nomadicc's page

I see the same, but there's no strikethru price similar to the other discounted items. Is $4.95 the discounted price?

The Dragon and Dungeon PDFs don't seem to be discounted, or am I doing something wrong?

In order to turn lemon in lemonade like would somehow say Vic once translated in French, we built a custom set of scenarios (one per scenario number) to actually achieve resurrection of a dead character, involving location like temple or wishing well but also some trip to the abyss and heaven. Depending how well you succeed, the character suffers more or less drawbacks for the rest of the adventure.

I think this is a fantastic idea! We did something similar after failing (badly) a WotR B scenario. Instead of restarting everything and going through the same frustrating game, we generated our own "Return to..." scenario using the same villain and some different locations. After it was done, we counted it as the previous failed scenario for advancement. Obviously house ruled, but it was a lot of fun! =)

Mike - I love the Python homage, but I'm not a big fan of roguelikes.

For what it's worth, my group also does not use permadeath as it is just too punitive. Between work, family and other commitments, we only get to play every week or two on average. The idea of soloing a new character up through previous adventures is fairly ludicrous. If you have that much spare time, have at it, but... speed-solo grinding adventures doesn't sound very fun IMO.

There are effective and less-punitive ways to de-incentivize "degenerate behavior". As others before me have said, you can feel the cost without potentially trashing months of character investment and progress.

There are a few unofficial, house rule ideas on the forums, but I'd be happy to see some "official" alternatives from the developers.

Does anyone think that the release date for Mummy's Mask will be revealed at Paizocon?

I hope and assume so. This Wall of Withheld Information is getting ridiculous.

Talisman of True Faith is one.

I meant no disrespect or contempt, by any means... sorry if the post came across that way.

I'll agree the filet/burger analogy was a bit off. It wasn't a comment on the quality of the Apocrypha game (which I'm sure will be excellent) vs PACG... but more on the tendency for people to hand wave complaints about the huge delay because other card games exist, or will exist.

Apologies for sounding like a grumpy old man. But its like: "Sorry, sir... the filet mignon won't be ready for a while. But in the meantime, you can always go to McDonalds."

Myfly wrote:

Hawkmoon269 wrote:

From yesterday's blog, we know Mummy's Mask isn't a September product.

Oh no, it will be 2017 then... :-(

All the more time to play Apocrypha!

Sorry, but these kind of responses make me twitch. I'm sure there are plenty of other hobbies I could invest time into while waiting for MM... ones I haven't already spent hundreds of dollars and hours on.

I have no interest in Apocrypha or any other card games.

This highlights the problem I was getting at before... more people move on to other games in the wait, and when MM finally does come out, they don't come back. Fewer players = fewer dollars.

I'd say I'm excited for the post-MM release, but that will be a 2018 release at this rate... Not sure why the devs are even bringing it up at this early juncture.

I think Mass Effect 4 might even be out before then!

Sadly, you confirmed my worst fear. The delay between WotR and MM is so great now that people will inevitably tune out and move on to other games... If sales of MM are a big drop off from previous sets, how will that impact the PACG going forward?

That may mean July, and it may mean October, but it definitely doesn't mean February.

Well, its not gonna be either of the first two... The delay was announced in Oct 2015... we're looking at a 15-18 month gap now.

=(

This is concerning. I completely understand the reasons they delayed MM, but going well over a year between releases seems like it would be detrimental to the game's health. Without new releases in the market, awareness/interest in the game will surely wither. I don't think the class decks count for much except with well-established players.

I obviously don't have Paizo's marketing info, and hope I'm wrong...

Pre-ordered with all the geeky joy in the world!! Thanks Paizo! I already love the new cover... can't wait to see the final version.

EDIT - If it hasn't been said already, PLEASE MAKE THAT COVER A POSTER!!

Hey all, as the OP, I figured it was worth posting an update.

We just finished AD1 and, as advertised, it was a *huge* improvement over the base scenarios! For anyone that is wary of buying into WotR due to the difficulty complaints, I'd say don't worry -- just skip the base and go straight into the main adventure path. The AD1 scenarios were very enjoyable, IMO.

To mitigate some of the pain, I removed 2 each of the Demon Horde and Arboreal Blight cards from the game, leaving 2 still in, I believe. I still had once scenario (1-4, I think) where we encountered a blight, horde and carrion golem all in short succession, but we muscled through them.

In hindsight, I think its worth noting how much the *locations* are part of the pain in the base scenarios. Many of them are tough on the characters exploring, some causing damage every turn, or forcing bury/discard to close with no rewards coming back. I think these played a subtle role in making the base scenarios so awful, because the locations in AD1 were much more "friendly", or at least the painful locations were thinned out -- 1 or maybe 2 per scenario, rather than the whole spread!

Anyway, I'm glad we continued and we are enjoying the game again. Just unlocked the mythic paths and can't wait to give them a try! =D

Out of curiosity, how many players do you have and what characters are you playing?

Currently we have 3... playing Adowyn, Seelah and Seoni. After mixing around line ups, this seems like a fairly balanced triad.

***

I'd like to push back on this a bit. WotR isn't "expert" level. It has ridiculously hard base scenarios, and the scenarios in AP2 pose particular problems for large groups of players. But, once you get past those initial scenarios, the set isn't significantly more difficult than other sets. I am finding AP3 & AP4 of wrath easier than S&S, and I haven't seen anyone posting data that suggests their experiences with these later sets is different than mine.

That's great to hear! We're going to press with AP1 and not worry about the base scenario anymore.

That's good to hear, that they are aware of the issue. If WotR was meant to be "expert" level, then a little head's up on the advertising would be appropriate. I felt S&S was a pretty good challenge, tough in spots but not a chore. I don't want to play games that are a chore.

I'd like to hear some encouraging words regarding MM.

Thanks... I guess we'll give AP1 a try first then. Feels a bit odd skipping the intro to do an "easier" first chapter. In the past, we found the intro scenarios a nice way to learn your characters and try out what works and what didn't before moving into the real challenges.

This makes me curious about what the devs are planning for MM. If its going to be another set of continuous nutsack kicks, then I'm leaning towards cancelling my sub.

So, I've been playing through the Base scenario in WotR. I was looking forward to running through the adventure card path, because I truly enjoy the background material, but the cards are crushing my will to play.

I've already failed two scenarios, both due to running out of turns on the blessings deck. I've had 1 character die, and others down to their last cards at the final encounter. I like that the scenarios are challenging -- its satisfying to get through victorious.

But, each game is such an attrition grind that I'm finding it less and less enjoyable, and not really motivated to continue (even though I have all the decks 1-5 now). So many encounters are just punishing... arboreal blight and demonic horde are known issues, but monsters like the mongrel wizard and ranger and several others that do automatic damage before *and* after the encounter... most monsters are 10+ difficulty, requiring a blessing/weapon/spell just to succeed. It seems like I'm just discarding constantly. I don't dare "waste" a blessing on trying to win a decent spell or weapon. Kinda sad when encountering "temptation" barriers are a relief because I can pretty much ignore them.

I don't remember anything this painful when playing through S&S scenarios... they were challenging, and we hit some tough spots, but it didn't feel like a gauntlet every game.

I want to continue, but the game so far is sucking away my motivation. Am I doing it wrong?

Any confusion you may have is unfortunately grasping for reasons why the rules shouldn't apply.

I could do without the patronizing comment above, but otherwise thanks for the responses.

I understand that, but I guess I'm asking for clarification because there's room for confusion. For example, the Stump is not used as a henchman in any of the scenarios up through pack 4. If the only instance where it would be in play is through the animal encounter bait & switch in the Elven Entanglement, then the close location text is extraneous.

So, is the close location text an exception to the summon rule, or should it just not be there?

I just ran this scenario and got thrashed hard... I had the boss down to the last 2-3 cards in two locations, but blessings deck ran out.

I would like to know if the above questions were ever officially answered. Does defeating the stump allow you to close the location?

Hello! Unfortunately, I need to cancel my Adventure Path subscription. I also sent an e-mail to this effect. If able, can I please cancel before the new AP 'Iron Gods' ships?

Thanks!

Putting together a soldier-type, ex-Imperial pilot... maybe even a defected clone who got an identity change. Looking over the books now (and trying to re-wrap my brain around 3.5 era rules)...

It was, thanks! =D

Yes and yes!!

PS... Yes!

I'm back home, getting re-settled. I'll post tonight after work. Thanks for being patient.

I'm back home, getting re-settled. I'll post tonight after work. Thanks for being patient.

I think I won't be able to post much until I get back home... probably Tuesday.

Aye... I'm still on the road, and won't be able to pick up things normally until probably Tuesday. Have a great holiday weekend!!

^ You cut that one really close, friend.

Lol, yeah! I got home late and was scrambling to get the build together... I was going to flesh out the background a bit more, but had to stop and post! =P

Dotting interest... Will try to get a submission in after work today, before the cut.

Just FYI, I've been cramming for a big test I have to take this afternoon. I'll pick things up again tonight/tomorrow. Thanks for being patient! =)

Additionally, I'll be on the road for a couple weeks starting Monday... shouldn't affect gameplay too much, but if I go dark for a few days, you know why...

Just FYI, I've been cramming for a big test I have to take this afternoon. I'll pick things up again tonight/tomorrow. Thanks for being patient! =)

Additionally, I'll be on the road for a couple weeks starting Monday... shouldn't affect gameplay too much, but if I go dark for a few days, you know why...

Any further news on this front?

Showing you one too many 3rd level spells mem'd

HeroLab says I should have 6/5/5/4 for prepared slots, plus the specialist slots. Did you account for the +4 Int headband?

Still need the 8 skill points and language from the Int increase.

This raised an eyebrow... based on anecdotal experience from the past, like DDO, I though this might be a bug when it came up on HeroLab. I figured the Int increases wouldn't provide bonus skills/languages from previous levels. I couldn't find a ruling one way or the other in the PRD.

If you're happy with the retroactive points/languages, then I'll do it. Just wanted to clarify...

You were the last one to post a cash out of any kind, which was ~ 12k. I lost track of the rest of the bids.

Nowzai al'Nazari wrote:

Was there a faction point award somewhere buried in the last couple weeks' posts? As of now, I only have the 1 entry point for Nowzai.

2 prestige points for the primary mission to put in the faction of your choice.

Individual awards are up to you to look at your faction and see what you think you've earned. You have at least 2: honor roll and sponsoring Sam.

I await your call on the potential PPs for the book donation and kuo toa lore. It looks like I'll also gain a couple points for the last couple wizard levels.

My goal is to use something like Map Tools or Roll 20 as a virtual table top. Anyone recommend a voice chat application?

TeamSpeak probably... or Skype if you can do conference calls.

In a week and a half, my wife is gonna be out of town for about 4 days. What do you guys think about doing a virtual tabletop session fir a few hours one night?

I'm TDY from the 12th on for about two weeks. I'm definitely interested, but I can't say for sure what internet I'll have there.

Do we have a solid dividend total yet, or are we still waiting on claims?

I humbly apologize for my unannounced - and entirely unplanned - absence.

You see, my home internet has crapped out on me once again, and I am waiting for it to be restored. Until it is, I can't come online every day. Please DMPC me as required... >_<;

Sorry to hear... I can imagine it's frustrating. Hope you get it resolved soon!

Sam is correct, but I'll bump it to 16k since there's a natural break line there with items and weapons.

Thanks! Once we get our final cash total, I'll build a proper shopping/crafting list. There are a few spells I plan to research at the academy also.

That poor chimera...

Crystal Ball... Koya's a diviner...

Hit Points: 1d6 ⇒ 1 ... not cool!

I'm just now wrapping up Forest of Spirits in my pbp campaign. I figured it would be a good time to share some of the things I tweaked along the way.

Ordu-Aganhei: After the grueling hike over the Crown, coming back into civilization was enjoyed by the party, especially with the gracious welcome they receive from Prince Bat. I looked forward to, and enjoyed using the city for some meaty role-playing sidebars and PC/NPC bonding. The feasts started off great, and the players were able to integrate their parts in nicely. Where the train went off the rails was at the marriage proposal. I tried to use situation, and Prince Bat in general, in a mostly awkward/comedic fashion... Unfortunately, the player proposed to took to all *very* seriously and ultimately quit the game because of it. I probably could have handled it better, but I honestly thought it would come off more silly than serious... the joys of electronic communication!

Instead of ambushing the party in the city, I had them get attacked while they were split/exposed in the palace and at the caravan. In my mind, it set up better to stress the group, and also kept them from blaming the prince. They took the hint and fled the city.

Lastly, I introduced Miyaro early on, insinuating herself as a cultural adviser. She sprang to help during the ambush, later revealing her true nature.

Forest of Spirits: Once free of the city, I kept the road encounters quiet until they entered the forest. To play up the place's strangeness, I highlighted its seemingly 'stasis-like', unchanging nature. The spirit encounters I ran were kinda cool and awkward at the same time. The semi-haunt mechanic didn't seem to mesh well ('if everyone passes their save, does the spirit just leave?') with the descriptive elements of the encounter. If I could run them again, I'd probably re-think how to mech these.

The approach to the ward zone and kami meeting I ran pretty much as printed. I analogize it to the ent moot in LotR, and tried to give it that bearing.

Withered Blossom Gardens: As the group neared the House, the climate steadily changed from winter to balmy heat, given off by the energy of the House. This accounted for the more jungle-like, overgrowth feel of the gardens. After the group defeated Munasukaru and broke the wards, this effect died out and the gardens slowly returned to winter.

I used Richard's rough draft of the garden terrace encounters to flesh out the approach to the House. After a couple spider fights, the party just cast air walk and skipped the rest. I'm glad I didn't make up a whole map!

House of Withered Blossoms: Knowing the dungeon was going to be a grind, atop the sloooow pace of pbp, I went in planning to cut/merge encounters in the module. I also wanted to skip the whole aranea section unless the group wanted to push it. They were pretty mission-focused, and basically ignored Akinosa's crew. I introduced the conflict between the hobgoblins and aranea right as the group entered the main floor, walking into an ongoing melee.

In all, I was surprised by how easily the group dealt with the encounters. Only a couple of fights really stressed them. Granted, their make-up was 5 PCs (monk, magus, oracle, vanguard and bard) and 1 NPC (Kelda), but I amplified most every fight with either additional enemies, advanced template, better gear and/or increased/max hp.

Here's a quick summary of the encounters I used/changed:

• Again, I didn't run anything from the upper levels.
  
• B2-B5 Wall/Entrance Gauntlet pretty much as written, though combined and with a Sister of the Broken Path leader.
  
• The Great Cavern/Buto the party skipped by scouting and air walking over the top.
  
• Party entered the Mockery Pagoda semi-quietly. I included one major encounter around the Shrine of Munasukaru with a sister and several leper hobgoblins (instead of warriors).
  
• I removed most of the rest of the foes here. The clay golem lasted 1 round, I think.
  
• Party air walked over the lattice, encountered Ichirou and his mistresses in bed.
  
• I removed the whole barracks C14-C16 area. After the lattice, they went straight to the Drain; no guards there either (too awkward to run).
  
• Note, the gars in D1, and for that matter, the elementals in C1, were no factor with air walk in play.
  
• I combined the foes in D2-D6, and D9 into one running battle, worked nicely though the giant gorgon got stopped by hold monster on round 1. Ryosanjin was a cool foe, but even buffed up he didn't last long.
  
• I moved the destrachan into E1 to act as torturers. It played well and made more sense than them just standing around in a corridor. I removed the 2 spawns. A foot of water covered the floor also, making the room difficult terrain, mostly ignored by air walking PCs.
  
• I ran the 2 x naga as printed, but changed the chamber to be half-full (~10 ft deep) of water. This gave the naga a small advantage for mobility and stealth, but was (again) mostly negated by air walk. The naga didn't pose much threat; in hindsight I probably should have added a third, and buffed them up more.
  
• The final fight was in E3-E4, combining the pair of kytons, some lepers and sisters, with a naga and destrachan that managed to flee the preceding encounters. This was a fight to the death, to keep the party from entering Munasukaru's sanctum. I pondered bringing her into the fight halfway through, but preferred to keep her face-to-face meeting as written to allow for some (brief) dialogue.
  

Munasukaru: Probably the most drastic change I made was by respec'ing Munasukaru as a ToB:Bo9S Warblade. Love it or hate it, the Bo9S maneuvers are pretty flavorful for the mobile/wuxia/oriental vibe I was going for with Munasukaru. Additionally, just having Uncanny Dodge kept her from dying in the first round. She got a few colorful hits in with her maneuvers, but still died rather quickly once the melees got to her. Even with max hit points, a haste-flurrying monk and 2 x spell-striking gish make life short for solitary foes!

I also improved the stats on the Sugimatu naginata significantly, to bring it closer to par with Suishen. Essentially +2 shrieking thundering naginata, with greater shout (CL 15) once per day. I didn't bother with the flying/crossbow tactic (see: air walk). I think the agile template and mythic boost (like Xeno posted above) would make her a better (solo) end boss, depending on the party.

After she died, I had the kami sweep in and clear the rest of the dungeon, a la the Valar host in the Silmarillion (sorta).

In summary, I really enjoyed this module, from the role-playing bits in O-A, to the flavor-heavy dungeon crawl. There really isn't another dungeon crawl like this the JR path... I especially enjoyed the graphic artistry displayed in nearly every room, which gave a memorable evil vibe to the place. Many thanks Richard!

Did Kiyomi have a signature item?

No, these were character specific items introduced in the first adventure. You get the unique pleasure of being left out on this one. The offset is that you were able to buy a full allotment of magic items...

It's an oriental hat... Google it.

Anyone besides Heng want to join in?

You could also persuade friends like Koya, who already has scribe scroll and brew potion. =)

I think Heng certainly holds his own for damage output. The first round alone you landed over 80 pts. A lot of good rolls in there, but nothing to shake a stick at considering Haste wasn't even active yet! =P