thelesuit's page

I just wanted to chime in as being in favor of rewarding GM's who "eat" mod's.

CJ

Oooo...I like this. I'm getting a very Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (from the movie character played by Ian McNeice) from this for Grandmaster Torch floating in his pool of water. I can work with this.

CJ

I hesitate to ask...but do you think this is a problem?

CJ

thelesuit wrote:

First, it has to be something that Grandmaster Torch could not just "do" on his own. So some sort of specialized skill or at least organized thought process is required.

I kinda doubt Grandmaster Torch would get his hands dirty on anything, despite living in some god forsaken sewers (?).

I mean "do" in the figurative sense of having someone open it for him. While his lock-breaker is unavailable, I would assume he has other minions that could perform simple tasks.

I'm wondering why the chest didn't open just with the little turning thing. Also, there is no penalty for failure, so the character actually automatically succeeds on all the 10 listen checks. Actually, the same goes to the other chests as well.

That kind of makes opening ALL of these chests, "simple tasks". I'm sort of at a loss as to how to make this more interesting and believable from an "in game" point of view. I have till tomorrow evening to figure something out. I do like the idea of Grandmaster Torch contracting the PCs because he doesn't have anyone smart or competent available...so the tasks they need to overcome should require smarts or competence.

CJ

I would also like to advocate for giving rangers more options (unless you really want to keep them as strikers or whatever 4e calls them now).

I suggest that rangers should be allowed to select from the following:

Archery: Rapid Shot, Manyshot, Improved Precise Shot

Cavalry: Ride-By Attack, Trample, Spirited Charge

Assault: Cleave, Great Cleave, Improved Critical (any non-light melee weapon)

Skirmish: Mobility, Spring Attack, Whirlwind Attack

2-weapon: 2-Weapon Fighting, Improved 2-weapon Fighting, Greater 2-weapon Fighting

CJ

My point is the Devil Dial requires a particular class/skill and is not solvable by other means. In organized plays one may not assume the party to be balanced. I hope there would be some small errata or modification to the scenario stating the ridiculous Open Lock DC 8 can be done by a character without the ranks. I'm not feeling bad about the minor loss of access or so, but the principle annoys the heck out of me.

I think you are correct Deussu. We should come up with some alternatives.

First, it has to be something that Grandmaster Torch could not just "do" on his own. So some sort of specialized skill or at least organized thought process is required.

Anyone have any thoughts or ideas?

CJ

thelesuit wrote:

Complete Book of Templates

I'm not familiar with this one.

I too love Advanced Bestiary as well as Book of Templates Deluxe Edition.

D'oh. My bad Justin. You have the book title correct -- as I purchased it on you or Pygon's advice. ;)

CJ

Love templates. The Advanced Bestiary and now the Complete Book of Templates are my favorite books!!

More please sir.

CJ

thelesuit wrote:

Is there a fundamental difference between the character I create for my self and one I have a friend of mine create for me?

CJ

The question would be if someone looks to carry over adventure records from the play of a pre-gen character to a different character in subsequent adventures.

Very valid point. Separate characters are separate characters. I think this might be an issue with folks who aren't familiar with the RPGA model.

Though the Chronicle has the PC name at the top -- so that might help to mitigate some confusion.

CJ

Nice! Will that work? How do floodgates work, exactly?

Well, generally what happens is the reservoir behind the dam fills with water during flood seasons. The flood gates are opened to allow a slower, smaller flow of water downstream over a longer period of time. In many places that is actually the purpose of a dam – controlling seasonal flooding. Some dams are built with a "spill way" to further allow overflow.

CJ

thelesuit wrote:

that abides by ALL THE RUES, who is going to tell me I can't?

Be careful of those Rues... they will get you every time ;-)

Well I certainly rues my last diatribe.

CJ

Having waited over an hour to start a PFS game due to new players creating characters, I see the need for fast-play character sheets. However, I do believe there needs to be official approval of the fastplay concept before such an option is legal in play--regardless of how compelling the need is.

What?

As long as the characters are "street legal" why should there be any official objection?

From a players prospective that would be like someone who isn't even at the freakin' table telling me (beyond what is in the Society Guide), what character I can play... If I want to run a human sorceress who is like Seoni in every way, that abides by ALL THE RUES, who is going to tell me I can't?

Is there a fundamental difference between the character I create for my self and one I have a friend of mine create for me?

CJ

And it looks like there won't be room for me to play The Hydra's Fang Incident. So I hope to see you guys next time! :)

Actually right now there are six PLAYERS signed up and six slots (and you are currently one of the players). I understand not wanting to drive 2+ hours to play in one module. You could come and judge the first slot though...if you desired. I'm sure we will have some walk-in's.

CJ

So, I'm looking to have my players engage in some side-tracked adventures.

Has anyone done anything with:
Nybor
Ember Lake
Galduria
Wolf's Ear
Churlwood
Wartle
Windsong Abbey
or Viperwall

I would be looking to leverage the work of others...or discuss here what these places might hold.

CJ

D'oh!

I found most of what I would be looking for by reading Pathfinder #3, Hook Mountain Massacre.

Humiliations galore is what I get for not reading ahead.

CJ

So, I'm looking to have my players engage in some side-tracked adventures.

Has anyone done anything with:
Nybor
Ember Lake
Galduria
Wolf's Ear
Churlwood
Wartle
Windsong Abbey
or Viperwall

I would be looking to leverage the work of others...or discuss here what these places might hold.

CJ

I just ran this again, and ran into a real confusing element. Against the lacedons, there's supposed to be a fire started when the lantern is knocked off.

My problem is two fold. Firstly, this is a small whale oil lantern. There's not a lot of fuel that would allow a damp hold to burn to danger levels within a minute. Secondly, the hold has taken on a foot of brackish bilge water. Yes the oil would burn on the surface... but so what?

How does this small lantern falling and breaking in a foot of brackish bilge water manage to engulf the entire ship in a raging conflagration in a matter of minutes?

Is it really important that the ship burn? I sort of skipped that bit. I had a several longboats full of Consortium Enforcers due to arrive soon. My players didn't really want to be there to greet them -- so they had plenty of motivation for departing quickly after dealing with the lacedons.

The hold is also filled with cargo and other crap (figuratively). There could be a lot of tarred cordage (ropes for the ship), that catch fire pretty easily. We have no idea what the cargo is -- but it could certainly be leaky urns of volatile oil...or whatever.

Most ship's lanterns are made to NOT immediately set fire to the ship when knocked over. Dread Pirate Darcy might have skimped on this though. More troubling than the ship's lantern is the make-shift galley (kitchen) described in the hold. That just seems dangerously foolish. Generally you want to put your galley were a cooking fire (quite common) isn't going to threaten to engulf your vessel in flames. But DP Darcy doesn't have any ranks in anything nautical, so I wouldn't put it past him to do something this stupid (though he does have an INT 15).

I would set the ship on fire if it added to the story/plot/danger, otherwise skip it.

CJ

DigitalMage wrote:

Why wouldn't pre-gens be allowed? In effect all that is changing is who creates the character.

I imagine they don't want a hundred people all playing Valeros, for one. Additionally, having people invest the time and energy into making a character also makes them want to play them again, and that means they need to register for an account. I can see Paizo's marketing take on Org play, and I think that pregens, while convenient at the table, take away that important step of establishing one-on-one contact between the company and the customer.

I don't think this is really an issue as you can create as many characters as you want. I've played in seven or eight "organized play" campaigns, several of which I started with pre-gens. After getting my feet wet, I usually go on to create my own character. In a four hour time slot there just isn't enough time to create a character AND play through the module. I want to encourage walk-in players, but I don't want to bog down the table. Having pre-gen's available is the standard response.

CJ

I already made the Pre-Gens to Society rules.. But I am not sure if Pre Gens are allowed to for the Society game.. they never answered the 2 posts I saw on it..one started by me..

If you want my copies just say so and I will email them to you when I get home.

There is a strong chance I will have walk-in's this Saturday at our Game Day. Could I trouble you to send me copies of the pre-gen's you've done?

thelesuit(at)hotmail(dot)com

Thanks.

CJ

Anyways, one thing bothered me about the first encounter. How does the Katya-- or whatever-- hover? How?!

This is "hover" in the literary sense - as in to stand over - rather than in the game mechanics sense. She is standing in the same square as the dead body or perhaps the body is in the square in front of the door and she is the adjacent square.

My party was disappointed to discover that she wasn't a hot little teen-aged girl who needed their help!!

CJ

Here is the re-conception of the Hydra's Fang. Rather crude and without a neat battle grid.

CJ

I just signed up! I'm really looking forward to this. But, as I have to drive 2+ hours to get there, I'd like to know if the tables are full before I make the drive. So, keep me posted on that, okay? It's much appreciated! Okay, now about my character...

Zootcat -- right now there is room at the tables in both slots. As near as I can tell you will be able to play both Silent Tides and Hydra's Fang Incident.

That being said, we now need more players for the second slot (Hydra's Fang) in order to make two legal tables. We have more than enough signed up to make one table, but not quite enough for two right now.

CJ

What about Deodands, from The Dying Earth? I'd like some of those, too, please.

Check out the old Arduin Grimoire, Hargrave called them "deodanths" but they are the same beastie and quite fun.

Of course, that isn't OGL or even approaching 3.5e.

CJ

So I ran Hydra’s Fang Incident last night. I was very impressed with the imaginative locations and kernel of the plot. I think that the tablets made a good, if somewhat superfluous, McGuffin. I like the idea of pursuing pirates but I don’t think this would ever be something that first level characters should undertake. It does strike me as a module that was initially crafted for much higher level and then “nerfed” to make it survivable for 1st level characters.

I had some real problems believing Dread Pirate “Darcy” as the scourge of the waves. Even at Tier 4 he is a somewhat laughable opponent who appears to have learned absolutely nothing about the sea or life on a ship. With a name like Du Moire I gave him an outrageous French accent and he became comic relief. I also assumed that the “real” pirates were elsewhere and had left Dread Pirate Darcy with the expendable leftovers.

Encounter one seemed to be really sort on relevant descriptions. Who were the dead folks, presumably one of them was Lubor Staizkal? How did they die? What is in the boxes of goods being shifted around in the back room? And how are the leftover pirates going to remove the boxes? The ladder is greased, so presumably they aren’t taking them out that way. Are they just tossing the room for any small portable items of value (which might make sense)? Have they found anything and what was it? I glossed over this when I ran it, but upon reflection it would have been nice to know a little more about what had just transpired in Lubor’s shop.

The foes left over in the shop posed no problem for my players. They were a combat optimal party (for the most part) with a raging half-orc barbarian wielding a great sword. I think combat lasted all of three rounds even after I added a warrior-rogue from the higher tier.

I’m not sure why the second encounter would involve combat. The Consortium Agents are duly appointed authorities. Yes the Consortium is a criminal organization – but they are the criminal organization recognized by law. I turned this into a role playing encounter. It would have been fun to have the party tangle with a sea cat cub and the possibility of getting thrown in the bay – but nothing led me to believe that the Underdocks wasn’t a public place where combat would draw more Consortium Agents.

I skipped the third encounter. It just didn’t seem credible or terribly relevant. I also didn’t want to spend 30+ minutes dealing with the 3.5 swim and drowning rules. To balance the loss of the sahuagin I beefed up the 1st encounter and gave Pirate Darcy a level of fighter and an additional brigand on hand.

My party did a credible job of bluffing their way on board the Hydra’s Fang mostly by telling the truth – Darcy was in trouble for killing a Consortium Enforcer and their agents were on their way. Given that Captain Darcy was on the lookout for the return of the rest of the crew (the real pirates), there was little chance of the party sneaking on board. I upped the tension by having longboats filled with Enforcers in the distance. I reconstructed the deck plans of the Hydra based on an actual sailing ship and abstracted the irregular terrain encountered by combatants. Even so taking out Darcy (even with an extra level of fighter) and the “junior pirates” wasn’t much of a challenge to the party. More time was spent by the party bickering over what to do with the body and the things found on it than actually rendering the foes dead.

I also redrew the cargo hold and placed a compartment with a chain-wrapped door at the aft end. Simply wrapping the door with chains would stop the “slaves” from escaping – it also got rid of the need for a rogue with the ability to open locks. The lacedons weren’t much of a challenge once the party cleric showed up and backed them into a corner.

All things considered it was a fun module to run and I think my players had a good time. All but the Osirion accomplished their goals and they got a hefty chunk of change out of it. It did seem like the module was heavily combat oriented – but the unscripted roleplaying bits were probably the most fun. It also seemed like very much of a fifteen minute adventuring day module. The encounters went from one right to the other with little pause (which is good and bad). Fortunately none of them were terribly vicious and the foes (at least for my group) soon fell.

I was disappointed with some of what appeared to be contradictions between the intro and flavor text and the proof in the pudding. Dread Pirate Darcy, even with his full plate of elite aristocrat skills and INT 15, didn’t seem very believable as the scourge of the Andoran coast and a threat to the Chelish navy. I played Freeport and other “pirate-y” campaigns, and DP Darcy didn’t cut the mustard – even at his most fearsome in Tier 3-4. Given all I have heard of Savage Tides I would have expected better.

CJ

I am preparing to run Hydra’s Fang Incident for my players and for the local game day.

I have some questions about the ship, the Hydra’s Fang.

The text calls the ship a galiot. I’m assuming that we are talking the Dutch-German two-masted sailing galliot, rather than a single masted sailed and oared Mediterranean small galley. In either case, 2-3 sailors (depending upon tier) is not sufficient to crew this vessel.

It also seems sort of absurd to give a DC for the players attempting to infiltrate the crew, when there are only two or three other guys on deck. Wouldn’t the presence of five or six non-sailors be a bit obvious?

If the ship were even under a skeleton crew, there would still be six or seven pirates for the party to face? I’m not sure how to handle this. I had thought to have most of the crew occupied with readying the ship to depart port: weighing anchor, tending the sails & rigging, stowing cargo, etc. But on a pirate ship these fellows would be expected to defend the ship. Du Moire’s promise to keelhaul all shirkers would seem to guarantee this.

The deck plan given in the module doesn’t quite correspond to anything that I can tell. Masts extend below decks. There aren’t any hatches listed. I’m not sure what the big box is at amidships. Can anyone give me a clue? Given this I’m going to draft my own deck plans using something a bit more like an actual ship as a reference.

The descriptive text states that the hatch to the cargo area containing the lacedons is “held fast with thick black chains”. There is no mention of what it would take the PCs or the lacedons to disable these chains – presumably this is possible though.

It seems like an interesting adventure, but highly unlikely (or perhaps comical) that a fourth level aristocrat (or an aristocrat/fighter) with no ranks in anything nautical has managed to terrorize Andoren shipping and confound the navies of Cheliax and Andoran.

Does anyone who has GM’ed this adventure have any tips or insights?

CJ

No worries. I will eat and be prepared to judge Hydra's Fang in the second slot (4PM - 8PM) if necessary. Right now we have enough to run a single table. With me as the alternate GM, we can accommodate any walk-in's.

CJ

Well...Ok I'll take the bribe, but no need for reimbursement :). I wasn't at Gencon so I haven't played either. I'll run Silent Teeth in slot one. I'd like a chance to play as well.

Please sign-up on the MOB Muster site -- if you don't have an RPGA number (which the site uses for a unique identifier) let me know, and I can get you one.

The Mob Muster Site.

You can sign-up to GM in slot one and play in slot two.

CJ

No need to bribe me. I just looked up driving directions from my place to G&G and while its a bit longer than I'd like I'm willing to get there. Heck I'm even willing to GM the morning slot. I've never run a tournament style game before. Anything I should be aware of? Also what module do you need me to GM/Judge?

Oh and I'm still down for meeting up at The Games Matrix.

Well the MOB generally bribes all GM's from our box of GM swag.

For judging a tournament module -- you need to have prepared (read) the module before hand. Which means you will need to download it from the Pathfinder Society page. Modules run around $4 a pop. If you download and prep #1 and #2 I'm pretty sure that the MOB can reimburse you for the cost. Tournament style is just like a home game only you have a time limit (4 hours) and sort of need to keep the players a bit more focused than otherwise.

Slot one is Silent Tides -- that runs from 10:30 till 3:30.

Slot two is Hydra's Teeth -- which runs from 4:00 till 8:00.

Did you play either of these modules at GenCon?

My understanding is that these run a bit short (duration wise). Rob has said that generally this isn't a problem.

CJ

Well I'm still down for The Games Matrix, I think that makes three total so far. Unfortunately I'll be out of the area from the 15th through 26thish and then gone again 28-04 October. However I'm free the 13th and 27th.

BlackKestrel PLEASE come to Redmond and be a GM for at least the first slot (10:30-3:30)!! We can promise you some Mob GM Swag!

CJ

I like your gnomes Tbug. Especially the names. Any advice on creating gnomish names?

CJ

This won't help for the 13th, but we're preparing to start running Pathfinder society events at Oroboro Games & Books in Bellevue as well, so more options are about to appear. We'll post in a separate thread with details here shortly.

Steve, once I've played any of the respective mod's I'll be more than happy to judge them at Oroboros.

CJ

[BUMP]

Another plea for a second GM to run Pathfinder Society modules at the Seattle Mob Game Day on September 13th in Redmond, WA.

CJ

Touch AC isn't as much of an issue anymore due to grappling and tripping being based on CMB and not the auto-losses they once were.

So, let's look at it:
Touch AC = AC - armor (4 to 12ish) - shield (1 to 7ish) - natural armor (0 to 5ish), so we can estimate that Touch AC = AC - (5-24ish). That's a pretty big swing. Maybe if one of those AC losses were taken out, we'd feel better...

Perhaps...

The feat Shield Ward from Player's Handbook 2 allows one to add his shield bonus to his rolls to resist grapple, trip, bull rush, and to his Touch AC. Perhaps including a similar feat in Pathfinder would be a good idea, as it's a boon to those fighters who aren't two-handing their weapon, Animated shields aside?

Currently, the shield bonus costs a hand and provides less AC than the armor bonus, which only costs movement; a bit less of a sting. (I am assuming that players choose their PCs' Dex scores to account for what sort of armor they plan to wear.) Perhaps giving the shield bonus the ability to do more than just add to non-touch AC is a good idea here?

-Matt

In my home playtest of the Beta I am already suggesting a House Rule of Shield bonus applies to Touch AC, but not to Flat-Footed AC.

CJ

thelesuit wrote:

I have an .XLS that is for 3.5e -- so it is "fillable". If someone wants it I can send it to them.

I'd certainly like a copy; my e-mail address is paz {AT} parrais {DOT} co {DOT} uk.

Sent my friend.

CJ

Judging from this picture alone, I have to say that the seugathi look much cooler and horror inducing than the mind flayers of yore.

CJ

Remind them to join the Osirion faction.

You mean Qadiran faction Yoda.

CJ

I'm a maybe for the 13th as well. I'll post on the local yahoo group to see if Doug, Craig or Tavis are interested in playing or judging. We can all caravan down from Bham as well.

I think Mr. Dezotell (Imhotep) is headed down from Bellinghamster to the Game Day.

But we ARE going to need another GM.

CJ

I have an .XLS that is for 3.5e -- so it is "fillable". If someone wants it I can send it to them. Otherwise I will look at finding a place to host it.

CJ

"Rukus! Is that you, boy!?"

Yeehaw! I reckon' things 'bout to get mighty in'trestin'.

CJ

Yoinks! We are at max capacity for the second slot and over by one for the first. If we get any walk-in's we are going to need another GM.

CJ

Part of the duties of the law enforcement establishment in Sandpoint is to serve as agents for the Magnimar Customs Service. With Sheriff Hemlock taking several watchmen and deputies with him to Magnimar – the customs agents are terribly understaffed and overworked. Barwell Sidgarn is the lead customs agent (so he doesn’t appear in the Town Watch Rotation). He sends Lance Hurn, who is currently assisting him, to find the heroes and summon them to the Customs Wharf (dock closest to the Sandpoint Mercantile #40).

Moored to the wharf is the sixty-foot caravel, Wind of Desna. The owner and operator of this vessel is the Androssi Costermonger Group of Magnimar. The ship’s captain (and pilot) is a Varisian named Rirdas Triermi. Barwell suspects that Rirdas has been engaged in smuggling, but he can’t prove anything. He is hoping the by having the new heroes poke into things they will jostle something loose.

My thought is generally a familiar or arcanely bonded object should be a "nice to have", not a "need to have". That would certainly be in keeping with previous editions. I'm not sure introducing a new handicap for the wizard class is justified.

CJ

I just made up a type of tree that the Thassalonians cultivated for construction: Milkwood. It doesn't rot, it just petrifies. They used it for all sorts of decorative work. It's rarely found in modern Varisia, but I plan to have it pop up more frequently as they delve deeper into the heart of Karzoug's realm, as a nice bit of foreshadowing. "Fear the Milkwood!".

Awesome Selk. I like this idea. I will add a long forgotten Thassalonian alchemical process to suit my own tastes.

CJ

Does this really pertain to Ability Scores and Races?

CJ

Off the top of my head I would say that another characteristic of the Thassalonian ruins is the gargantuan size that shows both the capability of them being used or accomodating to giants and even larger than is necessary for this in order to show the magnitude and power of the builders.

I think I would play up just how well preserved things are compared to the known age or perhaps the growth of the surrounding flora.

Sean Mahoney

Wow. I didn't think of that. That would certainly argue toward adjusting the scale of some of the encounter areas!! Which are generally freakin' tiny.

CJ

So...what are folks doing to characterize particular ruins as Thassalonian in nature (other than seven-pointed stars)?

Also...given that the Thassalonian ruins are quite old -- what are the doors made of? Some are called out as being made of stone (the doors into the Runewell-chamber under Sandpoint), others are not specified that I could find. Given the time-spans involved I would think that most wooden doors would have rotted away unless they were preserved through arcane or alchemical means (which is what I am leaning toward).

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

CJ

This still isn't working for me. I log on with my gmail account and I don't see anything on the map.

Does this work with FireFox?

CJ

Ah...I'm trying to figure out how this thread relates to Ability Scores and Races.

Can someone give me a hint?

Thanks.

CJ

thelesuit wrote:

This just seems a little blatant/obvious from a story point of view.

My experience has been that players miss many of the clues that are put out to foreshadow things for them. So I tend to increase the amount of foreshadowing available and hope they get some of it (seems to work pretty well). Too often DMs have all these great things going on in their heads and it never gets conveyed to their PCs. I see this as one more opportunity for a good game.

If you don't see this a good thing in your campaign though, no sweat.

Sean Mahoney

I'm totally there with you Sean. I have plenty of dull-ish un-clue'd players. Your point is well taken. I may just mix in a box of "strange antiquities" in with the other illicit goods.

CJ

Hrmm... very good question.

The first thought in my mind is Thassalonian relics. Perhaps these are simply not allowed to be traded. The Varisian Council in Magnimar has pushed through legislation that prohibits the trade or sale of these relics that they see as the birthright of their people (mistakenly thinking they are the decendants of the Thassalonians rather than just the working class members of that society).

It would also give you a chance to forshadow the Thassalonian links as well, like the sehidron rune, etc.

Sean Mahoney

This just seems a little blatant/obvious from a story point of view.

I think that perhaps the editors were asleep at the switch and didn't take things to their logical conclusion. If Sandpoint has historically been home to smugglers (as evidenced by the tunnels under the city), there had to have been a reason and something to smuggle. Clearly when the first module was written, that writer had something in mind. Second module, new writer, Magnimar became a place where duties and import fees don't exist.

Presumably there is some law around the city-states, otherwise the Hellknights wouldn't have anything to do. And it isn't like Magnimar is a lawless place. For the purposes of my campaign I'm going to temper the "free port" idea for Magnimar somewhat. Yes they don't charge import duties or fees -- but that is only to traders licensed by the Magnimar Merchant League (or somesuch). They don't necessarily take a cut of a merchant trader's profits -- but they do charge a fee for the license and presumably also track what is shipped in. The license fees might change from season to season and merchant to merchant depending upon who has bribed the Merchant League the most...

"Yes, I'm sorry Mr. Merchant, to unload that brassware you now need a Yellow-Five License. You only have a Blue-Five License, and therefore you are already at your raw tonnage limit. Yes, sir, I'm sorry sir. It is 250gp for the Yellow-Five License. Thankyouverymuch."

Some merchants by their very nature don't want to muck with the licensing fees. Some merchants also don't want to give the Merchants League that much information/leverage to manipulate and control the markets. Hence there would be a need for smugglers willing to move things through other ports illicitly and then move it overland to markets.

Magnimar might also place a duty on goods passing through the city bound for towns up the Yondabakari River further inland. Sandpoint and Magnimar are pretty much the only ports (on the map) along the coast of Varisia between Roderic's Cove (near Riddleport) and Palin's Cove (within spitting distance of Korvosa).

As such I'm going to go with luxury goods and perhaps alchemical/herbal substances that have a high yield for their weight.

CJ

I have a problem Houston.

I am running Burnt Offerings and had desired to have some more "deputy sheriff" work for the heroes to engage in while Sheriff Hemlock is off to Magnimar being denied reinforcements.

My thought is that Sandpoint is known for smugglers. And I figured that I would have the local Customs Agent tap the party for some assistance in checking out a shady merchant. The merchant captain is a Varisian named Rirdas Triermi. He has a sixty-foot caravel called the Wind of Desna which he captains for the Androssi Costermonger Group of Magnimar. This is all well and good.

But I got to thinking, what would one smuggle in and around Sandpoint. Talking with Tbug we concluded that such smugglers would probably be looking to avoid Magnimaran shipping and entry duties. That makes sense as Sandpoint is ostensibly a colony of Magnimar. I was doing some further research to determine what exactly one might smuggle in this area when I got to reading the Magnimar section of Skinsaw Murders. I read the following:

First and foremost a trade city, Magnimar owes its prosperity

to the countless foreign merchants who readily make use
of the city’s reputedly safe and free port. Enforcing no taxes
on harborage or imports, the city welcomes business from all
lands and makes the bounty of Varisia available for trade.

Am I missing something here?

From reading this, Magnimar doesn't impose any import tariffs or duties. So...where do the smugglers come from? Now it could be that smugglers are transporting illegal goods -- but I'm not entirely sure what those would be either. From the sound of things, there aren't many things that are illegal in Magnimar.

If anyone has some ideas, please let me know.

Thanks.

CJ