I've been seeing posts by people (example a review posted on the product page)who apparently have the pdf already. Are they being added to downloads over time? Or did those lucky few somehow cut special deals to get it early?
I'm sorry, but you really didn't think that this would be marginally insulting to people? There are lots of ways to join up with other gamers without making people feel bad about not having as much spending money as you.
How about this, a guild for people who like the color blue. There, now if someone wants to join all they have to do is change their viewpoints about the color blue, its a choice to them you see. It is not something that is completely out of their control and can be (historically)considered embarrassing.
I see your point, but then I honestly think it is being a bit overly sensitive. I mean if this is insulting, then Paizo better not create those special founder icons that are part of the level. Are folks going to feel insulted every time they see that icon on the messageboard, or when they aren't considered a Goblinworks "Founder"? For that matter would the guild name be less insulting if it was called the "Founders?"
1) In a game that wants to focus on role playing, you're creating an allegiance of people who's only common thread is an out of game, out of character link. It strikes me as something akin to a black guild, a white guild, a christian guild, a US army guild, a FedEx guild. It's a sort of nonsensical immersion breaker.
2) There is a level of elitism in what you're trying to do. For all I know you could be a cool, humble dude but in practice this is self exaltation. On a related note, you're creating a guild that the DM's, moderators, developers, etc. will likely favor because of your generosity. Sure, in PFO everyone will have to "pay for status" in the sense that it will be easier to level as a paying player, but you're taking the concept to a whole new level.
In all due respect, I think you are going pretty far out of your way to be offended about this.
I don't believe anyone who donates expects anything more than what was offered as swag/rewards. Heck, I wish I could do the 5k level and get more direct feedback to the designers, but even at that level, I trust even the $1000+ are not going to get their catered to over what is right for the game.
The guild idea is nothing more than a fun way to extended a kickstarter bonding experience. I'm sure there will be all sorts of guilds that are eventually created that bring people together with certain shared OOC experiences which would be "elitist". In fact your Role Playing concerns mean you might create a guild only for hardcore roleplayers. That would be certainly elitist.
So I say, let's all worry more about shaping a community of tolerance for all sorts of people, which is the hallmark of our tabletop hobby.
Another $250 supporter checking in. I was in the "not another MMO" camp after the disappointment of the offerings during the last several years. I am hopeful now that Goblinworks might get it right. There is a huge potential for an MMO where the players really make the world dynamic (beyond just playing spreadsheets) while at the same time retains an epic adventuring party feel.
So I'm putting in a large stake as I want to do my part to ensure it lives up to that potential.
As for me I am an old DM. Cutting my teeth on the white box version of D&D in 6th grade (you can do the math ;) ). I'm currently DMing a pathfinder game and playing in another.
So, let's raise our voices and shake the very foundation of Golarion!
Kitty is a rare, classic pin-up beauty. As an *cough* older gentleman I have a deep appreciation for that. I can say she is leagues ahead of the competition. In fact I signed up for the site just to vote, which says a lot. :)
Just as I thought. Are 4/5 sessions enough for going from level 1 to 4? After playing the first session, it occurred to me that it's very possible the PCs reach the cannibal camp way before 2nd level, thus finishing the adventure before 4th level. On what level did you finish the module?
As I don't have any PC with item crafting feats, I was consider not giving them XP and just telling them to level up when they reach the part of the story the book says they should level up.
Thanks for the replies!
I have 6 (sometimes 7) players and they made a bee line (more or less) towards the cannibal camp. I used the fast XP progression and it worked out well. They were 2nd at the cannibal camp and 3rd by the time they hit the temple. They made 4th after finishing the temple. Note that I did scale encounters up (additional combatants and max HP) to accommodate the large party, so that added XP as well.
So, I was just wondering, for those of you who have finished running/playing 'Souls for Smuggler's Shiv', how many session did it take to play the whole book?
4 Eight-hour sessions, but my group didn't explore much of the island at all.
Name: Death Blossom
Race: Elf
Classes/levels: Rog 3
Adventure:Smuggler's Shiv
Location: Hidden Temple
Catalyst: Slashing trap
The Gory Details: (optional) Rogue failed to disarm and only had 2 HP when she entered the trap room. 2 blade hits and she was effectively slap chopped.
I have a pretty simple rule. Hit/dmg rolls are done behind screen. I will only fudge if the luck gradient is skewed badly on either side of the screen during what is supposed to be an epic fight. Nobody has fun if the PCs or monsters come out as incompetent due to a run of shear bad luck. Of course with Hero points this happens much less on the player side of the screen.
However, all saving rolls against save or suck spells are made in the open. Being a mage using limited spells it stinks to think the DM might be fudging.
Wanted to thank SR2k for the great chart. It has been a big help for me. I am running a group of 7, so all the time I save by not flipping through pages looking for this information has been a big time saver. Great Job!
Not having the next Module to go by creates a little bit of an unknown on how the fate of these npc's play out in the long run. I am hoping they can play a role with the teams forming up in the Racing to the Ruins, as various allegiances will come into play. Perhaps they will join other teams or be the party's spies, all depends on how they were treated. But that might be hard on the module planners as it is possible that these npc's don't survive to make it off the island. A few days more till I have the pdf, but I hope to integrate something like this into the next adventure.
Actually I suspect that's the case and I dislike it intensely. It encourages players to baby the NPCs and puts them in non realistic situations on the off metagame chance that they'll get a payout later. Also it kinda restricts me as a DM if I want to play up the drama and have a npc brutally murdered to emphasize the dangers of the island. If I do I'm taking away from the future part where they're written in.
So far both Gelik and Aerys met their nasty ends in my game, and Sasha almost became a cannibal snack. Though having them alive would have given the PCs more options in the next book, I wasn't going to pull punches. The party chose to force them to come with them in their exploration, and some were not up to the task.
From what I have read in the next book though, having the castaways make it alive is not all that important.
I figured I'd start a thread for particularly clever play.
The award for clever play last session goes to one of my players who is playing a druid of Gozreh.
Spoiler:
The group was in pretty dire straights, strung out along the cliff face leading down past the Red Mountain Devil's lair when it attacked. It was knocking them off the ledges with with relative impunity using its flyby attack. They really didn't have any decent ranged attacks to take it down.
Enter the druid who notices that after its buzzing run it swoops up and over the opposing cliff face. So he delays his action and timing it, he casts obscuring mist as the devil was heading up and over. I roll the fly check and it failed, slamming into the cliff face at full speed.
Then as the creature spreads its wings to recover and glide down, he cast an upside down wind wall on it. Because it was a clever idea I ruled that he didn't have to have it shoot up from solid ground. So with no lift, the downdraft forced another fly check, which again the creature failed, plummeting to its death.
So in two rounds the druid takes out one of the big baddies of the game with clever use of basic spells.
In the particular case, there will eventually be a ship that left Corentyn after the Jennivere that arrives at Eleder before it, carrying news that Jask Derindi left on the J. At which point, the Sargavan navy puts out an APB to its ships and more importantly, its intelligence agents ashore, to find the last known sighting of the Jennivere.
I like that idea. Tracking down a fugitive would be good motivation to investigate the lighthouse and could lead to some interesting RP. :)
Also, looking more in depth at the dispersion of shipwrecks, and reading the tale of one of the
Spoiler:
Brine Demon
gives me the impression that the eastern coastline, "the shiv's cutting edge" is the most treacherous. The currents might not be as bad along the southern coast near the lighthouse.
Assuming 19465xp is the standard, it would take these characters 184 years to reach level 20.
Interesting and fun calculation :)
There is a major factor missing though. With the exception of undead (which are in limited supply on the island) critters will eventually learn to avoid dangerous areas. That is why predators actually have to leave their lair to hunt. Food doesn't just show up at their doorstep very often. Relocating might not help much either as a lot of critters can identify their scents wherever they are.
I'm having a little trouble rationalizing why another ship would approach Smuggler's Shiv to investigate the newly lit lighthouse to rescue the PCs at the end of the adventure. Isn't the Shiv a notorious island inhabited by monsters, cannibals, and ghosts? What ship captain would dare approach such a place just to check out a lighthouse? My first thought as a sea captain would be : "Duh. Trap!".
Has anyone come up with a good rationale for getting a ship to come and rescue the PCs?
What also bothers me is why the captain would risk his ship around an island with treacherous currents that swallow ships. The only thing I could come up with is that the lighthouse actually marks a safe channel in and out of the Shiv. Of course that supposes that the captain of the rescue ship knows that. I mean the lighthouse was never in operation.
Yesterday was session #2. The party assaulted the cannibal village. The monk went off by himself while the rest did a frontal assault. The monk got taken out by bad save rolls against Malikadna. The barbarian and the rogue were both taken down by a raging Klorak.
Fortunately none of them bled out, so no permanent deaths...yet.
The party of 6 PCs ventured into the hunting area of Shocker Lizards. The witch had to use 2 hero points to avoid becoming fried compost. Other than that, most encounters have been handled without much trouble so far.
Just curious to see the PC party combinations other DMs are working with.
Here's our group:
Arakara - CG Female Dwarf Cleric of Bolka
Greer - NG Male Chelaxian Human Rogue
Mirwyn - CG Female Elf Bard (Archivist)
Trayzik - LN Male Dwarf Fighter
Valgrim - LN Dwarf Wizard (Earth Elementalist)
Tatterwing - Valgrim's filthy little bat familiar
Klem - CN Male Human Barbarian
Corvinna - CN Female Human Witch (And her Raven Familiar Corvex)
Death Blossom (yes really ;) ) - CG Female Human Rogue
Sanjian - LG Male Human Monk
Erethon - CG Male Elf Ranger
Jonas - CN Male Human Necro-Sorcerer
I had a somewhat similar experience with my group yesterday
Spoiler:
They did not want to leave the other castaways on their own. Jask wanted to help as he was freed, but the others wanted to stay on the beach. However the PCs reasoned that they would be sitting ducks on their own. A feeling that has been reinforced by how dangerous the environment is. So they have been exploring with NPCS in tow as dead weight. Unfortunately for Gelek if proved fatal as the gnome was caught in the blast of the shocker lizards.
Without a real safehaven, like an abandoned cave in the cliffs or something like that, I don't see many PCs willing to leave the castaways on their own.
As for Ieana, they also felt a little muddied on her involvement, but with some of the dreams they are more and more suspecting her treachery. However they have yet made any concerted effort to find them. Rather they are hunting cannibals as they are sick of traps and ambushes. :D
"By the time they are ready to explore the interior of Smuggler’s Shiv and confront the Thrunefang cannibals, the PCs should be 2nd level."
well.
the APs assume the middle XP advancment, so it will require 2000 XP for each PC to level. the PCs already fought through the crew of a haunted ship, slain a dozen diffrent wildlife beasts and even chanced upon a couple of random encounters. they have 800 XP each. I am stretching the first part of the adventure as much as I can without overkilling the pacing of the adventure, but this simply dosent seem enough, since one of the players decided that charting the mountains at the other side of the shiv should be a priority and the party agreed to tag along with him so they are now making full speed to the interior of the islend. I fear that very soon my poor PCs will be overwhelmed, as evrey single encounter is CR 2 or 3 or even more where they are going.
should I simply use the fast advancmet track? because I sure dont see where could I squeeze enough encounters to level the PCs up quick enough...
How many PCs are in your group?
Did you include the XP for boosting the morale of the other castaways? As I calculate it that would be 500XP for making them friendly, 1000XP for making them all helpful. Also, I would consider offering XP for setting up a successful camp.
I was thinking more in terms of having days when the PCs aren't as impacted by the heat or some where it's worse for longer. Or even gives them an additional penalty to their save.
I updated the sheet with some optional variability. Still pretty simplistic, but it does the job I think. I also added in some other events that I had forgotten about.
That's a pretty cool chart. I'd love to see a little variance in heat though.
Yeah, I stuck with simplicity. I figured that island temps don't vary all that much in the high summer unless it rains. I know it is inaccurate but since the characters don't have thermometers, I figured I could just go with mild, hot, and sweltering hot descriptions anyway. ;)
I do notice one thing though. Isn't there supposed to be two periods of increased chance of rainfall? I.e. rain-stop-rain?
All I found was a bit about there being "frequent rainfall". So I interpreted that to mean once per day there will be an storm, most likely in the afternoon. Did I miss where it was stated more explicitly?
In any case you could always ignore the rule that the chance of rain goes down to 5% for the rest of the day. :)
I plan to start running this on Saturday and wanted to pull together all the various bits of information on hazards into one reference page. So here is my attempt at it. Hopefully I'm not violating any rules by posting it for others to use, but if so, let me know and I'll take it down.
First ever character back in the day was an OD&D wizard, but I gotta say my favorites have got to be rangers and rogues. The guile and cunning resonate strongly with me. Don't get me wrong, I like a good toe to toe fight now and then, but nothing satisfies quite like a foe falling into a trap and being ambushed..
I'm interested in subscribing to the AP, but I'm confused about how I get the whole AP if I subscribe after issues in the AP have already shipped. For example, if I subscribe now my sub would start with Kingmaker part 2. How would I be able to get Kingmaker part 1? Do I have to purchase that separately? Is there a discount on it for subscribers?
On a semi-related question: Can old APs be purchased as bundles? i.e. get the complete set for a discounted price? Or does each issue have to be purchased separately for full price?
