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J. Wilfong's page

Organized Play Member. 46 posts (47 including aliases). No reviews. No lists. No wishlists. 30 Organized Play characters. 1 alias.


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Grand Lodge

My Sovereign Court character is probably my favorite one, my view on the card is this:

Practiced Diplomat: Really not that great, I'll give you that. Having the assurance on Disguise and Diplomacy is alright if you really screw up, but it's a contingency rather than a bonus, and not a very strong one at that.

Advocate: As my character purchases *a lot* of vanities, this is the most useful one of the three for me, it's saved me over 10 prestige thus far.

Spymaster: In the example you gave, where someone is likely to fail anyways, yeah, it's not very good. I prefer to use it to buff the party's Knowledge (nobility) or Diplomacy at social functions; things where having a bonus is useful but not detrimental if we fail.

Grand Lodge

Well done! I'm anticipating earning my 3rd star after this year's GenCon reporting.

Grand Lodge

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Wei Ji the Learner wrote:
Gary Bush wrote:

It NEVER gets too cold in the Sag!!

Ducks to avoid whatever is being thrown at me...

You must not have been there last year.

As someone who 'runs hot', there were a couple of slots where I was debating running back to my room and grabbing a jacket and a blanket.

Of course, there were other slots where the idea of 'naked gaming' briefly crossed one's mind before the rules about 'family friendly' and 'PG-13' stomped on them vigorously.

I wore a jacket half of my slots last year. It was my first year and as I understand it, the Sagamore is usually unbearably hot so they tried to cool it down in response to previous years' complaints. It will be interesting to see if they can find a nice balance this year!

Grand Lodge

Perform (80's Billy Joel)

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Profession (cartographer)

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Mikko Kallio wrote:

I'd wager that barrister, cook, librarian, sailor, and soldier are some of the most common ones.

** spoiler omitted **

I think that's a good approach to writing scenarios. When players see day-job skills come up in Society it reinforces the idea that taking those skills are viable options, and I also feel that having day-jobs helps promote character backstory and personality. I can't say I'm familiar with your writings (I've never looked too closely at authors, unfortunately); I guess I'll have to be on the lookout in the future!

Grand Lodge

I've said it in other threads and I'll say it again here: Tears at Bitter Manor.

Undead, haunted woods, a creepy backwoods hamlet, and the titular manor - what more could you want!

I look forward to running it Halloween weekend.

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Michael Eshleman wrote:
William Ronald wrote:
If it helps, the player has a Sovreign Court character and has had a string of bad luck in recruiting people.
Is his take 10 not good enough to meet the DC?

Sovereign Court faction card tasks often scale with level, so unless he's a CHA or INT caster with full ranks or has Skill Focus, it's actually quite likely it doesn't.

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Orfamay Quest wrote:
J. Wilfong wrote:
What I'm getting at is that being able to manage others is a part of higher levels of a craft.
That's an opinion, certainly. It's not actually supported anywhere in the rules text, though.

To provide another example from Ultimate Campaign:

Doctor

Wage 5gp/day
Skills Heal, Perception, Sense Motive, Survival
A Doctor is trained to treat all manner of maladies and injuries. He's typically a 3rd-level adept, cleric, druid, or oracle. An expert can make a suitable Doctor, but can heal and treat wounds and diseases with only mundane methods or the use of magic items. A Doctor is typically in charge of a Hospital or organization that provides medical care.

A doctor is stated to often be in charge of others, but the text does not suggest that he needs a profession skill in order to do so effectively. So while no, it's not directly stated in the rules, I think it can be easily inferred.

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What I'm getting at is that being able to manage others is a part of higher levels of a craft.

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Talonhawke wrote:
Which also requires profession in addition to Craft showing that there is more than just knowing how to build the X going on.

Once again, I disagree. I would think a character with 10 ranks in craft (alchemy) would be able to direct and advise a team of less skilled alchemists without needing a rank in a profession. To also put it in real-life context, we have professors and vocation teachers who have minimal, if any, training to as an educator or manager. They get by with their specialized knowledge/skills and can still be effective teachers.

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Talonhawke wrote:
J. Wilfong wrote:
Bruce Leeroy Jethro Gibbs wrote:
Profession Shipwright?
Technically shipwright isn't a profession in Pathfinder, instead it is Craft (ships).
While that might be appropriate for the guy doing small boats on his own as a profession it covers all the day laborers involved and the broader range of things they need to be able to do.

I disagree. What you're describing is a manager, who would still have the same craft skill, just more of it by virtue of ranks or Skill Focus. The manager rules in Ultimate Campaign support this line of thinking.

Master Smith

Wage 4gp/day
Skills Appraise, Craft (any one), Perception, Profession (any one)
A Master Smith oversees a productive business. He's typically a 3rd-level bard, expert, rouge, or member of another skilled class. A Master Smith runs the day-to-day operations of a production facility devoted to a particular trade, trains apprentices, and works on the more challenging and masterful creations being produced.

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Bruce Leeroy Jethro Gibbs wrote:
Profession Shipwright?

Technically shipwright isn't a profession in Pathfinder, instead it is Craft (ships).

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I don't know that a "named" magic item like that could be altered. You're better off buying a thneed anyways.

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Czech215 wrote:

Yep. Sounds like Olrox haha

What source materials do I need to own for these?

Lunar mystery is in Pathfinder Player Companion: Blood of the Moon. Eldritch Heritage is found in Ultimate Magic, though I'm not sure which sorcerer bloodline Bearserk is suggesting you get.

Grand Lodge

The undead sorcerer bloodline from the core rule book works well, and the sanguine alternate bloodline from Ultimate Magic fits the theme even more closely.

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I'm in talks right now with my local game store to run Tears at Bitter Manor on Halloween weekend. Undead, haunts, a creepy backwoods hamlet, the titular manor and even-

Spoiler:
a daemon or several
-what more could you ask for?!

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Wei Ji the Learner wrote:


I figured as such, too, was just trying to have fun with it...

Damned internet forums and their inability to convey non-verbal cues!

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John Compton wrote:

...1 higher than whatever your friends rolled...

Hhhhhmmm... that sounds suspiciously like some home games I've been in.

John Compton wrote:

To be clear, the envy aura is entirely a reference to how cool these look in person, not to any in-game effect.

I figured that was a joke; so was my question.

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John Compton wrote:
Following further discussion, we've determined that the sihedron medallion does not grant a re-roll; it instead projects a 20-foot-radius aura of envy that affects all who see your gaming bling.

Save DC?

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Bruce Leeroy Jenkins wrote:
Tamec wrote:
J. Wilfong wrote:
Kahel Stormbender wrote:
That said, I do occasionally do punnish names such as Flo Ry'Vir, a hydrokineticist. Or a pyrokineticist named Flyre Blazefist. Or a Ghost Rider cavalier I made using occult adventures named... You guessed it... John Lee Glaze.
Is that anything like a monk named Bruce Leeroy?
I'm fine as long as it isn't Bruce Leeroy Jenkins...
And I have a new alias.

Your eyes - they've got the glow!

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Kahel Stormbender wrote:
That said, I do occasionally do punnish names such as Flo Ry'Vir, a hydrokineticist. Or a pyrokineticist named Flyre Blazefist. Or a Ghost Rider cavalier I made using occult adventures named... You guessed it... John Lee Glaze.

Is that anything like a monk named Bruce Leeroy?

Grand Lodge

No problem. If you have any issues with that process, or have any other Society-related questions, always feel free to ask on here!

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Hi beemer, glad to see you have an interest in organized play! I don't know if this is the best way to go about it, but one way to find out about games in your area would be to contact a Venture-Officer in your region or state. To do so, click on the Pathfinder Society tab in the high left corner of this website. Once you're taken to the next page, you should see a number of blue tabs beneath the Society logo; one of those will be Coordinators. Click on that and scroll through until you see your state listed. After you've found it, move your mouse over an officer's name and it should list their e-mail address. With any luck they'll be able to direct you to places where Society games are regularly held.

Hope this helps you, and happy gaming!

Grand Lodge

I've seen Merchant come up a couple of times, mostly relating to scenarios with Exchange shenanigans going on. I've also seen options for Soldier, Librarian, Stable-master and on at least one occasion, Barrister.

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waynemarkstubbs wrote:

...Maybe I'm just getting old - I expect a certain level of comfort while playing. I'm not willing to put up with uncomfortable chairs, wobbly tables, a single grotty toilet, and a food selection that runs to pizza and Haribo...

You know, for some of us that describes our homes rather than our game stores, and we go there for the amount of space and accommodations?

Hell, some of us might not even have chairs!

Grand Lodge

BigNorseWolf wrote:
Muser wrote:
Everyone should try Trail of Cthulhu.
But no one should try trail mix of Cthulhu.

But what about the surprise totem in every box?!

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My portable black hole and bag of holding of course!

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Jack Brown wrote:
My number one preference for new players is The Confirmation 508 hands down. The whole goal of this is to teach folks to be good Pathifinders

I agree for several reasons; it's got classic dungeon-crawl elements to it and ends with a fight against a classic monster, gives context to Absalom and the Isle of Kortos, and introduces the players to a recurring NPC whom they can interact with more in Wounded Wisp.

Additionally, players get the most out of the chronicle's boon if it is their absolute first adventure while playing Society.

Grand Lodge

Generally speaking, K. Local does come up more often, usually in the form of initial information gathering, which in itself can usually be substituted for a Diplomacy check. However, scenarios which do tie into the Sovereign Court do tend to have K. Nobility checks. I think it comes down to a matter of what kind of tables you go to with this character. If you plan to play him every chance you get, you might consider K. Local. On the other hand, if you tend to hold off playing him for faction tie-in missions, I'd consider K. Nobility. I personally do the latter with my Sovereign Court rogue (though he also has both skills).

Grand Lodge

I'm missing a session as well. I ran Twisted Circle Thursday morning instead of Sun Orchid Scheme because I didn't have players for Scheme.

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John Compton wrote:
Alexander Augunas wrote:

C'mon, guys, you gotta save all those Guide to Organized Play tears for GameDay on Thursday.

How else are us Tier 1 GMs going to stay hydrated? ;-)

That would be the pallets of water that Paizo shipped in for Gen Con to distribute to the GMs, I assume.

A decanter of endless water would be much more space efficient.

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Fromper wrote:
As a first time GenCon attendee, I'd say don't sign up for too much, so you have time to take in the entire convention. But that ship has apparently already sailed.

What can I say; I like a challenge! Having said that I did give consideration to buying some generic tickets to play at a table during my off hours, but then I reminded myself that I'm going to have an 18-hour day on Friday, and then 11 1/2 hours the next day as is. :P

Fromper wrote:
For a GM doing lots of sessions, sore throat losanges. Seriously. Along with lots and lots of water.

Neat tip, thanks!

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SLOT 1, Thursday AM: GM 7-21 The Sun Orchid Scheme
SLOT 2, Thursday MID: GM 7-12 The Twisted Circle
SLOT 3, Thursday PM: OFF

SLOT 4, Friday AM: GM 7-21 The Sun Orchid Scheme
SLOT 5, Friday MID: GM 7-12 The Twisted Circle
SLOT 6, Friday PM: GM Special 8-00 The Cosmic Captive (Tier 1-2)

SLOT 7, Saturday AM: GM 7-21 The Sun Orchid Scheme
SLOT 8, Saturday MID: GM 7-12 The Twisted Circle
SLOT 9, Saturday PM: OFF

SLOT 10, Sunday AM: GM 7-21 The Sun Orchid Scheme

As a first-time, tier 1 GM and first-time GenCon attendee, I was wondering if there were any veterans willing to share some advanced tips, beyond being sure to eat, sleep, drink, shower, and travel light to your tables?

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morbon wrote:
I still haven't gotten 7-99 or 8-00 in my downloads, and just checked 5 minutes ago.

Same here.

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This shirt color-based hierarchy is starting to make me think of the cult of Razmir...

...

Did I join a cult without anyone telling me again?

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Jessex wrote:

You more than likely won't want to by dead tree versions of any Paizo books. PFS characters tend to draw on lots of different sources and bringing 6 or 8 books to a game is an awful lot to haul around.

It's a lot easier to get one electronic device that can store and display PDF's and buy all the books in that format and carry them all that way.

Carrying dead trees builds character (and muscles).

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You have to have the Weirding Way.

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From a meta standpoint, I'd imagine you'd have much more opportunity to use Perform (oratory) in scenarios than you would Profession. I think Perform being a CHA based skill would also help reflect the persuasive nature of the character.

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Rigby Bendele wrote:
Yeah, no kidding. First-time ever PFS player, playing the first level of ESSD and the first hit on him was a crit from a x3 weapon... I'm pretty sure no one would fault a fudge there.

I've had this problem twice now; crit-ing a level 1 character hard enough to take them from full hitpoints to dead on their first scenario. I fudged both times; better to leave new players in the negatives and with a good story to tell than to kill them on their first outing and potentially lose that player from returning to Society. Veterans are another story though...

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Still no love for ratmen?

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BigNorseWolf wrote:
Icabello wrote:

Ratman faction?

Ratman faction.

Da da da da da da da da da da da da da!

For realz though, ratman boons need to be a thing. Like at GenCon or something.

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Ratman faction?

Ratman faction.

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Icyshadow wrote:

Alignment restrictions on Monk and Barbarian.

Yes, I went there. Oh, Always Evil Assassin I also don't agree with.

Oh if there weren't alignment restrictions I would be monkbarian-ing it up sooo much right now...

Also, I also like the assassin prestige class and do not like that I can't play one in society and even some home games.

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DeathQuaker wrote:
Tequila Sunrise wrote:


Anyway, when I say 'feat tax' and 'necessity,' I'm not talking about stuff like Weapon Spec or Cleave. I'm talking about stats and capabilities that the game expects PCs to have, but charges them a feat slot to get. For example, 3.x at a certain point expects PCs to be able to swap accuracy for damage. (Not everyone will agree, but due to ABs vastly outstripping ACs and geometric hit points, I think it's pretty clear.) But rather than having a standardized combat option in the combat chapter, PCs get charged a feat to be able to power attack or multishot or whatever. Hence, eventually having one of those feats is a necessity.

What besides Power Attack do you think is a "necessity"? (I personally disagree on Power Attack being necessary--it is a great feat for many characters to take, but I don't feel like every character ever should always take it.)

I have heard the argument in discussions of both 3.x and Pathfinder that Power Attack should indeed be a flat out combat ability anyone can do (like an attack of opportunity or fighting defensively). Or at least that there should be some version of it as a free option, with Power Attack being designed and included as an improvement (in the same way that Combat Expertise is an improvement upon fighting defensively). Generally speaking YMMV on what else might be considered worth de-feating and making a standard option -- the only other thing I can think of off the top of my head is Weapon Finesse. That ain't too bad.

Maybe Combat Casting for spellcasters, but that is less of a necessity in PF than it felt like it was in 3.x, in my personal experience anyway.

As to the OP
I do think that yes, sometimes there are too many feats and not enough opportunities to take them. I can understand not wanting to risk getting things to be too power creepy/broken, but I think the frustrating part is generally if you ever want a complex, but interesting fighting style (be it TWF or a combat maneuver build) you have to...

I know that feel, DeathQuaker. I've been wanting to play some pretty skill-heavy rogue builds lately, but find that in order for them to still be effective in combat I have to take Improved Feint which requires Combat Expertise (an ability of which I rarely, if ever, take advantage) in addition to Weapon Finesse. All this means that I can't take any of the feats I really want for flavoring the character until level 7, and most of my GM's home campaigns don't usually last long enough to get there.

I like your idea on the even-level bonus feats. Specifically, I think that if added they should be restricted to non-combat feats to allow for more characterization.

Grand Lodge

But doesn't epic make other DR on top of epic like weapon material and alignment redundant if a +5 weapon can already bypass those?