Scribbling Rambler's page

Awesome job Steel_Wind!!

It was nice to meet all of the new folks who came out, and to see some familiar faces.

Not really a PFS question, flagged for move to Rules Forum.

Anyone's Schedule change with Liz's last email of the schedule? Mine didn't.

A cool thing of note, I will be getting my 3rd star at Gen Con.

One of my Yesses became a No. ;)

Gratz, Dragnmoon!

the big suck comes when you're 11th level,...

but you've got to push the new pet to do tricks the old one already had,...

DC 25

11 Ranks Handle Animal
+4 bonus for Animal Companion
+Cha mod

If you don't dump Charisma, you succeed on a "push" 55% of the time. And you will have 5 of the 12 Tricks already (you would have trained 1 after the session your AC died, right?)

Should see you through 2 scenarios.

EDIT: I forgot the +3 for it being a class skill. So that's 70% success on a push.

He should play a character he creates, or one of the pre-gens.

You definitely cannot gain credit for 2 characters which are playing in the same session.

Now if he created a character, and you wanted to play it as a new starting character down the road, that would be fine. As long as it's still a legal starting character with starting equipment and no XP or PA.

Rogue Eidolon wrote:

Guidance and Good Hope presumably would not apply because their durations are vastly shorter than the period of time in which you are earning your Day Job...

Agree. Even though it's called "Day Job," it actually takes place over many days. I'd say any modifiers that are on-going, like masterwork tools, would count, but anything that has a duration, wouldn't. Basically, would you just factor it into your character stats, or do you have to turn it on and off?

I think Mosaic has the right answer here.

Spells: no. Aid another: no. Masterwork tools: yes.
IMO

Hello!

Are there any advancement about the planning of a PFS games in FanExpo 2011?

Van

Sorry I missed this earlier, Van.

I will have a final answer about Fan Expo by the weekend.

:)
Actually, my region was announced as "Ontario (Toronto)", tho I have so far been mostly operating in the Golden Horseshoe and Ottawa. My home base is in Oshawa.

But I will accept your trembling, and may choose not to smite you.

Yup, I will be there and ready to run TDWK1, or another low-level scenario as needed.

That is one of the reasons I suggest that a parent should talk with the GM first. If I were running Mermaid, I might suggest the young player come back another night, or at least advise the parent of some of the adult themes.

Some scenarios can be soft-pedalled without significantly lowering the experience, some cannot.

But when the paths that yield mechanical synergies are eliminated for the sake of PFS play, it is a little frustrating.

I know, the standard answer is 'ignore the rule in your home game', and for some rules, we might. I guess I just don't enjoy the perception (warranted or not) that the minorities of Pathfinder players who participate in PFS seem to have a disproportionate degree of impact on the game as a whole.

A late reply, but I missed this thread earlier. Not directed strictly at your post, Underling, but I've seen this kind of "tail wagging the dog" post a few times.

First, with over 14,000 players, I think you underestimate the amount of PFS play going on.

Second, PFS is Paizo's largest reporting playtest group, with many GMs running the same scenarios and providing feedback on how various character builds interact with the same encounters. Society play should not dictate general rules changes, but it would be foolish of Paizo to not take the feedback of GMs running for diverse groups into account when considering how to handle a planned re-design.

You keep saying that this applies, even to PFS, but here's the thing - in PFS, if you took Heirloom Weapon, your character is now illegal for play.

Period.

Not so.

Mark M has said that he is working on an official way to handle characters affected by this change. In the past, characters affected by significant changes to feats or class features have been allowed to rebuild, or have been grandfathered.

In the meantime, while awaiting the official answer, the characters are playable as is.

Theoretically, PFS scenarios are meant to be PG-13 (check out the writers' guidelines), and have less adult content than, say, the Adventure Paths.

That said, there are a few scenarios that are on the upper end of that scale. YMMV as to which ones those are.

Parents should talk to the GM about the scenario ahead of time if they have specific concerns. They should also make sure it is ok for younger children play and/or stay to supervise them. A GM should not have to rein in everyone else's fun just because a parent dropped off a kid to occupy them for 4 hours.

That said, GMs and other players should be respectful when young people are at the table. And they should realize that the campaign is meant to be PG-13, and that there is nothing wrong with the next generation of gamers sitting down to have fun with us.

At Origins, I ran Midnight Mauler and We Be Goblins! for 2 families. We Be Goblins was one of the highlights of the convention for me - parents and 2 sons, with 2 other very experienced roleplayers. The kids were creative and got into the characters, only slightly veering off into too much silliness, and their mood infected all of the other players, making it a great time for all. I did not change anything in the adventure. For Midnight Mauler, I had a family of 6. A much slower progression, with many bathroom breaks required. Although there is nothing strictly adult about the scenario, I read the tone of the table and decided to modify the profession and relationship of one of the NPCs. A fun time was still had, but I suspect it would have been less fun for a more mature RPer to sit in on that session.

As long as the kids are not too immature, and everyone is respectful of the needs of the table, younger players are a huge bonus for PFS.

William Griffiths wrote:

The one time a bad guy summoner showed up in a mod, it was a truly annoying experience, no one had fun, and I even saw my first player rage quit!

** spoiler omitted **

Chris, it was not so much a cheat, as it was something designed with incomplete rules. And it's a shame, because apart from that problem it's a phenomenal scenario.

Enevhar Aldarion wrote:

[And while the spell is legal, all spell durations end at the end of a scenario, even ones that create permanent things, so this would still not work.

Hmm.

I'm not sure this is true.

Spells that have a duration of 'permanent' do not work past the end of the scenario. Masterwork transformation has a duration of Instantaneous which means it makes a permanent but non-magical change to an item, a subtle but significant difference. I would want some clarification on it before I used it personally though.

Yup. ALL spells end at the end of a scenario.

The oft-cited example of an Instantaneous spell is animate dead.

Where, specifically, are people finding this eratta. I would like a link.

Also, not abiding by the rules is cheating. Maybe this won't take effect until next season.

The old one was too good, as can be seen by the reactions in this thread.

The pdf of Adventurer's Armory has been updated.

I am also seeing this as a step towards the core game being dictated by PFS, as opposed to the other way around, which I am not fond of.

Shifty, Paizo uses PFS as a large, reported playtest. When a rules element receives a great deal of consistent feedback that it is overused and overpowered, they are going to re-examine that rules element.

EDIT: Removed discussion about balance of the Trait, per Mark's post, but left portion addressing PFS play affecting rules errata.

Heart is right out...I have it on good authority that he sold that years ago.

Didn't he leave that in San Francisco??

I play a rogue, primarily diplomacy-based, and have fun with him. The only time he was really a liability was in Heresy of Man I in a 4-PC party (Baird GMing), but we all survived.

My brother plays a bard who carries no weapons, just a sack of lingerie. I don't know how keen other players are to have him in their group, but he usually amuses GMs :) (BTW, he is not useless in combat: focuses more on spells and Performance).

If you check the discussion on the product page, the designer says where all of the missing map tags originally were on his map. "B" is the staircase on the balcony level, on the east side.

The maps should be updated in the future (but probably not til all of the Gen Con/Season 3 madness is out of the way).

Art Lobdell (NY,NY) is involved in some Connecticut cons.

If there are questions that can be answered thru email, I'm sure that any Venture-Captain would be happy to help. My address is on my profile.

Painlord's guides are very helpful, as well.

Edit: Ninja ate my head.

Scribbling Rambler wrote:

[I prefer Rogue Eidolon's version of reversing the effects of save success/failure, though that makes it barely better than hold person.

Except Hold Person can only affect Humanoids...

Ah... good point.

So a more appropriate comparison would be hold monster, a 5th-level spell. Essentially, that would make Rogue Eidolon's variation of terrible remorse better than a higher level spell, except for range.
Mind changed.

*

On a success, the target is unaffected and the spell ends.

On a failure, the target must deal damage to itself. While the target may choose the least damaging attack available to it (such as casting a 0-level spell or punching itself), it cannot otherwise hold back to reduce the attack's damage.
*

Seems very weak for a 4th-level spell.

I prefer Rogue Eidolon's version of reversing the effects of save success/failure, though that makes it barely better than hold person.

I find it interesting that many point to a spell in 2e as the ancestor of Antagonize.

I go back a little further, to the Kender Taunt racial ability from 1e; a non-magical ability which did something very similar to Antagonize as written, IIRC.

Not intended to be a statement pro or con, just an observation.

[But there is nothing else on the Chronicle Sheet for the GM to get, though.

Correct.

I believe a GM runs a Quest for the fun of GMing, often using it as an introduction to PFS for players, or as a stop-gap when there is not enough time for a full scenario (ex when a scenario ends unexpectedly early).

Non-combat animals can be purchased as equipment. However, as non-combatants, they are completely ignored in combat.

The only combatant animals allowed are those granted through class features (ACs, Familiars...) or the specific trained animals available for purchase in sanctioned sources (Core Rulebook, AA), or ones that have been trained and tracked on Chronicles.

Sorry, Wolflord, no rearing a found pup, or getting an animal from an adventure.

You could purchase a non-trained animal from an equipment list and train it yourself, but at one trick per scenario it's probably not worth it.

DCII wrote:

The chronicle sheet does need to be cleaned up a bit, it leaves XP and PA open without explanation, I was guessing that they probably earned 0 and 0 but wasn't sure.

Yeah it needs a rule explanation added to the Chronicle sheet, also I am assuming unlike other Boons that the Boons on these GM can take.

Actually, I don't think a GM gets the boons.

Please understand that this is something which is extremely unlikely to be officially sanctioned. Especially when you are talking about a reward "more substantial than the.. faction shirts". Realize that by giving a PC a reward more substantial than a once-per-scenario re-roll, you are greatly increasing their chances of survival, PA success, cutting down on resources spent... in comparison with other PCs in the campaign without access to those boons.

That said, a GM runs their own table.

Just make sure players understand that any rewards of this type could not be used outside of local games, and depending on their nature may even invalidate the character.

I apologize if I seem overly harsh. However, one of the facets of PFS Organized Play is that every player has a balanced opportunity for reward. Giving out a local mechanical benefit runs counter to that, IMO.

Props to Feegle for an excellent job.

One correction from the OP:

Quote:

Use a Scroll: Normally, to cast a spell from a scroll, you must have the scroll's spell on your class spell list. Use Magic Device allows you to use a scroll as if you had a particular spell on your class spell list. The DC is equal to 20 + the caster level of the spell you are trying to cast from the scroll.

So the DC is 20+ spell level, good so far.

These are not the same thing - caster level, not spell level.

*GASP*

A gninja just revealed my secret identity!!

I don't know for certain what the future holds, but I doubt we will see monstrous races available until at least after the release of the Advance Race Guide. And even then, I expect to see heavy restrictions on that book (tho they may be built into the book).

You may also want to watch for the Pathfinder Society Field Guide, due out late this month, which will include additional material, including the 5 new factions. They should also be detailed in the new Organized Play Guide, available around Gen Con.

What book or online resource gives a good description of the various factions ideals and goals?

I'm not sure if you mean for Pathfinder, or for Pathfinder Society Organized Play.

For Pathfinder, you should check out the Faction Guide.

For Pathfinder Society, you should check out the Guide to Organized Play, and the upcoming Pathfinder Society Field Guide.

Was it part of your subscription?
You only get free pdf's for the volumes that are part of your subscription.
Sorry if I'm butting in, but CS won't be in for another 16 hours or so :)

K Neil Shackleton wrote:

Raymond Lambert wrote:

on the tiny chance that i show for this con after everything is sold out lke i did with origns. do y`all think the origins attendance will boost the space and judge pool maid availble at gencon to pfs?

The PFS commitment for Gen Con is already 4 TIMES greater than what ended up running at Origins, and is almost sold out.

That said, if you show up early with a generic, there is a chance that you may get into something, especially in an 8 am slot.

I have no knowledge of Paizo ever turning away a player unless they turn up very late. How do you think GenCon got the reputation for table size of 7?

In the past, they have done a fine job of accomodating as many players as possible.

However, based on the continued increase in popularity, there will come a time where the demand cannot be met. With 45 tables, even if you seat a 7th at every table it would not deal with some of the lines we saw last year. And while I know that there a few available GMs out there, I don't know where more tables will come from.

on the tiny chance that i show for this con after everything is sold out lke i did with origns. do y`all think the origins attendance will boost the space and judge pool maid availble at gencon to pfs?

The PFS commitment for Gen Con is already 4 TIMES greater than what ended up running at Origins, and is almost sold out.

That said, if you show up early with a generic, there is a chance that you may get into something, especially in an 8 am slot.

Thursday 8-1: Yes
1-6: Yes
7-12: Yes

Friday 8-1: Yes
1-6: Yes
7-12: Yes

Saturday 8-1: Yes
1-6: Yes
7-12: Yes

Sunday 8-1: Yes

Nope. Animal companions are animal companions, not planar allies.

If you need a more RAW explanation, the 24 hour ritual to attune a new animal companion would use up the duration of the planar ally spell... assuming you had the time in the scenario to perform it.

Yay!! I just found my Gen Con 92 T-shirt!

Odd.... it seems to have shrunk while sitting in the closet...

Yeah, after going thru a certain Season 0 scenario with 3 rogues, a fighter, and a barbarian (back when vermin and undead were immune to sneak attack), I no longer worry too much about unbalanced parties.

But it was good that we all had healing potions.

Just two related questions. Can you take 10 on a spellcraft check to scribe a scroll? Also, a natural one doesn't auto fail a spellcraft check for this does it?

I allow taking 10. Natural 1s do not fail skill checks.

You may apply a Chronicle once per scenario from being a GM.

So if you have not gained a Chronicle yet, you may do so the next time you run the scenario.

Sounds great!

Hope to see all of you there some time soon.

I am quite pumped for this Varisian faction, though. When will we see registering characters in the new factions? I think I remember reading something about it happening in August-ish?

The new Season starts with Gen Con, so that would be a likely timeframe.

I believe the PFS Quests will eventually fill the niche for shorter sessions. Something of shorter duration is clearly needed, especially for many stores which are unable to schedule a 4 hour slot after working hours.

However, I expect the 4-hour scenario to be the bread-and-butter of PFS for a long time to come. The format has been wildly successful in convention play, and many of the story elements of the better scenarios just would not work in a shorter presentation.

Bruno is correct, but he forgot that it takes 1 point to go from 10 to 11 (+0 bonus). Other than that, each ability score cost is the sum of all of the ability bonuses to that point.
But Mark is correct that it is still way easier to just use the chart :)

This is really a rules question, and should be posted in the rules forum, but:

A bard can cast a certain number of spells per day, as shown on Table 3-3. This number can be modified by a high Charisma.

The bard only knows a limited number of spells, which he can select from when he casts. This number is shown on Table 3-4, and is not modified by Charisma.

In this respect, bard magic works similarly to sorceror magic.

K Neil Shackleton wrote:

Where I have recently heard about this kind of thing becoming a problem is when people build characters using a program. They may throw in a feat or spell with no idea where it came from, and when the GM needs details, they are unable to provide them.

I appear to have misunderstood the point of providing these rules. For some reason, I had it in my head that I couldn't use the rules if I hadn't purchased the supplement. This is more about ensuring that a GM who doesn't own all the supplements, or who doesn't have all of them handy, has access to the rule itself in case of dispute, correct?

So in theory, if I own the APG and two of my friends don't, but use it in character creation, as long as I bring my copy to the table, everything's kosher?

Honestly, it's a bit of both. Let's face it, Pathfinder Society is a marketing program for Paizo, and they want folks to buy their books. Ensuring that someone has purchased a book to get a hot feat may sell another book.

But the main concern is making sure the GM has access to the rules without having to bring everything. If a family, or a group of friends, shows up with one copy of a book that they have all used, you are fine.

The "Core Assumption" for Society play is the Core Rulebook, the Bestiary, and Seekers of Secrets.
For anything else (including APG), the GM may ask to see a copy of what you are using. That copy can be physical or electronic, and includes a printout of the pdf. In the case of your hypothetical sorceror bloodline, just the appropriate pages should suffice.
However, you may wish to talk to the GM ahead of time... if they're bringing the APG themselves, they may not need you to bring one.

Where I have recently heard about this kind of thing becoming a problem is when people build characters using a program. They may throw in a feat or spell with no idea where it came from, and when the GM needs details, they are unable to provide them.

EDIT: Ninjaed by Steel_Wind, and as he is the co-ordinator for this game, he is the definitive authority :)