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Hello,

It appears that my Pathfinder AP subscription orders are not arriving. Due to complications in my address, I've sometimes had problems receiving packages, and it appears that it's affecting my AP subscription. I'd like to cancel my subscription to the Pathfinder AP and return to purchasing them from my local gaming shop, please.

In addition, if either of my two orders are returned to sender, would it be possible for them to be considered returns rather than trying to send them out again?

Let me know what the process might be in this case.

Thanks!

Hello there,

It appears as though there's something wonky going on with my subscription. I believe I should have been shipped Pathfinder AP #51 by now, but it's not even listed as my next volume to be received. In addition, I noticed that my Pathfinder Advantage discount seems to have disappeared, even though I'm still a subscriber; my account page tells me that my subscription is active and that I should be receiving #52 next. Is there a way to fix it so that I receive #51 next, rather than #52?

Thanks!

Hey everyone!

So here's the deal: I am a relatively experienced GM who is hoping to start up a game featuring all new players. None of them have ever played a tabletop RPG before to my knowledge, and at least two of my players have never played an RPG in any form before. I want to run one of the Paizo APs, but before I go out and buy all the issues, I'm wondering which might be best to run with a new group.

As it stands, the three that I'm looking at are the three most recent APs, namely, Kingmaker, Serpent's Skull, and Carrion Crown. Now, judging by the two issues I have of Kingmaker, it's likely not the best AP to run for a group of brand-new players. I do, however, like the first chapter of Serpent's Skull, but I've heard it opens up a bit later on, which might be problematic. Carrion Crown sounds interesting, but I haven't even had a chance to flip through any of the chapters yet.

So my question is: Of the three most recent APs, which might be most appropriate for a new group of players with absolutely no real RPG experience?

Bastards of Erebus PbP - We All Want To Change The World

---

13th of Rova, 4709 AR

We set our scene on the southern coast of Cheliax, in the City of Twilight, Westcrown. The sun rises over the city, its light reflecting off omnipresent canals and rivers located throughout. From a distance, the city looks as though it is shining, as it has for hundreds of years. But the shining exterior belies a city whose heart is now dark.

The past century has been difficult for Westcrown. Losing its status as the home of a God and the capital of a nation in the span of just a few short years was devastating, but the adoption of devil worship by the Chelish nobles poured salt into the city's wounds. Today, the city has a difficult time maintaining a cultural identity, though it remains an economic powerhouse on the world stage.

Of course, this only makes the rampant organized crime (and the rumours that the criminals control many of the nobles and maybe even the Lord Mayor) that much worse. Add to these frustrations the dark prowlers that haunt the streets at night ravaging citizens foolish enough to ignore the curfew and the Hellknights of the Order of the Nail who are always seemingly abusing their power on Westscrown citizens (and the local constabulatory, the dottari, can do nothing about it), the city's spirits are low, and it seems as though the long-term outlook for the city is grim.

Let us begin our tale of adventure!

---

Dramatis Personae

Dave Young 992 – Benicio Del Espada
Davi the Eccentric – Zareth Edemont
Kobold Cleaver – Tenzekila Brushketel
seekerofshadowlight – Mossi Durren
taig – Camris Findlespur
thrikreed – Grachius Alazario
Warforged Gardener – Rakless

Alright, well the recruitment went by quickly, so let's head right into the discussion thread! This thread will be used for primarily out-of-game discussion as well as character creation.

Speaking of character creation, here are the guidelines:

• Characters will begin at 1st level with 0 XP.
  
• Ability scores will be generated by a 20 point buy (as detailed here)
  
• All classes and races in the Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook as written are fine.
  
• In addition, races detailed in the Pathfinder Preview Bestiary are available. These include the Goblin, Tengu, and Tiefling races.
  
• Furthermore, Tieflings could qualify for alternate traits and potentially some feats according to the Tiefling article in PF#25.
  
• Characters get to choose one trait from the Character Traits Web Enhancement as well as one Campaign Trait from the Council of Thieves Player's Guide.
  
• Please indicate in this thread which traits you choose for my records.

As soon as all characters are created and audited by me, we'll get to start gaming! If you have any other questions, feel free to ask! :)

Rules of the game:

• As mentioned in the connection thread, players are expected to post at least once per day in order to keep a quick pace to the game. If you don't post for a day at a crucial time, you will be NPC'd.
  
• Please post all rolls you make. Invisible Castle is ideal for this.
  
• There may be some changes to the rules or adventure for the sake of game speed.
  
• Above all else, have fun!

Alright, well the recruitment went by quickly, so let's head right into the discussion thread! This thread will be used for primarily out-of-game discussion as well as character creation.

Speaking of character creation, here are the guidelines:

• Characters will begin at 1st level with 0 XP.
  
• Ability scores will be generated by a 20 point buy (as detailed here)
  
• All classes and races in the Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook as written are fine.
  
• In addition, races detailed in the Pathfinder Preview Bestiary are available. These include the Goblin, Tengu, and Tiefling races.
  
• Furthermore, Tieflings could qualify for alternate traits and potentially some feats according to the Tiefling article in PF#25.
  
• Characters get to choose one trait from the Character Traits Web Enhancement as well as one Campaign Trait from the Council of Thieves Player's Guide.
  
• Please indicate in this thread which traits you choose for my records.

As soon as all characters are created and audited by me, we'll get to start gaming! If you have any other questions, feel free to ask! :)

It's about time I make my transition over to GMing, and I've decided that there's no better way to do so than with the launch of the Pathfinder RPG and a brand-new Adventure Path!

So, here's the deal: I'm looking for 4-6 players to join me in creating a story around the first chapter of the Council of Thieves Adventure Path: Bastards of Erebus. I am only committing to the first chapter; this is a test for myself as well. If there is still interest after the first chapter, I'd be willing to move on to the next, but I'm perfectly happy with running this as a one-shot as well, if that's how it goes.

So, about the game:

• It'll be run using the PFRPG rules straight-up; no house rules or modifications. It's my first time running the PFRPG, so I want to see how the rules stand up by themselves.
  
• I expect each player to post at least once per weekday, and ideally once once on the weekend. Of course, absences are going to happen, and that's entirely fine; if you can warn the group in advance, however, it will be greatly appreciated.
  
• I will follow the above posting pattern as well.
  
• If you're interested, please, post in this thread, and I will determine randomly (except for one slot that I might have reserved) who will be included in the game (unless there's only 4-6 folks interested, in which case, everyone can play!)
  
• I'm hoping to get the discussion thread started on Wednesday (the 9th of September) and the actual game started by next Monday (the 14th of September).
  
• The game will be set in the city of Westcrown, located in the nation of Cheliax. If you'd like some background info, you can check out the Council of Thieves Player's Guide, though, you probably already know that. :)

If you have any other questions, feel free to post them. I'm hoping we can start up an awesome PbP! :)

While helping my Cleric player choose his spells last night, we came up with a question about silence; namely, does someone entering the area of silence once it's been cast get to save vs. the effects? Suppose the Cleric casts silence on the party rogue who then moves 100ft. to sneak up on a wizard. Does the wizard get a save to avoid being silenced?

Thanks for your help!

Tonight's potentially the night - the Stanley Cup may be awarded to the Detroit Red Wings for the 12th time. Or, perhaps the Penguins will fight back and take it to the last possible game, in what's already proven to be an incredibly intense series.

Either way, there will be some great hockey tonight in Pittsburgh!

So, do we have some hockey fans here on the Paizo boards? What do you think'll happen tonight? Who's your team?

Personally, I'm hoping that Pittsburgh manages to hold on for another game, I'd really like to see a Game 7 final this year!

Link

Love that last panel, I literally burst out laughing! Rich Burlew somehow manages to have perfect comedic timing in the comic form. I love it.

I played this quite a bit this weekend with a friend of mine, and I can't recommend it enough. If you liked Resident Evil 4 and have a friend to play co-op with, then you will be doing yourself a favour by picking this game up.

The horror elements are still there (and, I would argue, are more genuine), the action elements are improved and incredibly fun, and the story is as convoluted and bombastic as ever! If you're a fan of previous Resident Evil games, pick this up!

So, is anyone else enjoying this as much as I am?!

[the following are excerpts from the journal of Aaron Williams]

January 20th, 2012

Last night I had the most vivid nightmare. I was on a train as it derailed. All around me, corpses were piled about, blood was everywhere. I felt alright. I looked around and saw my reflection, except that it wasn't me. Well, it was, but it was me when I was a kid. I heard a screech and woke up with a start. 12:23am. Little did I know that that nightmare would kick off the worst day of my life.

So I woke up with a start as my cellphone was ringing. It was my agent. I picked up, and he answered with that cloying voice of his. He said he had a job for me, and that we should meet for breakfast. He was already on his way from LA, so we could meet in a couple of hours. I agreed. Two hours later, we're sitting at a small cafe just down the street from my place.

"Look, Aaron, I've got the job of a lifetime for ya," my agent tells me between mouthfuls.
"Ricky, I told you, if this is another guest spot on How I Met Your Mother, I'm not interested. I need something real."
"Aaron, buddy, you know it ain't nothing like that. You heard of Obama's little speech today, commemorating his three years in office? I got you to make a little appearance at the gala beforehand. It'll be great, get your visibility up, maybe you'll get another good role after this."
"Right. Well if you think it's best..."
"Of course, I wouldn't do anything to harm your career Aaron," as he smiles that smile. The same smile he gave me when he told me I should take the offer to be on Celebrity Big Brother.
"All right, I'll do it this time."
"Excellent! You got the bill?"
I sighed.
"It's a joke, buddy, I'll take care of ya, I always do!"

I went home, worked on some of my own things, the script that I've been writing, some songs I've been working on. I wanted to get relaxed before the "big appearance." Eventually, Ricky and I met up to head to the arena where the event was being held. He told me to wait around until he could get everything set up. Some short reporter showed up and wanted to interview me. I declined. We heard a gunshot come from the room just over, the room that Ricky had entered.

That's when I made probably the worst decision of my life. I opened the door, cellphone in hand ready to dial 911 if necessary. You know those moments they talk about that completely set the path for your future? I think this was my "moment."

In the room, was Ricky and a huge Jamaican guy pointing guns at each other, the barrel of Ricky's gun smoking. I yell out, and the next thing I know, I hear another shot coming from a closet, missing the big guy by inches. Ricky's yelling at me to get out of here, and a Middle Eastern guy is jumping out of the closet, gun drawn. I kind of lost it here, I remember a lot of yelling and shouting about a package, and somehow Ricky ended up unconscious.

Turns out the Jamaican guy is called Smoke and he was supposed to be delivering something to Ricky, and the Arab dude is named Ahmed and he's here to stop it or something. I'm still not too clear on what's going on. Next thing we know, though, there's some security busting in and locking us into the room until the ceremony is over for the president's protection.

I'm surprised no-one got shot with a bunch of crazy people stuck in a room together. One thing got us all on the same page, though: a huge explosion rocked the place. I assumed it was what everyone was expecting: an assassination attempt. I'm not so sure anymore. But I'm skipping ahead now. Right afterwards, this green gas started to fill our room. We had no clue what it was, so that huge Smoke guy charged forward and busted through the door.

Outside, the two men left to guard our room are lying dead, and one side of the hallway was collapsed. Some cops come down the hallway towards us, and I throw up my hands and yell out a greeting. They responded by shooting at me. Those two guys start shooting back, and, I don't remember why, but I do to, using my own handgun. I admit now, that I wasn't thinking properly, but I don't think I shot anyone. Thank God.

Next thing I know, the cops are all down on the ground, some of them probably dead. So at this point, I'm thinking that the whole world has gone to s*+~, and nothing is making any sense. Nothing that I'd seen that night could prepare me for what came next. A crowd starts coming down the hall, but there's something strange about them. They seemed to be in pretty bad shape, covered in blood and moving towards us. But now, something I wouldn't believe if anyone told me (and, whoever's reading this, I'll understand if you don't believe me) happened. Those cops that had been killed? They were getting up. And moving towards us.

I turned around, and saw Ricky, with a clear gunshot wound from the firefight before coming towards me, arms outstretched and teeth bared. I know this sounds crazy, but g#~~$#mit, they were zombies. Like in those movies. The shooting started again, and I don't remember clearly what happened except that Ricky charged me and bit a huge chunk of my forearm off. It hurt like hell, but I barely noticed.

Next thing I know, I hear a huge explosion and a flash of light, and some army guys burst in shooting all over the place. They yell at us to get down, and we do. They grab us up and bring us to an APC, taking us into custody. Thankfully, as we were passing by, we say President Obama safe and sound. I don't know what was going on, but at least he'd made it.

I wind up in a jail with those two other guys and that reporter from earlier, trying to figure out what the hell had just happened. Those army dudes start questioning us and a Senator shows up, asking his own questions. I still had no idea what was going on, it seems like everyone knows more than I do.

A grenade rolls into the room, filling it with knockout gas. It doesn't reach us, and all those guards protecting us pass out. In walks a Chinese man along with his bodyguards, and he says something about "a new dawn" approaching. He's here to free us he says.

Holy hell. Look at what I've written. If you're still reading this, know that I'm not crazy. And know as well that this day wasn't even close to being over.

Hello Paizo Customer Service,

I am saddened to say that after looking at my recent credit card bill and due to the current exchange rate between the US dollar and the Canadian dollar, Pathfinder products are just too much for me to afford. I'm going to have to switch to buying them from my FLGS.

Please cancel all my subscriptions: Pathfinder Adventure Path, Pathfinder Modules, Pathfinder Chronicles and Pathfinder Companion.

Thanks,
Neil

OOO, a new classification. I wonder what B is for?

Bitchin'?

Anyway, this sounds like a classic hook for a 1st level adventure, can't wait to see the final result!

OK, so I'm re-starting an old campaign that sort of trailed off and never got concluded. The last major battle that occurred involved a Mind Flayer controlling a small city (Brindinford, from The Speak In Dreams 3.0 adventure). The PCs found him out and attacked him, but he got away before they could finish him off.

Now, to kick off this re-start, I want the PCs (16th level) to face off against a powered up version of this Mind Flayer, who I will most likely brew up with levels of Psion to taste. I'm aiming to make him CR 15 with a group of minions to stop the PCs from walking all over him. I'm thinking either two CR 13s or four CR 11s.

Here's where I need help: I need a cool idea of where and how to set up this encounter. A cool hook or a neat location! I want it to take place again in the same city, and I don't want this to be that big of a battle (after all, this Mind Flayer is an old BBEG).

Any ideas?

By the way, the party is:
Dwarf Cleric 16 (with cohort, Human Barbarian 13)
Human Ranger 16
Gnome Illusionist 16

Thanks for any and all help!

OK, so I'll start this off by saying that I actually know very little about Greyhawk. I only started playing D&D regularly with 3E, and didn't get any of the Greyhawk info besides the list of basic Deities in the PHB. Which leads to my question:

What's the deal with St. Cuthbert? Who sainted him? Was he a saint before he became a God, or did he just decide, once he was a God, that he should totally be a saint? I think that would be pretty unnecessary. And why did he keep his 'Saint' title upon becoming a God? Is being worshipped by tens of thousands of people not enough for him? Also, why is he the only saint you ever hear about? Did he put some sort of ban other saints as well?

It's a conspiracy, isn't it?

The specifics of St. Cuthbert have been bothering my unknowledgable group for a very long time. We sent a question to Wizards, but they didn't answer.

And so I turn to you! People who've been playing D&D for much longer than me! What's the deal?

Dear Paizo Customer Service,

I shot off an e-mail last week about this, but I've yet to receive a response. I have recently changed addresses, and would like my account to be updated with my new address before PF#14 ships to avoid unnecessary headaches. My new address can be found in the e-mail I sent you last week.

I know there's probably still a long time yet before my next products get shipped, but I'm obsessive this way. :)

Thanks for your help,
Neil

I just finished Braid a few minutes ago, and was wondering if anyone else here has played/finished it. The ending is spectacular, and is worth the price of admission by itself.

For those who aren't aware, Braid is an amazing Platformer/Puzzle game (available through XBox Live Arcade) with some of the most ingenious puzzles I have seen in a video game. The basic idea is simple: you travel through worlds, jumping on enemies heads à la Super Mario. The twist is that you have the power to rewind time, and the puzzles are pretty much all dependant upon this power.

The story seems simple, you're searching for the princess, hoping to find her at the end of the worlds you are searching. In reality, however, the story has a few twists in store, and the ending is perhaps one of the best that I've ever seen in a video game.

If you have an XBox 360, you can't go wrong with this. It is a little short for the price ($15), but I don't think you'll find a game with more entertaining and pure gameplay moments.

Besides Portal, that is.

Hey Paizo Customer Service folk,

OK, so I might be crazy here, but somehow, I remember hearing that if you are a subscriber (not sure if it was to the Modules line or Pathfinder, but I'm both), and you bought a Gamemastery/Pathfinder Module from the Paizo store, that you got the PDF of said module added as well for free, much like getting the modules due to subscription.

So, did I dream this up? Does this policy only exist in my dreamworld of candy-cane and lollipop housing? Am I completely mad?

(Note that regardeless of Paizo's answer on this, I'm a happy customer. The modules are awesome, but I'm a completionist, and if there's a way to get those PDFs on the cheap, I can't say I wouldn't be intrigued!)

Thanks for your help!

I was looking to play the original Zork game after a discussion in the favourite video games thread, and managed to find all three (!) games freely available to download HERE.

If anyone is in the mood for some old school adventurin', you're not going to get more old school than this!

Question to anyone who might remember, was Zork or Adventure the first adventure game?

As for me, I've explored a small house, found an elven sword and slew a troll with it, and am currently exploring a cavern complex beneath this house! Still lots of exploring to do, it seems!

So, seeing as there's already sort of a "Favourite Turn-Based RPG/Strategy Game of All-Time" thread going, I think it'd be appropriate to find out what everyone's favourite games of all-time are!

For me, it's easy to decide: The Curse of Monkey Island.

I don't think a game has been made that is funnier than this one. And on top of that, it just happens to be a near-perfect adventure game, with beautiful toon sprites that still look so good, even by today's standards. It had some really fun and ingenious puzzles, as well as two modes, so that you could play the entire game twice and get to see some different puzzles each time.

On top of that, the voice-acting is superb. At the time, I was somewhat worried about giving a voice to Guybrush Threepwood, but they managed to pick the perfect voice-actor for everyone, really.

So if you've never played it before, and you like to laugh, you do yourself a disservice by not playing it!

So it's simple: What is your favourite video game, ever? And why does it hold that lofty position?

Hello,

I sent an e-mail about this to customer service, but haven't gotten a reply yet, and it is somewhat urgent, so I wanted to make sure you'd received it. I wanted to find out whether my shipments of GameMastery Modules & Pathfinders could be delayed until December 20th for various reasons that are described in my e-mail.

Also, I have a few modules to catch up on, and would like to know how much of a hassle it would be for you guys to add in a few missing modules to my shipments? Is this feasable?

Thank you very much for your help,
Neil

Hello,

I've just subscribed to Pathfinder and GameMastery Modules ongoing subscription, but noticed once I completed my order that even though my subscription starts with Pathfinder #3 and J1, the products will not be shipped until Pathfinder #4 arrives at the Paizo warehouse(or so says the My Account page).

I was just hoping for some clarification as to when I should expect my Pathfinder #3 and J1 Modules to ship: sometime in the near future, or at the same time as Pathfinder #4?

Thanks much for your help.