Lord Snow's page

the description text claims this is an adventure for 16th level PCs- is this true? is PF going high level?

for verious unfortunate reasons, I find myself being forced to cancel my PFRPG subscripton for the time. leave my AP subscription as it is.
-thanking you for your continual patince and great customer service, and hope to be able to support you again,
Lord Snow

when I have subscribed to the PFRPG product line I also formed a new shipping addres for it, diffrent from the one I used so far. from some reason, the system ignored the change and the core rulebook was sent here:
2228 Kittyhawk Dr
Plano, TX 75025-6071

when as a fact I wanted it to get there:
P.O box 75
Ein Vered
Zip Code 40696
Isreal

having discoverd the mistake only recently I ask that the proper changes would be made, and that the bestiary (Order #1270670) be sent to the correct addres.
-thanks!

question: I am just about to run a Savage Tide adventure path, and am considering to use this adventure as a mini "sidetrack" that will occur before the events that are described in "There Is No Honor". would I be easily able weave it into the area of the Cursed Shores?
any suggestion and comment would be useful.
-thanks!

for me? it is neither. while I love many of the changes and additions made to 3.5 in the PFRPG rules, and Golarion is a solid published campign, detailed and large, none of them are worth 50$ as they are. it's the style I like. Im young and new to the game (it seems evreyone here has played for five thousand years and playtested the first edition of the game, while I can count only six years of mildly intensive D&D), and was used to the rather crappy products of WotC. when I was introduced to the wonderful, flavorful, grimmy world of PF in the form of the CotCT AP, I knew gaming will never be the same again. since than I am hooked to the mature, realistic style that PF excels in.

Mr. Jacobs, thank you very much for your swift and detailed answear. details like those you shared are exactly the helpful kind of things that can help me (as a DM) and others to understand not only Paizos' way of work but also the feeling of Golarion.

I assumed from the beginning (and fully agree) that the porpuse of humanizing the world was to create familiarty and sympathy with the audiance (who are, hopefuly, at least mostly human...).
however, this approach does create some gaping holes in the inner logic of the campign setting. even though the human are dominant, they mostly treat other races as equels and the issiue of a "ruling race" is never addresed. I mean, it dosent seem that anyone living in Golarion cares about things being that way. hack, it might look like nobody even noticed.
when the european folk came to afrika, extreme xenophobia made them alienate the locals and tag them as "barely human". their technological superiority and better organizition lead to slavery. would it be so strange if humans would teat races that are actually not human like they sometime treat humans with a diffrent skin color? dosent seem far fatched at all to me... so why is there no referance to the humans being so obviously powerful over other races?
thanks again!

There is something which I have noticed and followed for some time now, about the population of Golarion. it seems (when considering the sheer amount of human NPCs in moduls and APs and PF journals etc.) that mankind are the dominant spicies on Golarion (not like we are in real life earth since there are many more civilaistions aside ours, but still). in another thread James Jacobs said that it is so (confirming my suspicion) and added that it was porpusfully so.
my I ask why? and do people like it that way? because I personally enjoy worlds where humanity is bet one of many and humans are not that important. feels more fantastic, somehow.

I'm talking about all those feats that grant you a bonus for a specific skill. let's look at Acrobatic for a moment. the rulebook reads:
Benefit: You get a +2 bonus on all Acrobatics and Fly
skill checks. If you have 10 or more ranks in one of these
skills, the bonus increases to +4 for that skill.

the formula repeats itself in all of them, but I find the entire "if you have 10 ranks you get a further +2 bonus". what exactly does this means?
if I have 9 ranks in fly skill, and aqcuire the Acrobatic feat. I should only get a +2 (my rank is lower than 10), but after the +2 is caulculated I have +11, which supposedly gives me acses to the +4 bonus. furthermore, what if I take the feat, and than three levels later my fly rank reaches 10? will I get the extra +2 than? or does this extra bonus is only avilable if you had 10 or more ranks upon choosing the feat?

I am a little concerned about this volume of CoT. the overall qualty is great, intreducing a great plot and some awesome new creatures, splendid encounters and fantastic art- Iv'e come to expect those from Paizo, so I see no need to further comment about them. evreyone knows they are there.
I do, however, feel that things are being a little rushed. huge XP awards ensure that the PCs will scale up level with no need to actually fight through many encounters to achive it. I mean, 1,200 XP award for compleating the first encounter?
I mean, think about it. in CotCs' EoA the players faced 7 major encounter areas (spoiler):

as well as verious random encounters. SDs SitS had a similar number of encounters. in Bastards, wev'e got three. seems like there is barely any action going on.

why is the main adventure so... short?

I, as well as many others as it seems, would be very excited to take part in the CoT AP as a player. add my name to the pool.
just to be completly fair though, I know a thing or two about the plot already-

if that bothers you, maybe you should not allow my to play...

Lord Snow wrote:

hello
I have just now attempted to subscribe to the PF roleplaying game and had to stop halfway throught the order.
while trying to change the shipping addres a screen with the estimated shipping time of each of the products I should expect to have from my subscription. however, I found that the following entry:

1x Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook (OGL)
1x Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook (OGL) Hardcover

as if they were two diffrent products, each with its own price and shipping rate. just to prevent future misunderstandings: I wish to have a single hardcover copy of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook through my subscription alongside with the matching free PDF file. how shall I counter the problem?
-thanks!

You do not currently have a subscription to the Pathfinder RPG, nor do you have a preorder. Therefore, you will need to create your subscription and complete the ordering process. I'm not sure what the above display is referring to, however, you will need to complete an order for the subscription to get any book at all.

...and you will want to get your order in soon (as in today or tomorrow), since the first print run is nearly completely sold out.

thanks,
cos

-thanks a lot for your time!

James Jacobs wrote:

That's not an indication of "elves being dumb" though. It's an indication, honestly, of the game not handling mass combat well. If you want to have a huge elven invasion of the Land of Black Blood, go for it! That's just not something we could really handle the scale of in a single volume of Pathfinder, and it runs the risk of robbbing the PCs of the opportunity of being the heroes of the whole AP.

No matter what the metagame reason for it, it does produce the strong impression that the elves are idiots and not worth saving. This is damaging to the emotional impact of the game.

A couple of alternative suggestions:

Allevrah has done a bang-up job of sealing off the Land of Black Blood so that no one can get there. One of the adventures provides a means whereby the PCs can get there, but they have to go RIGHT NOW and don't have time to head for Kyonin to get help. (Alicavness' Demon Lady is the Mistress of Gates, so having her involved here makes a lot of sense to me.)

This didn't work for us at _Armageddon_ because it wasn't made clear to the PCs that they had to go right now, but I think it can be made to work, and would avoid the dreaded mass combat (which I totally agree is undesirable).

Or--a suggestion due to my frustrated player--the Elves _do_ send a team to take out Allevrah. They don't want PC help; this is an internal Elven matter. But then that team fails--it would be good to sketch in the reasons why; I suggest internal treachery--and there is no time for anyone else but the PCs to act.

Or--at some point, an NPC such as Hyalin is headed for the Land of Black Blood to make Allevrah bump up the schedule. He has to be stopped _now_ or it's all over. But when the PCs get to the Land of Black Blood they are trapped there, unable to return to Kyonin for help.

Whatever the solution, for my particular group it would have been a complete game-wrecking disaster to have the Kyonin scenes at the beginnings of modules 5 and 6, because it is so hard to...

hello
I have just now attempted to subscribe to the PF roleplaying game and had to stop halfway throught the order.
while trying to change the shipping addres a screen with the estimated shipping time of each of the products I should expect to have from my subscription. however, I found that the following entry:

1x Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook (OGL)
1x Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook (OGL) Hardcover

as if they were two diffrent products, each with its own price and shipping rate. just to prevent future misunderstandings: I wish to have a single hardcover copy of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook through my subscription alongside with the matching free PDF file. how shall I counter the problem?
-thanks!

So my brave PCs have done cleaning the monastery and they did it quite well, except for one little faliure: they have allowed King Mokknok to escape and lost his trail. no two days have past since than and they are already nosing around the edges of Kalmarane. I am looking for the best way to use king Mokknok against them, something nesty and evil that he will cause to teach them Pugwampis should be feared.
anyhow, I thought that maybe he will elart the gnolls of Kelmarane to the presence of the PCs, or maybe hell just stick around the monastery doing harm (I thought of having him murdering the old camal caretakers/cooks, but that just seemed sadistic).

if any idea comes to your mind, please. do share it with me. I want to make the little royal basterd something memorable.

the product description reads: "by Paizo stuf". does this mean that what it sounds like (all of the stuff working togather to make the adventure) or that a writer havnt been assienged yet?

Just wanted to say one thing: please stop inventing new races all the time. its annoying and frankly rather pointless. I would truly dislike any sort of rulebook that features many new races (or many new races being added over time), since I belive the core races are more than enough.
PrCs are fine in limited quanteties, and only when the themes are cool.

Chuck Norris can kill two stones with one bird.

Chuck Norris didn’t cry when Bambys mother died.

Chuck Norris doesn’t have bags in his Windows Vista.

Jesus may have walked on water, but Chuck Norris swam in the earth.

Here is a little story about Chuck Norris:
one day a man came to Chuck and told him, "Chuck Norris, I know of a thing that you cannot accomplish."
Chuck smiled at him. "What is it, son?"
"Well", says the fool, "I bet you cant create a rock so immense you yourself could not lift it".
Grinning, Chuck Norris threatened the stone into creation, and indeed he could not lift it.
"Good", said the man, "now try to lift it."
With no effort at all, chuck did.
Do you know how he did it?

Oh.

My.

God.

I think I might just had a geekgasm. You guys are unbelievable. Just the day before I was thinking that yes, the APs are great, but the same old adventuring style is starting to get old. I hoped that maybe for the next AP I could see something different. Now, with KM AP coming... I know I'll get exactly what I wanted. Being daring and new and fresh is what I see as the greatest values of PF, and the initiative of trying to change an already successful formula of APs takes all that. Good job.

Seltiel is in for sure. Lem also sounds likely enough, and I'll bet my monie on Harsk any time. as for the fourth member of the gang... I think a rouge is called for.

I remember, two years ago in a little house, me and a couple of folks were playing D&D. our DM had this wierd house rule that said that when the time comes to roll initiative, only one person in thr group rolls, and it apllies to evrey one.
after a time, we noticed the the rouge was very lucky when it came to initiative- hence we gave the roll a new name: intiathive.
CoT reminded me of that.

oh, and first post!

Thank you for your quick replay!
This is really awesome- I think that things like this are what give your APs and modules such a special voice. The fact that the themes is there, left for the DM to interpritate and shape his own moral into the story with the powerful tools he's given makes me happier with the product than with any other adventure I've ever read.
Do you have any suggestion how to further emphasis this themes? For example, I'm planning to inflict at least one of my PCs with lycanthropy. The everlasting struggle he'll face trying to control "the beast inside" could be great. Also, one of the PCs is a cleric of Erastil, and perhaps something with the "animal" aspect of the his god's nature could be corrupted or something, into "beast".

Again, thanks a lot!

I'm now running HotCK to my players, and we are all having a great time.
Re-reading more carefully through issues 1-4 of this AP, I must say that a recurring aspect became clear to me, and that I don’t know how I have missed it before. In all of the adventures, savagery and animalistic fury takes a strong part during the course of events, and of course the legacy of Rovagug certainly prompts the same themes as well.
As it seems to me, this AP is about the deference between beasts and men, between savagery and civilization, killing and slaughtering. The gnolls, the Unchosen gnolls, father Jackal (who is a villain because he is no more than a jackal- a beast- in a mans' skin) and Dashki are all dine examples of this idea. I am planning to give it a really important role in my game, because I believe that morals are an important part of each story, and am very delighted to have such a wonderful topic to discus about with my friends.

So, did anyone else notice this? Is it intentional? Will it continue to be integral in the latest to installments of the AP? Will people want it to?

P.S
sorry for my lacking english, I'm not a native speaker.

My son who is about to be 10 caused a mess with this module with his Ranger (level 2). He actually talked to the Otugyh and convinced him they were friends and would kill whatever had harmed him (hence the big boss).
It was a first as he usually does not roleplay and waits on combat. The result was the players being quite prepared for later combats with an NPC that gave them a safe haven in the sewers.
We ran this with PF#13 in a special SEWER SUNDAY that had the players very very tired of sewers and lining up in a line.

My god, Tito Leati is seak. I'm now reading through City of Broken Idols... and I can see TPK's in just about evrey other page.
I have a questionor two about some of the encounters, though.

1. If chief Achcauhtlis' (area 3) melee section of the stat block says what I think it does, than he can attack nine times during a single turn using a full attack action. nine times. am I sane, or am I wrong?

2. (area 1): "The Wastrilith is bound to Kahla... allows the aspect to obsevre... and use him as a focus for his spell like abilties..."
when using this abilties, should I use the DCs as if they were used by the Wastrilith or by the aspect?

At least for DM's it is.
the following spoiler tag should ward off any reader who is yet to know the details of the module.
Now:

-thanks!

hello
I would really like to take part as a player in a RotRL PBP campign, and if any is runing I would appricate joining it.
is there a RotRL DM looking for players\who dosent mind adding another one to his group?
-thanks!

Lord Snow wrote:

I read most of EoE today, and found it hard to believe that this is Nelson's first serious published material. the module is solid, interesting an cool. The cat Spooky is maybe the most awesome familiar ever.
And, of curse, dagger throwing water chicks are always welcome in my game :)
So congregations, Jason Nelson, and god speed in your future endeavors.
BTW, does anybody know if more superstars will be writing PF adventures?

Jason's actually had a few adventures published in Dungeon, and has worked on several other Paizo projects for us as well (such as the hardcover PCCS and the Osirion Companion).

so, I never took part in a PBP yet, and am looking forward to start playing.
Now, I don't now anything about the PBPs here in Paizo, and I would like to know a two things:
First, where could I find games?
Second, is there a possibility of joining games that already started?

I read most of EoE today, and found it hard to believe that this is Nelson's first serious published material. the module is solid, interesting an cool. The cat Spooky is maybe the most awesome familiar ever.
And, of curse, dagger throwing water chicks are always welcome in my game :)
So congregations, Jason Nelson, and god speed in your future endeavors.
BTW, does anybody know if more superstars will be writing PF adventures?

So... readin the blog today, I couldn't help but notice a very Big red dragon tail slapping poor Velaros. guess there's a dragon in LoF now, too.

The Battle Market scene could be the most problematic part of the adventure, since as mentioned above; all PCs should be there for the final showdown against the gnolls.
However, simply dropping all of the battle markets' combatants at the PCs at the same time as heavily not recommended, since battles with more than a dozen NPCs at the same time tend to be tiresome and unsuccessful even when you only have 4 or 5 PCs, not nine. the best advice that I can give is boosting up the levels\hit dice of key NPCs such as that Ogre whose name I don't recall right now, and maybe even give all the gnolls the stats used for 1 level ranger gnolls in House of the Beast.
During the body of the adventure there is less of a problem. Send a group of PCs to work on the set piece, while the other is exploring Kalmarane. After that, as suggested above, alternate groups of PCs through different roles as explorers, aggressors against the gnolls of Kalmarane and guardians in the monastery- all of the PCs shall have plenty to do

good 'nuff fer me, laddie!

wait... if there is no good dragon in the LoF AP and the Council of Thieves AP outline, does that mean you guys already know what will the next AP be about and what key NPCs will we see there? thats nice...

I realize that it is important to the Paizo stuff to include at least a single dragon in each of the APs- and I love it. I think that dragons give a sweet and classic taste to the stories when they are not overused.
However, I am really starting to expect a good aligned dragon NPC to come along sometime. Battling dragon beddies is all very well, but I imagine that they are not the only dragons with significant influence on event. I would really enjoy seeing one in the LoF AP, since I'm going to run it. I understand it might be too late to make changes now, but maybe a good dragon could have a place in Council of Thieves?
Does anyone feel like me? If you do, Aye for metallic dragons!

Class: Human Wizard (illusionist) 7 and Fighter 2/Ghoul 5 (from Libris Mortis, side quest stuff. Don't ask :P)

Instead of changing the character you had in mind, why won't you speak with your GM and ask him to change Tempest? The powers she grants could quite easily be swapped with others, more suiting for your character. I, as a GM who is about to start running this campaign, would have very certainly done so.

But that's just how I personally see genies though: great power, but tons of rules upon rules waiting to trip you up.

Sounds like an entry point to me: I would love to play a genie sorcerer stuck in one of the other PC's ring...

Tons of role play potential there.

Lord Snow wrote:

obviously, playing a genie right from the start of the campign is not possible, but since PCs are going to die in HotB, new characters of high levels can easily be maid. I can certanly think of at least one of my players wishing to play a genie in LoF. do you think it could work well with the campign? furthermore, since I avert reading the campign outline and avoid spoilering to myself the next advetures I do not know- will a genie PC gratley alter a plot element?
- thanks!

I personally think it will be one of those things that alters the feel of the campaign. If the PCs are just as other-worldly as the NPCs, where's the sense of wonder or the "it's us lowly mortals against powerful magical forces of the universe" feel in the campaign?

my gods, what is wrong with your barbarian?! that insane killing spree that you discribed is, well... insane. I had to laugh when I read it.

obviously, playing a genie right from the start of the campign is not possible, but since PCs are going to die in HotB, new characters of high levels can easily be maid. I can certanly think of at least one of my players wishing to play a genie in LoF. do you think it could work well with the campign? furthermore, since I avert reading the campign outline and avoid spoilering to myself the next advetures I do not know- will a genie PC gratley alter a plot element?
- thanks!

A slave lord travels across the desert to reach Katapesh, and calls it a night in a great oasis. One of the lords dearly purchased whores wonders a bit into the surrounding sands, and suddenly notices a big camel, sitting on rock and crying, holding a map of the land with a pair of his legs. The whore approaches the camel and sais, "Oh poor thing, are you lost? The oasis is right over there!"
The camel looks up at her and then cries with alarm, "Oh my gods- a talking woman!"

just wanted to say this module is crazy. while most of the pyramid is not that great, IMHO, the digsite subotage and the finalle of the adventure are awesome. the pyramid is the bulk of the advanture, though, which is regretable.

in part three, its said that there is a gnoll ranger with a peck of heyanas guarding the gates of Kelmarane (area b9, IIRC), but the creatures section describes a pair of gnolls with heyenas. which is to be used?

as always, it's a really cool cover. I really liked the camel appearing there. That nearly naked girl riding on it reminds me of a really funny joke from Terry Pritchett's' "moving picture".
BTW, the jinni looks weird- one of his arms is less muscular than the other.

Wow, is that lady going to fight that glabrezu using a board with nails in it? She must be pretty bad ass...

BTW, is there a more recent estimate about the actual time when the real cover will come up? February is long past...

If your party is still runing through EFOK, I would recommand using the Arkonas as a source for the new hand. perhaps, one of them promises to fix it if the PC's will support him and get rid of his brother\sister. perhaps one of them could were the form of an angle of the Paldins' god\goddes, and then pretend to cure him by grafting him a cursed hand that will later do something evil (potencial for a cool side quest) such as guiding his weapon to strike the innocent (against his will, obviously).

They're too high level for it. I'll just get new ones.

is there a new module format that I am not aware of?
as far as I understand, the modules are supposed to be categorized into D, U J ETC. from some reason, there is no lettering there. I presume Carrion Hill is a U. am I right?

It's blackscour. I'll send you some ironbloom mushrooms.