October 2022 Organized Play Monthly Update

The skeletons
They destroyed their cage [the boundaries of life and death, much to Pharasma's disdain]
Yes
YES
The skeletons are out

Congrats, Ryan Blomquist and all of the new Campaign Service Award recipients! I am so glad to see you all getting the work you do finally recognized as it should be!

And Milan, I am in awe of your accomplishment. How do you have time to sleep?

And do join us for SkålCOnline, our local online charity convention. We just finished SkålCon 2022 in person, which was a great success, raising over $2500 for our charities of Tubman and Pawcentricity! Let's see if we can do this again at our online convention!

Does the Skeleton Boon answer the question "can you heal undead with Soothe?"

Soothe says it targets a LIVING creature, but book of the dead gives it as an example for healing undead creatures. Since this is an easy issue to houserule in a home game, but absolutely character breaking problem of table variation in Society games, is there any chance we could get a society rule, or at least a recommendation, for this?

Does the Skeleton Boon answer the question "can you heal undead with Soothe?"

Soothe says it targets a LIVING creature, but book of the dead gives it as an example for healing undead creatures. Since this is an easy issue to houserule in a home game, but absolutely character breaking problem of table variation in Society games, is there any chance we could get a society rule, or at least a recommendation, for this?

In Pathfinder Society, soothe works on undead PCs (or undead enemies, I suppose). The design team intends to alter its target to "one willing creature" the next time the errata process starts up.

Grats to everyone and special grats to Milan. That is a major accomplishment and on top of doing the work with Archives of Nethys and a VC.

Extreme Kudos to you!

No response necessary here. I'm just venting, pretty much.
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I can't honestly say I'm happy with the idea of Skeleton characters. (And yes, I played 4-02 when it premiered.) No problem with it being 'costly' or anything like that. And yes, I saw the comment about Pharasma, but when a Goddess considers something a perversion, it's quite likely that her clerics are going to as well. I recognize that her anathema is 'creating undead' and that doesn't really apply here (though desecrating a corpse might). It just feels wrong. (Probably be a great source of conflict-oriented roleplay, though.)

That aside, it also means that healing clerics (not just Pharasmins) cannot use a three-action Heal within 30 feet of any Skeletal characters without running hard up against the no PVP rules or pretty much being required to take Selective Energy as early as possible. That seems like it's placing another restriction on the class; all the Skeleton player has to do is reject being willing to take the damage (though, granted, most would not do that, pretty much expecting to have to be self-sufficient) to prevent the most efficient use of that cleric ability. And yes, it's hardly the only thing that triggers that, but it may be the only one that triggers on a major class ability. On the other hand, it might give the Bad Touch cleric the novel experience of being the healer!

With other characters whose raison d'être is healing (like my Forensic Medicine Investigator), it requires the player to own a book and select a particular feat (Stitch Flesh, which the above character already has, mostly because I was running out of Medicine feats to take), which is another restriction. Again, this makes me mildly uncomfortable.

I know I'm not expressing myself well. Basically, all I can really say is that the concept makes me cringe to have to deal with as both a player who likes playing healers (at least 1/3rd of all of my characters are primary or secondary healers) and as a GM.

well done to all the new 5 Star, 5 Glyph and 5 Nova GMs - extra kudos Milan for achieving 5/5/5, and great job too all those Campaign Coin recipients; Guess we need to bug Alex for a bigger clubhouse

That aside, it also means that healing clerics (not just Pharasmins) cannot use a three-action Heal within 30 feet of any Skeletal characters without running hard up against the no PVP rules or pretty much being required to take Selective Energy as early as possible. That seems like it's placing another restriction on the class; all the Skeleton player has to do is reject being willing to take the damage (though, granted, most would not do that, pretty much expecting to have to be self-sufficient) to prevent the most efficient use of that cleric ability. And yes, it's hardly the only thing that triggers that, but it may be the only one that triggers on a major class ability. On the other hand, it might give the Bad Touch cleric the novel experience of being the healer!

Well, thats already an issue with other Negative Healing ancestries/heritages. When I made a Dhampir Rogue, I knew what to expect for healing(and possible damage from other PCs), which is why I made sure to have Oils of Unlife and now Assurance(Medicine).

No response necessary here. I'm just venting, pretty much.

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I can't honestly say I'm happy with the idea of Skeleton characters...

As someone who quite often plays healers myself, I'm going to just say: fair warning, if you play a skeleton, you will need to just assume that any healing your PC might need they will have to bring themselves (via potions, self-repair/heal abilities, or only ever traveling with a friend who can fix them).

Not being able to automatically assume other PCs will be able to heal your PC (and occasionally needing to get your PC the heck out of the way of positive-energy spewing abilities) is just going to be part of the price you pay to play your odd and rare PC in PFS adventures. *shrug*

"What do you mean you don't fix foreign cars?"

Way to go, Ivis!

Also, spooky spooky skeletons.

I am actually looking forward to hanging out with my skeletal colleagues for the extra frisson that being a Pharasmite will bring to our roleplay. But then Tess is a duskwalker from Geb... She knows she cannot smite every undead that she meets. There are times when one needs to actually work with them.

With great suspicion.

And perhaps a bit of hauteur and grumpy commentary about 'What is the Society coming to?'

Congratulations to all the new 5 rank GMs and Campaign Coin Holders on their amazing achievements.

Milan, wow! I am amazed that you crossed that particular finish line. Congratulations, my friend!

Kyle Ashcraft, hey that's me! It has been a long time to earn that final star but I am so happy now. Also can't wait to build my skeletal Don Quixote-esqe cavalier.

Tomppa wrote:

Does the Skeleton Boon answer the question "can you heal undead with Soothe?"

Soothe says it targets a LIVING creature, but book of the dead gives it as an example for healing undead creatures. Since this is an easy issue to houserule in a home game, but absolutely character breaking problem of table variation in Society games, is there any chance we could get a society rule, or at least a recommendation, for this?

In Pathfinder Society, soothe works on undead PCs (or undead enemies, I suppose). The design team intends to alter its target to "one willing creature" the next time the errata process starts up.

are the design team also going to remove the healing trait? as there's currently 2 reasons it doesn't work as written, the target line and the healing trait, as the undead trait says they are immune to healing!

Alex Speidel wrote:

Tomppa wrote:

Does the Skeleton Boon answer the question "can you heal undead with Soothe?"

Soothe says it targets a LIVING creature, but book of the dead gives it as an example for healing undead creatures. Since this is an easy issue to houserule in a home game, but absolutely character breaking problem of table variation in Society games, is there any chance we could get a society rule, or at least a recommendation, for this?

In Pathfinder Society, soothe works on undead PCs (or undead enemies, I suppose). The design team intends to alter its target to "one willing creature" the next time the errata process starts up.

are the design team also going to remove the healing trait? as there's currently 2 reasons it doesn't work as written, the target line and the healing trait, as the undead trait says they are immune to healing!

Under Basic Undead Benefits in BOTD

The archetypes and skeleton ancestry that follow can give the basic undead benefits detailed here. These are somewhat different from the normal undead creature abilities to better fit player characters.

IMO this overrides the Benefits/Penalties of the undead trait. Especially since it explicitly overrides the whole being destroyed at 0 thing normal undead have.

Maybe the Design team omitting the "immune to healing" was on purpose?

Edit: Additional Reasoning Soothe now works.

Negative Healing: You are damaged by positive damage and aren't healed by positive healing effects. You don't take negative damage and are healed by negative effects that heal undead.

IMO that means the source of healing has to have the Positive and Healing traits. Soothe does not have the Positive, so is okay to use on Undead with Alex's statement from above.

Is the skeleton boon only available for a limited time?

Have been hoping for large AcP dumps for a while. Can we get one for Starfinder next? I'm not dying and/or making new characters I don't have boons for fast enough to go through the 500+ I have there.

Ivis! Congratulations on #5!!

Congrats to all of you that achieved your 5th rank! Milan, congrats on the hat trick! Congrats to all you who achieved your campaign coins!

Have been hoping for large AcP dumps for a while. Can we get one for Starfinder next? I'm not dying and/or making new characters I don't have boons for fast enough to go through the 500+ I have there.

I agree, and I've thought about this a bit. I don't think that "fancy / rare / mechanically challenging species" is a good Spacey-P sink for Starfinder, both because, well, many of the species are already purchaseable boons, as well as the fact that Starfinder Society is supposed to be a delightful melange of zany species, and gating species behind Spacey-Ps (more than is already being done) takes the fun out of it, in my mind. I suppose you could make an argument for some outrageous or rules-tricky things (like 250+ Spacey-Ps to play an Eoxian, Space Goblin, Astrazoan, Endiffian, or whatever) but it just doesn't feel right for Starfinder.

Instead, I propose that non-species boons become a thing Starfinders can burn large quantities of points on: things like unique Themes, Vehicles, or Starships!

We already have 3 starships, plus a smattering of Gorgons from high-tier Exo-Guardians. But we've seen hints of other Starfinder ships, mostly through Charity boons: the stealthy Bulettes, forward-punching Manticores, scientific Griffons, Radaszam's aptly-named "Negotiators," and of course, who could forget Beaky Mk IV :D High-cost Spacey-P boons might be a fun way to introduce more of those into the Starfinder ecosystem! Or, heck, make new Starships using some of the SOM rules, or even just new ships to serve some of the common complaints. I know a lot of people would dive at the opportunity to use a starship with a selection of Mystical weapons available at all tiers! Alternatively (additionally?) I think it'd be a blast to pilot an "AoE ship" that focused on Array and Line starship weapons!

...of course, Starship combat gets a bad wrap, and there's fewer Starship scenarios than there used to be, and very few at high tier. I dunno if that would actually be much of a draw. If this did become a thing, I'd hope that the other ships get more than just a Tier 4 and Tier 6 version, as the existing single-page boons mostly have. I assume that some of the reason these boon ships only have 1 or 2 Tiers statted out is because of space constraints on the page, but with the guide being online now, maybe they wouldn't have to post the entire stats on the boon, and just add them as a new table, in the online guide?
(I realise making new, or more Tier versions of existing, ships is a lot of work, and "duh, some idiot on the forums'll volunteer to do it for free" isn't the solution people think it is, but...I mean, Alex knows where to find me if you want members for a hypothetical "Starship Boon Task Force" XD)

Vehicles could be interesting too, since they're technically already allowed, but just cost-prohibitive. If folks could buy, like, a tactical dropship using Spacey-Ps instead of credits, I bet we'd see more vehicles in play!

hmm... skeleton bard with a specialization in percussion weapons... inspires courage by playing xylophone on his ribs... :)

Yay Ivis!

Soothe really is a great healing option.

Gobbo the Goblin Bard of Desna recommendses it, espeshurely as a Signatshure Spellele :D

hmm... skeleton bard with a specialization in percussion weapons... inspires courage by playing xylophone on his ribs... :)

*Plays Popcorn*

Ooo! Make a Skeleton Cleric of Pharasma. Then just preach that she's fine with it.

Bonus points if you choose the Cultist Background, but never mention it ^_^

Ooo! Make a Skeleton Cleric of Pharasma. Then just preach that she's fine with it.

Bonus points if you choose the Cultist Background, but never mention it ^_^

hands nefreet a tiny umbrella and shuffles a good 35 feet thataway out of lightning bolt range

Congratulations to all the 5-rank GMs, especially Kyle Ashcraft, and all the Service Coin awardees, especially Ryan Blomquist!

Micro Update to the PFS2 Org Play Guide.

Broadened the ability to receive harm in place of heal and oils of unlife in place of healing potions as starting consumables to apply to *any* time you would receive one of those from the society and it's allies. (For example, if your character relies on Negative Healing and you receive healing potions during a briefing, or on reporting back part way through a mission, you can request and receive an oil of unlife of the same level instead.)

Negative Healing

So why are the skeletons not evil? I'm not going to be able to play the scenario.
It is hard to believe Pharasma would be OK with this as is.

So why are the skeletons not evil? I'm not going to be able to play the scenario.

It is hard to believe Pharasma would be OK with this as is.

Makes me glad I have a font that goes both ways! Go Nethys! Guess I will choose Heal or Harm based on party makeup.
That said, a skeleton champion of Sarenrae sounds amusing.

Congrats all the coin recipients and 5 Star, 5 Nova and 5 Glyph GMs Awesome Job thank you for all your hard work.

As for the Skeleton's being allowed, with some of the tricks Pharasma has done to get her way, I am not surprised she would allow this as an experiment to use the Undead Abominations against each other. Look what she has done to Salim Ghadafar in the Redemption Engine. She seems like an opportunist.

All that said, I am playing my Skeleton Saturday

Name: Ian Humerus
Ancestry: Skeleton (Sturdy)
Background: Necromancer's Apprentice
Class: Sorcerer (Psychopomp)
Chosen by Pharasma to stay on earth for his sins against her and the souls he prevented from going to the Boneyard.

DemonicDem wrote:

So why are the skeletons not evil? I'm not going to be able to play the scenario.

It is hard to believe Pharasma would be OK with this as is.

** spoiler omitted **

Thank you. And you might be thinking of the House of the Itinerant Soul in the Ethereal Plane along with the spirits that help there.

Tomppa wrote:

Does the Skeleton Boon answer the question "can you heal undead with Soothe?"

Soothe says it targets a LIVING creature, but book of the dead gives it as an example for healing undead creatures. Since this is an easy issue to houserule in a home game, but absolutely character breaking problem of table variation in Society games, is there any chance we could get a society rule, or at least a recommendation, for this?

In Pathfinder Society, soothe works on undead PCs (or undead enemies, I suppose). The design team intends to alter its target to "one willing creature" the next time the errata process starts up.

What’s the thinking on, for example, a skeletal summoner with a anger phantom eidolon both getting hit with a 3-action heal (or a harm) spell? One may take damage based on the save, the other will heal. Would we represent that in math in the shared hp or something else?

Thanks

A relatively common opinion online seems to be that you apply both healing and damage, since both summoner an the eidolon get hit by separate effects (one is hit with damage, one is hit with healing), which is different than if both got hit by the same effect (such as healing when both are alive).