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 Recent Posts
I've run this one twice, once as a slot-zero and again at NeonCon. Spoiler:
I had the soldiers discover the party and rush into the room as only part of the party had come through the secret door. Some soldiers jumped down from the stairs onto the barrels and crates, fighting atop them. This kept the cramped feel without overloading the room.
Ansley Greenshields, a wide-eyed shepherd lass that I play in an online non-Society game, doesn't know much about anything save sheep, the few wolves that she has fought off while protecting sheep, and now the things that she has encountered: insane birds of prey, goblins, and insane shifters. I'd be willing to venture that she has a far from cyclopedic knowledge of even those things, and she certainly hasn't found a reason to buy alchemist's fire; her quarterstaff and sling are working just fine. There's nothing wrong with roleplaying that, up to a point. I've played with characters who had all sorts of quirks, and some self-imposed limitations can really make games more fun. Some of my favorite PCs have been rather bizarre or limited, such as a half-ogre who could barely speak common, a deranged monk, and an arrogant patrician spellsword. Unfortunately, I've also played with some that went beyond reasonable roleplaying. In Living Greyhawk, I played with someone whose mercenary character refused to fight without being paid, even as his fellow travelers were cut to pieces by ambushing assassins. "Nobody paid me to risk MY neck here." Another refused to wield any weapon but his family's ancestral bastard sword. A third refused to heal characters of races his PC disliked. If the character's sheltered background causes a few problems, that's cool; if it gets half the party killed, that isn't so cool. There has to be a line between an amusing roleplaying quirk and a crippling inability to function in dangerous environments. A player should ask himself, "If I were one of those other guys, would I be willing to adventure with this PC?" If the answer is no, the PC needs to change (or the player needs a new PC).
Like everything else, the important concept is balance. Someone who tries to do too much and fails is as useless as a "one trick pony" who sits in the corner when his niche expertise won't work. I have one expectation from those I play with: Use your ingenuity and don't give up. Nothing frustrates me more than someone who moves his character away from the fight because "I can't do anything" while another PC is in the thick, struggling to help her comrades when she's down to her last 2 hit points. The creature is invisible, shrouded in darkness, flying, underwater, has damage resistance, or a high armor class? So what?! Find a way to help the party anyway: Cleverness and "grit" can find ways to achieve seemingly-impossible results. I don't mean that surrender or retreat aren't options: Sometimes "swords will not avail here" and all you can do is fall back or yield. My point is that superior play can often turn the tide, even when the odds are against you.
Hmmm. Given the typical gamer crowd, a "No tequila" rule might be needed to ensure public safety. ...Naaaah.
Wulf makes big, puppy-dog eyes... We really need another GM for 2-01, 2-02, and 2-03, scheduled for Friday afternoon, Friday evening, and Saturday morning, respectively. If you've played them already, sign up to judge on Warhorn. I'd really, really like the chance to play those scenarios!
Fetch whiskey for my men, and beer for my horses! (1) At the request of Cayden Cailean's boldest adherents, Thursday night's "Pathfinder Classic" scenario will be Hall of Drunken Heroes, another great adventure from the twisted imagination of Tim "That Wasn't MY Drink" Hitchcock. Only the greatest and most foolhardy Pathfinders need apply! Something's afoot in Cayden's Hall, and true heroes are needed! Venture-Captain Osprey's pet demonologist suspects something SICK AND WRONG (2) might be going on in the temple-pub of the Accidental God, and we just can't have that! Who better to set things right than the Pathfinders? (3) Notes:
2.) Worse than near beer. 3.) Preferably ones of 7th through 11th level!
I've seen some mild replay abuse at Society events, a player who showed up at every game, despite knowing the scheduled scenarios were ones she had played. Her behavior was not very problematic, as she was careful not to abuse her knowledge and kept her prior knowledge to herself. I've seen more severe replay abuse by a teenaged Living Forgotten Realms enthusiast, who told other players which characters to bring to games, complained about roleplaying scenes that kept him from getting to fight right away, and generally used his familiarity with the scenario to throw his weight around. He ruined any wonder or mystery the scenario held for other players. I don't feel that this irritating munchkin's antisocial behavior is necessarily a mark against the LFR campaign itself: His GM and the event coordinators should have ordered him to stand down instead of ignoring his bad behavior. To provide flexibility without facilitating abuse, perhaps players could be permitted credit for a limited number of replays, such as eight or ten per year, or once each month. This would accommodate the occasional need to build a table without encouraging abuse of the system.
After playing this one yesterday, I would not recommend parties "play up" to the upper tier of this one. Our melee-oriented group found every fight a grueling struggle, with multiple characters down and bleeding. In the first combat, the dice went against us and we ended up with two dead PCs and the others falling back to prevent a TPK. (I was forced to destroy one of the offending D20s, to encourage the others to better efforts.)
While the four review limit was arbitrary, I think this list accurately represents the best the Pathfinder Society has to offer. I disagree, Rebel's Ransom and Hall of Drunken Heroes are amazing! The problem is that high-level scenarios will always get less play than low-level. I don't disagree that some great scenarios haven't been reviewed very often. My concern was that some other great scenarios seemed to fall by the wayside because of others with one "5" review. People reading this, review some scenarios!
If you limit it to those with 4 or more reviews, you get the following top ten list: Tide of Morning
While the four review limit was arbitrary, I think this list accurately represents the best the Pathfinder Society has to offer. These scenarios each feature original encounters and a variety of play experiences. They challenge parties without overpowering them. The unfortunate scenarios languishing on the lower end of the scale aren't without their charms. Most suffer from one or two flaws that frustrated those playing them: They can be great fun if the GM carefully reviews the Paizo boards and anticiaptes potential pitfalls.
It is not good to chase off new players just because they play slow and do not finish scenarios, but getting them used to being able to finish at a later time will not have them properly prepared for any play at a convention. The games I was referring to took place at a bookstore that didn't have their tables set up until 6:45 PM and needed everything put away by 9:30 PM. I assumed that the original poster faced much the same time crunch. Is it a good thing to train people that they have to keep moving and finish the game every time? If a group plays more home games than con slots, they can play at a more leisurely pace. Sometimes a bit more roleplay can be fun, especially with newer players who aren't as jaded as we weathered veterans. [soapbox/on] I don't want to be like certain (unnamed) organized play groups, who seem to think people come out only so their characters can get into a couple of fights, collect their experience points and "phat lewtz", and go.
I've done this plenty of times. The characters get credit for the adventure as long as they complete at least half of it. Ideally, each session should begin a strong opening scene and end with a satisfying climax. Sometimes you need to adjust the adventure's plot to make this happen. You want each of the players involved right away, so a fight or action scene is preferable. If the adventure isn't structured to allow that, consider moving an encounter (if that makes sense). I try to find a good breaking point or "cliffhanger" to end each midpoint session, then open the next session in the style of an old-fashioned radio melodrama... "When last we saw our heroes, the Pathfinder Society had sent them to rural (place), seeking to (goal). In their quest, they had faced down a patrol of ruthless mercenaries, minions of a would-be nobleman who hoped to claim the whole area as his own. Their quest took them through the flooded vineyards of (place), where they battled the hideous (monsters) and emerged triumphant, but encrusted with mud and slime. What muddy horrors await them in Part Two (Tum, Tum, TUM!) - The Barrel-Aging Caves?!" This helps them remember what happened the week before and the overdone drama helps break the ice and get the party back into the mood to adventure. If needed to get the players' invloved, you could add a short challenge that isn't part of the original adventure, but would be consistent with the setting. To be fair, this shouldn't be something that makes the PCs use resources or seriously threatens them. One example might be an "unscripted" storm coming up when the party is at sea, with the beleagured ship's crew asking the party to help out. Another example might be a roleplaying encounter with a small group of outlaws in the wilderness: Obviously outmatched by the adventurers, they don't want a fight, but a hostile negotiation could give the party information about the area (...and help get the players reoriented about what's going on).
Tanglefoot bags are quite good, but I've always interpreted the rules as meaning you could scrape off your entanglement as well as prying yourself loose from the floor. Encumbrance rules are the GM's friend when keeping tanglefoot bags in balance: Each weighs 4 pounds. "You're carrying 10 tanglefoot bags? Really?"
Historically, composite bows were constructed with a wooden core. Horn was affixed to one side of the core (The inside arc of the bow), with sinew attached to the outer face of the strung bow. The sinew provided the elasticity that gave the bow its power. Leather covered the arms of the bow to protect them from moisture or damage. It would seem reasonable to modify such construction. European bows, such as the famed Welsh longbow, were often made of solid wood. To increase the draw on such a bow, you need to cut it shorter, the smaller arc forcing the wood to flex more when drawn. I would expect retillering such a bow to be a chancy procedure, likely to damage the bow.
If your character is particularly suited for fighting at range or for stealth, you would be wise to mention this to your party and your GM. You may be able to change the circumstances of some encounters by describing how your approach to a situation differs from a standard party's. "We know that there are bandits operating nearby, so I'd like to stealthily approach the last two miles to the rendezvous. We'll move across the ridgeline to the west, then wait until first light to close the last mile, keeping to the streambed you described so the scrub growth nearby will give us cover."
What makes a good GM, in the Society or elsewhere? 1) He's prepared. He knows the materials well enough to extrapolate from them when the unexpected occurs, he bookmarks the Bestiary entries he will need, looks up unfamiliar spells before the game, and predraws maps when he can to prevent delays. 2.) He's dynamic. He's enthusiastic about the material he's running and conveys his enthusiasm to those around him. He tries to get some rest before he has to run a game, stays hydrated, and tries to maintain some balance in his diet while at conventions. 3.) He plays with integrity. Players get what they came for at his table. He doesn't adjust things to balance the game's challenges without checking first that the players desire such alterations. Any necessary changes to the adventure are made judiciously. If he makes a bad rules call, he tries to make things right later. The ideal GM doesn't fudge die rolls to keep PCs alive (perhaps making exceptions for children or brand new players). He doesn't fudge things to keep adversaries alive, either: Sometimes players enjoy "pwning" a tough foe. 4.) He pays attention to his players and encourages creative play. Every player gets a chance to contribute in some way and the wallflowers aren't lost in the shadow of more active players. Players aren't worried that they'll lose out on treasure and experience if they roleplay well, because the GM uses his discretion to adjust the scenario accordingly. 5.) He holds the reins steadily, but gently. He quietly discourages disruptive play or digressions from the main adventure without crushing all frivolity or hijinks. His players know if they disagree with a rule decision, they can raise their concerns during play. It doesn't hurt anyone for a player to look up a rule while the next player takes his turn; if a mistake was made, a quick "retcon" settles things. On the other hand, rules lawyers and munchkins are discouraged from hijacking the adventure. 6.) He has a sense of "story" and occasionally nudges things to help the players understand what's going on. A few subtle hints, a well- timed skill roll, and a scrap of parchment in a villain's pouch all add up together to make a bunch of random encounters coalesce into a sensible adventure.
Yes, unless future updates to the campaign guide change this, deliberate interference with another player's faction mission is forbidden and you can be asked to leave the table for doing so.Wow. That really pulls the teeth out of the competing factions angle and makes it a lot less interesting. :( They're trying to avoid the problems caused when a player gives his faction mission priority over the mission goals and party harmony. I've always enjoyed Paradigm Concepts' Arcanis campaign, but their conflicting secret society missions caused a lot of friction during games. Pathfinder Society has tried to avoid that, with only a couple of missions that directly oppose each other. Keep in mind that your character's faction allegiance is not a good reason to screw over your fellow party members. The faction leaders may have a lot of influence, but your team will be the ones covering your back when you're in the field.
If the creature is no challenge for the PC, terrain hazards and additional encounters are the only true threat. If these hazards aren't credible, then summarize the chase and ensuing combat in a few dramatic sentences... "The craven creature's flight leads you across a mile of lonely moorland before you manage to corner it against a foul-smelling bog. The razor edge of your sword cuts the cowering beast down where it stood, a pitiful wail of despair its last cry." If the terrain may be a hazard, a few skill rolls may be called for. "In its panicked flight, the gnoll recklessly scrambles down a bleak cliff face, nearly 60 feet from top to bottom. A DC 18 Climb check will be needed to keep up." Of course, the climbing gnoll may screw up its roll and plunge dramatically to its doom. To speed things up, toss the battle map. Vivid descriptions will let your players visualize where they are in relation to each other, especially if you keep a running total of the chasing characters' distance from the party. A small file of photos and copies of old woodcuts can be handy, allowing you to show what sort of terrain the PCs encounter. "The beggar boy leads you through a crowded bazaar, similar to this one."
I ran this one back on Free RPG Day, and have some recommendations for GMs planning to use it as an introduction to Pathfinder Society play. To make optimal use of this one, I recommend that new players be encouraged to use Pathfinder's iconic cleric instead of the oracle. While she has some strengths, the oracle isn't built for melee. The tower's tight confines and narrow stairway can really inhibit PCs who depend on missile fire. While an experienced group can work around that, the new players I ran on Free RPG day repeatedly got in each other's way. Because it has several fights, the scenario's roleplaying opportunities may be neglected. Rather than just throwing the PCs into the action, I recommend that GMs develop the adventure's story hook before running the mod. I considered using an alternative opening: After the Pathfinder Balenar Forsend didn't come back to pay for his lodging, his grasping landlord seized the property he left in his chambers. He offers the items to the PCs for a fraction of their apparent worth, criticizing "that deadbeat vagabond Balenar Forsend" all the while. The PCs' purchase includes maps and descriptions of the Fallen Fortress and its rumored treasures. After the party buy the items, Venture-Captain Adril Hestram shows up and begins loudly arguing with the landlord. The portly venture-captain demands the items Balenar left in his chambers and becomes incensed at the landlord's passive-agressive refusal to explain what happened to them. The landlord hints that he could reveal the truth for the right price, but Adril Hestram refuses to pay the exasperating man one "shaved Qadiran copper". Of course, the PCs likely have no idea who this massive, apparently violent man might be. Either they decide to sneak off and investigate the fortress on their own or they confront the venture-captain. Impressed by PCs who show some chutzpah ("You lads have stout hearts! I like that!"), Adril suggests that they should check out the fortress, asking them to keep an eye out for Balenar. Once the PCs find him during the adventure, make Balenar a colorful, quirky character. When I ran the scenario, I modeled him on my sixth-grade teacher, a WW II veteran who had apparently defeated the Japanese single-handedly. He had dozens of unlikely anecdotes of his wartime adventures. To keep the tower's fights from growing repetitive, I made the shocker lizard a bit less hostile, but very skittish. Its reaction to intruders was to nose forward, looking around to see if they brought food. The PCs took it with them, only to discover that it let out a jolt every time something attacked the party, injuring most of the PCs. They especially enjoyed trying to coax the lizard into fighting the tower's other inhabitants.
...Yes, I'm gonna give Pathfinder a try! This Friday, I'm gonna buy the core book and maybe put a game to my friends, the only thing that maybe will stop me a little bit is that 2 of my friends don't know enough English to read a character sheet, I think im gonna work with the indexing and make some sheets in Spanish for them. (I forgot to say: I'm from Mexico) :D I'd start with the core book, the bestiary, and some adventures for right now. You might want to check with some of the other groups playing in Spanish. Some are mentioned on this thread: aqui.
I'm hoping to get my PFRPG campaign up and running soon, and I need some advice on good minis to use. I'm going to be running encounters primarily on the Basic Flip-Mat. I'm looking for something cheap, pre-painted, and where the base size makes sense for 1 square = 5' for tactical encounters. I have a lot of old Mage Knight minis, would those work? If there are better ones out there, where may they be found? Thanks for your help :) The bases on Mage-Knight minis tend to be a bit large, but other than that they should work fine. If you don't plan to keep using them for Mage-Knight games, you can cut the bases off and place them onto smaller bases.
Unfortunately, scenarios meant to accommodate a variety of groups may inadvertently shortchange certain play styles. Some Pathfinder Society games have featured some encounters that favored long-range combat, but many scenarios have been set in areas unsuited for missile combat. Organized play campaigns reward versatility, as you can never be sure what character types will share the table with you. An optimally-effective archer needs a party suited for his style of fighting and willing to work with him. With a little terrain control and a "cork" fighter to keep the bad guys off his case, he can be frighteningly effective, even in tight quarters.
Spoiler:
I hope the rest of the scenario went better for you than that first scene!
Firing off spells against a creature with resistance can be a real crapshoot. I recommend that you keep a few conjurations handy to avoid such problems in the future: Force your foes to waste time fighting summoned cannon fodder or hit them with attack conjurations. Glitterdust isn't particularly effective against the hags (They have the Blindfighting feat), but grease is always amusing.
...it looks like I may be moving out of alignment in the next few games which could make me an ex-cleric and ex-monk lol. I'll certainly have an eclectic and probably rather morose character as he grows. Your character faces a test of self-control, doubtlessly sent by Irori to teach important lessons on the path to enlightenment. Her exposure to the gnome's erratic behavior can reinforce the suffering caused by failure to master one's mind, spirit, and body. The student of Wisdom must first seek purity, for purity grants inner balance.
Some who teach do not realize the lessons they share.
Consider the noble mountains of the East: Lashed by the storm's winds, they do not cry out for succor.
At the end, it was a big discussion about where the safest place for the <spoiler> would be - some thought the Pathfinder vaults on Absalom was the best place. Thankfully they decided that the <spoiler> wasn't their property and should be returned to the tribune. Spoiler:
If the party brings the urn back to Absalom, the Society grudgingly returns it to Taldor. The PCs can still feel good about their accomplishment, as the Pathfinders surely gain some concessions from the Empire in exchange for giving up their prize.
It's for the best that the alabaster urn be kept far from populated areas, as it is intelligent, malevolent, and pursues the destruction of all human civilization as its special purpose. The hag covey was among the least dangerous of the urn's slaves: As originally written up, it had several other creatures it could draw upon. These included a powerful elemental, a linnorm, and a protean. Given a suitably weak-willed possessor to bring it where it could do the most harm, the urn could topple empires.
One of the GMs who has run this one was kind enough to share his feedback about the strengths and weaknesses of The Jester's Fraud. I'd like to present the information he gave, in the hope of maximizing other players' experience.
Spoiler:
At Tier 8-9, the tactics for the hag coven mention this: "Two of the hags fight the PCs in melee while the third uses her coven abilities, such as blight, baleful polymorph, and forcecage."
The coven abilities should require all three hags' participation. In the original draft, I had the hags animate dead guards as zombies (finding a fancy onyx holy symbol to use as their material component), disguise them as living men under mind control (so the inn's defenders would be hesitant to just cut them down), and hang back as a group to use their coven powers. Alternatively, the hags could hang back, obscured by the mists. Seeing the Tribune run into the inn and correctly concluding he has reinforcements there, the coven casts mirage arcana to transform the area around the inn. With echoing cracks and pops, tortured stone and churning earth reveal an ancient Keleshite necropolis slowly rising from the ground. Sounds fill the air, the grinding noise of tomb lids and crypt doorways slowly opening. While the party deals with this strange vision, the coven hides within an illusory shrine. They can then cast to their heart's content, protected until someone sees through the illusion. To add to the confusion, they can cast veil on themselves, appearing as wan, beautiful spectres. One note about the tracking: I have no problem with occasionally having an artificially high DC for a skill check -- one so high that it's nearly impossible for the PCs to make. I've found that in organized play (Living Greyhawk, Living Arcanis, Dave Arneson's Blackmoor, and, of course, the Pathfinder Society) my opinion is not shared by all. There was some grumbling at both tables when their high skill checks didn't make the required DC 40. It wasn't that big of a deal, but I have been at tables where it has been. My original draft included a lower DC, but the DC was still very high: The Jester drinks a potion of fly for one stretch, eliminating all tracks for over a mile. He hides his tracks in spots, ducks along a stream, and has his homunculus lay false trails (into lion dens and patches of irritating thorns). According to the mod, Wager just gets increasingly angrier when the PCs deny knowledge about Baran's whereabouts. After the 7th or 8th PC question/denial about Baran, I simply had Wager and his men attack. Wager is normally reasonable, but believes (correctly) that the PCs have been manipulated into serving as pawns of his hated enemy, the Tribune Bourtze. Concluding that the PCs have something to do with his brother's disappearance, he could be calmed by cunning diplomacy but is more likely to conclude that the PCs are lying. Like many others, Wager underestimates the Jester's abilities. He doesn't suspect how his brother could have fallen to Sabas' influence. Both groups killed Gaunt Blackfist without a second thought and neither found Pauva's journal. Both groups of Andorans made an effort to find it, but the first didn't toss the inn and the second could not make the Perception check to find the journal. Gaunt's a psychotic killer, and could be given more menace by allowing him more tactical flexibility. To increase the challenge posed by Blackfist (at night or in fog), he could sick the lion on the PCs and retreat, luring them into fighting another band and bushwhacking the party when they're otherwise occupied. Based on his interests, luring two groups into fighting each other would be just his style. The Osirion player in the first running got 0 faction points. He couldn't make the Knowledge (nature) check for the lilies and the Andoran dropped a fireball on Gaunt Blackfist as his opening diplomatic statement. Based on the size of the building, I ruled that the sage was caught in the fireball and died. (He failed his save -- natural 1 -- and was described as having been tortured -- i.e., down hit points.) The second Osiriani fared better and got both faction points. The challenge of the water lilies is meant to be "do I dare go fetch them from the slug-infested waters?" I'd allow Knowledge (nature) deprived PCs to ask their faction contact or someone in the village what the lilies look like so they don't miss out. If they don't think to do that, they're probably out of luck. Interestingly, of the two factions trying to learn the name of the Bourtze heir, neither were represented in either running of the mod. Hmm. I suggested an alternate scene that would allow the PCs to recognize her on the boards. I hope people notice it. Both groups wanted to go directly to Disaren Village upon realizing that they couldn't track the Jester using Survival. The encounter with Wager was originally designed to occur wherever the PCs headed. His role is to give them a heavy hint that the Disarens have no clue what happened, either. The Ruins of Rhoetius could have included more information about the various bandit groups. Or, probably more accurately, more general information about the names and size of the groups not listed in the mod. At least one person from each group had the idea to kill 'em all and let the gods sort 'em out. Other bandit groups in the area would have been represented by one or two bandits, without substantial treasure. Their main groups would be camped somewhere else (with their gold), suspicious that the whole arrangement is a trick. As soon as the party starts wreaking havoc, those bandits would bolt in a dozen different directions. The original draft had another faction present in force in the ruins, a group of necromancers and undead secretly affiliated with the urn's original possessors. The necromancers were cut from the final, but could have made such a clumsy assault on the camp rather perilous. The description of Blackfist's camp was a little confusing to me. On the map, it looked like a roofless building, but the text mentioned a number of columns scattered about and a pen. So, I improvised and said the wall was low to the ground and counted as difficult terrain to cross. The building was supposed to have a pillared portico, which had fallen. The pens would be built haphazardly nearby, where Blackfist could torment the animals before staging fights. I hope people find this information helpful!
I wish this one weren't being retired: My players have enjoyed it every time I've run it, from the opening "Stagecoach"-style chase scene to the rest of the "Indiana Jones" trappings. The scenario does need work to smoothly convert it to Pathfinder rules, but I've always found it paid off well. Spoiler:
My latest group had a smooth-talking priest of Gozreh, who negotiated with the serpent in the water (they dubbed it "Apep"), keeping it distracted while another PC retrieved the key. They bribed it a young goat to keep it from attacking. Huzzah for apeak with animals and maxed-out diplomacy!
Since clerics can drag multiple downed fighters back from the brink through channeled energy, foes who realize their full power are likely to finish off downed opponents rather than risk having them pop back up to fight again. Having said that, many foes able to understand that risk can also see the benefits of not killing their foes. The Pathfinder Society can be a formidable enemy, and has been known to send heavily armed teams of bloodthirsty killers (e.g.: PCs), slaughtering those who trouble its leaders. Although we tend to think of the Society as generally benevolent explorers, several PFS adventures clearly show its dark side. Alternatively, captured PCs can be held for ransom or sold as slaves. Dead bodies don't keep well, but prisoners can be held for days or weeks, handy when some monster gets hungry. WE know that the PC is likely to escape, but a semi-intelligent monster may underestimate his fallen victim's abilities.
This guy does this in every game he plays. He always plays his characters as these flighty, lone wolf, play by his own rules, characters. We've talked about this before as well, and no conclusion can be reached. Outside of the game, he's everyones friend, so I supposed I'll just continue along with the way I've handled it. No EXP for not helping at all during battle. Maybe he'll start to figure out whats what when he starts lagging behind on the EXP. Many years ago, I gamed with a guy who trashed every game he participated in. He wasn't a bad guy, but he craved center stage: His preferred approach was to make characters that derailed the plot and theme of any planned adventure. As an example, when told to make a Call of Cthulhu character to attend a posh upper-class auction, he made an unwashed, machine-gun toting anarchist. An eerie, viking-themed horror scenario elicited a Native American warrior he named "Richard Nixon". Eventually I had to just stop gaming with him. He was a good friend, but a problem in any gaming group.
I'd encourage the other players to discuss his choice to keep out of combat with him. Division of treasure is their call, not the GM's. As far as experience points go, I'd discuss that with him. If his character meaningfully aids the party to achieve victory, he has some coming. If not, he doesn't have anything coming. What is his reason for dodging the fights? Does he feel that the others are provoking battles when his "Mr. Roleplay" PC would have avoided them through diplomacy or other skills?
My name is Ian Eastmond, I live in Las Vegas, and Neoncon 2010 will be my first gaming convention ever. I signed up for PFS organized play a long time ago, but I have never been able to attend any games, so I will be registering and bringing 1-2 first level characters for PFS organized play. Welcome, Ian! I'm not in charge of anything, but I'll be running a few tables at the 'con and look forward to meeting you. That being said, if I want to sign up to play a game, do I do that here, on the Neoncon site, or the warhorn site? Do I need to make sure I've pre-registered before planning to play anything, or will there be any space available at show-time for some of the scenarios? For Pathfinder Society games, sign yourself up on Warhorn.net. This will let the people in charge can estimate how many tables are needed for each scenario. Don't worry if a scenario looks overbooked: With enough warning, we can make room, recruiting more GMs for that session. Some other activities, such as Iron DM or the seminars, may fill up entirely. You'll want to sign up for them as soon as possible.
There are several other reasons why many major cites may not have been chosen yet: 1.) "I'm doo'n the best I can, Cap'n!" It can't be easy spinning several cities' venture-captains up to speed. If Hyrum brings a few on line at a time, he'll have an easier time getting everyone oriented and functional. 2.) "Who was that masked man?" There are doubtlessly many qualified applicants that Hyrum doesn't know from Adam. To be fair, he'll need time to sort them out. 3.) "You have chosen... Wisely." If Hyrum discovers some factor he overlooked in the selection process, he can take that into account when making future decisions. He can't easily change venture-captains he's already announced.
If your primary role is "meat shield", high Dex helps quite a bit at low levels. Unfortunately, once you reach higher levels, you're really going to want Con instead. At that point, the AC difference evaporate (since you run into the limits allowed by the best armor), but you'll have significantly lower Hit Points. If you prefer to play a high-Dex Paladin, make missile fire a major part of his routine to make full use of the stat. Start by buying some javelins, so you get your Strength bonus on damage. Don't switch to a bow until fourth level or later. I'd have given him an 18 Str and 15 Cha to start out with. The Paladin's Charisma-based abilities build up as he levels, but he can smash down bad guys the old-fashioned way all day long.
If a guy comes all the way from Gotham to play, I'd better give him one of the scenarios he wants! Since I always enjoy Mighty Tim Hitchcock's scenarios, I'll prep Hall of Drunken Heroes. Yr. Obd't. Servant,
Gules Speculation Rampant on a Sable Feild with Argent Bend Sinister If the speculation overlay the bend, that should be "Sable, a bend sinister argent, overall a speculation rampant gules" Some heralds would feel that device violates the rule of tincture (a color on a color), but others feel that a speculation is best emblazoned in a way that leaves it a bit unclear.
If green slime was a practical method of clearing land or a threat to large swaths of forest, it would be more common. I'd expect that, like yeast in fermenting beverages, green slime produces waste products that eventually poison the organism. Once it grows beyond a certain point, the slime ceases growing and begins to die.
In the end, it becomes a matter of GM judgment whether to deviate from established tactics or not. I assume the tactics reflect the typical reactions and plans from the monster and build from there. If a party's approach is markedly different from the norm, their foe will change his plans. Sometimes the optimal tactics for a creature could result in a long, drawn-out slogfest. At that point the GM needs to change the equation. One group (on another thread) talked about a 50 round fight: That's just insane! Sometimes it's difficult for an author and editor to determine just how tough to make a scenario's final fight. An effective party that cakewalked through earlier fights can handle a much more challenging finale than a weaker group that fell into traps, failed a few saves, and suffered a few crits from the beasties on the way. I've seen (and played with) parties that stumbled into a scenario's final fight when they should have found a hole to hide in. Those fights can get ugly.
I'm really curious how this one has gone for different GMs. The original drafts of the mod featured more investigation to discover the Jester's schemes. To keep the scenario's pace up, this was cut from the final version. Unfortunately, some characters may have trouble working on their faction goals if their group jumps straight into the chase. They may miss the well-hidden clue identifying the Bourtze's heir. To counter this problem, I recommend a brief final scene be added to the adventure. If the party returns to Evondemor, Tribune Bourtze summons them to his chambers. He lies there bedridden, stricken by a heart attack brought on by the horrors of the first scene. While the Tribune asks the characters whether his family's accursed treasures have been recovered, a young servant girl waits on him. This is his unacknowledged child, the maidservant Goosegrass. Adventurers who had taken the time to scan the drawings they brought depicting the Tribune's ancestors can easily see a family resemblance between the girl and one of the drawings (Perception DC 16). Confronted by this, the weakened Tribune finally breaks down and recognizes her as his child. He had stubbornly refused to admit this before, afraid that admitting his infidelities would dishonor his dead wife's memory. On a separate note, I neglected to include a description of the Jester's homunculus: It appears to be a "poppet", a fatuous, smiling nobleman clad in velvet robes and hat. Spreading its cloak wide, the absurd thing flies by vigorously flapping its arms. Before the scenario's final combat, the homunculus spies from high in the ruined keep, keeping an eye out for treachery from the bandits. If it spots the party's approach, the homonculus grabs a stinking chamberpot, then hides high in the ruins. Watching the party, it readies an action to throw the chamber pot when a spellcaster starts casting, hoping to interrupt the spell. A hit causes 1d3 nonlethal damage and forces a (fairly trivial) concentration check. Misses should be handled as grenade-like weapons. If it has the chance, the homunculus grabs some rotten eggs from an abandoned birds' nest, hoping to pelt another caster.
Indeed it is. What makes it even more unsettling is that, while this isn't an official position that religion takes, it is how alot of people seem to treat faith and religion. That isn't unique to religion. Once most people make up their mind about something, it becomes much more difficult to sway them with additional information.
Prestidigitation does minor magical effects that are not accomplished by other spells. Spark can light oil on fire. Therefore, my interpretation is that prestidigitation can no longer light oil on fire. Spark lights something on fire while it's over 30 feet away. Prestidigitation lights it while you're right next to it. If you reduce prestidigitation's power every time a new cantrip comes up, you seriously nerf its utility.
Perhaps I would have been wiser to find better ways to illustrate my point. My concern is that many people claim to be Christian, but show behavior no different from the rest of society. Christians may not agree about the definition of a Christian worldview, but some ideas are crucial parts of Christianity. Those who agree about these central tenets demonstrate different behavior from the general population. As an example, declared Christians have divorce rates no lower than the general population, while couples committed to daily bible study together have a divorce rate of less than 1%. This survey cited at the beginning of this thread seemed deeply flawed, in part because numerous nominal Christians were lumped in with the devout. Where on earth would you find a place where 3 in 10 Christians haven't heard that Jesus was born in Bethlehem?
Some Christian organizations conducted surveys to determine how many American actually hold a "Biblical worldview", agreeing with the basic tenets associated with Christianity. Only 4% of Americans held these views. Only 9% of those who said they had been born again held those views. Less than 1% of young adults (age 18-23) held those views. The world is filled with people who barely understand the beliefs they claim to hold. The questions: Spoiler:
•Do absolute moral truths exist? •Is absolute truth defined by the Bible? •Did Jesus Christ live a sinless life? •Is God the all-powerful and all-knowing Creator of the universe, and does He still rule it today? •Is salvation a gift from God that cannot be earned? •Is Satan real? •Does a Christian have a responsibility to share his or her faith in Christ with other people? •Is the Bible accurate in all of its teachings?
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