Cactus-Jack's page

As a GM with decades of GM experience in multiple RPG systems, a bunch of stars who travels to an average of 5 conventions of varying sizes each year and a VO I can freely admit that I don't always get the rules correct.

There is a lot of rules in Pathfinder, more so with the PFS campaign guidelines. It is easy to overlook finer points of some of the obscure rules and even common rules that sometimes break logic a tad for game play.

I am regularly frustrated when I have to look up rules during a scenario, especially stuff that should be already ingrained. Last year at GenCon I got the penalties wrong for fighting while prone. Not sure how I overlooked that rule, but the players were more than willing to help me get it right. It still boggles me that I missed those penalties for quite some time, but it isn't something that arises too often.

Most of the time the players are very willing to help by looking up rules and siting a page number if I feel the need to read it myself (mostly for interpretation). I find that this helps keep the game civil and moving along.

In my opinion this is a very good thread and one thing to take away from it is that nobody's input should be discounted, period. It is important to work together civilly to find the correct answer. As JohnF mentioned anyone can overlook sections of the rules, especially ones on the FAQs. Stars and titles do not make us infallible.

In summary work together and don't be a troll. :)

Thank you for all of your hard work pulling Indiana together and the support and guidance that you personally provided to me.

Your efforts will be missed and I will look forward to gaming with you in the future!! Eyes of the Ten in July??

I'm finally finishing wrapping up things for the first mini convention at The Sage's Shoppe.

Thanks to the 8 dedicated GMs that gave up some of their time to make this happen.

Kevin Ingle ran 5 of the 6 slots and helped manage HQ.
Carlos Danao ran 5 slots
Derik Green ran 1 slot
Tracy Windeknecht, Greg Hurst, Chris Bonnet, Mike Cleland & David Petrison ran 1 -2 slots and drove in from Indy.

Our final numbers:
18 Tables
5 new player sign ups
85 characters sat
8 GMs (mentioned above)

Reporting will be finished this evening.
Overall a great little event.

We had a really good turn out for our first mini con. Everyone seemed to have a great time. I'll post specifics and thank you tomorrow after I sort through everything.

Congratulations Chris!!! Well Done.

Once another well organized smoothly run convention. This one has always been a blast and this year was no exception!!!

Bob also had some awesome 3D terrain that you can see in his link above.

Thank you for the nice comments on the 3D terrain I made for Bonekeep. I have some fine tuning to make for GenCon and possible Origins.

I am also sorry that I didn't get to chat with more of the GMs and players. Bonekeep eats up a lot of time (no finishing early, well unless they are all dead).

Congratz Mrs Tracy!! and thank you.

See ya Friday!!!

GM slots are filling up nicely. The following Scenarios still need a GM:

Slot 1:
4-EX Day of the Demon
4-17 Tower of the Ironwood Watch

Slot 3:
First Steps II: To Delve the Dungeon Deep

Slot 4:
First Steps III: A Vision of Betrayal
2-11 The Penumbral Accords (Blakros chain)

Slot 5:
4-03 The Golemworks Incident
4-11 The Disappeared
4-12 The Refuge of Time

Slot 6:
4-01 Rise of the Goblin Guild
4-EX Day of the Demon

I will be looking at Hotel information this week to see what deals we can offer.

Grrrr, same weekend as another con in my region. I would have sooo gone to this :-(

Bummer that you can't make it.

The number of smaller Cons that are popping up is great for Society but challenging for Those of us that want to attend them all.

The Warhorn site has been populated with the Scenarios for this event. Thank you very much Kevin for taking care of this.

The Warhorn for this event is the same one that we use for our regular Game Days at The Sage's Shoppe, so after you log in you'll need to choose April from the monthly schedule to sign up.

oohh the pressure of running in front of so many peer VO's. . . ;)

Here's a scarey thought, there is a good possibility that I will be at the point to qualify for star numero 5 by then. If not I'll only be a couple tables away.

muhawahaa. . .

last year's WYC midnight madness was cool, although it felt like we had a table of 10. (we didn't for those who nit pick)

last years incon midnight madness was a blurrrr too much barfleet for me. I remember the final boss fight being very frustrating for my halfling barbarian. ..

See ya all is a couple weeks!!

Looking forward to another fine Origins adventure!!

Thanks guys. Chris, I'll pass on you complements.

On April 12 – 14th 2013 The Sage’s Shoppe will be hosting a mini Pathfinder Society Convention in West Lafayette, Indiana. We are currently scheduling 28 tables over the three days.

Players and GMs can sign-up directly on Warhorn.net .

Venue:
The Sage’s Shoppe (store)
1009 Sagamore Parkway West
West Lafayette, IN 47906
765/463-4841

Cost: $2 per player per scenario
GM rewards: half of the cost of each table goes to the GM as store credit.

Slot 1: Friday 8pm – midnight
Slot 2: Saturday 8am – 12pm
Slot 3: Saturday 1pm – 5pm
Slot 4: Saturday 7pm – 11pm
Slot 5: Sunday 10am – 2pm
Slot 6: Sunday 3pm – 7pm

Slot 1:
4-EX Day of the Demon
4-11 The Disappeared
4-17 Tower of the Ironwood Watch
4-18 The Veteran’s Vault

Slot 2:
First Steps I: In Service to Lore
0-05 Mists of Mwangi (Blakros chain)
4-EX Day of the Demon
4-06 The Green Market
4-08 The Cultist’s Kiss

Slot 3:
First Steps II: To Delve the Dungeon Deep
1-35 Voice in the Void (Blakros chain)
4-04 King of the Storval Stairs
4-05 The Sanos Abduction
4-13 Fortress of the Nail

Slot 4:
First Steps III: A Vision of Betrayal
2-11 The Penumbral Accords (Blakros chain)
4-10 Feast of Sigils
4-14 My Enemy’s Enemy
4-16 The Fabric of Reality

Slot 5:
4-EX Day of the Demon
4-03 The Golemworks Incident
4-11 The Disappeared
4-12 The Refuge of Time
4-18 The Veteran’s Vault

Slot 6:
4-01 Rise of the Goblin Guild
4-07 Severing Ties
4-09 The Blakros Matrimony (Blakros chain)
4-13 Fortress of the Nail

You can contact me with questions through the Paizo message system or by email at michaelpfsindiana @ yahoo.com.

My 3 cp

1) Dragons: I’m all for these beasties being rare near mythological creature. When encountered they should definitely generate an ‘Oh sh*&^%’ respose. I believe their frequency so far is good.

2) Goblins: These are great low level challenges and add some craziness to the scenarios that they are in. Paizo’s ‘reimagining’ of the goblin is great and they should be ever present in Society scenarios.

3) Orcs: I don’t think that there has been enough true blood orcs in society scenarios. They are an iconic bad guy from day one, though their faces have changes : )

4) Drow: Another good bad guy race, although not as easy to pitch against the Society unless there is a quest to delve into the darklands. It was mentioned earlier that the Drow and the Society probably wouldn’t cross paths too often. There could be more encounters with drow but I think they should be sparse.

5) Dinosaurs: I was never a big fan of dinosaurs. Outside of a typically very narrow niche I find it hard to justify their being a part of a scenario.

6) Undead: I love them. They can be a dungeon creators best friend, although they can be a crutch at the same time. Most of them live forever without food or maintenance. Therefore not as much thought needs to explain how they have survived said dungeon. Also they easily fall into the black and white categories of morality. Most of the time justification is not required to kill/destroy them first and ask questions later. Many scenarios can have an undead encounter or two to fill out the acts without bending the ‘realm of reality’ too much. I believe that their appearance ration is good.

7) Swarms: An absolute pain for an unprepared party. I agree that they are a good addition to an encounter and often appropriate. Another creature that leaves morality at the back door. These guys seemed to have a period where every scenario seemed to have to have at least 1 swarm encounter, sometimes more. Outside of that their frequency is OK.

8) Outsiders: Considering that one nation has extensive dealing with outsiders they could have a larger appearance ratio. Not just devils and demons, everyone expects them. Specific regions in Golarion will vary, but I think that they should be a little more frequent than the drow.

9) Humanoids: Although I have often read a new scenario and signed when all of the bad guys were popular common humanoids, I admit that this should be the bulk of the Society’s enemies.

Others to consider:

10) Giants: There are virtually no giant races represented, to include trolls and ogres. They have appeared occasionally and there is a recent scenario focusing on a tribe of giants. But there should be more. This is another iconic race that has been largely overlooked. It would be great to have a scenario focusing on the iconic relationship between dwarves and giants.

11) Monsters: IMHO this includes any critter that does not normally develop an extensive society, typically eats you first and foremost and rarely has another purpose in the game than to be killed and provide loot. This could include most magical beasts and aberrations and some outsiders. As I recall the early days of fantasy roleplaying were all about delving into the dungeon to kill wondrous monsters and take their stuff. I don’t think scenarios should go over board with them but more would add some nice flavor. Critters like Owlbears, Chimeras, Manticores and Ropers.

12) Fey: There are occasional hits at the relation of Golarion and the First World. This could be very fruitful for the Society to explore. Fey tend to take responsibility for watching over nature, passively for the good fey and aggressively for the evil fay. There could definitely be more fey types.

that’s all for now.. .. ..

Unfortunately do to circumstances beyond reasonable control I will not be hosting these scenarios at PentaCon this year. At this point I do not know if anyone else will try to run any Pathfinder Society Scenarios at the Convention. Maybe we'll try next year.

I have finally heard back from PentaCon's organizer. He is working on getting the site updated both for the loading issues and adding these events. I am still hoping to have a good turn out despite having less than 4 weeks to spread the word and fill out GMs.

Oh, Thanks Snigg for helping spread the word.

Still waiting on the Convention peeps to acknowledge and approve the schedule. It shouldn't be too much longer.

Those that have requested slots are in th e system, well at least my system.

Here is the schedule for PentaCon this year. I'll accept requests for specific slots/Scenarios as long as I can. email me a michaelpfsindiana at yahoo dot com.

PentaCon 2012 Scenarios

Friday
Slot 1: 9am - 1pm
3-19 Icebound Outpost tier 1-5
4-01 Rise of the Goblin Guild tier 1-5
3-25 Storming the Diamond Gate tier 3-7

Slot 2: 2pm - 6pm
PFSI 1 First Steps Pt 1: In Service to Lore tier 1
3-18 The God’s Market Gamble tier 1-5
4-02 Wrath’s Shadow tier 3-7

Slot 3: 7:30pm - 11:30pm
PFSI 2 First Steps Pt 2: To Delve the Dungeon Deep tier 1
3-EX The Cyphermage Dilemma tier 1-5
4-01 Rise of the Goblin Guild tier 1-5
4-02 Wrath’s Shadow tier 3-7
3-15 The Haunting of Hinojai tier 5-9

Saturday
Slot 4: 9am - 1pm
PFSI 3 First Steps Pt 3: A Vision of Betrayal tier 1
4-04 King of the Storval Stairs tier 7-11
3-09 Quest for Perfection pt 1: Edge of Perfection tier 1-5
3-18 The God’s Market Gamble tier 1-5
3-25 Storming the Diamond Gate tier 3-7

Slot 5: 2pm - 6pm
PFSI 1 First Steps Pt 1: In Service to Lore tier 1
3-19 Icebound Outpost tier 1-5
4-01 Rise of the Goblin Guild tier 1-5
3-12 Wonders in the Weave pt I: The Dog Pharaoh’s Tomb tier 5-9
3-11 Quest for Perfection pt 2: On Hostile Waters 1-5

Slot 6: 7:30pm - 11:30pm
PFSI 2 First Steps Pt 2: To Delve the Dungeon Deep tier 1
3-EX The Cyphermage Dilemma tier 1-5
3-13 Quest for Perfection pt 3: Defenders of Nesting Swallow 1-5
4-02 Wrath’s Shadow tier 3-7
3-14 Wonders in the Weave pt II: Snakes in the Fold tier 5-9

Sunday
Slot 7: 9am - 1pm
PFSI 3 First Steps Pt 3: A Vision of Betrayal tier 1
3-EX The Cyphermage Dilemma tier 1-5
4-01 Rise of the Goblin Guild tier 1-5
3-25 Storming the Diamond Gate tier 3-7
3-12 Wonders in the Weave pt I: The Dog Pharaoh’s Tomb tier 5-9

Slot 8: 2pm - 6pm
3-19 Icebound Outpost tier 1-5
3-18 The God’s Market Gamble tier 1-5
4-02 Wrath’s Shadow tier 3-7
3-14 Wonders in the Weave pt II: Snakes in the Fold tier 5-9
4-04 King of the Storval Stairs tier 7-11

I am also considering having the Beginner Box Delves running during the afternoon and evening slots. This is 15 unique Scenarios over 36 tables. I expect to require between 10 and 15 GMs depending on how many slots each GM wants to run.

Hero Labs will be available.

Cogratz Boss!!! on both 3 starz and the wedding!!!

Tis a bit early for a 100% confirmation, due to local scheduling, but I should be available for another convention. : )

I'm out of Lafayette IN, about 2.5 hours or so away. As things develop I could schedule time to come up and help out as needed. However I will be restricted to weekends due to the distance. Also if you have any question about getting PFS started drop me a line. michaelpfsindiana @ yahoo

I am putting together Pathfinder Society OP for PenatCon this year in Ft Wayne Indiana. I am currently looking at running 15 Scenarios over 8 slots hosting a total of 36 tables plus the Beginner Box Delves.

The PentaCon site for registration is up an running so you can register now. I'll have Scenarios listed here and on their consupport site in the coming weeks.

PentaCon 2012

Currently the Convention offers $10 off your badge for each slot that someone GMs for. GM 4 slots and your badge is free.

You will have to pay for your room, there is a discount rate for the convention and the Hotel is attached to the convention center.

If I can I intend to reserve a block of rooms for Society GMs so that we are in the same area. I will NOT be paying for anyone's room, sorry. : )

Thank you all so much. It would not have been possible without such an awesome system and superb players and fellow GMs. Hope to see you all at GenCon.

Sorry I didn't reply sooner, my jobs have been a time sink. :(

I'm scheduling this for our store and planning on multiple slots and tables throughout the day. Does this module follow the other Free RPG Day modules to run in about 4-5 hours or should I plan on more time per slot?

and fresh strawberries or blackberries, yumm

Wow lots of peeps up this morning. Good to see. : )

If I am understanding your question, you are asking when would you purchase an item based on your Fame total instead of something always available or on a Chronicle Sheet?

Honestly, most of the time. The Chronicle Sheet have some good stuff on them, however it doesn't always seem to fit the character that receives the Chronicle.

If you have a character that wants a +2 Thundering Morningstar, chances are you will never find it on a Chronicle sheet. So once you have the required Fame score (36) and gold 18,308gp your Faction allows you to purchase it.

Another clarification: You can purchase items off of a character's Chronicle sheet regardless of whether the character has enough Fame to allow it. If said character has a Chronicle with a potion of Cure Moderate Wounds but has less than 5 Fame he can still purchase the potion if he has enough gold. Purchasing an item off a Chronicle sheet is the only time you can get an item worth more than the character's Fame score allows.

Glad to have you aboard as a new GM!!!

Fromper and Jiggy are correct.

new questions about replay and Tier-1. I searched the forums but as most threads on the subject are 2 or more years old, I was hoping for a fresher perspective as replay rules changed.

As I understand it now, players can replay Tier-1 scenarios (curently only the First Step trilogy I think) and apply said credit to a lvl 1 charcter as many tmes a s they wish.

This is correct. However each time a player or GM runs the scenario the Chronicle must be applied to a new character. A Character can only have one chronicle form a specific scenario or module once, ever.

Note that the replayability also applies to the 1st level sanctioned modules, Master of the Fallen Fortress, The Godsmouth Heresy, and We Be Goblins.

4) So does that mean a character can have three identicle chronicle sheets for say First Steps Part I or does the replay value only apply to replaying with different characters (so the rule of one specific chronicle sheet per character is still enforced.)

5) When GMing Tier-1, does the GM get "GM credit" every time they re-run the scenario to be applied to a lvl 1 character (or multiple lvl 1 characters as question 1)?

See reply in paragraph above.

6) can a GM re-run any scenario as many times they want provided a) they only get 1 GM credit and b) characters who are re-running gain no Chronical sheet. So in cases where there are different players, a GM can re-run without issue.

A GM is encouraged to run Scenarios multiple times. Each time you run the same Scenario you will become better at. As stated above you can only accept a Chronicle for any given Scenario or Module once. The only time a player can replay a scenario is if he/she is the 4th player required to make a table legal and in this rare case he/she does not get a Chronicle sheet.

7) are replay rules based off the player ... or the character? I understand the "spolier" rules and a GM has the option to disallow anyone from replaying ... that being said, can a player have the same chronicle sheet (from replay) for multiple characters (be it Tier-1 or otherwise)?

The replay rules are based on the Player. So to amend my statement above: except in regard to the 1st level Scenarios and Modules a Player can only have 1 copy of any Scenario or Module Chronicle on any of his/her characters.

Hope this helps.

Congratz Ms Thea!!! Excellent achievement..

Thanks for the update. I attended last year and had a great time. I am hoping to return this year, however there are a couple local Cons in November, so we shall have to wait and see.

While that is true. Fort those of us that GM so much more than we play why apply a higher tier scenario at a lower payoff, when we could just wait until we run an appropriately Tiered scenario and apply that one to the new character?

1. Obviously if GMs are required to apply the credit the first time they run a scenario (a bad idea IMHO).

2. For specific loot on the Chronicle. This one never does it for me. Most items on a Chronicle are too expensive for a number of levels after you receive it or don't fit the character's class or build. Furthermore, by the time you can afford an item on a Chronicle one can usually afford the items they want with their Fame score.

I was looking for this one last week too. I saw a post in another thread where this was asked (can't find it). Joe Caubo stated that it would likely be fall 2012, if it happens.

We have some special plans for our Game Day on the 25th of March. We will be running multiple tables of the newly updated 3-16 The Midnight Mauler. Here's a chance to run through an awesome scenario that was last years exclusive.

We are also looking into running this years exclusive The Cybermage Dilema run by Indiana's own VC Tracy Windeknecht. Once this solidifies I'll repost. Space will be limited due to physical table availability.

We have a sign-up sheet in store. We plan to start by 2pm and a 1:40 we will start passing over anyone who signed-up and is not present.

That makes sense to me, however the example from Jiggy was 5 1st - 2nd level players with a 4th level PreGen. In that case I'd be more inclined to have the 6th player use a 1st level PreGen.

Until recently I have thought that Option #2 was always an option.

I GM 90% of the time and outside of the first level or two I'd prefer to play for the character's experience. Therefore for most of the last year I haven't claimed many GM credit for any characters. I will claim a chronicle or two for a new character so that when I play with a group of new 1st or 2nd level characters I can have some additional resources available to help ensure that the party survives. Also as I GM, if I come across a Chronicle that I think has something appropriate for one of my characters I will claim that one and apply it immediately.

I have only used Option #2 once to raise a character to an appropriate level to play with my fellow GMs from afar during Slot Zero before a Con. People I rarely if ever get to play with. And I had it completely ready to play well before the Slot. This was bitter sweet because, although I got to play with friends, I lost the experience of playing those adventures with that character. I would like to have this option available, however I can live without it.

My biggest concern is being required to apply a Chronicle to a character the first time I GM a scenario or not at all. I don't think that this is an intent, however some of the posts herein and of late have seemed to point in this direction.

Last year at GenCon it the scenarios that I GMed on Thursday and Friday and did not add a -Character Number to the event tracking slip got applied to my 1st Character by default. A character that died the first time I played him, at my first Society game, at my first Con. {Thanks Dragnmoon ;)} Not a big deal for me at the moment, since I usually don't take GM credit. (I'll ask to get it fixed eventually)

I am an organizer for local Society game days and I GM and assist the admin at conventions as often as I can.

Locally I plan for 5 player tables and usually get them. Occasionally with last minute GM issues and late players I get a 6 player and rarely a 7 player table. I'll admit that it does take a little bit more effort, especially when people are late, but it is doable.

I have GMed and organized enough tables and discussed this topic with plenty of GM to be of the very strong opinion that the current set up is fine and that altering the scenario design to use a base of 6 players or allowing characters to play out of Tier is a bad idea. However I am not against having scenario encounters designed so that they can be adjusted by the GM to accommodate party size. (Not as a whim by the GM to add things/mooks that are not written into the scenario)

I have to agree that it comes down to the organizer and those mustering tables to keep table size and party level composition balanced. Things are never perfect and mistakes are made but with a little effort it is possible to set things up so that more often there are 5 player tables and people are playing as close to tier as possible.

I also understand that some areas have a much smaller player and GM base which makes this more difficult. If players are a little more flexible about which character they play and when the play a scenario I believe this can be worked out.

This is a situation, like many that have been very passionately debated lately, that should be handled at a local level instead of having Paizo change the OP rules.

My Honest Opinion, Experiences may vary.

Rebel's Ransom is particularly rough. Review the encounters at the higher Tier and compare them to the party make up. Although the players may choose, they should choose based on the GM's input about the scenario.

The last time ran this one I nearly had a party wipe on the first encounter. One died and a lot of resources were spent to continue.

Good luck, it is a good adventure.

. . . so was Cactus Jack (who marked your post as a favorite). Despite your theory, you guys weren't weak btw. ;)

Thank You Jason

Awesome little Con!!! Tracy and Chris did a fantastic job, kudos to them!!!

Overall Con attendance seemed a little lower than last year, but that may have been an illusion based on the layout. PFS attendance was very good, if I remember correctly there were 13 full tables at 12pm on Friday, the first slot, and Sunday ended with 7 tables of 5-6 players each at 8am. Tracy and Chris will have more accurate numbers.

For my part I ran the Beginner Box Delves most of the weekend. We ran the Delves 12 times over the weekend including 1 on Sunday. I estimate conservatively that 80% of the people that played the delves were new to Pathfinder in one fashion or another. Many hadn't role played in a long time.

A large portion, I'd guess over half, continued to play in one or more Society Scenarios over the weekend and wanted more information on playing locally. The Beginner Box Delves are well written products (FREE) that provide a great balanced introduction to the Pathfinder RPG and running them alongside Society event is a valuable addition to any Con.

Thanks also to Bob for letting his arm be twisted into running a Scenario after hours Saturday night for a couple of us night owls. Most of my time with society has been spent GMing and organizing play at our local store so I relish these times that I get to play and I am very appreciative of a fellow GM willing to give up his sleep to run a scenario. Thanks again!!

Overall a fantastic time. I look forward to next year.

Ok, update for end of Day 2.

I currently have 75 Tier 1 GMs assigned slots. That means I only have 5 Tier 1 GM positions available on a first come, first served basis.

I have approx. 6 Tier 2 positions available.

I have approx. 8 Tier 3 and 4 positions available (most on Saturday and Sunday).

Awesome!!!

A related question, I know has been answered but my search-fu is weak.

How does a wizard upgrade their bonded item to a magical item that fits in the same slot? I can't remember if you pay half, or full.

Weapons are easy, you follow the rules for upgrading weapons.

There is a section on Arcane Bond in the Society FAQ Section: Society FAQ

I will be in town Thursday night. If anyone is around and wants to GM a game, I would be interested in playing.

Also, if you are not a player/GM during the special on Saturday night would like to gather for an alternate game, let me know. Again, I'm up for playing.

Otherwise, see y'all there!!!

I could be available. I figure that most peeps will be more interested in the Special over the Delves.

Wish I could Bob, wish I could. I'm sure Thursday will be last minute map detail for me. Cactus and I are planning on heading down early Friday morning I believe.

Yepperz

So, um, any chance of previews for Advanced Race Guide coming soon?

Game Trade Magazine #145 has a two page excerpt on the Duergar. Your friendly Neighborhood game store should have a copy.

Thursday, August 16
Slot 1 (0800-1300): #4-04: King of Storval Stairs (7-11)
Slot 2 (1300-1800):
Slot 3 (1900-2400): #4-03: The Golemworks Incident (5-9)

Friday, August 17
Slot 4 (0800-1300): #4-04: King of Storval Stairs (7-11)
Slot 5 (1300-1800): #4-03: The Golemworks Incident (5-9)
Slot 6 (1900-2400): Gen Con Special, Part 1

Saturday, August 18
Slot 7 (0800-1300): #4-03: The Golemworks Incident (5-9)
Slot 8 (1300-1800):
Slot 9 (1900-2400): #4-04: King of Storval Stairs (7-11) [OF]

Sunday, August 19
Slot 10 (0900-1400): #4-04: King of Storval Stairs (7-11)

"Stranger in a Strange Land" is one of my favorite books. It would be very interesting to read the original text in comparison to what was published. Even if it is not as good.

So who will be our Drunk Gm this year for Midnight Maddness??? Although I did not play last year it was by far the most entertaining game I have ever watched.