Mark Hart's page

Looking over the Starfinder rules, I wonder about the effect of how combat maneuvers are handled. As opposed to Pathfinder, making a combat maneuver attack is rolled against the target's KAC plus 8.

This seems prohibitively high of a target number to me; lower level characters will almost never attempt CMs because their success rate will be so low compared to making a standard attack. I also wonder if using KAC is the best measure of determining the target number--it includes armor bonus, which under most circumstances shouldn't make someone harder to trip, for example.

On the plus side, this method makes calculating the target number very simple, which is helpful. But does this make combat maneuvers a poor tactical choice overall? Even against an unarmed opponent, the target number will be 18. A 1st-level character with 17 Strength and +1 BAB will only have a 30% chance of success with a combat maneuver. Simply stabbing or bludgeoning that same unarmored target has a 60% chance of success.

There are a few feats characters can take to make CMs more feasible, but does this come at too high a cost to the character?

Is KAC + 8 too high? Anyone have any actual in-game experience with combat maneuvers in Starfinder? My campaign hasn't started yet, so I can't unequivocally state whether CMs are a problem area or not.

Thoughts?

Yes, we're reprinting ALL of the launch products, and hope to have them in house in about 10 weeks (give or take).

In the meantime, you should still be able to get them at your local game store, on Amazon.com, or in bookstores, where they might not be sold out just yet.

Maybe.

I think it's fair to say customer interest exceeded our demands on this line. We printed aggressively, but we did not print aggressively enough.

Not being in the publishing business, on the surface that sounds like a good problem to have (at least preferable to the reverse)...

The binding on my "special edition" STARFINDER core rulebook seems oddly loose. I can't tell if this is the way the binding was designed or if there's actually a flaw in my copy. Has anyone else experienced/seen this?

The Kickstarter for The Fighter Folio and 5e Condition Cards by Total Party Kill Games is in its final days!

Fight for glory... fight for honor... but know HOW to fight!

Total Party Kill Games presents The Fighter Folio, a player and GM sourcebook compatible with the fifth edition (5E) of the Dungeons & Dragons tabletop roleplaying game. Also included is a gorgeous set of our 5E condition cards, giving you four of every condition, including the ones from TPK's hugely popular Fifth Edition Options title.

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Recovery Dice Options for 5E D&D

Within 5E Dungeons & Dragons (TM), Recovery Dice—otherwise known as Hit Dice—allow a character to recover hit points without the need for healing potions or cure wounds spells. This serves to extend the adventuring day by delaying the party’s need to return to civilization, which in turn allows characters to continue exploring dungeons, looting crypts, and slaying monsters. As described in the core rules, Recovery Dice represent a fire-and-forget healing system requiring minimal bookkeeping. As a result, most players tend to forget about Recovery Dice in the middle of a fight. But no more...

Recovery Dice Options, by Total Party Kill Games, takes the concept and runs with it. Rather than relegating Recovery Dice to the role of emergency healing, this sourcebook provides a range of optional ways for characters to use this mechanic. These options extend this game mechanic far beyond the realm of healing, allowing them to tap into these reserves of inner strength. Does your barbarian desperately need another rage? Could your wizard benefit from regaining a spent spell slot? Desperately need to shake off a condition afflicting your character so you can prevent a TPK? This 30-page sourcebook provides a wealth of options for use with your Recovery Dice, your well of inner strength.

So spend those Recovery Dice like a hero!

Available at Paizo.

The Kickstarter is live for The Fighter Folio and 5e Condition Cards by Total Party Kill Games.

Fight for glory... fight for honor... but know HOW to fight!

Total Party Kill Games presents The Fighter Folio, a player and GM sourcebook compatible with the fifth edition (5E) of the Dungeons & Dragons tabletop roleplaying game. Also included is a gorgeous set of our 5E condition cards, giving you four of every condition, including the ones from TPK's hugely popular "Fifth Edition Options" title.

Check out the Kickstarter now!

Mike was the editor at DRAGON who I had regular contact with. He was warm, funny, smart as hell, and he always made time for contributors. He was truly a Class Act. You will be missed, Mike.

Best of luck to everyone this round. I'm looking forward to seeing the maps that people came up with.

Hope you have an awesome weekend!

My players were nearly defeated by the Chelish Armada last night...

That is a heck of an epic line right there!

Hey Guys! There isn't an automated process on our end for submissions, and I apologize if it was unclear that a human was over here confirming emails. But, I've gotten through all the submissions in the contest inbox and you should have all gotten confirmations if you sent anything in last night/this morning :)

Many thanks for your help and effort. I appreciate the personal touch -- an automated response system just isn't all that exciting.

Finising feels pretty damn good, for as hellish as trying to get there was.

Now, I wait...

...this isn't getting any easier, either.

Serious question: For those that got confirmation emails, how long did you need to wait?

Got mine about 5 minutes ago. I submitted last night about 9:30 PM (CST).

It comes from a Real Person, rather than an automated system (Chris Lambertz).

Count me among those who have sent in their map entry...

Can't bear to look at it any more, so I submitted it.

Best of luck to everyone else!

This is going to be a fun ride!

RPGSS is one of those things where the journey is a big part of the enjoyment (although the destination is a hoot, too).

As a demon lord I have an ethical obligation to crush your souls. It's just that simple really.

And we thank you for it...

An item that uses good writing, an intriguing concept, and neat execution to grab my attention

----------------------------------------------------------------------< The Line

An item that grabs my attention for the sake of grabbing my attention

A designer can't necessarily see The Line, but it is crucial that he knows when he's crossed it.

I have learned that an idea, concept, or theme that may seem interesting or intriguing by itself can become irritating when that idea is placed among a dozen or so that are similar.

I have found that my tolerance for "ick" or "gross" is lower than I realized; too many gross-out items in a row left me queasy.

"Ho ho ho! What? I thought this was the Island of Misfit Toys."

"No, Santa, this is the Island of Toys from Razor Coast." [snikt]

Incidentally, what was wrong with the dolly?

Strangely enough, I recently heard someone else ask that same question...

Maybe she's hiding some sort of deep trauma?

I wonder how much the voting in the last few days actually matters.

I had a similar question -- how much shuffling of the order is done in the last few days of voting?

I hit "Dedicated" earlier this week, and it came as somewhat of a surprise -- I wasn't sure I'd have the stamina to go from 100 votes to 500.

Only got to see my item once so far...

I have found that there is a cumulative "ugh" effect after reading through a dozen or so items that feature a high "ick" factor. It just gets to be too much...

PLEASE what do I do!!! Where can I get them re-bonded or fixed?

If you purchased your books at a game store and have a good relationship with the owner, sometimes he/she will let you trade in a book with a bad binding.

Another alternative is to contact Paizo customer support and explain the issues. I've had similar problems before (not with Paizo books, but with other RPG books and companies), and every time I've asked for replacements I have gotten them -- sometimes I've paid the shipping for the new books, sometimes not.

Given how wonderfully responsive Paizo customer support has always been, I do not doubt that they will get back in touch with you with some solutions.

Good luck!

I wish to extend my deepest thanks to the judges for their time and effort during the contest! Your feedback has been tremendously helpful and offered some great teaching moments.

I look forward to everyone's feedback or comments about this organization, and I hope to win your vote.

Alkwraith wrote:

So when my mother-in-law (she lives with us so she has to put up with the gaming group once or twice a month) told me about RPG Superstar 18 months ago, just in time to get an item in for RPG Superstar 2011, I went for it.

Burning Question: How did she find out about it?

I had the exact same question come to mind!

I’m a 44 year old going on 14, most days…

Same here! Welcome to the club!

I feel like the people around me are all these mature adults whom I embarass with my very presence. In RPG Superstar, I picture Round 2 feeling like a party where I'm some kid who got invited due to a clerical error and everyone's going to look at me and say "How'd he get in here?" and I'm going to say "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to...

The inner critic can be a harsh taskmaster...

Not that my opinion counts any more than anyone else's, but having read your wondrous item submission, I see absolutely no reason why you can't or won't advance to the next round -- you made it through Round 1, but not through any mistake or oversight. I really look forward to seeing your organization for this next round!

Perhaps the ability of the community to do design in the wondrous item space is exhausted and Paizo needs to consider a new first round option for next year.

I wondered myself what might happen if the first round of the next RPGSS involved something different than a wondrous item. Not being a judge, and not being someone who has to churn through hundreds of entries, I can't say what the best alternative might be.

RPGs and boardgames are fairly popular here in Finland...

I'm curious; are you are aware if there are translations of Pathfinder materials available? I haven't heard of any, but your post got me to thinking about this question.

My entry into RPGSS took a slightly unusual road.

Middle of last year, I made the decision that I had played my last game of a certain set of fantasy RPG rules. I wasn't sure what system to switch to: HERO, FantasyCraft, or Pathfinder. I already owned the Core Rulebook and the Game Mastery book (I appreciate beautiful books, and Paizo creates beautiful books).

In the midst of that, I received an e-mail from Paizo announcing the release of the Tome of Horrors Complete. I had owned the original TOH when it came out, and always thought it a fantastic bestiary. Since I love collecting large RPG books, I ordered the TOM Complete (which is an absolutely incredible book). When the book arrived, it included a small catalog -- the 2011-2012 Paizo catalog.

I spent more than a little time paging through that booklet, and in the end decided to climb on board the Pathfinder ship wholeheartedly. The game had me hooked, and it felt like coming home again.

That's about when the announcement for RPGSS 2012 came out. It seemed fortuitous timing, and I wanted to submit for the contest. It helped me to learn the rules better and more completely, and it was fun. And, as Jacob Trier pointed out, it has proven to be an educational experience.

I hope to continue on in the contest into successive rounds. I am eagerly looking forward to the big "reveal" for this next round, and I hope to have the chance to continue competing. It has been tremendous fun and a great challenge so far.

I had to go back and look at your item again. I hadn't originally given much notice to your inclusion of the Golarion element in your wondrous item (i.e., crafter must worship Sarenrae). I commend you on inserting some Golarion flavor into your item without needing to call it out in the item's description, or going overboard on it. The item's powers fit great with Sarenrae's portfolio, and they meld together quite well.

That was one element I went back and forth on with regards to my own entry -- to include some bit of Golarion into the item or not.

Mark, I like this item a lot -- perhaps not surprisingly since it reminds me of my own haunting glass, in that it introduces a less-used set of rules and has a similar recharging mechanism. I really like the cage as your choice for the item itself

I loved your wondrous item; I enjoy the haunt mechanic, and I think you did a great job shining some light on that part of the game.

You could become an even bigger threat in future rounds if... as I suspect you already plan to, you move away from niche mechanics for the voting rounds.

That's an affirmative. Now, hopefully I didn't go the wrong direction with my organization...

Great work, Mark! You took something that I know I had to look up the rules for, and you owned it.

Congratulations, and good luck in the next round!

Thanks for the kind words and good wishes -- I'm gonna need them!

Everyone gets 8 votes, so vote for all of us! You'll even have 5 votes left over for Those Other Guys. ;)

I could use any leftover mojo that you have! :-)

A couple years later, out came the 1st boxed set. I still think fondly of the phrase, "The Keep on the Borderlands", LOL. That edition, and the ensuing switch to AD&D around that same year, sustained me through high school.

We played the heck out of that module... Every time I hear that one mentioned, I get all nostalgic.

...a reluctant switch to the 3rd Edition (…”Dammit! Where’s my THAC0!?!...”)...

It is truly rare to find someone who actually *misses* THAC0. Do you perhaps remember that "combat wheel" that came in an issue of DRAGON magazine? I knew some people who simply memorized all the combat matrices; me, I had to look them up more often than not, so THAC0 was an improvement (at the time).

I think one tough spot for me is wondering how the next round entries will be received, and what it will be like when it comes to public voting and commenting.

spellblights? We own Ultimate Magic and never heard of it. Granted I don't use the book much.

Heh, I've heard and read several people say something along those lines: "Spellblight? What the hey is that?"

But then I figured it would be easier, and probably eat up less words, to just let it affect all non-instantaneous and non-permanent area of effect spells. Maybe that was too much, but I think it would be FUN to swing a wall of fire around, or re-position a tiny hut, etc. etc.

I really enjoy items that can change the battlefield in surprising, unexpected ways, and your item does that wonderfully. This type of item is great, because of the reactions it can engender with players, and the kind of creativity that players will inevitably apply to it.

I started RP gaming back in 9th grade (about three decades ago), and haven't stopped since then. I'm blessed to have maintained a regular, reliable, and fun gaming group (the members came and went, of course) that entire time, with the exception of a hiatus during college. To me, this is what makes gaming so enjoyable -- it has introduced me to some wonderful people, many of whom are still my friends, even since high school.

I am a recent convert to Pathfinder, although I bought the Core Rulebook when it first came out, and I've been watching the game grow and attract an audience ever since that first beta playtest period. Once I made the decision to jump into PF, I did so with both feet and have found it wonderful. The game brought back so many things that I was missing, and it felt like coming home again.

This is my first year entering RPG Superstar; I knew about the competition, but never felt comfortable entering, since I didn't know much about the PF rules. The thing I love most about this competition is seeing the wonderful interactions between people on the forum boards -- respect, admiration, intelligent discussion, and fun. I also vastly appreciate the time and effort the judges have put into the contest... it is truly a fantastic learning experience.

I am really looking forward to seeing what comes next, and to seeing what happens.

In terms of design, I need to be bolder and to push into the territory beyond "good enough" and into "exceptional." I try to remind myself that fantasy is about the fantastic, and the things I create should reflect that as much as possible.

The excellent feedback I've already received on my Round 1 item has given me a number of helpful insights, and allowed me to step back and think about game design from new angles.

I've only recently converted my group over to Pathfinder, and they've started buying the books for it. I can only guess at their (overwhelmingly negative) reaction if I suddenly announced that PF2 was on its way.

Bottled Time is a great descriptive name, and it conjures up some fun ideas about what might actually be in the bottle, or how it is made. Very cool.

I loved reading your blot post about your item creation process and what went into it. I look forward to seeing you back here next year!

I can just picture the party rogue sneaking among the party's enemies to quietly attach one of these to a bad guy, all the while hoping said bad guy never notices it. This item has such an unusual and intriguing blend of benefits and penalties that I see a lot of amusing role-playing moments coming from it.

I like the connection to the goblin tribe, and the item's description. Really good visuals, and something that will confuse the heck out of characters when it is first discovered.

Good job!

I don't like wasps at all, so this item gives me a creepy feeling -- which is a testament to your descriptions and your concept. This item has a lot of flavor to it, and it exudes a unique style that really stands out. Calistria is one of those deities that has both good and bad sides to her, and this item is in perfect harmony with that dual nature.

Great job!

Mounts are, in some ways, like familiars. They've long been in the game, but they often prove problematic to the party or simply inconvenient... or they die too easily. I appreciate your item because it offers a quick solution that still allows characters to keep a beloved mount available. It solves some story problems (e.g., leaving your favorite horse tethered outside the dungeon entrance), and encourages characters to consider owning mounts.

If a few cavaliers with these items could sneak into an enemy fortress, they could provide a really impressive surprise when they return their mounts to full size, mount up, and go on the attack!

Excellent work!

This item excites me because it could easily serve as the basis for an entire campaign arc. I don't know anything about the caravan rules, so I can't really speak to those, but beyond that, this magic item gives me a number of ideas for adventures. An adventuring party would absolutely love to have one of these available to them. It also gets me thinking about what sort of surprises the previous owner may have left inside. Such an item could have a long and storied history, and that in turn sparks further adventures.

Superb idea, lots of fun!

What I appreciate most is that this item encourages and rewards teamwork, and it gives another reason for characters to select some of the teamwork feats. There are plenty of "selfish" magic items out there -- items that help the user to shine in a fight. Your shadow box helps promote the party working together and coming up with shared tactics.

Of course, DMs would also love to have their bad guys get a hold of this item. It could be an object lesson for characters who don't normally care about working together as a group when the villains demonstrate just how dangerous teamwork can be.

Wondrous work, keep it up!

I'm planning a campaign, and one of the player's has expressed a desire to create a swashbuckler archtype rogue. When I saw this item's name, I immediately had to see if she would appreciate her character having one of these. I really like the concepts you've placed into this item, and how well they fit together. The parrying cloak concept really deserves to be in the game, and I like how you handled it.

I appreciate items that help a character visualize her concept and then play out that concept in combat. It is unfortunate when a player's concept just falls flat in the heat of combat. Your wondrous item is an excellent choice and gives the swashbuckler some fun options.

Great job!

Your item is great because it brings exposure to a new, and heretofore seldom explored area of the game. Ultimate Magic is a book I really love, and it is fantastic to see someone jump in and make use of Words of Power. I admire your willingness to design an item in this arena. Like several people have commented, just reading the item makes me want to go back and read through the Words of Power section, and find ways to use them in my game.

The visuals are cinematic and really help sell the effects. The first time a character quaffs this elixir, he's going to wonder if he made the worst mistake in his life... until the power kicks in. I love items like that.

Awesome work!

This item is wonderfully creative; I immediately grasped what you were describing, and I don't recall any item that works in a similar way. Basically creates a shadow puppet display on the wall that frightens its audience, whether they want to be or not! You have some great flavor and atmosphere going on here. As a DM, I can think of all sorts of story potential for this particular item, and it is so distinctive that the players would long remember it.

Great work!

Just simply a bundle of awesome right here! This has so many potential uses, and so much story potential, that it makes my head hurt. Characters would love to use this, just for the visuals, let alone the actual effects. I can also imagine a DM making great use of the crown in other ways.

Exceptional work!