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An example of this was that a long sword had a "weight" (which was actually an encumbrance value) of 7, whereas a 10 foot pole (which is just a long spear shaft) was 10. The long sword is clearly heavier than 7 pounds (given that most medieval long swords weighed in the 15 pound range, but the 10 foot pole probably weighed less than 10 pounds. Why the higher value for the 10 foot pole? I'd like to point out this particular bit of wildly inaccurate information concerning the weights of swords... a medieval longsword weighed less than 4 pounds, certainly not the 15 pounds stated here. Even greatswords didn't weigh much more than 6 pounds. 
Expanded Psionics Handbook 3.5 Dreamscarred Press took those rules though and converted them to pathfinder, if you'd rather look at that. it's called Psionics Unleashed.Also:
In a somewhat related matter, I would love to see player crafted items that are "destroyed" when not looted go into a reserve pool within the game's "inventory" to be doled out occasionally as random PvE loot. It would be an entertaining experience to find a sword crafted by your buddy on the corpse of a bandit, or in a dragon's horde. 
Hey there, here is a conversion of B4 The Lost City (Moldvay, Tom. TSR, 1982). Note: This is a re-imagined version, rather than a straight conversion. Here is the file -> B4 The Lost City I recommend you right click the link and select "save as" to get the file; Otherwise, your browser may display a cached version. Tried to capture the flavor of the original, after finding just how popular the adventure was. I never played it, but having gone deeply into the story, it was a real miss because it was a great concept with lots of hooks for a long term campaign. I had fun trying to re-imagne why the listed creatures were placed where they were. I also got great ideas from the sundry web sites devoted to the module - A lot of folks have trodden this road before me and looks like they had as much fun. Release Notes: Never enough time to do quality assurance or even play testing; Anyone trying this out, please give feedback. I can come in an correct it every so often as needed. I was going to add pregens but time was getting tight and I wanted to get this posted. If someone else wants to post some pregens, that would be cool. I changed some of the maps (Tier 5 mostly) so that movement between tiers made more sense - the idea came from one of the web sites. I also created some basic bookmarks so navigation is a little easier. Enjoy! ~D Other Conversions: X2 Castle Amber
Emmmm not logical, opinionated yes, but not logical. Firstly, it is as logical as anything you've claimed. You are choosing to ignore that fact by casting aside people's reasoning in favor of entrenching your close-minded value system. Effectively, you asked a question, got multiple answers, and are completely unsatisfied unless the answers are those which reinforce your stance on the matter. So why did you create this thread if you're just going to lash out at the entire community which disagrees with you? Were you hoping for a pep rally in favor of your cause, with all the pro-XP-cost people jumping out of the woodwork saying "gosh I'm glad I'm not alone"? I suggest you examine your expectations more carefully. In the interest of honest and rational discourse, perhaps consider contrary responses, instead of stonewalling them. Disagreement is not a bad thing, even if you find yourself on the deflationary side. In fact, learning through disagreement is a wonderful thing. 
I love this idea. Other things Ameiko could do: She could try for the antagonist boon from the PC while he is trying for her companion boon. (I've been in that relationship.) Convert to Evangelical Shelynism, and talk about nothing but Shelyn every chance she gets. Every sentence ends with the words, "by the beauty of Shelyn" or "if Shelyn wills it." "Have you accepted Shelyn as your personal savior?" In Hongal, start talking about how much she liked the Prince's ruling style. The two of them take long walks and discuss the "proper" way to treat servants. She starts wearing cat ears everywhere and making little heart shapes with her hands whenever she looks at the character in question. In Kalsgaard, she starts spending a lot of time in leather shops and asks the character "which whip he likes more," for no apparent reason. She encourages him to get "Constitution bumps" at every opportunity. (Stealing from Jason Aaron): "You should know that I do not plan to have many children. Five should do. And I would like to get started soon, but I must be married first. Obviously, however, as Empress, I will have many duties. You do not mind being a stay-at-home father, do you? No royal consort has ever been an 'adventurer.' We will simply rule Minkai together, and our friends will tell us of their adventuring lives." Or go exactly the opposite direction: Ameiko "tries for the companion boon" with all the PCs, if you know what I mean. "It is acceptable for an Empress to have many consorts. They, of course, are dedicated to her for life. Stop being a consort? Of course. Where do you think eunuchs come from?" In my campaign, Ameiko sings constantly, about every little thing she does. "I'm riding in a wagon, bumping down the road. Riding in a wagon, with a heavy load." "It's my turn to wash the dishes, cuz the barbarian always breaks them and the ninja is no where to be seen at cleanup time, yeah, yeah, yeah." She's basically Zooey Deschanel, turned up to eleven. 
For a non-Golarion centric gnoll population, I think I'd still keep the vast majority of them smelly lazy carrion-eaters with little in the way of culture or personal hygiene, but also have a much, much rarer sub-breed of gnoll that built a great civilization in some place that's now an abandoned desert. They'd look more like jackal-men (or my avatar) and have founded an Egyptian-esque culture that rose and fell ages before mankind settled nearby, leaving behind only the savage 'gnolls' of today, who casually defile the remaining ruins in their territories, either clueless or, worse, uncaring, that the jackal-headed statues that they idly deface were built by their much more advanced and civilized ancestors. Even on Golarion, that sort of thing could be retconned in. Even though Golarion's Osirion isn't replete with animal-headed gods, they still seem to have animal-headed statuary in the artwork from time to time, leaving wiggle room to sneak in a race of erudite civilized dog-headed people in antiquity that only the controversial of scholars would associate with the degenerate race of gnolls today... It would throw the gnolls creation stories out of whack, but if they existed *before* Lamashtu ascended to godhood, and are only a pale dissipated mongrel shadow of the race they were before she took hold of their culture, that could be a funky twist, for the 'Mother' to be more of the 'evil step-mother' to the gnolls, who have had every shred of knowledge of their original faith, to Curchanos, beaten out of them over millenia. 
The way I ran the goblin attack at the Swallowtail Festival, I played the goblins as two parts gremlins that were fed after midnight from the '80s film Gremlins and one part Alex's gang of droogies from A Clockwork Orange. When I ran the Swallowtail Festival, I played the goblins as irredeemably evil, yet still strangely hilarious. I wanted the players to underestimate them at first, but then be filled with fear, hatred, and disgust at them. Those are the feelings that the NPCs in Sandpoint have toward goblins, and I wanted my players to feel the same way. At first, I had the goblins do darkly comic antics: a goblin had climbed a rain pipe up the side of a house, then tried to jump onto a PC from ten feet up. He yodeled like Tarzan, missed completely, and splatted on the cobblestones. Later, two goblins were standing on a street vendor's food cart, eating, but taking swings at any passersby. When the party attacked, one continued to eat a roasted turkey leg while fighting with the other hand; the other attacked with the turkey leg! Then, three goblins ran out of Verah's Fine Clothing-- all of them wearing expensive women's undergarments and fancy hats with feathers-- and each of them with a freshly-severed bloody human hand on a thong around their necks. (After the battle, the party found that one customer was dead in the shop and missing both hands, and one store clerk was still alive, but missing her left hand.) All of my players are cat-lovers (as am I), so before the goblin attack, I introduced a very friendly and handsome orange tabby cat that was sitting in a sunbeam, enjoying the attention of the festival. Later, during the attack, I told the party that they saw that a goblin was holding the struggling cat by its tail, as another seemed to be pouring liquid on it. It then touched the cat with a lit torch, as the first goblin dropped it. The cat burst into flame, and ran into a house, setting the house on fire. The goblins both laughed so hard, they fell over. The party had no qualms killing those two. Another pair of goblins knocked over a woman carrying a baby by whacking her on the backs of her knees with clubs. While they both laughed uproariously, one goblin clubbed her hard across the face, and the other grabbed the baby by the legs and started waving it over his head. As the baby and mother both screamed, the first goblin started taking wild swings at the baby with its club. The party was able to rescue both mother and child. So-- it's possible to be really disturbing without overtly killing anyone on-camera, while giving the party a chance to be heroic. [Or maybe I just have a very twisted imagination...] Good luck-- My players loved Burnt Offerings from the get-go! [Edit: changed the first paragraph to add references.]
I liked the connection with the ghouls, in previous editions, and even that fugly Shoosuva monster from ages ago in the Dragon magazine. But that's not really a Golarion thing, so now I'm thinking of them in a more Lamashtu-centric light, which makes my own preference for 'hyena-ing them up' and making them matriarchal, even easier to rationalize. I see males routes to power including barbarian, ranger (hyena tamer or hyaenodon rider) and, rarely, sorcerer. Females always outrank males (although the lowest ranking females have to settle for the lowest ranking males, as bullying around the males who have been 'claimed' by the females that outrank them could lead to the male complaining to his mistress and get the low-rank female in trouble...). Females *can* assume roles like ranger and sorcerer and witch, and, almost unheard of, barbarian, but the highest ranking ones are going to be clerics or druids of Lamashtu, with the occasional oracle or adept. For all that they are a treacherous, cruel and vicious race, living lives of casual abuse at each other's hands, with an 'only the strongest *deserve* to survive' ethic, gnolls are very much 'pack' creatures, and a male that forgets his place or offends (or just badly disappoints) his mistress can be kicked to the curb, and, if not 'claimed' by a lower-ranking female, will end up in exile, abandoned by the pack. If even the lowest-ranking female doesn't want to (or has been forbidden to...) claim this 'damaged goods,' no male in the pack will speak to him or even meet his gaze, for fear of displeasing their own mistresses. Gnolls might kill each other in the heat of moment, but consider the worst punishment for another gnoll to be exile, with the abandoned gnoll wandering off into the wilderness, presumably, to die. (Enslaving another gnoll, for any offense, is considered an abomination.) Gnolls commonly domesticate hyenas, and, when they are fortunate enough to share territory with them, hyaenodons. More rarely, great desert vultures are domesticated as well. While most gnolls hold pugwampi in contempt, some rare leaders keep captives in wicker cages and carry them around as 'good luck charms,' with even rarer spellcasters having found other ways to bind them into service. While technically omnivorous, gnolls hold the eating of plant matter in contempt, and herbivorous creatures are fit only to be eaten. Gnolls almost never domesticate horses or camels, and upon raiding a caravan will often eat the pack beasts first (unless ordered to bring some back alive, for later sacrifice and feasting at their lair), and then force the surviving travellers to carry anything they want to take with them. The influence of Lamashtu has led to gnolls regarding fertility as a sacred thing. A female that has not born cubs will never have any special status, and a female that has proven incapable of bearing young will be 're-assigned' to male status, and 'claimed' by another female (usually a relative) or abandoned as unlucky or accursed by the Mother of Monsters (if she lacks any relative willing to claim her, the 'accursed' status being more of an excuse than anything else). Madness is tolerated, to a point, and called a holy thing and a sign of a blessing by the Mother. That holds true so long as the madness is not terribly inconvenient to the rest of the pack. A male that exhibits signs of madness will be regarded as a potential source of information, but if his babbling isn't accompanied by something the female leadership deems useful, he'll generally have some sort of 'accident' that the entire pack will tacitly know was red-handed murder of the 'weak' one. A female will get more leeway, and it isn't unheard of for a completely helpless and mad female to be tucked away out of sight in the quarters of one of the ranking females, called a 'seer,' even if her madness provides no insights. Gnoll society is brutal and utterly dominated by the faith of Lamashtu. Females wish to become her 'handmaidens' in the afterlife, and every male is indoctrinated with the knowledge that those who serve her earthly manifestations (their mistresses, particularly those blessed with divine spellcasting abilities) well, will be chosen to mate with Lamashtu herself in the afterlife, to produce more gnollish souls, and be father to the next generation of earthly gnolls. The exact nature of this tale is unclear, but it is generally assumed that, in the process, the gnoll himself will be torn apart, and used to create the new souls, with the most powerful and respected males becoming more souls than those with lesser accomplishments, in a strange form of reincarnation. The only gnolls who don't follow these beliefs are those who have grown up apart from gnollish society, or the 'death walkers' who have been exiled and are generally fatalistic, believing that they have been rejected from their faith and have no such afterlife awaiting them. A 'death walker' could, in theory, find new purpose in life among other peoples, but is far, far more likely to succumb to despair and die alone in the wilderness, or face it's death at the hands of the many, many other races that have suffered at the hands of gnoll packs. 
One of the Goddesses from Pathfinder you might look at is Lissala. She was basically the patron(ess?) of the Thassilonian Empire. She gave the Seven Virtues of Rule to Emperor Xin, which were then corrupted to the Seven Sins by his Runelords after he died. However, 'officially' Lissala is LE, I personally believe she is LN, as then LE clerics still fall into her domain. With the Thassilonian Empire being corrupted, her clergy became more violent, and began practices of flagellation and disfiguring the flesh. I think it's very like an entity like Zon-Kuthon semi-corrupted the faith, and, towards the end of the Empire, they were actually serving a deity like Zon-Kuthon. I am not sure if Zon-Kuthon was a deity during the time of Thassilon, so I don't know if he is a possible candidate. Anyway, it's entirely possible, in your situation, that the Goddesses followers have been whispered to, over time, by another deity who wishes to usurp her followers. As time has gone on, her clergy, still technically able to claim her as a deity (similar to a LE Cleric worshiping a LN Deity), are, in many ways, serving another. It's even possible that the one that is doing the whispering is some sort of ageless creature, like a demon or devil (I'd lean towards devil as they love corrupting people). The Party might be contacted by a messenger of the Goddess herself who has grown tired of the inappropriate services in her name, and wishes for them to discover the cancer in the heart of her religion. You could say that something has been shielding the cancer from knowing the truth herself (which would be a lie, she just can't directly interfere), which is why she has contacted the party (it would help if one of them were a follower or a Cleric of the Goddess). The party would need to infiltrate the church, gain their trust, ascend to levels of power within the clergy, and discover the heart of the corruption. Joining the church might be something as simple as being mercenaries in their employ. Every once in awhile, the church contacts them for a job needing done, and, over time, they begin picking up on he truth. Maybe the evil wizard they were charged with putting to rest, was actually someone who has threatened the corruption and getting close to answers. If the party slays the wizard, leave behind a journal revealing the truth. Then the party would need to further work with the church, to gain their trust, and meet with the head of the religion. If something like a Devil was the source of the corruption, remember, by that point in time, it would have been able to gate in more devils to take over other positions of power in the church. One of my favorite Dragonlance Books featured an a dragon that posed as the leader of a religion. Every time the current high priest out lived his usefulness, or the people demanded a new priest, he would begin the selection of a new leader. Once the new leader met in private for him to learn secrets only the High Priest was allowed to know, he would consume the replacement and take his disguise. A similar process could take place in your game. The source of the corruption has been masquerading as the High Priest for centuries and every couple dozen years or so (depending on the race) when a new High Priest is needed, the Cancer consumes and masquerades as the new High Priest, changing his plans or schemes somewhat to show a change in leadership, but ultimately serving his own purpose. 
Kitsune rogue or fighter, basing it off of one of my favorite villains: Don Carnage of Tailspin fame. 
Personally, I liked the system described in Reamde, wherein the characters would become NPCs with patterns that they'd execute while the player was offline. First they'd return to their home area, if they weren't already there, then they'd go through a basic day/night schedule, working during the day on jobs set for them by their players. Basically, when you're offline, they're acting much like something out of the Sims. Gives people a reason to band together and build a safe town, to react to enemy raids, etc. PFS already has the Day Job system in place, I see this as a natural extension of that. Your character simply does his Day Job and collects a bit of gold from doing it. Obviously this system needs limitations, if you've got a blacksmith and you don't have a decent supply of coal or iron, they'll stop working til you log back in to arrange a resupply, or someone else from your guild does. 
Part of what I was thinking was that I would help in places where there are not many NPCs. Say my guild has just found a mine then we can log out and have our characters defend the area while we sleep, then we come the next day and continue building our mine and eventually hire NPC gaurds to strengthen our defenses against those other guilds who want our mine for themselves. 
I do like the idea of having players switch to an AI script when they log out, the problem is making that script versatile enough to deal with all possible player gearsets/skillsets/inventories. But that's already been discussed. What if, when players log out in town, they can work as guard duty, but not directly. What if the NPC guards who are already there get buffs based on how many players are logged out "on guard duty"? (This is assuming that there are other things for logged-out players to be doing, like crafting, training, working a profession, etc.) For every, say, 5 logged-off players who have signed up for guard duty, the existing NPC guards get something like +20% health and +5% damage? Or, for each logged-out player, an extra NPC guard is spawned, at a power level similar to the player? Either way, the dev team doesn't have to write an AI script for the players, and there will be a significant difference between a town with no players on guard duty (a half-dozen NPCs of middling strength) and a town with 20 players logged out on guard duty (2 dozen guards, noticeably more powerful and better equipped, but still just NPC guards).
Well, you could always have the PCs persist like that for 24hrs and if the player doesn't log in again then the PC is removed. It gives the flavor and fun of the idea without 20k zombies milling around and if they make NPCs non-responsive then they deserve to have people find another game to play anyway. 
some awesome ideas Yes, yes, all of my yes. Weapon damage type, elemental damage type, all of these should factor into the equation of what you get. It stops the whole 'blanket the map in fireballs and then loot anything that sparkles' tactic farmers in most MMOs I have encountered use. If nuking a district results in no valuable commodities, then it's likely going to turn off the 'strip miner' farming. People will start to think about what they are after, how they are going to get it, and how will they drag it back to town. We'll always have lone or small groups of players running around slaughter pigs for their often-not-there livers, but imagine having groups of players getting together, going out and quite litterally going on hunting expeditions? Imagine players gaining access to non-lethal methods of capturing wild animals also? Herd of wild Horses? A blanket of Sleep Spells, load them into the heavy-duty wagons and have the mages keep more Sleep spells ready in case they wake up, drop them off to the PC who has the relevant skill and an enclosed area to keep the horses while he domesticates and trains them, bang, you have 'Wild Stock' which can have random attributes to add to the next generation of Mounts. Running out of Pigs? Go hunt down some more, and take a few back to the farmers to use as breeding stock to keep the numbers up while new farms are being built to deal with the influx of players demanding meat and hide. 
Kind of off topic I just wanted see what you guys/gals thought about an idea. In UO if your killed by a monster that same mob will take items from your bag when you die, after you go back to collect your corpse/husk you can try and kill that monster to get your items back. What I would like to see in PFO is that if your killed and looted by a mob whatever that mob keeps remains on that mobs inventory forever, so if your not able to get back to your corpse or you can't find the mob that looted you others will have that opportunity to collect the items if and when that mob is killed. I always found having to get revenge and get my stuff back from a mob that killed me adds another layer of realism and fun. 
Armor should be based on character size. Medium characters can only use medium armor. On top of this, I would love for looted armor to give you less than full protection; possibly a debuff called "ill-fit". This debuff exists until, as you suggest, you get it resized and fitted. Tailors and/or armorers should do this (as is appropriate). 
I agree with SpiritCrawler's post too, but I would actually like to see it take a fairly significant amount of time to rifle through the pockets of a corpse. Perhaps a 3 minute channeling bar pops up and starts counting down. Periodically, you find an item. Easy-to-find items show up in the loot box right away. Well-hidden items might not show up until the channeling is almost complete. Player skill in Searching Corpses or some such could vary your chances. Basically, the idea is to make it easy to get the obvious things, like the gem-encrusted sword you saw him holding, but give some incentive to leave stuff on the corpse, or not even bother searching it sometimes. Part of the reason I feel this way is my experience recently in Rift and SWTOR where my bag space gets filled up with absolute trash, especially if I kill in a couple of different areas that have different mob types. Personally, I want to be able to ignore the corpses of the door guards when I'm bursting into the lair of an evil wizard. I'll almost certainly search the evil wizard himself, and his private quarters, but I really don't want the game built to expect me to loot every single thing from every single kill. 
We got your back James. Numeria AP comes out I'm buying the map, all associated Players/Settings books, the associated card set, and any core/bestiary that has elements that benefit it. You can count on SOLID sales from me. Anyone wanna +1 me on this? Justin, maybe it's THIS year? We don't know what the AP for the last half of 2012 is yet. But then again, if it's 2014 I'll be there with bells on. I'll cry for 2 years, but I'll still be there. 
The group I ran through that part saw the goblins on the other side of the bridge and the goblins started shooting arrows at them to scare them off.So the big dumb fighter cut the rope bridge down.
Conquest of Bloodsworn Vale is literally right next door to Kassen. I plan on tying all 4 modules together at some point after I stop running Curse of the Crimson Throne. 
Hi all, I’m back! Relationship issues kept me off the project since Sep 2011 and actually caused RPG interest to wain but things are getting better now. Thanks to everyone who wanted a copy and to Greystaff for spreading the love. Torlandril Morninglord's comment humoured me…btw its 441 pages of obsessive compulsive! :O I deleted the old link but here it is uploaded anew
The artwork is in place and that’s why so many pages. What it needs now is creature stat blocks and room descriptions in boxed txt. I may or may not continue to work on it. If anyone is up for the task or collaboration send me a message. 
H'okay, Azlant. As far as the defunct civilizations of Golarion go, we've probably been given the most information, but it's scattered around various sources, and in nowhere are we given a clear picture what life was like or a clear extent of the empire.
The Azlanti People
Azlanti Culture/Relations
Azlanti Architecture
The Azlanti Language
Azlanti Magic/Studies/Technology
Known Azlanti Sites/Ruins
Azlanti Religion
Sources
@Alzrius: Thanks! ~D Other conversions: X2 Castle Amber
"Ninjas of the Thousand Bleeding Stings do X, Y, and Z" - gets my vote. The "you" narrative doesn't make me particularly happy. And I also prefer the more in-world "size of a buckler" even if it is more wishy-washy in terms of precision. I very very much DO NOT WANT to have references based on real-world metrics. That the dragon is the size of a MAC truck would be a deal-breaker. Seriously. Please don't. If you need to give something that is easily related to, then I would prefer an accurate measurement (1ft diameter) over a real-world analogue (size of a basketball). Finally, I understand that Paizo caters heavily for a US market - but the size of a basketball isn't nearly as relevant in other parts of the world. Likewise with a football field (which many would then confuse with a soccer field). I live in South Africa, and if you'd describe something as the size of a baseball ball, then I actually have no idea, other than it can apparently be thrown well, so cannot be too big. But is it bigger or smaller than a tennis ball? No clue. 
So I often use scripts. These are out-of-character cut-scenes that allow the PCs to get some flavour or some plot without experiencing it first hand. In my current game, one of the PCs is a Varisian follower of Desna, so these take the form of dreams to her, but they could be delivered in any number of ways, or even without explanation. We don't use these every session, just every now and again. To use them, simply print out a few copies, hand them out and allocate characters. If possible, the DM should not be a character (ie, entirely player read), but otherwise you can just read a minor character.
Some notes: * Script 1 can be used as the very first action in the campaign. It allows the PCs to feel an immediate bond for the Professor and Kendra, which is useful I think. It foreshadows Judge Daramind (II), Estovion (III), and Modd (V).* Script 2 is useful if your PCs haven't solved the Ravengro murders by the first time you escalate to a human. It throws suspicion on a bunch of characters in Ravengro in a murder-mystery style. (NB: the Lorrimor cheese collection was an in-game joke.). * Script 3 deviates a little from the plot in that we have the Whispering Way kill Aleece and also have Luramin the money-lender a necromancer. To me, one of the changes the campaign needs is more of a prominent villain and more encounters with the Whispering Way. This allows for some WW action in Ravengro as well as framing a big bad evil guy for the PCs. (It also allows you to mask the real big bad, so Vrood is sleight-of-hand in a way). * Script 4 is my take on a Count Caromarc origin story. Both Koch and Werner are added characters. Werner was the father of one of my PCs and Koch was an NPC at the University who could help out with various alchemy things related to the module, as well as enroll Kendra in class. More scripts to come for later modules. The one I regret not doing is a script around the night of the fire in Harrowstone. I think there is a lot of cool information in the first module that goes to waste, and having that dramatic evening as a flash-back would work well. Comments welcome... 
If Rovagug really is that powerful, he might be the only thing that could stand up full-out Old One assault on the Golarion pantheon. Which may very well be why they've kept him locked up, nice and tight, waiting for the first salvo to breach the walls of Outer Sphere. Leaving behind the concept that the deities we've come to know and enjoy are merely "somewhat more likeable" Outer Gods or servants of: Perhaps the Outer Gods and their ilk are just as alien and unknowable to the gods as they are to mortals. Rovagug might be a weapon that they strain to contain in preparation for that final battle (one that, if prophecy speaks true, would end the world). Big R might also be the first one of the Outer Gods to make planetfall, requiring every deity to step up and bind him. This may well be why the gods have a tentative peace - should they ever engage in true war against one another, the survivors would stand no chance against what would arrive next. (Except, perhaps, for Asmodeus, who holds the key. Sneaky devil.) The last act of Groteus may indeed be a merciful one, if the world has fallen to the unspeakable things from beyond. A final blow to eradicate the invaders, cleaning the slate for something new.
At the present site of Eye of Abendego the gods united to stop him, and after three weeks of battle, Aroden finally was defeated. The Eye being a result of the great magic and power released to stop him. I like the idea of a connection between the Eye and Aroden's death. My thought that maybe he's not completely dead, but instead is trapped within the Eye (and might as well be dead, since he can't even contact his worshippers from in there). But is he trapped by choice (holding back some devastation), or design (imprisoned by another)? It's worth noting that Desna also resides on the Material Plane, though I don't think she's a native like Nyarlathotep or Cthulhu. It's only (relatively) recently (as strange aeons go) that Desna has been a *human* goddess, with a humanoid appearance. Whatever shuddersome sky-crawling insectile thing, night black and slick with liquid starlight, singing mad songs and dreaming mad dreams beyond the range of human comprehension in the dark places between the stars, she used to be, has been wrapped up in a friendly butterfly-lady persona, over the recent millenia... Far-Traveller from beyond the stars, mad-Dreamer of forbidden Dreams, we call upon you, Desna, Ia, Ia. 
Now you guys have me curious. In the article in Trial of the Beast about the Palatine Eye the history is described as the founder having disappeared in the Orsirion desert after being cursed by during the robbing of a tomb there. When he returned he claimed to have been taught ancient rights by some sort of angelic being. Perhaps there is some sort of tie to the black Pharaoh in this? After all, when his home was destroyed they found it was built around an oddly shaped standing stone. Maybe some sort of menhir like those of the Kellids? 
Keep in mind that neither Paizo nor Wizards of the Coast are likely to post in this thread any secret future plans, so everything posted in here is going to be pure speculation, based on pure speculation. So when you feel like disagreeing with someone (and you probably will, I can tell it has the potential to be that kind of thread), keep in mind that it's just their opinion. They're no more privy to the truth than you are. And when you post your awesome idea that Paizo absolutely must do or else we're going to go out of business, please have faith in Lisa, Erik and the rest of us that we got to this point because we're not stupid. 
Ehhh ... If you look at real world mythology pre-Abrahamic takeover folks with multiple pantheons usually just equivocated when new gods showed up and just assumed they were different aspects of their gods for the culture that worshipped them. The Romans were famous for this, with Jupiter having aspects that tied him to Amon-Re, Wodan, etc. I assume that the 'new' gods the Dragoran refugees brought to Opal are being co-opted slowly by the native pantheon. I've already worked up a lot of ties between Cayden Cailean and the Aztec diety of alcohol, Two Rabbit/Ometochtli 
I think someone hit on it earlier. Foghammer pointed out that any fix of Stealth is going to require a fix of perception. The two need to be more tightly coordinated. For example : One of the two should be the DC for the other. Active Stealth : When you are actively stealthing while performing any action, you must make a stealth check. The DC of this check is equal to 10 plus the highest Perception bonus of any passive observers. Each doubling of the number of Observers who could possibly observe the stealth attempt increases the DC by +2. You gain a bonus to your stealth roll equal to the minimum distance modifier based on the closest observer. You gain +10 to stealth for partial concealment, and +20 for total concealment. Partial and total cover give the same bonuses. You cannot actively stealth if you are already being observed, unless you have Hide in Plain Sight. If you ever end your movement in a location you cannot attempt a stealth check from, or if you make an attack, you are no longer considered unobserved. Example : Sneaky Sam is trying to sneak past Farmer Frank and his Dog Duke. Both Frank and Duke are the same distance away. Sneaky Sam's DC is 10 + highest Bonus (+8 from Duke) + 2 (2 observers) = 20. Sam get's his own +8 bonus, + 5 for partial concealment (he's in the bushes, but not completely concealed), and +2 for distance (his distance from the observers). Sam rolls a 10, and his final check is 10 + 8 (skill) + 5 (partial cover) + 2 (distance) = 25. He remains unobserved as he dashes across the opening and into the next set of bushes. If he stops in the open, he loses his stealth. Example : Assassin Anne has snuck up to a pillar. Unfortunately, a guard has come around the corner. She starts with total concealment (+20 to her stealth). She wishes to sneak out behind the guard and hit him with a sap and do sneak attack damage to knock him out without killing him. She makes a stealth check. The guard is 20 feet away, so Anne has to make a full move to get to him, so she takes the -5 penalty for making a full move. Her DC is the guard's Perception plus 10, or 20 (10 skill, 10 base). She rolls a 7, netting her 7 + 20 (total concealment) - 5 (full move) + 8 (Skill) = 30. She beats the DC handily, and sneaks up to the guard in one swoop and hit's him with a sap, applying sneak attack as the guard is flat-footed to her for her attack. Active Perception : Whenever you make an Active Perception test, you make a DC check against any hidden or stealthed opponents within range of any of your senses. Your DC is 10 plus the stealth skill of the stealthee, plus any bonuses for concealment/cover, plus any distance penalties. Example : Duke the Dog yawns and get's bored watching Frank work on sharpening his pitchfork. So he starts padding around the farm, doing a patrol. He passes within 15 feet of Sneaky Sam, and spends an action performing an active perception. He has no distance modifiers. Duke's DC is 10 + 8 (Sam's Skill) + 10 (partial concealment) = 28. Duke has a +8 for his skill. He also has scent. The GM rules that the wind has changed, and Sam is now upwind from Duke. Since Sam hasn't bathed in a week, he's getting pretty ripe. So the GM gives Duke a +5 to notice Sam, due to his smell. Duke's total bonus is now 8 + 5 = 13. Duke rolls 16, for a total of 29. Sam takes off at a dead run as Duke begins barking, summoning Fred and his extra sharp pitchfork. These are rough, I realize. The idea is, make it static checks based on who is actively doing something. Not opposed checks each time either person does something. That' get's hard to follow. The exact bonuses/penalties to each set of rolls is open for debate. The idea is, you make Perception and Stealth work off each other, instead of them being out in two different fields, one playing baseball and the other hopscotch. EDIT : Yeah, I mixed up a couple of the bonuses on concealment, not going to fix it, the concept is the thing, not the mathematics. 
actually I would like that stealth is undetectable for most simple magic means. Mainly those that scan the area, not scrying to find the person. Reason:
If I remember correctly the 3.5 rogue had the problem that the wizard could do everything he could, and better. The PF rogue only has the ninjas stealth abilities that beats his simple sneak (mostly), especially at lvl 20. I don't ask for an antimagic aura on the rogue, but if the "general anti-surprise-spells" could that heavily interfere with the rogue, well then sneak-attack is pretty much all that's left. I mean even as it is, the rogue can't stealth for the rest of his party, the wizard can mass invisibility everyone. Anyhow, I'm a rogue-fan, and I may be biased. 
Unfortunately by RAW both See Invisibilty and True Sight specifically say you see Invisible(the condition) creatures. Neither indicate that it has to be part of a magical effect. A creature point. A Will-o'-wisp and Invisible Stalker both have Natural Invisibility (Ex). Nothing magical. If your argument is correct that it See Invisibility and True Sight only work against magically (spells, spell-like, supernatural) generated Invisible (condition) then neither would work on these creatures. Considering I've never seen either spell ruled that way nor does it have really have a strong RAW backed reading, I can't agree with your analaysis. Natural Invisitibly (Ex) on creature like Will-o'-wisp and Invisible Stalker are a primary reason I object to using Invisible (condition) as a blanket part of Stealth rules. I back a "Hidden" rage-esque pseudo condition that has many of the same features (when it comes to denying foes Dexterity to AC on an attack) as Invisible, but is not actually Invisible (condition). 
Also, did anyone else think the guy trying to hide in the image has that worried look on his face not because he might get caught but that he might be the father? The larvae do kinda look like him... I figured that the look on his face reflected his uncertainty regarding the stealth rules and whether moving out from behind that column will automatically alert the formian queen of his presence or not. "...I've got 6 ranks in stealth, +3 Dex, there's dim light at this end of the room and a -1 penalty to her perception check for every 10-ft. of distance between her and me. Oh wait, I have an armor check penalty... I need at least concealment to attempt stealth so... Crap. Does dim lighting offer concealment? What if she's got darkvision? I bet those big bug eyes of hers grant her Darkvision. Can I take 20 or 10? Crap. Crap. Crap. Why the heck didn't I become a wheelwright like my father wanted?!?" 
Hiding: Hiding is a condition relative to other creatures. While successfully hiding from a creature -You may not be detected with hearing or vision by that creature, including darkvision. -You gain a +2 attack bonus on your first attack against that creature, and it looses its dexterity bonus to armor class against this attack. The first attack removes the hiding condition from you. - Hiding does not, by itself, make a creature immune to critical hits, but it does make the creature immune to extra damage from being a ranger's favored enemy and from sneak attacks. A creature attempting to attack a hidden character's square suffers a 50% miss chance -If you are damaged while hiding you must make a stealth check VS the damage taken or loose the hidden condition. -If a creature suspects you of hiding in a square, it may search one square as a move equivalent action. The creature gets a new perception check with a +10 bonus against your last stealth roll. -If a hidden creature makes an attack, casts a spell with a verbal or somatic component, ends his turn in a square without cover or concealment, fails to spend at least a swift action to maintain its stealth, then the creature looses the hidden condition. Invisible creatures leave tracks. They can be tracked normally. Footprints in sand, mud, or other soft surfaces can give enemies clues to an invisible creature's location. A hidden creature in the water displaces water, giving a +4 circumstance bonus to note its location, or +8 if it moves. A creature with the scent ability can detect a hidden creature as it would a visible one. A creature with the Blind-Fight feat has a better chance to hit an hiding creature. Roll the miss chance twice, and he misses only if both rolls indicate a miss. (Alternatively, make one 25% miss chance roll rather than two 50% miss chance rolls.) A creature with blindsight can attack (and otherwise interact with) creatures regardless of whether or not they are hidden. You cannot hide while carrying a light source. Hidden creatures cannot use gaze attacks. Hidden does not thwart divination spells,(edit) but true seeing does not aid you in spotting a hiding character. 
Darkorin
(Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, Adventure Path, Campaign Setting, Companion, Battles Case Subscriber)
Guys, can't we all agree that the Rise of the Runelords Anniversary Edition is a great thing and just support it? I'm pretty sure that if we just do so, and show them that we ARE interested in buying such products (even those of us with an AP subscription), then maybe they'll reconsider it then. I mean, it's totally understandable that they are afraid to lose some good customers if they tend to do this kind of release on a regular basis, and the last thing I want to see is a great company such as Paizo to have some financial problems because of a decision made in too much of a hurry.
Meanwhile, let's just all enjoy what they are doing for us, and support them for what a great job they are doing! And I sure as hell can't wait for that Rise of the Runelord special edition! 
Fantasy roleplaying games have long drawn their monstrous material from myths and legends, folklore and literature. It may seem that cinema, a relatively new art-form, has been neglected. But Hollywood culture has done much to shape our perceptions of popular monsters. Vampires weren't killed by sunlight until Nosferatu, and the magical combination of werewolves, silver and the full moon was formulated by Universal Pictures in the 1940s. Where would zombies be without Night of the Living Dead? Would carnivorous oozes exist without The Blob? The monsters in Creature Codex Vol. 3: It Came from the Silver Screen! draw inspiration from the creature features of the 1950s through 1970. Within its pages you'll find five monsters and two templates representing everything from giant animals to alien menaces and weird mutants. And, as always, Demiurge Press is committed to presenting top quality art and editing. Coming soon! 
This is an application I created for myself a few months back and have been slowly improving. It's a simple initiave manager linked with the monsters data pulled from the SRD (as posted at d20pfsrd.com). I've also got tabs for Searching Spells (updated for APG) and Feats. The application runs on Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7, and requires the .Net Framework 4.0. I've got screenshots here so you can take a look before installing. 
Hi All, I am looking to run the Prophecies of the Dragon module using the Wheel of Time RPG. It's been some time since this system was released but I am hoping to get a few interested parties in this. I am looking to have between 4-6 players, the final number depending on how many interested people apply and the concepts that are submitted. Just to put this out there, I am an experienced gamer on both sides of the screen but this will be my first time running a PbP on these specific forums. I've run and played games on other sites that went well enough but I justed wanted people to know ahead of time. Info to know when posting an application: 1) I am a Wheel of Time fan. I wanted this said so you're not surprised by my other notes for the game below. 2) I will be running this using the old Wheel of Time 3.5 RPG book. This will not be a conversion to Pathfinder or 4E or any other system. This will be with the original system designed from the novels. If you don't have the book, then I'm sorry. This is simply because I was very happy with the rules they came up with and it also saves me a TON of work having to update things and translate them. I know there are a bunch of fan sites with more optional rules for the system but I won't be using those, for the same reason as I'm not converting, it's just easier for me. I hope this doesn't put anyone off the game but I just want people to know. 3) I am looking for ideally a 1 post per day minimum from people Mon-Fri but I totally understand that real life is rough and I will already admit planning on being guilty of missing a day from time to time. This is especially for roleplaying stuff and if you're busy for a day or two, no biggie, you're just quietly brooding when people are talking, or something like that. It's easy to work around if others are helping to carry the conversation. During combat however I will be a little more insistent on the 1/day frequency as it really does make it easier for the group as a whole. 4) The Prophecies of the Dragon module is set during the timeline of the first 6 novels, the story basically running parellel to the main characters of the novels. This is important to note as it does kind of dictate certain aspects of the game and character concept. There will be no Seanchan characters allowed. Aiel characters will need a good backstory explanation. Things of this nature. I will of course answer any questions people have about character ideas. This ultimately relates to the last and key point. 5) This is a Wheel of Time game and I will require people to be familiar and comfortable with the series. This isn't to say that you have to quote specific lines from chapters and it's not designed to limit your roleplaying options. This is being put out there so people understand that the game will be firmly set in the WoT world. A perfect example of this which fans of the series will understand: If you play a male channeler character, there will be roleplaying consequences for this. NPC's will most likely hate or fear you. Maybe both, maybe try to kill you. This is a risk you face, at least in the beginning. I want people familiar to the setting so that they're not surprised by this kind of issue or others like it. (NOTE: Other PC's are of course exempt from this kind of issue unless specifically roleplayed by the individual player. As in games where certain character concepts aka necromancers etc can create tension, my default assumption is that the PC has proved his worth to the party enough for them to overlook the undesirable trait of the other member.) Phew that was a lot info to swallow. If you've read all the above and aren't put off and are still interested in playing in this game, then here we go. - Sumbit a character concept/backstory. The more detail the better, but for sure I am looking for at least a small display of your WoT knowledge either in your backstory or character build ideas. - We'll be using the standard <4d6> and dropping the lowest for ability score generation. Feel free to use the in post dice rolling mechanic for ability rolls. Max HP to start. - You do not need to submit your actual character build/mechanics when applying, you may wait till you are accepted if you'd like. There will be no preference shown to people who submit both instead of just the backstory. Looking for concept initially. Thanks for showing an interest and I hope to be playing with some of you very soon. |
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