Killian Paltreth

Klamachpin's page

Goblin Squad Member. 61 posts (65 including aliases). No reviews. No lists. No wishlists. 1 alias.


RSS

1 to 50 of 61 << first < prev | 1 | 2 | next > last >>

1 person marked this as a favorite.

I too am having a hard time navigating the book as it is currently written for character creation. I imagine this is less of an issue for players that have time to delve into the book and learn all the intricacies, but I'm very casual, and want to be able to create a playable character within one session (about 3 hours). So far, I have not been able to do that.

The placement of specific rules in sidebars or within general information paragraphs is the most vexing piece, followed closely by not having brief 3-7 word descriptions of what various feats do within reference tables. Simply putting feats in skill categories is not enough, since each skill has multiple applications.

Gear and magic item selection are also issues, since by the time I get to the gear section I just want to be done with character creation and get to playing. A magic item table by level and rarity (with brief 3-7 word descriptions) would help greatly. Mundane gear with the bulk rules becomes a hassle of too many calculations and no general starting point shown.

After reluctantly delving into the mundane gear I've come up with a potential starting point which I'll be using for characters going forward in the form of an "Adventurers' Essentials Kit", which is just a common collection of mundane items that neatly calculate as described below:

Adventurer's Essentials Kit - 35 sp, 1 Bulk; contains a Backpack, Bedroll, 2 Belt Pouches, 10 pieces Chalk, 3 sets of Clothing (Ordinary), Flint & Steel, Lantern (Hooded), 3 pints Oil, Mug, 3 days Rations, 50' Silk Rope, 5 Sacks, 1 Sheath, 1 Tent (Pup), 10 Torches, and a Waterskin.

As a starting point I'd like to see something like this in explicitly pointed out in the rulebook, along with effective reference tables, so new players or casual players like myself can get past the minutia easily and start playing the game quicker!


2 people marked this as a favorite.

One thing my PCs were expecting that wasn't in the module was a Coronation Ceremony (and the corresponding riots). I added that to meet their grim expectation in another excuse to have riots in the streets.

I also had one of the dock families throw a festival in honor of the Queen, in a thinly veiled attempt to gain favor toward that particular family's agenda. It allowed for some carnival-like games using ability checks for the PCs to try out, and ended with the dock-side druids causing a bit of trouble in a "petting zoo".

During one of the riots, the PCs holed up at the Sanctuary of Shelyn, along with a number of innocents whom didn't want to be swept up by the mob. Inside, the PCs were challenged in trying to calm/entertain a bunch of (as the dice had it) very critical children, as well as barricading the entrance and trying to organize the persons inside. All while the few caretakers of the Sanctuary were doing their best to keep the place clean and beautiful.

The non-combat encounters are particularly valuable in this first act, as they help the PCs connect with and care about the city and its citizens. I found that aspect extremely helpful later on in the game.


Please cancel my Pathfinder AP subscription. It's been a good run, but ultimately food wins over gaming. I'll likely be back once I get that whole eating thing back under wraps.


Keep in mind that while a rope trick may be opened while inside a ship, the extradimensional space does not move with the ship. So unless the PCs cast the spell as the ship is crashing on shore, (unlikely since the ship is destroyed before that) the window on the rope trick will open up over (or perhaps in) open ocean water.


Seeing the new back-to-back offer on older magazines at the store blog has reminded me to pick up some excellent adventures. In your opinion, what would be your top 10 adventures (and the Dungeon mag #), in terms of uniqueness, playability, or just plain smackdown?


I am a fan of lower level adventures not only because they are easier to run, but also because it is easier to scale up an adventure rather than scale one down. Advancing monsters is easier than trying to scale back the CRs, and allows for extra customization towards your group.

The thing to watch out for, of course, is not the monsters, but the plot and environmental obstacles that can be easily overcome with the right high-level ability or spell. As has been said before, a high wall or a deep pit is not an appropriate obstacle for 13th level characters, while it might be for 5th level. Mysteries require different strategies to be effective at high level play, and too often (at least in my experience) "kill first ask questions later" is the rule of the day unless an opponent is godly more powerful than the PCs... in which case the PCs find a way to leave the plotline altogether. But then, that last part may just be the groups with which I've played.

If we're going to see lower level APs, I would appreciate perhaps a sidebar pointing out the higher-level considerations beyond just advancing monsters. If flight would ruin a monster tactic horribly, or if a divination would reveal too much info too early... that sort of thing. Previous adventures have been off-and-on at revealing these flaws in the text or flavor, but having a seperate bullet-point-like entry would speed up planning for an adventure.


Maybe I'm a bit entrenched in 3.5, but since PRPG is supposed to be backwards-compatible, I'd be against yet another class. Last time I counted (and I don't have access to all the books/official resources) there were somewhere in the realm of 60 - 70 base classes in 3.5 from WotC alone.

I remember looking at the core books and multi-classing options when 3.0 first came out and thinking 'Wow. I could make any archetype I want with this system.' Isn't the current proliferation enough?

Just my 2 coppers.


It occurs to me that when many players think of cities as large as Korvosa, they think of virtually unlimited resources up to the city's gp limit. Thus, even with the notations in "7 Days..." the idea that a disease could overrun the capabilities of the community could be initially unfathomable.

Eventually it will become evident, true, that the city's resources are being stretched to its limits. But the sight of the Church of Abadar's way of dealing with the problem could very well turn PCs away from any dealings with them (since the church insists upon payment for its services during a crisis) and towards other institutions of faith.

I imagine other churches would have similar problems with dealing with the throngs of the sick, but how might they deal differently than the Church of Abadar?


A pair of insights that haven't seemed to be emphasized yet:

1) Page 16/17: "If the subject of an arcane bond is lost or destroyed, it can be replaced after 1 week's time with a special ritual that costs 200 gp per wizard level...."

Since this says arcane bond and not bonded object, we assume this means that a familiar can be replaced after one week rather than WotC's "a year and a day". This is an improvement we're in favor of, as a year and a day in our games basically equals forever.

Also, there's no mention in the Alpha Release of a XP loss due to a familiar dying or being dismissed. We assume this means that the special costly ritual replaces that potential loss. Also a change from 3.5 we're in favor of. It makes having a familiar less of a liability and more of an option - the gold cost to replace still hurts, but the potential XP loss associated with the 3.5 version often is too much to bear in our games.

2) Page 16: "A bonded object can be used once per day to cast any one spell that the wizard knows, just as if the wizard had cast it."

This sentence has caused a bit of gnashing of teeth, for a few reasons. The first is the multi-classing bit that has already been mentioned; the second is a little more troubling. If a wizard gains a spell of higher level than he can cast (say, through copying a scroll into their spellbook) does the bonded object allow the casting of the spell through it? As stated, the answer seems to be yes. However, as has been demonstrated in our games, a 3rd level wizard being able to cast Summon Monster IV once per day is a bit unbalancing, even for Pathfinder.


Rothandalantearic wrote:
Made the mistake of carrying over 3.0 stuff after the rules switched to 3.5.

Ow. I remember attempting to carry a game through that switch. Didn't go as poorly as your story, but it certainly didn't go well. I feel your pain, there.


Throughout my time in playing D&D 3.5, there have been a number of foibles that rear their ugly heads again and again. House rules tend to try to fix these types of issues, but a player/DM can only house-rule against insistent power-gamers for so long until it becomes time to find other people to game with. And it seems I'm not alone in this matter:

Jason Bulmahn wrote:
The 3.5 rules set is excellent, but it has its flaws. Over the past few years, a number of common problems have seemed to crop up again and again, problems that delay the game or cause no end of arguments....

Perhaps a list of game-breaking or game-grinding issues would aid Paizo in creating a Pathfinder RPG that people would be generally happy with. Even if it wouldn't, I'd be a bit interested to hear what has broken your games to a point of extinction.

Some of the issues I've ran up against are the following, as both player and DM:

Polymorph - So much errata, and with so much material to draw from it becomes a game of "What's the perfect solution to this encounter" or "I know the rules better than you". The spell hasn't in so much broken a game as it has grinded a number of games to a halt.

Custom Wonderous Items - This often starts innocently enough, with a player wanting another ability that isn't covered by their options already. Unfortunately, the Estimating Gold Piece Values table is utilized/argued as formula rather than educated guess-work, and an unforeseen consequence slips by the DM; that item or precedence of the item might ruin a plot-line or skews the power level so much that the game becomes virtually unplayable.

Telejack - The Scry/Teleport combo abused. Scry on a target constantly until he fails, then (likely when they are sleeping) teleport to their location and kill them / take their stuff. Good characters might rely on this only to take out the BBEG, while Evil characters (or characters that have recently undergone an alignment shift) have little reason not to do this as often as possible. There are defenses against this technique, but to have every target constantly have those defenses going all the time stretches the veil of disbelief beyond its natural limits.

Splat Prestige - Custom, wacky character builds are fine and are part of the game. Every PC in the party having a minimum of 6 classes (many prestige classes) by level 20, though, can result in such anti-climatic encounters as no less than 21000 points of damage to Kyuss in the first round.

I'm not saying that a simple Rule 0 won't eradicate these issues, I'm just saying that they've ended games in my past. What has ended your games in the past?


The Harrow Deck does look like a nifty-keen prop. I'll probably get it when I'm somewhat closer toward actually running a game, though. As far as stacking the deck goes, I think it really depends on your style. The card definitions are vague enough such that if you know your storyline and bits of PC backgrounds you can easily make up something meaningful on the spot. My only concern there would be the game time it would take if one hadn't memorized the definitions... which is where stacking the deck might just come in handy. I'd prefer to have the slickness that would come with a rolled-up sleeves, no screen or hidden tricks approach, but the time factor, both inside and outside actual game time, is certainly something that needs to be considered.


It seems to me that pseudodragons, due to their previously mentioned advantages over imps (speed, telepathy, blindsense) would be able to detect/annoy/avoid the imps as need be, even if they cannot damage them. However, being good creatures, they would naturally want to confront the imp population.

What if the pseudodragons had an ongoing deal with an organization in Korvosa? The humanoids stay hidden and snipe targeted areas at the command of the pseudodragons during battle (via their blindsense and telepathy), such that the tiny dragons (being the attention whores they are) get all of the public credit. In return, the pseudodragons might give exclusive consideration for companionship to those in the organization. Or some other similar arrangement?

If such an arrangement had been around for a while, the imps may begin to associate the very appearance of a clutch of pseudodragons with pain coming from unforeseen directions. The imps would likely rather flee than face such an ambush.


John Bellando wrote:
Am I missing something? I see mechanics for spending Harrow Points, but where is it detailed what they are and how to get them?

Look at the Harrow Chapter (pg 58?). You get one point for every time the suit of the adventure shows up in your assigned reading at the beginning of the adventure.


Well, if they don't like Lavinia during SWW, there is another noble on board the Sea Wyvern.... I'm taking a serious look now at proposing that option to my players, as their opinion of Lavinia has dampened over the course of SWW. A contract to protect him till Farshore, then a rivalry between his personal guard vs. Lavinia's Jade Ravens, perhaps to put down the Vanderboren name or maybe even to impress her into a coalition vs. uncle? There's a number of interesting scenerios that come to mind if the PCs accepted that twisted option.


Character: Unnamed NPCs... a lot of them
Adventure: The Sea Wyvern's Wake
Location: The Atikula River
Catalyst: Hungry Hungry Hydra & spineless PCs

*sigh*

Thinking this was a good opportunity to stretch legs and relax a bit, a number of the passengers & PCs decided to treat the utopia of the Atikula as they did the Havekihu before it. As the party was refilling the stores, a gushing spray of water upturned Conrad Horst's boat depositing him and his companions into the water. In the place of watercraft was quickly determined to be a hydra, which made quick snacks of Conrad's companions. Conrad tried to swim away, but alas he was too slow.

The party, seeing this beast for what it was, threw a couple spells at it, saw it heal all too quickly, and decided the best course of action was to run away, leaving the other passengers to their own fate. Utilizing their abilities to increase their own speed, they cared not for anyone unfortunate enough to be in the water behind them. All in all, 8 NPCs died due to their heroism (or lack thereof).


Well, it is kinda drawing out sections of your dungeons ahead of time, but my method is to use transparency sheets and appropriate markers. It does take a bit of prep time to accomplish, but the sheets can be carried in a folder and laid out as the PCs progress. You do get the problem of the walls of entire rooms being revealed previous to light being there, but it is a minor inconvienience.

As far as Farshore and other large locations, consider scaling each square to 10'x10'(instead of 5'x5') for tactical movement. Any combats beyond what is usually translated to a "it's over there a ways" and/or "it's within 'long' range for your spells".


Update:

Well, I had discussions with both the gaming group and my buddy about incorporating a new player into the game. I found out that we've all been wanting to see her give the game a shot, and everyone involved was quite hospitible to the process.

Rather than disrupt the storyline, I decided to incorporate her into the current game immediately. We are playing STAP, and the party had left off the last session making their way through Wormfall festival.

Spoiler:
I had her sorceress (her choice, not mine) being accompanied by the Jade Ravens, at the moment of the assult by the bullywugs. Her first experience was watching the Jade Ravens kick ass and still be overwhelmed by frogmen, and her being sent out to get help from the city guard.

The scene at the local garrison made for a good bit of role-playing and some introductory skill checks, and she managed to get a few guardsmen (read: fodder) to accompany her to the manor. They took on the bulk of an encounter at the front door, and the party "miraculously" arrive just as the last guardman began to falter.

Her character was quickly added to the party as an ally and the party rolled their way through the next series of encounters. She seemed to enjoy the combat more than anything else, which is good for both the current gaming group and the current game.

While she did enjoy herself during the sessions she played, she decided that while fun, D&D wasn't something she would go out of her way to attend as regularily as we do. At least, that is the impression I've gotten from her. Regardless, the idea was tried and no hard feeling came of it, so I consider it a win.

Thank you all for the advice and comments!


Character: Tharrack Anvilrage, Dwarf Cleric 6
Adventure: Sea Wyvern's Wake
Location: Aboard the Purity's Prow
Catalyst: Rowyn's Final Assult

While the party was preparing to battle the oncoming pirate ship in the Brotherhood Blockade, the stowaway Rowyn decided to make her final stand. The hostile ship approached, and Tharrack summoned a hippogriff to take him to the opposition as the archer plinked away at sailors from the Sea Wyvern's crow's nest. Naturally, the crew of the Purity's Prow focused their attacks on Tharrack, largely being unsuccessful. The pirate ship still approached, but without guidance to veer away from the Sea Wyvern. When victory seemed to be in the PC's hands, Rowyn made her move. Using the scroll she had procured for just such a situation, she happily summoned three dire bats surrounding Tharrack. The bats made quick work of Tharrack, and continued to feast upon him at Rowyn's command. It was her last joy, however, as the rest of the party found her and effectively fed her to a large summoned scorpion.


C.

My gaming groups have heavily invested in 3.5, and are hesistant to look at 4.0. What concerns us most is the rapid release schedule of WotC's reputation, and the playtesting (or lack thereof) that goes with it. With all these apparent new systems in the mix, a 4.5 seems inevitable.

That being said, we're suckers for new combos to break and abuse in a seemingly "balanced" game. Some might say we're powergamers at heart, but the accepted method of play, particularly when trying out a new system, speaks more toward playtesters. We'll rifle through character combos to find the exceptions to the rules and exploit them as much as possible. That's part of the draw of a new D&D, and I suspect that's a draw that WotC is counting on. If we were to convert, it wouldn't be until 2009, after all the first core books are out and someone has gotten the chance to comb through the ruleset in preparation for running a game. Of course, with the rapid release schedule of late, there's still so much in 3.5 to discover that I don't know if converting will be worth the trouble/money.


The players in my game agreed to two big rules changes:

1) Spell Fatigue - Spells & Spell-Like Abilities deal non-lethal damage to the caster as the spell is cast/ability activated. This was an idea to pull back the power of spellcasters vs. fighter and rogue types without drastically altering too many rules. The result has been not as intended, as the spellcasters have been going after reserve feats (supernatural abilities) and Fey heritage feats (DR to counter the damage). However, it has forced different builds than what we're used to seeing, on both sides of the cardboard screen. That refreshing bit has made the rule worth it this time around.

2) Affiliation requirement for PrCs. Each prestige class entered has an additional requirement - 10 affiliation points in a related affiliation that have not already been counted toward the requirement of another prestige class. With the six neato-keen affiliations presented in STAP and a recent dirge of cherry picking prestige classes, this seemed an excellent way to bring in more flavor and strengthen the suspension of disbelief. 10 affiliation points is relatively easy to get by around 6th level in STAP, as long as you're participating in the storyline. It's also given me several hooks I can rely upon - which is nice considering the chaotic nature of the players.

We're right around 6th level now, and I'm starting to hear the complaints from the power gamers that they can't retire their characters to bring in a prestige classed character of their choice, due to the fact that they must rely on story-related affiliation awards to get that first 10 points. Good. Characters bouncing in and out of the game is bad for suspension of disbelief, and hard on me as the DM. Everyone else has taken quite well to the idea - it really has enhanced the game.


Character: Tarmak Turren, Dwarf Samurai 5
Adventure: Sea Wyvern's Wake
Location: Aboard the Sea Wyvern
Catalyst: The Flotsam Ooze

Poor Tarmak. His eagerness and curiousity got the better of him, again. When one of the sailors got splattered against the floorboards by a bunch of ocean junk, he rushed to the side of the boat to sight the source of his employee's death. It only occured to him that it was a slimy creature once he was entangled up in it, and he only had six seconds beyond the realization to comtemplate his fate.


Mastermind - Bards. Their various abilities allow them to be sneaky evil bastards AND be loved by the masses. Bringing an evil bard to justice is often far more entertaining/difficult than your standard evil wizard or dragon, due to the role-playing involved.
Cannon Fodder - At early levels, Goblins or Trogs. At later levels, Owlbears (See below).
Scapegoat - Familiars, Animal Companions, Cohorts... rather than killing these optional class abilities, I like to make my players seriously consider dismissing them on their own.
Mover & Shaker - Lizardfolk and Stone Giants. Primarily because their motives cannot necessarily be determined by a default alignment.
Player Punishment - Terrain. Seriously. Until my players learn to use the terrain of an encounter to their advantage, this is the most effective punishment without draining XP or metagaming against them.
Beat-Down Machine - At high levels, Clay Golems. At low levels, Owlbears. The mutant beasts have a surprisingly high kill / near TPK rate against my players. That's why they're treated as a horrible threat, and are quite satisfying for the players to kill as cannon fodder in later levels.


Assuming that you can justify why Boccob would gift a PC with an item, I'd suggest something like a pumped up Scrying Beacon (Heroes of Battle). I can certainly see Boccob as being one for Dungeon Television, or "DTV".

EDIT: Oh, 18th level? Screw the Beacon, then, go with a Crystal Ball!


I've given up as far as putting doors in my dungeons, because my group doesn't tend to like the idea of the Open Lock skill. Just bash and go. There is no respect for the architects of ruins, dungeons, or even homes... unless the owner is present and willingly cooperative, in which case doors are opened for the party anyway.

If I'm going to put something that can be locked in my game, you can be sure there's a penalty just waiting for the PCs to start bashing. For a chest, potions inside may audibly break. For doors, monsters may hear the pounding on the other side and prep an ambush. If I'm really feeling hostile, the trigger for a trap may just be bashing a otherwise useless door down. Basically, if I am using a lock in game it means that there's an encounter coming up that would be far easier if the lock was picked - otherwise its just a few rolls of the dice for no reason other than to suck time away from the fun parts of the game. No one wants that.

On the Search via take 20 strategy, I generally don't have a problem with it. I do make a point to tell the group approximately how long it takes, and occasionally have unintended consequences pop up - the tide might roll into the entrance, preventing escape by conventional means, or a PC may have a scheduled event that he misses due to losing track of time. One thing I like to point out is that the majority of buff spells don't last all that long, so the players have a choice: either search now and risk running out of spells when the BBEG finds them, or clear the dungeon using as few of their magical effects as possible and risk something or some rival taking their earned treasure from under their nose.


NineSouls wrote:

I am new to the Savage Tide. A player on of mine wants to belong to the Scarlet Brotherhood Affiliation from Dragon 348. And he is playing a Half-Elf Warlock. I am not sure if I should allow this, basically because I don’t know how mush the Scarlet Brotherhood plays a part in the Savage Tide. What do you think?

Yeah, the racial thing would be a problem flavor-wise for the Brotherhood, for the reasons stated above. As far as the game itself goes, there isn't a whole lot of interaction with the Brotherhood written into the adventurers themselves.

Spoiler:
There is a slight mention of them in connection to Vark in There Is No Honor, and in Sea Wyvern's Wake there is the Brotherhood Brigade, but that's about it.

Of course, the Scarlet Brotherhood does have a number of uses if you want to increase their presence by adding content of your own.


PC: Tarmak Turren, Human Samurai 4
Adventure: The Bullywug Gambit
Location: Lavinia's Bedroom
Catalyst: Opening strikes of one pissed Half-Orc

It had been a long day. After rushing to Vanderboren Manor through obstacles both passive and hostile, the party found themselves rushing up the stairs in a frantic effort to find Lavinia. Wounded but determined, Tarmak lead the charge but was seperated when a group of scorpions blocked the path for the rest of the party. Undaunted, he located the source of the monsters (a oddly-dressed bullywug) and moved to dismember it.

As his companions stated their slight delay below, the bullywug retreated behind a nearby door. Not wanting to allow the creature a chance to buff or heal itself, he continued onward through the door. The sight of Lavinia, two Jade Ravens, and Kora tied up by a by pirate half-orc enraged the samurai, and he reacted by setting a position where one of the two villians would soon taste his blades.

The half-orc bellowed "More adventurers! I'll just cut you down like I did the others!" and stepped up to confront Tarmak. Two brutal strikes later, the half-orc followed through on his promise, and was setting his sights on the new-comers just arriving.


World War Z - Max Brooks: A friend recommended this to me about a week ago and I've been blasting through it (I'm a bit of a slower reader). Very enjoyable, gains momentum easily. Might try making a Mutants & Masterminds or Psion game out of the concept.

Under the Banner of Heaven - Jon Krakauer: I've always liked Krakauer's investigative journalism style, and this book exploring both the Mormon faith and how twisted any belief system can become does not disappoint.

Gormenghast - Mervyn Peake: I've been trudging through Peake's first of this series, Titus Groan, for a bit of a year. It's trudging in a very enjoyable way, though. Each page and paragraph is filled with so much imagination and detail that it's difficult to not let the mind wander through the lush setting just to comprehend it all. This makes reading slower than usual. Peake's style is best described as painting with words, where you experience the story instead of just listening to it.


DMFTodd wrote:


But that's only for WILLING targets. The Abduction ability allows it to be used on unwilling. Any unwilling target, it would have to make a touch attack, which means it can't also use the spell-like ability of greater teleport that round. It could teleport the next round (if you are going to say that a touch can be "maintained") or it is going to have to grapple to maintain that touch.

Well, we're already assuming that a supernatural ability and a spell-like ability are part of the same action, so why not slap on the touch attack as well?

Besides, if the grapple is the right call, that would mean that the Abduction ability is nearly useless, and its Fiendish Codex tactics regarding the Abduction ability as stated in a post above would be invalid.

Why?

- The DC for casting Greater Teleport in a grapple is 27.
- The bar-Igura's Concentration modifier (including CON mod) is +4.
- A natural 20 on a skill check is not an automatic success. (PHB 63)

So the bar-Igura, as written, would never be able to successfully use its Abduction ability, unless its target was already helpless to a sustained touch. If you want to believe that was the designer's intent when crafting the creature, so be it. I know how it's going to work in my game, and I'm sure by now other DMs can decide how it's going to work in theirs.

I'm not going to argue on this anymore - I'm hoping to return to the regularly scheduled programming.

***********************************

As to more creepiness, I'm a big fan of utilizing Major Image to depict "ghosts".

The fourteen 10' cubes Olangru gets should be enough to surround a sizable campsite - perhaps with tattered robed chanting cultists, starting at a whisper of a chant, and having it grow louder and louder until it suddenly cuts off.

Or maybe the "ghost" of a passenger that was aboard the Sea Wyvern appears to give a dire warning - "the essense of the isle has poisoned your rations" or "We knew one among you would betray us all..."


Cacophonik wrote:


I thought it was impossible to "knock-out" or "subdue" a savage critter, as the "Ferocity" ability enables them to continue wreaking carnage until they hit -10 and finally gloootch their caustic innards all over nearby flora, fauna and horrified party members....

My players were actively dealing nonlethal damage, which results in the "staggered" and "unconscious" conditions. Ferocity applies only to the "disabled" and "dying" conditions. In my game, the former does not equal the latter, so subduing a savage character is possible. In your game, it may differ.


First off, I'd like to thank you for showing relevant information to the argument that would be in Fiendish Codex. Obviously I cannot reference anything I do not have access to. Your act makes this discussion a bit more relevant.

I can accept, for the sake of this argument, that the use of Abduction is both a Spell-like ability for the greater teleport aspect and a supernatural ability for the chance to take an unwilling target along for the ride. This means that a melee touch, as I have previously stated, would provoke an attack of opportunity (see below).

One way the AoO could be prevented would be to cast defensively. However, with only a small chance of that being effective, it may just be worth it to risk the AoO hitting. If the AoO misses, the ability works; if the AoO hits, the ability likely won't work but the bar-Igura sticks around to continue to fight (if the AoO didn't drop it into negatives). In this light, I can certainly see it being a last-ditch tactic as you have shown is described in Fiendish Codex I.

As to the grapple argument, though, I cannot agree. Teleport is a touch spell - in fact, it is specifically mentioned on PHB 175.

Player's Handbook 3.5, pg. 175 wrote:
"Some touch spells, such as teleport and water walk, allow you to touch multiple targets. You can touch as many willing targets as you can reach as part of the casting, but all targets of the spell must be touched in the same round that you finish casting the spell."

Since, as a spell-like ability, greater teleport retains all characteristics of the spell except for those mentioned under Spell-Like Abilities on PHB 180, it would retain that function as well. The bar-Igura would have to initialize the casting (provoking an AoO), then melee touch its target, then the target gets a Will save, and if the save fails the bar-Igura & its target would go elsewhere.


slavemind wrote:

Besides, the Bar-Igura needs to establish a grapple (not so hard) and then teleport out the following round (harder, if he suddenly finds himself the center of concentrated attacks and Dex-less )... of course the victim has to fail its Will save too.

Since I do not have access to the Fiendish Codex, I am going by the Dungeon and Core Books alone. I assume that is all that is needed for this argument.

The Abduction ability as described in the Dungeon states nothing about a grapple check. Greater Teleport only requires a touch to transport another target creature. My assumption, then, is that Abduction requires only a melee touch attack and a Will save to resist. In addition, Abduction is a supernatural ability, and thereby does not provoke attacks of opportunity. I see no reason why a concentration check would be needed to utilize the bar-Igura's Abduction ability.

Now, should the target of the Abduction resist, the bar-Igura has used its greater teleport anyway, and teleports away with no victim. This results in two combat rounds of wasted action (one to attempt the abduction, and one to get back). Since every action counts, those wasted actions may be enough to sway the battle against the bar-Iguras - which may be why it is not a standard combat tactic.


Well, one of my players had their character involuntarily retired due to the savage fever, but that hardly counts as a kill. When the warlock succumbed to the fever, he ultimately awoke and showed off all of its wonderful effects. In response, the party knocked him out. The remainder of that session was spent doubling back to Sasserine, periodically subduing the afflicted PC (and the random tentacle that sprung forth from his shoulder). They took him to the Witchwardens to be "studied", and struck a deal to allow the afflicted PC to not be killed in the process. That warlock may come back later in the game - I haven't decided yet.


Big Greenie should aid the PCs in some way - I believe securing a hundred or two VPs during the battle would suffice. Afterwards, however, the humanoids whom are capable of generating 50K will probably be agitated that Big Greenie didn't handle the entire fight for them. Hell, Big Greenie would expect them to turn on him and prep for it. Perhaps moving his lair and trapping the old one?

In addition, the town his new "allies" currently protect has the potential to generate large amounts of wealth. Certainly Big Greenie will be interested in taking advantage of that. Extortion through domination of the town's settled leaders (as adventurers are never truly settled until dead) would work well there. However, if the town gets any big ideas they may send the adventurers to slay him - should they be available. A plan to send them off to Emraag's maw would likely eliminate the pests, and perhaps he could get something from Emraag for his "gift". And if the adventurers somehow manage to defeat Emraag, leave a few pieces from Emraag's hoard in his lair, take the rest, and direct the adventurers to the lair as a "reward"....

and so on. Big Greenie should be concerned with staying on the winning side, but also should be constantly sending the new threat into danger. He'd be unofficially acting as the PC's new patron!


The big thing with iconics, I believe, is that they should be easy to play. All desirable attacks should be able to be listed, all of your bonuses should be static (not dynamic), and each character should be focused to a few things that are their contribution to the party.

Take Two Weapon Fighting verses Combat Expertise, for example. Two Weapon Fighting allows for another option for the player that is described in a single additional line of text. Its penalties to attack are static, or unchanging, from round to round. If you decide to fight with two weapons, you know exactly what that means for your character. Combat Expertise, on the other hand, is a dynamic bonus. Granted, at first level it is just as static as Two Weapon Fighting, but at further levels it can become confusing. Even changing from +2 AC, -2 attack to +1 AC, -1 attack to +0 AC, -0 attack presents options that need to be calculated by the player on a round by round basis. Also, Combat Expertise has interactions with fighting defensively that further complicate the math. Calculating a figure every round may be fun and challenging for a veteran player, but for a novice its just annoying.

The same is true for Dodge vs. Point Blank Shot vs. Improved Initiative for the rogue. Dodge is a relatively easy feat to execute - every turn you desigate a single enemy that you gain a static bonus to AC against. Point Blank Shot can become annoying if you're playing a thrower, because you will likely be dealing with range penalties. Instead of applying all penalties, you've also got a bonus to worry about, which means math. Simple math, granted, but math every round all the same. Improved Initiative is a nice, static bonus, but its interaction with Sneak Attack can confuse a new player, as you are likely to get the extra damage on round one for going first in the round, but not on round two when you go first in the round. It may seem a simple explanation of the rules, but that's an explanation that's going to happen during combat, and will bog down the game, slowing the action and lessening the effect of the event.

As far as spells go, the same is true - you want nice, static effects like magic missile or mage armor. Sleep and Color Spray have effects that are variable, and depend on something the caster cannot contol (saves). If such a spell fails to gain the desired effect, the spell's first impression could easily be that of a wasted action that was out of the players hands to affect. That is bad for the novice and the game.

As to the Int 8 of the rogue, there are two things happening here: 1) the character is focused on a few central skills, which makes for less lines of text and a less dizzying array of skills - they don't as easily invoke the "what skill does action X fall under" question. 2) Even with the penalty to Intelligence, the rogue still gets more skills than anyone else, which is one of the highlights of being a rogue. In addition, by shafting the rogue's strongest unnecessary ability, none of the other abilities have a penalty associated with them, making a more rounded character overall. This is one of the things you want to encourage in character building - well rounded characters and by extension a well-rounded party.

Once the novice player has adventured once or twice with the iconic, they'll be ready to start exploring the rules a bit more and making their own characters. But the iconic should stick in their minds as a nice, easy baseline character that showed them the initial fun of roleplaying.


Saern wrote:
So, to summarize this overly long ramble, the questions are, "Can a paladin make limited deals with evil beings as found in the STAP and still be within the bounds of the code?" and "When dealing with evil, is making a deal while intending to exploit a loophole, all for the betterment of good and the lessening of evil, acceptable to the code?"

First and foremost, please read my comment with both the letter and spirit of what I am saying in mind. I've neither the time nor patience to write an infernal essay :).

To the first question, my thought is that that the paladin must believe that he has exhausted all other viable possibilities before dealing with a demon or devil. Such an act would still violate the code, but not so much as to cause the paladin to lose their abilities, since it is a last resort. Rather than losing their abilities, the paladin would have that (non-mechanical) sick feeling in the pit of their stomach of knowing they did wrong, and might act in ways to try to atone for the sin anyway.

To the second, you are still making a deal, regardless with whom you are dealing. When making a deal, the paladin adheres to both the letter and the spirit of the agreement - that is part of the essence of being a paladin. In gameplay, it would mean that the paladin cannot weave exploitable loopholes into the deal intentionally - if loopholes are realized in the process, the paladin must make the other party or parties involved aware of the loopholes. To do otherwise would be dishonest and grossly against the code. If, however, an outside influence (such as environment or another entity) were to change the circumstances surrounding the deal after it was made, then the sneaky paladin archetype can begin work. Not before.

That's my 2 cp.


Hello all. I need advice and opinions regarding adding a new player to my game. More specifically, the wife of one of my buddies who I've been playing the game with for years. I know that she's never quite understood D&D or roleplaying, and that he at least wants her to give it a try.

What ground rules should I set, if any, beyond the normal introduction of the game to a new player? What would be expectations for her interactions, particularly with her hubby? Are there any clarifications I should be sure to announce prior to the first game session?

I'd like to make this work, if possible. Any suggestions or comments will be appreciated.


My group has always responded better to wilderness-based battles and exploration settings. Thus why I chose to run STAP rather than the other two.

Though I have not looked thoroughly into either of AoW or SCAP (I'd like to play in those someday), my understanding is that SCAP is far more urban based while AoW is classic dungeon delving and lots of undead. I could see my group getting into AoW if they knew ahead of time to plan to combat hordes of undead, but otherwise it would turn into a lot of whining and complaining - not fun. Urban settings tend to make the group just fizzle as the players whom talk the loudest seem to easily dominate such games, while the DM attempts to limit the city from having the resources of a city. Also not fun. Wilderness exploration seems to be our happy balance.


If you start with Tides of Dread, add a bit of flavor from the last part of Here there be Monsters and run through Serpents of Scuttlecove, I can see a viable tie in. Also, that run should last just long enough to retain your attention.

Spoiler:
Your baron works under the direction of the Crimson Fleet. He didn't want Cormyr to be among the cities savaged by the Fleet's use of Shadow Pearls (nukes), so he opted to take control of the city for the Fleet instead. The shrine to Demogorgon in the last part of HTBM can point to demonic involvement, and can be included as one of the side quests. Vanthus turns into just a Fleet captain armed with a Shadow Pearl. Your party should become motivated to stop the production of the Shadow Pearls and disband the Crimson Fleet, by defeating Cold Captain Wyther - your BBEG. That's how I see it - fill in the details as necessary.


Sounds like a character concept that would be a shoe-in for the Combat Trapsmith PrC in Complete Scoundrel. For now, though, I'd say alchemical items are your best bet, and if you can afford one or two, Blast Disks or Exploding Spikes (Heroes of Battle, Magic Item Compendium) are fun as well.


Thought up another one I'm about to spring on my PCs in Savage Tide:

Spoiler:
Savage Viper Snakes. Gotta love the incubation time on Savage Fever....


A Scrag (aquatic troll) with a cloak of elemental protection.

A chromatic dragon that casts Disguise Self before each public appearance to change the color of its scales.

The obvious entrance to a BBEG battle is guarded by a Recipricol Gyre (Spell Compendium) trap.

An entire dungeon based around strength damage.


Shadow Conjuration has always been a favorite of mine, just for its sheer versitility. Battlefield control, extra combatants, and if you're a bard or have the right feats, illusionary healing is just humorous.


The Black Bard wrote:

I'm a big fan of homebrew stuff. And I've learned its the most dangerous thing out there to campaign balance. I'm not saying don't do it, just make sure you do it well, smart, and methodically.

I agree whole-heartedly here, with only one minor grumble: when figuring out balance, it seems to me that you'd want to compare power levels at certain common levels: when the ability is first available, when the ability seems most over-powered, and at the maximum level for your campaign. A simple comparison at 20th level strikes me as inadequate, as most campaigns do not reach 20th level.


Right. Also charge. Like I said, easy to miss. Still, the main point stands: Full Attack cannot be used in the surprise round. (Okay, maybe with Pounce, but that's a specific special ability exception to the rule.)


Moreover, Rapid Shot states "You must use the full attack action to use this feat" (PHB 99). So you cannot apply Rapid Shot to a standard action - and Manyshot is a standard action.

Additionally, you cannot take a full attack on the surprise round. In reading only some of the text, though, this can be easily confused.

PHB 137 states that if you can act in the surprise round, you get only a standard action, and free actions at your DMs discretion.

PHB 139 states "Some full round actions can be taken as standard actions, but only in situations ... (such as in a surprise round). The descriptions of specific actions ... detail which actions allow this option."

The only full-round actions that state that you can use them as standard actions in a surprise round are Restricted Withdraw (PHB 144), Start/Complete a Full-Round Action (PHB 142) and maybe a special ability as defined by the ability itself (PHB 142, 143, 180). Full Attack does not allow the option.

It may be useful to note, however, that since Manyshot is a standard action, it can be used on the surprise round.


I remember when I became a 3rd level DM. I took Craft Plot as my feat, and spent quite a bit of XP doing it. So much so, that I hovered right around the minimum of 3rd level. Unfortunately, my plots were too complex for my players, and I was docked XP for failing to provide a good game, knocking me down to 2nd level.

Despite the loss, I was faithful to seeing my old plots work and attempted to play them through. My players responded by killing my game. I had a choice, then, be brought back with a Raise Dead at first level, or create a new DM.

Roughly 3 years later, I am now a new DM. I stick quite closely to the core rulebooks, allowing only a limited number of splatbooks, and follow the advice of epic level DMs through running STAP. I figure by month's end, I'll have just enough XP to qualify for 2nd level.


Thanks guys.

I like the idea of The Bullywug Gambit being a festival game of sorts, and the graffitti idea for Here There Be Monsters is great. The rest I'll have time to think on, definately, as we've a long way to go yet.


1) Are you giving your PCs enough XP? By the time they reach the Temple, the adventure is counting on them being 8th level. If you weren't adding any monsters to the encounters in the Temple, they should have been fine. If you were, though, even just to keep their XP values up, it may have created to large a challenge.

2) Are you giving your PCs enough treasure? This is a bit harder to track with a larger group, but by 7th level they should have the guideline of 19000 gp in wealth each, even if it isn't ideal equipment. If you've added monsters for level gain but no treasure, your PCs will be overwhelmed.

3) Are your PCs working together? Are they concentrating on one foe at a time, protecting those who need meat-shields, and coordinating their attacks? Are they utilizing flanking, trips, bull rushes, and/or battlefield control magic? Or is it more of the "spread out and kill what you can" type of tactics? In a larger group, the second is more common, but far less effective. Mechanically, you could encourage the use of Teamwork abilities (PHB II, Heroes of Battle), but it's mostly just a matter of sitting everyone down and telling them that if they are to survive the campaign, they need to work together.

1 to 50 of 61 << first < prev | 1 | 2 | next > last >>