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That's the grappling modifier (which is BAB + Str mod + special size modifier, as described in the PH).
I can send you some more, if you want?
As with most cases, the "fifteen minute adventuring day" is a symptom of the "adventure" being a game that's being evaluated on a mathematical basis by its players. If there's no reason not to rest at a particular juncture, players are going to do it, except when they want to "see what we can do." The trick is to remove the incentive to rest, or give an incentive not to: the bad guys are getting away, the princess is going to be slain, the MacGuffin has a magical time bomb on it. It doesn't matter how many powers the PCs have if they FAIL the objectives of the story by getting where they need to be an hour too late, as a result of resting for 6 hours.
WotC hasn't even bothered to post a tribute or anything on their main page as of five minutes ago. Considering they're profiting off of the sandbox he created, it kind of pisses me off... WotC posted something a little less than an hour ago. Keep in mind that they're on the West coast, and only opened up for business around that time. Agree with their business decisions or not, the people that work at WotC are good people, and let us (please, I beg) not turn Dave's passing into an excuse for sniping at anyone. I would rather remember the man and his work than form opinions of any kind on those that won't bother to.
... I thought I'd share some of the topics of discussion. James liked this one. <click here> Wes was mad we blew his cover. <click here> Jason is just irascible. <click here> Enjoy!
Agile Maneuvers affects your CMB, which will affect the DC of enemies using combat maneuvers on you.So as worded, Agile Maneuvers applies to your CMB defense (aka the opposing CMB DC)? Was that it's only intention originally? Agile Maneuvers allows you to use your Dexterity modifier instead of your Strength modifier when calculating your CMB for all purposes, offensive and defensive. CMB= BAB + Str + Special size modifier with Agile Manuevers, that changes to CMB= BAB+Dex+Special size modifier The DC for any CMB against a target is 15 + target's CMB, no matter how you arrive at the target's CMB.
It really depends on the final wording, whether things like disarm actually use attack rolls (which would allow for enhancement bonuses, Weapon Focus, Weapon Finesse, and the like), or should more properly use "combat maneuver rolls." I greatly suspect that the language will be different in the final release version. Regardless, the answer to your question is "it depends." Not only does Weapon Finesse only apply to attacks (and therefore only certain combat maneuvers), but Agile Maneuvers affects your CMB, which will affect the DC of enemies using combat maneuvers on you. Woe to the disarming rogue who suddenly learns that he can be disarmed as well...
Please please PLEASE let them keep their boxers. Or something. +3 dwarven thongs of revealing are not OK.
There's nothing wrong with being conflicted; there are some great ideas in the various proposals, and Paizo wants people to vote on the adventure they'd most like to see published. How you decide that issue is up to you. I gave my reasons for the choice I made above, but my opinions are those of someone who: a) has written a Pathfinder adventure for Paizo already, b) wants to see all these contestants succeed--in the long term--as writers, c) knows the Paizo folks and wants them to be able to work with the winner with a minimum of fuss, and d) wants to see the adventure proposed be the one that's actually published. I'm not speaking from a perspective of "I know better, and therefore should be listened to," but from my own experience; I've been through the development process with Sean, and I've had stuff cut from my writing by James & Co. I suppose, for me, I was more judging the pitch itself than I was the adventure. I think Eric's module could make a great story and a lot of fun play. I just wasn't swayed by his entry that it could be a tight, cohesive 32 pages without cutting out a chunk of what he's trying to do. The thing is, I'm not Paizo's typical customer. I write. I occasionally edit. I often pick things apart until they're less working machines than a pile of gears and springs. I don't expect people to use my criteria for voting, and I don't want them to. In the end, this is about what the Paizo audience wants to read, buy, and run. I'm not really the audience; I'm a guy that gets to come in and write an episode or a scene every once in a while. Vote your conscience. Vote your "cool!" factor. Vote for the one you would actually pick up from the Paizo store or FLGS. I have every confidence that all four of these fine gentlemen will receive offers of work for Paizo over the coming months. I suppose the question is really which one will get the big shiny 'The More You Know' RPG Superstar banner.
So I printed out all the proposals yesterday, read them on the bus home (without author names), and came to my conclusion. I voted as soon as I got home. The winner, for me, was pretty clear. Let me preface my comments by saying that I did not vote in the earlier rounds (I was too busy with my own deadlines to give them a fair shake), and I evaluated all four proposals from a number of standpoints: -Coolness to Read
After reading, all four proposals seemed a little too ambitious about what could be covered in 32 pages (not surprising, since one of the criteria for the contest is that one doesn't have large-format works to one's credit), and perhaps a bit too 'epic' in their finales. So I couldn't hold that against anyone. These were my thoughts: Denying the Boiling Beast was too apocalyptic, and just a little Joe versus the Volcano for me. One of the primary rules of writing Pathfinder material is to keep the major pieces intact, and this violated that cardinal rule. Some of the monstrous imagery is really cool, but I kind of wish Matthew would have stuck to more of that and less of the plot devices. The struggle between the two made the proposal seem disjointed, and when combined with some of the English errors in the pitch, that sealed it for me. Dragonrest Isle was the first proposal I read. A few language choice problems jumped out at first (if Dragonrest is the colloquial name, what's the formal name), as did the reliance on the tale of these dragonriders. The red/silver dragon spirits evoked the Calim/Memnon struggle from Forgotten Realms for me, and not in a good way. What really killed this proposal for me, though, was the area. Three dragons, over party level, are going to need their own (full) stat blocks. Worse, it reads as though the PCs have to fight these dragons at the same time. As a GM, if I'm flipping through an adventure and see an encounter area with 3 dragons and a sorcerer, I'm done. Put it down and walk away. Even if they're in the same structure (like a volcano), there's no way for a party to survive three dragon battles unless they're way over the dragons' level. Last Ride of the Mammoth Lords seemed interesting at first. More dinosaurs? Okay, I can live with that (I guess), even though I just read some in an adventure I didn't especially care for. I really got drawn in by the tests of mettle--so much so that I considered voting for this adventure. The slider puzzle at the end made it feel more like a video game than a D&D adventure. Why, exactly, should I want to summon the monstrosity that is the Jökul-Vidja, anyway? The logic of the narrative and the flow of the adventure both broke down toward the end. It feels like Eric was rushed at the end, which is a sure sign that he was trying to do too much... and a clear signal that this is far too big a story for one 32-page module. Realm of the Fellknight Queen was, I thought, more solidly put together than the other proposals. While it suffered from the same "too epic" problem as the final encounter of Dragonrest, that was something that could be fixed at the outline stage without really changing Neil's intent. More than that, it does something incredibly important for an adventure pitch--it doesn't lock him in. This is a proposal, not an outline, so things like CR and NPC levels are mutable... as long as you don't lock yourself into ridiculous encounter setups. What clinched my vote, though, was a minor phrase. "Provided the PCs succeed," at the opening of the conclusion. This proposal was so tightly written as to give Neil the space to acknowledge the possibility that the PCs might not achieve the objective of the module. This is a huge deal, and cannot be overstated, at least not in my estimation. The players are the stars, but sometimes even the stars fail, and a module, no matter how short, should give a nod to that. So, Neil Spicer '09.
Yes, the thread on the Osirion book beat that into my head, thank you, so much that I had Josh go back and write traits for his (finished months ago) Taldor book just to make sure it had some. :)But will we ever see Osirion traits? Ever? Please? Crap. This means I'm gonna get an email from Wes about Osirion traits in a couple of days, doesn't it? :P
P. 27...the Moldering Emperor was one of the first creatures to undergo the hideous transformation into a black blooded creature - and unlike those that followed, the Moldering Emperor's body is forever. It does not fear the dissolution that affects all other victims of the black blood curse - but only as long as it remains in the Land of Black Blood: it can never return to its kind in distant Denebrum far to the west... This isn't a mechanically-driven breakdown. The implication is that black-blooded creatures cannot survive for long in that state, and begin to physically break down. Consider it not a statistical change, but a massively-accelerated physical degeneration. Wolf didn't really elaborate on how this manifests, but I'd say that the Black Blood normally overwhelms the physiology of most black-blooded creatures within a year or two, leaving them a bubbly, rather gross mess.
The glyph of watching does not have a specific skill associated with identifying its means of deactivation. Characters can still use Decipher Script or read magic, as described in the introduction to the focus glyphs, to determine how to shut it down.
The DC should be as listed. The focus glyphs, while similar, are not meant to be perfectly symmetrical in ability.
As it turns out, James is once again listed as a placeholder name as the author for this book. (My guess is that they'll amend the name when they correct the cover artwork) I wrote it, and I can say that there's, umm, stuff. And some places. And traits and things. Oh, and sand. Being a good boy, I'd rather not spill the beans on this one. Sean (the developer) still needs to tell me how much was slashed and burned, anyway. ;)
Council of Thieves will be the first AP to use the PFRPG rules. The Pathfinder rules and Bastards of Erebus are both set to release in August (oh, happy Gen Con for Pathfinder fans!), and after that, we should probably expect all releases to use the PF rules exclusively. Now, about that Descent into Midnight...
I agree. The glyphs are designed to have an extra benefit for parties that follow the exact 'best' order, but specifically not set up to have just one way of completing the task. The best-route stuff is provided for the DM of rewarding clever PCs, or dropping hints to keep them from drowning if they're over their heads.
As long as he gets his work done on time and doesn't run around stork naked, I don't really care.He does one of those things. Well, I never! Throwing Piers Anthony novels down on the floor and running around them in ritualistic dances is something that should be private and sacred. I cannot believe you, Wes.
Despite the kind words from both James and Yoda, I feel compelled to respond just a little. No, I haven't written a Pathfinder adventure before. But I've written a number of Dragon articles and support pieces for Pathfinder. I feel honored that Paizo has called on me so often to do work, and to be trusted with such a short deadline on such a high-stakes project is a huge deal for me. Frankly, I was as worried as anyone that it was a gamble, but the responses I've gotten from James and others at Paizo has been overwhelmingly positive, so I must have done something right. As for who I am, well, I write stuff. I edit stuff, when I can get my hands on it. I develop stuff, too, though nothing recently. I got my start doing design review (which is a sort of combination between playtesting and development) for Sean Reynolds--coincidentally now a Paizo employee--which then grew into editing and design work. In addition to Sean and Paizo, I've worked on stuff for The Game Mechanics (I edited the ENnie-nominated Temple Quarter), Goodman Games (I co-wrote Forgotten Heroes: Fang, Fist and Song), and wound up on the consulting side of a whole mess of FR projects for a number of different authors--including Ed Greenwood. Why am I spouting off at the mouth about my past work? Does it matter what I've done in the past, if you haven't read any of it? Not really, but that's precisely the point. What matters here is my ability to turn over a completed adventure that serves as a fitting end to what's been an engaging (and I think engrossing) adventure path. Far as I can tell, Paizo thinks I've done that, but we'll all have to wait until January (February?) to see what readers think. I look forward to feedback, good and bad--writers don't improve unless someone tells them what they're doing wrong, and don't continue unless they see that someone wants to read what they've written. James and his crew seem to think I turned in something good enough for publication, and I tend to trust their judgment on these things. If it's decent enough that they can hammer out the kinks, then everyone's in better shape. If Descent into Midnight winds up disappointing people, no one will be more upset than I will be. But personally, I think it's a solid ending to a great story. If I've done my job, I hope to convince everyone that's been playing Second Darkness of the same. Happy gaming!
Congratulations, Brian on your first Pathfinder cover credit! I can't wait to read this one and maybe even run it someday. Here's to many more! Thank you, sir. I certainly hope that everyone reads it, enjoys it, and asks Paizo for many more. ;) Not too many more, though. I do need to sleep once or twice a week.
Looking at the famed pumpkin carvings on today's blog, I can only think that SKR's carving looks a little bit like Homestar Runner dressed like a spider on a web. I'm sure I'm the only one, but still... it had to be shared. You may proceed with your day.
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