roystonlodge's page

Does anybody know of a spreadsheet-based character sheet for Pathfinder that's been formatted for easy use on a netbook's small screen?

I have an OLPC XO laptop, and also an old Fujitsu tablet pc that I'm trying to get to work with Linux.

The spreadsheets I've found work great for creating the character on a desktop and then printing, but they aren't really formatted for easy use on a netbook as a replacement for pen&paper.

I want to use OpenOffice or Gnumeric to keep track of my characters. On OpenOffice, it could be a spreadsheet or a database, actually.

I can create one myself, of course, but I just wanted to see if the work has already been done so I can save myself the trouble.

If not, then I'll create my own and post a link for other folk to try it out.

Thanks in advance.

Can you tell us the size of this poster map, both in inches (width x height) and also in the number of hexes (width x height)?

I cast "Detect Puns" on Heathansson . . . ;-)

I seem to remember the illustation of the iconic 3.0/3.5 cleric having a loaded crossbow hanging of his belt in the PHB.

Unfortunately, while there IS a bolt in that crossbow, the string is not actually drawn. As such, it is not truly "loaded".

(...doesn't explain what's keeping the bolt from falling out of course...)

I have a replica medieval crossbow I purchased while I was stationed in Sicily. You DM is correct in saying that they did not have a mechanism for holding the bolt in place, in fact it was one of the first things I noticed.

However, the game is based on a fantasy medieval setting, so I don't feel it unreasonable to say the bolt has a way to stay in place until fired. If we use real world effects in game, then the game is gonna get very unfun IMO. For example, try tumbling with an open quiver on your back, or see how well certain weapons (longsword) work against certain armor types (plate).

I looked around on the web;

it seems like the advice is to "not climb trees or walk around with a cocked crossbow, as jostling can accidentally fire the bolt."
That seems like less of a problem with holding the bolt in place than with f%**ing yourself over.
I'd think.....you could hold a hand over the bolt to hold it in place, but....releasing the string accidentally is going to hurt real bad.

Hmm, these answers scream "DM's discretion" to me. Kinda like the "historical" vs. "cinematic" rules in GURPS.

Dang.

Rules wise, there isn't much of a point in worrying about drawing a bow, since you don't have to spend any kind of action to draw a bowstring, its just part of the attack.

Good point. That solves that problem.

Now, the crossbow...

There is nothing in the rules that I have ever found that precludes this. If this is indeed based on the GM's personal preferences based on something he read about crossbows, it would really irk me if he used that as a basis for a game ruling.

Well, I can see his point. With the exception of Legolas in Lord of the Rings, I don't think I've ever read a fantasy/medieval novel or seen a movie where a character moves with a drawn bow or a loaded crossbow. They always stop, load, fire, and then move (or reload). I don't even think any incarnation of Robin Hood has done it, whether in print or on the screen.

But I'd stil like to get an official ruling on the question.

Can a character move while carrying a loaded crossbow?

Our DM says that a character cannot move while carrying a loaded crossbow. The character must either fire or unload the crossbow before moving. He says there is no mechanism that holds the bolt in place until the character chooses to fire.

I do not see this requirement in the rules, but on the other hand I've never handled a medieval crossbow so I don't really know how they work.

This requirement is very inconvenient when carrying a crossbow into battle, since loading a crossbow uses up a move action every time. By the time the character has loaded the crossbow and maybe unloaded it again, the rest of the party has either moved on or is getting really impatient waiting for the character to get his sh*t together.

I would greatly appreciate a clarification.

Thanks in advance!

PS: Since I don't use a bow, this problem has never come up with my DM when a character uses a bow rather than a crossbow. However, I think it's safe to assume that my DM would not allow a character to move with a drawn bow. Can I get a clarification on this as well? Thanks!

(My apologies if this has been already asked. I searched through past posts and did not find this covered.)

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There is no "Detect Disease" spell, as far as I can tell, so . . .

Hypothetical Situation #1: Say there is a virulent disease stalking the land, and it's transmitted via fluids (drinking water, rivers/streams/swamps, cave mold/slime, bodily fluids like blood/sweat/saliva, etc).

Will Detect Poison detect the presence of pathogens in fluids?

If yes, please clarify another point:

In the case of a swamp or tainted drinking water, there may be many different pathogens in the liquid. Can a spellcaster differentiate between the relatively benign pathogens that cause simple diarrhea vs deadly pathogens that cause horrible death? Or does the spell simply tell the caster that the liquid is "infected with something".

After all, in a fantasy setting it might be safe to assume that virtually every jug of water one is presented contains SOME sort of pathogen.

Hypothetical Situation #2: Say that the disease can be transmitted through the air and/or on dry surfaces. Will Detect Poison detect the presence of the pathogen in these instances? Does the spell simply tell the caster that a nearby 5ft cube of air is "infected with something", or will the spellcaster be able to tell the difference between common allergens/pathogens vs something really nasty?

Hypothetical Situation #3: Now, let's say that the disease in question is actually Zombie Rot Disease.

Will Detect Poison detect the presence of Zombie Rot Disease in a character or NPC who has been infected but has not yet succumbed to its effects?

If Detect Poison can't do it, would Detect Undead or Detect Magic detect the presence of Zombie Rot Disease?

Finally, can Zombie Rot Disease be transmitted via fluids that are left behind by a plague zombie or by an infected person who has not yet died?

In other words, is Zombie Rot Disease a "traditional" pathogen (detectable perhaps by Detect Poison)?

If not, is it a "magical" disease (detectable by Detect Magic) or is it transmitted by bacteria or viruses that are actually undead organisms in and of themselves (and therefore detectable by Detect Undead)?

THANKS IN ADVANCE!

FYI: Our DM allows us to diagnose diseases in characters or NPCs by making a successful Heal check.

But in many cases one would rather not have to get close enough to the subject to use the Heal skill, lest the characted contract the disease themselves. Detecting a disease from a semi-safe distance would be a much preferable option.

Also, in many cases the Heal skill is not practical because the subject might not allow themselves to be examined, due to delirium or if it's a hostile NPC, for example.

The Heal skill also wouldn't help when trying to detect the presence of disease in a body of water, or a slime-coated cave, or some other inanimate object.

Our DM says that Detect Poison only detects chemical poisons, not pathogens (and especially not an exotic disease like Zombie Rot Disease).

After all, the rules specifically say that the spell allows the caster to "determine whether a creature, object, or area has been poisoned or is poisonous". It does not say that the caster is able to "determine whether a creature, object, or area has been poisoned, is poisonous, or is infected with disease."

It seems illogical that ancient wizards and clerics would create spells for detecting poison, undead, evil, good, etc, but would not create a spell for detecting disease.

I'm just sayin'...

FINAL QUESTION: If a character or NPC has died from being poisoned, will Detect Poison determine the cause of death?

In the real world, the length of time a poison remains in the body depends on which poison is used.

In the game world, should we assume that the poison lingers indefinitely or should we assume that the poison disappears immediately upon death?

Similarly, if a character or NPC has died from contracting a pathogen (whether traditional, magical, or undead), would the corresponding "detect" spell determine the cause of death?