Cat fight! :)
Shocked by this sudden, but inevitable betrayal Brelar shakes off the effects of the spell. "I don't think you are going to like this very much, " Brelar says with a hint of sadness in his voice. He looks to his new clockwork pet, then points at the creature that was Althunn and says "Attack!"
Brelar himself is content to direct his new pet as it's massive mouth closes in on the veiled master.
I'm not asking for Core to be compared to Norm, I'm asking for Core to be compared to other games as well. First, I have no stake in this either way (Normal/Core). I have played and run both, each has its own PROs and CONs. What I am reading from you though is you seem to be looking at Core as though it were some kind of product line. It is not that, not really. I mean, I guess it is a product line with a very short list of products in it. But it is not new and it will never be expanded on, so... It is just another way to play a game, of which there are many ways to play already. You cannot really market it in the same way you would a full product line because, in truth, all your players (probably) already have the book they need. Does that excuse the chaos and confusion of how it is presented to potential players at a game store or convention? Absolutely not. But you cannot bring to bare the same marketing channels and resources to solve that problem as you would to launch a new product because they are largely incomparable. Normal PFS play does not get the right kind of marketing (largely), so how are you going to justify targeting a sub-set of a sub-set of a sub-set? It is not really a system you should try to compare to other systems in that sense. It is a mode of play for an existing system. That other game is different, for different reasons. This game is different for different reasons, and Core mode play, as far as I can tell, largely appeals to: 1) new consumers afraid of the weight of system mastery, 2) consumers who find system bloat unappealing, and 3) consumers who just want to replay for credit for whatever reasons they deem valid. Why would you try to compare a mode of play with a completely other game system? Doom on Nightmare mode is nothing like Mario64. It is true. It is ok to enjoy them both, or not. But it is a little illogical to say Doom is loosing players to Mario64 because of the Nightmare mode setting. Being dismissed because you disagree is lame and lazy, however it is a little unclear to me what you actual want out of this interaction (sharing your experience). It sounds to me like you are saying "Core play will never work because of 5e." So from that perspective, taken from your original post on the matter, it does sort of seem like you are chaffing under the Pathfinder Rules as a whole and find 5e to be a better suited system for your style of play. If so that's great. But you cannot really come in and advocate for Core play to be more like 5e, that just isn't a realistic goal for you or for Pazio. What makes core special is that there are a certain sub-set of gamers who really, really enjoy being able to do it differently. Summoners piss you off? Core. Gunslingers piss you off? Core. Don't even understand why the Advanced Class Guide is a book? Core. Want to brag that you can do it without all those new fangled fancy feats? Core. Hate power creep? Core. Want to fix problems inherent to the Pathfinder Core Rules?
The more Layali thinks about it, the more she becomes sure that she is entitled to a horse. She heads off to find the Mayor, inviting any of her new friends along who wish to come and speak on their own behalf as well. "Madam Mayor, please allow me to present myself. Lady Layali of House Amani," she bows and presents her scroll of pedigree. "As I am certain you would remember, my friends and I were able to reveal the Iron Shield Company for the no-good, corrupt villains that they truly were. Saving the good citizens of Korkas from untold peril, and keeping travelling merchants from abandoning your town on their routes. My friends and I, after a long consultation with Professor Faramilliendel are going to be embarking on a long, long journey. I was thinking that the fine town of Korkas could find a way to express it's hospitality and gratitude to my friends. No, no. There is no need to commission a statue in the square, though I am certain that Gordon would look quite striking in marble. As Linhaus already has a celebration in honor of Gordon's heroism, it simply would not due to be though of as a copycat. It is with that said, your grace, that I am here to ask you for horses. Three horses. And a pony. "
"You've taken the first steps into a larger world." Layali says smiling. "Are we in agreement to head to the largest ruin that Professor Faramilliendel mentioned? Or are there other ideas worth discussing?" Layali is mindful of ISC guards in the common room, expecting some kind of retaliation.
You will be starting in the town of Quintas in Seshar. Quintas is a mid-sized river town. It is the last city on the Welbyway River which runs from the northwest out of the mountains know as the Garl Nave. Further east of Quintas the naturally flowing, winding river changes to a bizarre, mazelike series of artificially created canals. The canals are all deep and regular, with smooth, 50-foot escarpments on either side. For your various reasons, you are each ready to leave Quintas and have hired on with a sailing merchant Deymish. Deymish is taking a load of supplies to a small village along the canal maze called Redstone. The journey should take about 5 days on the 18-foot snyth-sail boat. Deymish is looking for some extra muscle to protect his boat, as well as physical labor to move the supplies. He never shies away from throwing in on the work though, even though he's paying for the labor. You will load the cargo and leave in the morning...
Listening to Tobian, Galtar lowers his head in shame, "Let me confess. I was jealous of my twin brother I always had been. He was stronger, better at getting people to accept him. A real lady's orc. Anyway, years ago we were dating these girls, sisters. Not twins like us, but sisters still. Of course Fargal got the better looking of the two. One night we were drinking, a lot. Epic drinking. I sent my brother off on a drunken errand and then convinced Elise that I was Fargal. We went off to my bed that night, neither of them the wiser." As Galtar finishes his story, he wipes his massive hand across his face hiding his tears.
"Only we can prevent forest fires." Galtar nods, draws his sword moving forward and readies a slash should be beast get close enough! Readied attack: and
I believe it is: (he survives the scenario or is raised from the dead by the scenario’s conclusion) and (completed at least three encounters over the course of the adventure.) One of (a or b) and (c).
Milana agrees to Malus' request, "Though it may have been wiser to do this before we spoke."
Feeling relieved that there are no unwanted eavesdroppers, Majordomo Milana calls to Iason to wait a moment as the Pathfinders leave to speak with Atlag. Iason:
"Your halfling friend seems not understand how things work in Absalom, but you on the other hand do...Perhaps you might be willing to perform a small service for my Lady. It would be unheard of for Lady Silviana to demand recompense for her handmaiden purchased from Mahjub Mahdi; however, were you to secure such a deal, it would be gracious gesture that might lead to a budding friendship, don’t you think? And should he refuse you, who were you to ask in the first place? She shrugs her shoulders and frowns slightly. --- The young Keleshite woman seems oddly out of place standing outside the gardener's shed cleaning tools. "Being sold into slavery in Sedeq to cover my debts was bad. Being shipped off to Katapesh? Worse. Being sold off to some greasy, camel dung, handsy jerk in Absalom? Disgusting. Finally I though my prayers to the Dawnflower were answered when I came here to Dimora Manor. Not ideal, but Lady Silviana and Miss Milana treated me well. I can't really tell you much about the dinner party. Shortly after we arrive, before Lady Silviana could be announced to the other guests I was rushed into a side room. After a while Lady Silviana entered with another woman, Lady Darchana if I am not mistaken. Lady Darchana was very upset, she performed some magic and we returned here to Dimora manor not long after that.""
Milana shakes her head, touching her hand to her forehead. "Lady Darchana’s dinner party. What an embarrassment for Lady Silviana. Can you imagine being told that your handmaiden is some sort of… well… spy? Dreadful. The woman’s name is Atlag, and she has been here for almost three weeks! Three weeks! When I think of the private conversations that happened in front of Atlag? It makes me ill, honestly ill.” Composing herself, Milana continues, “Lady Silviana retains a solicitor, a Chelish gentleman named Solvius Salbus. He works out of an office in the Coins called the Red Letter. He drew up the paperwork for my Lady to complete the transaction on Atlag with a man named...” She wags her pointer finger a few times, shaking her head as she tries to recall the name. “Mahdi Mahjub. No, Mahjub Mahdi! He does his business down in Misery Row, of course. It’s a small shop with several large windows to allow passersby to see into his display parlor from the street. ‘Mahdi’s Chattel: Absalom’s Finest,’ so the sign claims. Honestly, I think every third building in Misery Row claims to be ‘Absalom’s Finest.’ I wonder how many spies like Atlag he’s sold over the years? It’s a dreadful, dreadful business. I am not sure there is anything else I can tell you, but I am sure you understand my Lady’s desire to move on from this embarrassment? Good? Yes? Thank you.”
Grimacing slightly, the Chelaxian spreads his hands to admit defeat. “Ordinarily I would not speak of privately executed contracts with an unaffiliated third party,” Solvius says before patting a folded paper on his desk. “However Lady Silviana had a letter delivered to me prior to her departure for Taldor, authorizing me to disclose to the deputized agents of Lady Darchana the identity of the chattel merchant. Mahjub Mahdi is the purveyor in question and can be found at the northern end of Misery Row. His private shop is called Mahdi’s Chattel. It’s a step up from the Slave Pits to be sure—a much more orderly experience, a very fine display parlor with excellent lighting, and he always keeps excellent wines on hand. I trust you will treat him with the respect that he deserves.”
The Pathfinders sleep well in the comfort of the Grand Lodge, and in the morning have a quick breakfast before heading off to Skyreach Tower and the office of the gruff but efficient Venture-Captain Valsin. Seated behind a large, antique desk in his wood-paneled office, Venture-Captain Ambrus Valsin looks up from the pile of papers before him and shuffles them to one side. “Perfect timing! Welcome Pathfinders! “I had an interesting conversation with the Master of Spells Aram Zey yesterday. An old friend—Lady Darchana, Archdean of the Arcanamirium here in Absalom—contacted Master Zey. She’s a councilmember on the Low Council, too. It seems her dinner party last week had an unexpected guest: a handmaiden of her fancy guest’s had picked up a scrying sensor somewhere. When Lady Darchana learned that someone was attempting to eavesdrop on her party, she used her magic to trace the sensor back to its source. It sounds as though she didn’t learn anything conclusive, and she’s interested in bringing in an independent party to try and learn more. Master Zey agrees. “Make no mistake, this is an excellent opportunity for you to impress a well-connected friend of the Society. Lady Darchana requested that the Pathfinders call upon her at her estate in the Petal District once they learn something of the origins of this servant. The owner of the handmaiden is named Lady Silviana Dimora. Lady Silviana isn’t a councilmember or the like—at least not yet. From what I understand, though, she is an up- and-comer who is rubbing elbows with all of the right people, and she likely has little knowledge of where the slave was purchased. I recommend speaking to her majordomo Milana about the handmaiden, or you can pay a visit to her solicitor, a Chelish fellow named Salbus over in the Coins. Questions?”
Absolutely amazing time last night, hands down! It's always so awesome to see so many people playing PFS. Walking the room as Kreighton was an absolute delight! The men and women 'behind the curtain' of HQ taking hand signals and tallying successes made everything happy as if it were magic! Great job by them one and all! Now, if we could just figure out what this "Sky key" is all about... Oh, and I guess it was nice that someone wrote the darn thing too ;) Well done Mr. Shel, well done!
PS - How come you've never gone back to using Zizazat? I always liked that name. Ha! Thanks :) It's nice knowing I can go anywhere and use that as a user name and be sure to get it. I guess after my stint as Venture-Captain I finally got used to the idea of people recognizing me as...well me. Throw in a few writing credits here and there and I guess I finally 'grew out of it' after 20 something years.
John Compton's 1-year anniversary blog listed amongst his accomplishments "5 quests", but to my knowledge there are only two in print, and both were released before John was hired. Not sure what that means, but I suspect it means some quests are going to drop somewhere soon.That is a reference to the 3rd-level Beginner Box quests used at Gen Con 2013. Any thoughts when those might become generally available to the public?
There are lots of philosophical leanings involved in these questions. I am going to wax poetic, avoiding the specifics at first. The major factors here are come down to three things: a) how much experience do you have as a GM, b) how well do you know your players, c) trust. These are key to making sure that everyone gets what they are looking for out of a game. And honestly b. and c. factor in more strongly than a. in my opinion. If you are a relatively new GM (either to Pathfinder, or to RPGs in general) there are lots of great resources out there to help you grow, but there is no substitute for table time as a learning medium. I also personally recommend Paizo's Gamemastery Guide, there is a lot of great stuff in there for new GMs which experienced GMs read over and nodded their heads sagely at. I also recommend listening to the Fear the Boot podcast. It can be a little hard for some to get into, but they dispense a wide array of good advice. Most if which comes back to the deceptively complex...know your players. Specifically Episodes 323 - what GMs owe their players and 324 - what players owe their GM might be a good introduction. If your players are relatively new this is probably more advantageous in b) and c). If they are still developing their own play styles and preferences they may be more willing to be experimental than a well established gamer. Of course there are always exceptions to some of the generalizations I'm going to make here, but I'm going to draw on my own personal experiences. My own preference in running a campaign is to have a somewhat more cinematic game rather than getting strictly hung up on rules adherence. I also tend to have major and minor plot arcs in mind and it's my job to move the players along the story in whatever method seems appropriate at the moment. Weather that is a breadcrumb trail, an anvil falling on their head, or and evil villain mwahahaha overshare dialog. Sometimes I find it necessary to put them on the rails. I have the trust of my players though, so if I ask them to roll with it I don't get a lot of guff over it. "Trust me, this will be cool." You also have to come to terms with the notion that a lot of plot branches you've planned for or sorted out before you get to the table will just never materialize. Players generally don't pick up on subtle clues, and you'll find them eagerly pouncing on something you made up on the spot as a throw away to satisfy an unexpected question. Learn to let go, and learn to recycle your missed ideas. On to some specifics: Presenting Lord Clarion as a longer term bad guy is great. You need to sort out what kind of bad guy you want him to be. For example, being a Lord he's probably somewhat above the poison route. That's kidnapping. If he's a semi-successful business man with good instincts (pay adventures to secure the boy for less than on the open market!) then he'd likely have his agents just approach the PCs and make them a decent secondary offer. Nazia may even warn the PCs of such an offer, talking about what a despicable lout Lord Clarion is. He could have a perfectly nice conversation with them and make his offer. He could be somewhat of a villain and after his nice long offer, if the PCs turn him down, he sends a few of enforcers to rough the PCs up. This is almost certainly to drive the PCs to work for the Muali though. At that point you can make Clarion a recurring baddie though, having the PCs run across other agents of his in the future up to no good. After crossing paths in this manner a few times, and having his business disrupted by the PCs he's going to want to take some direct action against them. I would use a more straight forward choice I guess. Work for the Muali (for slightly less money) and the boy's freedom, or work for Clarion for money knowing that the boy will be a slave. Cleaver PCs would listen to Clarion's offer and then discuss it with Nazia to make sure she ups her offer to match. It is also worth nothing that you might talk with your players before you start and ask them if they would rather play a game where they are some kind of anti-slaver agents or some kind of thugs. :) Hopefully this is somewhat helpful and not as ramblely as I think. I am happy to talk more here or via private message.
"Of course, Osric. This sounds like a great plan!"
The best answer I can give you is that it's your choice. That choice can be informed by a huge number of factors relevant to both in game knowledge and out of game meta knowledge. It is totally valid to take a simulated view of the situation up to this point from the goblin's point of view and have him make the best decision possible for him. Make sure to use the lens of situational awareness to help make your choice. If one of the guys adjacent to him just smacked him upside the head with a club and the other didn't, that might make one a target over the other. If one of the guys is wearing some kind of creepy dog head amulet, that might make the goblin target the other guy instead. If you as the game master feel that the goblin should attack one person over another for a game reason, that's a valid choice as well. If one guy is an armored fighter with full hp and the other is a wizard near death, maybe you just target the fighter because you aren't ready to kill your friend's character. Or maybe you are. Maybe you don't want to over-think it and you just roll a d6 with odds on PC1 and evens on PC2. This is also a time honored targeting tactic that differs player cries of unfairly being targeted by the GM. Welcome to the wide, wonderful world of GMing!
Looks like your venue is about to get pimped! REDMOND, WA (July 16, 2013): Paizo Publishing, LLC, publisher of the world's best-selling Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, and leading publisher of fantasy RPG accessories, board games, and novels, and Scotty's Brewhouse in Indianapolis, IN, announce today the transformation of Scotty's from local brew pub to Pathfinder RPG clubhouse during Gen Con 2013. Scotty's will be redesigning their food menu with a Pathfinder theme to include such tasty treats as Poor Squealy Nord and Boggard Fingers, and thirsty adventurers will be able to wash down their meals with refreshing Pathfinder Dog Slicer Ale. The venue will also be decorated with a variety of Paizo banners and artwork, and a limited edition t-shirt will be available for pre-order on paizo.com soon. Scotty's is open to the public from 11am daily (Wednesday at 9:00AM), and is located at 1 Virginia St. in downtown Indianapolis. Paizo Publishing is proud to be a Co-Sponsor of Gen Con Indy, a multi-year partnership at the highest sponsorship level.
Revised to include First Steps: I1: In Service to Lore
Also set it up in a spreadsheet to track a few other interesting bits :)
Seekers of Secrets is going to start offering example character builds for the 10 factions in Pathfinder Society. We kick it off with the Lore Warden! Stop by and check it out, seekersofsecrets.com
I'm going to be reworking it to include the First Steps stuff.
Looks to me like the guide tells you to use one as a success condition. Perhaps this thread will help you. Like I said, wording != the best.
If someone at Paizo or anyone else has an "elevator pitch" (2-4 min speech sales pitch) to explain PFS in a positive light and to some degree an organized play experience I would love to hear it. Pathfinder Society Organized Play (PFS) uses the Pathfinder RPG rules, which are an extension of the Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 system. If you've played 3.5 before, you have a great grounding for playing Pathfinder. If not? No problem. The rules have been streamlined in a lot of places to make diving in with both feet that much easier. Organized play takes those rules and creates a framework on which gamers from around the corner or around the world can experience the world of Golarion. You are able to take the same character from a game at your friend's house, to your local game store or even a game convention. The experience and treasure rewards are consistent across the framework, so character advancement and wealth balance are accessible to the players regardless of their frequency of play. Another key factor for PFS play is the episodic nature of the scenarios. You play in 4-5 hour blocks, and you are done with that episode. If you can't make the game next week you miss out on that episode, sure, but when you are able to make the next game you won't feel lost or left behind from the story. They are made to stand alone.
It sounds like the best thing is to fudge the dice, HP, etc. at the end of the combat and just declare the target dies in combat? Is that sort of fudging allowed? Since nobody at my tables ever tries to go to this length, I guess that means there are a lot of people bleeding to death in my games :) It should would be a shame if the Druid's animal companion got spooked by the prisoner's actions somehow and ate his face. Ultimately it sounds like you have player personality conflicts, translating into character personality conflicts which you should address so everyone can get on the same page. It sounds suspiciously like someone is being a jerk and using 'role play' as a cover.
Based on another thread today where it became obvious to me that the layout of the item purchase system in the Guide isn't nearly as clear as some of us might think I wrote this and sent it out via email. Now it can be flagged for FAQ :)
The very first sentence says it all for me, but think about it in layers. The base layer is the 'Always Available' stuff. Anyone can buy it as long as they have the money. This covers most types of mundane gear, weapons and armor. A new first level character spends his 150 gold on things from this category. As a character gains more gold, they will still be getting access to a lot of their gear via this list, as it includes masterwork and all +1 weapons and armor as well as 0 and 1st level spells and scrolls. As long as you have the gold, you can buy this stuff. The next layer of items is from the Fame you hold with your Faction. This is how you are going to get access to most of the 'cool' magic items in the game. This is how you are going to get the specific magic items your class needs to help power it up. Each Fame total listed in table 5-3 shows the max gold piece cap you have to purchase things that you want. The very first entry on the table is for 4 Fame or less and limits you to 500 gp. So after your very first adventure you should earn about 500 gp and you could spend it all on a Whip Feather Token (500 gp) if you wanted even though nothing specially told you that (IE: it's not on your Chronicle). You just know that the Whip Feather Token is cool and you need one, so you buy it through your faction. One of the milestone Fame totals is 27. Once you have 27 Fame you can start buying +2 weapons. The reason it's not 22 (8000 gp) is that +2 weapons start at a base price of 8300 + weapon cost, so that's higher than 8000 gp and you need to hit the next spending limit above that. The last layer of items is from the Chronicles themselves. Anything listed on a Chronicle is always avaliable for you to purchase if you have the gold. Some times it will list (limit 1) etc, which means after you buy it you cross it off, otherwise you can buy something off the Chronicle as many times as you need. You will never find things which fall under the 'Always Available' list on a Chronicle for this reason. You may find a +1 weapon during the course of a scenario, but it won't be listed on the Chronicle because you can already buy it. For tier 1-2 adventures you usually get about 500 gp, so after 2 adventures you'd have 1000 gp. If one of your two Chronicles had a Cloak of Resistance +1 (1000 gp) listed on it, you could buy it without having 9 Fame (spending limit 1500 gp). I'm going to do an example of a longsword. After you have a masterwork weapon/armor you can pay to just have it enchanted, so you are just upgrading the item, but there is a trap that players fall in with this and I'll explain. You start at level 1, you buy a longsword (15 gp, always available)
Hopefully this is making sense now. This also means you can buy a Belt of giant strength +2 (4000 gp) after you have 18 Fame unless you get a Chronicle that has one listed on it before you reach the 18 Fame spending limit. |
