Herald's page

I have to agree with Chris on this. The p-class pales in comparison to the Red Mantis Assassin, however, its evil alignment does keep it out of reach from PFS.

At the risk of putting words in Mike's mouth, I will tell you that PFS leadership (staff/volunteers/otherwise) are not interested in eliminating alignment. We are striving to keep PFS rules as close to Core as possible and eliminating alignment would have a huge impact on how certain classes/rules function and require additional "house" rules and clarifications that would take us further away from Core.

You are free to debate the alignment system and your opinions on how it should work, but I believe that this topic has been beaten to death. Alignment is a polarizing concept and after 30+ years of gaming, most have very entrenched ideas. You are unlikely to change anyone's opinion.

IMO, everyone is better served by moving on to other topics where your efforts are more likely to have an effect.

Actually, we can't remove alignment from the game as it would break a lot of the mechanics associated with it. The amount of rules exceptions would be pretty high.

"Andrew Christian wrote:

"super optimize DPR at the expense of having a personality more than “grunt, I go kill”.

Note that personality and DPR are entirely separate.

That being said, PFS really has no way of rewarding any PC but optimized combat machines. 90% of the modules are, essentially, dungeon crawls, and an even higher percentage are, essentially, combat-focused scenarios.

Thus, the only real measure of success in PFS is success in combat. Thus, the campaign is only really set up to reward combat-focused characters.

-Matt

I disagree with that characterization, highly. I've run a considerable about of them and that is not my experience.

If it is helpful to know, the Pathfinder RPG just entered its fifth printing, so they have a lot of those books to sell.

Andrew Christian wrote:

Creating huge DPR characters is simply about Ego and Hubris in my book.

I have a problem (take that however you choose) with VCs and VLs posting comments like these because there is a perception that both have some level of 'authority' for the campaign. When you have a Venture-Lieutenant title by your name, your book seems (to some) to have some worth.

One can make the ultimate beat stick because they are comfortable with the rules for doing as much. One can create a sub-median PC for pure RP reasons, and that is an exercise in ego. The point I would hope one could find is that people should be allowed to make characters which allow them to enjoy their play experience (and hopefully not interfere with the enjoyment of others). What I imagine to be the case is that people who want their PCs to be able to dominate combat (be it with damage, the inability to be damaged, the ability to shut down/turn off opponents, etc.) will find their PCs facing combats that just aren't that challenging. Then, such players must decide if 'winning' this way is the reward they were after.

But as long as players are having fun and not ruining anyone else's good time, I think the discussion of how 'they' make their characters is an antagonistic one.

And it seems to me that you rebuke is heavy handed. All he did was give an opinion, he didn't make any prohibitions or call out specific players as being wrong.

As more coordinators come on board you will see more opinions, and some you will agree with and some you won't. As of yet I have yet to see anyone give me more credit for anything for my Venture-Captain status. Role players in my opinion, are mostly independent thinkers and made of pretty stearn stuff, if these message boards are any indication.

Personally I try not to care about how characters are built as long as thier legal, but I understand why a GM might be un happy when he sees a player grab all the glory and sees other players frustrated when they don't get a chance to shine.

Bob Jonquet wrote:

Depends on your opinion of optimized and if you're evaluation is based largely on DPR output. If you are looking for a well-rounded character who can contribute adequately to both combat and non-combat encounters, IMO, there is no such thing as a "winner" in the class debate. Every class has options that make them desirable.

Well, the last time I saw a (semi-optimized) summoner, I was playing my 2H Fighter in a scenario. The Summoner was the same or better in combat (almost the same DPR, better movement so he could use his DPR, battlefield control, twice as many actions) and was much better out of combat (more skills, Infernal Healing wands). The summoner could "sway people", "solve mysteries", and "overcome obstacles" (literally), I could not. He was better on basically every level.

Does that make my Fighter unfun to play? No. This is an RPG. But burying your head in the sand and saying "all classes are equal" is a joke.

Anyway, my point is that casters aren't inferior (in response to the OPs question).

Bob Jonquet wrote:

Utility often trumps DPS, IHMO.

Oh please. Utility does not trump DPS. If you can't handle the combat, you TPK, you're dead, you fail your mission and make a new character. If you don't have utility, you *might* fail a faction mission. Big deal. In rare scenarios, you *might* fail the main mission.

And like I've already said, the Summoner has more utility than most classes anyway, with that huge Int score.

I've yet to see a party with no utility anyway. But I've seen a party with too much utility, and these are the parties that TPK.

Actually i said that "Utility often trumps DPS."

And you fail to make your point. Utility implies that your well rounded, capable of combat and other functions. You earn xp at the normal rate and fail to gain your prestige you fall behind the power curve.

Jason S wrote:

Tbh, I think almost every class is inferior to an optimized summoner.

Depends on your opinion of optimized and if you're evaluation is based largely on DPR output. If you are looking for a well-rounded character who can contribute adequately to both combat and non-combat encounters, IMO, there is no such thing as a "winner" in the class debate. Every class has options that make them desirable.

+1 one on this, there is more than just combat, in PFS. Often mysteries must be solved, people must be swayed and obstacles overcome.

Utility often trumps DPS, IHMO.

Elondor wrote:

Huh just looked it up, they aren't banned. My GM is just ignorant, and lots of players auto agree with people they like.

May not necessarily be that your GM is ignorant. GM's can forget things or not know things too. GM's aren't perfect and to call them ignorant makes you ignorant. If you think you can do a better job than them, then become a GM and deal with all the crap they deal with. Just saying.

When people are posting, the word ignorant should not always be assumed as a pejorative. IMHO you should give the poster the benefit of the doubt. Ignorant simply means not informed. I for one am ignorant of several things, but I endeavor to learn every day.

I think that your bring to keep the posting here civil, and for that I commend you, I just thought that this should be said.

Check the website for the hotel. I seem to remember seeing child care options being offered by them.

Redmond Town Center Marriott Hotel

Check under services and amenities there is an entry for baby sitting. I would call them for details about it. I have never used the hotel, so I have nothing to go off of.

Phone: 1-425-498-4000

Hope this helps.

Howdy Paizo team.

On this site http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/nPCClasses.html and http://www.d20pfsrd.com/
Why doesn't these sites supply the race about PureBlooded Azlanti Character creation which is in the Campiagn Setting "Inner Sea world Guide Book" on Page 12.

I like to see this infomation be put on these sites. I like to see in the stop of argument. The Argument is when a group runs a game like pathfinder game system. In the creating a character like a PureBlooded Azlanti be able to use in the character Creation choice Monster Races as PC's

Can you impudent this.

Thanks

Firstly, I believe that you want them to implement your request, rather than be impudent.

Secondly, this forum is for Pathfinder Society rather than for the web team.

I flagged the thread to me moved over to an area that can answer your request.

I've asked a rules question here and all that was agreed upon until the thread died and drifted down into the archives is that one would expect table variation based on that GM's opinion.

When that happens, in general, is there a guidline for a PFS GM?
Specifically, in this case, what with all the future Dhampirs PFS is going to be seeing in OP due to the BBB boon.. some are bound to be in a position to be Laid Upon by Paladins (the healy way, not the carnal way). Heck, some Dhampirs may want to BE paladins.

If we can't get a Pathfinder-wide ruling, can we get a PFS OP ruling? Or must we settle for variation from table to table, as a GM opines?

Ok honestly your not going to get an answer for a general question like this. PSOP in general has to depend on it's GMs. Not even the NFL gets all of the referees on the same page every Sunday. They can try, but it's just not going to happen %100.

The best you can do is get your answer in the general RPG message boards and hope that they add it to a FAQ. Once that is in place, then you can point it out to your GM, but PSOP isn't going to be able to make a rule about this, and it's not something we look to do.

Marking the thread for a review. I think that this might merit special consderation.

The Faction Guide wasn't designed for Pathfinder Society, so as it were, it didn't make it obsolete. it merely used some of the same concepts of PFS.

And as long as you don't use anything from sources than the core you won't need to have to buy anymore books.

This to me implies that only the animals are legal, so cant use the elementals or plants from B2.

This. I'm going to flag this for clarification in the FAQ.

That a GM in a home game could use some as rewards, this making them "free" to the character. In actual PFS play this would probably only happen if the vanity were a boon received from completion of a mission.

This.

It's important to remember that the Field Guide to Pathfinder Society is not just a PFS book, it also a Pathfinder Campaign book.

Good job Russ. Hope to join you soon!

Very nice back story, and just in time for Halloween.

Chris Mortika wrote:

Orc, the other green meat.

What was the first one?

Elementary school lunchroom mystery meat.

Ok - just to be clear here. When participating in a Bash event am I to use the box characters only or do can I use my PFS registered level 1 new shiny character?

What is the 'reward' either way, for the completion of the 'Bash' - I saw something about boon? I have no idea what this is - can you spell it out for the players about what should happen when they rock up to play - what characters should be played and what is the final result at the end of the event.

If it is a boon, what is a boon and what does it grant?

A boon is a benefit that have caring effects. Some of the boons given out at Gen Con allow a player to build a new PFS character with a race that isn't normally allowed. Some boons grant circumstance bonuses during certain conditions.

SInce the delves aren't out it is unknown what the boons are for the BB. But they will be helpful and the delves will be fun.

As part of the PFS its assumed that the player will have either the book present for anything outside of the CRB or a printout of the PDF.

Assuming that PDF is properly watermarked, (has my name and everything) is it ok to use an IPhone/IPad or similar tablet to display the rules/feat/spell etc rather than having the print out?

It has been assumed from the time Josh was the campaign coordinator that watermarked PDFs were legal. I see tablets regularly at the games I'm at. Plenty of them were at Gen Con and Paizo Con.

Take a look through the Pathfinder Society Field Guide it will give you a good idea of what you need to get and need to know.

I would say that things could be left at a a location of a players choosing at the beginning of an adventure, say at a lodge or a home gained by a vanity. I'd document it on a note for the Game Master. That way he has something to remind himself that the item is unavailable for the scenario unless of course the location is available during the scenario.

For example, one of the vanities is an inn. When you buy the vanity you have to state where it is. If you put the inn in Absalom and the adventure is in that city, you could retrieve the item provided you aren't barred from returning there of you own free will.

I am looking forward to the brainwashing of all the new Venture-Captains!

Who's job is it to brainwash the Venture-Lieutenants?

It's a group initiation. We strap them into chairs ala clockwork orange and show them a film featuring your high school dances. Not for the faint of heart.

I kid, I kid...;-)

Of the 15ish sessions I've run, I've TPK'ed a single table (the cleric channeling negative energy in Shipyard Rats). Other than that, no deaths, though I drop characters into the negatives fairly often. I roll all combat rolls in the open, and play enemies as smart as stats allow. I also don't go out of my way to kill characters (once they are down, I generally leave them alone -- unless they've already come back once and are fighting someone both ruthless and smart).

GenCon season 0. I was running at the table near you and had the samething happen. If they just chose a different way out, or not hidden below decks.

Good times, good times...

Jiggy wrote:

no need to make a 12-year-old girl cry.

You have never played with me have you?.. I think I make everyone cry...;)

That's not true, I just bit my tongue....

I have learned to love Adobe Acrobat Reader on my MacBook pro when it comes to Paizo PDFs, even though I have antipathy for Flash. Honestly I haven't had any complaints with Reader in Lion.

Aaah...song stuck in head now - but still awesome.

Very happy to be the Venture Lieutenant for Dunedin (Clearwater-area), FL and looking forward to increasing PFS activity in the area.

Te plan for Tampa Bay Domination are only beginning.

Welcome aboard every one just joining us.

Best of Luck to the VCs moving on to new adventures. We see each other somewhere down the road.

Are you making a divine caster or a Paladin?

If not I really doesn't make a difference. Szuriel I believe is referenced in the Inner Sea Guide.

If you are then you would have to follow the rules set forward in the additional resources guide and core assumption.

Never mind, Some one has been kind enough to provide a proper copy to me. Thanks!

Thanks for the advice. I am aware of the issues that they are facing. Seems that the owner has entered a new line of work, financial planning it seems and I wish her the best.

Someone has come through on a copy for me and I have seen the posts on their boards on how to get it to work on Lion. I'm making the switch to do most of my work on a Mac so all I need now is for the fine folks at Herolab to finish off on their Mac version.

GIthzilla,

It is the intention for people to only be able to use Day Job with trained skills. You however bring up a very good point and we will be revisiting this in the FAQ very soon. Thank you for your feedback!

Would prefer CD, but I will purchase software and serial. Only interested in Mac version.

Any chance this popped up with the American Eagle stuff?

Before we can say this is legal for PFS it needs to be determined if this is legal in the standard rules, and I can tell you from reading this, it's not clear so I'm going to mark this to get moved to the standard RPG area.

How long until we see star envy?

I mean that if I want to play once every week or two but miss the biweekly meetings that are established every other Friday then I'm SOL. I'd like more flexibility and wod be happy to put people together.

Thats fine with PFS. Real life happens.

There is nothing mandated about meetings. (there are no meeting in my area)

I'd offer the free reroll for registration too. It's minor and as long as they understand that it's for your game alone, there is no damage. Also let them know that it helps you earn your stars, and once you get to 4 stars you get access to special scenarios. It's the least they could do since your eating the cost of the scenario and running it for them.

KABAL - Knights and Berserkers and Ledgerdemain.

Circa 1985-ish?

You needed a scientific calculator to figure out your character's height and weight.

Hehehe I knew Ernie back in the day. Boy did he think he was God's gift to gaming. I can't tell you how many times I would tell him that yes I read his book and no I wasn't going to give up on Second Edition.

While I love Pazio PDF's. The recent Tomb of Horrors PDF shows a large file can still operate very smoothly on my iPad.

It renders super fast when flipping from page to page.

Is it the color that makes them operate less smoothly. Not sure but I doubt it. It's probably the layers.

The PDF's are still useable but was amazed the the rendering did happen, for the Tomb of Horrors, much faster to the point of not noticing it on the iPad. So maybe something could be done by Pazio for it's PDF's.

I have always been one who didn't care about it and thought people were just winning on these threads but seeing that huge file operate the way it did I am starting to lean the other way.

Good to know. I have been tempted to put it on mine.

I was on it yesterday and was thinking to my self, this is more awesome than I remembered. My compliments to the web team. Cain't wait for newer updates.

Michael Griffin-Wade wrote:

Welcome to the team, well show you how to ignore Dragonmoon shortly. Oops, this isnt the supper secret board....

Who is Dragonmoon?

Maybe I should apply to become a Venture-Captain, then I can learn how to ignore myself!!!

And I need to contact Jon Cary so he can join in our Texas Faimly!

It's what we call you behind your back. :P

Since it is explicitly allowed, what makes Masterwork Transformation a prohibited spell, that NPCs won't cast?

Where do you see it being allowed?

So what your asking Fozzy is to recreate the RPG book. Come on now guys you'r just being condescending now.

Welcome to the team, well show you how to ignore Dragonmoon shortly. Oops, this isnt the supper secret board....

I'm going to have to refer you to the rules forums for this if you don't understand how healing works Chris.

And you are also putting words in my mouth. I said that None of the NPCs cast prohibited spells in scenarios. Cure spells aren"t prohibited.

And I also know that you understand that. I can understand that prople want Masterwork Transformation made legal. I can respect that.

And I know that I'm going to get blaster for this, but come on Chris, you know Pathfinder rules better than this. It's not like Cure spells have had a lot of changes since 3.0.

Sorry that might sound condescending, but there has to be a better way of making a persuasive argument than misinterpreting the main rule set.

Bob Jonquet wrote:

While you might question the reasoning why Masterwork Transformation is illegal, as the rules exist, it is just that. So, the question as to "how" it works in PFS is moot. Feel free to continue to discuss your opinion whether or not that it "should" be banned.

The problem with your statement is that it's based on the false assumption the PC will cast it. The only rule that would prevent Masterwork Transformation from lasting beyond the current session applies only if a PC does it. There is nothing in the guide that says spells cast by an NPC go away. I know I have a player who has every intention of spending the 450(300+150) GP soon, and I see no grounds to deny this spell casting service.

No that's not true, we assume that no one will cast it in the scope of a PFS game. It can't be used by NPC or PC. No scenario has been or will be written with NPCs that will perform spell acting that violates these rules.

"Wounded" is not a condition.

I'm not sure that this is directed at me as I don't think that I have claimed it so. But you are right "wounded" is not a condition.

Michael Griffin-Wade wrote:

Stone to flesh changes a condition permanently, once that happens it doesn't revert back at the end of a scenario.

So, according to the normal PF rules, does Masterwork Transformation.

It has a duration of instantaneous. It changes something into something else, just like Stone to Flesh does.

So, masterwork and non-masterwork are not conditions. Is dead a condition?

Yes Dead is a condition.

The character's hit points are reduced to a negative amount equal to his Constitution score, his Constitution drops to 0, or he is killed outright by a spell or effect. The character's soul leaves his body. Dead characters cannot benefit from normal or magical healing, but they can be restored to life via magic. A dead body decays normally unless magically preserved, but magic that restores a dead character to life also restores the body either to full health or to its condition at the time of death (depending on the spell or device). Either way, resurrected characters need not worry about rigor mortis, decomposition, and other conditions that affect dead bodies.

A complete list of conditions you can find it at http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/glossary.html#conditions

Oh thank God!

I had a completely different incident with a pig at Gen Con and for a minute I thought Chris was going post photos.

Thankfully I'm off the hook again!!!

LOL!