I wish to cancel my subscription to the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game.
I will happily keep my subscriptions to the Adventure Path and the Campaign Setting.
I feel that I have enough to go on with what I have already. The race guide looks fun, but I have been unemployed for a while now, and cannot justify the expense of any more hardcover books. The shipping alone is a dreadful expense. Thank you for taking care of this request. Were I employed, I would subscribe to, and order more than I currently do. I simply have to cut back.
I just got my geeky hands on the colossal red dragon and gargantuan black dragon figures from the Dungeons and Dragons icons line.
Each is in fine condition. The red has his cone of fire. I have the booklet and card for each, but do not have the red dragon's battlemap.
I want to sell them to you.
Here are all the details I think need to be laid out:
I live in Taiwan. I need to get enough for them to warrant paying for shipping, but I will pay to ship them. Your bid is what you will pay, with no other charges.
I will send the dragon(s) to you before you pay. Pay me on receipt.
I will thus want to ship them as cheaply as possible. If you want some fancier shipping options than 'cheapest with insurance', let me know, and we can come to an arrangement, but then you will need to pay the difference.
I will pack them well, to ease the ravages of international travel. Getting broken things in the mail sucks. I will do my best to not have that happen.
Please post your bids in this thread, in the format:
Red: $x.xx
Black: $x.xx
Location: x
Preferences or questions: x
There is no fixed date for the end of this auction. Lets just see what happens.
My preferred payment method is Paizo gift certificates. I am open to other options.
You can buy one, both, or none.
I prefer not to have people PM me with bids. I want everything done here where everyone can see each others bids, and nobody is operating with incomplete information.
I am going to make a thread on the forums and sell them directly to one of the people who expressed interest. If Paizo wants them, you can contact me at:
Furthering the tradition in which the people who are laid off or otherwise shed by WotC end up competing directly with them, and often doing a better job? Or just another fantasy heart-breaker?
I just spent the better part of an hour trying to set up an account at the Acaeum so that I could tell them about this sale. The Ravenloft stuff may include some collectables.
I intend to start a PBP nWoD game here on the 25th of March 2011.
This thread is for anybody who would like to play.
I will give preference to people who have not had a chance to play in a PBP before. If you are currently in another game, please do not apply for this one, unless there are no responses by the 15th of March
Game information
Characters will be mortal, built from the core book only.
Character creation is exactly as per the core rules, with no houserules.
The unique twist to the game I offer, is that I will roll all dice for the players, and will judge all rules issues behind the scenes, allowing the game thread to be purely narrative. After character creation, I will keep your character sheets. You will be able to play without needing to consider the rules. Character advancement will be done in the OOC thread, but the game thread will be exclusively in character.
The setting will be a fictional small city in 1979. I will provide a map of the city, and will also provide setting details. There may, or may not, be supernatural forces at work, but the characters will not start with any knowledge of such matters.
Instead of using the resources dot system, we will use currency. I will provide price lists for the period at hand. All characters will start poor.
Characters will be criminals and outsiders. This is crucial for the story I wish to share. The primary motivation for the game will be for the characters to advance their interests and gain wealth through any means necessary. This will not be a heroic tale.
I will allow no more than three players, to keep things simple.
I previously ran the Evening of an Empire PBP, after the original DM dropped out. This will be my second PBP.
The current blog post claims that many miniatures are now available. The last time that happened, I ordered a hundred dollars worth, and, as you know, the shipment never reached me. Now that many of the miniatures are in stock, perhaps for the last time, could I please get you to decide what you intend to do about the product that went astray.
If you decide that it is not feasible to replace the minis that went missing, it has been almost six months since the initial order. Tell me that you are not going to replace them. I can then order the ones I need from Paizo, or another store.
If you decide that it is feasible to replace, then please grab them now before this run of minis sells out.
Here, for your convenience, is the list of what I am still waiting for.
Order # 1259420
Placed October 7, 2009
Purchaser Taliesin Hoyle
talhoyle@yahoo.com
Order # 1259420
Placed October 7, 2009
Purchaser Taliesin Hoyle
talhoyle@yahoo.com
I usually wait thirty business days before I start to worry. There was a request for a telephone number, which may have caused a delay. It is not uncommon for parcels to take a long time to reach me here in Taiwan. This is quite a large order.
Please use whatever tracking you have to find out where this Paizo goodness and sweet sweet plastic have got to.
A player emailed me about his concerns with the economy in Pathfinder. I am posting it here because I want to see if anyone has thought of ways to fix the unreality of the magic item economy. I am aware of Frank Trollman's writing on the topic. I know about Iron heroes. I am curious if there are any other fixes floating around.
Spoiler:
Hey Tal,
again don't be in a hurry to read/digest/respond to this before our next session, but as I was taking a spare couple of hours to peruse the manuals and think about stuff, I thought I'd forward it for your input.
The game world of Pathfinder seems to me to be comparable in institutional complexity to early renaissance Europe. They have ledgers, a system of credit, banking, promisory notes etc. The degree to which government is involved in the actions of citizens in places like magnimar is fairly high... Within that framework, we have magic items. Which are in some cases have the potential to destroy a lot of valuable property, impinge on the privacy of citizens, and otherwise f%+% with the system. The system doesn't like to be f$&%ed with.
Also, once you get past the +1 longsword, ring of protection family of items, the amount of gold being thrown around is quite obscene. Comparable to buying a ship and hiring a crew, or the cost of fixing an election in a provincial town, or the price of a mid level assasination. Nothing but magic items costs tens of thousands of GP. They are the single most concentrated form of liquid wealth in existence, worth hundreds of times their weight in gold. As such a state that can make them reliably might even use a minumum generic level of them to back its currency in lieu of gold.
So on one hand, you have the thematic requirement of DnD that the party be a party, that it go adventuring, and the transparency of the challenge rating system pretty much demands that (knowing they're going to face challenges, and knowing that levelling up does not symetrically scale their various offensive, defensive and utility powers) the party accumulate magic items from fallen enemies, liquidate them, and then purchase or order more of them to prepare for future challenges.
[In this framework as well, the ability to have magic items made to order means that party members taking item creation feats is pointless and wasteful. In the narrow confines of adventuring, survival and advancement, you're surrendering a feat, which is useful, for a savings in gold on your item creation, which is not.
If the feats gave access to items that were otherwise not available, then they would be worth something.]
On the other hand, you have the system of the world the adventurers inhabit. Landed gentry who generate their wealth through pastoral or agricultural land ownership and use can't hope to compete with people who can make magic items, and quickly cease to matter. Merchants, it seems, are the new nobility, and magic is a means of essentially generating wealth from a vaccum.
DnD game worlds are unavoidably hokey, due to the concerns listed above. No matter how well their background is written, they simply wouldnt function the way they do if people behaved like real people and had access to magic items. Just crossing a border with all that glowing swag should require taxes and paperwork out the ass, or require paying someone to smuggle us in. I think that Pathfinder handles this better than most, as Corvosa seems to follow the natural course of people viewing magic and demonic power as a source of wealth, security, and military might, with other elements verging on steampunk.
How many adventurers are there in the lost coast region? How many NPCs bearing magic items are there?
I don't think a real economy could function with more than a couple of adventuring parties per million people. In which case magic items past the +2 category would be extremely rare. People capable of making such items would also be either in hiding or exclusively in the control of the state, and you would require a permit to purchase and carry such items.
The fact that you can go to a market and buy spells that open vaults and set fire to buildings is insane. No king would allow this. Heads would roll. S######'s mithril chainmail seems pretty harmless, but for sure he's on some kind of watched list... the fact that he's brazenly wearing something with the obvious resale value of a comfortable early retirement should already create a series of low level individual trials, poisonings, etc that have nothing to do with the story arc. Its like having gold plated rims on your escalade. Everyone knows you're a gangster.
I'm sure you're aware of all this, and it's one of the reasons you're looking forward to playing a more comprehensively designed, story oriented game. What I'd like to discuss is what can be done to the game world so that players like J### can be made happy, while at the same time our suspension of disbelief about the people and institutions we are adventuring to protect remain possible.
Placing restrictions on sale and purchase does little, because the characters are not real people. We just create un-rp'ed down time while the paperwork goes through or we search in vain for a buyer for our enchanted monkey head. Same is true of making high level enchanting hard to find. We spend the requisite time finding it and avoid following any plot threads till that is accomplished, with the knowledge that the challenge may require we first have said items in order to survive.
Two things come to my mind at this point. First is Neil Gaiman's "Stardust" where the witch creates an entire inn by the roadside using her finite and depleting stores of magic, in order to procure the star and ensure a fresh supply. The second is the scene in Shallow Grave, where the accountant character returns to find his flatmates have gone on a shopping spree with the dead man's stolen cash. "Five hundred pounds is what you paid for it. We don't know what it cost us yet."
What you pay for something, vs what it ends up costing you... I believe that within the context of the game world's human societies, the ownership of powerful magic items should cost more than just what you pay for them. This could mean that there are is no such thing as a generic enchantment, and that every item has some unforseen kinks in it- unique as the soul of its creator and the intersection of gods who were called upon to make it... including a name, a story, conditions under which it may behave erratically, or temporarily stop working altogether. Or it could simply mean that being a known concentration of incredible wealth makes you a constant target of thieves and assassins. Either way, the characters should learn to be respectful of magic items, cautious about their use, etc.
hope the new semester isn't too heavy thus far. See you this Sunday.
The Holy Avenger sword is very much a part of a Paladin's schtick. It is supposed to be a rare item. I have seen many paladins with holy avengers in my time.
What if the Paladin were to gain the ability to enchant a mastework sword through faith. At first level, it would simply be a masterwork sword, then it could gain pluses as the paladin levels.
Paladins used to quest for a mount. Perhaps they could choose whether to quest for a mount, or to enhance their swords.
The d20SRD wrote:
Spoiler:
Holy Avenger
This +2 cold iron longsword becomes a +5 holy cold iron longsword in the hands of a paladin.
It provides spell resistance of 5 + the paladin’s level to the wielder and anyone adjacent to her. It also enables the wielder to use greater dispel magic (once per round as a standard action) at the class level of the paladin. (Only the area dispel is possible, not the targeted dispel or counterspell versions of greater dispel magic.)
Strong abjuration; CL 18th; Craft Magic Arms and Armor, holy aura, creator must be good; Price 120,630 gp; Cost 60,630 gp + 4,800 XP.
All very well and good. Now what if this becomes an ability that opens up over time. The paladin quests, and gets a +2 iron longsword. After a few levels, it becomes +3, then +4, then finally, +5 at high levels.
Dispel magic could be similarly scaled. Starting with 1/day dispel magic, SR 1, then increasing to the full Greater dispel at will, SR 5 plus level, at a sufficiently high level.
I know I have not tried to plot it out. Mechanics are not my strong suite. I like the idea of enhancing a weapon as part of a legacy. I think a player would far rather make a weapon great, than buy it in downtime.
It allows the paladin a specialised, role-appropriate progression that has a unique character. What do others think?
The SRD has a cleric variant. It is in the spoiler below.
Spoiler:
Cleric Variant: Cloistered Cleric
The cloistered cleric spends more time than other clerics in study and prayer and less in martial training. He gives up some of the cleric's combat prowess in exchange for greater skill access and a wider range of spells devoted to knowledge (and the protection of knowledge).
Most cloistered clerics are nonchaotic, since they believe that a disciplined lifestyle lends itself better to learning.
Hit Die
The cloistered cleric uses a d6 for his Hit Die (and has hit points at 1st level equal to 6 + Con modifier).
Base Attack Bonus
The cloistered cleric's lack of martial training means that he uses the poor base attack bonus.
Class Skills
The cloistered cleric's class skill list includes Decipher Script, Speak Language, and all Knowledge skills (from the Knowledge domain, see below). The cloistered cleric gains skill points per level equal to 6 + Int modifier (and has this number x4 at 1st level).
Class Features
The cloistered cleric has all the standard cleric class features, except as noted below.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency
Cloistered clerics are proficient with simple weapons and with light armor.
Lore (Ex)
Thanks to long hours of study, a cloistered cleric has a wide range of stray knowledge. This ability is identical to the bard's bardic knowledge class feature, using the cloistered cleric's class level in place of the bard level.
Deity, Domains, and Domain Spells
Most cloistered clerics worship deities associated with knowledge and learning.
In addition to any domains selected from his deity's list, a cloistered cleric automatically gains the Knowledge domain as a bonus domain (even if the Knowledge domain is not normally available to clerics of that deity). He gains the Knowledge domain granted power and may select his bonus domain spell from the Knowledge domain or from one of his two regular domains.
Spellcasting
Add the following spells to the cloistered cleric's class spell list: 0—message; 1st—erase, identify, unseen servant; 2nd—fox's cunning; 3rd—illusory script, secret page, tongues (reduced from 4th level); 4th—detect scrying; 6th—analyze dweomer; 7th—sequester; 9th—vision.
It is in the SRD. It allows people to play skilled clerics, without rejigging the whole skill system. More on this later.
The Pathfinder Chronicles campaign guide has a cleric variant. It allowed clerics to sacrifice domain powers, in exchange for fighter BAB and d10 hit die.
A sidebar with these class variants would open up the cleric to new interpretations, without changing the base class further.
While we’re talking about the magazines, I can’t resist the urge to tease some October content as well. One of the coolest things R&D is doing with Dragon is to use it for playtesting. They already did this once with the artificer -- it’s a class that won’t actually be published until the Eberron campaign setting books are released next year, but R&D showed off the current draft of the rules that is being actively developed in house in order to solicit feedback. The idea is to let you guys participate in playtesting. Well, next month we’re planning to do this again, and this time it’ll be the barbarian class from the upcoming Player’s Handbook 2 that gets the full treatment. R&D is actively working on this book right now, and the version of the barbarian that ultimately gets published probably won’t be the same one as we show off in Dragon, but that’s a good thing. With feedback coming from a horde of external playtesters, we’re hoping to make it even better.
October will also see the Domains of Dread return to D&D, with the long-time Ravenloft concept being folded into the core now. Meanwhile we’ll also be trying out a new rules concept that allows you to multiclass into classes that don’t really exist, like gladiator. I should probably stop now before R&D gets forbidden from feeding me previews.
As always, please do hop onto the forums if you have a question you want me to answer or a comment you want me to see.
Randy Buehler
Vice President of Digital Gaming
Wizards of the Coast
We at WotC, understand the need for druids, bards, and for deep, immersive campaign worlds, that have consistent histories, and a respect for the lore that went before. To this end, we present a product about a single character.
It is July 1st, 1979. Cell block A has no airconditioning. Everybody knows, without being told, that things are not going to hang together too well between the powers in the block. There are four main crews in block A. The bikers and the Micks hang together. The Jamaicans have split from the Panthers and the other n&#*!$ crews, because they got a good pipeline going for candy and grass, and the other black crews got greedy for a cut. The skins are dangling on their own. A couple of very public losses of face have put them on the defensive, and their blood is in the water.
You got it together to hook up with the best crew you can be. You did real good in your trial. You danced around every question, and the team you were driving for never got a mention. The Gambino crew are paranoid mothers, and you were sweating for a while, but after the sentence got handed to you, and they saw that there was no way you could have made a deal, and still got five years handed to you, They quietly put word out in Green haven that a you were going in, and that you had the favour of the Gambino family. You are the magic man in block A for everyone smart enough to know who is who and what is what. Unfortunately, some of the gang kids think that their crew is the only game in town, and three years have gone by since Carmine Gambino let it be known that you were a friend of his. You have only got one other connected guy in the slam with you. He is in the next cell. His name is Scarnitti “Skinny” Da Silva. He is Portugese, and gets Spider Man and Avengers comics in a week after they hit the news stands. He is really popular. Nobody wants to cut off the comic supply. You trade for him, and get a pack a day as a salary, and a cut of the trades.
The trouble at the moment is some of the Jamaicans have been hinting that you guys should cut them in for a piece.
Like all prisons, Greenhaven is a microcosm of the street. The crews mirror the real crews, and often don’t bother changing names.
Greenhaven is not doing well. A group of sweeping reforms have eroded the warden’s power. A trust housing project has been set up, but it confuses people, and the screws have gone from being too hard, to being afraid to mess with people’s rights. Without the containment of a clear social order, things are uncertain. Uncertainty in a maximum pen can get you killed.
You share a cell with a kid from Cleveland who really shouldn’t be in this slam. He burned his draft papers and hit the pig who tried to take him in. He is doing a four year stint for assaulting an officer. You get on really well with him because he is a total gearhead and he knows more about mechanics than you do. His name is Benjamin Wood. His nickname here is Woody. He sticks to you like glue for protection, and you sometimes have to ask him to shut up, but he and Skinny are all you have in here. You have been paying tribute to an Irishman for protection, and he seems to like you guys, because he keeps the other crews off you like a full time job. He is the hardest man on the block. He is thin and wiry, freckled and redhaired, with a boxers nose and eyebrows. He is in for doing three hits on a weekend. He beat out a guys brains with a prison chair on his first day in Greenhaven. He did his bit in solitary, and became a lifer. He is called Terry the Terror. Behind his back, some call him Alfred Neumann. It costs dope and an occasional fix to keep him in your pocket.
You get the dope from a warden who got in debt to Carmine Gambino’s cousin in Atlantic City. He leaves it in your cell during cell inspections. He pretends to have it in for you personal, and got you to smack him in mess hall, as part of the act. As far as anyone else is concerned, your ability to get weed and smack on the inside is pure voodoo.
Your sister comes to visit today. The wardens have started to spray the block with hoses to cool it down. This month has seen two head wardens come and go. One lasted less than two days, before he handed in the job for “family reasons.” The corrections board has just brought in a guy from Chicago. The riots in other prisons have the feds real scared, so they just brought in the guy who held Capone as a visible gesture that they are still in control.
When you wake up, it is too early for you. It must be about four a.m. Skinny is on the can in the next cell, which must have woken you. The cool night air is welcome. A couple of new guys got brought in yesterday, and one of them is crying. Warden Peterson is doing the walk on your floor, smoking Chesterfield. His shoes clack softly on the floor. Woody is asleep on the bottom bunk.
This is the discussion thread for the solo PBP "Street life"
Welcome Fatespinner. Good handle, by the way.
To create your character, use the character creation rules in the WoD core book.
Here is a section by section annotation of the character creation process, as set out on page 35 of the core book.
1.Background Concept is wide open within the parameters of a crime drama. You will play a person who breaks the law to make money and who imposes his or her will on others.
No faction at start of game, although you will be connected to a few different organisations and players. You start out neutral, and can choose your affiliations in play.
2.Attributes
5/4/3 arranged as desired. Fifth dot costs two.
3.Skills
11/7/4 arranged as desired. Fifth dot costs two.
4.Skill specialties
Take three and assign as desired.
5.Template
Not available in this campaign. This is a mundane world. There are no hidden overlords or vampires in the darkness.
6.Advantages
Morality will not be used in this campaign. It is specifically a mechanic for horror games. No derangements.
Virtue and vice is up to you.
A few points about vices. You probably smoke. It is the seventies. Substance related vices are certainly possible, but playing a junkie would close doors to you. Alcoholism is possible. Interpret the word vice in a broader sense than the traditional seven sins, or stick with them if you want.
Virtue can be anything. Virtues that are prized on the streets would be honour, reliability, keeping yer damn mouth shut, and being a good earner, and/or anything else you think fitting. The code of morality of the underworld is far more complex than one word on a sheet, so feel free to list a couple of virtues and vices. Use whatever tools you want to get a good idea of your character. You can toss in a nature and demeanor too, for good measure.
7.Merits
Spend seven dots. Nothing supernatural, obviously.
Final touches
The name of the chronicle is not necessary.
Equipment.
++You will start the game with a toothbrush and a set of orange overalls, plus a shiv, a deck of cards, two ounces of dope and three packs of cigarettes.
++You should also list the contents of the personal belongings that will be handed to you when you are released after your three years are up. Total value of possessions in the box should not exceed $125.00
++In the box, you will have an address book with ten names in it. Three personal, and seven business. You should choose who those names are.
++You can have a few things in storage outside, but nothing flashy. Common sense applies.
++You own no weapons at the start of the game, except a shiv and a rep.
Advancement.
you start the game with 75 experience points.
I just want to say that I am very easy-going as a DM. If you want to change anything up, run it by me. Do what you need to to make a character you are happy to play. There is no rush. I am going to start the game on June 1st, as I need some time to prepare the city. I will add plenty of stuff here as I go along. Some of the stuff is from an online source. I would like to ask that you not read the specific source that some of the setting comes from. You will know it if you see it.
There are no house rules except for the money economy. We can use this as a resource to get to know the rules.
As agreed, I will roll for you, and let you know in prose what comes up. This will speed things up a lot, as I won't ever have to wait for a roll or result. As a formality, place any direct rules info in {ooc}
I hope that you have the time of your life with this game. To this end, feel free to give feedback here about the game in progress.
The world of darkness uses an abstract resources system. The only House-rule I am going to implement, is the use of dollars instead of a resources trait. Money will be a prime motivator in the game, and I want the character to care about money spent, and money gained.
Cameras
Spoiler:
Bell & Howell 670 XL Super 8 movie Camera $79.99
Bell & Howell LX-20 Super 8 movie projector $79.99
JCPenney 23”-54” collapsible tripod $25.99
JCPenney 18”x24”Collection frame $9.99
JCPenney 20-page photo album $4.99
JCPenney 35mm electronic Pronto! Strobe $11.99
JCPenney Pocket Camera $15.99
JCPenney 110-12 exposure color film ¢89
Kodak Colorburst Instant camera $32.99
Kodak Handle Instant camera $24.99
Kodak c-135 20 exposure roll $1.49
Kodak movie film 50” roll $3.09
Minolta Pocket Autopak 450E camera $64.99
Minolta XG-7 Compact 35mm SLR camera $269.99
Polacolor 2 land film 8 reproductions film $5.05
Polaroid Camera SX70-M1 $179.88
Polaroid OneStep SX-70 camera $26.99
Polaroid Zip Land film $9.99-11.99
Super 8 Movie Camera $189.88/259.88 (complete set)
Cars & Car Service
Spoiler:
Brand-new models are subject to -10 to +10% according to the dealer the car is bought from, discount can go up to 25% off in the last 3 months of the year.
New
1977 Coupe de Ville Cadillac $11,595
1977 Eldorado Cadillac, white cabriolet w/red leather $13,000
Chevy Chevette $2,999.00
Maverick $3,625.00
Toyota Corolla $2,711.00
VW Rabbit $2,999.00
Used
1970 Cutlass 4dr. automatic $495
1970 Chevy Impala, 4dr. V8 automatic $595
1971 Buick 4dr, v8 $895
1971 Plymouth Duster $1,797.00
1972 Mustang Fastback $2,490.00
1973 Montego MX 4dr sedan $1095
1973 Pontiac Ventura $2,197.00
1974 Datsun Pick up, 4 sp $2595
1974 Eldorado Cadillac $4795
1975 Coupe de Ville $5495
1975 Fiat Spider Convertible 4 sp $2995
1975 Hornet Station Wagon $2595
1975 Plymouth Gold Duster, hardtop automatic $2895
1975 Sedan de Ville $5295
1976 Eldorado Cadillac $7795
1976 Fleetwood Brougham Cadillac $8595
1976 Ford Pinto $2595
2nd hand 1977 Ford Cutlass 2dr. v8 $4595
1976 T-Bird $5995
1976 Toyota Land Cruiser, 4 sp $5795
Ten things that I dislike about fourth edition D&D:
1) Astral diamonds
2) Lack of information on when sacred cows will come home.
3) Seeming lack of wilderness options, like the druid.
4) Square circles.
5) The expense of a new edition.
6) The digital initiative slaying the Dragon and looting the Dungeon.
7) Warlords being leaders, regardless of real group dynamics.
8) Godplate armour and what seems to be an MMORPG feel to many epic items.
9) The word "cool" used as a geek panacea.
10) The destruction of the realms by fiat, with the preposterous Elminster surviving it.
