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I don't know, but it looks like your Rangers need to start wishing upon a star... 
I can tell everyone this: The scoring system is designed to reward the best Pathfinders Society members. I'll leave you all to decide what that means. Well, given your reputation for enforcing the viewpoint that the best character is a dead character, I can only wonder if next year will be the year of the undead. 
There is a hot wind that blows across the deserts of Osirion from the direction of Qadira. We call this wind, "Nikolai". Even though it picks up sand and irritates the senses, a disciplined mind can eventually learn to ignore it. A potion of Endure Arrogance also helps. 
So on the forums, the GM stars you have obtained show up by your name in the PFS section of the boards only. Why not have it be forum-wide? If nothing else, you might entice a few people into the campaign just so they can get some stars by their name on the forum. 
We can not advise whether motivation is needed. We wish to keep Grand Master Torch in our .... good graces. Do what you think best as a faction head. Since when is The Decemvirate only a 4-star. I figured they would be a 6-star because they are so special. :P 
We know you don't read scenarios you're GMing Dragnmoon, that much is obvious. 
Hall is fun but personally I love Rebel's Ransom myself. Interesting setup, fun encounters and almost guaranteed death when they antagonize the wrong girl.Not 10-11. ;-) Should be considering it's lethality. Last time I ran it took 3 rounds before the party cleric (only one still above 0 HP) was on his knees begging her not to kill him. Made him pay her every dime he had for the privilege of living.Then once they made it to the last room and tried to leave she was sitting at the front door waiting for her "share" of the loot. They were not amused... 
You already got me flowers from Pike Place last week. I think you might be up to jewelry, my dear. :-) And he failed to mention that we are the same age until mid June. 
When someone's rule interpretation seems grossly incorrect (such as the examples provided above), you're well within your rights to insist the player show you the relevant rule. If he can't quickly come up with documentation illustrating his point, your decision stands. The game can generally go on while the player verifies the rules' exact phrasing ("OK: You say the worgs can't effectively attack you. Please look up the rule while I deal with the other players' turns"). Since your players have pulled some blatantly inaccurate interpretations, you no longer automatically owe them an explanation for your decisions. If someone pulls out something you're certain is wrong, refuse to argue it. Be humble, but firm: "I may be wrong, but that's the call I'm making right now. It's time to move on with the combat." Although such behavior can be infuriating, they're trying to take advantage of you. Don't let such things bother you. If you keep your cool and deal with everyone courteously (but firmly), would-be cheaters will either learn to moderate their behavior or will go away. 
I'll try to organize some sessions of PFS Organized Play here at a local store to gain some experience. I've read a lot about it, but never had the opportunity to actually play.. Thanks for the encouragement, anyway. Maybe I'll ask some tips on the Pathfinder Society General Discussion Forum to start. 
And this is why introducing characters before the box text rolls out is a Good Thing. "Hi, I'm Galad, the Wizard. This thorny creature currently biting my ear is Mephandrius Xororh Hordreeg, Consumer of Souls, Bringer of Woe and Hand-Servant of Mephistopheles - the Whisperer in the Fire. Mephandrius and I go way back. I'll thank you not to take his wheedling for your immortal soul too seriously. He's really quite harmless when you get to know him." 
I don't think Matthew got the notice. Thea and I already won this thread. You're not allowed to post anything regarding the OP any more.right!!!!! 406 posts about candy? Best. Thread. Ever.yummmmmmm Today I break the rules and at the same time follow them! 
I hear that Sarenrae is working behind the scenes at the deadline to trade Nikolai to Zon-Kuthon for a case of tanglefoot bags and a player to be named later...
My next character is going to spend all his gold on ale and whores. Screw you all and your "cure me this, cure me that" and wanting me to "swing my sword". You're on your own.
Scenarios are generally released at the end of the business day. No need for confusion or anxiety. It's Kyle Baird, there's ALWAYS a need for confusion and anxiety. And fear, always with the fear.
I know how my Qadiran would respond to the lack of a wand by a party member. "You want healing you owe me a favor - that favor will be collected at a later date, in coin or hide". Then I'd make them sign my chronicle sheet that they owe me one favor. 
runs and hides in a coffin Suitable hiding place when you challenge "The Kyle." You'll wind up there anyway :D 
There won't be any PFS Classic games scheduled for Gen Con this year. 
The most important dice-rolling rule at my table: Never roll your dice on my Tact-Tiles. 
** To be clear, kids, Kyle means your feet will be wet with blood. 
Shivok
(Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, Adventure Path, Campaign Setting, Companion, Modules, GameMastery Maps Subscriber)
I hope you come to the PFS members meeting at Gen Con. Why cant we have an online PFS chat meeting similar to the authors chat? 
The game is full of tough decisions. Having to make a hard moral choice (do I work with my companion and violate my oath, or do I kill this guy's imp and risk the mission?) is a great learning experience for a new player, and accentuates that characters' choices have consequences. In this case, the paladin risks losing his powers or skirting very close to violating the no-PVP rule. I don't see that as a position many would want to be in, but we shouldn't preclude people from experiencing moral quandries when playing a character that's all about morality (like a paladin is by definition). 
It's kind of funny how Kyle is becoming an urban legend in PFS... I can't describe my terror when I realized I was fighting the creature from which he gets his messageboard avatar.
I don't think anyone here can make an official ruling (except Mark). Mark and I both can make official rulings. We discuss everything on the boards so we each already know where the other stands. If you are GMing in a private setting, such as your own home or apartment, you have the discretion to invite whom ever you want to participate in that game; we can not tell you anymore who to invite into your home than we can tell you what to watch on tv. With that said, if you plan to report that session or distribute Chronicle sheets as an official PFS session, you are required to follow the rules as outlined in the Organized Play Guide. In a private game, because of the tacit agreement between the GMs and players to participate at all in the private environment, you may place whatever additional restrictions you want on the game because everyone who is present at the private event is understood to have agreed to those restrictions. To clarify, if a player wishes to impose additional penalties or restrictions on his or her character, that is the players prerogative. This DOES NOT mean you can run an official PFS game with fewer restrictions than are outlined in the Organized Play Guide or other campaign documentation. For example, you can not run an evil character, you can not use Words of Power or Hero Points, or any other specific rules that are not permitted in the campaign.
Despite my being tempted to take it from you right now just for asking, you'll have a full season under these rules to maintain the star, so the rest of this season is a freebie. 
I want to preface my critique by saying that I had high expectations for this scenario because it is The Exclusive and the previous exclusive was so exceptional. This one does not pass muster. I arranged four tables before it was even released and I feel like the players have been cheated. OK, the first thing that I noticed about this scenario is how it leads the PCs by the nose, especially in the introduction. The background is implausible, to put it simply. So the villain Alejia Netrav wants to be the next Overlord of Riddleport, and she’s attacking ships on the open sea under the protection of Riddleport... Elias Tammerhawk knows who she is, but he doesn’t know what ship she sails under. How about the one that is always absent from Riddleport harbor when an incoming ship is attacked? It’s comical that no one knows the name of her ship and she wants to become an infamous crimelord. That Elias Tammerhawk can’t handle his own business when an upstart challenges him is also comical. As I said, I think the whole beginning is implausible. I have dropped the VC intro text and give the players bare bones information. Before they are teleported to Riddleport (What’s this Magnimar foolishness? Time is the fire in which we burn! Haven’t we learned anything from the Pale Pox pandemic?) they are told that divinations have revealed the source of the threat is from Riddleport and the agent is Vudran. That eliminates suspicions of undersea raiders, and gives the PCs a clue where to start looking. Instead of railroad tracks taking the PCs to the warehouse, they enter a sandbox and get to interact with the inhabitants of Riddleport. Oddly, both groups I have run so far have started their investigation at The House of Silken Veils. It’s been around 90 minutes into the roleplaying game before the PCs arrive at the first encounter. The warehouse is a good encounter in that the players get to be creative with getting inside. It reminds me of PFS#4 The Frozen Fingers of Midnight with all the hijinks that go on. After the door is opened the dice start rolling and the fight ends very quickly. The Lionfish Grunts don’t last long like most humanoids with low will saves. Both Faction missions are ‘gimmes’ since the PCs can return to the warehouse at any point and take 20 to search the entire place. The Grand Lodge only has to pay an expert a small fee to make a Linguistics check. I realize that it is hard to write 10 different Faction missions but it would be far more entertaining to add more roleplay situations rather than writing more ‘Where’s Waldo’ tasks. The half-orc(s) working for Boss Croat encounter could have been removed in favor of a monster encounter in the harbor or elsewhere. One GM pointed out that it would have been similar to PFS#2The Hydra’s Fang Incident which is fair, but I’m so tired of fighting humanoids. A reefclaw, a devilfish or a bunyip would have been much more entertaining. Why couldn’t Alejia have co-opted a local merrow or a sandman at Viper Cove? I’m crying over spilled milk, but there could have been a cool challenge instead of just another thug encounter. Getting out to the Lionfish in the harbor requires two DC 10 strength checks. Or what? Where are the consequences? This ‘challenge’ only led to ‘Take 10’ jokes. The grippli alchemist was interesting. I thought his best bet was to climb up the mast since he’s got a climb speed, but he hasn’t made it past two rounds yet. The ship is too confined for him to fight without taking AoOs out the wazoo. One group waited until nightfall when it was assumed that the crew would be asleep. The rogue went aboard and one-shotted the watchman, then the party took on the grippli before he could leave his cabin. So many scenarios expect the situation to remain static and all the bad guys’ advantages depend on them having time to buff up. This is another weakness of human(oid) opponents. The PCs know where they sleep and when they have to rest. At the low tier Alejia apparently sailed the two masted Topaz Titan to Viper Cove by herself. Players expected a well-guarded hideout and instead they found Alejia holed up in a cave with a prisoner that had no value to her. How does she know who the PCs are when they show up at Viper Cove? Yet she holds Hirako Gurukaza as a hostage against the PCs’ cooperation. As far as she knows, the PCs could be agents from Overlord Cromarky come to snuff her for attacking ships under his protection. What would mercenaries care for Hirako’s life? All her tactics as written allow is for the PCs to get into a better position to flank and kill her. Is she really going to spend a full round using a coup-de-grace action against Hirako when she knows the PCs are trying to kill her? In real life those hostage moments are dramatic because there is an emotional link between the rescuers and the hostage. In the game the players feel no such empathy and Hirako is just another disposable NPC. Maybe the Lantern Lodge cares… Anyway, all Alejia’s tactics do is deny her the opportunity to surprise the PCs and give her one less round to use her magus abilities. I would have been happy to see an actual cyphermage (alternate class) in the adventure. The title was deceptive like Keep of the Huscarl King where we never actually got to go into the keep. I know, grumble, grumble. In defense of the scenario no player has yet complained it was a let-down. Those are my sentiments. Little can be done at this point to salvage the scenario, so I’m interested in hearing other GM’s takes on the adventure and your players’ impressions. BTW, do I sound bitter? I wonder if I come across as harsh… I figure the 4/5-stars and VOs are assumed to be reading this, and the general membership are spared my bile. 
Since we can't change the scenario as written, we just need the advice of some of the veteran GMs on how to optimize the encounters with the tools that are given. Though I've never sat at one of the tables of the esteemed "killer GMs of PFS", I am sure that I could definitely benefit from their advice. I was under the impression this is what the GM's Advice Forum was for. Maybe that is the tool we should be using first.
And this, Kyle, is why you have a 5th star next to your name. Great advice! 
On a related note, I really hate it when powerful boons are available in scenarios (I'm thinking of Shades of Ice 3). I felt that boon was too powerful. In general, I feel there are too many minor boons being given in scenarios. I played 8 regular scenarios this Gencon and I got 6 minor boons from them. I know other players love minor boons, however imo it's just too much. (Even to track it now!). I'd like to see them be a little more rare than the current trend. 
Congrats to both of you! Bob is the one who got me into society and I've played under him plenty of times, including Year of the Shadow Lodge last year at U-Con. I've only had the fortune to play under Todd once, but what a night.
So congrats to both Bob and Todd and a hearty thanks to both of you as well as my tablemates from Tear of the Ruby Phoenix, it was awesome.
That's the final price! We want everyone to be able to build a character, play a few PFS sessions and get hooked on the best organized play campaign in the world, and to do that, we are offering these at no cost, so entry into the campaign is now totally free! 
I think a feat that forces you to make a melee attack against an opponent (even if you're a spellcaster) is a valid feat if there's also a feat that forces you to cast a spell at an opponent (even if you're not a spellcaster).... 
Dervish Dance is a VERY good feat, and in this case, as far as scimitar use is concerned, the Weapon Finesse prerequisite is almost a tax. You can still use Weapon Finesse on other legal weapons, of course, but Weapon Finesse NEVER directly helps you with a scimitar. Dervish Dance is the only feat in that short chain that actually helps you with scimitar fighting. Weapon Finesse isn't useless to your character, since you can still use it on things like daggers or rapiers or other Weapon Finessable weapons, but yes, it's no use for your scimitar fighting at all other than to help you qualify for the feat you want. 
Folks, The RAW do allow the grappled to make a full attack action, assuming they can do so with only one hand. Since flurry does not require two hands to perform, a monk could flurry. Grappling is not always the best idea. Grappling a monk is one such example. I think folks need to remember that the grappled condition is not as severe as it once was. You are no longer draped all over the target. It is more like you got a hold on them, typically an arm (hence the restriction). The pinned condition is more of your greco-roman wrestling hold. Hope that clears it up.. Jason Bulmahn
Hmm.. This one has a bit of an error in it. The spell was meant to end after the "do nothing round" if you made your save, not continue on, round after round. I will see to it that this get fixed. Jason Bulmahn
Since its inception, Paizocon has set the standard of what makes a good con. As always, I had a blast this year. It is sometimes difficult to run several games and visit with everyone you want, but Paizocon makes this much easier. The people at Paizo certainly do "get it." That's what makes them the best! I very much enjoyed getting to meet and roll some bones with Painlord and Kyle Baird this year--very cool guys! It would be impossible to thank everyone who makes Paizocon great without having a ten page post, so thanks to you, (insert your name here if you work for Paizo, been to Paizocon, or support Paizo in any way!) Already excited about 2012!!
1 person marked this as FAQ candidate.
3 people marked this as a favorite.
Since we only publish errata when we reprint a book, a forum clarification will have to suffice on this issue. Were we to reprint the book, we would change the Glorious Heat feat to grant the fire spell's spell level in healing instead of character level. This keeps unlimited use orisons from being spammed, and 1st level spells from being abused at higher levels. This clarification will appear in the July update to the Pathfinder Society Additional Resources document. 
I have joined the goup that wants to see no 1-7 mods, only 1-5/5-9/7-11. Welcome to the dark side!
That's right doug...a few more of us make 5-stars and it'll drop the quality pool. ;-P
Boring Stuff.I can't wait until there are 100 5-star GMs! Nothing says unique and special like every two-bit hack and their brother sharing your title! You know, I had this conversation with a friend this weekend. I asked him who the first person to walk on the moon was. "Neil Armstrong" The second person? "Buzz Aldrin" The third person? "Klaus VonStubbin" Nice try, thanks for proving my point. I do welcome more 5 star bretheren, besides once people like Kyle have 5 stars I won't feel like I have to live up to such a high standard ;p
Unless they change the way the 5th star is awarded, it's only a formality if you attend PaizoCon or GenCon after your 4th star has been earned. Honestly, can you see anyone having the gall to say to you "Well, I realize that you have GMed & reported over 100 scenarios AND you have paid your way to get to this convention--but I don't think you have what it takes. I'm sorry, but you're not ready for 5 stars. Don't feel bad, if you come back next year I'll take another look at you..."
Boring Stuff. I can't wait until there are 100 5-star GMs! Nothing says unique and special like every two-bit hack and their brother sharing your title!
I'm looking forward to some company, it's lonely up here on this mountaintop. And it takes forever to get pizza delivered up here. 
Painlord's 4 Characters of Awesome So you want us to create a character for you, eh? Well, all I can do is ask you to try out one of the following builds. #1: This taleslinger sports a hefty 8 charisma and loves to sit in judgement of others. His songs are only those of suffering and woe, and there is no pity within him. Class: Bard
He goes by the name: Vyle Bard #2: This small combatant combines the power of a witch with the charisma of a cavalier. Save money for the Obsidian Gnat figurine as it's core this build. Class: Witch 5/Cavalier
He goes by the name: FlyLightKnight #3: This disciple of Cayden Cailean is part-goon, part wine soaked sot. You'll find him patrolling the boards at all hours of the day and night, no thread is safe from his posts. With his glinty eyes and his flagon of thuggery, you'll love him! Class: Gunslinger
He goes by the name: FlagnGoon #4: This one is for all the gnome haters out there...and I know there are quite a few of you. All ranger, all the time with this build. Favorite Enemy=Fey, then more fey again. Pair with fey-bane cold iron weapon. Now you're hating fey in style! Class: Ranger
She goes by the name: Fey-yeah Beaters
ALL star-achievements are momentous. We should have a party, Yeah!
Dear Kyle, Please remove the bug from the Paizo conference room. We appreciate your desire to listen in on our planning meetings, but revealing the content of our discussions on this public forum is inappropriate. Thanks,
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