Search Posts
The sun is just beginning to set, casting long rays of red light onto the stained bar on the north wall of the tavern. The sign out front names it the Freckled Lass, but regulars call it the Poxy Doxie. The bartender, One-Eye, squints through his right eye, then the left, before filling the tankards of two dwarves on one end of the bar. A group of Rhennee barge-men fill a table in one corner, with perhaps half a dozen other patrons scattered at other tables throughout the room. It's early, yet, but the place will likely fill up within the hour. What little talk there is seems to center on the massacre at Pregmere four days ago. Lord Colwyn, one of the surviving Gyri arglwyths (a noble title from old Geoff equivalent to a baron) ignored the warnings of Hochoch's ruling council and led a force of three dozen Loyalist knights and a hundred mercenary footmen to try to retake the town, on the western edge of the Oytwood. Ambushed by a mixed force of giants, orcs and ogres, they were slaughtered almost to a man. The handful of survivors have been trickling in the past two days, telling tales of the fire giant warlord who tore Colwyn's head off with his gauntleted hands. The debacle has provided fodder for the more conservative factions of the council, dashing the hopes of the Loyalists and Knights of the Dispatch lobbying for a more aggressive strategy. Any further military action is unlikely until spring, but the political maneuvering is only just getting started. You wonder if the recent defeat has anything to do with the note you received summoning you to the tavern. Someone has work and believes you well-suited to it. The note said your contact would wear a green sash, but you've no other clues. You came early, to watch the crowd, but your meeting isn't for almost two hours. Might as well order a drink and settle in ...
Have at it guys.
After wrapping up a 2+ years Dark Sun campaign on the boards here, I'm putting together a new game set in another of my favorite classic settings. If adventuring in the birthplace of Iuz, Mordenkainen, Robilar and Iggwilv using 5th edition D&D rules sounds like your kind of fun, read on! Three players from my previous campaign will be participating and I’m looking to recruit about three more. Enthusiasm and reliability are my top priorities, and will be far more important than character build as I select players. Still, if you want to boost your chances by building a complementary character, the group so far includes a half-elf rogue (duelist), a human warlock and an elf wizard (bladesinger). I generally expect (and commit to) daily posting, except for Fridays and Saturdays, when I tend to drink beer and do things with friends and family. But Sunday through Thursday you can expect a post from me (a round of combat, or otherwise moving things along) and I hold the same expectation for players. I'm in the U.S. and tend to post about 11 p.m CST, but I don't care where you are or when you post in a given 24-hour period. Before Jiggy asks: I do generally use maps in combat. I don't think it would prevent you (or anyone else who is link-impaired at work) from participating. Also note: I'm looking for players who are enthusiastic about Greyhawk and 5E, but that doesn't mean you have to be an expert - just interested in becoming one! Campaign Pitch:
The ongoing war will provide a backdrop for your adventures, but you are not military men and women (at least not any longer). Whatever your history in Hochoch (and you should have one), you now find yourself among the outcasts haunting Hochoch's dockside taverns, willing to risk life and limb running delving into dark places or performing tasks for mysterious patrons. You're an adventurer! Hochoch will serve as a base of operations for your early adventures, which are likely to take you into the nearby Rushmoors, once the seat of lich-god Vecna's mortal realm; the Dim Forest, where sylvan elves fight to retake their homesteads; the gnome warrens and dwarf holds of the Stark Mounds; and the nation of Sterich, where the shadow-haunted capital of Istivin has been reclaimed from the giants but lingers under a mysterious pall. For a nice overview of Hochoch, check out this Obsidian Portal site: https://against-the-giants.obsidianportal.com/wikis/hochoch. I've also pulled together some information on local groups of note in the town, and links to other Greyhawk background for those new to the setting. Hochoch Area Power Groups:
The Red Griffons: When Geoff fell to the invading horde, many survivors of its army pledged allegiance to the neighboring Gran March — in part due to the fame of its military — and were among those forces that reclaimed Hochoch from the giant invaders. These soldiers are now vocal supporters of the Gran March’s annexation of Hochoch, and they do their best to influence the general populace to accept the town’s temporary status as a permanent change. The Red Griffons take their name from their habit of displaying the Geoffite griffon in red and black—the colors of Keoland, Sterich, and Gran March. The Freemen of Geoff: The so-called “Freemen of Geoff ” are farmers and soldiers who blame the monarchy for its inefficiency in defending the realm from the giant threat. Inspired by the nearby Yeomanry, the Freemen of Geoff wish to replace Grand Duke Owen I with an elected official who would better defend the cause of the common folk. One of the more vocal of the Freemen is Wyllems of Pregmere, a blacksmith with a reputation as a troublemaker. The Loyalists: This catch-all term covers all of Hochoch’s residents who still consider themselves Geoffites under the rule of Owen I. Some of the Loyalists wish to see Owen move his court to Hochoch, while others view such an action as an unnecessary risk, given the Grand Duke’s advanced age and poor health. Many Loyalists actively oppose the Watchers, painting them as interlopers who value their own ambitions more than the welfare of Geoff ’s people. Some Loyalist groups have begun searching for Owen I’s missing heir, Count Hustin, viewing him as a possible rallying figure for the disparate groups of Geoffite society. So far, divinations have revealed him to be alive and “amid the sky,” but his exact location remains unknown. The Knights of the Watch: This monastic order of knights has long aspired to control Hochoch and use it as a training ground for new Vigils (entry-level Watchers) who would fight the western nomads from beyond the Barrier Peaks (the traditional enemies of the order). When soldiers from Gran March first secured Hochoch, it seemed that fulfillment of the Watchers’ dream was imminent. But political maneuvering by Grand Duke Owen and negative repercussions from the local population cut that dream short. By order of Watcher leader Hugo of Geoff — a personal friend of Owen I — the Watchers became the elite defense force of Hochoch, and no more. While the Watchers perform this duty to the best of their abilities, in accordance with the precepts of their order, some within its ranks doubt Hugo’s capacity to continue leading at such an advanced age. Chief among these dissidents is the Great Honorable Wyvern Darwyck of Hookhill. Unsurprisingly to many, Darwyck would be one of the main candidates for Grandiose Imperial Wyvern if Hugo were to leave office. The Knights of the Dispatch: Formed in the aftermath of the giants’ invasion, the Knights of the Dispatch is a splinter sect of the Knights of the Watch whose members eschew the Watchers’ strict adherence to codes of conduct in favor of more flexible methods of waging war. The Dispatchers are among the staunchest proponents for continuous raids into Geoff ’s territory, which makes them popular among the lower classes. A small number of Dispatchers have considered forming a new Geoffite knightly order based solely in Hochoch. The local leader of the Dispatchers is the Grim Basilisk Kerwynn of Gorna, a middle-aged swordmage who looks favorably upon adventurers willing to venture into enemy lands. The Talons: Hochoch’s thieves’ guild has its roots in the bandit gangs that once preyed on river traders in the area, but its current operations bear little resemblance to that violent past. The guild’s leader, the half-elf Onshae, consolidated power after her father, the former guildmaster, was killed during the battle to reclaim Hochoch in 586. Known as the Snow Owl, Onshae has steered the guild away from outright thievery that might bring it into conflict with local military forces. Instead, the guild has engaged in a number of “reclamation” efforts, raiding the occupying forces in Geoff for supplies that can be sold on the black market or recovering valuables lost in the war and ransoming them back to their former owners. Although lucrative, the new approach has been met with grumbling from some within the guild who see more traditional targets ripe for the picking in Hochoch. The Quiet Cabal: Lacking ancient sites of power or lore that might draw arcanists, Hochoch has never had a formal academy or other school of magic. Instead, a loose fraternity of hedge wizards, alchemists and sorcerers has grown up in recent years, with a majority of its members having been apprenticed one time or another to the sorcerer Icthene. A magic-user of middling power, Icthene has the near-albino complexion indicative of a strong Suel bloodline and is rumored to have once been a member of the Silent Ones. Whether he is or ever was a part of that order has never been confirmed, but the rumor has endured long enough to spawn a nickname -- the Quiet Cabal -- for the mage and his coterie of former students. The Autumn Court: The humans of Hochoch have always maintained good relations with the high elves of the Oytwood and the wood elves of the Dim Forest, and those olven allies were instrumental in retaking the town in 586. Since then, a former festhall near the central Grove has been set aside for the use of fey visitors, many of whom still struggle to reclaim their own homes. The hall, once used for harvest festivals, has become known as the Autumn Court, as much for the faded decorations carved into its walls as for the red hair of the wood elves who come and go as they seek to free their home from the dire shadow that has claimed it. Aurumthalas the Raven-Prince, a dour high elf noble from the Oytwood, is looked to as an informal leader of the exiled olvenfolk. Firecrown’s Band: Driven from their hold in the Stark Mounds during the initial invasion, Thorven Firecrown and his rag-tag of dwarven warriors have been fighting the giants and their humanoid allies ever since. With his numbers whittled down to about three dozen, Thorven and his band have laid claim to an abandoned brewery outside the town walls, where they have been stockpiling weapons and trying to attract additional fighters to their cause. Thorven’s booming voice and fiery beard have become a common presence on Watcher’s Hill as he tries to goad the knights into more direct action. Other Greyhawk Resources:
If you’re looking for information about a specific nation, NPC or group, the GreyWiki on Canonfire.com is a fantastic resource. There’s also a relatively comprehensive list of Greyhawk deities on Wikipedia. This fansite also has some good resources, including a timeline and a fan-made Player’s Guide to Greyhawk that provides a great primer to the setting (there’s almost no rules content, other than suggesting which core rules options link to Greyhawk fluff). The Sorcerer’s Scroll also has some good Greyhawk 5E resources that would help with putting together a character concept and background. I expect to keep the recruitment thread open at least a week, through December 13, before making selections. If I decide to close it earlier or later than that, I will give at least 24 hours notice so folks can get in their entries.
Character Creation:
Format: Please format your character’s description and stats in an alias similar to this. Starting level: 4 Ability Scores: Use the standard array (15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8) or point-buy with 27 points using the costs in the PHB. Hit Points: Max at 1st, average after that, as per the book. Exotic Choices: Certain races and classes count as an exotic choice. Each character can include only one exotic choice, and any exotic race or class may appear no more than once in the party. No pets: As a general rule, avoid taking animal companions or familiars. With PbP these can bog down play and I want the focus to be on the PCs. Six personalities will be enough! Races: All of the races from the Basic Rules (available free online) and PHB are allowed, except drow elves and dragonborn. Variant humans are allowed. Tieflings are allowed as an exotic choice, as are aasimar (from the DMG). Classes: All classes and archetypes from the Basic Rules and PHB are available (except the beastmaster ranger, due to the no pets rule). Backgrounds: All backgrounds are available. Custom backgrounds also will be allowed - feel free to change skills and swap background features or equipment; however, no background should ever grant more than two skill proficiencies, plus two tool proficiencies or bonus languages, and background features should not grant a mechanical benefit. In addition to choosing a trait, ideal, bond, and flaw, answer these questions: What’s one magic item your character would go to great lengths to attain? What’s one thing your character wants that money can’t buy? Name and describe one person in Hochoch who would do you a favor (and might ask one in return). How does your character spend his or her money? Does he blow it at brothels and bars as fast as he earns it? Invest it in a business? Purchase expensive antiques? Support a family? Support an addiction to exotic drugs? Note: This is mainly a flavor choice, but I plan to allow you to “spend” money on your lifestyle if you want to gain various mechanical benefits, such as “fate point” style re-rolls, minor permanent abilities or to ensure a future treasure hoard contains an item that would be useful to you. Multiclassing and Feats: Are allowed (but see the House Rules for changes to a few feats). In addition to the feat you might select instead of your 4th level ability boost, all characters will get a bonus feat at character creation selected/designed by the DM to reflect your character concept and background. Equipment: Choose normal starting equipment from the packages available from your class and background. You then gain 100 gp to upgrade or purchase additional equipment. House Rules We’ll be Using:
House Rule: The rogue’s Sneak Attack ability can be used with any light weapon, as well as those with the finesse or ranged descriptors. House rule: Remove the ability in the Great Weapon Master feat to take a -5 penalty to hit with melee attacks to gain a +10 bonus to damage. The feat instead grants a +1 increase to Strength. Remove the ability in the Sharpshooter feat to take a -5 penalty to hit on ranged attacks to gain a +10 bonus to damage. The feat instead grants a +1 increase to Dexterity. House Rule: Minor refluffing of weapons is fine. If you want a saber that does slashing damage but is otherwise identical to a rapier, that’s almost certainly fine. Just ask. House Rule: You can use your Strength modifier for attack and damage rolls instead of Dexterity when attacking with a properly reinforced longbow. House Rule: Power Attack action option -- When making a melee or ranged attack action on your turn, you may make a power or precision strike that sacrifices accuracy for increased damage. You take a penalty equal to your proficiency bonus on your attack roll but gain a bonus to damage equal to twice your proficiency bonus. You cannot make a power attack with a spell or with an attack taken as a reaction or bonus action. House Rule: We will be using the Disarm, Overrun, Shove Aside and Tumble action options from the DMG. Additional Rules and Resources
Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide and web previews: I have the Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide and will consider allowing most of the options included. If you are interested in something, let me know. Options that would be appropriate for Greyhawk include: * New barbarian totems (elk and tiger) * An arcane domain for clerics * The purple dragon knight fighter archetype, which is similar to 4E's warlord and would transfer fine to another knightly order * A couple of monk paths, which could fit with some work * The Oath of the Crown for paladins, which would fit in very well * The swashbuckler and mastermind rogue archetypes * The storm sorcerous origin * The Undying warlock patron, which is a death-focused power source * The bladesinger specialization for elf wizards. The mastermind rogue archetype from the Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide was previewed online and is allowed. All options contained in the Unearthed Arcana: Light, Dark, Underdark column are available, including the deep stalker ranger archetype (which might require flavor changes), the shadow sorcerous origin and the Undying Light warlock patron. All count as an exotic choice. The favored soul sorcerous origin from the Unearthed Arcana: Modifying Classes column is allowed as an exotic choice. Spells from the Elemental Evil Player’s Companion are allowed, as well as the svirfneblin and genasi races (both count as an exotic choice).
I'm looking to recruit one additional player to step into an existing game set in the Dark Sun campaign setting. The game (campaign thread is here) is inspired by the original 2E Dark Sun boxed set, rather than the 3.5 or 4E updates. Some familiarity with the original campaign setting is very helpful, but not absolutely required. As much as I disliked the 4E adaptation of the setting, the first page of this document provides a great primer for anyone new to the world of Athas. Additional information about the world is available here. The game is set in the 190th King's Age, in the Year of Priest's Defiance. King Kalak still rules Tyr with an iron fist as thousands of slaves toil to complete his mighty ziggurat. For the purposes of the campaign the events of the novels and later supplements have not occurred. The group is finishing an initial campaign arc that will find them back in the dwarven village of Kled, ready to head for Tyr, offering a chance for a new PC to join. Current characters include a half-giant barbarian, human psychic warrior, human oracle, thri-kreen vitalist and mul druid. They have melee and healing covered, for the most part, so there is a preference for an arcane caster, wizard-like psion or rogue-type, but the only hard requirements are a compelling concept/backstory and a track record of reliable posting. You must be able to post daily, although I am less stringent about weekends. Occasional absences are OK if you give me advance notice.
The campaign is Pathfinder-based with a set of house rules primarily focused on character generation. The Dreamscarred Press psionic rules (available on d20pfsrd.com) are used. The house rules documents can be found here:
Ability Scores: Roll 4d4+4 six times and arrange as desired. Level: Character will begin play at level 5. Max hit points for first two levels, then roll for levels 3-5, although you can default to the average of the die rounded up. Race, class and psionic wild talents: See the Races and Classes document for changes and a list of allowed classes. Psionic classes will use the rules from Psionics Unleashed, which are available at d20pfsrd.com if you don't have a copy. All characters may roll once (twice for humans and half-elves) on the Wild Talent table at the end of that document. Traits: All characters will begin play with two traits – I'm happy to create custom traits or modify existing ones to match Athasian flavor. Other House Rules: In addition to the changes to races and classes, you may want to review the House Rules file for a few other changes – mostly related to heat and dehydration – as well as several custom feats. In particular, note that the Exotic Weapon Proficiency feat has been changed to grant proficiency with groups of exotic weapons. The Equipment file includes amended statistics for a host of weapons. The Races and Classes document also includes options for swapping out certain starting feats. Equipment: Please list preferences for equipment and I will help fill that out when a selection is made. Deadline: I will keep taking applications through Sunday evening but may end early if I'm blown away by a concept before then.[/b]
Steam rises from the blood stain on the floor of the argossy’s cargo hold, the wisps of vapor enough to remind you that it’s been hours since the guards last brought your meager ration of water. Still, you’re not so thirsty that the thought of the fat jankx that left the little puddle doesn’t set your mouth to watering. Too bad the guard that speared the poisonous rodent took it for his own breakfast, leaving you with a wafer of unleavened bread that had as much sand as flour in the mix. It’s been four days since you were sold at auction in Urik’s slave markets and loaded onto a merchant wagon bound for Tyr. Two days ago, the massive wheeled fortress left the trade road and -- judging from the light and the nausea-inducing motion since -- began traveling across the sandy wastes to the west. Based on the talk among the guards, the argossy’s captain hopes to water near the village of Kled and perhaps trade with the dwarves there before the final leg of the trip to Tyr. Once there, your prospects are bleak. Kalak, the city’s mad king, has spent the last two generations building a massive ziggurat. If you’re lucky, you’ll be among the dozens of gladiators sacrificed in the games celebrating the monument’s completion. If not, you’ll be among the hundreds doomed to die on its slopes before the work is at an end. The six of you are in the cargo hold of an argossy, a giant rolling fortress pulled by a pair of house-sized, armored lizards called mekillots. Wearing only breechclothes (and for the women, simple harnesses), you are bound hand and foot with giant-hair ropes in a pair of 10’ by 15’ cages made of mekillot bone. The halfling, the mul and two humans are tied up in one cage while the the half-giant and thri-kreen are lashed to opposite ends of the other . Each of you has just enough slack to reach the chamber pot in the middle of your pen. It’s been six hours since the guards brought your morning ration of water. You don’t expect them to return for at least another four. The surrounding cargo hold is packed floor to ceiling with trade goods, including straw-filled crates of obsidian weapons tauntingly stacked in view but well outside your reach. :
The merchant who bought you at auction wore the badge of House Stel, a pair of crossed black scimitars on a field of white. The same sigil was painted on hide-covered walls of the argossy. :
The merchant who bought you at auction wore the badge of House Stel, a pair of crossed black scimitars on a field of white. The same sigil was painted on hide-covered walls of the argossy.
Based in Urik, House Stel is specializes in slaves, iron and weapons made of obsidian and hardwoods from the Forest Ridge - all of which are going for premium prices in Tyr at the moment. The militaristic house has a close relationship with Urik’s sorcerer-king, Hamanu, but has a history of bloody conflicts with the elf tribes of the desert wastes. :
In addition to the mundane guards that bring your meals, the argossy is staffed by at least two overseers skilled in the use of the Unseen Way. :
In addition to the mundane guards that bring your meals, the argossy is staffed by at least two overseers skilled in the use of the Unseen Way.
Neither mind-bender appears to be particularly powerful, but both are skilled enough to incapacitate several slaves at once. :
The guards expect you all to die within a week of arriving in Tyr. Although not particularly cruel, none seems the least inclined to help you or take a bribe - even if you had something to offer. : The guards expect you all to die within a week of arriving in Tyr. Although not particularly cruel, none seems the least inclined to help you or take a bribe - even if you had something to offer.
The guards are on edge. Traveling in this area of the Tablelands always carries some risk, but the local elf tribes have been particularly aggressive of late. Several companies of Urikite soldiers have been sent into the wastes to deal with them, but only one in two has returned.
This will be the discussion thread for the game. Before we get started, please take the time to create an alias with you character's statistics, description and background. Important: Enter your name and race in the appropriate fields. In the "Classes/Levels" field, include the following information:
An example can be found here. This way, the necessary info will be readily visible in the gameplay thread.
I noticed that the recruitment thread for my PbP game is no longer showing up in the list of threads in that category. I can still get to it by clicking on my recent posts, but the thread is very slow to load.
“I live in a world of fire and sand. The crimson sun scorches the life from anything that crawls or flies, and storms of sand scour the foliage from the barren ground. Lightning strikes from the cloudless sky, and peals of thunder roll unexplained across the vast tablelands. Even the wind, dry and searing as a kiln, can kill a man with thirst.
Dark Sun is one of my favorite campaign setting and I recently put together a set of rules converting the setting to Pathfinder. If there's enough interest, I'd like to start a play-by-post here using the same material. I'd prefer players who are familiar with the Dark Sun setting (particularly the original 2E campaign setting, from which I drew inspiration for my conversion). That said, anyone with an interesting character concept is welcome. As much as I disliked the 4E adaptation of the setting, the first page of this document provides a great primer for anyone new to the world of Athas. Additional information about the world is available here. I'll be setting the game in the 190th King's Age, in the Year of Priest's Defiance. King Kalak still rules Tyr with an iron fist as thousands of slaves toil to complete his mighty ziggurat. For the purposes of the campaign the events of the novels and later supplements have not occured. Characters will start as slaves, although it's up to you whether that is a recent development or long-term condition. If you simply can't reconcile starting as a slave with your character concept, I may be able to work you in, but in most cases I think slavery can be justified – a noble may have offended a sorcerer-king, a templar may be going undercover, a druid might have been captured by slavers, etc. As a play-by-post, I expect the game will emphasize role-playing interspersed with exploration and (hopefully quick, almost certainly brutal) combat. To keep combats moving, I'll likely have players describe a series of two or three actions at a time, rolling damage along with to hit rolls, etc. We'll see how it goes and adjust as needed – combat and Dark Sun go hand-in-hand, but I don't want to spend a week at a time on a single fight. I tried to emulate the original Dark Sun rules as much as possible, which means starting characters are a little more powerful than the Pathfinder baseline to account for the deadlier environment and lack of resources. Those benefits (higher ability scores overall and starting at 2nd level with max hit points) should help characters survive even if they aren't optimized for combat. Heavily min-maxed characters will be passed over in favor of those with broader capabilities and strong backgrounds. If there's enough interest I'll pick the top five or six characters submitted over the next week or so and we can get started soon thereafter. This will be my first time running a play-by-post game but I'm a long-time GM. I'd like everyone to try to post daily, but occasional lapses are fine. My own schedule can be a little hard to predict, but I should be able to respond at some point during any given day. Character Creation: Ability Scores: Roll 4d4+4 six times and arrange as desired. Level: Characters begin play at level 2, with maximum hit points. Characters will roll for hit points at subsequent levels, with a minimum gain equal to the average for their hit die (round up). Race, class and psionic wild talents: See the Races and Classes document for changes and a list of allowed classes. Psionic classes will use the rules from Psionics Unleashed, which are available at d20pfsrd.com if you don't have a copy. All characters may roll once (twice for humans and half-elves) on the Wild Talent table. Traits: All characters will begin play with two traits – I'm happy to create custom traits or modify existing ones to match Athasian flavor. Other House Rules: In addition to the changes to races and classes, you may want to review the House Rules file for a few other changes – mostly related to heat and dehydration – as well as several custom feats. In particular, note that the Exotic Weapon Proficiency feat has been changed to grant proficiency with groups of exotic weapons. The Equipment file includes amended statistics for a host of weapons. Equipment: Everyone will start play as a slave with no possessions other than a breechcloth (and harness, if female). For characters that need certain equipment to use class abilities (like a spellbook or divine focus), we'll work something out. Characters that receive familiars or animal companions will have an opportunity to find one relatively soon after the campaign begins, as will characters specialized in certain weapons or armor.
In a fit of nostalgia, I recently began working up some house rules for a new Dark Sun campaign using Pathfinder as a base. There's been intermittent interest in similar conversions over the years on this site and others, so I figured I'd post my work for others to comment on or use as they see fit. A couple of notes on my approach: I don't have any of the 4E Dark Sun material and will be ignoring any changes it made to the setting, such as including tieflings and subbing goliaths for half-giants. I've included a few rules ideas from the 3.5-era Dragon/Dungeon mag conversions, but have excised any setting/canon changes (elans, maenads, etc.) made there, as well. As much as possible, I've tried to emulate the feel of the original boxed set, 2E version of Dark Sun. To that end, I've included random wild talents - most characters get an actual power (or two) rather than just a PP reserve - and increased the power level of the races to about 20 RP to reflect the superior abilities of the Athasian races compared to their 2E counterparts. I'm using the psionic rules from Psionics Unleashed (available at d20pfsrd.com). The original called for starting characters at level 3, but I'm leaning toward starting mine at 2nd level. I expect to play fast and loose with the wealth-by-level guidelines in order to emphasize the scarcity of resources and magic. Magic-using classes typically benefit when you do that, but magic-users have their own problems to contend with on Athas ... When possible, I've tried to err on the side of simplicity. Rather than heavily modifying character classes to bring them in line with the original setting, I've simply banned those that don't jibe while making minor tweaks to others. An inquisitor with very minor changes makes a fine templar, for example, and the rogue easily covers the Athasian bard and trader. If you want to play a gunslinger or a summoner, pick a different world. It's still a work in progress - the house rules document includes notes on changes to create water and endure elements, for example, but I haven't gone through all the spells in the core rules to sift out inappropriate choices. I've gone back and forth on the stats for the half-giant (Large or just powerful build?) and thri-kreen, but I'm mostly happy with what I have at the moment. Here's what I have so far:
I'm considering allowing a nature oracle in an upcoming game I'm running choose spells from the druid spell list rather than the cleric list. Is there a huge power imbalance I'm overlooking? I'm the one suggesting the change, and it seems to me they'll be giving up some healing/restorative spells and buffs (divine favor, shield of faith, bless) for a few more offensive spells and different buffs (shillelagh, barkskin). I'm also thinking about allowing the character to pick up a couple of revelations from the Wood mystery, just because they're flavorful. Again, doesn't seem like a big problem but I'm curious if anyone else sees an opportunity for severe munchkinism.
(Note: Mods feel free to move this, but I put it here to get feedback from posters familiar with the AP). So, as a break from my Legacy of Fire game I decided to run some 3rd-edition Shadowrun. Partly to see if I could do it, I decided to use Carrion Crown as a basic road map for a plotline I'm working in between more traditional runs (mostly from the first season Missions adventures on Catalyst's site). I've not been too worried about following CC exactly. Game's set in Seattle as the runners come together for the funeral of Dr. Peter Larrimer, a mage and surgeon who ran a charity hospital in the barrens and had done favors for each of them in the past. While doing runs to keep the hospital afloat (and arrange protection from the yakuza) the group recovers Larrimer's journals that mention Harrowstone, a private prison complex destroyed in a fire several years earlier. Larrimer had been keeping an eye on the place, which was the site of clandestine, corporate research into cyber-zombie creation before the "accident" that left it a spirit-haunted ruin. He was killed by agents of the Whispering Way that visited the prison to extract a powerful free spirit trapped in a warded research area. The group is approached by the Palatine Eye, an initiatory group that opposes the Whispering Way's attempts to resurrect a long dormant spirit of some kind, probably using a modified form of the rituals used in cybermancy creation - at least, that's my translation of the spiritual "MacGuffins" the WW is after so far. For Trial of the Beast, I'm going with a simplified plotline: A local gang has turned in the body of the notorious "Beast of Leper Street," a barrens monster that has terrorized the locals for several months. The scarred carcass turns out to be a troll incarcerated at Harrowstone when it burned, but the body contains several more recent cyber-mods (in quantities verging on fatal). The runners eventually will track down the beast's maker, a deranged cyber-surgeon who has been experimenting in hiding since Harrowstone's fall. He's on high alert when the runners arrive after recently being robbed by Whispering Way cultists seeking some magical doodads he spirited out of the prison. For Broken Moon I'm thinking of moving in Native American Nation territory - have the runners infiltrate a corporate hunting lodge at a time when the local tribal councils (stand-ins for the werewolves) are at each other's throats over succession. I could work in some HMHVV-infected loup-garou or Wendigo to keep the werewolf vibe. I'm looking for ideas on a MacGuffin for Broken Moon, though, as well as ideas for translating the later parts of the AP. I'm not sure where to place Wake of the Watcher - maybe farther up the coast, or south in Tir Tairngire or California Free State? The vampires of the Ordo Maximus, with their rumored knowledge of advanced cybermanchy, seem perfect for Ashes at Dawn, so I might sub in London for Caliphas. For Shadows of Gallowspire, I'm torn between placing the endgame in a buried temple complex or in a corporate skyscraper in Seattle or some other megaplex. Thoughts?
My Legacy of Fire campaign just hit a snag, in a good way, when:
Spoiler:
4 of the 5 PCs were turned to stone trying to infiltrate the One Source warehouse in Katapesh after Rayhan's kidnapping. One PC, an inquisitor of Pharasma, was able to escape, and intends to return to rescue the rest of the party. Unable to go to the authorities for reasons outlined in the adventure, he needs to recruit some help. The group has contacts in the church of Sarenrae, but I figure the church would be wary of upsetting the peace and bringing down the hammer of the Pactmasters. Instead, he'll have to turn to the dregs of the city's mercenary adventurers. With that in mind, I'd like to put together a samping of 5-6 temporary characters for the petrified players to choose from. As they'll just be temporary stand-ins, it's an opportunity to include some weirder, potentially imbalanced builds or monstrous races. Non-standard is better, and I'd like to avoid much overlap with the standard PCs (an elven rogue, half-elf witch, suli-jann paladin and tiefling fighter). Here's what I've got so far:
Any other ideas? Strange is good, and I'm especially interested in concepts that fit in well with the Katapeshi underbelly.
This actually sounds really cool ... er, frosty. Unfortunately, I'm a 3etard when it comes to Shadowrun rules, too. The curse of 4th editions! Still, might not be too tough to convert. I'd be interested to hear from anyone who has this. Does it do justice to the premise? Does it tie into Earthdawn? How are the production values?
Note: this has to do with an entirely different problem than the one described in this thread. Here's the problem: Although most martial weapons are “theoretically” balanced against each by a combination of smaller or larger damage dice, critical threat ranges and critical multipliers, several of the new feats in the PFRG, as well as the Fighter capstone ability Weapon Mastery, tilt things significantly in favor or weapons with an 18-20 threat range (kukri, rapier, falchion) or x4 crit multiplier (pick, scythe). And when I say significantly, I mean to an extent that even non-power gamers will take notice. This is a bad thing, IMHO, because it in effect punishes players who choose to use iconic fantasy weapons like the longsword, greatsword and battleaxe. I've included some extended justifications for this argument in the spoilers below (warning – math involved) but the short version is this: one small fix - restricting the use of the Powerful Critical feat with 18-20 weapons and retaining the x4 multiplier maximum as written - will largely re-balance things, if other Critical feats, Devastating Blow and Weapon Mastery are left as written. In fact, I'd probably lessen the penalty on Devastating Blow a bit, from a -5 to hit as a standard action to -2 as a standard action. With this fix, 18-20/x2 weapons will gain the most benefit from Critical feats that inflict status effects, because those weapons have a higher chance per round of gaining a critical. But with the Powerful Critical nerf, they won't gain be gaining a huge addition in damage. Devastating Blow is of limited usefulness to these weapons, because they'll only be causing double damage, or triple damage for the 20th level Fighter with Weapon Mastery. 19-20/x2 weapons will gain moderate utility from Critical feats and extra damage from Powerful Critical, but don't gain as much from Devastating Blow as 20/x3 weapons, which gain significantly less benefit from other Critical feats because of their smaller threat range (remember, all these threat ranges are doubled with Improved Critical). Same for the 20/x4 weapons, which gain nothing from Powerful Critical (because of the x4 cap) but are the most effective with Devastating Blow. To illustrate the current problem, here's a little more theory and the math for a 20th level Fighter with the feats as written: Spoiler: It's worth noting that the difference in damage dice (generally 1-2 points in average damage) becomes largely irrelevant at higher levels, when a warrior's damage output relies much more on bonus damage from Strength and other sources – much of which gets multiplied on a crit. So at higher levels, critical threat range and multipliers become the most meaningful factors when balancing weapons against each other.
Critical feats that cause an effect on a critical hit are hugely slanted toward weapons with larger threat ranges - a kukri wielder (threat range 15-20 with Improved Critical)has a 6 in 20 chance of activating a critical feat with each attack, for example, compared to 4 in 20 for a longsword wielder or 2 in 20 for someone with a greataxe or scythe. It is for that very reason that magic weapon "burst" enchantments double or triple the bonus damage dice for weapons with higher critical multipliers, for example. Powerful Critical and the fighter's Weapon Mastery ability, both of which increase a weapon's critical multiplier by +1, also offer disproportionate benefits to weapon's with large threat ranges. A greataxe wielder with Improved Critical, for example, has a 19-20/x3 crit range. Ignoring very high ACs and the need to verify the crit, that means 2 chances in 20 to inflict 3 hits rather than one – essentially, two more hits than a normal hit. Powerful Critical increases that to 19-20/x4, meaning he has 2 in 20 chances of 3 extra hits above normal. The kukri wielder, however, sees a more drastic increase. With only Improved Critical, his range is 15-20/x2 – 6 chances for one extra hit. With Powerful Critical that goes to 6 chances for 2 extra hits. Multiplying the chance for a critical by the number of potential extra hits, the axe wielder is at 6, while the kukri wielder is at double that, 12. Weapon Mastery, which increases the critical multiplier by +1 for each weapon, exacerbates the problem: we end up with 2 chances of 4 extra hits for the axe (so 8) compared to 6 chances of 3 extra hits (18) for the kukri. To see the difference this makes in terms of average damage per round, here's our example 20th level Fighter. For simplicity's sake, we'll assume he has Strength 30 with items and level ups, a +5 weapon, Weapon Training +4 and Weapon Mastery with that weapon, and the following feats: Power Attack, Weapon Focus, Greater Weapon Focus, Weapon Specialization, Greater Weapon Specialization, Improved Critical, Critical Focus, Powerful Critical, Critical Mastery and one other Critical Feat. He's fighting a Balor (AC 35) and Power Attacking for 10 (his full Strength) with a two-handed weapon. Total, his attack bonus is +41/+36/+31/+26, or +31/+26/+21/+16 with Power Attack. Using a falchion (18-20/x2 base crit range), he does 2d4+48 per hit, or 53 on average.
Regardless of weapon, his chance to hit the balor with each of his four attacks is: 85%+60%+35%+10%, for an average of 1.9 hits per round. For the falchion wielder, each hit has a 30% chance of being a crit (they auto-confirm thanks to Weapon Mastery) except for the last one (which has only a 10% chance of hitting, although if it hits, it crits). 30+30+30+10= 1 crit per round on average, which is equivalent to 3 additional hits (with Power Critical and Weapon Mastery, his multiplier is up to x4). So all told, the falchion-wielder scores 4.9 hits at 53 damage for 259.7 points of damage per round, on average.
Falchion: 259.7 average damage per round; Critical feat activations: 1, on average
So not only is the falchion wielder doing significantly more damage than everyone else, he's also activating his other [Critical] feat far more frequently. The comparatively smaller benefit for the Greataxe and Scythe is balanced somewhat by the increased utility those weapons gain from the Devastating Blow feat (which allows the user to force a critical hit with a standard action at -5 to hit) but the greatsword wielder is pretty much everybody's b!tch. I personally don't see that degree of difference as desirable, especially when it marginalizes traditional weapons like swords. But what to do about it? I wrestled with a couple of fairly complicated options before hitting on the change to Powerful Critical, making that feat unavailable to 18-20/x2 weapons (as they're mostly finesse weapons, anyway, it makes sense). That modification changes things to look like this:
This way, 18-20/x2 weapons still rule when it comes to [Critical] feat effects, but they no longer rule in terms of raw damage, as well. 19-20/x2 weapons gain the best overall damage on full attacks, and are decent with [Critical] feats or even Devastating Blow. Axes and scythes, while on the low end in terms of full-attack damage and [Critical] feat activations, gain the most benefit from Devastating Blow with their eventual x5 damage multiplier (for this to balance out, 20/x3 weapons need to be gain the benefits of Powerful Critical with Devastating Blow, just in case Jason decides to restrict the combination of Devastating Blow and other [Critical] feats).
I understand Jason doesn't want to get into the nitty gritty on feats yet, so I'll avoid specifics and take Jason's assurance that all the feats will be sufficiently bad-ass when we get there. But since the fighter, and to a lesser extent other warriors, depend on combat feats so much, hopefully it's cool to talk about them in a general way as they relate to the classes, especially the fighter. I'll try to bold the bits that are class-specific changes. In an ideal universe, here's what I'd like to see: 1) A series of feats that add static, weapon-specific bonuses (Focus, Specialization, Improved Crit, and the greater versions). These (including Specialization) would be open to any class (with pre-reqs based on BAB), but I'd adopt the suggestion that Fighter's can apply weapon-specific feats to any weapon in a group in which they have Weapon Training. Because Weapon Training isn't available until 5th level, dipping isn't a problem (5 levels ain't really dip ...) 2) A series of feats adding additional combat options when using weapons from a specific weapon group (ie. Axes, Heavy Blades, etc.) Rather than adding static bonuses, these feats would add situational options or effects and would have a pre-requisite of Weapon Training (possibly of various levels) in that weapon group, essentially making them fighter-only. 3) Four or five fighting-style feat trees, encompassing tropes such Two-Handed Weapons, Two-Weapon Fighting, Sword-and-Board, Archery and Mounted Combat. These, again, would be open to all based on BAB. Ideally, each feat tree would include 5-6 feats: three core feats (available at low, medium and high level) and 2-3 auxiliary feats adding options or bonuses that are supplemental, but not essential to the style's theme. If each tree includes 5-6 feats, then the fighter, with his 21 feats over 20 levels, can master 2-3 styles with a few feats left over for basics (Toughness, Iron Will, Skill Focus, etc.) and weapon-specific stuff, while other warriors (with 10 or so feats) can master one, with a few feats left over for class-specific abilities. And while I'm on the topic of Sword-and-Board -- I like many of the S&B feats in the Beta, but they essentially turn the S&B-er into a two-weapon fighter. This increases rolls (which I gripe about below) and while it's ok for some players, I'd like to see more feats that add static bonuses (always-on feats, rather than "add-options" feats). Players, whether newbs or lazy veterans, need to be able to build a character that doesn't require too many choices in combat, and the fighter traditionally has fit that bill. So while I'd keep the feats that let a fighter attack with his shield and retain the AC bonus, I'd add some that grant a miss chance or something if he doesn't attack with it (and isn't using a gods-be-infinitely-damned animated shield.) I also support adding the "ignore speed reduction in armor" ability to Armor Training, and I think the DR granted by the fighter's Armor Mastery needs to be gained at an earlier level, then boosted higher up. And, as has been mentioned elsewhere, Medium Armor (other than the breastplate) needs to not suck so much. Weapon Mastery, too, could come earlier, at least partially. Maybe have the "crits automatically confirmed" bit come at 15th or 17th level, then the damage multiplier at 20th. I'm actually opposed to making Weapon Training add +1 hit/+d6 damage. I think the current damage bonus (when combined with Specialization, etc.) is sufficient, and changing it to d6 just adds more rolls.
Anyway, those are the fighter-ish thoughts that have been circulating through my brain over the last few days. Hopefully it's wasn't too feat-ful. If it is, move into General and I'll repost later ...
I'm getting ready to start a RotRL playtest campaign and was working up some additional background feats for the characters. Here's two I came up with for a cleric of Gorum. Thoughts? Riddle of Steel
Blessing of Sinew
I'm still working on a more thorough analysis of the combat options available to the various warrior classes under the Alpha 3 system, but something I wanted to go ahead and address is the relative weakness of the one-handed weapon or "sword-and-board" style. Under the 3.5 system, there are really only two ways for a melee warrior-type to lay down significant damage: Either by wielding a two-handed weapon and focusing on strength (which provides a multiplied benefit, especially with Power Attack), or by using two weapons (and maximizing "per-hit" damage bonuses such as sneak attack). Theoretically, each of those combat styles trades their increased damage potential for a lower AC than the sword-and-shield warrior. At low levels, that's generally true. But by mid-levels, there are numerous options (animated shields, or feats such as Improved Buckler Defense) that allow the two-handed or two-weapon fighter to grab essentially the same AC bonus as the sword-and-boarder. And by that time, the sword-and-board warrior has fallen so far behind in the damage department he's doing only about half the damage the others are. Several of the shield-focused feats in the Alpha document address this somewhat by effectively turning the sword-and-boarder into a two-weapon fighter. That's fine, for some characters, but one thing I'd like to see preserved in Pathfinder is the ability to build a fighter as an entry-level" character, built primarily with feats that offer static bonuses rather those that offer more complicated combat options. As I said, I'm still working through the Alpha combat feats to assess their relative worth to each of the fighting styles (feats like Deadly Stroke or Devastating Blow, for example, are most beneficial to the two-handed fighter, who has the greatest damage potential per single blow and thus suffers less for giving up additional attacks). But none of the new feats appear to give the needed boost to warriors who wield a single one-handed weapon. After wrestling with it a while, I came up with this, which is both simple and (I think, anyway) elegant. Practiced Assault
By doing away with the penalty for iterative attacks, this actually simplifies the system for players who prefer an uncomplicated character, and reinforces the single weapon fighter's schtick -- accuracy -- compared to 2-handers (raw damage per strike) or 2-weapon fighter's (number of strikes). With the pre-requisite of BAB +6, a fighter (who has a bonus feat at even levels) can take it immediately upon gaining a second attack. I've run some numbers for mid- to high-level fighters: in most situations the sword-and-boarder with the above feat was doing 75-80 percent average damage per round compared to a similar fighter built for two-handed fighting (compared to 1/2 to 2/3 the damage without the feat) which I think is about right. I'll try to follow up with some additional ideas. In general, I really like the changes Jason has made to the various warrior classes. I think the feats available, however, will ultimately have a big effect on how effective/balanced classes like the fighter, paladin and monk are in combat. Any thoughts?
This is a quibble, but how 'bout making the damage bonus from "Battle Smite" and unnamed bonus instead of enhancement? It's not a massive power-up, allows Battle Smite to work with the domain's level 2 ability, and most importantly, cuts down on the math.
I started drooling all over myself after reading the column about an upcoming Shadowrun video game. Then checked the Web-site and found out that -- contrary to the mag's write-up -- the game is for XBox 360 AND PC (cool!) but HAS NO SINGLE-PLAYER CAMPAIGN (super un-cool). Which is kind of what the Dragon column was all about. I expect more from you guys ...
Paizo People,
Also, I ordered the GameMastery campaign workbook, which looks nice and useful. However, as I was flipping through it I noticed eight blank pages (178-179, 182-183, etc). Not sure if this is a problem with just a few copies or the whole batch, but I wanted to alert you to it. Again, no need to send a replacement, just FYI. Thanks for the great job you do,
|
