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That is a completely personal and situational decision, but be sure to check the printed tactics and morale first. After that, here are my own guidelines: Low level (1-4) and/or inexperienced players without direct written tactics conflicting, almost never. Intelligent opponents will try to neutralize everyone before spending time on finishing blows, and unintelligent will continue to pursue threats before stopping to eat helpless opponents. mid-level (5+) play, if tactically or alignment appropriate. Really evil or angry foes will kill because they like it and it hurts the survivors. Intelligent opponents will spend time on helpless foes if ranged healing or curatives are shown. Unintelligent foes will stop to eat helpless victims if nothing in in immediate threatened areas. High level (9+) play, Anytime, everytime.
Rise of the Runelords Anniversary Edition, Shattered Star, and Reign of Winter are currently the only sanctioned for PFS Adventure Paths. That said, we've received a very ominous "stay tuned" from those responsible for sanctioning each time someone asks about the possibility of other Paths coming on board.
Con Website
The Alabama Phoenix Festival is a 2nd year, multi-genre convention held in Birmingham, Alabama at the Cahaba Grand Convention Center and host hotel, the Perimeter Park Hilton. All gaming events this year will be at the Hilton, where we are offering 12 overlapping slots, 39 tables of PFS including the 2011 Special Blood Under Absolom, and Birmingham's first batch of Seeker level play, Eyes of the Ten and The Ruby Phoenix Tournament. Anyone who signs up to run 4 slots or more will receive a free con badge, a full set of available boons and possible crash/floorspace in the hotel (details still pending). If you sign up for at least 2 slots, you may receive a discounted con badge (details still pending) and a choice of 2 of the available boons. GMs are eligible to win further boons and other prizes as if playing the slot they run. When you register on Warhorn, please use the same email as your Paizo.com account, so that scenarios you run can be placed directly in your downloads. If you have any questions please contact me at grolloc@gmail.com Mike Seales
The only thing that the blog makes legal is the subdomains for otherwise legal deities. It is not likely that she will be made legal at any point in the future, since Spoiler:
she and her cult are a major plot point in season 4 scenarios
Added Russell Akred's awesome handout to #2-18 The Forbidden Furnace of Forgotten Koor from the product discussion thread.
My response was to Avatar-1, not an endorsement of 2 man tables or griping about the rule. I totally agree with the rule, and enforce it as a VC. But of all the rules to break and ways to cheat, I don't understand where the advantage is to break this one. Actually I think it would be a horrible idea anyways. This is a social game and playing with less than minimum players is just burning a scenario you can never experience again.
I fail to see how you could abuse the system by running tables of only 2. Even the most broken OP builds would eventually run into something they can't handle and get killed that way. Surely those combat-mongers who can solo scenarios are going to have faction mission problems. If your GM is in on it and softballing the adventure enough to not kill a 2 man group, you're going to come to a rude awakening when you play at a real table someday. It's not like you get extra gold or boons by playing with fewer people to split. Extra danger, same rewards.
First Gen Con also, tried to get as many different things as possible Thursday, August 15
Friday, August 16
Saturday, August 17
Sunday, August 18
and my loverly fiancee will be doing a slightly less insane Thursday, August 15
Friday, August 16
Saturday, August 17
Sunday, August 18
Conga Rats, John! I knew I should have made more trips to Atlanta. Missed my chance to play with you again! See you at GenCon!
Normal PFS scenarios are playable up to 11. After that, 12+ play uses either the special Eyes of the Ten story arc built specifically for 12th level, or Modules and sanctioned Adventure Path chapters. Eyes of the Ten used to be called the "retirement" story, but now there are plenty of options to play above 12th level.
Strictly by the rules of the 4.3 Guide to Organized Play: Yes. You alternatively can buy the PDFs and photocopy those relevant pages to show the GM. Keep those, and a copy of the Additional Resources page with the character at all times. Present all of it to the GM before play begins so that he can familiarize himself with the new material. In Reality: maybe. Most GMs aren't going to review every character before each game. While I'm pretty sure most GMs have bigger game book collections than the average player, it is up to you to provide the documentation for your character should the need arise. Depending on how strict your local GMs are, and realize that any time you play with a different GM you could run into one who enforce the rule to the letter, and without 100% proper documentation of every non-core race, class, archetype, feat, trait, weapon, and spell you have, you might end up playing a pre-gen. Personally: I have much more important things to do with limited game time than harass players about bringing stacks of books to my table just in case a rule conflict occurs. I am also much more interested in finding ways to get more people to play with us than finding reasons to exclude characters over paperwork issues. I will NEVER turn someone away from a game because they forgot or don't even have proper documentation. I will, however, mention that there are harda$$e$ out there who will, and suggest strongly that they get their documentation ready in case of travel. The rule is not designed to penalize poorer players, or even to sell X copies of the books, but to ensure that GMs have incontrovertible documentation they need to make rulings concerning your specific build. The rule is designed to make sure the actual rules are available; not copied from a fan website, smartphone app, or character generation program, as those often have errors in the translation from printed page to digital format. Yes, it is also worded to protect Paizo from piracy, but in practicality it is there to defend YOU as a player as well. GMs can't argue with printed, verified, legal copies of the rules, as much as we'd like to sometimes (stoopid broken Maguses.)
I meant for Queen Lareecan to have "Rapid Shot" not "Rapid Reload". Most likely it's a non-issue, she has plenty of spells and abilities to put the hurt on the PCs without a few extra arrows flying around.This will be changed when we get back from Gen Con. I don't know how that slipped by Dennis, Sean, and me before hitting print. Oops! Bump for editing. This still needs to be updated.
Conga Rats! GM Stars are the perfect holiday present to yourself: 0 Calories, Non-returnable, and one-size-fits-all. Be careful though, those things are addictive.
I'll lean out the window and take the wild guess that the vaaast majority of scenarios gets finished successfully. Is there any chance this could default to already being checked, or word it as a "mission failed" box? Failures are rare enough you would think to look for options while the 90% of successes just leads to misreporting when someone forgets to hit the box. Imagine the chaos if our "character died" box was "character survived" instead.
DING! Add one Alabamian to the 4-star list please.
Why would you do this to anyone, much less newbies? If you run a non-PFS campaign of PFS Scenarios you are robbing your players of the ability to play them for the actual PFS experience. By experience, I mean the play experience, not credit or chronicle sheets. While PFS play might not be your cup of tea, it could be for the inexperienced players and you are chewing up limited resources for them. I'd try to make a campaign out of the older 3.5 modules, 3rd party material, or even the Sanctioned Modules before I burned PFS scenarios. But to answer your question:
There are a few threads about running scenarios in a campaign order, Drogon's post on campaigns should help you a lot.
Congrats Sidney! We had a great time at your table when we visited Mobile, and look forward to seeing you again at Mobicon and beyond!
I can't recommend the GMing talents of Zach Hall enough. If you are ever passing through Birmingham on a Friday evening, or see Ezren himself running a table at Dragon*Con or Gen Con, get in that game! I have to pry people off his tables with a crowbar every week.
I believe that the special reward option is NOT allowed to GMs and they must take the printed boon. That special reward is not on the chronicle sheet for a reason, reflecting a specific and complicated plot situation. If it were simply a choice, both would be listed on the chronicle with an instruction to cross out the unused boon. Disclaimer: Despite VC status, this is NOT an official ruling. Mike and/or Mark have the final say, but if they don't say, this is how I'm running it. Further Disclaimer: I ran this before GM's got boons, and got neither option. So, other than dealing with organizational issues, I really don't have a dog in this fight.
I've been looking for a Pathfinder equivalent of a feat from 3.5 called short haft that would allow me to attack adjacent squares with a reach weapon. Someone at a game last night said there is one, but I haven't been able to find it. Any ideas? The Polearm Master archetype for Fighter gets an ability that allows them to attack adjacent foes with a -4 at 2nd level, but I don't know of a feat that lets you do it. And this thread should be in general advice, not the Pathfinder Society section.
Your GMs should be reporting their games, and I would gently prod them into reporting them if possible. Point them to the sidebar on Pg 37 of the Guide to Organized Play, which covers the importance of reporting games. That said, your collection of Chronicles is the definitive record for your characters, not the online reporting. You should always keep your chronicles with your characters for this exact reason. Edit: Ninja'd with much better info. What Stephen said.
Congrats and Welcome! I'll bring the extra special Kool-aid and Lodge Owners Manual with me to your game day this weekend.
Welcome yet another Mike! Hope to cross paths with you soon on the coast. I'm definitely headed to MobiCon next year.
I am always for more plot potential over "monsters" 1) Dragons: Intelligent, nigh-immortal, and crazy territorial? yes please. Maybe even as a meta-plot villain(s) rather than scenario boss. 2) Goblins: the true plague of Golarion, since hordes of clerics eliminate real-world diseases. I think their role is about perfect right now. I don't want them to become comic relief though. They should remain as funny as an outbreak of cholera. 3) Orcs: I would love a story about WHY we haven't seen them enough yet, but I agree, with several others: they're just overdone as is. Maybe If something BIG were to happen with them (Year of the Horde?) That would be great, but otherwise, meh. 4) Drow: I love their role in Golarian as boogey-men who the elves desperately try to keep secret. There is a whole secret organization based on that secret. They should remain rare, but could make one or two more appearances. 5) Dinosaurs: really? we have fire/acid/ice-breathing flying plotting lizards already. They even suck as monsters with no real tactics other than lots of HP and a big bite. Leave 'em. 6) Undead: I'd like to see more intelligent undead and the whackos who try to control/create them. Less undead without a reason for being there. 7) Swarms: meh. it's just a creature type that has probably been overdone by now. Time to lay off them but this time next year everyone will be in a snit over oozes or constructs. 8) Outsiders: Overdone, but nothing says "I am a big-darned hero" like sending some of the ultimate evils back to Hell. Keep them as is. 9) Humanoid NPCs: I'd like to see some other sinister organizations become more prominent. I'm pretty sick of Aspis agents, but I LOVE killing those guys.
he is speaking of being a rogue with the sniper archetype, and at 2nd level rogue choosing to take a ninja trick instead of rogue talent, and choosing the trick that increases the range sneak attacks can be made, making it a total of 50 feet instead of the base of 30. Oh yeah, forgot they could do that. I try to keep ninjas and rogues completely separate in my head. Different roles, but way too similar. Continuing research.
Ninja is an alternate class of Rogue. You can not take levels of one if you have the other, archetype or not.
@Grolloc Alabama Pathfinders
You'll probably find that your experienced players and the newer ones end up at different tables anyways. Older players want to play their higher level characters, and newer ones don't have a choice. Run the new players through the intro stuff, and veterans through some other random 0-2 series until the newbies at least catch up with the story (Aspis bad, Blakros weird, Shadow Lodge PITA) then you can move everyone along the plot relatively evenly. A lot of season 3 and 4 won't make much sense without the backstory to newbies.
I love Master of the Fallen Fortress, but it has to be the very first scenario you play (PC's aren't even Pathfinders yet) which throws off paying all the way through First steps. Not a huge loss, IMHO. I dislike First Steps 3 anyways, and usually run MotFF, FS1, and FS2, or FS1, FS2, and We Be Goblins. We Be Goblins is great, but although you get xp and fame from it, has nothing to do with character development or story background. I highly recommend it, getting played somewhere in your schedule. If your players get into it, it can be quite loud.
I like to try and start with the introductions to NPCs and places you will see again and again. #1-Silent Tide - Intro to Grandmaster Torch before he gets political
Spoiler: in your group
Quadiran and Taldoran players who have paid attention to their faction missions to date After that, start running season 3 in order if possible, mixing in some of those sequels. I would run the rest of Devil We Know soon before people level out of it and Aspis is very imprtant in the second half of Season 3. The other last parts of the Blakros modules, Among the Dead/Gods, and Tide of Twilight all have parts in the Season 3 plot. This will also give you some time for season 4 to build up scenarios, and some of your hardcore players to get the levels to move into 3-7's and 5-9's where much of the story happens.
Email incoming!
This is an awesome idea. No matter how much you suggest to new players to read the guide, visit the website, look up additional resources... it never happens. Having a workshop where that all happens together is a great start to a local lodge.
I wouldn't sweat registrations or sign-ups too much. I would definitely set up a warhorn or facebook page to make a contact point and scheduling, but don't get all hung up on who signs up ahead of time. Take players as they come, never turn anyone away because they didn't find you ahead of time, especially if you are playing in a public space. Store owners are much less likely to give you space, support, and advertise for you if you are sending their customers away.
Season 4 scenarios have rules to scale back for 4 players. Smaller tables are great, but growth means big tables unless you are really lucky to have a bunch of willing GMs.
I believe everything until season 4 was designed for four players, but perfect tables never happen.
No. A player can get credit for each scenario (or module) a total of twice: once as a player and then a second time (on a different character) for running it. This can happen in either order, and level 1 only Modules and Scenarios have exceptions to this rule.
Most of the missions are doable by any combination of characters, but some of them are a challenge to ANY combination of characters. That's kind of the nature of the Pathfinders: Grab the closest 4-6 people hanging out in the lodge and send them off to a mission. One of the most fun missions I ever did was 4 rogues and myself as a tank. We didn't take a single point of damage and I only swung my sword twice.
PFS runs strongly on the honor system. Don't spend time to check characters weekly unless there is an obvious reason to. If you play with the same group from week to week, you know what they've done. If a new player comes in from out of town I'll make a really fast (like less than 3 minutes for a 7-9ish level) glance through, just to make sure all the sheets are complete and big purchases are match the fame or a sheet. Between 5-6 hours per scenario. I usually spend 15-30 minutes before the scenario printing, filling out session sheets, handing out faction missions, and doing last minute table-shuffles. 4-5 hours for the scenario depending on role-playing, rules discussions, and complexity of the scenario. About 15-30 minutes after the game is for chronicles, dayjob rolls, spellbook rolls, and animal training.
When you report the scenario it asks you for the character number you want to give the credit to. That number doesn't actually have to have a character associated with it, but you have to assign the sheet when you run it.
Do whatever you can to make sure the store employees are behind you and PFS. Remind them that more players are more traffic and more books they can sell. They can advertise for you during the rest of the week while you aren't at the store. Keep all the pre-gens handy to drop a walk-in directly into a game, even if it's already in progress. Don't be afraid to take a break to explain what you are doing to an interested observer. The easiest way for someone to learn the game is by playing it, so rather than telling a newbie to go home and read about it, hand them a pre-gen and a chair.
Welcome to PFS! I was exactly in your shoes a little over a year ago, and today I was named Venture Captain of Alabama. I know Mike is looking for someone to be Venture Captain for Germany right now. Keep up the good work, and remember YOU are supposed to be having a good time too.
Sometimes you just need a silver improvised weapon that shows you really care. It takes 75gp plus an "optional" 100gp in Jewelry for the Noble's Outfit for a night at the opera... do you really think Baron Von Snobbishton is going to be impressed without one? Nothing says poseur cleric like teak. Add a file and you have a stylish container for your powdered silver components for many spells: Bless Water, Magic Circle Vs Evil, Undeath Ward, Daemon ward, Holy Ice, and See Invisibility. Immune to those heathen druid's Warp Wood spells. Not that it's ever happened to me...
1) You only report modules once regardless of who showed up to each session. The only difference is what reward is on each attendee's sheet. At the end you will remove 1/3 gold 1 xp and 1pp per session missed to a minimum of O gold 1pp and 1xp. 2-3) GM prestige for Modules is a known bug. Remember that your chronicle sheets are the master record keepers, not online recording. As long as your numbers on paper are correct, that is what counts. Online recording is mainly there to track attendance and demographics, not actual bookkeeping. 4) The GM does get the bonus table credit (+1) for running a module, but that is all. If your module takes one or 100 separate game sessions, the GM only gets 2 table credits period.
Archetypes are chosen when you trade something out. As soon as you do the ability swap, you become the new archetype. Quinggong Monk does give you some leeway on when you join, unlike most archetypes where the jumping on point is set in stone. If you choose not to trade your Slow Fall ability out at 4th, which is the first available possible Qinggong ability swap, you are still just Ye Olde Monk.
Really?? So what you're saying is during a hectic battle one of your friends drops unconscious and starts snoring so you know he's been put to sleep. You look around the field of battle and of the unknown number of people there you just know that guy standing over there with the crossbow put him to sleep. Even though he obviously didn't just cast a spell, or move, or say a word, or do anything other than look around the battlefield probably for someone to shoot with said crossbow. Then I saw little Tiffany. I'm thinking, y'know, eight-year-old white girl, middle of the ghetto, bunch of monsters, this time of night with quantum physics books? She about to start some s***, Zed.
I love the rebuild. Means I don't need to worry about helping a newbie get the character exactly right in the 15 minutes before a game. This
I can't see how this is any different from new players keeping Kyra#4327 as their real character and changing (or not) the name as they go. I've seen much worse rip-of.... err... homages to published characters from other universes. Have at it! I can't wait to see this at the table! We have at least 2 other local players who were abused by one of her orphans. A half-orc barbarian and an human inquisitor of Gorum are both very twitchy every time they have a mission in Absolom after being Demoralized by the Ten-year-old Terror of Absolom, the Princess of Disparagement, Suzie the Intimidator!!!!
Ambrus Valsin sounds like Sarge from Red vs Blue.
Hmm, while the limitations are kind of annoying honestly, I don't much care in the end, personally loved the factions bit when I played at Connecticon....at any rate, are there faction traits for Lantern Lodge like there are in the Guide for Organized play for Taldor, Andoran, etc? Faction traits for Lantern Lodge are on 11-12 in the 4.1 guide for Organized play. If you don't see them there you may have last season's guide. There is a much more thorough explanations of the Faction system in Pathfinder Society Field Guide as well as more fame/prestige options for each faction.
I just GM'd Infernal Vault from season 1. Each Faction had 2 missions given to them. Did they need to complete both to get 1 prestige point, and then earn 1 prestige point for completeing the overall mission of the scenario. Or do they get a point for doing at least one of their faction missions, and then get 1 for completeing the overall mission? Thanks for any help. Each Scenario offers the opportunity for 2 prestige points: Scenarios with two goals per faction earn a point for completing each goal and none for the main mission.Scenarios with only one goal per faction mission earn a point for completing the faction goal and one for completing the main mission. If you have a player on the slow XP track they must complete either both faction goals or the main mission and the single faction goal to earn a single prestige point.
PFS still has a little GM wiggle room, so here's my take on it: Sounds like mostly fluff. You might be able to run into a cleric of Besmara depending on your Diplomacy (Gather info) or Knowledge: Local rolls, and where you are at the time. I'd run it as an interesting, although time-sinking encounter. Your party may well object to you running off to find an obscure clergy in the middle of a mission.I'd personally allow another faith to charge it if you can find something in canon that says Besmara is allied with that religion. Be sure to bring that reference with you to the game along with your copy of Adventurer's Armory for the Consecrated Weapon modification. D20pfsrd.com, while very useful for research is not a legal reference for PFS play. You must provide either a printed copy or legal PDF watermarked pages when you are trying to justify this to a GM.
anyone playing a fighter archetype that they like? I play a Shielded Fighter Archetype as an almost purely defensive fighter. I was dropped into a home-play group that was already close to 5th level and expected to be the Tank for the group. With Toughness and higher Con than Str, and a crazy AC for the level, he survived and caught up with the group. Most of the Shielded Fighter's bonuses are dodge, so he has a great touch AC, if he gets caught sleeping without his armor, still has most of his AC from shield and class bonuses. Now at 8th level with retraining fighter feats, he has switched to become a little more offensive. Shield Slam (free bullrush with knockdown chance depending on terrain) gives him a lot of maneuvering options. Weapon Focus , Weapon Specialization: Heavy Shield, and an expensive magical bashing spiked heavy shield raised his damage from negligible to decent. He is now saving up for Full-plate and resistance items, specifically fire since the only thing that regularly hits him is the group's alchemist's misses.
Favorite this post for quick reference.
Adventure Path #2 is to be reprinted in a new hardcover in July. It's sure to get a re-review at least when that book comes out. Not 100% of the material is reprinted though, so let's keep our fingers crossed that Spherewalker made the cut.
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