I wish this were easier to avoid but since Adamantine exist.... and it negates 20 Hardness in which case makes virtually almost any item to be totally destroyed with a single Sunder attempt made by a strong character.
So players can exploit Sunder and defeat almost any enemy by destroying their weapons. I understand about the treasure haul reduction but as Make Whole says it can restore an item from 0 Hit point or less. So a Cleric or a Wizard can fully restore a destroyed item and the party dont loose any treasure.
I'm not seeing a question there... just an implied complaint that a GM might be using sunder too often.
Sunder is one of those rules elements that, like poison or disease or ability score damage/drain, punishes PCs far more than it punishes NPCs and monsters, since the effects of these attacks carry over from encounter to encounter. It's not something that any GM should use all the time.
My point exactly, it is why I think Sunder is strong and easily exploited, don't you think? NPCs Sundering encounter by encounter would punish hard the PCs making and possibly leaving them without money or items.
Also the other way around.... PC's with adamantine weapons will be sundering all enemies weapons and armors making the encounters EXTRA easier. Which spoils the fun and the challenging of the game.
Mr. James Jacobs,
Was the Trenchmist and subsequent Trench Zombie from "Rasputin Must Die" one of your making?
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Perhaps the limitation is harsh but what about maybe be able to fix it by at least paying half the raw materials needed to create the item and hand it to a crafter in order to fix it?
Magic Items? (If I remember correctly, Make Whole doesn't restore magical properties)
That's the way it was in D&D. Pathfinder's version of make whole can restore broken magic items to full functionality.
(As long as your caster level is high enough... and that limitation is too much, in my taste, and I omit that limitation entirely otherwise you'd never be able to fix things with a CL of 11 or higher...)
In 3rd edition D&D, losing valuable equipment was about the worst thing that could happen. Not because it hurt your stats NEARLY as much as because there was no real way to fix a broken +3 longsword other than building it from scratch. In those games, the death of a character is less horrible than the loss of a magic weapon, since there are LOTS of spells that can fix death.
A dead character shouldn't be less horrible than a broken sword.
My prefered solution would be to have more repair spells. There's healing spells for every spell level after all!
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I wish this were easier to avoid but since Adamantine exist.... and it negates 20 Hardness in which case makes virtually almost any item to be totally destroyed with a single Sunder attempt made by a strong character.
So players can exploit Sunder and defeat almost any enemy by destroying their weapons. I understand about the treasure haul reduction but as Make Whole says it can restore an item from 0 Hit point or less. So a Cleric or a Wizard can fully restore a destroyed item and the party dont loose any treasure.
I'm not seeing a question there... just an implied complaint that a GM might be using sunder too often.
Sunder is one of those rules elements that, like poison or disease or ability score damage/drain, punishes PCs far more than it punishes NPCs and monsters, since the effects of these attacks carry over from encounter to encounter. It's not something that any GM should use all the time.
My point exactly, it is why I think Sunder is strong and easily exploited, don't you think? NPCs Sundering encounter by encounter would punish hard the PCs making and possibly leaving them without money or items.
Also the other way around.... PC's with adamantine weapons will be sundering all enemies weapons and armors making the encounters EXTRA easier. Which spoils the fun and the challenging of the game.
The GM has control. If adamantine weapons are too much, just don't allow them in the game.
As for "easily exploited," I would instead say "easily abused."
In any event, I feel that the question/answer stage is resolved, and I'm not interested in turning this thread into the "Sunder—yes or no?" argument thread; if you'd like to continue arguing for or against the merits of this combat tactic, it deserves its own thread.
Hey James when a cavalier charges with a lance does he multiplies ONLY the weapon damage x2? or does he multiplies strenght, weapon magic bonuses and other bonuses x2 has well?
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Creative Director
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Hey James when a cavalier charges with a lance does he multiplies ONLY the weapon damage x2? or does he multiplies strenght, weapon magic bonuses and other bonuses x2 has well?
Whenever you multiply damage, be it from a lance charge or a critical hit or whatever, you multiply ALL the damage done EXCEPT for additional dice of damage, such as what you might add via sneak attack or Vital Strike or energy effects or the like.
So yes, strength, weapon magic bonuses, weapon specialization bonuses, etc. all stack.
Does Kobolds of Golarion mean that the little guys will be getting a boon, like the goblins did?
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Creative Director
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Any chance you know if the upcoming crafting source book will answer the question about the interaction between Oracle's of Lore Focused Trance ability and crafting? It was in the thread here, but it didn't seem to get much attention, although it's still a point of contention.
Crafting source book? I'm not aware of any upcoming "crafting source book."
Yes, I do. Society is my only way to play at the moment; I don't know any other game masters, and as much as I'd like to GM my home games, the GMPC is something that apparently just doesn't work, so I couldn't play a kobold that way.
On Golarion beside Numeria where what area are the most likely to contain android and robot?
And are there any android and robot on the other planets??
thank for your time and keep up the good work.
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Somebody brought up the Absalom book, which I'm using heavily in a home campaign right now, and really enjoying!
I noticed the clever shout-outs to Gygax and Arneson. :) But I'm wondering, as a non-old schooler, if there's a whole lot more that I'm missing? Can you recall any other "easter eggs" in that book? Or would I have to ask Owen K.C. Stevens?
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Creative Director
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On Golarion beside Numeria where what area are the most likely to contain android and robot?
And are there any android and robot on the other planets??
thank for your time and keep up the good work.
Beyond Numeria, all regions are pretty much equally likely (or UNlikely) to have androids and robots—they're VERY rare outside of Numeria. Border nations have a slightly higher chance, of course, since robots and androids can just stroll next door if they so wish.
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Any chance you know if the upcoming crafting source book will answer the question about the interaction between Oracle's of Lore Focused Trance ability and crafting? It was in the thread here, but it didn't seem to get much attention, although it's still a point of contention.Crafting source book? I'm not aware of any upcoming "crafting source book.""Sean K Reynolds
In an upcoming sourcebook, we're going to write additional material for the magic item crafting rules, further explaining and clarifying the nuances of how this works." From the link I included in my post.
Maybe he was talking about Ultimate Equipment? if so I'll need to read through again and see if it's answered, because if so I haven't seen it.
I'm not sure what book he was talking about, honestly.
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Creative Director
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Somebody brought up the Absalom book, which I'm using heavily in a home campaign right now, and really enjoying!
I noticed the clever shout-outs to Gygax and Arneson. :) But I'm wondering, as a non-old schooler, if there's a whole lot more that I'm missing? Can you recall any other "easter eggs" in that book? Or would I have to ask Owen K.C. Stevens?
The Gygax and Arneson easter eggs were placed there by Erik Mona, I believe. As for easter eggs... they're more fun if you find them yourself! :-P
Any chance you know if the upcoming crafting source book will answer the question about the interaction between Oracle's of Lore Focused Trance ability and crafting? It was in the thread here, but it didn't seem to get much attention, although it's still a point of contention.Crafting source book? I'm not aware of any upcoming "crafting source book.""Sean K Reynolds
In an upcoming sourcebook, we're going to write additional material for the magic item crafting rules, further explaining and clarifying the nuances of how this works." From the link I included in my post.
Maybe he was talking about Ultimate Equipment? if so I'll need to read through again and see if it's answered, because if so I haven't seen it.
I'm pretty sure that is in regards to Ultimate Campaign, which does have sections about magic item crafting.
Yep, that was ultimate campaign. They're going to cover some topics in FAQs or blog posts though, as it wasn't fair to lock that info up in a book (paraphrasing Sean there).
Are there Elf Nobles similar to Drow Nobles?
Could you list the possible things a redeemed / ascended daemon would need to struggle with if it wanted to stay on the path of good?
knowledge arcana from Core Rulebook p.101 says: lets me ''Identify a spell effect that is in place''(20+spell level), so does it mean that lets me identify all buffs casted on a creature has well?(rolling knowledge arcane per each buff or casted spell to know them all)
Knowledge arcana says: ''Identify materials manufactured by magic''(20+spell level) so is it referring to magic items? does it let me identify magic items worn by a creature? examples: swords( magic properties), armors(magic properties), belts, cloaks, boots, rings etc?
I've got another list ready from my notes.
1. How many spells does a wizard start knowing?
2. If a wizard becomes a mezlan (Pathfinder 66, p.90-91), will she retain her class levels?
3. Can fabricate replicate multiple items so long as they're within the maximum volume and I have the necessary materials?
4. What bonus would crafting spells (like fabricate or polymorph any object) give to generating capital?
5. Can I use the Influence and Labor provided by followers (Ultimate Campaign p.80) to aid in building construction?
6. Can I use capital to hire spellcasters?
7. Can a manager (Ultimate Campaign p.88) make checks to generate capital? What about a cohort?
8. How many people can one kitchen room (Ultimate Campaign p.99) serve?
9. Would it be safe to say that two 15-square bunks are better furnished than one 30-square bunk?
10. Speaking of which, what would be best to house a harem in: bunks or lodgings?
I've got another list ready from my notes.
1. How many spells does a wizard start knowing?
2. If a wizard becomes a mezlan (Pathfinder 66, p.90-91), will she retain her class levels?
3. Can fabricate replicate multiple items so long as they're within the maximum volume and I have the necessary materials?
4. What bonus would crafting spells (like fabricate or polymorph any object) give to generating capital?
5. Can I use the Influence and Labor provided by followers (Ultimate Campaign p.80) to aid in building construction?
6. Can I use capital to hire spellcasters?
7. Can a manager (Ultimate Campaign p.88) make checks to generate capital? What about a cohort?
8. How many people can one kitchen room (Ultimate Campaign p.99) serve?
9. Would it be safe to say that two 15-square bunks are better furnished than one 30-square bunk?
10. Speaking of which, what would be best to house a harem in: bunks or lodgings?
IANJ, but the answer to your first question's in the PRD; At level 1, you have Int Mod + 3 1st level spells, and all 0 level spells known.
"A wizard begins play with a spellbook containing all 0-level wizard spells (except those from his prohibited schools, if any; see Arcane Schools) plus three 1st-level spells of his choice. The wizard also selects a number of additional 1st-level spells equal to his Intelligence modifier to add to the spellbook. At each new wizard level, he gains two new spells of any spell level or levels that he can cast (based on his new wizard level) for his spellbook. At any time, a wizard can also add spells found in other wizards' spellbooks to his own (see Magic)."
Are there Elf Nobles similar to Drow Nobles?Nope.
Oh well, so much for the theory that the Elf Nobles are all hanging out on Castrovel ...
Checkin' in about my Harrow Deck of Many Things game.
Ended up going with Lawful Neutral with the Efreeti (Stereotype: BROKEN). I gave her a very specific Code of Conduct in regards to her wishes and I explained that Common wasn't her first language, so any "Wish Twisting" that she does is mostly because of poor translation on behalf of the PCs. Therefore I can still twist around ridiculously specific or game-breaking wishes without needing to have a Lawful Evil genie hanging around the party.
That said, the deck putting her on a GM PC was probably the best thing that could have possibly happened.
Sticky Bomb
Prerequisite: Alchemist 10
Benefit: The effects of the alchemist’s bombs are persistent and continue to damage creatures for 1 round after the initial damage. Creatures that take a direct hit from a sticky bomb take the splash damage 1 round later. Bombs that have effects that would normally occur 1 round later instead have those effects occur 2 rounds later.
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The part on bold means.... that if I throw 3 Sticky Bombs in the same round then one of them will do the splash dmg 1 round later, the 2nd two rounds later and the 3rd three rounds later and so on? or this effect only applies to modified bombs like (frost bomb, force bombs, etc) but not to the sticky bomb itself meaning that attacking with 3 sticky(normal)bombs will do all the sticky bomb damage 1 round later to the same target?
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Creative Director
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Could you list the possible things a redeemed / ascended daemon would need to struggle with if it wanted to stay on the path of good?
Nope. Because our take is that when a powerful outsider falls or rises and thus changes alignment, it should be custom built rather than use something like a template. That means that each and every risen daemon would be completely different, with powers based on the interaction of what it was with what it's become, adjusted by how it rose from evil. They're all unique, and that makes it difficult to list "possible things" in the same way it's difficult to list "possible powers" for a new outsider. Because anything and everything would be on that list.
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Creative Director
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knowledge arcana from Core Rulebook p.101 says: lets me ''Identify a spell effect that is in place''(20+spell level), so does it mean that lets me identify all buffs casted on a creature has well?(rolling knowledge arcane per each buff or casted spell to know them all)
Knowledge arcana says: ''Identify materials manufactured by magic''(20+spell level) so is it referring to magic items? does it let me identify magic items worn by a creature? examples: swords( magic properties), armors(magic properties), belts, cloaks, boots, rings etc?
Nope; you use Spellcraft to identify magic items.
Knowledge (arcana) is used to identify materials manufactured by magic. So that'd be identifying an object created by fabricate or major creation, but also a statue created by stone shape, or a wall created by wall of iron, or a person petrified to stone by flesh to stone, or the like.
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Creative Director
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I've got another list ready from my notes.
1. How many spells does a wizard start knowing?
2. If a wizard becomes a mezlan (Pathfinder 66, p.90-91), will she retain her class levels?
3. Can fabricate replicate multiple items so long as they're within the maximum volume and I have the necessary materials?
4. What bonus would crafting spells (like fabricate or polymorph any object) give to generating capital?
5. Can I use the Influence and Labor provided by followers (Ultimate Campaign p.80) to aid in building construction?
6. Can I use capital to hire spellcasters?
7. Can a manager (Ultimate Campaign p.88) make checks to generate capital? What about a cohort?
8. How many people can one kitchen room (Ultimate Campaign p.99) serve?
9. Would it be safe to say that two 15-square bunks are better furnished than one 30-square bunk?
10. Speaking of which, what would be best to house a harem in: bunks or lodgings?
1) Yup... that's in the book. Int mod + 3, plus all zero level spells.
2) No. A creature loses all of its abilities from race and class when it becomes a mezlan.
3) Within reason. You could use fabricate to make a suit of armor (consisting of multiple parts) from a giant block of iron, but you couldn't make multiple suits of armor at once. Your GM gets final say here, in any event. I limit the spell to one object at a time, and the object has to be pretty much entirely made from the base materials.
4) They let you make things instantaneously rather than slowly over time. You make your money faster as a result.
5) Yes. Which is why those things are named the same. Gives the followers granted by Leadership a more direct use in the game.
6) You hire spellcasters the same way you hire any assistant. The fact that they cast spells doesn't make much of a difference. The rules are loose enough that you could essentially model the purchase of Magic capital as hiring spellcasters.
7) I would say no; that's a PC's job.
8) Unrevealed. Assume the same as any mid-sized restaurant.
9) Nope.
10) Either; depends on the theme you're going for the harem. I would actually suggest making up a brand new room to serve for a harem—that's a topic we, for better or worse, chose not to really cover in the book. (Note the re-definition of brothel to "dance hall.")
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Creative Director
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Checkin' in about my Harrow Deck of Many Things game.
Ended up going with Lawful Neutral with the Efreeti (Stereotype: BROKEN). I gave her a very specific Code of Conduct in regards to her wishes and I explained that Common wasn't her first language, so any "Wish Twisting" that she does is mostly because of poor translation on behalf of the PCs. Therefore I can still twist around ridiculously specific or game-breaking wishes without needing to have a Lawful Evil genie hanging around the party.
That said, the deck putting her on a GM PC was probably the best thing that could have possibly happened.
Efreeti are more about "wish twisting" because they can and because they're kinda jerks than because they don't understand the language.
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Creative Director
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Sticky Bomb
Prerequisite: Alchemist 10
Benefit: The effects of the alchemist’s bombs are persistent and continue to damage creatures for 1 round after the initial damage. Creatures that take a direct hit from a sticky bomb take the splash damage 1 round later. Bombs that have effects that would normally occur 1 round later instead have those effects occur 2 rounds later.
-------------------------------------------------------
The part on bold means.... that if I throw 3 Sticky Bombs in the same round then one of them will do the splash dmg 1 round later, the 2nd two rounds later and the 3rd three rounds later and so on? or this effect only applies to modified bombs like (frost bomb, force bombs, etc) but not to the sticky bomb itself meaning that attacking with 3 sticky(normal)bombs will do all the sticky bomb damage 1 round later to the same target?
The alchemists I've seen in play are generally REALLY good, and tend to overwhelm combats. As a result, I tend to be very conservative when adjudicating bombs. I would take the least advantageous solution to the alchemist in this choice.
Efreeti are more about "wish twisting" because they can and because they're kinda jerks than because they don't understand the language.Checkin' in about my Harrow Deck of Many Things game.
Ended up going with Lawful Neutral with the Efreeti (Stereotype: BROKEN). I gave her a very specific Code of Conduct in regards to her wishes and I explained that Common wasn't her first language, so any "Wish Twisting" that she does is mostly because of poor translation on behalf of the PCs. Therefore I can still twist around ridiculously specific or game-breaking wishes without needing to have a Lawful Evil genie hanging around the party.
That said, the deck putting her on a GM PC was probably the best thing that could have possibly happened.
I hear ya, but you did advise me to "break the stereotype" for this particular character. ;-P
Odd question that came up, can one Delay when one is Held? I mean it sez "cannot take any actions" but is delaying an action of sorts?
Next, have you read “Playing at the World” a very complete history of the early days of D&D? I mean, it’s so complete it even mentions my little supplement several times! VERY "Old School".
Have you ever had a chcarter either:
Killed directly by Cthulhu
or
Kill Cthulhu?
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Creative Director
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Odd question that came up, can one Delay when one is Held? I mean it sez "cannot take any actions" but is delaying an action of sorts?
Next, have you read “Playing at the World” a very complete history of the early days of D&D? I mean, it’s so complete it even mentions my little supplement several times! VERY "Old School".
Have you ever had a chcarter either:
Killed directly by Cthulhu
or
Kill Cthulhu?
Delay is something you have to consciously choose to do. It is, therefore, an action, and therefore is not something you can choose to do while being held.
I've not read "Playing at the World."
No and no. Although I've had Cthulhu kill several characters over the years while I was running him as a GM.
Does it give you any joy to know that my girlfriend and I have changed the way we count from "one Mississippi, two Mississippi" to "one Miskatonic, two Miskatonic" due to your recommendation that I read Lovecraft (and consequently read it aloud to her)?
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I've got another list ready from my notes.
10. Speaking of which, what would be best to house a harem in: bunks or lodgings?
The room or wing of a building a harem lives in is a haram (that's where the word comes from); it means "separated," and simply refers to an area of a house where only women, children, and close male relatives can enter.
I.e., "lodgings" probably covers it. Bunks is too dormitory-style; this is just the most private area of a house. If you want many husbands or wives in a single area, it probably works better, too.
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Weird spoilery question:
Would it be possible for a wizard PC to essentially become the new master/mistress of Shalast and all its secrets, heralding a new generation of Runelords? Would it be possible to redeem Thassilon's legacy in this manner? Or would the glaive basically say "Nope!" and this is just useless speculation?
Oh well, so much for the theory that the Elf Nobles are all hanging out on Castrovel ...Are there Elf Nobles similar to Drow Nobles?Nope.
You can always say that's how your home game is.
I just might.
Do wyvarans exist in golarion? If so, which regions are they native to?
Is there going to be another book like Rise of the Runelords Anniversary Edition? For long years I had made my own stories and adventures since I didnt like them much in D&D but I saw Rise of the Runelords Hardcover with all the Paths (mini books included) and covers from Lv 1 to 17! and I loved it. The story is GOOD, the details and it was expanded and updated from the adventures paths, that I wish more of these books were release. :)
Hi James,
A couple of completely unconnected questions for you:
1) From a design point of view, could you give a rough overview of how monster stats have changed from 3.5, and some insight as to why these decisions were made?
Assume I know nothing about how they've changed, and you'd be pretty close to the truth :) - I'm aware that pre-existing creatures had their stats altered/converted, and that the process for creating new creatures' stats is different from the 3.5 method, but I don't know how or why.
(If that is too big a question to answer, feel free to just not.)
2) What are the chances of Paizo running a PaizoCon in Australia in say, the next 15 years? (Just please, please don't call it PaizoCon Down Under...) Greater than 0?
Cheers!
Hewy