The Flaxseed Pathfinder Lodge: Explore, Report, Cooperate!

Game Master Redelia

Has anyone else been experiencing massive burnout lately?

Maybe...but my reasons are probably not sufficiently aligned with your reasons to mean much. Things that eat most at me tend not to be the things that eat most at most others, and vice versa.

This has been a difficult year.

Look after yourselves as best you can, friends. My warmest wishes for the season, however you may celebrate it.

There is definitely burnout among all with the amount of online games and conventions all going on.

Please take care of yourselves, especially during these holiday and stressful times. Keep the game fun and hunt the good things.

Just a few tips and I am sure many more folks will have more. :) We love gaming with all of you guys, no need to push yourselves to far while we have this extra time at home.

Has anyone else been experiencing massive burnout lately?

If you need to release it with a good ol' Perform (oratory), you know you are among folks just like you, caps.

Those with Herolab Online keep an eye out this afternoon as PFS1E is being added in.

Looks like it'll be a little longer:

As we moved past Christmas Day and geared up to launch Pathfinder 1st Edition support with fresher eyes, our test run uncovered a significant shortcoming that we're opting to correct before release. We had hoped this would be something we could patch after the fact, but we feel this issue has the potential to affect a large portion of our users. Unfortunately, this will force us to delay the launch by just a few days so that everyone can have the best experience possible on launch day.

While there will undoubtedly be bugs with a game system as vast and complex as Pathfinder 1st Edition, we are doing our best to minimize them where possible and want to thank you for your patience and understanding.

But, that's what test runs are for :) Looks like it could still make it before the new year.

Once they release it, will the classic/installed version of Herolab be de-supported? I actually own and have been happy with both, but use HLO for SFS and Classic for PFS1E. Hopefully they will support importing characters from classic to online. :)

I have sunk a lot of money into HeroLab classic. I hope they keep it running.

I hope all our purchased product in HLClassic is ALSO available on HLO.

There is a one time transfer fee to activate all of your classic packages in the online version.

I'm actually not a fan of HLO. Granted, I am basing that on comparing HL Classic to Starfinder. HLO is not nearly as intuitive as HLClassic. It was actually UN-fun to use. Sad that they decided to go in that direction honestly.

Hi! I was told that as new player, I should post here. I am trying to make heads and tails of this forum system and got a huge learning curve like trying to isolate which of my character concepts are PFS legal due book restrictions (figuring what feats/classes belong to which books and which I have to buy or not buy) as well as having no clue if my character is stored online or just on my computer within the guidelines and then uploaded to certain campaigns. I am suppoose to be joining a newbie friendly campaign really soon and am about to work an 8 hour and a 12 hour shift the next two days and got a family. I love the idea of posting to play as it fits my scheduling much better, but spending a whole night figuring this stuff is a bit daunting.

Hi! I was told that as new player, I should post here. I am trying to make heads and tails of this forum system and got a huge learning curve like trying to isolate which of my character concepts are PFS legal due book restrictions (figuring what feats/classes belong to which books and which I have to buy or not buy) as well as having no clue if my character is stored online or just on my computer within the guidelines and then uploaded to certain campaigns. I am suppoose to be joining a newbie friendly campaign really soon and am about to work an 8 hour and a 12 hour shift the next two days and got a family. I love the idea of posting to play as it fits my scheduling much better, but spending a whole night figuring this stuff is a bit daunting.

Glad to have you on board. I will post a few links that will help get you on the right track.

First off here is a link to the Archive of Nethys where you can look up feats and such to see what books they come from to see if you you need to purchase any other material.

Archive of Nethys

Next link is to the Additional Resources page for Pathfinder Society. This will be the document to tell you what all is legal for Society Play for Pathfinder 1E.

PFS1E Additional Resources

Next is a guide written by one of our own (Numbat) that will help you get set up posting on the forums here in a quick manner.

PbP Guide

If you have any questions don't be afraid to ask.

bono_bob wrote:

Hi! I was told that as new player, I should post here. I am trying to make heads and tails of this forum system and got a huge learning curve like trying to isolate which of my character concepts are PFS legal due book restrictions (figuring what feats/classes belong to which books and which I have to buy or not buy) as well as having no clue if my character is stored online or just on my computer within the guidelines and then uploaded to certain campaigns. I am suppoose to be joining a newbie friendly campaign really soon and am about to work an 8 hour and a 12 hour shift the next two days and got a family. I love the idea of posting to play as it fits my scheduling much better, but spending a whole night figuring this stuff is a bit daunting.

Glad to have you on board. I will post a few links that will help get you on the right track.

First off here is a link to the Archive of Nethys where you can look up feats and such to see what books they come from to see if you you need to purchase any other material.

Archive of Nethys

Next link is to the Additional Resources page for Pathfinder Society. This will be the document to tell you what all is legal for Society Play for Pathfinder 1E.

PFS1E Additional Resources

Next is a guide written by one of our own (Numbat) that will help you get set up posting on the forums here in a quick manner.

PbP Guide

If you have any questions don't be afraid to ask.

Also, look out for the little symbol next to titles in Archives of Nethys that indicates if something is PFS legal. That can save a lot of time.

Hello, I have a question about the arcanist exploit 'Counterspell'. Is an ‘exploiter wizard’ able to take this exploit?

*Counterspell (Su)
By expending 1 point from her arcane reservoir, the arcanist can attempt to counter a spell as it is being cast. She must identify the spell being cast as normal. If she successfully does so, the arcanist can attempt to counter the spell as an immediate action and by expending an available arcanist spell slot of a level at least one higher than the level of the spell being cast. To counterspell, the arcanist must attempt a dispel check as if using dispel magic. If the spell being countered is one that the arcanist has prepared, she can instead expend an available arcanist spell slot of the same level, and she receives a +5 bonus on the dispel check. Counterspelling in this way does not trigger any feats or other abilities that normally occur when a spellcaster successfully counters a spell.

Hello, I have a question about the arcanist exploit 'Counterspell'. Is an ‘exploiter wizard’ able to take this exploit?

*Counterspell (Su)
By expending 1 point from her arcane reservoir, the arcanist can attempt to counter a spell as it is being cast. She must identify the spell being cast as normal. If she successfully does so, the arcanist can attempt to counter the spell as an immediate action and by expending an available arcanist spell slot of a level at least one higher than the level of the spell being cast. To counterspell, the arcanist must attempt a dispel check as if using dispel magic. If the spell being countered is one that the arcanist has prepared, she can instead expend an available arcanist spell slot of the same level, and she receives a +5 bonus on the dispel check. Counterspelling in this way does not trigger any feats or other abilities that normally occur when a spellcaster successfully counters a spell.

They can take it but they can only use it if they have an 'arcanist spell slot' available.

What software do you folks use to build characters? How well does it accommodate the breadth of Pathfinder content (like feats and archetypes)? Does it generate formatted stat blocks for posting in a forum? I've been doing it by hand so far.

HeroLab does a great job; it includes all additional content (for an additional price), and does all the calculations and formatting you could ask for. It's usually correct, and has tools you can use to customize it to fix when it's not.

I use the free character sheets at myth-weavers. It does have a stat block generator you can use to put into your Paizo profile as well.

I actually just create a pbp template for each system (pfs1, pfs2, sfs), build my characters in a google document and copy the info into the template when ready to play online. The most work is done up front then I do slight edits as I level up a character.

However, a good bit of fun I get in this game is managing all those little details and planning out my characters. I also have a ton more freedom to customize how my profiles look.

Thanks for the info. I’ll look into those options.

I either use Pathbuilder 1, an app for Android, or Yet Another Pathfinder Character Generator (YAPCG), which is an Excel sheet. YAPCG is very slow on my computer (and doesn't run on my phone), but it can serve as an inventory tracker as well as a character builder. Pathbuilder is more convenient.

Both are free, but I think Pathbuilder has ads.

I format my stat blocks by hand, for a pretty prosaic reason - I keep forgetting what my chosen feats do, so I like to include bits like "Point Blank Shot (+1 a/d within 30')".

i do it by hand...old school...

*Hi ✋s* grimdog!

Any mistakes are gonna be mine, darnit!

I use HeroLab but I also do it by hand to make sure it's done correctly. It has to be transferred to paper form anyways since handing the GM your tablet/laptop isn't allowed.

Where are electronic character sheets not allowed? It's not my practice, but currently almost all of my play is PbP here on the forum with a little VTT on the side. The only way GMs can check my PC is to look at an electronic sheet, and my forum aliases are (currently) my most up to date character sheets.

There was a problem where someone had their sheet in a face-to-face format and passed their device to the GM and the device was dropped. I do not remember exactly when, but I do remember word going out about the event and that law suits were threatened/filed.

Anyone with a better recollection is more than welcome to clarify.

Seems like some common sense could be used there in a face-to-face setting. The player must be willing to show any part of their digital character sheet (displaying with the device themselves), or be willing to produce a PDF snapshot of it for easier sharing before the session. The GM can't require the player to hand over a personal device. Seems like there are ways around such a situation (that aren't strictly "return to dead tree").

I believe in F2F games also have concerns about electronic sheets due to the possibility of the device running out of battery (or lack of wifi) resulting in the character being unavailable to everyone.

Seems like some common sense could be used there in a face-to-face setting.

I agree. Screenshot and send via IM? Turn the tablet around?

This just sounds like those grognards who hate anything electronic at their gaming table coming up with some fanciful reason to forbid it at their table.

Some random dude dropping a tablet somewhere should not be a showstopper. I can use Herolab on my mobile phone, it's fantastic. Saves a packet in toner, paper, etc. and is far more portable than folders of characters and bajillion chronicles. You can also pick up a reasonably functional (wifi) tablet for $100 (arguably change out of $80 if you shop around)

Handing a GM a tablet, a laptop, a beer*, or a packet of Tim Tams is not forbidden anywhere I am aware of.

*Subject to the minimum age required by your local drinking laws.

It is your responsibility to maintain accurate records. You must bring either paper or digital copies of your character sheet and all accompanying Chronicle sheets of any character you wish to play to Roleplaying Guild events. If using paper copies, we suggest keeping your character sheets and Chronicle sheets in a binder with a dedicated pocket folder for each character. Digital copies must be on a device you are comfortable showing your GM. GMs are not responsible for the security or condition of digital devices used to store character information.

You are absolutely allowed to use digital sheets at in-person tables, you just need to make the information available to the GM.

Offering Tim Tams should result in a +1 circumstance bonus to the provider’s next skill check.

Who do I talk to about getting that written into the next Guild Guide? j/k

Seconding the offering of Tim Tams being encouraged in the next guide update!

I do my character sheets by hand on graph paper with a mechanical pencil, then fax them.

i have an RCA tablet i plan on using at f2f games in the future to store my PFS stuff. will dl my pdf's and stuff onto it. also, having an old phone would work too...have my brother's old iphone 7 to use as well

Everyone who used to hoard precious graph paper to plan out D&D dungeons holla!

what's this "used to" crap?

Everyone who used to hoard precious graph paper to plan out D&D dungeons holla!

Yo!

what's this "used to" crap?

Haha, I meant more that now, if I want graph paper, I drive out or log in and buy it myself. Back then, I had to ask my math teachers for graph paper, and then carefully cram all my work onto one sheet so that I can take the leftovers home for my personal Satan-worshipping needs.

Best wishes everyone. May this be a better year. :)

Proud owner of numerous maps built using the Random Dungeon Generator from the DM's Guide (1E) of the game that shall not be named. I still have an intact copy. How's that for Nerdom!

Looks like it'll be a little longer:

Pathfinder 1st Edition Launch Delay wrote:

As we moved past Christmas Day and geared up to launch Pathfinder 1st Edition support with fresher eyes, our test run uncovered a significant shortcoming that we're opting to correct before release. We had hoped this would be something we could patch after the fact, but we feel this issue has the potential to affect a large portion of our users. Unfortunately, this will force us to delay the launch by just a few days so that everyone can have the best experience possible on launch day.

While there will undoubtedly be bugs with a game system as vast and complex as Pathfinder 1st Edition, we are doing our best to minimize them where possible and want to thank you for your patience and understanding.

But, that's what test runs are for :) Looks like it could still make it before the new year.

1E has now been released out into the wild for Herolab Online . There is a feature built in that you can drag and drop your classic character file into and it will quickly auto-convert the character into the system so you don't need to hand jam everything back in all over again.

Looks like you need to associate your existing HL Classic account to your Profile BEFORE you buy the PF1 HLO though - it now wont let me drag it across as I purchased PF1 HLO and then read the warning.

....I purchased PF1 HLO and then read the warning.

(emphasis added)

"Cut the red wire..."
Pauses to flip the page of the manual.
"...immediately after cutting the blue wire."

That is ENTIRELY how it went down too.

So, how does it work: can I still use the editor?
Does it port over all of my HL classic content?
My google-fu is weak this morning.

My google-fu is weak this morning.

It isn't your google-fu, it's the general lack of information published so far - like whether or not the additional licences people used to have equated to simultaneous log-ins.

I was hoping to be in a position to be able to answer such questions, yet all I have done is serve as an example that there are pitfalls to be hit straight out of the gate :p

So, how does it work: can I still use the editor?

Does it port over all of my HL classic content?
My google-fu is weak this morning.

HAPPY NEW YEAR (of course as Dave Barry noted, this time around it's less an expression of goodwill than a prayer)!!!

The following is a Public Service Announcement to all who are and/or will be playing with me:

This year, for the first time in my life, I am committing to a New Year's Resolution: To designate every Saturday as my weekly "Internet Sabbath".
Expect me therefore to be incommunicado during that 24-hour interval, and factor that in as necessary when in/running a game with me.

Outpost IV: Roll Dem Bones has just been officially announced here.