Cody4us's page

Thank you, I have to fix some sheets as we charged the characters for lesser restoration..

When characters suffer ability damage and need lesser or full restoration after the adventure, is it assumed time passes or must they pay for that repair?

Also, how about the shadow for a Shadowdancer, it says in the rules it takes 30 days to return, how is that figured?

Low levels are both less fun for DMs and players. As a DM I have less options to challenge players and have to worry about one bad roll killing someone. The result is less enjoyable play. The speed of advancement is great at first and bad after that.
It seems that it is the general consensus that there should be quick leveling up and then a (sorry for this) leveling off of the leveling up. Slower progression followed by even slower progression.
I can see that few of the players made it to higher level play in LG for example. That was not my own experience, but I understand it. But the ability to move SO rapidly means that more will hit a level cap quickly. For a group like ours that games weekly, this is a real problem.
In return, we are hyper consumers of your products, so we want more opportunity rather than less.
I understand the easier to get into philosophy, but I watched other games that are niche markets try that also and fail. ASL (ADvanced Squad Leader) wasted a decade pursuing new gamers over their established foothold, the result was the ending of a large gaming community. There were other problems (related to WOTC acquiring the rights) but the direction that was taken to expand the hobby, instead accomplished the opposite.
They were an extreme though, as there was NOTHING new for established gamers to play combined with HASBRO going after all the third party producers.
Anyways we have been flying through the modules and today we make a decision as to direction.
Regardless this is a great idea and a great gaming society. Thank you Josh for your hardwork and as a fellow publisher, if there is anything we can do to help promote you guys including free advertising in my newspaper for events, please advise me.
Cody Knotts
Editor/Publisher
The Weekly Recorder
www.weekly-recorder.com
Member PA Newspaper Association

Thank you for the well worded explanation. I can't say that it really makes a difference. We had multiple LG characters due to the time units so creating new ones is not the problem. There just isn't anywhere to plan to go with these characters. 12 is too low, but I understand that above that is also where a great deal of problems start in.
I appears that shackled city is where we are heading for the short term.

The speed of leveling combined with the 12 level cap is causing my players to rethink playing the society all together. We love the Pathfinder changes and plan on sticking with it, but the level cap is a real turn off. It is worse with the quick rise in level. They are almost fourth and could be 1/3 of the way finished. That does not lend itself to the long term commitment we were hoping for and the 12 level cap really means that many character ideas are now not possible.

Instead, we are considering running shackled city, another of your fine products.

One potential problem is in the Beta pathfinder (if it used a currently written) that allows a Wizard that can summon undead as one of it's abilities. That is another problem.

Notmousse, As I stated I don't play such a character nor do I want to play such a character. So your argument that I am upset that I could not play is not valid.

You say you are enforcing the rules, but stated you don't care what Mr. Frost, the arbiter of the rules says. That sir is not enforcing the rules, but enforcing your will. That is the problem and the reason that you should keep such attitudes to your home game, not convention organized play which should require that you follow the rulings of the closest thing we have to an authority as written or stated.
This game is all of us together, not one lone man on an island ruling.

Here is the problem with Mousse's argument and the reason that DM's need firm rules for organized play.

His first statement:
Given the generally evil nature of bringing undead into the world I wouldn't allow it at my table. No matter what Mr. Frost said.

He doesn't care what the ruling is, he cares what he thinks. It is also the reason that he states later:

I think what's being missed here is that if a player has a problem with the table they're at the most powerful statement that can be made is to walk away. I've done it, and encourage anyone that finds themselves seated at a table they're truly unsatisfied with to do the same. Trust me, if it happens more than once the GM usually doesn't continue.

Josh has already stated:
If your PC wants to raise some skeletons and their alignment and deity are okay with that (animated dead is an evil spell, after all) then they should be allowed to.

and
Yes, you can use animate dead so long as your alignment and deity are okay with that.

In fact, the final rules might have necromancy sorcerers and wizards that are playable. One power in the BETA allows the summoning of undead to serve them in a potentially playable class.

The key problem is DM's that allow EGO to guide their decisions rather than rules.

Personally, I don't like the whole Cheliax thing and hated one of the missions in a module I ran at convention. It involved six innocents dying to fulfill a mission. It only encouraged childish play and glorified evil in my opinion.
The key was that I understood that these were the rules of the game. I was not a lord and master, but a caretaker that was there to promote and run the game as written. Not my vision, but to run an organized play scenario.
Home game: does as you will
Convention for organized play: Put your ego aside and let the players work within the overall framework. Realize that this game needs mature DMing and structure to grow and survive. It needs to allow different types of play.
Remember that someone created their character to have certain tricks or to represent a vision of their idea of fun. They read the rules, the built and played the character within them. Don't take that away when it is legal, because it doesn't suit your vision of the character.

You don't need a heavy hand Mousse. The player characters will likely destroy the thing as Josh suggested. The fact that they can, has already inspired the player in my home group (after Josh's ruling) to stop heading down his current path and take his next level in Bard.

"The government that governs least, governs best" (but it still has to govern.)

There's nothing in the rules that would stop someone from doing so, though I leave it to the GMs and the situation as to how they handle this--within the rules of Pathfinder Society of course.

That Joshua is the problem.. Moussse has decided that someone's character as built within the current framework is just not allowed at his table. That is a problem for players that are having a shared experience.
His IDEA of what is allowed overrides the actual rules.

This always ends up being a problem at conventions and such.

As someone that covers politics and governmental problems, I have observed that this comes from generally one thing, ego. People allow ego (My table, my rules) to override, I am here to enforce the rules. It is the reason some DM. It is the reason that some take comments and jump and flame.

You have done an excellent job of answering my original question and for that I am grateful. Please don't allow at CONVENTIONS the idea that every DM can rule character abilities and such that are allowed to not exist as Mousse has suggested he would do. (Arcane Heirphonts and the such were always facing this in LG).

Clearly defined statements on such things help play and do not hinder it.

See that is one of the problems that you must remember as a DM in organized play. You can't rule something that is in the rules not allowed. Very unfair given the nature of some Cheliax and if the Beta rules are a guide in any way, the necromancy wizard.
One of the greatest frustrations I have experienced as a player (I play very little partly because of it) in organized play was DM's at conventions that ruled legal actions "illegal" because of personal distaste.
The statement "no matter what Joshua" is the problem. I hope that you are just doing this in a home game of the society and not taking this to conventions.
When the issue is gray, I understand your decision. But if an official ruling comes down, it should not be an issue.
I once watched a young player (who now no longer plays) be nerfed for just playing his character because of its class. It was not overpowered, the DM didn't like it. It was crappy for everyone involved.
BTW You are correct about LG, but this is not LG.

If a LN Cleric creates undead (yes negative energy cleric) does he:

1. Get to keep the surviving characters adventure to adventure till destruction (since they cost gold to create)

2. Is there a limit on maximum HD of the creature other than a limit on the amount he can control?

Also, is it considered player versus player or wrong play for the NG Cleric to destroy purposely the undead that the other cleric is creating?

We have both in our group and the LN cleric's idea is to be a necromancy type of cleric. It is his dream character and it is causing table conflict due to the other cleric players desire to destroy the undead.

Please advise

What is the process, if there is one, for creating and running interactives at other conventions?
I have a group of writers and GM's willing to create and run one if we can get it approved for our local convention. It would be a great way to promote the game here in Pittsburgh area.
Please advise as we want to help with the promotion of this organized play system.

We have some players that are confused on the access rules. Can I upgrade my Masterwork Armor to +1 or not?

Does one denote when a character makes a contact with an NPC beyond the norm? Just wondering for future games, when exceptional relations are created.

My son who is about to be 10 caused a mess with this module with his Ranger (level 2). He actually talked to the Otugyh and convinced him they were friends and would kill whatever had harmed him (hence the big boss).
It was a first as he usually does not roleplay and waits on combat. The result was the players being quite prepared for later combats with an NPC that gave them a safe haven in the sewers.
We ran this with PF#13 in a special SEWER SUNDAY that had the players very very tired of sewers and lining up in a line.