Ophryon's page

Perhaps the recent kerfluffle over imps in Korvosa, and their damage resistance.

(Wait...Do we even know if he's converting to 33rd Edition?)

Happy Birthday and thanks for bringing your particular style of genius to the world!

My solution was to slightly edit Zellara's speech on page 11.

Change "...his thieves stole this, my Harrow deck, from me" to simply "his thieves stole a Harrow deck from me." Plus, delete "and also my sole means of support."

The speech still flows fine, emphasizes that the deck is an important heirloom, and doesn't draw attention to the deck in her hand. Everything else plays as written.

My players never questioned it, perhaps taking it for granted that a fortune teller would have a lesser-quality "backup" deck on hand. The way I understood it, Zellara's divination comes from her latent magical skill, not the deck, so it didn't matter which deck she used to find Lamm.

The only way I knew to do that was by reading this thread, so a big "thanks" to the OP for pointing it out!

We don't have the manpower to do exhaustive edits of these guys...

Darn, I'm still a year away from finishing my copyediting certification. If you haven't filled that copyeditor position by then, I'll be sure to reapply!

Thanks, I just wanted to be sure I wasn't missing something obvious.

I think I'll move the Dock Trade down to West Dock anyway (it was N2 for anyone following along). West Dock sounds like a better neighborhood for the "market of questionable legality." Who knows, maybe New Dock is just what they called West Dock before there was an East Dock.

Great book, Mike. I'm getting all sorts of plot hook ideas just on the first skimming.

Quick question: where exactly is New Dock? It's referenced in the description for The Dock Trade, which sounds perfect for one of my players' background, but I can't find it anywhere else. Is it simply that small shoreline part of Mainshore that isn't walled?

Brainstorm: better yet, what if Disable Device lowers the DC of a lock, while Theft lets you open it? That's a clean way of letting a rogue benefit from both INT and DEX.

Perhaps we should consider it as two completely different ways to deal with a lock:

Disable Device breaks or otherwise mechanically defeats the lock, which is perhaps noisy and noticeable.

Theft is the art of picking a lock quietly without leaving any evidence.

I agree that INT works for Disable Device, because smarter characters will better understand the mechanics; however, to me that's not a good reason to remove it from Theft. They're both "trained-only" skills, so the know-how is built into both.

As Chris Seal suggested above, maybe the answer is to enable the "Open Lock" ability for both skills, perhaps with varying effects regarding noise and evidence. (Also interesting to note is that Theft now comes with an armor check penalty, where Disable Device doesn't).

This way, you can design a "dungeon-delver" rogue who can open locks and deal with traps, but isn't really a thief. OR you can design a classic "urban thief" who pickpockets and opens locks, but doesn't often deal with complex traps. A well-rounded rogue could take both skills and perhaps benefit from both INT and DEX bonuses.

I agree with the compromise approach. I play with maps only to the extent that they help the players visualize the scene. I think tactics belong in the storytelling.

There are plenty of tactical options inherent in the existing actions a character can perform. In place of battlemat-oriented rules, I would like to see rules that encourage creative use of those actions ("Aid Another" for example, doesn't get used nearly enough it seems, yet it's exciting to watch a team of movie heroes working together to get in one devastating hit.)

I understand, though, that miniatures are a huge part of D&D history. I wouldn't want to take that away from those that use them. Plus, I am still an addicted buyer of the Gamemastery maps. If those continue to sell well, I doubt Paizo will entirely do away with the map grid! :)

What timing! My group is starting CotCT next week, and I'm going with a hodgepodge of alternate rules taken from Green Ronin's True20 and WotC's Unearthed Arcana.

Now I receive this fabulous news about Pathfinder RPG, and I am of course eager to participate in the playtesting. What to do?

I'm trying to evaluate whether the things that drew me to True20 will be addressed in Pathfinder. Is anyone else toying between the two systems? If so, what do you like about True20 (or UA) that you also see being "fixed" by Pathfinder? Do you think I can switch to the playtesting and still get the flavor I was looking for?

Here's what I like so far:
* Races and classes jazzed up, with options!
* Selection and use of skills streamlined
* Magic users given a little freedom from the spells-per-day system

More radical stuff that might be too incompatible:
* Hitpoint-less combat (I don't expect this exact system in Pathfinder, but will we see any answer to the slugfest-until-you-die mechanism inherent in the hit point system?)
* Conviction (or Action Points, etc.)
* Magic-use tied to fatigue instead of memorized spells per day

I'm very excited that Paizo has made this decision, and would love to be a part of it. Now I just have to decide if my players will tolerate an 11th hour rules change!

As a campaign starter, I might suggest Hangman's Noose...it's a great way to bring a party together...Also, you could start setting up Viktor right away in it (make him a juror...

I just finished running Hangman's Noose, and heartily recommend it as a starter for a mystery and/or Demain based adventure path. When I first read this thread, I was already halfway through the adventure. So, rather than a juror, I brought Viktor in at the end along with...

The other modification I made was to start the PCs as zero-level commoners. This increased their sense of scooby-gang vulnerability, so they focused more on character interaction over combat or magic. Great fun!

After a long hiatus, some friends and I are diving back into gaming, and I was elected DM. I'm going with the True20 conversion of Rise of the Runelords. I was all jazzed to get started, when what should arrive at my doorstep but one of the coolest 1st level adventures I've seen in a while: Hangman's Noose!

Now I'm thinking of starting the characters as ordinary commoners, making their night of horror in HN their "trial by fire" that unites them as a group. The underlying themes of sins and vengeance in HN seem to mesh nicely with the Adventure Path, as does the "vice/virtue" mechanic in True20.

I'm thinking of moving the whole thing to Magnimar instead of Absalom to make that easier. This would allow some foreshadowing of Justice Ironbriar, since he is the natural one for the party to report to about the secrets learned in the courthouse. I'm also intrigued about the Gentle Repose effect of the Sihedron Medallion. If one of the party members ends up sacrificing himself, perhaps the powers that be allow the corpse to lie in stasis while the rest of the party runs a little errand in exchange for a raising...

My big hook to RotR, though is that I plan to have Sir Rekkart be Nualia's biological father, and his dying wish (particularly if he sacrifices himself for the party) is that they track her down and deliver his message of remorse over abandoning her at birth. (I am correct in that we don't otherwise know who her parents are, right?) This will give them a specific reason to go to Sandpoint and dig into the town's history.

Unfortunately, I have only had time to read Pathfinder #1 in detail, and some of #2, and skimmed the rest. For those of you more familiar with the Adventure Path, is there anything in that hook that wouldn't work? Or does this spark any other ideas? Thanks!

Acronym proclaiming bodily prostrated revolutions atop carpeting concurrent with spasmodic vocalizations of mirth inducing spontaneous disconnection of gluteus maximus, appended with multiple repetitions of exclamatory punctuation indicating extreme degree of said mirth, coupled with a tacit comprehension by both poster and reader that neither bodily gyrations nor derriere-detachment are in actuality occurring, whilst the dearth of any useful commentary is traditionally forgiven in consideration of the poster's enthusiastic appreciation of overall humor of thread's context.

Hey, has anyone ever seen the movie Aliens subtitled in German? I would love to know if Hudson really says, "Spiel Uber, Mensch! Spiel Uber!"

It's bad enough losing whenever I see "GAME" in capital letters, but guess what happens everytime I watch a certain show about island castaways?

Oh, by the way, I just LOST.

Delvesdeep: I just had to express my deepest appreciation for all the work and creativity you've so generously shared with all of us. I am preparing to run this campaign for the first time, and I had many of the same issues re: too many villians, not enough foreshadowing, etc. I came to these boards hoping to find a solution, and your posts both here and on rpgenius are...well, RPG genius!

Your ideas for thinning down the Cagewrights are excellent. Once I digest everything, I'll have more constructive comments. Meanwhile: how and/or when would you recommend letting the characters know that they've knocked off their first Cagewright? (you know, fun with the old "1 down, only 12 to go" routine) Is that what the necklaces they all wear are for? If so, is there an opportunity to plant the number 13 somewhere? I think it might give a bit of structure to the overall arc. Maybe the PC's don't even know what they're killing, they just know that there's 13 of them, and it's really important they do...

Also, it appears to me that you've left the villians of the first 3 modules the way they are (other than adding in the dreams). Did I miss anything? Those first 3 are what I'm focused on preparing right now, so if you have tweaked them, I'd appreciate a point in the right direction. (I did find the Delving Deeper articles mentioned above) Thanks again!

I can only imagine how mad he would have been when he couldn't find a single acute angle

Somehow this reminded me of Infocom's famous "T-Remover" (please tell me someone else here remembers...)

Applied to the heading in question, it would read "Ulimae Penulimae: wo issues lef". Now if that isn't a mind-altering incantation...

One can only get confused by "2 issues left" if one already owns the magazine before reading the cover.

...and the concept of Schroedinger's Cover says that until I open my mailbox and observe the magazine it is both and neither ultimate and penultimate. So if I read it with my eyes closed, do I get an extra issue?

"Smell The Glove"

This issue goes to eleven...

To the OP, (if he's still reading): yep, it's issue 359, almost out of time, so just relax, and party like it's 1998.

**sigh** I just had another attack of bittersweet nostalgia. The chessboard covers are among my favorites of all time. I even recall consulting them for inspiration when I was choreographing a living chess game for our Renn fair. Thank you, editors, for publishing this final homage...

Things I like that are intrinsic to the setting:

1) Magic is rare. Spellcasters are therefore unique and even minor magic items are cherised. Magic is also illegal, so said spellcasters have to tread carefully.

2) No clerics. The pantheon consists of exactly one god, and he's the evil one in charge of the bad guys. The world was cut off from all other gods long ago. If you want a party healer, it's possible to create one, but they also become rare and hunted beings. This has the side effect of making PCs cautious about entering combat; makes for more role playing and creative problem solving.

3) Rich racial histories, with built-in prejudices, conflicts, angst, etc., which includes 3 distinct human heritages. Couple that with the Heroic Paths, and I find Midnight characters have a very satisfying depth to play from.

Your satisfaction would probably depend on what aspect of gothic appeals to you. For me, it doesn't feel so much like 'spooky D&D' as it does 'gritty post-apocalyptic D&D.' In other words, imagine everything that makes Greyhawk a shiny, happy place...then obliterate it and replace it with a sense of never-ending oppression and despair, where mere survival is a triumph against the odds. If what you like about Ravenloft is the feeling of being trapped in an unending nightmare, yet still struggling on, then you might like Midnight. That's just my take, though; I'm sure others have a different spin. Hope that helps!

I caught the earlier comment about the 11 core classes being supported by content, but I haven't been able to find a mention yet of races. Is the racial makeup of this new world going to be similar to the core world? Will there be any over-arcing elements of racial tensions, etc? I like it when the different races really have an effect on the story, so the racial choice is important, beyond "I'm a dwarf because I want to be able to see in the dark."

On a similar note, I would also be curious about the planar cosmology (or lack of one, if that's the case), to determine if Planescape-ish racial choices (genasi, etc.) are appropriate.

By the way, this business move rocks! I was on the verge of cancelling my subscriptions, but you've won me back 100%!

Ha! Thanks T-bone, I needed a good belly-laugh! You know, they did say that Overload would contain all the "crunch" we needed to run AoW...

just a question about the mindset of those people who have posted in the last day or so.

Our mindset? We're optimists. Get over it. (Sheesh, who relieved themselves in your breakfast cereal?)

2 instalments in a 12 part campaign does not a GDQ1-7 (or B1) make.

...and where else could you write such a sentence and have anyone understand what you meant?

You actually tugged at my heartstrings for a moment, there. I'm going to go dig out my treasured "pink box" set and pretend I'm 12 again. ***sniff***

Awesome, Erik. Thanks for the update. And ignore my post above about Diamond Lake history. I'm guessing that the Cairn Hills write-up will have what I'm looking for. Thanks!

Great idea! Very helpful to have in one place. I was thinking that the PCs native to Diamond Lake should have a lot of automatic local knowledge, plus some "specialized" knowledge depending on the circles they ran in. This is a tidy way to handle that. Thanks!

It's PAIZO.

Thanks for correcting my silly error. I don't know when my spelling circuitry re-wired itself. Scoot over Bananas, I'm moving in!

On a completely different note: Does anyone recall reading whether Overload will contain any further history about Diamond Lake? I'm working up a timeline of the town to assist with creating character histories.

This post has made for a fascinating study in inter-personal conflict. I’ve decided to no longer take sides, but to step back and try to understand what could cause such an un-winnable and circular argument. At the risk of being too simple, I’ve divided the argument into two sides: Apples and Oranges. My perception of what motivates each side is below. Please correct me if I’m way off base. (Sorry for the length, but I was trying to give each side a thorough treatment.)

Piazo made a promise to deliver background campaign material. One promise was made in issue #124, which indicated the material would be in issue #125. A second promise was made in issue #125, which said we could download the material “today.” Where Apples and Oranges diverge is in the expectation created by those promises.

To Apples, the promises are binding agreements, and Piazo owes its customers the background material. To not deliver would be false advertising. Especially in those cases where customers purchased #125 with the specific expectation of background material. They feel they have been “damaged,” in the legal sense, and have a right to be made whole. This is why they do not perceive the Overload as “free,” but rather something owed to them. Because they are the damaged party, they also feel within their rights to voice their complaints, both about the material not being printed, and the delay in its delivery. They understand that others want to support Piazo without question, but they see little point to this, as only critical feedback can lead to improvement. Being chastised for voicing their complaints is offensive to them, as is having their legitimate issues reduced to the label of “whining.”

Oranges believe that the promises are not binding agreements, but more like “giving someone your word.” They are satisfied that Piazo is staying true to their word. They believe that a less honorable company could have easily cancelled the article without owing its customers anything. This is why they perceive the Overload as “free” and are grateful to be getting it at all. They feel that Piazo’s honorable effort should be recognized and respected. They believe that patience will result in a better quality product. They understand people’s right to complain, but, in this case, see little point to it, since complaining will not improve the outcome, and could cause harm to either this or future free releases. For this reason, they feel the need to police the complaints and corect any perceived negativity. They are offended by being chastised for displaying patience and understanding, and at having their well-meaning efforts reduced to the label of “defending Piazo.”

The funny thing is, I agree 100% with everything above, on both sides. Personally, I happen to fall in the Orange camp, but I completely understand where the Apples are coming from, and, honestly, they may have the better case. But neither side is “wrong,” and, like Jeremy said, we shouldn’t attack each other over it. Hope you found this interesting!

the only resource I have as far as maps.. is the Living Greyhawk Gazatteer

I have the LGG map that you're look at. Diamond Lake is not pictured, but it's slightly below Elmshire, just before the hills turn into the Mistmarsh.

I can second the recommedation for "Greyhawk: the Adventure Begins," especially if you're new to Greyhawk. Not only for great maps, but for over 70(!) pages of specific info about the city itself; very helpful once the AoW campaign moves there.

If your players are new to Greyhawk, there's an accompanying product called Greyhawk: Player's Guide, which has the same regional map, with the info boiled down for the player. I suppose it depends on how much you want them to know about Greyhawk before they get there.

And, oh yeah, The Doomgrinder map is indeed gorgeous, with adventure inspiring details like locations of shipwrecks and abandoned towers.

Whew. Thanks, Jeremy. My last post was indeed a bit snarky, and I didn't see yours before I posted it. In light of what you said, I was embarrassed by it and tried to delete. I'm glad you beat me to it.

To everyone across the table, I raise a glass. Peace, mates. Looking forward to sharing some excellent ideas with you all about our future games.

For Mike and Sean: I understand your position, mates, I truly do. And you're entitled to your opinion. But, at this point, Overload has evolved into something completely new. Sniping at the editors with snarky comments about delays and deadlines won't get it here any faster, and serves no purpose. That's what brought me out of the woodwork, Sean. I'm not trying to bash you, just respectfully asking that you dial it back a little, especially if you want to see a Herculean effort like this from Piazo ever again.

To everyone else trying to keep this thread positive and encouraging, thank you, and I'll stop feeding the fire now. Cheers!

All too often a single negative comment can negate a dozen positive ones. Especially when you're feeling overworked. I hope James, Erik and the rest of the gang keep in mind that there's an abundance of silent, happy, patient people, who think that you are all working above and beyond the call of duty, all in the name of this beautiful game we all love. Even the negative comments come from passion for the game. None of us want to see your health suffer for it. So, relax, we'll still be here when the job is done.

I was going to advise some deep breathing exercises, "...breath in pink...exhale blue..." but you'd probably just turn it into an idea for a new dragon species. :)

we're still hearing that some of the content promised in #124 isn't even written yet.

Please see my above comments about promises. Also, the editors have made it quite clear that delaying Overload has given them the opportunity to give us far MORE than they promised. For example: would you rather have a complete campaign overview of every single adventure? or a periodic update/sneak preview called "The Road Ahead" as "promised" in #124?

So, please, I'm begging you. Quit harping on the word "promise." We get it. But we're also past it. Please look to the future and all the great things we'll be getting in place of that original promise.

So I'd put the unofficial count at coming up on (roughly) two months.

My copy of #125 just arrived in the mail yesterday. Everything's a matter of perspective, isn't it?

I'll have to search the forums for the exact post where the editors actually promised it a lot earlier.

The majority of your arguments in this thread rely on the word "promise." Seriously, dude, you need to re-evaluate your use of that word. Otherwise, you're going to live a life of disappointment...especially after political elections.

Since you've chosen to try to use the editor's words against them, I would point out that nothing in your quote above constitutes a promise in my book. In fact, throughout this forum, the editors have gone out of their way not to unduly commit to a date, using words like "hopefully" and "might" and "as soon as possible." Not to mention "we've kinda been aiming" and "It's going to take a minor miracle." (Hidden message for those who missed it: "all good things to those who wait.")

As for the promise made in the "Next Month" column in #124, I'll give you that one. But it was only a promise; not a legally-binding contract. I give it as much weight as a "coming soon to a theatre near you" trailer. Delays happen. Give it time. The truth is, the editors recognize that they made a promise, and they will deliver. They just can't honestly promise you a delivery date, a point about which they've been completely honest.

For those saying that Overload is completely free, there is a small problem. Namely parts of Overload were promised to appear in an issue at least a few people bought in order to get that info.

Forgive me, I’m not following this argument. Please explain how someone unknowingly buys #125 for the SOLE reason of getting the Backdrop article. If one is so hooked on the Adventure Path that they must have the Backdrop, isn’t their main interest in picking up the next adventure installment?

I can perhaps see someone who knew ahead of time that they wouldn’t be using the adventure, but that means they either thumbed through the magazine in the store (in which case they’d know they weren’t getting the Backdrop article), or they read enough on these messageboards to decide they would skip the adventure. And if they’re reading these boards, I’m betting they know about the missing article... :)

If someone has a subscription...well, my POV is that a subscription is like saying “I like your magazine so much, I’m committing to buying the next 12, sight unseen.” I'm not buying a certain issue on the anticipation of one article.

I can only think of 2 people that support your argument. First, the person that read about the Backdrop in #124, who has no intention of playing 3FoE, and who hastily buys #125 over the counter, sight unseen. To whom I first say, “Slow Down” and then, “Buyer Beware.”

The other person is the one who reads #124, has no intention of playing 3FoE, but based on the promise of the Backdrop article calls Piazo and buys a 12-month subscription. If such a person exists, please have them e-mail me and I will send them a cookie.

I mean, I might send them a cookie, as soon as I can. When it’s done baking. If everyone sends me all the ingredients on time. And I get done frosting them. And -- hey, while I’m at it, those peanut butter chips would fit in nicely, too... :)

(Keep up the good work Piazo, you are saints among men...or among gamers, at least.)

I was idly wondering what the Rival Adventurers were up to during the events of 3FoE, when it occurred to me that the 3 Adventurers themselves were thematically similar to the 3 sections of the adventure. Auric suits the open combat of the Hextor citadel, Tirra would excel at sneaking and climbing around in the caves, and Khellek would be interested in the evil magic of the Vecna sanctum.

My thought was that each section of the dungeon could contain one of the 3 adventurers, stranded or held prisoner. Once discovered, they would provide a little extra muscle for the PCs, as well as some motivation to find the other two. Either way, the Rivals would resent being rescued by their inferiors, but would hide that fact until safely out of the dungeon.

What got me started was the description of the Hextor Battle Temple, where "the faithful and heretics alike fight to the death for glory, honor, and the blessings of the Scourge of Battle." This must happen frequently, since it's the central feature of the citadel, and designed for an audience. Perhaps Hextor requires a monthly "sacrifice" in the form of the losing combatant. Since "heretics" are also fighting, it implies that the Hextorites are recruiting from Diamond Lake. Otherwise, the population of the citadel would dwindle pretty fast.

Auric, after some drunken bragging about his Champion's Belt, was quietly approached by one of the cultists as being worthy of invitation to the Battle Temple. The gladiator jumped at the chance, especially after the disappointing lack of action at the Stirgenest Cairn. After winning the battle, he was given the choice of joining the cult or being sacrificed himself. Auric wisely chose to pose as a petitioner, to give Tirra and Khellek time to realize he was missing and come looking.

Tirra and Khellek investigate, and find leads to the Dourstone, but don't specifically know about the Hextorites. They hire some dumb muscle from the Feral Dog, and infiltrate the mine. Then they separate, either willingly or through mishap; Tirra into the caves and Khellek into the labyrinth. All the mercenaries get killed, stranding the two Rivals. Khellek has used up all his spells surviving the kenku and tricking them into thinking he's dead or escaped. He's now hiding in the Storage Chamber, hoping to rest up enough to reacquire some spells. Tirra is stuck in the lower passage leading to area 16, trapped between the archers and the chokers, wondering when her Darkvision spell is going to wear off...

Maybe Overload or the next chapter will tell us more about the Rivals, and completely contradict this idea. In that case, you could use 3 other NPCs in whom the PCs have a strong interest. Or perhaps one of the PCs themselves gets lured alone to the Battle Temple, and the rescue is what motivates the intial attack. For that matter, getting a PC invited to the battle would be an excellent way to initiate an infiltration. Any other ideas?

Doh! - Sorry, Jade, I totally meant to mention your excellent petrified reed idea, which got me thinking about other materials in the first place!

I think a syringe would be treated as light piercing weapon that requires the Exotic Weapon feat to use in combat (have you ever seen someone jab a hostile person with a syringe without resorting to trickery, surprise, or a lot of grief?)

I think this is spot on. Perhaps the only way a non-proficient user could inject a potion into a hostile target is through a successful Bluff check (trickery), against a flat-footed opponent (surprise), or after a successful grapple/pin (a lot of grief). Like N'Wah said above - very cinematic.

I thought the syringe is a very interesting idea. I start to wonder at the technology level.

I had a similar reaction to the syringe - that it was a piece of incongruous technology. Then I realized I was reacting to the word "syringe" more than the item itself; like calling a Ring of Shocking Grasp a defibrillator.

Maybe I can get past that by having Filge call it a "stinger" or "fang" or something else from nature designed to deliver a poison through a thin piercing weapon. Also, instead of saying "needle", it could be described as an extremely thin bone with the marrow sucked out; something only a Necromancer could do. It would be like the technology in Expedition to the Barrier Peaks, where the fun was in trying to describe it as anything but what it actually is.

Oddly enough, I just found out that the word "syringe" has a very fantasy-friendly word origin: "syrinx", the nymph that inspired Pan to make the first pan-flute out of reeds.