Can Boons be Given Away?


GM Discussion

The Exchange 5/5 RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16

I'm hoping that this is a short thread, without much rancor.

At GenCon this year, I lucked out and won a half-dozen racial boons. So, at the end of one session, I gave one of them (Ifrit) away to a new player, who'd had a lot of fun playing Frostfur Captives with his pre-gen, and was looking to make his first PC.

Recently, in a home game, another player and I wanted to build two PCs who were brothers. I used the Tiefling boon, and I game him the Aasimar boon.

This past weekend, I won an "extra loot" boon and, not having any poor PCs, immediately turned around and handed it to a player whose PC needed to pay for some costly spells to make it through the session, to help her get her character back on her feet.

In some of the threads recently, there are suggestions that I should not have done these things.

What are the guidelines here? If my buddy and I win boons that fit each other's characters very well, can we swap?

Grand Lodge 2/5 RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32, RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32

Chris Mortika wrote:
In some of the threads recently, there are suggestions that I should not have done these things.

Well you're not supposed to tell people!

Seriously though, no idea. I mean, if it was a regular chronicle that represented having played a certain scenario/module/whatever, that'd be one thing...

But if it's a boon that's just handed out in the first place? Surely there's no difference between an organizer giving it to you for "free" and you handing it to someone else for "free". Right?

Note that I don't have access to the Guide at the moment, so this is all just off the top of my head.

Grand Lodge 4/5

Yes, if you have an extra boon Chronicle you don't want, I have no problem with you giving it to another deserving player.

Grand Lodge 4/5 5/55/5 ***

As Mike said, there is nothing wrong with GIVING your extra boon chronicles away. Some of us just have a problem with SELLING your FREE boons to other people either locally or on eBay.

However, there is no PFS rule against it. IMO, it is sad when Paizo goes out of their way producing, sometimes at relatively considerable cost, free stuff for us and then greedy players turn around and take advantage of those who didn't have access and "make" them pay for a free item. Of course, they don't have to pay, but it just feels dirty to me. YMMV.

The Exchange 5/5

how about trading them? I won a tengu at a con a while back and would love to get a different race in exchange. Something to play with my wife's Aasimar (so maybe another Aasimar or a Tiefling or heck, just about anything except a crow.) I'm sure some people really like them, but I know it's not me (I've started two other characters sense I got it and still haven't put pencil to paper to do something for this one.).
Most likely I'll give it to some kid who'll have fun with it - or who knows maybe I'll start another cleric or something.
Or maybe I'll get lucky and swap him on an Aasimar ....

Liberty's Edge 4/5

Bob Jonquet wrote:

As Mike said, there is nothing wrong with GIVING your extra boon chronicles away. Some of us just have a problem with SELLING your FREE boons to other people either locally or on eBay.

However, there is no PFS rule against it. IMO, it is sad when Paizo goes out of their way producing, sometimes at relatively considerable cost, free stuff for us and then greedy players turn around and take advantage of those who didn't have access and "make" them pay for a free item. Of course, they don't have to pay, but it just feels dirty to me. YMMV.

runs to check calender to see if i've missed some months and its 4/1/12. Nope. selling. really. shakes head.

The Exchange 5/5 RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16

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jjaamm, if you're willing to take me as a second-hand source, it didn't take long. There was a racial boon for auction at Gen Con, not 48 hours after they were first released.

If you make a thing rare, it has market value. Some people have it, but value cash more. Others, vice versa.

Paizo Employee 5/5 Canadian Maplecakes

Michael Brock wrote:
Yes, if you have an extra boon Chronicle you don't want, I have no problem with you giving it to another deserving player.

Thanks Mike!

I wanted to give one of my PAX chronicles to a local player who lost his character during the special (4 person party, no healer, playing up due to assignment issue).

I guess next Lodge meeting I'll get to give him an awesome gift! :D

Liberty's Edge 4/5

Chris Mortika wrote:

jjaamm, if you're willing to take me as a second-hand source, it didn't take long. There was a racial boon for auction at Gen Con, not 48 hours after they were first released.

If you make a thing rare, it has market value. Some people have it, but value cash more. Others, vice versa.

it just amazes me.

Grand Lodge 4/5 5/55/5 ***

jjaamm wrote:
runs to check calender to see if i've missed some months and its 4/1/12. Nope. selling. really. shakes head.

For those who missed it...that's April Fool's Day...he was being facetious. Guess you failed your sense motive check :-)

Sovereign Court 3/5

Buying and selling of boons isn't cheating or even wrong. It's been done with the MMO market for many years and garage sales have been selling books and toys for much longer.
It is yet another marketing tool that Paizo can utilize to further their goal of more players. If I were to sell you some of the Phoenix Tournament coins, GenCon boons and other goodies that were given away, you may take those to your local shop and players and discuss it with them. You and they may not have been looking to attend a convention but the ability to play a particular race or have a particular ability might make it worthwhile.
For my latest character - I have Six Boons tied to my character. Racial, ability to learn a language, ability to use a weapon, ability to be immune to something and something else. None of these say that they don't stack or that they are not permitted to be used on one character.

Besides, lets say I decide that I'm sick of Paizo and Pathfinder. I want to sell my massive collection. I might have an autographed book that I want to sell but isn't getting the eBay attention I want. I add in this boon and WHAM! Sold for an additional $10.

E_T

Grand Lodge 4/5 5/55/5 ***

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Exiled_Taldan wrote:
Stuff

At this we'll have to agree to disagree. No matter how you spin it, IMHO, selling a player reward you got for free has an aura of "dirty" around it.

I do not dispute that people will pay, history tells us as much, but you won't hear of me doing it. I have given a few away to deserving players...deserving being subjective and from my point of view. No need to argue what that means or how I made those decisions.

If you earned a boon, it is yours to dispose of as you wish. I won't stop you. Just don't expect me to embrace your decision to sell it.

Contributor

Dude, I tried so hard to win the 'get to play a tiefling' boon at GenCon. Alas, no luck. :P

Grand Lodge 4/5 5/55/5 ***

Todd,
Reach out to
Steve Miller, Venture-Captain NC
Joe Jungers, Venture-Lieutenant, Raleigh

I'm sure between the two of them, you will get another chance at fun and great prizes.
Just come on down.
You are the next contestant on WHEEL...
OF...
PATHFINDER!!!

Liberty's Edge 4/5

Bob Jonquet wrote:

Todd,

Reach out to
Steve Miller, Venture-Captain NC
Joe Jungers, Venture-Lieutenant, Raleigh

I'm sure between the two of them, you will get another chance at fun and great prizes.
Just come on down.
You are the next contestant on WHEEL...
OF...
PATHFINDER!!!

Thats "Big orange Dice of Pathfinder"

The Exchange 4/5 Owner - D20 Hobbies

Sorry to Necro this thread, but I couldn't find a newer relevant thread.

I've noticed on newer GM boons, they tend to have my name written in and my PFS number.

Has the policy changed?

I have a habit of giving away my GM boons (especially considering 99% of them are boons I don't have much interest in), but the newer ones are hard coded. So they go in a pile and don't get used.

The Exchange 5/5

James Risner wrote:

Sorry to Necro this thread, but I couldn't find a newer relevant thread.

I've noticed on newer GM boons, they tend to have my name written in and my PFS number.

Has the policy changed?

I have a habit of giving away my GM boons (especially considering 99% of them are boons I don't have much interest in), but the newer ones are hard coded. So they go in a pile and don't get used.

that must be the CON organizer in your local area... I've never encountered this in my area.

4/5

nosig wrote:
James Risner wrote:
... I've noticed on newer GM boons, they tend to have my name written in and my PFS number.
that must be the CON organizer in your local area... I've never encountered this in my area.

People want to fill in blank lines with the correct(known) data. That's all.

I did that years ago when I was new to Pathfinder until I was corrected by the con organizer and "expert" whose boon I had filled in... I was like, ok... good to know, here's a replacement, let me sign it. Anything else? You know you could white-out the top portion...? (I was used to the "seller" and the "buyer" signing the back of the certificate so there was traceability as to how the document got where it was...) so haven't done it since. Probably the same thing happened to you. The custom of NOT filling in the top portion isn't universally known. I see many that don't have the bottom filled in - so they are totally blank. Personally I don't like totally blank boons and think it is sloppy paperwork.

so if it's "legal" just white-out the area and carry on. I haven't seen any issues with white-out/plaque/liquid paper.

Grand Lodge 4/5

Whoever's handing out the boon should fill out the bottom of the Chronicle. The top can be left blank until it's applied to a character.

That's different from the Chronicle for playing a scenario which should have the top portion filled out.

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