Guide to the New Season

Question: Say I have an arcanist I intend to retrain, perhaps into a kineticist. Say that arcanist bought a runestone of power and a spell lattice. As these items do not modify my Abilities, I am stuck with them (can't sell back at full value) on my Kineticist who cannot use them?

Cause that's what it's reading like and that's really irritating if so...

I believe you are correct, Ryzoken.

What about the Arcanist errata distresses you so?

Question: Say I have an arcanist I intend to retrain, perhaps into a kineticist. Say that arcanist bought a runestone of power and a spell lattice. As these items do not modify my Abilities, I am stuck with them (can't sell back at full value) on my Kineticist who cannot use them?

Would you say your Kineticist is no longer proficient with them?

If a class, prestige class, or archetype changes in such a way that you no longer have proficiency with a given weapon or armor type: You may sell back the affected equipment and only the affected equipment at full market value. You may also retrain any feats directly associated with the affected equipment.

From the Faction Card instructions:

Once per adventure that grants

a Chronicle sheet and at least 1 XP ... you may earn credit toward one of the goals on the back of the card and check one of the boxes that precedes that goal

By this, you cannot check a box is you play a standard adventre on Slow advancement, is this intended?

Regardless of what track your character is on, the adventure still grants a Chronicle sheet and 1 XP. How much your character earns does not affect that.

Question: Say I have an arcanist I intend to retrain, perhaps into a kineticist. Say that arcanist bought a runestone of power and a spell lattice. As these items do not modify my Abilities, I am stuck with them (can't sell back at full value) on my Kineticist who cannot use them?

Would you say your Kineticist is no longer proficient with them?

Quote:

If a class, prestige class, or archetype changes in such a way that you no longer have proficiency with a given weapon or armor type: You may sell back the affected equipment and only the affected equipment at full market value. You may also retrain any feats directly associated with the affected equipment.

Neither the runestone of power or the spell lattice is a weapon or armor type, Steven.

And? I'm just killing time until Mike or John respond.

And?

The text specifies proficiency with weapons or armour as being the trigger for a full value resale. Spell Lattice and Runestone falls within neither of those so there is no way to get a full value resale.

Sebastian Hirsch wrote:

Chris Lambertz wrote:

Darrell Impey UK wrote:

Can we have the email addresses removed from the Faction Cards again please?

Already done. My bad!

Can we have the watermarking removed from the newest set of pregens too please ?

Also done :)

Not sure if this is the best place for this, but can we get our emails removed from the pregens for True Dragons of Absalom and Serpents Rise as well? I was hoping to print out the pregens in color for my players.

My complaints regarding the erratum are off topic. This thread is clearly for discussion regarding the new guide. It does appear that wondrous items only usable by a select set of character classes have been left in the lurch, so to speak, creating instances in which players are penalized for rebuilding away from erratum they may find onerus for one reason or another. If it's not too late to do so, I'd like this remedied, if at all possible.

I just looked at the new faction cards. The Exchange Reward Investor has five large check boxes next to it when no other rewards for the Exchange or other factions have check boxes nest to them.

The use of those boxes is explained in the text of the Investor reward.

fires up all the regex

Is this rebranding retroactive? Are all past PFS scenarios now officially "Pathfinder Society Roleplaying Guild scenarios"?

In Season 6, the normal rule was that you could only check one box on your Faction Journal Card per scenario. (There was at least one exception, specific to a set of boxes on the Grand Lodge card.)

Suppose I have a character with a started Season 6 card, and also a Season 7 card.

First question: can I check one box per card per adventure, or one box total per adventure? That is, suppose I satisfied something on both the Season 6 card and the Season 7 card. Can I check both, or do I have to pick one? (My guess: pick one. I haven't yet found the text that makes this clear, however. If somebody could point me to it, I'd be grateful. If there is no text making this clear, consider this a request for clarification.)

Second question: if I have to pick one, can I go back and forth? The example which says "...begins working on the Season 7 card" sort of implies that you only work on one card at a time. Is it OK one adventure to check a Season 7 box, and then the next adventure go back to a Season 6 box? (I know it's probably better in general to focus, but if the goals change, there might still be some value to this.)

In Season 6, the normal rule was that you could only check one box on your Faction Journal Card per scenario. (There was at least one exception, specific to a set of boxes on the Grand Lodge card.)

Suppose I have a character with a started Season 6 card, and also a Season 7 card.

First question: can I check one box per card per adventure, or one box total per adventure? That is, suppose I satisfied something on both the Season 6 card and the Season 7 card. Can I check both, or do I have to pick one? (My guess: pick one. I haven't yet found the text that makes this clear, however. If somebody could point me to it, I'd be grateful. If there is no text making this clear, consider this a request for clarification.)

Second question: if I have to pick one, can I go back and forth? The example which says "...begins working on the Season 7 card" sort of implies that you only work on one card at a time. Is it OK one adventure to check a Season 7 box, and then the next adventure go back to a Season 6 box? (I know it's probably better in general to focus, but if the goals change, there might still be some value to this.)

You could have both cards that you're working on, but you can only check one box—period —per adventure. In that way someone couldn't just bank up several seasons' worth of cards and check 3+ goals per adventure. Instead you have a wider variety of goals that you can fulfill, but at the cost of spreading your successes thinner between the cards.

If an ability-score-dependent feature of a class, prestige
class, or archetype is altered: You may rebuild your
character to its current XP. Keep the same equipment, but
you can resell any equipment that augments the changed
ability score at its full market price.

So if I'm reading this right, Daring Champions and Kata Masters will get to retrain due to the loss of Opportune Parry and Riposte, because in both cases the deed is part of the Panache class feature, which is ability-score-dependent. Correct?

I have to save ink for my equipment sheets, is there going to be a provision to purchase a copy of the new Guild Guide at GenCon?

Woo hoo, I get a free reroll because of my messenger bag! Great addition, and one that I was hoping for but not expecting!

Guide wrote:

If an ability-score-dependent feature of a class, prestige
class, or archetype is altered: You may rebuild your
character to its current XP. Keep the same equipment, but
you can resell any equipment that augments the changed
ability score at its full market price.

So if I'm reading this right, Daring Champions and Kata Masters will get to retrain due to the loss of Opportune Parry and Riposte, because in both cases the deed is part of the Panache class feature, which is ability-score-dependent. Correct?

I don't believe that is the case, since the ability score that the class feature is dependent on has not changed.

Table 2-2 (Hit Points) is missing Unchained Monk (d10 instead of d8), right?

So any chance we can get full item resell on this round of errata rebuilds for those affected?

I'm still not reading anything in this new Guide that allows a level 2 character to play through Tier 1 sessions, such as First Steps or Master of the Fallen Fortress.

Can we get a quick confirmation here if they can or not? It's a bit of a conflict.

The S6 and S7 faction cards for Sovereign Court have an identically named capstone, but they don't do the same thing;

SPYMASTER (7+ goals): Once per adventure, you can coach up to seven other creatures in the use of a skill that you select when you use this ability. For the duration of the adventure, those creatures gain a +4 competence bonus on checks using that skill and halve their armor check penalty when using the skill.

SPYMASTER (7+ goals): Once per adventure, you can coach up to seven other creatures in the use of a skill that you select when you use this ability. For the duration of the adventure, those creatures gain a bonus on checks using that skill equal to half the goals you have completed (rounded down) and halve their armor check penalty when using the skill.

So how does that stack?

The S6 and S7 faction cards for Sovereign Court have an identically named capstone, but they don't do the same thing;

S6 wrote:

SPYMASTER (7+ goals): Once per adventure, you can coach up to seven other creatures in the use of a skill that you select when you use this ability. For the duration of the adventure, those creatures gain a +4 competence bonus on checks using that skill and halve their armor check penalty when using the skill.

S7 wrote:

SPYMASTER (7+ goals): Once per adventure, you can coach up to seven other creatures in the use of a skill that you select when you use this ability. For the duration of the adventure, those creatures gain a bonus on checks using that skill equal to half the goals you have completed (rounded down) and halve their armor check penalty when using the skill.

So how does that stack?

8 used to be the maximum number of goals (+4 bonus). Now you can effectively have more than that. It also gives an incentive to get that 8th goal done to bump a +3 to a +4.

The S6 and S7 faction cards for Sovereign Court have an identically named capstone, but they don't do the same thing;

S6 wrote:

SPYMASTER (7+ goals): Once per adventure, you can coach up to seven other creatures in the use of a skill that you select when you use this ability. For the duration of the adventure, those creatures gain a +4 competence bonus on checks using that skill and halve their armor check penalty when using the skill.

S7 wrote:

SPYMASTER (7+ goals): Once per adventure, you can coach up to seven other creatures in the use of a skill that you select when you use this ability. For the duration of the adventure, those creatures gain a bonus on checks using that skill equal to half the goals you have completed (rounded down) and halve their armor check penalty when using the skill.

So how does that stack?

The two Spymaster abilities values currently don't stack with one another.

You would always be using the bonus from the season six card unless there is an option to complete more goals for season seven beyond the scope of the card.

I believe that if you get both boons you would effectively get +1 goal on each card toward the card bonus. That doesn't effect the season 6 card because it has no bonus that scales with goals. The S7 does scale, but the bonus starts out lower, but if you complete 10 goals on the card then the bonus would go up to a +5. There are eight goals on the card to complete. By getting Spymaster on the season six card, you would have effectively 9 goals complete for the Spymaster ability. That doesn't make the bonus better than +4, but there might be a time in the future where you can gain another goal to benefit the season seven card to bring it up to 10 goals for a +5 bonus. I don't know of anything that would allow that at the moment though.

Just a vent: Bloody hell. I just spent over $50 to print color copies of the Faction Journal Cards on card stock for my players at Gen Con. And I get home to find out they're out of date.

I'm sorry; I just don't have the spare cash to do this again.

We knew for cold, hard fact from the get-go of the Faction Journal Card program that they would be replaced in each new season, which starts at Gen Con. Pay better attention next time, I guess.

Anyway, the faction cards and the Guide are both in dire need of copy editing. The cards have a couple of instances of clearly incomplete sentences, and the Guide is rife with grammatical errors, claims there are eight factions in Chapter 3 when in fact Chapter 4 presents seven, and I could go on all night. I'd be glad to compile a list so it can be corrected if the campaign leadership desires, but it would really behoove Paizo to hire an editor, because this keeps happening.

The two Spymaster abilities values currently don't stack with one another.

Could you explain that position, Blazej? One of them is a competence bonus, and the other is untyped.

I'm liking the new language rules in character creation.

Core Campaign now has the Golarian languages.

Step 4:
Tian characters receive the languages Tien and Common for free.

Hmm...

I like a lot of what I see here! The minor changes made all seem for the better! I also especially like the addition to allow Tien characters to speak Tien as a free language!

I know that I might be alone on my one let down here, but I was looking forward to seeing if a new race was going to be allowed this season. Keeping all of them the same is just a bit... Meh. I like the variety that new races add. I suppose I am a bit biased here, though, as I am currently unable to join up with a home game, thus making some of my favorite races completely unavailable for me to use...

Page 36:

"Tracking Prestige Points is fairly simple;
it requires you to read over the success conditions and
faction missions entries in the back of the scenario before
play, hand out the faction mission letters after reading out
the Getting Started text at the beginning of the scenario,
and then record whether or not the PCs accomplish these
missions during the scenario."

No.

Tracking Prestige Points has zero to do with reading faction mission entries. It has zero to do with handing out faction mission letters.

To say the very least, it is very disappointing that this waaaaaaaaay outdated language is included in this year's guide. When did faction missions stop being relevant to Prestige Points? What year was that?

The editing needs to be better than this.

I have to admit that I'm a little disappointed that we didn't get a race change. Was really hoping for grippli and any of the elemental races.

You could have both cards that you're working on, but you can only check one box—period —per adventure. In that way someone couldn't just bank up several seasons' worth of cards and check 3+ goals per adventure. Instead you have a wider variety of goals that you can fulfill, but at the cost of spreading your successes thinner between the cards.

So if you are working on two faction cards from two seasons, can you check the "You can check the box from this goal and another box from another goal in one game session" on two different season's cards?

Here's a specific example for clarity:
On the Sovereign Court card, there is a goal that summarizes as "Check this box if you fulfilled one of the above goals without revealing you are a Sovereign Court member. This lets you check two boxes from two goals." Say I had all three of that goal's boxes from Season six filled, but only two of the three boxes next to the "Recruit a named NPC noble, aristocrat, etc" checked for season six. If I recruit a qualifying NPC without revealing my affiliation to non-SC members, can I check the final "Recruit" box on the season six card and the "Don't reveal identity" box on the season seven card, since the relevant goals are identical? Or am I not allowed to do that because they are two different cards?

They are separate cards. You can complete one objective on one card per scenario. I don't see what's so difficult.

I don't see how a goal on a season 6 card can be "one of the above goals" on a season 7 card.

You could conceivably score a "tourist destination" on a Grand Lodge card from one season, and score another goal on the other card.

Joseph Kellogg wrote:

Guide wrote:

If an ability-score-dependent feature of a class, prestige
class, or archetype is altered: You may rebuild your
character to its current XP. Keep the same equipment, but
you can resell any equipment that augments the changed
ability score at its full market price.

So if I'm reading this right, Daring Champions and Kata Masters will get to retrain due to the loss of Opportune Parry and Riposte, because in both cases the deed is part of the Panache class feature, which is ability-score-dependent. Correct?

I don't believe that is the case, since the ability score that the class feature is dependent on has not changed.

I believe, that, as written this text covers the situation where the ability score the ability uses changes (like the change in casting stat for warpriests), where the involved calculation changes (like the arcanist thing) or where the ability itself is changed (panache pool, spellcasting, channel etc. )

Unfortunately it does not cover a situation where a class or archetype just looses an ability, or the archetype is changed so it replaces another ability.

UndeadMitch wrote:

Joseph Kellogg wrote:

Guide wrote:

If an ability-score-dependent feature of a class, prestige
class, or archetype is altered: You may rebuild your
character to its current XP. Keep the same equipment, but
you can resell any equipment that augments the changed
ability score at its full market price.

So if I'm reading this right, Daring Champions and Kata Masters will get to retrain due to the loss of Opportune Parry and Riposte, because in both cases the deed is part of the Panache class feature, which is ability-score-dependent. Correct?

I don't believe that is the case, since the ability score that the class feature is dependent on has not changed.

I believe, that, as written this text covers the situation where the ability score the ability uses changes (like the change in casting stat for warpriests), where the involved calculation changes (like the arcanist thing) or where the ability itself is changed (panache pool, spellcasting, channel etc. )

Unfortunately it does not cover a situation where a class or archetype just looses an ability, or the archetype is changed so it replaces another ability.

I don't see how you can get that from the text. Nothing in that paragraph says it has to alter what ability score the class feature is dependent on, only that it has to be dependent on an ability score. Admittedly, it is a strange distinction to make, but it would also be strange to disallow any rebuilding when iconic class features are errata'd away.

Page 36:

Tracking Prestige Points has zero to do with reading faction mission entries. It has zero to do with handing out faction mission letters.

Not "zero," my friend. Prestige is earned through secondary success conditions, and for several older scenarios that still relates to faction missions. I agree that it's no longer correct and needs to be updated, but your pressing things too far.

Quadstriker wrote:

Page 36:

Tracking Prestige Points has zero to do with reading faction mission entries. It has zero to do with handing out faction mission letters.

Not "zero," my friend. Prestige is earned through secondary success conditions, and for several older scenarios that still relates to faction missions. I agree that it's no longer correct and needs to be updated, but your pressing things too far.

In fact One of the Old Scenarios Faction Missions directly conflicts with the Secondary Success Condition. Which is why I enforce a No Old Faction mission policy. Or You can do it at your own risk but dont come crying to me when your walking away with 1 less prestige because you wanted to stab that Hobo.

There is out-of-date information on page 34, heading "Adapting Seasons 0-4". The list of faction conversions is based on the list as of Season 5. Specifically, there are directions for Sczarni faction PCs.

Is there a way to get a 'just black' version of the Guild Guide? Or a hard copy? I'm willing to pay a nominal fee for printing, even.

I don't have a smart phone to put some nifty ap on.

I'm out of colour ink after printing out my inventory tracking sheets.

I'm not sure if I'll be able to find a spot to get this printed out myself in Indy, yet according to the rules it's necessary for play?

Is there a way to get a 'just black' version of the Guild Guide? Or a hard copy? I'm willing to pay a nominal fee for printing, even.

I don't have a smart phone to put some nifty ap on.

I'm out of colour ink after printing out my inventory tracking sheets.

I'm not sure if I'll be able to find a spot to get this printed out myself in Indy, yet according to the rules it's necessary for play?

The Guide is one of the core assumptions, and you will not be denied a chance to play if you do not have it at the table (same with Core Rulebook).

You are supposed to have all of the additional resources your character may use in one of the legal methods at the table, and a copy of the current additional resources page.

Wei Ji the Learner wrote:

Is there a way to get a 'just black' version of the Guild Guide? Or a hard copy? I'm willing to pay a nominal fee for printing, even.

I don't have a smart phone to put some nifty ap on.

I'm out of colour ink after printing out my inventory tracking sheets.

I'm not sure if I'll be able to find a spot to get this printed out myself in Indy, yet according to the rules it's necessary for play?

The Guide is one of the core assumptions, and you will not be denied a chance to play if you do not have it at the table (same with Core Rulebook).

You are supposed to have all of the additional resources your character may use in one of the legal methods at the table, and a copy of the current additional resources page.

Oh, good. I have all the hard copies of the books I need set and ready.

Thank you!

Is there a way to get a 'just black' version of the Guild Guide? Or a hard copy? I'm willing to pay a nominal fee for printing, even.

I don't have a smart phone to put some nifty ap on.

I'm out of colour ink after printing out my inventory tracking sheets.

I'm not sure if I'll be able to find a spot to get this printed out myself in Indy, yet according to the rules it's necessary for play?

If you are printing this from adobe, there is a "print in grayscale" button. You could try that.

I don't see what's so difficult.

...

On the Grand Lodge card, can you check the "Be somewhere other than Absalom" goal on one season's card and a second goal on the other season's card?
Also, can you get credit for visiting the same nation in two different scenarios on two different seasons' cards? If no, that goal is going to be excessively difficult to achieve a second (or third) time.

Wei Ji the Learner wrote:

Is there a way to get a 'just black' version of the Guild Guide? Or a hard copy? I'm willing to pay a nominal fee for printing, even.

I don't have a smart phone to put some nifty ap on.

I'm out of colour ink after printing out my inventory tracking sheets.

I'm not sure if I'll be able to find a spot to get this printed out myself in Indy, yet according to the rules it's necessary for play?

If you are printing this from adobe, there is a "print in grayscale" button. You could try that.

That uses color ink.

Wei Ji the Learner wrote:

Is there a way to get a 'just black' version of the Guild Guide? Or a hard copy? I'm willing to pay a nominal fee for printing, even.

I don't have a smart phone to put some nifty ap on.

I'm out of colour ink after printing out my inventory tracking sheets.

I'm not sure if I'll be able to find a spot to get this printed out myself in Indy, yet according to the rules it's necessary for play?

If you are printing this from adobe, there is a "print in grayscale" button. You could try that.

Oooh. Good thought. Let me take a look at that.

FLite wrote:

Wei Ji the Learner wrote:

Is there a way to get a 'just black' version of the Guild Guide? Or a hard copy? I'm willing to pay a nominal fee for printing, even.

I don't have a smart phone to put some nifty ap on.

I'm out of colour ink after printing out my inventory tracking sheets.

I'm not sure if I'll be able to find a spot to get this printed out myself in Indy, yet according to the rules it's necessary for play?

If you are printing this from adobe, there is a "print in grayscale" button. You could try that.

Oooh. Good thought. Let me take a look at that.

If that still trys to use color ink, check your printer's settings for its own "print in grayscale" option.

FLite wrote:

Wei Ji the Learner wrote:

Is there a way to get a 'just black' version of the Guild Guide? Or a hard copy? I'm willing to pay a nominal fee for printing, even.

I don't have a smart phone to put some nifty ap on.

I'm out of colour ink after printing out my inventory tracking sheets.

I'm not sure if I'll be able to find a spot to get this printed out myself in Indy, yet according to the rules it's necessary for play?

If you are printing this from adobe, there is a "print in grayscale" button. You could try that.

That uses color ink.

Not on all printers. And most printers where it does have a "use only black ink" setting. (Checking "treat grays as K only grey" in adobe's advanced printer settings may help.)

Now a bigger problem is that some printers simply won't print if any cartridge is truly empty, even if that cartridge isn't being used.

So I was able to get it to print, in grayscale, at four pages per sheet.

I'll have to bring a magnifying glass, but should be good to go. Thanks for the advice!

On the Grand Lodge card, can you check the "Be somewhere other than Absalom" goal on one season's card and a second goal on the other season's card?

Also, can you get credit for visiting the same nation in two different scenarios on two different seasons' cards? If no, that goal is going to be excessively difficult to achieve a second (or third) time.

These are good questions...