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Mikhaila Burnett 313's page

149 posts. Alias of Mikhaila Burnett.


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Sebastian wrote:

-1

If the first two out of three words in your post are "dear" and "forum," the subsequent post is required to include the words "funstick," "ride," "bodacious," "horny," and the phrase "this type of thing doesn't normally happen to me, but..."

FAIL.

Dear Forum Reader Sebastian,

This type of thing doesn't normally happen to me, but your funstick doesn't ride as bodacious as it used to, and that avatar is rather horny.

Yours truly,
Fail


Kobold Cleaver wrote:
Don't be so paranoid. Paizo, unlike a certain chatroom, doesn't ban you for spamming. ;)

True that. Mostly just trying to avoid the "Are you talkin ta me?" responses that I've found common on other forums.


Joshua J. Frost wrote:
Moved to the appropriate forum. :-)

Thanks Joshua!


This post is tongue-firmly-in-cheek. It is intended for comedic value, nothing less, nothing more. I am not bashing, trolling, soliciting feedback or any other such thing. But this song keeps playing in my head. It may also have something to do with my line of work, namely that I am a customer-facing Support Representative in a call center for a major service provider. My customers spend the entire day singing this song to me, so I'll play it for you.

Dear Paizo, I want it all. And I want it now.

If this is inappropriate, please feel free to say so and I will very happily remove it. Mods, feel free to remove it.

Those who enjoy classic rock, enjoy.


Ok, so I have a couple of contributions to this list. I owe my entire revitalized interest in D&D (and therefore PFRPG) on my Beloved Spouse (Kobold chorus: "We love you!")

That said, on with the show.

Story #1) Background is as follows: Dwarven Paladin of Moradin's warhorse = Willamette. (ie Pretty Smart Horse) Half-orc Rogue/Ranger's animal friendship'ed horse = Noodles. (ie Box-of-Rocks Horse)

During the game, we'd been RP'ing the conversation between these two. At one point, it became rather scatalogical. (Noodles looking at Willamette during a pause and intoning in a uniquely RP'ed voice "I just took a crap" was one such moment)

Well, to make this already long story short, the main character is off-screen and so we cut to the horses. The love of my life, in true lovey fashion, looks up at me and pulls the "Noodles voice" and intones "It had hay in it..."

And I just could. not. stop. laughing. To this day, that quote still reduces me to giggles.

Story #2) Average party level 4 party, comprised of T, the human fighter; Deuteri, the Dwarven Cleric of Moradin; Hauruck, the Half-orc Barbarian; and Sister Dawntouched, the Aasimar Paladin of Bahamut.

We're entering the Caves of Chaos (Keep on the Borderlands) and there's one that is OBVIOUSLY A TRAP, complete with a sign outside that basically reads "Come on in and we'll feed you and love you forever!" So we move to a different cave. Hauruck moves forward, with T and Dawn behind and Deuteri pulling rear guard. "Make a reflex save for Hauruck" my beloved says to me. Barbarians + natural 1 on the reflex save = Barbarian, Fighter, Paladin in a Kobold pit trap. This being Kobolds, it's a self-sealing pit trap of course.

At the same time, the ambush party of Kobolds drops down behind Deuteri and engage her in melee, thus distracting her from the rest of the party.

Long story short, Kobolds dump flaming pitch into the pit, T catches fire. Dawn dives in to save T, just as T's inventory of flaming oil goes up. Multiple Lay on Hands later, they finally come out alive. Just in time for Hauruck to natural 1 in a massive Greatsword swing and tags T again, dropping her to negatives.

They finally do triumph, but ever since then Kobolds and fire are both particularly traumatic for poor T. Of course, this is shortly after she and a Halfling were reincarnated. She rolled "Human" while the Halfling rolled "Special" and came back as a... wait for it... Kobold.

So, those are the two stories I've time for right now. I hope they amuse y'all as much as they did us.


Freehold DM wrote:
This starts the joke that the pony should not just be a fiendish pony, but a fiendish cinnamon-butter pony that will enter combat with the order of “lie down and be delicious!”

Congratulations, you just broke my wife. I was reading this with my back to her. She was drinking coffee. Thankfully she made her save vs 'snort coffee from nose'.

We both laughed so hard, and I'm STILL laughing.

Thank you. Thank you so much.


Mu. It depends on your desired course of action. Every character I've multi-classed made sense for the character from an RP standpoint before considering the mechanics. And often, the mechanics support the decision. I've heard that "Mystic Theurge SUCKS!11eleventyone" on many different forums, but I'm doing it because the character's path reflects it.

So yes, it's worth it. And no, it's not. The core 11 classes in PFRPG are SOLID. They don't NEED to multi-class. But there's SO MANY OPTIONS for multi-classing. Always ask yourself why you're doing it in the first place, then make your decision based on the response.


Auxmaulous wrote:
Mikhaila Burnett 313 wrote:
Got my copy. Very happy about this.
Your physical copy or pdf?

Physical. *does a happy dance*

I'm in the East Bay in NorCal FWIW.


Hmm, I'm honestly not sure how I feel about the total overhaul of magic. I can definitely see some advantages, but I'm rather fond of how things work right now.

Overall, I definitely approve of this and think it would serve well in a published world.


Sean K Reynolds wrote:
Those aren't iconics. One's a dwarven king, the other dwarf is a diplomat from another dwarf kingdom, and the blonde woman is a Druman diplomat there to help negotiate a peace.

I thought the proper phrasing for "A person from Druma" was "Drumish"?

*hides*


Purple Dragon Knight wrote:

http://vimeo.com/7132858

My friend brought this proof-of-concept D&D program intended to be run using Microsoft's Surface technology to my attention.

Is anyone at Paizo aware of this? looking at the demo, it looks like it's been made to be compatible with 4E... Any plans to make a PRPG version of this???

O_O

Want!!!!!


Dungeon Grrrl wrote:

And he now has a link to an index of all his Absalom posts, at the bottom of every article, so you can catch up (or go look something up) really easily.

Thanks!


Got my copy. Very happy about this.


Weylin wrote:


I hope for your players' sakes that you havent read about Tucker's Kobolds, Morgen.

Mwa ha ha! Tucker's Kobolds are truly the most wonderful thing to happen to my favorite hobby. Ever.

My Beloved Spouse (Kobold chorus: "We love you!") has used Tucker's Kobolds for inspiration on multiple occasions, and in so doing has put this utter, terrifying, unconquerable fear into me anytime I see a Kobold. And even more fear when I know they're around, but CAN'T see them.

An ambush of Kobolds nearly killed her archmage not long ago.


Morgen wrote:
I'd probably have to go with the Kobold personally. So much potential!

We love you!

+1 for Kobold


Silvereye wrote:
It will be a whole new game.

Yes, yes it will. I applaud your handling there, very good show.


T'Ranchule wrote:
I got this book when it came out at my FLGS and I love it. I was especially delighted by the Caves of Chaos section of the Worldwound entry. Does anyone know if there are any other references to classic D&D modules in the book. I'll admit I haven't read it cover to cover but even a good skimming couldn't turn up any others.

This is the first 'homage' reference I've seen in Golarion canon. I just found it today and thought it was INCREDIBLY COOL.

And yes, I know that this is over a year late in response.


The reason that d20 Modern is in the state that it is is that it tried to be 'everything to everyone'. I salute Mr Jacobs for deciding to take a step away from that.

While I'd bend over backwards and do many other things for Paizo to do a Pathfinder Modern, I agree it would need to appeal to a specific market rather than trying to be a Generic modular system. There's really nothing to stop someone from taking the current PFRPG system and bending it to their homebrew. Sure, there's no classes and races and the like. With the Bestiary, there's plenty of rules for making your own.

To put forth my opinion, which I believe to be the purpose of this thread to begin with, I'd like to weigh in favor of "Crunchy Sci-fi" on one hand, and "Science fantasy" on the other. I like both almost equally, and it really depends on my current mood which I prefer more. I adore the hard sci-fi of Asimov and his generation. I also have a serious geek-on for Spelljammer.

I will not be holding my breath for such a product, as Paizo has their hands full currently. And I'd rather they not bite off more than they can chew. The quality is astounding, and I want to see that level continue.

Thanks for starting this thread, and for being so coherent about it.


Verthal wrote:


Anyone agree? Disagree? Not care?

I see all sides of the tale here, IMO. Paizo is putting out a lot of stuff, but it's not really as though they've expanded their lines beyond throwing out the Core and Bestiary. The rest have been there for a long time. However, there is a LOT of REALLY COOL stuff and I'm very Pokemon about getting it all. Which I can't. So, I leave myself running on the set that I can and go from there.

It's just that Paizo is so incredibly awesome overall. Best customer service in the industry. Best products in the industry (that play to MY needs, that is) and some of the best ideas for shiny things I've ever encountered. I wait with great anticipation for each announcement, and am rarely disappointed.


Xum wrote:
There is no racial problem there.

In every Wizards product where both Tieflings and Aasimar are both present, there is a bit in each one's description describing their problems with one another. To paraphrase the Planar Handbook:

"aasimars save their distrust for tieflings" and "Aasimars... often trigger an instinctive fear or revulsion in tieflings, making it difficult for them to work together at all"

To this point in Pathfinder canon, I can't recall mention of the interaction of aasimar and tieflings at all. There's no mention in the Bestiary, which I like. However, depending on your source, yes there is a problem with tieflings and aasimar working together.

As re: the OP. Insulting an aasimar should be easy. Just go for their pride, then their appearance (most have a distinctive celestial feature, latch onto that) and then their very nature. Snide little "Of course we'll rescue the princess.." type comments should work well.


Airhead wrote:

OK, I've been a customer for a while. Got a whole bookshelf full of Dungeon Magazines.

But.... how do you pronunciate "Paizo" properly?

pa*i*zo with a long a short i and long o?
pa*zo with long or short a? (rhymes with peso)

This is also being discussed over on a different thread.

http://paizo.com/paizo/messageboards/paizoPublishing/pathfinder/general/gro gnardPronunciationQuestion&page=3

Currently, we're chanting either Pie zoh, pie zoh it's off to work we go.. or something a bit more... silly.


Tom Baumbach wrote:
So... how *do* you pronounce Paizo?

Pie Zoh. Rhymes with Size Ho?

*scampers to make dinner*


Cellowyn wrote:

Thanks for the tuppence! Now I just need about 300 more of them to cover the cost difference between Paizo rates and Amazon's! :)

Yes, I agree, order through Paizo, if you don't mind paying more... Of course, you get a cheaper amount with poorer service...

I guess you get what you pay for. :(

I will NEVER order any Paizo product through Amazon again. My ship was late, arrived damaged, and the service was all around horrific. Whereas with the only hiccup I ever had with Paizo, they responded quickly and professionally with the perfect response.

In this economy, I understand the desire to save money. I even get FREE two-day ship with Amazon, but I still would much rather order from Paizo directly.


From the PRD:
You can also use this spell to target a single item. The item gets a Will save at a –5 penalty to avoid being permanently destroyed. Even artifacts are subject to mage's disjunction, though there is only a 1% chance per caster level of actually affecting such powerful items. If successful, the artifact's power unravels, and it is destroyed (with no save). If an artifact is destroyed, you must make a DC 25 Will save or permanently lose all spellcasting abilities. These abilities cannot be recovered by mortal magic, not even miracle or wish. Destroying artifacts is a dangerous business, and it is 95% likely to attract the attention of some powerful being who has an interest in or connection with the device.

The salient point, to my perception is "Destroying artifacts is a dangerous business". Anything, IMHO, that attracts the attention of a 'powerful being who has an interest in or connection with' something that was just destroyed means that that something is, at the very least, going to be a bit annoyed. At worst, we're talking "Terminate with extreme prejudice"

My opinion is clear. Were I to use this RAW, we're talking permanent loss of spellcasting, and consider yourself lucky that the will save was wussy.

Anything less, is just uncivilized.


Laurefindel wrote:
Callous Jack wrote:
Laurefindel wrote:
But then again, francophones like to alter names. Perseus wasn't good enough, it had to become Persé! Odysseus became Ulysse. Drow might as well be Drow...

?????

Where are you pulling that from?

During French Renaissance, most (if not all) names were "frenchisized". For what reason exactly? I cannot tell; glory of the king and its most noble tongue? The French can be quite chauvinistic that way ;)

At any case, take a french book about ancient Egypt or Greek mythology and see for yourself...

http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/francisation

why? For much the same reason we have:

http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/anglicisation

The dominant language, one might say lingua franca often influences other languages in a geographically proximate area.

And yes, I am in fact that much of a linguistics dork.


redcelt32 wrote:

As an aside to this topic, I once joined a new group and was playing on my first adventure with them, about an 7-8th lvl game at the time. The DM had this NPC telling us all about a drahcollic (best representation of his pronunciation I can do. It was a dissertation on how this magical potion can make a turn a creature into a drahcollic if it was drunk. It took me about 10 minutes of listening to this before I asked for a spelling of the word, which was dracolich. I had always heard as Draykolitch and before that time had never heard anyone say it differently. I had to laugh at myself sitting there trying desperately to figure out what the hell this magic potion was all that time, when it was just a matter of pronounciation.

Before you face the "Gazebo" alone, make sure you know what a "Gazebo" is.

With that said, when I was writing up my world, I realized that almost every in game name had multiple possible pronunciations. So I wrote up a pronunciation guide. My Beloved Spouse (Kobold chorus: "We love you!") advised against it so that each reader would make their own pronunciation and therefore have their own investment into the world. Whereas if I held someone's hand and put it explicitly in the source, they might have less invested.

Which, upon reflection and AFTER deleting the pronunciation guide, makes perfect sense.


Urizen wrote:
Cellowyn wrote:
Thanks, maybe I should just order it from Paizo and pay the extra $8 that I was saving at the online stores...
Does anyone know what's the average domestic shipping cost for getting this from Paizo? I'm just trying to factor in my costs. [feigns shock] My Amazon pre-order got bumped to mid November as well. [/feigns shock]

Placing an order will automatically show your shipping costs. My subscription was:

Subtotal (1 Item) $33.99
Shipping & Handling $6.54

That's with the AP discount, and shipping from WA to Northern California.


Cellowyn wrote:
Seldriss wrote:
Mine is shipping on wednesday and should arrive 4 to 8 days later, according to the e-mail i got this morning.
Thanks, maybe I should just order it from Paizo and pay the extra $8 that I was saving at the online stores...

If you're buying online, I'd go through Paizo. If you're wanting to buy at a store, I recommend that instead.

Just my tuppence.


w0nkothesane wrote:

That is my question. I'm starting my first Pathfinder group (as a player anyway) tomorrow night. The others in the group are playing a Human Monk, Human Druid, and Human Bard. I've got a few character ideas that I've been waiting to try, but I'm not sure which to go with.

What are other people's experiences with groups that have members who can heal, but without a primary healer? One idea is a cleric of Gozreh, stuck in Westcrown for months because of poor luck and a mix up with the law. I'm also considering a wizard/fighter/arcane archer, or a straight sorcerer.

I'd go Cleric, but that's just me. Clerics in PFRPG are very, very, VERY shiny.


Vaahama wrote:

i'm not too sure i understand CR rules about NPC with core class.

What would be the CR for a Kobold level 2 sorcerer => CR 1 or 2?

As I've seen in AP's, it would seem to be CR 1. Not sure why, but I think that's part of the Paizo rebuild of the CR system. CR is no longer equal to Class Level (what used to be ECL)

Would be very interested to hear something from one of the devs. *peers about*


Ok, now while this may sound silly, that's because it is.

I have a Bariaur Ranger (specifically a Planar Ranger build from Unearthed Arcana) who, upon a recent trip back to Ysgard, was given a bundle of stuff from her childhood. In said bundle, a squirrel. (It's in keeping with the flavor of Ysgard, IMO. Cross-reference 'ratatosk' if you don't believe me)

As this is going to be her Animal Companion, and she is an 8th level Ranger, this means that the squirrel is equivalent to a 5th level Druid Animal Companion.

My question is thus. How would you build the base creature? Obviously the Celestial template will modify that.

Then how would you advance such a creature at the 4th/7th level increase?

The base creature, as presented by my Beloved Spouse (Kobold chorus: "We love you!") is as follows:

Squirrel: CR --; Diminutive Animal; HD 1/4 d8 (1 hp); Init +3 (Dex);
Spd 10 ft., climb 15 ft.; AC 17 (+3 Dex, +4 size); Atk none; SQ Scent; Face
1 ft. by 1 ft.; Reach 0 ft.; SV Fort +2, Ref +5, Will +1; Str 1, Dex 16, Con
11, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 4. Climb +15, Hide +18, Jump +4, Listen +5. Squirrels
use their Dexterity modifier for Climb checks, and gain a +4 racial modifier
to Jump checks.

I'm thinking that at 4th the squirrel would go to Tiny size, would gain +2 DEX +2 CON and a 1d4 bite.

Thoughts?


KnightErrantJR wrote:

::sigh::

You know, much as I'm glad that I'm supporting my FLGS, its times like this that I miss being a subscriber . . . at least I'm still pre-ordered at the FLGS.

And through your actions, your FLGS can continue providing quality products by Paizo. Have a virtual hug! *HUG*


Fake Healer wrote:
I hope to someday lich a drow.

Let us know how that tastes?


TwilightKnight wrote:


I've always heard it az-MOH-dee-us
but recently I was told (rather rudely) that it's az-moh-DAY-us

I'm POSITIVE there's a Golarion official pronunciation for this in the Campaign Setting. There's also one more version that I've heard, just to complicate further. Some might say "az-moh-DAY" and leave the 'us' off entirely. But I'm pretty sure that's a language/dialect specific version.


Calandra wrote:


So I think the elves would say drow (like crow), seeing the drow as elves who have been bent, by the forces of nature, magic, or evil. But I think the drow would call themselves drow (like cow), seeing themselves not as the victims, but as the ones who chose to live underground and continue to choose their twisted course.

Wow, that is an incredibly thought out bit of logic. *slaps to canonical status and hands Calandra a virtual cookie*


JFunk wrote:
Even though I didn't pre-order it?

Pre-order + subscription pre-order = shipping either today (13Oct09) or tomorrow (14Oct09)

That is all.


Cydeth wrote:


Heritage of Stone What would people think of a +1 to Fort Saves, and +1 HP? It isn't much, but I'm not certain thus far.

Basically, Dwarves already get a +1 to Fort on poison. Giving them a flat +1 to ALL Fort saves on top of that...

Now the bonus HP works, though I'm not sure how many would be appropriate for a trait. As traits are, to my understanding, intended to supplement feats and not provide another way to get MORE feats, adding HP per level in a manner similar to Toughness is ... a duplication of existing mechanics.

Cydeth wrote:


Warrior Blood Hmm...I was intending it mostly for characters that weren't proficient in all martial weapons, but maybe give them +1 damage with the weapon if they're already proficient? I'm leery to give a feat.

See above re: Feats v Traits. By giving a 'free Martial Weapon Proficiency' you're already giving a feat. Martial Weapon Proficiency for a character not already proficient in ALL Martial Weapons counts as a feat. Now, I can see both sides of this coin. It's good fluff, and the crunch can follow the fluff. But, well, if you've got "Warrior Blood" and you're a Druid... you're getting a bonus feat. Meanwhile, if you've got "Warrior Blood" and you're a fighter, you get... nada? Seems a little off-center to me. You, however, are the final arbiter in such things. I am a bystander here to provide the requested tuppence.

Cydeth wrote:


Monster Hunter I really need to come up with a better name for this one. I just can't figure out what to call a Van Hellsing styled trait. >_< Anyway...the Knowledge(local) is there specifically for Shapshifters(therianthropes), and the Knowledge(religion) is there for undead. This is one of the abilities that I'm most hesitant to change.

Well, this is my two CP in all honesty. I'm really just trying to provide constructive feedback and make the crunch match existing crunch where possible. Internal consistency is a very good friend of mine.

Cydeth wrote:


Secrets of Emanuel Viorel The intent of this feat is to allow people with Profession(Brewer) to qualify for the Brew Potion feat, so long as they have 3 ranks in the profession skill. Mind, all of their potions will be alcoholic...but they do not have to be able to cast spells for this.
Cydeth wrote:


Secrets of Emanuel Viorel The intent of this feat is to allow people with Profession(Brewer) to qualify for the Brew Potion feat, so long as they have 3 ranks in the profession skill. Mind, all of their potions will be alcoholic...but they do not have to be able to cast spells for this.

So, basically, this is a workaround on a prerequisite for a feat? This would basically allow non-casters to take the Brew Potion feat. Hm, well, that's definitely your prerogative.

Per the PRD:
Brew Potion (Item Creation)
You can create magic potions.

Prerequisite: Caster level 3rd.

Benefit: You can create a potion of any 3rd-level or lower spell that you know and that targets one or more creatures. Brewing a potion takes 2 hours if its base price is 250 gp or less, otherwise brewing a potion takes 1 day for each 1,000 gp in its base price. When you create a potion, you set the caster level, which must be sufficient to cast the spell in question and no higher than your own level. To brew a potion, you must use up raw materials costing one half this base price. See the magic item creation rules in Magic Items for more information.

When you create a potion, you make any choices that you would normally make when casting the spell. Whoever drinks the potion is the target of the spell.

So, my question in the constructive frame of mind is "How do non-casters reproduce spell-casting for potion creation?"

Cydeth wrote:


Orc Hunter This trait was partially inspired by some of the flavor of the half-orcs/full orcs. They mentioned somewhere that orcs have started to prize half-orcs to a degree, and have begun taking human female slaves specifically to get more. The trait is partially to represent the fear and training that may cause, considering how close they are to the Orc Hold of Belkzen.

With that clarification, that makes perfect sense.

Cydeth wrote:


Star's Blessing Grr...another rewording in order.

Don't be hard on yourself. I am very, very particular with my use of language. It comes from a great many years hacking my way through English texts, and I am a very strong advocate of 'explicit is always better than implicit' I love this trait!

Set wrote:


If hit points are rolled in this game, having +1 to Fort saves and the ability to re-roll any 1's rolled for hit points could be neat.

Agreed!

Set wrote:


Free Martial Weapon prof in a single weapon is fine and good. If someone already has all Martial Weapon proficiencies, they can pick a different Trait. Not every Trait should 'scale.' (And there are plenty of Traits that affect Channel Energy or Spellcasting or some other class-exclusive characteristic, so having one that could potentially benefit evert class that isn't a Paladin, Ranger, Fighter or Barbarian should be more than fine!)

Also agreed! I'm mostly trying to correct a few bits here that jangle against my (admittedly off-kilter) notions of balance. If a free feat is being called a trait, have that free feat be a feat and not a trait.

Per the Web Traits document:
At its core, a character trait is approximately equal in
power to half a feat—in fact, at one point, we considered
calling them “Half Feats” but abandoned that idea when
we realized it implied a point-based system that didn’t
really exist

At the very core of this system, however, is the GM. Upon whose approval the entire system rests. Everyone may take my words as so much fluff with my best wishes. I've gotten good feedback on these boards, and aim to return that as best I'm able.

Set wrote:


Or just be funny and name the Trait 'Them Winchester Boys.'

I don't quite get that reference, and casual googling didn't enlighten me, but that's neither here nor there.

As re: Renaming and rewording this one, have fun with it while keeping true to your vision. I might offer:

Dark Stalker (though that has an association)
Dark Hunter (already a PRC in 3x with an entirely different crunch/fluff, but who cares, we're playing PFRPG now!)
Ustalav Forester
Huntsman (Now I'm just reaching through the thesaurus for 'hunter')

The important thing isn't the name, it's the intent. At least, IMO.


James Risner wrote:
Silvereye wrote:

"if an artifact is destroyed, you must make a DC 25 Will save or permanently lose all spellcasting abilities"

1) Does it include Racial spell-like abilities, Cantrips, or other class abilities?
2) Are you just a Wizard/Sorcerer without spell slots?
3) If multi-classed would you loose spell casting in all classes before and even after the Will failure?
4) Would the character be able to pick up a few levels in Cleric and cast spells ... ?

1) No

2) Yes
3) Before failing? No After failing? Yes
4) No, he wouldn't be able to learn new spellcasting (think of it as the gods coming down to squish you.

I might disagree, slightly, by saying that as re: item 1, Cantrips may or may not be spells. Per PRD:

Cantrips: Wizards can prepare a number of cantrips, or 0-level spells, each day, as noted on Table: Wizard under “Spells per Day.” These spells are cast like any other spell, but they are not expended when cast and may be used again. A wizard can prepare a cantrip from a prohibited school, but it uses up two of his available slots (see below).

It's a class feature, but within that it says 0-level spells. I'd leave that, at the end of the day, to the GM.


Silvereye wrote:

"if an artifact is destroyed, you must make a DC 25 Will save or permanently lose all spellcasting abilities"

What exactly does this mean? Does it include Racial spell-like abilities, Cantrips, or other class abilities? Are you just a Wizard/Sorcerer without spell slots? What would a Wizard/Sorcerer have and not have? If multi-classed would you loose spell casting in all classes before and even after the Will failure? Would the character be able to pick up a few levels in Cleric and cast spells from that class or are they doomed to hit the bottle and live in the gutter while constantly muttering about how he use to be able to mold the very rules of the cosmos to his bidding while eating out of a garbage can? Do you think that sentence was too long? Do you wonder how hard it would be to write a story ending with only "?"s? Should I not post just after only having a few hours of sleep and working a ten-hour shifts for a few days in a row? Does anyone have any suggestions on the first few questions? I sure do ramble when tired, Eh?

Silvereye wrote:

"if an artifact is destroyed, you must make a DC 25 Will save or permanently lose all spellcasting abilities"

What exactly does this mean? Does it include Racial spell-like abilities, Cantrips, or other class abilities? Are you just a Wizard/Sorcerer without spell slots? What would a Wizard/Sorcerer have and not have? If multi-classed would you loose spell casting in all classes before and even after the Will failure? Would the character be able to pick up a few levels in Cleric and cast spells from that class or are they doomed to hit the bottle and live in the gutter while constantly muttering about how he use to be able to mold the very rules of the cosmos to his bidding while eating out of a garbage can? Do you think that sentence was too long? Do you wonder how hard it would be to write a story ending with only "?"s? Should I not post just after only having a few hours of sleep and working a ten-hour shifts for a few days in a row? Does anyone have any suggestions on the first few questions? I sure do ramble when tired, Eh?

It's pretty self-explanatory if you ask me. It's an 'if-then' statement. If an artifact is destroyed, and if you then fail a DC 25 Will save, Then...

permanently = forever, no matter of any future conditions, provisos, life path choices or anything else.
lose = it's gone.
all = each and every.
spellcasting = the casting of spells
abilities = that thing that means you can do something.

Therefore, one might say QED even, if you do action one, then follow by action two, consequence three occurs.

As previously stated, this does not affect:

Racial abilities
Class abilities that are not the casting of spells

This specifically, one might say explicitly, does affect:

All spellcasting abilities. Regardless of class, level and source.

Divine casting by a cleric, paladin, ranger, druid, etc, etc, ad infinitum. Gone.
Arcane casting by a wizard, sorcerer, mystic theurge, Tim the Enchanter, etc, etc, ad nauseum. Gone.

Permanently is the word in question here.

Gaining levels in another spell casting class would not overcome permanently, even if one multi-classes to a completely different flavor of magic (eg a Wizard bouncing to Cleric or vice versa)

I also ramble when tired, and doubly so when I'm sick.

Let's do a few things on how to rectify one's post-Will save failure in such a situation.

A very carefully worded Wish would reverse this condition. And this is the kind of wish that I would make my player write out, double check, get notarized and then cast to make sure that he has the wording precise before it goes off before I'd let him get it back.

A Miracle cast on the character's behalf might work. But it would seriously depend on who was casting it, what artifact had been destroyed, why the artifact was destroyed, and the current whim and mood of the deity being beseeched.

In summation, artifacts are IMPORTANT. They are not to be casually folded, spindled, mutilated and disjuncted. They are most commonly created by deities or incredibly powerful mortals with powers beyond the average ken of even the greatest heroes.

If Merlin came along and slapped Disjunction on Excalibur, I would expect some serious repercussions.

Were this my game, I would probably house rule the exact effect of disjunction on an artifact. It is this woman's, namely mine, opinion that this is actually a fairly tame consequence for having borked an artifact. I would, depending on the artifact, force the player in question to do one of the following:

DC 30 Will save or die, and as per Sphere of Annihilation, no chance to resurrect.

DC 30 Reflex save vs the Sphere of Annihilation created in the wake of the artifact's destruction.

No save and suffer the wrath of the artifact's creator, similar to drawing The Devil card in the Deck of Many Things.

In all honesty, the DC 25 Will save is a bit of a joke. By the time a caster can drop Disjunction in the first place, they'll almost have to roll a 1 to fail a DC 25 Will save.

Why am I so harsh on this? More examples.

PC casts disjunction on the Hand (or Eye) of Vecna. You had best BELIEVE that Vecna's going to be Very Cranky to say the least.

PC casts disjunction on The Codex of the Infinite Planes. Blam, instant cross planar disintegration.


Dr. Egon Spengler: It would be bad.
Dr. Peter Venkman: I'm a little fuzzy on the whole "good/bad" thing here. What do you mean, "bad"?
Dr. Egon Spengler: Try to imagine all life as you know it stopping instantaneously and every molecule in your body exploding at the speed of light.
Dr. Ray Stantz: Total protonic reversal!
Dr. Peter Venkman: That's bad. Okay. All right, important safety tip. Thanks, Egon.

As a related, but slightly different example, look at it this way. If one BREAKS a Staff of the Magi, there's that wonderfluffy thing called a "retributive strike". I think that the damage for that should be used as a minimum basis for artifact destruction.

And now that I've beaten this dead horse into a frothy pink pulp, I think I'm going to go back to a codeine induced comatose state.

Thank you, and good night!


Awesome. Simply awesome. Paizo really should hire you!


Cydeth wrote:


Harrower (Varisian) - You are of the Varisian families that have long lived in Ustalav, and you have a great deal of faith in the art of Harrowing. You may purchase a Harrowing Deck for only 25gp, and you may choose Bluff, Perform, or Sleight of Hand, receiving a +1 Trait bonus on that skill and it is permanently a class skill.

Like it, but as upthread states it is similar to an existing trait. I'm pretty sure it's in LoF.

Cydeth wrote:


Warrior Blood (Ulfen) - The ancient lineage of the Ulfen warriors flows through your veins, and it has lent you great strength many times. Due to this heritage, you have trained with weapons from an early age, and receive proficiency in any single Martial Weapon.

My feedback on this is that it be somewhat more scalar. If a character that is already proficient with all Martial Weapons takes it, it should either scale to a free Exotic Weapon Proficiency, or a Weapon Focus at the player's choice.

Cydeth wrote:


Heritage of Stone (Dwarf) - Your race once controlled the mountains to the west, until the orcs drove you from your homes. You have never forgotten, and never given up. You receive +2 to Fortitude saving throws.

Upthread mention of +2 v +1 to a save is pretty consistent. What concerns me, though is that the fluff doesn't really match the crunch. Never forgetting Orcs driving you from home = + to Fort? I could see that being a bonus on to hit vs Orcs with the fluff intact. Or the fluff written something like: "until the orcs drove you from your homes. You have never forgotten their horrific abuse of your people through poison, torture, etc.."

From the PRD:
Hatred: Dwarves receive a +1 bonus on attack rolls against humanoid creatures of the orc and goblinoid subtypes due to special training against these hated foes.

Hardy: Dwarves receive a +2 racial bonus on saving throws against poison, spells, and spell-like abilities

Were it me, I'd either build on what's there (the saves or the + to attck) or build in an offshot (+1 to damage against Orcs, +2 bonus to confirm crits vs Orcs, something like that... ) Ooh, I really like the bonus to confirm crits. I might have to keep that.

Cydeth wrote:


Monster Hunter - Ustalav has a long history of dangerous monsters, and as such has had many heroes who have fought them. Either a parent was such a hunter, or you've trained to become one, but this gives you insight into the creatures. You gain Knowledge(Local) and Knowledge(Religion) as class skills, and can make knowledge checks with them untrained.

Possibly Knowledge(Local) and Knowledge(Nature)? Nature would, IMO, reflect better.

From the PRD:
Identify a common plant or animal Nature 10

Cydeth wrote:


Secrets of Emanuel Viorel - The founder of Oaksbridge was an eccentric, but he had a few secrets that he shared only when he was approaching the end of his life. These secrets have been passed down in Oaksbridge, and you have learned them. This ability functions like the Master Craftsman feat, save that it requires ranks in Profession(Brewer) and it gives no bonus on Profession checks. This ability only allows you to take Brew Potion, and no other craft feat.

I'm not quite positive I fully comprehend what you're trying for with this one, so I won't comment.

Cydeth wrote:


Orc Hunter - You hate orcs with a burning rage, likely because of their tendency of taking human female slaves. Perhaps you knew someone who was enslaved, but you have learned to fight orcs to a great degree. You gain a +1 bonus to attack and weapon damage rolls against orcs.

Might want to mention whether this stacks with the Dwarven racial feature and/or the Ranger Favored Enemy bonus or not. This, combined with the racial and favored enemy, might be a bit overpowered IMO. OTOH, I can totally see this combining well with those for a PC with the "I really HATE Orcs!" schtick.

Again, fluff v crunch. If the adventure is about fighting undead and therianthropes, Orcs aren't presented as the Big Bads and it seems to run against the grain if you're writing this up to match with the existing Adventure Path Trait thingy. Traits for AP's should match the content of the AP. World traits for the region don't have to. Hope that makes sense.

Cydeth wrote:


Return to the Grave (Pharasma) - Your faith and devotion to Pharasma grants you the power to better return the undead to their graves. You may add your Charisma bonus to your Channel Positive Energy attempts to harm undead.

Dig it!

Cydeth wrote:


Star's Blessing (Desna) - You have always followed Desna, and she blesses you in return. You gain a +1 bonus to Fortitude, Reflex, or Will saving throws.

You may want to make it explicit that it is "OR" by adding "This choice must be made when the trait is taken, and can not be changed" to the text.

Cydeth wrote:


Blood of the Fallen (Pharasma) - The blood of the undead taints you, either because of an ancestor or from an attack. You gain +2 bonus against any Negative Energy effects.

Rockityboom! Love this one. It reminds me a lot of the Unearthed Arcana 'spell touched feats' from 3.5.

Hope that helps, and keep up the great work!


Talek & Luna wrote:
I heard from Wizards when it used to be TSR that drow rhymed with cow. Drow does not rhyme with row. But since WOTC has changed so much of D&D who know how they pronounce it. May it is now pronounced DRIZZIT! :)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drow_(Dungeons_&_Dragons)

The basis of this entire thread comes from my Beloved Spouse (Kobold chorus: "We love you!") and I talking over the changes that Drow have undergone over the years. She started playing D&D when it was Brand Spanking New (relatively speaking) and her pronunciation is based on her recollection of how Gygax - the person who made Drow what they are today - would pronounce it.

Of course, if there's one thing I've learned about language (from speaking some small to middling amount of 7 different tongues) it is that pronunciation is best left to the speaker.

*peers upthread* Seriously, this is the biggest thread I've ever started... wow you guys, thanks!


James Jacobs wrote:


Ugh... the goop. I wish I'd known that that stuff was mentioned in two places in the book, since I specifically cut the info and rules for it from the equipment section because it was:

a) silly
b) poorly designed
c) silly
d) not appropriate for the flavor of the world
and e) silly

I actually LIKE the goop! Sometimes, a world needs some silly. All work and no play, that kind of thing.


encorus wrote:
In what year does CoT take place? I'm new to the Pathfinder Chronicles campaign, so any help would be appreciated.

My understanding is that Golarion and The Real World are on a 1 year to 1 year matched orbit. The Campaign Setting started 'canon calendar' in 4708, if memory serves. QED, CoT is set in 4709. Wife's trying to sleep or I'd check the CS.

Of course, I could be very wrong. I used Fireday, Desnus 7, 4709 as the start for mine.


Paladin SMASH!!


Yay!!! More feedback post coma.


Shiny! I'll read this in full in a while, when I wake up from my codeine coma.


Set wrote:

Or perhaps this happened generations ago, and was the source of the great Halfling civil war,

... GENIUS!!! *snags and assimilates to the next revision*


Hear, hear!!!

Please, oh might Paizo staffers, hear our entreaty and grant our fondest wish!


Professor Higgins wrote:

Ah...this old chestnut, it always warms my heart.

There is only ONE correct answer: OW should be pronounced as it ALWAYS is pronounced in English. Pronounce it just as you would in cow or low. Cf. bow and sow if you need further clarification.

Thank you Professor. The problem there is that both your examples have multiple CORRECT pronunciations. Bow is either bow to a gent or fire a bow. Sow is either a female pig or what you do with seeds in a field.

You may address me as Mikhaila D Coyote, Super Pedant.

I understand you're probably trying for comedic point of pronunciation, I'm just being contrary...

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