Nephelim's page

Whereas Strain is more like dents and dings caused by the archetypal "glancing blow." On reflection, that makes sense... and construct immunity prevents them from failing saves - and thus taking injury - from poisons and other biological concerns.

I love this variant more and more.

So my Runelords group is restarting with new PCs, and one of them is a Machinesmith... so, suddenly the implications of SI on constructs is relevant.

I can't recall if this has come up before, but because constructs don't "heal" and they get bonus HPs based on size to replicate their inherent durability, should all damage be treated as Injury?

Cool. thanks for all the great advice. I'm not honestly sure which playstyle he digs... I don't think he's developed a preference yet, but his friends might. So, we'll see which way to go. Serpent's Skull or Kingmaker look like the best options.

Cheers!

So, I'm finally getting around to using the Playtest rules as a way of "boosting" a three-player party to hit inside their weight class. I know I am coming WAY late to this party, but what was the final run-down of things as they have been adjusted over the playtest? I remember that Trials were scrapped, as were Mythic Weaknesses, and now the Tiers = 1/2 CR thing, which is cool.

Were there other aspects to the original playtest doc that were "adjusted" by the Consensus? I don't want to get too far from he mark and have to do a lot of re-jiggering once GenCon rolls around.

First, I have to say I only skimmed the thread, so forgive if this is irrelevant, but two things that are kind of "out of the box" that might make a difference to the better:

1: Implement the "Strain-Injury" healing variant developed on these board by Evil Lincoln et al. It is a great boon to survivability and less Healbot-grind.

2: What about adding Mythic Tiers to your PCs? It certainly fits the storyline, and could be integrated with minimal tooling. Personally, I would go with the "Highlander" version, and the PCs gain Mythic energy and Tiers as they progress by absorbing them when they take out Mythic foes. There are certainly enough of those in that AP.

Captain - I LOVE that idea about using the Making Of sequences to disarm the emotional impact BEFORE watching the movie. Might have to use that.

I keep hearing good stuff about Kingmaker. How advanced is the math in the Kingdom Building mechanics? I might be able to spin that as an advantage.

I was most concerned about the Skinsaw Murders... I haven't read too in-depth in that chapter yet, but I am unsure how you can tone down an undead serial killer to PG-13 levels! Certainly that would work with Thistletop and the first book, and recasting the Ogres as thuggish bullies would work well.

I'll take a look at those, thanks!

So my son is a very bright 10 year old, and loves Pathfinder... we've been playing stuff from the Beginner Box, and that's been great, but he's ready for something a bit more weighty and with more options. the only Adventure Path I have is RotRL (Anniversary edition) with is a great series, but is quite grim and gruesome.

I was wondering if there was an adventure path which would be, content-wise, slightly less challenging for a group of young players?

Perhaps have the Rogue who fled, hearing that there was people looking into things, approach them and try and warn them off. Nothing whets a group's appetite for trouble more than someone saying "if you know what's good for you, you'll leave this alone..."

Mark Hoover wrote:

EL: alongside "superficial" you can also use "flesh wound". As in:

"It's only a FLESH WOUND."

"No it's not; your LEG'S off!"

Neep.

I was avoiding that one, specifically. Silhouette (the system used in Heavy Gear and Jovian Chronicles) used it... but even a hint of a python reference holds the potential to derail a game.

Indeed... even if it is only Waffer Theen?

I had a problem where the Monk grappled something and started pounding it into oblivion. The target was an Imp, I think, grappled by a Dragonborn monk with a lot higher strength. I had a hard time thinking of how to describe this in terms of blocks, dodges, and the final lucky shot... on the other hand, the damage was being done to a Monster\NPC, so the differentiation between Injury and Strain is irrelevant, but if the tables were turned, the question would remain. How do you model being pummeled by someone grappling you (or pouncers for that matter) where you are clearly not on even footing, physically?

Personally, to answer Lincoln's question, I like the "just a scratch" methodology for poison, and it follows that something like a flaming sword's heat would singe you without having to cut you... same principle, and totally dramatically appropriate, I think.

That's a rough situation... Its nice to see that this variant does not create a cake-walk. My group has a CHA-optimized Paladin but no Cleric, so Lay on Hands and Channel Positive are their only source of healing. So far, they have not yet been stressed enough to have it be a problem, but I might change that if their retreat path is cut off by Wrathspawn who are curious about the sounds echoing through the corridors...

I think I might already understand this, but wanted to ask the Meta-Mind anyhow. Take a Leonal, and add a couple levels of Ranger to him. Does this increase the "caster Level" of his Roar ability (which functions as Holy Word) or is that tied specifically to racial Hit Dice?

Spell-Like abilities as well, when you add class-levels to a creature, but not CASTER classes (though a ranger is a semi-caster, but I'm not sure if that's really relevant), is the caster level of Spell-like abilities bumped up? Again, in this example, the Leonal's Spell-like abilities are defined in their stat-block as CL14, and they (coincidentally) have 14 HD. Because the CL of those abilities is stated, it is a fixed value, even if that fixed value happens to be the same as its HD, so adding Class-level HD should not effect it... correct?

Because of previous adventures, my group of three players started Runelords with 6th level characters. As a response, I'm having to bump up encounters to CR 5 and6 to keep it from being a complete blitz, and hopefully the adventure will catch up with the PC's levels by the Skinsaw Murders... but after that, I was planning on introducing Mythic levels to help with survivability, but it seems to be thematically appropriate to the Path.

What I was thinking of doing was granting 3 mythic tiers to Malfeshankor, and having the PC's absorb them, Highlander-style, but that they sort of remain dormant until they encounter something that "triggers" their ascension - read: when the as-written encounters surpass their APL...

Has anyone else tried this sort of thing yet, to "fill out" a small group, and do they have any feedback\advice on its use?

Combat Manager App

This has everything, included what the OP asked,hope you won't be upset.

I love me that app, but it is missing something, by no fault of the Dev's -- a version that run on something besides Windows or iPad. Assuming that's not an impediment, you're right: that app is the bomb-diggity.

there's an excel-based character Sheet called "the One Sheet" that is quite customization-friendly and two of my group SWEAR by for their Wizard and Cleric. Considering that we're at 15th level now, being able to track buffs and debuffs is key to its success.

Of course, they are also both geeks, so the tech side might be daunting, I'm not sure. I use a Mac\Android and the Vbasic stuff does not translate reliably, so I got used to pen-n-paper.

I'm fond of the Combat Tracker app. Its Windows and iOS right now, but it does a good job of managing buffs, its tied nicely into Herolab and the SRD, and there is an android version in the works.

how much change did you have to undertake to convert Runelords to a suitably mythic "feel?"

Cross-posting this here for those who don't follow on Facebook:

The Beginning

This is a long distance away from being a real app, but I've started. I don't know if this will be easier or harder than iPad.

Oooooohhhhh.... Pretty!

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People have an instinct to make the game more "realistic" by making it more deadly. This variant rule works by explaining why things like swords and fire are as survivable as they seem in the rules, rather than changing their deadliness. We do that by explaining what action occurs to mitigate the threat. Parry a sword, leap past a trap.

The only part of the RAW that needs to change to make this work is the rate of healing.

Well put.

I tend to agree with you... but the counter argument (RAI vs. RAW) could be made. It says "as a Paladin" and a Paladin gets Mercies when they LoH.

According to the Bestiary 2, all Agathions can lay on hands as a Paladin of a level equal to their Hit Dice... Having said that, Paladins of over third level add Mercies to their Lay On hands.

Pardon the pun, but on the one hand, Mercy is a separate class feature than Lay on Hands, but on the other, it an automatic additive to Lay on Hands, based on the Paladin's Level.

In fact, at the end of the write-up for Mercy, it says specifically that mercies are a direct and cumulative feature based on the level of the Paladin's Lay on Hands ability...

Opinions?

I've been using this for my Rise of the Runelords game for a while now, and its been very helpful, seeing as how the party has been without a Cleric from the start (replying on the Paladin's healing). I still have been having the hardest time modeling it correctly, but it has made the players more willing to take risks. I think the players see it as "safer" to go running into the thick of things, considering that most damage is going to be shrug-able... This should not be seen as a fault of the system, quite the contrary.

I still love the idea, and will continue to use it. Adding the Armor as DR thing is tempting, but I think it would possibly make things too safe, unless we assume all damage is injury otherwise, which defeats the purpose, I think.

Got the same thing as Cavian...

Is the DR value ad-hoc\arbitrary, or based on materials and design? How would magic protection factor in? For instance, if you are still using AC (and I agree on that point) then would enchanted armor's enhancement bonus boost both its AC and DR?

I would suggest that perhaps that makes a certain amount of sense, seeing as how a weapon's enhancement adds to Attack and damage, armor could reasonably be seen as an inverse to that.

However, if Armor enhancement is factored into both AC and DR, what advantage would Adamantine plate have over Steel, for instance, assuming both are of equal AC and enhancement?

Another thought, how does stacking AC like Natural and manufactured AC work?

EDIT: And also, what about mundane but non-material AC bonuses, like a Monk?

So... Aboleth's Lung (from ARG):

"The targets are able to breathe water, freely. However, they can no longer breathe air. Divide the duration evenly among all the creatures you touch. This spell has no effect on creatures that can already breathe water."

"they can no loner breathe air" -- so, when cast on, say, a bunch of Orcs in a forest, its a touch attack, will save, SR yes suffocation attack? Targets is "living" creature touched (not "willing"), and you can divide it among multiple targets, with a duration in the hours.

Sounds like a really awesome save-or-die for a second level spell....

Elder elementals are, technically, huge... a bit of a cheddary loophole, I admit, but still. Summoning is definitely a HUGE advantage to the Druid's versatility, even if they are full round casting, I guess that only really hurts the first round.

Food for thought, thanks.

Wall of Thorns is, in fact, awesome.... I had not considered how it synergizes with Fire Seeds. Still, Fire is the first type of damage that things become immune to...

that was kinda what I was thinking... a pity. Bloody Claws on a pouncer could be righteous.

So I've just gotten my Druid to 15th level, which is great, but over the past several levels I have begun to notice a significant issue with druid spells... many of them rely on Poison, Electricity, and poison, especially the high-level funtimes like Creeping Doom and the other swarm spells. People on the boards seem to love these spells, but the fact is, by the time you are at a level where you can cast it, it unusual for the target of your spells to not be immune to poison, fire, electricity, or acid, rendering a surprising amount of spells utterly impotent. IMHO, a 15th level character SHOULD be facing off against extraplanar issues, which takes Creeping Doom from being "OMG teh AWESOME" to a minor annoyance.

Is this just the way of things, or have I once again missed something?

Granted, I can still turn into an elder elemental and squish many many things, so perhaps I'm just b~~#$ing....

So bleed damage does not stack, and it takes an action to stop, but even a relatively massive 2d6 bleed does not strike me as worth a feat or spell slot when most monsters rarely last over 5 rounds of combat. Aren't there better ways to take out a badguy than bleed them?

Perhaps I am missing something, but I never saw the real advantage to getting Bleed... it seems circumstantially useful at best.

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A couple of things I have noticed, which may or may not qualify as a "Bug" -- I imported a Witch from Hero Lab, and the Spell List didn't populate in Combat manager.

Also, Barbarian Rage (and I would think other CON boost effects, but I haven't tested that yet) didn't adjust HP totals.

I don't know how you use appraise to identify a pit fiend but by the pit I want to see it!

By appraising his Family Jewels?

Russ Taylor wrote:

I imagine it might work much the same way that Schlock motivated his "cow" to run faster (see panel 1).

http://www.schlockmercenary.com/2003-12-07

Lol our answer was "Don't worry I got it, it's just like driving a motorcycle."

"A what?"
"Don't worry you'll figure that out later"

I also want to see a rogue use swim to climb a mountain.

This whole thing sounds very "Adventures of Baron Munchausen" to me... the Trickster is so absurd, yet surprisingly reasonable, that reality itself shrugs its shoulders and says "what the hell, sure."

I love this idea...

Might sound like a dumb question but I just caught up with new tech. I adore Combat Manager on my game table laptop; run every game with it. Will it also work on an Android tablet?

Sadly, no.

thanks for the heads up, guys.

Personally, I think that the idea of using the MAD as a basis for something that makes a Monk feel more Monk-ish is awesome, and requires far less re-tooling than other options.

I would use that instead of the WIS to Hit part (though I am having second thoughts) but I think it combines well with 1 and 3, above. #4 is a neat idea, but might be a solution in search of a problem, and while I think 5 is cool, it might be a bit system-invasive

I'm not sure how much a difference it makes to this build, but you can't have levels in both Rogue and Ninja, nor Cavalier and Samurai, or fighter and Gunslinger. They are alternate classes of each other.

I also tend to say "there is no non-lethal damage, only non-lethal attacks." That's cleared things up a lot.

Love this.

If the size of the ki pool was expanded, absolutely. It doesn't even have to be as large as a Barbarian's Rage or a Bard's Performance rounds, just more than he has now.

At 6th level, a monk with a 20 Wisdom has 8 ki. A barbarian of the same level with a 20 Constitution has 19 rounds of Rage. A bard of teh same level with a 20 Charisma has 19 rounds of Performance.

At 12th level, a monk with a 22 Wisdom has 12 ki. That same barbarian with a 22 Con has 32 rounds of Rage; the bard with a 22 Charisma has 32 rounds of Performance.

If they made ki pool equal to monk level + Wisdom, that would be 11 for the 6th level monk (vs. 19 for barbarian/bard) and 18 for the 12th level monk (vs. 32 for barbarian/bard). Not as good, and they cannot keep it up for as long, but definately better.

MA

Except that the Monk\Magus ability has a duration in Minutes, meaning that a single point is going to last an entire fight.

Edit: Ninja'd...

So, while I haven't read the entire thread, it seems like something akin to the Fighter's Weapon Training (for a single monk weapon, assumed unarmed, and possibly with a scaled back progression) would do the trick, as would arm and leg wraps that could be enchanted as though a double weapon (as opposed to the AoMF)... those sound eminently doable with minor re-tooling, or even just some type of Feat chain, similar to the Amateur Gunfighter sequence? The Wraps would not be hard to price out.

Alternatively, what about a feat (or item?) that enables a Monk to spend Ki to enhance their unarmed attacks in the same way that a Magus enhances their weapon, but reduce its duration to rounds rather than minutes (to keep from too much thunder-stealing).

A thought I had was to create "stances" for Monks, such that while in one stance, they might get the advantage of Weapon Training, but lose their enhanced speed, to spitball it a bit. The style feats seem to set this up as a reasonable precedent, and it seems to me to be pretty thematically relevant.

Whatever the case, if the crux of the problem is that because of MAD, Monks don't hit often enough to be a factor when it really counts (without specializing), or when they do, their other abilities become so feeble as to be useless. All these options seem like easy enough house-rule fixes...

I absolutely loved this program but was only able to use if for a couple of months before I switched to a mac, I've been wondering if there is a mac version in the works, also needed to comment that I would be more than happy to pay for it if one were to come available.

I've asked this as well, and I think that while it may be in the road map, its a LONG way off. Don't bother trying to use Wine either. The app is making calls that Wine has not included in its libraries. I have to Bootcamp my Macbook to run it. A pain, but considering how awesome the app is, well worth the bother. You might look into Virtual Box and go that route...

You can already do that. Say you have Goblin #1 who you want to be the one whose initiative roll you want to go with. Click on Goblin #2, then hold shift and click on Goblin #N (N being the last goblin in the line of critters you want to follow Goblin #1). Right click, and then highlight iniative, and when the submenu pops up, highlight 'link initiative' and then click on Goblin #1.

I kind of thought that there HAD to be some way to do that! Thanks for the heads up!

I admit that I haven't looked too far into this, but is it possible to arrange groups of monsters into Initiative "blocks" -- so all the goblins go together, all the Wargs go together, and so forth. Its easy enough to just re-arrange them in the initiative tracker, but groupings would be helpful...

Mmmmmmm... Dracomancer....

Nice to see its creeping closer to the top of the pile.

Natural Spell, Improved Initiative, Weapon Finesse, Power Attack (and its derivatives\relatives) -- all are character-defining feats, with the possible exception of Natural Spellcasting, which really is a "Druids get one fewer feats" auto-pick.