modified for the beta that haven't been covered in the alpha. I along with a few others all pointed out that the Gate spell needs some sort of modification. Jason requested that we not comment on each others ideas in the design focus thread, so I wanted to create a think tank thread where we can talk about each others ideas and try to come up with a good compromise. No flaming please and lets try to find some ideas we can share with Jason that make the spell more functional. I will comment on my ideas in a post a bit later, but I wanted to get the thread started for those who would like to comment. Lastly, Jason if you are reading and have some ideas of your own for how you want a spell like Gate to work in Pathfinder, please share them to help guide our brainstorming.

Now that is a cool looking NPC. Clearly an Orc with some sort of facial scars and chains wrapped around his forearms and hands, all while wearing this sweet black and red robe. I'm guessing he is a monk as those soothsaying orc monks are mentioned in the blog itself. That said, that art would work great for a shaman or other type of orc mystic. The clear facial scarring (I assume from the caustic fumes of the Volcano mentioned in the blog) are just amazingly well done.

It never stops amazing me how you guys continue to up the ante on the quality of your products. *Bows to the overlords of Paizo for their awesomeness*

Are there any roleplaying stats for this Mini? I have looked everywhere and can't seem to find it. Is it statted up in one of the Modules? The Mini looks as cool as heck, but I want to see game stats for him. Thanks!!

This feat idea specifically builds off of the Arcane Strike feat presented in the Alpha rules and is geared towards Gish Fighter/Arcane Casters.

Feat - Improved Arcane Strike
Prerequisites - Arcane Strike, Able to cast 2nd level arcane spells, Base attack bonus +5
Benefit - A character with this feat may channel their arcane spells to increase the power of their melee attacks. As a swift action, the character may expend one spell to add +1 to all melee attacks and damage rolls per 2 levels of the spell expended. This bonus lasts until the end of the round. This ability stacks with the benefit from Arcane Strike.

The basic idea here is that in the SRD, there aren't many good options for allowing a Gish character improve their melee attacks by channeling their spells. The premise of this feat is the same as 3.5's arcane strike, but is considerably less powerful. Even in a fighter/sorcerer/eldritch knight build the absolute best bonus to melee attacks and damage obtainable with this feat is +4 (by expending an 8th or 9th level spell slot). Since it stacks with Arcane Strike from the Alpha, a character could get a +5 to attacks and damage on their melee attacks by expending an 8th or 9th level spell slot. In practice most Gish classes will never be channeling spells of that power. Most Gish builds will never see Greater Weapon Specialization (do to taking Eldritch Knight, or simply not taking enough levels in fighter as 12th level is needed) so there needs to be a mechanism for them to use their spells to improve their melee capability other than pure buffing.

Just an idea and one I am sure there are variations of floating around. The swift action limitation and specific wording of the feat prevent the sort of "drop every spell I have into channeling for one attack" that happened with arcane strike in 3.5. What do you guys think?

Hadn't seen anything floating around and we are getting close to the end of the month, so I figured I would see if there are any ETA's floating around on Volume 10. Many thanks in advance!!

Hey guys,

I got my order today and it had Pathfinder Volume #9, but it didn't have the Pathfinder Chronicles Gazeteer. I double checked my checking account, and I was billed for the Gazeteer, but it didn't arrive. Could you please send my copy of the Gazeteer?

Thanks,

Brent Holmes

I just got an email saying that Escape from Old Korvosa will be shipping soon along with the Chronicles Gazeteer!! I can't wait to see what they have done with Rakshasas and all the awesome fluff of the Gazeteer. I swear that becoming a Pathfinder Superscriber is the smartest entertainment/gaming decision I have ever made.

Anyway, this is way sooner than I was expecting. I didn't get Seven Days to the Grave until clos to the middle of April, so I wasn't expecting these until closer to the middle of May. I am pumped!!

I know I have seen folks who have Ezren as an avatar, but I will be darned if I can't find it in the avatar images section of the site. So could someone pretty please set me up with an Ezren avatar? Pretty please?

okay the page is blank

Something I don't like about the Alpha 2 release is the way in which ability score boosting items and effects have been modified. I have two specific examples.

1) The effects of the Wish spell. Wish can be used to give an inherent boost to an ability score as before, except now anytime you do that you have to lower a different ability score. This in effect fixes your ability scores to their base numbers. If you are a Wizard that wants to boos intelligence, no problem but you will lower something else to do it. I guess I don't understand the reasoning here. Is wish just a way to rearrange your ability scores? If so I guess I understand that, but why is this unbalancing the way it was before? This wouldn't be particularly bothersome if not for my second problem.

2) Characters can now only wear 2 items that boost ability scores, a physical booster in the belt slot, and a mental booster in the head slot. I get where you guys are coming from on wanting characters to use cool magic items and not just sell them off to add more stat boosters, but having this limited to two, and with only one of each mental and physical ability bites. If I am a fighter, I can't boost Constitution and Strength. I have to pick one or the other, and then give myself a boost to something like Intelligence or Wisdom that is far less useful than more hitpoints or better attacks and damage. If I am a Wizard, I can boost Intelligence, but then I have to pick between Con and Dex. Does anyone else see the problem with this? I don't have a problem with limiting the number of boostable abilities to 2, but I think the player should have the choice of any 2 abilities they want to boost. Maybe I want Intelligence and Charisma instead of Intelligence and Con. As a Barbarian I likely want Strength and Con and have littel use for any of the 3 mental stats.

Conceptually, encouraging players to use items other than stat boosters in their item slots is a good one. In practice though, limiting it to two and breaking those two into separate categories is very unflexible. If you want to eliminate the whole "every item to boost a stat" mentality, then eliminate those items all together but add more ability boosts as part of normal level advancement. Instead of gainging 1 ability score point boost every 4 levels, maybe make it 2 or 3 every 4 levels but without any stat boosting items. If you want to keep the stat advancement by level the way it is, then you have to make the stat boost from magic items more flexible. At least allow any of the 6 scores to fit into either of the two slots. Or better yet, keep the stat boosting items the way they were in 3.5 but limit the number you can wear total to 2 or 3.

Anyway, I don't know that I have the answer, but the limitations on boosting stats seem overly restrictive to me.

Hi guys,

I am trying to figure out the shipping option that works best for how I want to get my stuff. Basically, I picked the ship everything once a month option. I sort of envisioned that being that whatever subscription stuff I had that was ready to ship when a Pathfinder module came out would all ship with that issue of Pathfinder. Then anything that popped up after that would ship when the next issue of Pathfinder shipped. Is that not right?

The reason I ask is that my subscriptions show several products all waiting for the next available monthly shipment. I figured that meant when the Pathfinder issue was ready, except the Pathfinder issue 8 shows as waiting for the next available monthly shipment as well. So when exactly will my stuff ship? I'm sorry if this is obvious and I am just missing something. If you could just clarify to me when my stuff will ship that would be great. Thanks!!

Since there was a thread floating around for those who think the power increase for the PC classes in the Alpha release are unbalancing, I wanted to start a thread for those who like the change so that both sides of the argument can be heard.

I LOVE what you have done with the PC core classes. It is in many ways what 4th edition should have been for that other company. An evolution, not a revolution. I think the extra Armor and Weapon abilities for fighters are incredible. I also love the suite of powers you have dedicated to each specialist wizard and the generalist wizards. I also think your take on domains for Clerics is a nice improvement on what already exists. I haven't finished reading the alpha release in its entirety, but I love what I see so far.

When the fourth edition announcement was made, I wasn't upset that they wanted to update the rules. In fact I thought many aspects of the game needed some fine tuning. What I didn't like was how they scrapped everything that was working and basically started from scratch while stomping mud all over 30 years of tradition in the process. The alpha represents what I felt should have happened at WotC. Essentially an open playtest with their design ideas, followed by a few months of playtest feedback, followed by a beta release, several more months of playtesting and feedback, and then a finished product. If they had done that, I guarantee the acrimony over 4th edition wouldn't be close to what it has been. Anyway, that is a digression....

Great job on the alpha, and as I get a little more time to delve into it more deeply, I will try to leave feedback more constructive than just I LOVE IT!!!!! That said... I LOVE IT!!!! I hope others will use this thread to express the same.

Ok you did it. I said it back in the original thread from Obi-Wan Mona that if Pathfinder stuck with 3.5 compatibility for its core mechanic I would go all in. So I am officially subscribing to your entire pathfinder line of products (companion, chronicles, RPG, and whatever else you have). I am putting my money where my mouth is and going all in. I have only looked at the alpha version of the RPG, but it is freaking awesome based on what I have seen. Thank you for saving the game for an old grognard that did not want to switch to 4th edition. I can't think of a better steward for the game I love.

I LOVE the improvements you have made in the alpha test, and I will read it thoroughly to add my thoughts later as I have time. But for right now, you guys have earned my money. I am all in and 100% behind your entire product line. Way to go guys!!!!!!

I love having the Paizo Iconics as Wallpapers for my computer. Anyway, you guys have done one on the first 6 issues, so I was wondering if we will be seeing one for #7 soon, now that it is out. I get chills thinking about Seenah staring back at me from my desktop. Thanks as always for your reply!!

Let me preface this question by saying I love your Pathfinder line of products. I am looking at wanting to subscribe to the compliment products for the Pathfinder line. Now all of that said, you have several different subscription options and I am trying to sort out what is what. If I want to get everything you make for the Pathfinder line via subscription, what all do I need to subscribe to beyond Pathfinder itself.

Part 2 of my question is, once I know which products I need to subscribe too, how often do those products come. Or to phrase the question differently, how can I calculate how much all those subscriptions combined will cost me each month? I apologize if this has been covered somewhere else. I just want to make sure I am getting all the Pathfinder and its setting goodness, but I need to know what I need to subscribe to in order to get all of it. Then I need to determine how much all those subscriptions is going to cost so I can make sure I can afford the extra subscriptions.

If there is already a thread or page or anything that explains all of it, please direct me there. Otherwise thanks in advance for answering the questions. I feel like such a noob asking about this. I've seen teh superscriber tags around the site, and I know there are several different new products coming for pathfinder but I am having trouble keeping track of it all and figuring out how to subscribe so I get it all.

Thanks!!!

I just got done reading the complete PDF for the players guide, and I have to say that I want to play as a PC in this AP SO BAD!! The RotRL was outstanding, and I am planning on running it when I can replace my group that has moved on. That said, CotCT sounds like the coolest things since sliced bread. I am torn about reading the first volume because I would trade my soul to find a group to play this in, but around here there aren't too many folks that run AP's. I've considered trying to join a PBP group, but I have never done it and I am not sure I would enjoy it.

Still, this entire campaign is sounding too awesome. You guys here at Paizo keep raising the bar. Awesome job!!

Hey guys. I placed my order for an ongoing Pathfinder subscription, and later that day bought an extra copy of the players guide, but I realized after the fact I could have done both together. Could you possibly combine those two orders so I only pay for shipping once? Sorry about the confusion and thanks!!

Hi,

I just placed an order for an ongoing pathfinder subscription, and when I was placing the order I wanted to select the shipping option for priority mail via the USPS at 2-5 business days. The shipping cost for that option was around six dollars and change. I selected it in the drop down options under shipping, but then when I placed the order it had the shipping listed as the USPS 10 business days option for like four dollars and change. Could you please edit the order so that I am getting the faster shipping at the slightly higher rate? I'm not sure why it didn't work when I did it, but I would appreciate the help.

Thanks!

Brent Holmes

For any of you that already have RotR number 6, I was wondering if you could tell me if there is a replication of the Reynold's artwork from the alternate cover of RotR number 1 in the Spires of Xin-Shalast. I intend to run this campaign for my group once we finish up the STAP, and I would like to have the artwork of Karzoug to show them when they get there. If there is not a reproduction of the Reynold's artwork in volume 6, I may need to buy a spare copy of the alternate cover for volume 1. Thanks in advance for anyone who can answer this question.

I have ordered the last 3 volumes, but they haven't arrived yet and I am an impatient sort. So I figured asking my question about the artwork here would be a good idea. Thanks!

Some of you may remember that last April I had posted that my brother was murdered in an armed robbery at the pawn shop where he worked. At the time there were 3 men involved and they had caught all but the shooter. Well I found out today that they caught the shooter in Dallas TX. This will finally bring some closure to our family as the man who shot my brother in cold blood will face trial for his crimes. Thank all of you for your kind thoughts and prayers during the last 10 months. Here is a link to the story being covered in Tulsa Oklahoma for anyone interested.

Thanks!

http://www.newson6.com/global/story.asp?s=7832871

I was wondering if there is a wallpaper for Seelah? I have one for all the other pathfinder iconics as well as Karzoug, but I couldn't find one for Seelah. Anyone who can either point me in the right direction or let me know if/when there will be a wallpaper for Seelah is much appreciated.

Thosk Male Half-Orc Fighter 14

Str 26 (+8) (16 base +2 race +2 level advancement +6 belt)
Dex 16 (+3) (12 base +4 gloves)
Con 22 (+6) (16 base +6 bracers)
Int 6 (-2) (8 base -2 race)
Wis 12 (+1) (12 base)
Cha 6 (-2) (8 base -2 race)

HP 165
AC 29 (+9 armor, +6 shield, +3 dex, +1 ring)
Init +7

Fort +18 Ref +12 Will +13

Attacks: Melee +25/+20/+15 +1 Holy Cold Iron Greatsword
DMG: 2d6+19 17-20/x2 +2d6 Holy
Attacks: Ranged +17/+12/+7 Longbow
DMG: 1d6 x3

Feats:

Weapon Focus Greatsword (1st), Power Attack (1st)
Improved Initiative (2nd)
Cleave (3rd)
Weapon Specialization Greatsword (4th)
Endurance (6th), Steadfast Determination (6th)
Greater Weapon Focus Greatsword (8th)
Melee Weapon Mastery Slashing (9th)
Shield Specialization (10th)
Greater Weapon Specialization Greatsword (12th)
Improved Critical Greatsword (12th)
Lightning Reflexes (14th)

Items:

+1 Holy Cold Iron Greatsword (20,400 gp)
+1 Animated Tower Shield (9,180 gp)
+4 Mithril Breastplate (20,200 gp)
Cloak of Resistance +3 (9,000 gp)
Belt of Strength +6 (36,000 gp)
Gloves of Dexterity +4 (16,000 gp)
Bracers of Health +6 (36,000 gp)
Ring of Protection +1 (2,000 gp)

Total 148,780 gp on gear, 145 gp remaining for mundane gear

Books Used: PHB, DMG, PHBII

I didn't bother with skill ranks, but that would be the last piece needed to use this character in the simulation.

I'm sorry to have to do this, but I need my subscription to Pathfinder cancelled. After getting the first one, it looks like a great product, but is a little expensive as a monthly gaming expense for me right now. Thanks in advance for your help.

Brent

I have a slight conundrum for my ongoing pathfinder subscription. I lost my check card/debit card the other day, and as a consequence had to call them to deactivate the card and issue new ones. Anyway, the card number will change, but I won't have it for a week to 10 days. I don't want there to be a lapse in my subscription, so what options do I have? I don't have any other credit cards (smartest financial decision I've ever made), but I am worried the next issue is going to need to ship before my card is replaced. Let me know what options I might have. I would be happy to give you guys my new card number when it arrives, but I want to make sure my subscription doesn't get dropped in the meantime.

I placed this order for Dungeon back issues on August 24, but I haven't recieved any information that it has shipped yet, and my card hasn't been billed. So I was wondering when this is scheduled to leave the warehouse? There isn't a huge rush, I just want to make sure there isn't any problems. Thanks!!!

I'm looking to buy extra hard copies of all the savage tide issues, and the Paizo store doesn't have Dungeon 139 in stock. I can get all the others and the players guide here, but I need to find that first issue.

I just read Bastions rallying cry on 4e, and WotC need to win this fight. I want to say that that thing is Quoted for the Effing Truth. He hit the nail square on the head with a huge hammer. This hobby is on the brink, and the table top RPG is at a crossroads that will determine if D&D will even exist for our kids and their kids. He said it best, but to reiterate it, the kids that are the same age as we were when we first started playing D&D have grown up on video games and the MMORPG. They are the ones that represent the vast amount of money in the gaming industry. If a game is to succeed, it has to reach that core audience.

When we were kids, playing D&D was great because there weren't gags of digital alternatives to take our attention and money and gaming as a whole was largely a group experience. Now, it has become an individual experience played alone in your room with a computer, with an online community being the social component. The simple truth is that the average 13 year old interested in fantasy gaming is more likely to spend the $15 a month on a WoW or EQ game than they are to buy the 3 core books and try to start a D&D group. So WotC has to bridge the gap between the game and those players. If they don't succeed, there won't be a D&D except as a game played by a bunch of 40 and 50 year olds with books that were written 20 years prior. The OGL will always exist, but if we want a living vibrant and supported game, we have to reach that audience. I think 4e is a solid effort to make that reach.

I for one look forward to what it will bring.

I was going to go ahead and set up my pathfinder subscription today, but I wanted to ask a question. Since the subscriptions are month to month, when can I expect my bank account to be billed for it? Specifically, when will the bill for the first issue come out of my account, and in general, when will it come out each month going forward? Thanks in advance for the help!!!

I was just looking at my subscriptions this morning to see when the final issue of Dungeon was going to ship, and I had a question. Under the my subscriptions tab, it says that my Dungeon subscription has expired and that issue #149 shipped June 19th. I already recieved 149, but I was wondering, did my subscription include issue 150? Again under the my subscriptions tab, it says "final issue 150", but doesn't say when that will ship. So, the first question is does my subscription include the final issue, and if it does, when is that issue scheduled to ship?

Thanks in advance for the help!!!

Brent Holmes

Looking at the new cover for 149, I noticed it said it contained adventures featuring Malcanthet, Igwwilv, Orcus, Charon, and Obox-Ob. We already know the first 4 in that list get stat writeups in the Enemy of my Enemy, does that mean we are getting a CR 32 writeup for Obox-Ob like we are for Orcus? If so I think I am going to have a brain aneurysm for the joy of it. How much awesomeness can one magazine have?

Hi James,

First let me say that my favorite part of Dragon magazine has been the demonomicon of Iggwliv articles you have written on the various Demon Lords. I know that we are getting a write-up of Orcus at CR 32 in Dungeon, and there is one final Demonomicon article in Dragon 359. All that said, there is something I was hoping you could help with. As near as I can tell, the only Demon Lords from FCI that won't have had an advanced write-up by the time Dragon finishes are Grazz't, Obox-Ob, Pale Night, Juiblex, and Yeenoghu. All of that said, I can advance those remaining Demon Lords using the rules outlined in FCI, but the one thing it didn't cover is the unique abilities to give the advanced Demon Lords. In my case, there are two specific Demon Lords from that list I need to advance for my home campaign that aren't covered in a Demonomicon article or in Dungeon, Grazz't and Obox-Ob. I can do all the number crunching and adding feats etc. using the formula from FCI, but I don't have a good idea what sorts of unique abilities to give the two of them. As examples of the sorts of things I am talking about, abilities like Demogorgons Aura of Demonic Command and Ability to summon 90 HD worth of Demons per day. So I was wondering if you could give some "unofficial" suggestions for what sorts of abilities to give them.

Also, I know from another thread, that you said Grazzt would have been around CR 32 if he had gotten a Demonomicon article, but what CR would you have chosen for Obox-Ob? If any of this can't be given away because of the last article in Dragon 359 I understand, but I was hoping I could pick your brain for suggestions on special powers/abilities for those two demon lords at higher CR, and to get your take on what Obox-Ob would be. Your article on Demogorgon implied that the only Demon Lord Demo really feared was Obox-Ob, but I don't know if that means he would be on the same level as Demo, or perhaps closer to Grazzt and Orcus.

Thanks in advance for the help.

I have a couple of questions that pertain to Pathfinder Subscriptions. My subscriptions to Dragon and Dungeon run till September, so I don't have to worry about having to transition left-over "credit". That said, I really want to subscribe to Pathfinder because I think Paizo publishes the best D&D content anywhere. So my question is this...

Assuming I am reading things right, you can only subscribe to Pathfinder on a month by month basis, is that correct? I would like to pay for my subscription a year at a time. So is it possible when subscribing to Pathfinder to go ahead and pay for 12 issues up front, or will it have to be month by month? I saw that the subscription price is 30% less than buying them individually, and I think that is awesome. Also, everything I have read says this product will be based in Paizo's own campaign setting. Is there a Campaign setting Sourcebook for this setting, or is it being developed as we go? If there is a sourcebook, where can I order it?

Finally, one last question. Once D&D moves to 4th edition, which it is bound to do in the next couple of years, what will that mean for Pathfinder? If 4ed doesn't include an OGL, will Pathfiner continue under SRD rules, or move in a different direction?

Thanks for taking the time to answer these questions!!!

Hey everyone,

Right now the group I DM the STAP for is almost finished with the Lightless Depths. There are 3 people in the party... A 13th level Human Druid, a Rogue 1/Warmage 7/Spellwarp Sniper 5, and a Hellbred Crusader 13 (from Tome of Battle). They are higher level than they should be in terms of the adventures level, but there are fewer of them. The problem I have is they are cake walking through Tides of Dread. They are already on level 1 of the Ziggaurat of Holashner and will likely face Ulioth and the Bilewretch this Saturday. Once they are finished I expect them to make a bee line to the Taboo Plateau. There in lies my problem.

The party has been massively effective at defeating every encounter they have faced for a long time now. In some ways Golismorga has been a big disappointment for them after the way I built it up. But that doesn't even compare to Taboo plateau. I have had Xerkamat periodically teleport in to spy on them as they have been going and have even periodically let the party get a glimpse of the creature without being able to try to engage it. After all the build up I don't want the Taboo plateua and Khala specifically to be anticlimactic. So, my question is what suggestions do you my fellow DM's have for how to better run the City of Broken Idols so that it isn't disappointing? I expect the party to hit 14th level at the end of Holashner's Ziggaurat, so they will be about 1 level higher than is called for by the adventure. Still, the combination of the Warmage's ridiculous damage dealing capacity coupled with the Crusaders insane AC and damage output with his martial maneuvers have made quick work of any creature I have had them face. I want Khala to be a memorable encounter without being an instant TPK, and I am having a hard time finding challenges that are somewhere between too easy and instant TPK for awhile now.

Obviously I can have Khala already have summoned a Retriever before they encounter him and I can have it such that he is aware they are coming, but on the surface it still looks to me like he won't be much challenge. The Crusader has a maneuver or feat that lets him hit with a shield bash as an immediate action in response to an attack, and if he hits (which he almost always does), the attack of his opponent fails automatically. His A.C. is in the low to mid 30's against CE creatures, so that makes him only about 50% likley to be hit by Khala's melee attacks, though he could just keep spitting Acid as a ranged touch every round till he has lost some levels.

Anyway, what would all of you suggest. How can I make the Plateua memorable without just instantly killing the entire party?

Hi everyone,

I know this isn't entirely appropriate here, but my brother was shot in the chest today during a robbery where he works. A couple of men came in and asked to see some jewelry, and when he took it out of the case, they shot him in the chest, grabbed the jewelry and ran. The bullet went through his aorta, and out his back. His odds of survival are no better than 3-5%. He is presently in critical condition as they try to save his life.

I am in Kansas, and he is in Oklahoma so the only thing I can do to stay sane right now is ask for prayers from everyone I know. His name is Cody and he is 20 years old. Please pray for him and our entire family right now.

Thank you all,

Brent

Just wondering if anyone has 145 yet and if so, what CR did they stat Demo's aspect at? Thanks!!

Olangru is one awesomely powerful enemy. In the parties first encounter with him in the fogmire a few weeks ago, he killed the parties druid and abducted their sorcerer. When they finally tracked him into the temple, they weren't able to defeat all 3 of his mates in the harem. So one of the mates teleported and warned Olangru the PC's were there, so he teleported into their midst and suprised them. Then he killed the parties Warforged Charger replacement PC, and killed the parties NPC wizard ally. With their third group of characters, Olangru killed the parties fighter replacement character and had two other characters in the negatives (with the help of his Lemorian Golem), before they finally managed to kill him.

What a fearsome monster. The sheer damage dealing potential of the combination of pounce and skirmish mechanics was just unreal. Extremely well done. This AP is just too awesome. I shiver with anticipation when I look at what Vanthus is going to do the hapless PC's when they encounter him in the next adventure. He has TPK written all over him.

Hi there,

This doesn't apply to me in any immediate sort of way as I still have 6 issues left in both of my subscriptions with you guys, but I wanted to ask you when I should renew my subscriptions so that I don't have a lapse in recieving issues. I have enjoyed both subscriptions so much that I am already sure I want to renew when the time comes, but I wasn't sure when exactly that should be. This question might also be helpful to anyone who has a subscription ending sometime soon. Thanks in advance for the great customer service and the fantastic job you guys do!!!