This is the place people discuss things... like which character they are bringing so I know if we're running the 1-2 or 3-4 tier.
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Well damn. I ran Decline of Glory locally and already applied the 6-7 chronicle to my ranger. I'm the only one without a level 3, but we could still make the 3-4 subtier I think with 5 3's and 2. (since 3/3 did it last time!).
I was hoping to GM tonight, but a very rough weekend left us way behind on both chores and sleep. So Talwin it is, I guess. Still level 2.
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Well, it's a 1-7. So we're shooting for, at "best", subtier 3-4. We have the following level 3's: Ebon, Targost, and Norine. At level 2 we currently have Liadain, Muluk, and Talwin. If I can GM next Monday, I'd apply the chronicle to him, raising him to 3rd.
In any event, our APL currently stands at 2.5, which rounds to 3. So even if our 2's switched to the level 4 pregens, we'd still be in that tier.
And thanks for the romantic info Alice! I'm always interested in Golarion lore. I guess it kinda plays out like certain Star Trek relationships. I mean, Kira and Odo from DS9 were not exactly going to produce any offspring!
Just waiting on Targost to arrive before I start. If he doesn't show by tonight I'll start anyway and he can be fashionably late.
And there is a 3-4 sub tier that would make for a much better game. The 1-2 looks like it'd be a cakewalk.
Hehe, now now. I'll do my best to only feed a few of your souls to the infernals. ;)
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Cool about the glitterdust! For obvious reasons, I have been concerned about creatures in darkness or invisible, especially rogues. I was thinking of perhaps a glitterdust scroll for Targost (though it only lasts a few rounds), potions of Darkvision and See Invisibility, and oil of Daylight and a potion of Purge Invisibility. Although more costly, (750 vs. 300), the latter two would have the advantage of helping the whole group at once.
I don't know much about group balance and the like, so I would just second Alice.
Speaking of Targost, someone should probably 'ping' him.
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Norine's shopping:
selling Chain Shirt (S),
Powdered Silver (5 lbs.)(replacement)-almost worth buying the scroll to save the five pounds of material component...
Buckler (Small/Mithral/Sanctified/+1)
Flask (Liquid Ice)
Ear Plugs
Wand of Protection from Evil (2 PP)
Scroll (Remove Fear)(2)
@GM Mezegis, the "Sanctified" shield (from Adventurer's Armory) adds +1 to AC as a Sacred bonus (and so it seems to apply to T, FF, and CMD, too), until the first hit. So, all of my *'ed ACs should be 1 higher temporarily. The 'charging' is done with a channel energy and lasts 24 hours, so she will typically charge the shield before going to bed.
So I had an interesting PFS game on Mez on Saturday. We did the final part of the Quest for Perfection (I get a Chocobo!) and the GM flat out admitted to making up rolls.
Throughout the game, I had been remarking on the GM’s dice luck, as he rolled about 10 20’s on attacks; and when saving, only rolled below a 9 on 3 out of 46 dice. After nearly killing both monks and Mez with hit after hit, the GM picks up the screen and shows me a dice on 20. I tell him he doesn’t need to show me, I believe him if he says he rolled it. And this guy replies: It’s nice to finally roll one, I’ve had to fudge my rolls to keep you guys challenged… Me and the monk played by an older gent nearly hit the roof, and the two of us decided amongst ourselves to never play at that GM’s table again.
I’m debating talking to our VL/VC about this, because doesn’t that completely destroy PFS rules?
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You should DEFINITELY talk to the VL/VC about that. It's one thing to fudge a roll every now and then - say you're about to kill a level 1 PC of the total newbie who's never played Pathfinder before if you confirm that scythe crit, for example... but to flat-out lie about rolls to keep things "challenging"? What the hell?
It is super against PFS rules to do that, so definitely report them and avoid them like the plague.
He was annoyed that 4/5ths of the group was running around at level 4-5 with AC's in the Mid 20's. I also pissed him off when he had one of the bad guys scout us out and Mez went invisible, expeditious retreat, and chased his butt down.
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That is a SERIOUS problem. First off: it's NOT players vs. GM. It just isn't. Ever.
Second: PFS isn't about challenge from Paizo's perspective. It's about showcasing the game and getting you to buy product. Yes, I really believe that. Why else allow 20-point buys (not the standard for ANY of their other published content, though there are exceptions). Why else bend over backwards to allow as many options as they do? They could certainly keep the campaign more uniform by allowing CRB only, for instance.
Third: AC of 25 by level 4 or 5 isn't even very optimized. It just takes a little bit of focus.
But seriously, the first point is the biggest. Changing the encounter in ANY way is a HUGE no-no. And flat out making up crits (or even threats) is just ridiculous.
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Huh. Yeah, it is really against the rules (with Liadain's possible exception, as I remember, being described in the GM 101 guide - killing 1st level newbies is a good way to not have them come back - although I think, even there, it talks about using less-lethal strategies, rather than fudging rolls per se).
When I changed that "flee at the second round" mechanic for the BBEG in FS II (with the skulk going down the well with a main goal of the scenario before the party even knew he was there), I first generically polled the group, "So, I was thinking, would you rather have a potentially unsatisfying encounter as written, or a more dangerous encounter with a tweak?", and everyone preferred the latter, so we went that way.
But, in PFS, every change makes me nervous, so that I sometimes end up apologizing for the scenarios. "Yeah, sorry, his actions there are suggested by the scenario..." "Yeah, it doesn't make a lot of sense/seems 'unrealistic'/etc., but that's the way it is written..."
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Well, I guess my point was a bit overstated. Some minor changes to tactics and making some interpretations on the fly is perfectly kosher, now that I think about it. But I hear stories like this every so often. Or about the GM using the higher-tier stats, or flat out adding monsters.
I nearly lost my ranger's AC due to a misunderstanding of the rules for blasphemy. But I could live with that way better than if I found out my PC died or expended resources because some dude was lying about his rolls. At my live tables EVERYONE rolls in the open. It can be harsh at times, but it saves a lot of questions (and even adds to the tension).
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So I have to pester you all for some advice once again.
First, thanks to Norine for pointing out that I forgot to select a bonus language for Talwin. I won't add one mid-scenario, but do any of you have suggestions here?
Also, my ranger is closing in on level 9, and with it a new feat. I'm seriously considering taking Boon Companion (which means I need to buy Animal Archive). Last scenario the wolf got to do some pretty cool stuff, tripping a bad guy and helping with flanking. He hasn't always, though, and his relatively low to-hit modifier and HP means that I leave him behind.
If I take the feat, he passes the 7th level advancement mark. Am I better off just turning him into a Large creature, or eschewing that option for the flat bonuses available otherwise?
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Boon Companion rocks, and I definitely recommend it if you want your AC to help you in combat. (And the answer is yes, you do, because two bodies are always better than one.)
Larger is almost always better, too.
Downsides of Large: slightly lower AC, buying stuff like barding is more expensive, can be annoying if you bring him on an encounter in closed quarters like a sewer or cave system
Upsides of Large: more likely to hit, do more damage (die is bigger AND you get bonus Str), better combat maneuvers (particularly good with the trip of the wolf), more hit points with the bonus Con, and you can ride a dire wolf as a mount which is super badass
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Nice! I was thinking along these lines...good to know about the mounted fighting, too. The wolf definitely did his part again tonight, but suffered badly because it was a tier 10-11 game. My ranger is 8, so wolfie is a level 5 equivalent.
We had to negotiate with a dragon instead of fighting. Two level pregens, and our level 10's weren't our best combatants. Cost us a prestige point and some chronicle items.
Well, at least we survived and now I have just one more XP to go to level 9, and with that the next feat!
One thing: do increases in CON apply retroactively? Like if I got from CON 13 to CON 14 at level 4, do I get extra HP all the way back to level 1?
Yes on the hp front.
The entire building is a 5x5 square, so a run action of 60' would definately get him down the already open trapdoor.
ALso, you'd think I'd have looked to see whats down the trap door before going to work, but I didn't. SO you guys have a bit before I can update that part, feel free to discuss tactics, make plans, or watch Talwin try and hit on Liadain and get shot down, :D
Matt, it’s a shame you didn’t bring Garoden, he might have been smart enough to help with this puzzle…
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Yeah, sometimes their puzzles are easy, and sometimes just about impossible if you aren't thinking in the exact same obscure way the designer is. In Library of the Lion, I (or Garedon) got this one puzzle mostly because of a history of 'vision therapy' for reading issues and the fact that I'm old enough to remember the Magic Eye craze.
Really, though, the flask of acid solution should be considered.
Does it now become clearer why I felt Garedon would have helped you solve it puzzle, after our First steps 1 game...
There was no puzzle, just invisible imps flipping switches whenever another one got flipped.
*evil cackle*
Matt, looking back, you actually ran the first steps game I was thinking of, not playing it with Garedon, so my attempt at a clue was horribly off base. Oops!
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Yeah, heh. I usually am pretty good about starting with Detect Magic, but not this time. I forgot until later. (Although it would have been even funnier, IMO, if it had been the wall sconce or something and the levers had nothing to do with it at all.)
I keep trying to advise players to search, and search with Detect Magic, too. My group doesn't even 'loot the bodies' like proper D&D players. Oh well.
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The hard part about this one, I guess, compared to the FSI imp encounter, is that there we knew there was an imp; here, you don't know to look for invisible creatures and, by my interpretation of the confusing rules on stealth and invisibility, it is really hard to know there is anything there otherwise. (It would seem to me, from hearing birds flutter by before I see them, that you would have a better idea about the presence, movement, and position of invisible moving and flying creatures. That said, invisibility should also probably be much more lethal on attacks, so 'realism' might not be a good thing.)