David Roulston's page

Thanks for the info.

I booked the Downtown Marriott this year, hoping for a short stumble downstairs for the early-morning Pathfinder slots. Now I'll have to haul myself all the way across the street! But more space between the tables will be great.

It's Sun night. Like many of us I have completed the badge pre-reg, and am anxiously awaiting hotel reg on Tues.

Is there any word on where the Pathfinder rpgs will be located this year?

We are still in talks with Gen Con about where we'll be situated this year, so we don't have a final answer on that, but we'll let folks know as soon as we have more information.

So Mark, is there any way information yet on where in the convention centre Pathfinder will be located?

Your suggestions were right along the lines I was considering. I am exoecting that unarmed PCs will decide to flee. How to get Lashonna to eventually converse with the PCs to get the campaign back on track afterward was my concern.

Getting at least some of them tossed in jail where they can then be visited by Lashonna will work out nicely. Thanks for the suggestion.

One of my players decided to gift to the Prince of Redhand the fiendish griffin statue the players recovered from Zyzog's museum. More than that, when the Fabler was less than impressed with the gift, the player decided to acivate the griffin for the first time, in the Prince's direct presence.

Seems to me that this will send the entire campaign sideways. Does anyone have any suggestions as to how to handle it?

The recent announcement regarding that the location of the majority of RPGs at Gen Con 2012 will be in the three major hotels (JW, Marriott, and Westin) rather than in the comvention centre has me curious.

Does Paizo have any information as to where they will be running their Pathfinder games this year? We all have to make our hotel selections in a few weeks, and I'm sure that many folk like myself would like ensure that we're staying in close proximity to the Pathfinder game location.

This coming Wed is the big night for my PCs--the grand banquet with Prince Veech. However, my players are looking at the prospect with considerable dread, for they are somehow convinced that Veech is in actuality the black dragon Ilthane.

At the beginning of "A Gathering of Winds" my PCs ran from the dragon into the Whispering Cairn. They spent several days there, and when they finally exited the dragon was gone. In returning to Diamond Lake they found the place in utter ruin, with all of the friends they had made there dead.

ONow, on the eve of the banquet, they have followed all of the threads available, save for seeking out Rorsk and investigating the traitors graves. The former I'm sure they'll follow up before the party, but they are most reluctant to venture into the graves where they seem to believe that they'll have to confront the dragon in his lair.

aS WELL, The prospect of confronting Prince Veech--whom they consider to be Ilthane--without weapons, seems absolutely suicidal to them.

My question is, what should I do about it--or should I do anything about it at all?

Whatever the players decide to do, I am also considering ending the game with a confrontation with Ilthane--sutiably levelled-up, of course.

Any thoughts?

Umm...still looking for a response for issues # 44, 45, 46.

I have since gone through as sea of old paperwork, and issue #38 is among it. Please disregard my request for a resend of that issue.

There have been some problems over the summer with regard to my credit card.

Visa replaced my card in mid-June, claiming that there was some suspicious activity in my account. Soon afterward I left the continent for 8 weeks on an extended trip, returning just in time for Gen Con.

Apparently, I neglected to inform Paizo of the new card, and consequently my subscription was suspended.

When I was at Gen Con, I updated the credit card information and picked up the pending orders for issues 47, 48, and 49. I was told that issues 44, 45, and 46, which had been suspended June 21, would be sent. I have yet to receive them.

My new credit card, replacing the one that expired 10/11 arrived late. upon activating it today, I immediately went to the Paizo site to update my credit card information, and was amused to find that issues 50 and 51 were being held up. Now that my credit card info is updated they are now pending. So that's all good.

On another issue, I see in my order history, that order 1511752 containing issue 38 was shipped. It never arrived. Could you kindly send me a replacement copy?

I will greatly appreciated any assistance you can lend in these two matters. My group and I love Paizo/Pathfinder. One campaign is still hacking their way through the Age of Worms, while the other is loving killing goblins in the Rise of the Runelords. When we're at gen Con, Pathfinder is the only RP game we play.

Our big decision when the Age of Worms is finished is whether to proceed to The Savage Tide, or to jump over it into Second Darkness.

Hangfire wrote:

I'd like to get some idea of how other DMs are doing in the Spire segment of the Age of Worms. My party just entered the ziggurat, and they didn't have an easy time of it. I have six members in my group, with five of them being there when they entered Room #5. Now they rolled to listen at the door of the room, but undead just standing there are pretty hard to hear, so the party was surprised when they entered the room (the undead all have pretty good Spots and Listens I noticed - like ~+21, so no problem to hear the party at the door). Party steps into the room and wham! the Swords of Kyuss unleash their 'power of death' as my party has come to call it - 14d6 damage!! Well the cleric failed all of this reflex saves and died. Only the monk and rogue made it through unharmed. Needless to say the combat went down hill from there - the warlock also died eventually. After retreating all the way back to Magepoint, rearming, reincarnating/raising party members they trek back to the city and go for it again. The battle went better, but two party members died again - and the party was ready for undead this time. I know the group thinks this encounter is too tough. What about the rest of you - death trap or not? I'm not sure if the Swords of Kyuss, with that great ability they have, are only a CR 10 creature. I mean, they get to heal and harm at the same time three times a day - a total of nine times in the encounter. Pretty tough.

The party I DM is just about to encounter the Knight and 2 beetles outside the temple. I do enjoy the Beholder/Troll follower side bar and with a Beholder being a classic DnD monster I might run them against it first.

As for the dungeon I am extremely worried. I just dropped the hints listed in the post responses. The PCs spent days reading in the library temple in Mage Point so I am going to reward them with the hints.

My party is 6 players but 2 of them did not build their characters well.

5 Ordained Champion/3 Inquisator/ 5 Cleric (Heronius)
13...

Hey Jay,

Glad to see someone else is still playing--and posting.

My party just finished up dealing with rooms 4 and 5. No TPK, but close enough. They hadn't yet finished off the undead in room when the noise of the combat attatcked the attention of the eladrin and the sword archons.

Better part of valour and all that, with the various visions they had received so far (they flew up to the top of the Spire first, and came down thru the cesret doors at the top of the ziggurat), they decided to return to Magepoint and tell what they'd learned so far.

I decided to allow it. They will be directed to return and learn more; but they wanted to make some purchases--and with what's awaiting them they'll need it.

I too have had some fun with the beholder/trolls. My trolls are cunning, well-equipped troll rangers--they're just the thing for a mad beholder who's trying to control the jungles around a city ruins which he considers his.

Reported it once again. However nothing seems to appear.

I ran scenario #12. In following the reporting instructions, I select the scenario mentioned, and when I enter the session number (1?) and hit tab, it finds nothing.

I go on to enter the date of play, then my GM number (1654?). I hit tab, and it tells me it's an unknown object.

I fill out the rest of the report sheet with the player info (all goes well there), update, then save the whole thing.

Obviously I'm still doing something wrong. Have I got the wrong GM number?

In my Upcoming events section it says,

# 1,151 Pre Gen Con 2009
No location specified Wed, Aug 12, 2009 (completely reported)

When I saw that I assumed that I had already reported it. However, nothing appeared in my son's sessions list. So I went in and reported it (again?).

Everything seemed to go OK. However, as you say, it doesn't appear in either mine or my son's sessions list. I'll try again now. please stay tuned.

I'm not sure I did it right, and am seeking some guidance.

A group of us ran a few scenarios for one-another just before Gen Con last year.

Then we completely forgot about reporting it (sorry!) until after registering for Pathfinder events for this year's con.

So I reported the other day, # 1,151, but like the previous poster I can't tell if I've done it properly.

I suspect I haven't, for when both my son and I look at our PCs' sessions lists, the games we ran for each other don't appear there.

Can someone clarify things for me please?

Just received issue #26, but have not recieved issues 24 or 25.

I assume this has to do with my credit card number having been changed. Can you let me know when i might recieve these issues?

Thanks

Is there a floor plan for the prison aside from what little is outlined in the scenario? I'm having a little trouble visualizing things.

I've forgotten aboot natural 1's and AOE myself. Where is it mentioned?

Beautiful!

Any changes with how you see him utilizing his abilities, given the changes you've made?

BTW: My players just went through the encounter with the naga. in HOHR. I had almost all of them charmed. They were kneeling and laying down their best treasures in tribute when...damn all halfling wizards anyway!!!

I expect the naga will hit the pool soon after the PCs reject his "request" for loot.

My group set off the shriekers, so everyone knows they're coming by now.

This is great stuff. My group is just about to encounter the naga in HOHR, so I'm getting ready for the next adventure too.

I have a group of 8 PCs, so this evolved Bozal Zahol will be a great addition.

Kurikami, will you post the stat block again once you've finished tweaking it? I'd love to use it.

The zip file I downloaded has a number of PDF files with instructions on how to build various structures (instructions on how to cut, fold, paste, and put together).

But there doesn't appear to be any PDFs included that have the actual "blueprints" of the various structures themselves that are to printed out onto cardstock, and cut, folded, and pasted together.

I just ordered & downloaded the pdf. I can open the pdf containing the building instructions, but there doesn't seem to be a PDF with the plans.

Help would be greatly appreciated.

I would like to make cheerful notice of the recent delivery of Pahtfinder #16.

However, as of yet I have not received Pathfinder #15.

Should I continue to wait for it, or is it time to mail me out a replacement copy?

I don't suppose there's any way those of us still running AOW or ST campaigns can be included in the society?

In any case, most of my group is coming to Gen Con this year and are all jazzed as we're all signed up to play in all the Pathfinder games.

Ah, well....I guess I have to give the scanner a workout when I get to that point. Given that we're just finishing up Blackwall Keep, it'll be many years before I'll need to do that.

Thanks for responding thoguh.

Thanks James. It's great the way you guys keep tabs on the boards.

I went back into the mags and found the Muddle in the following issue of Dungeon. I had been looking for it in Dragon, erroneously thinking it was a Wormfood article. The map was among the PDFs I had already downloaded, so I'm all set up.

I had previously downloaded all the online supplements for AOW, but had not yet done so for Savage Tide. This was something I decided to correct.

I had no problem until I got to issue #144. It wasn't among the list available along with #139-143. After some searching I was eventually able to find it, as well as the online supplements to #145-147. (You may want to get #144-147 listed on the same page with the rest.)

However, no supplements for #148-150, I understand. Is there any possibility whatsoever that these will ever be available?

Well, more searching yirlded me supplements to #145-147. But from what I've read, there'll be no love for #148-150. Has there been any change (he asked hopefully)?

I've searched the archives, and I don't know if this has been ultimately addressed. Will we every see the online supplements for Dungeons #145--#150?

I am prepping for HoHR, and I realized that I didn't have a map for Midnight's Muddle beyond the one printed in the magazine. I figured I would just download the web supplement for Dragon Dragon #336 on the Paizo website--but I couldn't find it.

Did it ever exist? Have all the web supplements for Dragon and Dungeon been taken off the site?

I downloaded all of the web supplements for AOW months ago, but I never got around to doing the same for The Savage Tide.

Am I SOL?

I've been using DC 20 Heal checks to "surgically" remove them before they get to the brain of the afflicted.

After that, it's Remove Course, Cure Disease, and the like, or else it's lights out.

Well, some of the posters seem to manage to move along at, what would be for my group, an extremely rapid pace. Still, other posters give me some solace:

Thank you MattW, Armaxis, Evilvlous, Cortney, Raidou, Dr. Pweent, and Shadowdenizen, for helping my group not feel like total sluggards!

Like Kang, I wouldn't mind some advice on how to speed up play without either cutting the heart out of the adventures, or stripping the role-playing out of the individual sessions.

And don't suggest removing beer from our sessions--that's not going to happen!

This is all most illuminating. Most nights we don't get started till about 8 pm, and things start breaking up by 11pm, if not slightly before. We're all a bunch of former 1st ed guys in our 50s that have been playing together since '80, so we move kinda slow at times. But we're having loads 'o' fun, nevertheless.

My only concern with the sedentary pace was the possibility of burning out my players, so I am considering the idea of speeding up the csmpaign--though I am loathe to do so, cos I like everything pretty much as it's written.

My group plays twice a month, and have been doing so since June of 2006. We are now halfway through Blackwall Keep. Everyone's loving it, but I'm wondering about the pace of our progress.

For those of you who play about as often as my group, could you tell me when you started and how far you have progressed through the AP?

I like this method of identifying magic items. I'm going to run it by my players tonight.

That's Ok. You'll make things all even when they meet up with the Faceless One; and later with the Ebon Aspect.

Having just run through this section, I recomend you consider tossing a couple of extra Vecna cultists at your PCs, depending on how easy a time you find they are having.

Later on, if played properly (and played really nasty) the Ebon Aspect will give the PCs all they can handle.

My group is still murmuring about it.

Everything turned out well. The party elected to heal up first. Shortly after they entered the dark cathedral the Ebon Aspect reared up--and shortly thereafter it destroyed the elevator, trapping the party below and forcing them to deal with the creature.

The ensuing battle was memorable.

Thanks to all for the advice.

A couple of good suggestions here. Thanks. this is a great sight for this sort of thing.

A well-placed wand or a few potions might do the trick. Of course, it won't help the spellcasters from feeling like 5th wheels, but....

Any ideas about this...beyond resting, of course? Through the course of the game they already have a wand or two in their hands--though they don't know what they do.

No; it's a home-brew campaign world with stuff lifted from plenty of sources.

My players have just finished the encounter with the Faceless One and his kenku cultists. They are low on hit points & spells, and appear to be getting ready to assault the ebon aspect--which would seem suicidal.

The players have considered and are rejecting the possibility or resting first. I feel this is due to the sense of urgency they feel, that the need to confront whatever is happening in/around the black pool requires immediate action.

Where they got this feeling from I have no idea! (Sarcasm here; I know that it's my fault.)

My question is, what can I do at this point to prevent the coming suicidal confrontation, without either appearing arbitrary or pulling the punch?

The party is also considering cutting and running; telling the authorities in Diamond Lake what is going on--and letting them deal with it.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks for the info. The boxed set is an old 2nd ed. set, isn't it?

I was hoping that there was somewhere a copy of the complete city map of the city of Waterdeep, as outlined in the sourcebook, rather than having to cut and paste together the pieces of the map which are in the Waterdeep Sourcebook.

Does anyone know anything about that?

My players are finishing up Blackwall Keep and will therefore soon be heading to the Free City. As my campaign is set in FR, Waterdeep will be the Free City.

I picked up the Waterdeep sourcebook a couple of years back with this in mind. While the book has a series of very nice partial maps of the city, there is no overall city map. You know, something poster-sized that pulls all those partial maps together.

Yet I seem to recall that there was one, somewhere. Am I misremembering? Was it included in one of the mags?

Can anyone help me out?

D (with a healthy dose of C).

No one in my group has seen anything so far about 4e that indicates that it make as big a leap forward as 3.xe jumped ahead of 2e.

So we'll probably stick with 3.5 through the AoW campaign, and probably the STAP as well.

However, we'll all probably pick up the 4e core books for tournament play, and so we'll see how it goes.

David Roulston wrote:

So I've had e-mail confirmation that #358 & the poster are "winging" their way across the border toward my mail box.

Do we have any word yet as to what actually happened? Why did we Canuckleheads not get shipped this stuff in the first place?

BTW: Here's a huge can 'o' "Age of Worms": why are we still paying so freaking much for EVERYTHING coming out of the States when the dollar is at par?

Because it can take up to 2 years for prices to change to reflect that unfortunately.

BTW I'm still waiting for email confirmation.

Funny how it never works the other way. Seriously, it can take forever for prices to change if it means that the sellers might continue to make a profit by gouging the complacate consumer.

There's a groundswell coming though. Even Canadians won't put up with this; not when 90% of us live within 100 miles of the American border.

Cross-border shopping is once again alive and well. If Canadian retailers don't wake up they'll be out of business before they know it. We've been gouged by the difference in the dollars for years. Enough is enough, even for us "nice guys."

I feel fortunate. "The Return of the Eight" was a (much-adapted) penultimate game in my last campaign--a campaign which ran for over 20 years.

(Ever noticed how so many campaigns of old-time D&D players have such long lifespans?)

Anyway, the castle and the town of Magepoint became the retirement home for several of the epic-level PCs when the old campaign finally ended.

So now, 200 years later, when the "Age of Worms" PCs finally journey to Magepoint, they'll have to opportunity in interact with some of the PCs' retired epic-level PC or their descendants.

You should have no problem. My PCs started out with a 32-point buy, and there were 8 characters to start (now down to 6 PCs as 3FOE winds down).

If it becomes neccessary, an extra wolf here, an extra fire-beetle swarm there, and your PCs should be running for the hills just like all of the PCs in the many and diverse campaigns that have run before yours.

Age of Worms is a great campaign. That said, DM prep is everything. Know the stat blocks of the major baddies intimately; know what they can do, and try to find the best and most evil combo of NPC abilitlies, spells, etc. before any given game night even begins.

I have to agree that based on recent Dungeon material I might have expected to have seen a fleshed-out town of Threshold.

Maybe I missed something, but what's Bargle's conection to the old ruins--and to Gygar?

Is Bargle aleady supposed to be a foe of the PCs? It all seemed a little unclear, as if it was expectant that old-time DMs would simply be able to fill in the blanks. What about the newbies to the game? A little help?

The whole thing felt a little rushed to me, like they were forced to slide the mod into the mag's print schedule before its time. It seemed a touch threadbare and somewhat ill-considered--or was the adventure as written supposed to be a purposeful and nostalgic throwback to the original source material?

Like I said, maybe I missed something.

So I've had e-mail confirmation that #358 & the poster are "winging" their way across the border toward my mail box.

Do we have any word yet as to what actually happened? Why did we Canuckleheads not get shipped this stuff in the first place?

BTW: Here's a huge can 'o' "Age of Worms": why are we still paying so freaking much for EVERYTHING coming out of the States when the dollar is at par?

Thanks Vic. I got the e-mail confirmation for the reshipment of both the poster and #358.

Confirming that this Canucklehead no #358 and no map for for #359.

Apparently #359 has been reshipped, but not #358.

Vic,

Does your response, directed toward these three fine individuals alone, mean that the rest of us should not expect to see issue 358 and the missing map being sent out to us any time soon?