Intro 01: In Service to Lore - Question


GM Discussion

Grand Lodge

Hi there.
I just read through the first Scenario and there was one thing that irritated me.
On Page 16 It reads under "Creature": "In addition to the silvered cat-o'-nine-tails Zarta gave the group, a silver-tipped riding crop lies on the table..."
I couldn't find the point in the adventure where the players obtained it from her.
Earlier they get an "... exquisit silver letter opener shaped like a dagger..." but there is no such thing as the whip.
Is that an error, or have i overseen anything important?

Grand Lodge 4/5 *

Editing error. I go with the item it says the party gets (i.e. the letter opener; it's much more useful than a whip, as anyone can use a dagger with proficiency).

Grand Lodge

I have played the szenario and have one question about the looting.
It's more of a general Society Play Question, but that was the first adventure I played.
Is it correct that the characters can't keep the items they have looted from NPCs?
If not, where should they note them down?
On the scenario sheet they get at the end from me?
And is everything they can loot included in the gold total that is on the sheet and they have to buy every item at the end, or can they keep the stuff for free?
Can they sell loot for gold?
Some of the players like looting and selling things for money very much, so they asked and I wasn't sure.

Shadow Lodge 4/5

Anything they find in scenario (either from NPC's or otherwise) is available to use until the end of the scenario. Anything they want to keep afterwards has to be bought at market price with their gold.

That goes for magical items on the chronicle sheet, but it also goes for mundane items like the sets of MW Thieves Tools found during the scenario.

Liberty's Edge 4/5

All items found or acquired, other than from actual gold purchases, during the scenario are included in the "max gold" for the scenario, all the selling of items is already included in that total.

As mentioned, during the course of the scenario, the PCs can use the items that they find, including consumables, and still receive the full value for them at the end of the scenario, but if they want to continue to use them, they will need to actually buy them.


First, you never get to keep anything for free in PFS play. Second, to be a little more specific on items found during the scenario being available to buy. Any items considered "always available" that are found during a scenario will almost never appear on the chronicle sheet, since you do not need special permission to buy them. But if there is some odd item found during a scenario that you want, if it does not appear in the Core Book or on the list of Additional Resources, then you cannot buy it. Let's use your example from the scenario. I do not know if a silver letter opener is actually listed as buyable equipment in any of the available Pathfinder books, but if it is not, then the characters cannot buy one at the end of the scenario unless it is on the chronicle sheet.

Grand Lodge

Thanks for your answers.
That was what I expected.
That will disapoint one of my players.
He is a rogue and wants to be a sczarni and told me that with rules like that he will never be able to get "more" out of an adventure than the other players even when he tries with roleplaying and cheating them out of loot.
I am not sure if i will be able to keep him a player that way, but hey there are always other players waiting to join our group. :)

Silver Crusade 4/5

Jan Schattling wrote:

Thanks for your answers.

That was what I expected.
That will disapoint one of my players.
He is a rogue and wants to be a sczarni and told me that with rules like that he will never be able to get "more" out of an adventure than the other players even when he tries with roleplaying and cheating them out of loot.
I am not sure if i will be able to keep him a player that way, but hey there are always other players waiting to join our group. :)

Uh... yeah. The whole point of these rules is to keep things fair and equal. Thieves shouldn't be getting extra treasure by robbing their companions, or the locals.

Although he can rob the locals as a day job. I think I saw something about using sleight of hand for day job checks that way if you spend prestige first. It's probably in the Field Guide thing that everyone in PFS is supposed to have, but nobody actually does.

2/5

Jan Schattling wrote:
He is a rogue and wants to be a sczarni and told me that with rules like that he will never be able to get "more" out of an adventure than the other players even when he tries with roleplaying and cheating them out of loot.

Being able to custom-tailor sessions to your players is one of the things you miss out on- but have you considered running the upcoming pirate-themed adventure path? Maybe he would enjoy that instead. PFS is a great format for a lot of reasons, but hopefully having a home campaign is a possibility for your group.

Grand Lodge

Yep, we have a home campaign (Carrion Crown) but he is a LG Paladin, so there will be not much to cheat for his character.
I really own a hardcopy of the Field Guide, I think I will check the robbery thing for him. :)

Grand Lodge 2/5

ok my pc killed the guy at the who jumped them but i did see any of thier extra items at the end... also i didn't see the silvered items...and the where house say that if they choose too.. is it granted that choose too? am i suppose to go with the theory that they you basic not matter how things go as long as you complete every thing in the the mod the most you can get is the max gold?

Liberty's Edge 4/5 5/5

roger Gilbert wrote:
as long as you complete every thing in the the mod the most you can get is the max gold?

I can't work out exactly what you're asking, but I will say that the maximum reward you can get from a scenario is the max gold for your tier: 417gp for 'In Service to Lore'.

Grand Lodge 2/5

Ok on way-back to the society headquarters my pcs were jump but they managed to kill the attackers When we started going thought the the Chronicles Sheets didn't see any of the items from the jumpers. So my question is what happens in situation when the pc arn't suppose to kill an npc and then the pc are able to kill that np... ie what happens to the loot they acquired from the unexpected event?

Grand Lodge 4/5

The silvered items and most of the attackers' gear are on the always-available list, and are omitted from the chronicle sheet for the sake of brevity.

You're meant to defeat those attackers by the way, which is why their Elixir of Hiding and Wand of Disguise Self do appear on the chronicle sheet for purchase.

Unexpected loot, such as somehow pickpocketing the Paracountess, is not included on the chronicle sheet, and is not legal for play.


Pathfinder Maps Subscriber

If the bad guys have loot that's on the "Always Available" list, it's not included on the chronicle sheet (because it's always available !) except as gold value.

I've been through that scenario 3 times as a player and no-one has ever picked up the silvered whip.

Grand Lodge 5/5 5/5

Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber

On the topic of gaining more gold than the scenario allows. I've had a Szarni player aquire gold that wasn't in the scenario. Sometimes it's impossible to say no without breaking verisimilitude. I didn't award him any gold more than the chronicle sheet allowed at the end, but he happily spent the extra cash on bribes, food and ale while adventuring in town. This is in no way an official rule, because I'm sure some players could side track whole scenarios this way. As a table ruling it worked pretty well at the time.

Dark Archive 4/5 * Venture-Agent, Colorado—Colorado Springs

I have a regular player in my games as well that pickpockets/burgles/etc throughout the scenario, especially in urban environments. I typically just handwave it and say the gp value of what he steals is factored into his reward on the chronicle sheet. It's the same value gp everyone else is getting, but he has fun.

Grand Lodge 2/5

Marack wrote:
On the topic of gaining more gold than the scenario allows. I've had a Szarni player aquire gold that wasn't in the scenario. Sometimes it's impossible to say no without breaking verisimilitude. I didn't award him any gold more than the chronicle sheet allowed at the end, but he happily spent the extra cash on bribes, food and ale while adventuring in town. This is in no way an official rule, because I'm sure some players could side track whole scenarios this way. As a table ruling it worked pretty well at the time.

I'm not expert, but IMHO, that's a good way to work it out without breaking foundational guidelines. I'm all about taking steps to allow players to have a good time.

Grand Lodge 2/5

ok so then in the end they'll have to buy those item... ie the silvered items or the master work armor if they wanted to keep them...

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

You never walk away from a scenario with any items you didn't either buy or already have.

Grand Lodge 2/5

Yeah...what Jiggy said.

Grand Lodge 2/5

ok just wanted to make sure... i thought that was the case but was unsure so i didn't let them keep the items but want to make sure...

Liberty's Edge 1/5

Hey guys - running this (My first time GMing a society game) tomorrow night. This thread and general research has answered pretty much all my questions, I have two things left to ask. Sorry if they have been answered else where, I just didn't see them.

Number One: Characters that earn prestige in In Service of Lore Pt One (and part two for that matter) can not spend that prestige until they complete the third session and join a faction? Or are they considered to just have good will of the Pathfinder Society in general?

Number Two: I know it says it was intended to be played by fresh 1st level characters - but is that meant as a guideline or a rule - can a player that has a one or two games under their belt play in this session and if so - how would you work that with the no faction thingy?

Silver Crusade 4/5

Any level 1 PC can play this adventure.

As for the prestige on the first two First Steps before you join a faction in the third one, that's been a subject of some debate for a while. I'm not entirely clear on that for these adventures.

5/5

Once you earn the prestige, you can spend it. So, even if this is their first mission and do not have a set faction yet, they can spend the prestige they earn during play. Assume it's just general good will of the society until a faction is chosen (basically it's the Grand Lodge until chosen otherwise).

If the character has already chosen a faction, that's no problem, you just apply the credit to that faction the same as any other scenario.

And as Fromper indicated, any 1st level character can play any of the Intro series.

Shadow Lodge 4/5 Venture-Captain, California—San Francisco Bay Area South & West

Fromper wrote:

Any level 1 PC can play this adventure.

As for the prestige on the first two First Steps before you join a faction in the third one, that's been a subject of some debate for a while. I'm not entirely clear on that for these adventures.

Choice of faction (including not having made a choice) does not become final until the character is no longer first level. So in theory you could play each of your first three scenarios (including, but not limited to, the First Steps series) with a different choice of faction, and rebuild your character after each session. Prestige points earned (or spent) carry over to the rebuilt character.

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