Random question: should we be handing out Hero Points ourselves (there's a time estimation in the special, so I can go off of that), or will someone be announcing when it's Hero Point time? Just want to make sure I'm not missing something obvious.
I was planning to leave that to GMs, if for no other reason than sometimes you want to capture the moment.
Given that we have allowed a generous amount of time for the introduction but there is no real reporting from it, I have added a column to the Table Links spreadsheet (also linked above) so you can indicated if your group is ready to move on. If everyone is ready before time, I will open Act 1. Please, don't rush. This is just so I don't leave everyone kicking about waiting.
I have also opened the sheet so you can edit it to allow you to place a "yes" on the appropriate line. Please be careful not to change anything else. Thank you.
Given that we have allowed a generous amount of time for the introduction but there is no real reporting from it, I have added a column to the Table Links spreadsheet (also linked above) so you can indicated if your group is ready to move on. If everyone is ready before time, I will open Act 1. Please, don't rush. This is just so I don't leave everyone kicking about waiting.
I have also opened the sheet so you can edit it to allow you to place a "yes" on the appropriate line. Please be careful not to change anything else. Thank you.
Given how little there is to actually do with this intro, having an option to move ahead would be great! Thanks for setting this up, as I wasn't sure how well 3 days of free form RP was going to go.
Will you (GM Numbat) be putting the House GM red boxed text into our channels, or should individual table GMs do that? I was expecting the latter from previous experience, but either is fine.
Good question! I was thinking of posting part of it, or at least revealing the three locations available to the players, so they don't have to waste time during part 1 deciding on where to go.
Will you (GM Numbat) be putting the House GM red boxed text into our channels, or should individual table GMs do that? I was expecting the latter from previous experience, but either is fine.
My experience and expectations are that the Housse GM posts the House GM parts.
Also, by "latter" I totally meant "former". I expected the House GM to post the House GM text, and for me to post the blue Table GM text.
I haven't started because I'm waiting on confirmation one way or the other.
The first House GM red text is not for the start of the intro/special, but for the start of Act I. It seems that the chime was our cue to start instead. The layout with the House GM text first before the Table GM instructions/contents is a bit confusing though.
Yeah, it confused me initially but the Table GM text happens first, you have the rolls for skills to determine what people know, then when mustering completes the House GM text tells everyone what they are doing.
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Yes, as already indicated by others, I will be posting the House GM text, there just wasn't any for the Intro, hence the post that I made to indicate it was time to start.
I thought about mentioning it here but then thought it would be obvious. Another case of learning, when you think of doing something, that is the time to do it. Sigh.
I also thought of asking if you, as table GMs, wanted me to post the first of your boxed text as the official start, but I really didn't want to stifle any who like to be creative with their setting while still meeting the requirements of the scenario.
Please note, I am open to all feedback as it can only help me improve.
The rest of the transitions in this scenario should be more obvious as there is "boxed text" for the House GM for each.
I also thought of asking if you, as table GMs, wanted me to post the first of your boxed text as the official start, but I really didn't want to stifle any who like to be creative with their setting while still meeting the requirements of the scenario.
Thanks! My own preference would be not to do this — plus, you’re already doing a ton of work!
By the way I think the scenario layout is what is confusing people because it’s backwards; nothing more than that. Thanks for clarifications.
I've also given my players Handout #1 to pick a starting position to save time. I also took the liberty of stating that the Sunken Halls features aquatic exploration. Might be obvious from the handout, but I don't want to saddle my players with a lot of extra rules without them opting into it.
In the discussion thread, I pointed my players towards the scouting reports because this is Play by Post. I wanted to give them time to decide where to go first and that sort of thing tends to take way too long in comparison to face to face gaming.
Wish I had thought to mention the water encounters for Sunken Hills.
I can also confirm the layout of the PDF had me confused and it took rereading the intro a couple times to realize Table GMs kicked it off for intros. Definitely a weird layout.
Yes. I should review it, though it seems like a "me" problem.
I've been doing specials for years and the typical X-00 layout is what my brain has been trained to expect. This isn't an X-00, so, like I said, a "me" problem, but it definitely through me for a loop. My first thought was that I had a bad PDF that was missing pages.
Looks like we have four tables still active for the intro. Quite probable that I will post the transition to Act 1 later today (for me).
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While we still have two tables that haven't checked in as ready, I think I'm going to post the next section shortly to allow others to move on and not lose too much momentum.
This will not shorten Act 1 at all and those two GMs can wrap up their intro before proceeding.
Let's goooooo!
Have fun all!
I may have done an oopsie boingo. My party has just arrived at the Unsealed Way and crossed the first hazard. The map on page 19 suggests it is one of two elevators up, but in the slide deck, C4a isn't visible. Should I have ignored that? I see other parts are missing as well, so I'd just like to know if I should stick to the scenario, or to the slide deck.
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I may have done an oopsie boingo. My party has just arrived at the Unsealed Way and crossed the first hazard. The map on page 19 suggests it is one of two elevators up, but in the slide deck, C4a isn't visible. Should I have ignored that? I see other parts are missing as well, so I'd just like to know if I should stick to the scenario, or to the slide deck.
there are two elevators up and two tunnles down. These lead to the areas in act 2. Finding them is good but they cannot utilize them as "it goes too far and they are supposed to report back any new areas they find"
While investigating this passage, it should quickly become obvious to the PCs that they have left the Unsealed Way and found a new route. If necessary, remind the players that they were told to report back about any new routes they find.
As no encounters take place, please use "theater of the mind" to fill in the gaps on the slides (unless you wish to make your own slide).
To make sure I am not going nuts, if the PCs set off a trap, it does not count as a success correct?
I would say that if they can disable a hazard after it has been triggered that still counts as a success. I'm willing to be convinced otherwise but the spirit is that these are identified and made safe for those that follow.
I am so proud of the tokens I prepped here for B1. The Sunken Anthechamber (low tier) that I thought I want to share for the laughs.
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To make sure I am not going nuts, if the PCs set off a trap, it does not count as a success correct?I would say that if they can disable a hazard after it has been triggered that still counts as a success. I'm willing to be convinced otherwise but the spirit is that these are identified and made safe for those that follow.
I'd say that if a trap resets (such as in A1, A2, or C1), disabling it after it has gone off would count. It still poses a threat to others, after all. The trap in B4 has no reset, so once triggered, the danger is over.
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Heheh, nice one, GM Fi. :)
Bunyips: on AON they use Blood Franzy as a Reaction. In the PDF it is a Free Action.
They have AOO, so it matters.
Which is correct?
I am running it as a reaction because it's better for the players and there are so many of them.
Hmm, interesting. My Bestiary says it's a free action as well, so I think the PDF is correct.
My Bestiary lists it as a Free Action.
The Uneven Ground in area C2 doesn't have a DC. Should we jsut use the DC for the lower level of the tier we are playing in? (DC 20 for level 5-6?)
AoN is fixing the entry on Bunyips.
Lacking anything else I go with level-based DC. Uneven ground is super punishing. Seems fair.
Is the Unsealed Way really already completed?!
The Unsealed Way has one completion (success) reported.
That said, I came on in part to say there was a Location Success reported without a Rest reported.
When the PCs aren’t engaged in an encounter, they can leave the dungeons under Pallid Peak and return to the base camp. Any time the PCs leave a location for any reason during Act 1 (including completing the location or retreating), the Table GM should report a Rest to the House. The PCs can rest for 8 hours and complete any daily preparations. Changing locations requires the PCs to leave the Pallid Peak, return to the base camp and rest for 8 hours; this includes changing locations after fully exploring one.
emphasis mine
So, either the location success was a reporting error or the lack of rest was. Easy to do either and easy to fix.
The Uneven Ground in area C2 doesn't have a DC. Should we jsut use the DC for the lower level of the tier we are playing in? (DC 20 for level 5-6?)
I've made a note to pass this on to Alex, but for now, it seems reasonable to use the level DC for the lower level at the table.
Edit to add: It's just the stairs, not all of C2.
The Uneven Ground in area C2 doesn't have a DC. Should we jsut use the DC for the lower level of the tier we are playing in? (DC 20 for level 5-6?)I've made a note to pass this on to Alex, but for now, it seems reasonable to use the level DC for the lower level at the table.
Edit to add: It's just the stairs, not all of C2.
Noted. It however is going to be a pain for the fighter with no dex and untrained in Acrobatics.
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I would suggest putting the DC at Easy for level. You’ve got to roll for it so often that even at easy you are going to have failures. Every time you get hit there is a chance of you going prone.
As for the fighter, they are probably going to learn that they need both Athletics and Acrobatics on any character that needs to move around. That has been my experience with PF2.
I have already ruled in the PC's favor and won't be changing anything, but I'd like some opinions to digest and help fashion my ruling in future, similar situations.
Sunken Halls
Environment is underwater.
PC is a sorcerer with the beastmaster archetype gaining a wolf companion (and now as I type and research I've uncovered another problem, the correction for which negates this situation, but it will come up at some point).
PC rides the wolf (since they're only 5th level, this is the problem I discovered: they made their wolf Large, but wolf can't be large until 8th. Will deal with that after the combat).
So I gave a water breathing potion for the animal companion.
Now, riding a creature can only use Land speed. Can a character ride a non-mount animal while that animal Swims using Athletics? Uses Athletics to "Climb" along the walls in B1?
I ad hoc ruled yes.
I looked up some DCs for Uneven ground in other scenarios; a couple of 3-6's use DC 20 for all tiers.
I agree. Uneven ground is too punishing.
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I feel like the answer to riding a mount that is underwater and climbing should be "no." It seems reasonable from a common sense perspective.
"The mount doesn't have a climb speed. If it is carrying a rider, the animal companion can use only its land Speed"; I read that as inclusive of all movement types except maybe Basic Actions (of which Climb and Swim are not one).
I don't think there is anything strictly preventing the animal from using Athletics (but tell me how a wolf is climbing, when Climb says you need "two hands free"… probably too fine a point on things and I would let it climb underwater where it has buoyancy).
Regarding riding a companion it is a bit of a mess, and I agree with DougH. if you look at Barding of the Zephyr It includes exception by saying:
"Even if the companion doesn’t have the mount special ability, it can still Fly while being ridden."
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I would suggest putting the DC at Easy for level. You’ve got to roll for it so often that even at easy you are going to have failures. Every time you get hit there is a chance of you going prone.
As for the fighter, they are probably going to learn that they need both Athletics and Acrobatics on any character that needs to move around. That has been my experience with PF2.
I did get a suggestion to use trained/untrained simple DCs as well. However, we ultimately got around the issue by virtue of the leap action and the hazard only being 5' wide. Here it's a speed bump not a road block.
Regarding riding a companion it is a bit of a mess, and I agree with DougH. if you look at Barding of the Zephyr It includes exception by saying:
"Even if the companion doesn’t have the mount special ability, it can still Fly while being ridden."
Other VOs disagree vehemently. I think we need to allow it in pfs because nothing expressly forbids it. At least they need to spend an action commanding the mature animal.
In area C3, players can vote whether the statues remain as they are, change functions, or do both. Is there a reason why players wouldn't want to tie the vote? That seems like the best of both worlds. Okay, it might be tricky to manage a tie, but there's literally no downsides to it (apart from maybe overshooting and accidentally giving one side the winning vote).
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In area C3, players can vote whether the statues remain as they are, change functions, or do both. Is there a reason why players wouldn't want to tie the vote? That seems like the best of both worlds. Okay, it might be tricky to manage a tie, but there's literally no downsides to it (apart from maybe overshooting and accidentally giving one side the winning vote).
When I ran it at Gencon I did not explicitly say that they could orchestrate a tie and only RPed the statues and what the statues "wanted" No one came up with the idea that the statues do both.
Mechanically, or flavorfully I think we as GMs could read that doing both is ideal but it doesn't always occur to players, and really, if anything, their decisions are determining future outcomes of the living campaign. Any option is fine, in the end nothing is really any better than the other, only as long as they pick something and then that is relayed in a scenario later on and players feel they have agency for change int he world, which is cool, no matter what result they choose here.
My two cents.
I have no problems with GMs pointing out options, especially for inexperienced parties, but I believe we should not try to influence the choices and outcomes so information should be provided as objectively as possible.
OK. This is odd.
Monster grabs PC.
PC then grapples Monster back.
Monster can Swallow PC. Does the PC grappling the Monster affect how Swallow Whole works?
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OK. This is odd.
Monster grabs PC.
PC then grapples Monster back.
Monster can Swallow PC. Does the PC grappling the Monster affect how Swallow Whole works?
Looking at Swallow Whole and Grabbed it looks like...yep you can still be swallowed whole! You still meet all of the requirements for being swallowed.