Lord Fyre's page

CotCT is ending, and the players want to start a new campaign at 1st level. But they want to do so in Korvosa, so they can continue to interact with the city -- the NPCs, the institutions.

So, is there another AP that is set either in or near Korvosa, or at least in a city that could be reskinned as Korvosa? Paizo APs preferred obviously, but I know there's some good 3PP stuff out there too.

cheers,

Doug M.

That's difficult because:

I'm not familiar enough with PF2 APs to know if Agent's Of Edgewatch to know if that would work for you.

So, check out 3rd Party, otherwise you may be "on your own."

4e is definitely not the best system, but I'll never agree with the hate some folks throw at it.

A lot of the hostility to D&D 4e has little to do with the system itself.

The mechanics aren't specific to an era in time, really, so there's no reason you couldn't do a PF2 conversion for Rise of the Runelords. You could set an adventure in ancient Azlant and use the PF2 rules.

But I would wait a bit to do a conversion on this one, since I think there's going to be stuff about Thassilonian Rune Magic in the Rival Academies Lost Omens book in March.

I have read the Remaster Versions of the Runelord. I do not like them.

I'm planning to start a Starfinder 2e conversion of Abomination Vaults and call it Abomination Station.

The party will arrive at the swamp-type planet of Dagobahn't aboard the Starfinder expedition ship Otari, captained by Wrin Sivinxi. Her star readings indicated that an abandoned research station had come back online and we've come to check it out...

The miflits will be called grogus...

After exploring the first floor the remaining "floors" will be launched into space hidden in separate asteroids for an attack on Absolom Station with encoded transponders for each of the asteroids located in databanks positioned where the stairs are in the AP. Between floors the party will naturally have to return to the Otari to fly to the next asteroid. Will they stop each asteroid before they reach Absolom Station?

In a first skim through the monster selection seems like it would fit with a little tuning on the numbers and a sprinkle of technology things everywhere... Definitely gonna need to change the treasures/rewards but otherwise should be a pretty easy conversion.

Note that book 1 and book 2 have several town events. Do you plan to incorporate these as well?

Ah, let me rephrase that: The boring truth of it is mainly that Pathfinder continued where 3.5 left off, and both 4E and 5E were a lot more simple systems which for most 3.5E players wasn't quite their cup of tea so they went to Pathfinder when 3.5E stopped receiving content. Pathfinder 2E also lacks the appeal of PF1E.

Another off topic sidebar: What do you feel is "missing" from Pathfinder 2nd Edition?

Note I'm not arguing with you. My own group didn't want to make the shift.

Hero System is my preferred system, but I like Pathfinder 1E. I friend got me into Pathfinder, and I started running it after a while. I have a substantial amount invested not only in books but also in Hero Labs. When Pathfinder 2E came out I took a look and found that Hero Labs for 2E is only available online, so that killed any interest in using that and put me off from upgrading. Pathfinder 1E is a mature system that has enough options to make it interesting. The system works very well for a simple game that does not take a much effort to create a character but offers enough variation that I can create pretty close to the character I want. If I want a more complex system that allows me to do anything I will use Hero System. I see no reason to invest more money in a third system.

Off topic sidebar: In your opinion, which is better Fantasy Hero or Pathfinder?

Why not new editions (PF2E)?
- My group rejected PF2E. :( (We are also in our late 50s.)
- Sunk Cost into PF1E.

And now, PF2E Remaster is going to get a lot more expensive.

I am feeling very apprehensive about how the new method for Starfinder APs are going to be released.

I'd be more apprehensive about the Tariffs that are be slapped on the PRC.

My comment regarding the directors being short-sighted is regarding their lack of plan for dealing with the Snarl and just assuming the deities will be able to fix things/imprison the Snarl again easily...

The Snarl can literally permanently destroy beings formed of divine quiddity. Which includes the directors.

Unless … They are lying.

They only need to share with Nale (and Sabine) information that causes Nale to perform the actions they desire. Their actual goal can be something else entirely.

Magic Butterfly wrote:

I was reading through the LO: Tian Xia book and noticed that, canonically, Ameiko has not used the seals to rebuild the other four Imperial Families of Minkai. I know that this is likely because the assumption is that the PCs of Jade Regent would take on those roles, and that this can't be in canon, but I also think that could be a cool adventure.

Isn't the canon reason being the the PCs were already made backup scions?

I think there is a different concern. I think it is about having Minkaian characters.

They have revealed that the first AP will be a detective adventure, for just lvl 1 characters - no levelling up from what I understand. It is also a boxed set with handouts, flipmats and other things inside. It will be interesting to see what exactly is inside it and how much it will be.

Murder in Metal City goes from Level 1 to Level 6.

But, that is not quite an Adventure Path.

Hello, question from a player: How much will the backgrounds from the Player's Guide come up? Like, is it worth it for a Cleric to pick the "Banished Brighite" background? Will there be interaction with Brigh-centric themes, or is it just flavor? Will I miss out if I just take Sarenrae or something?

Some of the backgrounds appear to force choices on the player.

They are entirely too narrow in focus.

Any word on Starfinder's GM Core?

But, enough about Seoni's rack. :)

Lost Omens: Rival Academies makes me wish we were doing a Sarkoris Reclaimers storyline.

That sounds awesome!

--- --- ---

Larger set piece battles did occur (The Siege of Antioch (1097 C.E.) had a Crusader force of 40,000 men!), but they were quite rare, and usually ruinous for both sides.

In a follow up to this, the Saracen force was 70,000 men. Despite losing the battle (they didn't yet have a good counter to the heavily armored European knights), they suffered fewer long term losses then the Crusaders due to a much better understanding of the local environment.

Adding extra bodies to the encounter to raise the CR level is fine. I would suggest not making the monsters tougher especially by adding templates. First of all, that does nothing to solve the problem with the action economy, second it tends make the monsters too tough. Raising the DC of a save by 2 does not seem to be that powerful, but if done on everything it makes it more likely a player is taken down.

Increasing the numbers of opponents will also increase the XP to be split, so will help in keeping the party at appropriate level.

Before you do any of that, audit the Player's Eidolon.

Lord Fyre wrote:

The Raven Black wrote:

Andostre wrote:

Me too! I like it for two reasons. One, it shows his rejection for any authority except his own; and two, it shows that he still makes bad decisions.

I love defiance in front of overwhelming odds. Even in evil characters.

It's my inner Gorumite showing.

B.T.W., who replaced Gorum?

Many deities, depending on the individual Gorumite's preference.

And in the Core 20, Arazni.

No wonder I don't know this. I find myself drifting away from Pathfinder's official lore.

Andostre wrote:

Me too! I like it for two reasons. One, it shows his rejection for any authority except his own; and two, it shows that he still makes bad decisions.

I love defiance in front of overwhelming odds. Even in evil characters.

It's my inner Gorumite showing.

B.T.W., who replaced Gorum?

The rules on Siege Weapons in Ultimate Combat are as clear as mud.

My question, who in the crew for a Siege engine needs the Exotic Weapon Proficiency Feat?

Lord Fyre wrote:

What Pathfinder 2nd really needs is a conversion/update of the Technology Guide (including feats!)

We are. Didn't you hear? :D

I did. However, the feats from the Technology Guide, specifically

Have no equivalence in Starfinder 2nd Edition. So, yes, some conversion information is still going to be needed.

Perhaps a 3PP could step up?

What Pathfinder 2nd really needs is a conversion/update of the Technology Guide (including feats!)

What others said- copyright woes, etc etc.

But, that being said, it is stupidly easy to convert to PF2R stats using the GM Core. Especially with the new NPC book coming out.
I'm running Skull & Shackles right now. I just read ahead on the story, and do stats on the fly with Monster Core (and some of Bestiaries) and stat charts from GM Core. Easy as pie. Having a great time.

Spell selection can still be a pain in the arse.

Real-world armies are thousands and tens of thousands rather than hundreds, but fantasy nations, both in literature and in games, tend to have tiny populations. I calculated that the entire Ironfang Legion could have at most ten thousand individuals.

Actually, real world armies in the Middle Ages tend to be a lot smaller then most people realize. 500-1,000 men would have been considered a large force.

Larger set piece battles did occur (The Siege of Antioch (1097 C.E.) had a Crusader force of 40,000 men!), but they were quite rare, and usually ruinous for both sides.

Creatures that rise from mortal souls, like demons or angels or the like, are already judged and do not go to the boneyard. When they die, their physical bodies decay (unless they have supernatural death things going on in their stats) and their souls accrete into the physicality of an associated outer plane, becoming quintessence that makes up those planes (in a parallel way to how mortal creature remains break down into matter that then becomes a part of the world, be it soil or fossils or oil or whatever), and all that quintessence is eventually recycled back into Creation's Forge to provide the building blocks for brand new souls.

There's not really an "afterlife" for demons or angels or the like, because they're already there and generally immortal, barring death from violence or misadventure or the like.

The amount of time it takes for a dead demon or whatever to be fully "recycled" and thus beyond the point of being resurrected or otherwise brought back to life varies on all sorts of circumstances that basically boil down to "if the GM wants them to be able to be brought back, and if the spell in question can bring back someone who's been dead for a short enough period of time that they can still be affected by said spell, then there's still time."

Given Arushalae"s special status, what plane would her essence merge with?

Lord Fyre wrote:

The reason the Drow are incompatible with Pathfinder 2E Remaster has everything to do with OGL 1.1

I understand that, but I'm not worried about WotC coming and arresting me for running Second Darkness at home with Drow.

Maybe you should be …

The AP has as much to do with Elves and their relationship with Drow as it does with the plot to destroy the world, so removing the Drow makes this a very different campaign.

Very much so. Unfortunately, the surface elves were written very poorly in this AP, so it may not matter.

Lord Fyre wrote:

Kelseus wrote:

I do have all of book 4 converted, I just need to take the time to post it here.

Remaster does very little to affect this AP, except that Drow are not part of Remaster.

True, but given that the EVIL Dark Elves are central to the Adventure Path, that's kind of a big obstacle.

The Serpentfolk are really different. How much of the story needs rewritten?

Books 1, 2, and 6 would be relatively easy to just swap out Drow for Serpentfolk, but the other 3 books are pretty heavy with the Drow stuff. Other than not being printed in Remaster books, there is nothing about Drow that make them incompatible with Remaster, at least not any more than any other monster that hasn't been converted

The reason the Drow are incompatible with Pathfinder 2E Remaster has everything to do with OGL 1.1

I do have all of book 4 converted, I just need to take the time to post it here.

Remaster does very little to affect this AP, except that Drow are not part of Remaster.

True, but given that the EVIL Dark Elves are central to the Adventure Path, that's kind of a big obstacle.

The Serpentfolk are really different. How much of the story needs rewritten?

Thassilonian magic REALLY does not get broken down very cleanly and clearly to the PCs in like the first three/four books. You've got some time before it becomes an issue. And even then... just call it rune magic or sin magic, it really doesn't have as much plot-wise to do with the old schools as you might think, the sin is far more important.

The Runelords didn't like Divination, that is fine, divination is still a word used for attempts to look into the future, it doesn't need to be a school of magic to still be a relevant term to the story.

I am running Rise of the Runelords in 2e, almost done book 2 and it has literally not even come up.

Honestly, I love Rise of the Runelords, to me this is one of the most Pathfinder-y Pathfinder campaigns. It defined so much about modern Golarion, it is iconic to the history of Pathfinder and TTRPGs overall.

Also, you don't have to do a lot of work to convert things, as many others feel the same way and have already done most of the work:
Rise of the Runelords 2e

Actually, if one uses PF2 Legacy then to schools remain the same (though PF2 broke Conjuration).

Is the Rise Of The Runelords too "old" for a Pathfinder 2E conversion?

Related to that, would the structure of Thassilonian Magic mean that this AP is would be impossible to convert under the Remaster?

I notice that you never converted the Campaign Traits to Backgrounds.

Dragonchess Player wrote:

Re: Ruins of Azlant

The GM should (personally, I'd say it's almost "must") tell the players in advance that much of the AP will be underwater and make the appropriate choices (race, class/archetype, etc.). For example, if someone wants to focus on ranged combat, they should go with the bolt ace gunslinger and an underwater crossbow rather than the "normal" longbow/composite longbow; or a cavalier should take the ghost rider archetype so they can manifest and dismiss the mount as needed (probably Order of the Beast to be able to switch mount types between land and aquatic at 8th level); spellcasters should look at the psychic classes (no verbal components).

eh.

I dunno.

Like, I wouldn't allow my players' PCs in a Ruins game to be a water-breathing race. Maybe if there's a new PC in like... Book 4+ then maybe?

Part of the character growth in Ruins, and I think this is really well done, is that the PCs are progressively getting into the water. A party of locathahs and aquatic elves hopping off a boat to colonize an island is great and all, but doesn't agree with the PCs' storyline, or the plot, or anything, really.

In that case check out ... Rebuilt Gilmen.

Because It's The End Of The World!

Dragonchess Player wrote:

sort of like the entwined succubi statuettes that appear every so often.

I thought we knew their provenance?

New people are still coming into Pathfinder.

Okay, I watched the vast majority of that video. (I skipped some parts in the middle because they got too detailed about the rules and their implications.) Most of the comments I could make about it are so obvious, I won't bother. (Also, I'm afraid some of my comments might look bad out of context and might get my post deleted.)

I told you that it would be hard to believe.

I was actually alive in 1976 (I was 12), and I still have trouble believing it.

This has to be seen to believe. [38 minutes]

Scarablob wrote:

Lord Fyre wrote:

From an "in world" perspective, either side actually winning would make the victorious country a threat to their other neighbors.

Would it? Beyond their rivalry, neither country seems expansionist in the least, they both seems quite content in their position. I would expect that if one side "won" and absorbed the other, they would then spend decades if not century "integrating" it into their territory to secure an absolute victory with no possibility of rebellion, but that they would afterward remain mostly isolationist, trading with the rest of the world but not bothering trying to invade or conquer them.

After all, the reason of the conflict don't seems to be a power or land grab, but a mere ego war. They both could invade much "easier" neighbor to deal with if they actually wanted to expand, instead of focussing on the one neighboring country with a mastery of magic that rival theirs.

Geb's behavior as a state might be well-modeled as an extension of Geb's (the man's) personality (though even that isn't a sure thing; he's more active recently than he has been in past centuries), but Nex's government isn't headed by an eternal and unchanging leader and must be modeled by its neighbors as if it was a rational actor. That rational actor is kept from turning on its weaker neighbors not out of any policy of forbearance, but out of fear that if it was to turn its attention north or east its rival would plunge a dagger into its back from the south. But if that rational actor was to achieve hegemony by neutralizing its rival, it would be an unconscionable threat to its neighbors even if individual leaders might momentarily forbear to act on that threat. And Nex's neighbors are quite weak in comparison and have reason to fear Nex: Jalmeray is former Nexian territory and is currently a colonial holding of a distant power which may or may not be able or willing to defend it against Nexian irredentism. Katapesh is having internal troubles and is not in...

Katapesh and, especially, Jalmeray have resources that could be quite useful to Nex, if freed from the need to constantly defend against Geb.

I feel like, from a worldbuilding perspective, either side actually winning in a geb vs nex war would end up making golarion "worse" because the existence of the two country feels more interesting than either of the two winning over the other (or crumbling onto itself).

From an "in world" perspective, either side actually winning would make the victorious country a threat to their other neighbors.

An AP where PCs explore some of the alternate Golarions depicted in the Godsrain Prophecies.

Or, … just an AP with a theme of exploring the "unknown." (Why I am sad that Serpent's Skull didn't quite work out.)

I'm noticing this pattern.

Book 1 introduces NPC side character allies
Book 2 never references them again, and introduces new allies
Book 3 never references them again, and introduces new allies

You usually only have the main NPC questgiver that stays around.

Would it be difficult to have follow through on these characters without them being GMPCs following you everywhere (like the hated Sakuachi in Gatewalkers)?

That is a logical consequence of the three books being written concurrently, not sequentially. Though in fairness, the early PF1 Adventure Paths did a better job with continuing NPC.

I think that's more true for some region than for others. Cheliax have an incredibly strong hook with the infernal rule, it being an overt evil empire, etc, having an AP happen here that isn't centered around these elements feels weird, because it ignore the blatant "adventure hook" that's present here. Likewise for mendev before the worldwound was closed, it would have felt really weird to have an AP here that's not directly about the worldwound when it was still open, because any other plothook would have to compete with the armies of demons the player know are knocking next door.

I think you just described the core problem with Council Of Thieves (not that it didn't have a few others).

UnArcaneElection wrote:

Dragonchess Player wrote:

No, it's just a different story that has no connection with Xotani, Nefeshti, or the fallen warshard; and adding mythic to a "protacted people's war" is like cracking an egg with a sledgehammer.

Actually, other than Paizo's reluctance to do any more 6 part APs(*), why not have the 2 plot threads interact? It would be highly likely to happen spontaneously, given the events happening simultaneously in roughly the same region.

(*)Maybe the way to do this would be as 2 3 part APs that are fairly linked together, but have room for different or partially overlapping PC groups to be in each -- after all, it's not as if that doesn't happen spontaneouly to some extent in the PbPs I used to follow on these boards in considerable numbers.

Because trying to tell two stories (unless they are very closely related) in a single AP runs the risk of a "bait and switch" like Second Darkness (start running a gambling operation in Riddleport, but then have to save the elves, who treat the PCs poorly, and the rest of world) or a "disappearing circus" like Extinction Curse (where the PCs basically have to abandon what was their primary focus to deal with the "real" story). Many PCs created for a "protracted people's war" will end up asking why they should care about some genies or a volcano far from the "important" parts of Katapesh.

Even if the stories are closely intertwined in an AP, it can still have problems - Council of Thieves for instance.

[Not to get too political]

Why do I have a sudden desire for Post-Apocalyptic games?

It depends,
Is it a large staff
… or just a publicist and a girl-friday.

This week we take a look at making monsters for Starfinder 2e, starting with the ubiquitous space goblin!

https://solorunstudio.com/2024/11/03/starfinder-2e-space-goblin/

That's the easy part.

For the real challenge, make a Space Goblin Heritage for Starfinder 2E, with supporting racial feats.

If you want her to be so, I don't see why not.

So, if she survives, I have a player likely to be interested.

Question: is the lovely half-elf (The Half-Dead City, p54) a suitable romance target for a young hero?

Nostalgia?! I just got here! Really though, I won't be done with this game for a long time. I'm in a round-robin scenario where every few months we switch campaigns and GMs and it's awesome. Also, yeah I'm glad I came here after most of the trolls and such left. Now it's just a chill place where I can talk about my favorite thing ever, PF1e. And occasionally add mediocre additions to fun lists.

I'm still here.

Master Pugwampi wrote:

Rysky wrote:

Thank you Wumpums *glomps and cuddles*

Nut bunnies.

*sigh*

Missed you boss.

Missed you too, Wumpums ^w^

Aim better!

Now that you say that, there might be even less people on this site when you take multiple accounts into....account.

Actually, isn't this all "sock puppets" of one person?

I'm quite familiar with PF2 and how it plays. If my GM regularly pitted our party against multiple (!) level +2 or higher "boss" creatures or characters, then we'd all be dejected hamburger meat as well.

It's not you or your tactics. It's not the game system or its math. It's the GM appearing to not understand the basic fundamentals of the game.

A big question becomes "does the GM realize the problem?"