Alain Falaviel's page

So, just finished reading this, and I have to say, I rather enjoy it. I look forward to running it soon. I do have one concern, however - how often can a PC use the Flask of Reconcoction between scenarios? There is an indeterminate amount of time between scenarios, so is it limited to once between scenarios? Once every actual week? Any input?

Second, it is only mentioned briefly, but the scenario references Tseka's body double, but seems to behave as if you actually are fighting Tseka. Does anybody have any ideas there?

Scenario: PFS: 05-99: The Paths We Choose(Level 3-7)

Date/Time: Saturday, August 30th, 2014 @ 1:00 PM EDT US [-4 UTC]

GM: Netopalis

Game Client: Google Plus Hangout and the Roll20.net VTT

Description:

A Pathfinder Society Scenario designed for levels 3-7.

The failure of Mendev's wardstones set in motion not only a new crusade but also catalyzed a change in the Pathfinder Society's various factions. As the Pathfinders prepare to march on the Sky Citadel Jormurdun, members of the various factions scramble to consolidate their gains and neutralize their enemies. "The Paths We Choose" is a special event designed to highlight the changes in each faction over the course of Season 5, The Year of the Demon, and the adventure is different for each group depending on which factions are represented at the table. Content in "The Paths We Choose" also contributes directly to the ongoing storylines of the Andoran, Cheliax, Osirion, Qadira, Sczarni, and Taldor factions. This adventure kicks off Season 6, The Year of the Sky Key and is for character levels 3-7.

This scenario is designed for play in Pathfinder Society Organized Play, but can easily be adapted for use with any world. This scenario is compliant with the Open Game License (OGL) and is suitable for use with the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game.

Written by Tim Hitchcock.

Notes:

Free Roll20.net account required: http://roll20.net/

This game is a part of VTT Game Day 4. For more games and info check out the official game list.

Sign-ups:

Please sign up by responding to this post with the following information:

Player name:
Character name:
PFS number:
Race, Class, Level:
Faction:
A link to a token for your character:

We will be playing only 3 of the 7 factions' missions, so please try to choose characters accordingly. Factions will be selected on a first-come-first-serve basis.

During GenCon, with the prevalence of hardness in Season 6 scenarios, a lot of rules questions came up. Specifically, the question is how energy damage is applied to constructs with hardness. I received the following answers, each from GMs with at least 4 stars and 3 different ones from Venture Officers:

*Energy damage is reduced by the amount of hardness before affecting HP.

*Energy damage is halved, then reduced by the amount of hardness before affecting HP.

*Energy damage is halved, but not reduced by the amount of hardness before affecting HP.

*Energy damage is halved if the construct is an animated object, but is not halved if the construct is not an animated object.

*Energy damage is halved and damage is reduced by hardness if the construct is an animated object, but it is only reduced by hardness and not halved if the construct is just a construct.

What is the answer? I'm having a great deal of difficulty finding one. The relevant portion of the CRB mentions hardness only in relation to objects, not in relation to constructs or other creatures. It states:

Hardness: Each object has hardness—a number that

represents how well it resists damage. When an object is
damaged, subtract its hardness from the damage. Only
damage in excess of its hardness is deducted from the
object’s hit points.

and, later:

Energy Attacks: Energy attacks deal half damage to

most objects. Divide the damage by 2 before applying the
object’s hardness. Some energy types might be particularly
effective against certain objects, subject to GM discretion.

So, what rules do we apply in PFS? I feel as if, given the importance of hardness to our current season, we need some sort of a FAQ or ruling on how hardness works in relation to energy damage. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

To me, I would phrase the specific question to be answered as followed: "Are all constructs objects for the purposes of determining an energy attack's effect on hardness?"

Just wanted to give a quick shoutout to the campaign management. I really like way that the replay boon was implemented. It's a nice incentive to keep GMming, and it allows for the flexibility of replays without giving them out willy-nilly. Excellent work.

For those of you who don't know, the replay boons allow GMs to list the names and dates of scenarios ran. 5 scenarios = 1 recharged star. Considering that you also cannot replay a scenario more than once, I think that this is extremely fair.

As the development team prepares version 6 of our beloved guide, I thought that this would be a good opportunity to open a discussion on a rule that I have long wished was in place: a provision allowing party members to reimburse each other for expensive consumables used during the course of an adventure.

The problem:
As the game stands right now, there is little incentive for players to purchase and use often-necessary consumables, such as Oil of Daylight, Scroll of Breath of Life, Oil of Glitterdust, and so-on. The cost of these consumables can be significantly higher than the payout of some low-level adventures, yet are truly life-savers.

As a campaign, we want to encourage our players to cooperate with each other and be prepared for odd things. My favorite times at the table are when I present a tricky problem, and a player pulls out something creative that fits the situation perfectly. It's good for everybody involved, but these things can cause a significant hit to your WBL. Players who are constantly prepared for everything may find themselves unable to purchase more expensive equipment on down the road, or at the very least may feel a bit discouraged by the fact that they are always the one who has to pay for daylight. In one 5-9 scenario, I saw a particular PC use over 5,000 gp in scrolls of BoL, potions of fly, oils of daylight...the list goes on.

The solution:
I propose that the following rule be adopted in Guide 6:

At the end of a scenario, some or all of the PCs may choose to pool their money in order to purchase a replacement for a consumable item expended during the course of the adventure which was used for the good of the party, at the presiding GM's discretion.

Potential problems:

Wouldn't this allow for wealth transfer between PCs? Wouldn't it be possible for a PC to outpace their WBL by ditching consumables and having a friend transfer money to them?

First, this is not a concern, because the rule only allows for the party to pool resources to purchase a replacement for an expended consumable. Second, this would be an extremely ineffective means of wealth transfer - the offending PC would find it much easier to simply sell the consumable rather than engineer a situation with two PCs amenable to some sort of deal.

Wouldn't this create awkward social situations where a player feels entitled to reimbursement but the party did not feel the consumable was necessary?

A player who acts like this at the table is already causing other issues anyway - this rule does nothing to exacerbate that. Furthermore, this is why the GM's discretion rule is in place - in situations like this, it is often a GM's job to step in and be "the bad guy", stopping silly conflicts between players.

Is this really a problem?
Let's take a look at the cost of some consumables that you might expect a level 5 PC to have:

• Scroll of Breath of Life, 1,150 gp
• Oil of Daylight, 750 gp
• Potion of Fly, 750 gp
• Oil of Glitterdust, 300 gp
• Potion of Resist Energy, 750 gp

Total value: 3,700
Value of playing Tier 4-5 for that PC: Around 2,000 gp
Value of playing OOT in a 3-7 for that PC: Around 2,250 gp
Value of playing Tier 5-6 for that PC: Around 2,500 gp

Conclusion:
If we want to encourage people to be prepared, we need to allow parties to share the burden of preparation. Few parties would bat an eyelash at a well-placed Oil of Daylight: Split 6 ways, that's merely 125 gp each. A single PC having to eat that much gold loss at a low level, though, is going to be frustrated.

(Edit: The forums cut off my earlier post - I have fixed it now.)

So, I'm running The Blakros Matrimony for the PBP Gameday 2, and unfortunately, half of my players are unresponsive. If anybody would like to fill in, we'd love to have you! Please bring a character with good social skills. This is a great opportunity to explore your character in ways that traditional scenarios often don't allow.

Recruiting Page

Welcome, everybody! Here's the discussion thread for this game. Given the nature of this adventure, I'd like to make it a fairly relaxed, leisurely opportunity for you all to explore your characters' personalities in a way that PFS scenarios generally do not allow. As a result, please be prepared for some fairly long and winding conversations. I can assure you, however, that we will be finished well in advance of the ending date for this gameday, even if we take it very slow. Do try to post once a day, and I'll try to do the same - I am a bit slow on weekends, though, due to having an AP and my RL PFS gameday back to back during them.

A common complaint regarding PFS is the inability to play "deep" characters for roleplaying purposes. Many people, both on and off of these forums, have complained that roleplay is more constrained in PFS than in a home game. While it's true that PFS scenarios can never be as personalized as a home game is, it's also true that great roleplay opportunities can be had in PFS. This article is going to explore what sort of character concepts work in PFS, what character concepts don't work, and how to bring that out at the table.

Before we begin, let's talk about the various roleplay opportunities that exist in PFS. For the purposes of this discussion, I'm going to limit them to 5 different types of character interaction:

1) Character Introductions - Most good GMs allow for players to introduce their characters to the table before the game gets started. This is an excellent opportunity to lay down the ground work for who your character is and why they are on the mission.
2) Interaction with NPCs - This is what most people think of when they think of roleplaying. While dialogue with NPCs is important, it is far from the only means of roleplay.
3) Interactions with PCs - Many players gloss over interacting with their fellow companions. What would be your character's reaction to the bard's stirring speech? To the fighter's impressive swing? To the wizard's recounting of some important historical fact?
4) Combat - Roleplay can be had during combat, too. What would your character say when struck? When they strike an impressive blow? When they first lay eyes on a hideous monster? When your turn comes around, you have the floor and all eyes are on you - nobody will mind if you throw in a quick sentence regarding your character's reactions.
5) Non-combat encounters - Puzzles, locked doors, traps, etc, can provide excellent opportunities for roleplay as well. Will your character sit by patiently while the rogue fiddles with the trap? Will your character be nervous waiting for so long?

You'll notice that there is a common thread amongst all 5 of these types of interaction. In PFS, your character generally reacts, while in a home game, your character generally acts. That is not a bad change, but it is a change, and it is likely what drives a lot of the concern over a lack of roleplaying in PFS. It's fairly rare that characters have a big, plot-changing choice to make in a scenario, but the characters CAN react to the things that happen to them.

With the understanding of the roleplaying opportunities and the importance of reaction, the following are some tips regarding building an interesting character:

1) Make a character with an obvious personality. - Maybe it's an accent, maybe it's some sort of a tick or quirk. Maybe the character has a mental disorder, or is obsessed with something, or follows a particular deity's teachings to the extreme. Maybe your character is lazy, maybe they hate killing people, maybe they flatly refuse to wear anything green. Regardless, the easier it is to pick up on the character's personality, the more that players and GMs will give you an opportunity to react.

2) Don't expect a long, detailed backstory to come up at the table. - While in a home game, it's possible to spend an adventure sitting in a tavern prying the shy rogue's backstory, it's less possible to do so in PFS. There simply isn't time. While I do advocate building backstories for your characters, understand that if it doesn't affect how your character reacts in an obvious way, it's unlikely to come up.

3) Tie your character to the game world. - If you create a character with ties to currently-extant organizations, countries and faiths, it's likely that your character will have more opportunity to explain those ties. If your character is a member of a church that isn't detailed in any of the game material, it's less likely that your faith will come up. If your character doesn't have a home, you lose the roleplaying opportunity that might come up when your Taldan character visits Oppara (or, for that matter, Andoran). If you give your character a faith, a home and a reason to be in the society, those things will usually come up more often than not. If you tie your character into a particularly obscure part of the game world, such as the country of Lastwall or the faith of Imbrex, be prepared to work a bit harder on getting that to be relevant.

4) Keep it short and to the point. - Think about the last movie you saw. How many long speeches and monologues were there? If you hold on to the floor too long, you'll lose your GM and player's attention. Give other people a chance to speak - it will give you even more ideas for responses.

5) Tie mechanical choices to roleplaying. - When your character uses furious focus, what does it look like? When your player channels, what does it look like? What's the story behind your bard being able to sing so well? Things that are mechanical in nature don't have to be solely mechanical - see if you can work some of that into your character's story.

I think that's a good start on the subject. What do you think? How do you come up with character concepts, and how do you make sure that your characters shine through at the table?

Ambrus Valsin sits behind his desk at the Grand Lodge, which is suspiciously empty right about now. He's waiting on the team of Pathfinders which he requested for a special, diplomatic mission.

(Opening this thread for dotting purposes.)

Signups are now open for my PBP Gameday 2 run of The Blakros Matrimony. The Blakros Matrimony is a fascinating scenario which sends you on a mission to wine and dine with influential and important people. This will largely be a roleplay scenario, with minimal combat. Please be prepared to bring diplomatic characters.

This scenario is part of the PBP Gameday. For more information about this Gameday and future ones, please visit the website.

Here's the gameplay thread. Mission briefing will begin when all players have checked in.

Sorry I'm late. Please sign in with a quick introduction, including your name, class, PFS number and faction. I'll be back later to make a more substantive opening post.

This quivering blob of fatty tissue streaked with green alchemical reagents seems to behave as both liquid and solid.

Golemdregs Ooze CR 4
XP 1,200
N Large Ooze
Init -5; Senses blindsight 60 ft; Perception -5

----- Defense -----
AC 4, touch 4, flat-footed 4 (-5 Dex, -1 Size)
hp 44 (4d8+24);
Fort +6, Ref -4, Will -4
Defensive Abilities improved spell resistance, ooze traits, shifting state; SR 19
Weaknesses sonic dissolution

----- Offense -----
Speed 15 ft.
Melee Slam +5 (1d6+4+1d6 acid)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.

----- Statistics -----
Str 17, Dex 1, Con 22, Int -, Wis 1, Cha 1
Base Atk +3; CMB +7; CMD 12 (Cannot be tripped or grappled)
SQ compression, mire

----- Ecology -----
Environment any urban
Organization solitary
Treasure incidental

----- Special Abilities -----
Improved Spell Resistance (Ex) As a result of having the base elements of a flesh golem, golemdregs oozes have SR equal to 15 + their CR.
Shifting State(Ex) A golemdregs ooze responds to force in unnatural ways, behaving as a solid when struck abruptly and as a liquid when under continuous pressure. When a golemdregs ooze is dealt a powerful blow, it firms up. If a single attack deals more than twice the golemdregs ooze's hit dice in damage, that damage is halved. Conversely, because a golemdregs ooze behaves as liquid when dealing with a slow-moving force, a golemdregs ooze cannot be grappled.
Mire (Ex) When a creature strikes a golemdregs ooze with a melee weapon and triggers its shifting state ability, the attacking weapon can become stuck as the ooze attempts to incorporate the invading object into itself. The wielder of such a weapon must make a DC 15 Reflex save to prevent the ooze from swallowing the weapon. A swallowed weapon takes 1 point of acid damage per turn, bypassing hardness, until the golemdregs ooze is killed and the weapon is recovered. A golemdregs ooze may only swallow manufactured weapons in this way. The save DC is Strength-based.
Sonic Dissolution(Ex) When a golemdregs ooze takes sonic damage, its shifting state and mire abilities are suppressed for one round as its surface tension is briefly disturbed by the resonating sound waves.

These strange oozes are created when builders of flesh golems accidentally allow the alchemical reagents that animate golems to mix with the discarded scraps of flesh that are cut away during the process by which flesh golems are stitched together. Masterless and mindless, these oozes seek only to find more flesh to devour. As a golemdregs ooze feeds, it expands and often outgrows its former home, even occasionally escaping the factories and laboratories in which they are created. When outside the confines of a laboratory, golemdregs oozes roam the streets, harassing citizens, butcher shops, and small pets. These incidents have caused public outcry in areas where large quantities of flesh golems are built, such as Magnimar or Kaer Maga.

Golemdregs oozes resemble lumps of fat or muscle held together by a green alchemical gel. These lumps pulsate and shift continuously, causing the ooze to emit an unpleasant slurping noise whenever they move. The alchemical gel which binds the golemdregs ooze emits a distinctive, sharply acidic smell. Some say that golemdregs oozes taste even worse than they smell, but few are willing to discover for themselves.

The issue was briefly raised in another thread regarding the creation of IC organizations to which Pathfinders could belong. Essentially, these would merely be for RP flavor, and would confer no mechanical benefit. I would like to see these exist across regions, preferably with a Wiki where PFS players could post details of their organization and keep rosters of membership.

Please note that I am in no way requesting that there be any changes to the rules, nor am I requesting official support or recognition. This is merely for flavor at the gaming table. These are also not intended to replace factions.

What sort of organizations could come up? Let's look at some that some of my characters might start:

1) The Crysanthemum Club
Named for the Shelyn, the Lady of Chrysanthemums, this organization of Pathfinders meets irregularly to share an discuss the various works of art that Pathfinders tend to come across in their quests. Often times, Pathfinders will discover long-lost paintings, bizarre statues or unusual novels. Alternatively, subjects of discussion could include art created by Pathfinders or about Pathfinder operations. More or less, though, it is largely an excuse to share a good bottle of wine and discuss the artistic curiosities that Pathfinders uncover.

2) The Brotherood of the Shield
The Shadow Lodge promised Pathfinders an opportunity to look out for one another and to seek better treatment from Venture Captains. After Grandmaster Torch's deception, many Pathfinders found themselves in a difficult situation - they were supportive of the ideals of the Shadow Lodge as it existed within the Society, but did not trust Grandmaster Torch or the separatist Shadow Lodge. These Pathfinders gathered together to create the Brotherhood of the Shield, which is dedicated to mutual protection and the proper training and outfitting of new Pathfinders.

3) The Disorganization of Magical Mischief-Makers
Most wizards are stodgy old guys who smell like bat guano. Why do magic-types have to be so gloomy and serious? This organization seeks to find the fun side of magic, pulling pranks with prestidigitation, goading with ghost sound or finding 27 great uses for arcane mark.

What do you think? Would you participate in such activities? What organizations would your characters start or join?

Here's the gameplay thread! Play nice, try to post daily, etc. VC briefing will be up on Monday.

Welcome to Library of the Lion! Please feel free to go ahead and discuss things amongst yourselves before we get started.

So, I'd like to run a PFS game of a new scenario, Library of the Lion. I'm accepting up to 6 players. We'll be starting on Monday-ish. If you're interested, please respond below.

This is a scenario for characters of level 1-5, with special faction missions for Taldor, Grand Lodge and Cheliax.

Signups:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Charlatan's Symbol
Aura None; CL 9th
Slot neck slot; Price 2,000 gp; Weight 1 lbs.
Description
Designed to resemble a holy symbol of a genuine or fictional deity worn about the neck, the charlatan's symbol contains an extradimensional compartment which can hold one wand of a 1st level Cleric spell. A wand placed within the charlatan's symbol must stay in the symbol for 24 hours before it can be used. By speaking a command word or phrase, the wand inside is activated as if the user had succeeded on a DC 20 Use Magic Device check. Successful activation causes the charlatan's symbol to glow faintly; those observing a spell cast through the use of a charlatan's symbol must make a DC 15 Spellcraft check in order to determine that the spell was cast from a wand rather than through normal divine spellcasting.

The successful use of the charlatan's symbol gives the bearer a +5 circumstance bonus to bluff checks related to being a member of any religion indicated by the symbol.

Detect magic causes the charlatan's symbol to appear nonmagical, as if it were a standard holy symbol.

Construction
Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, eagle's splendor, magic aura, secret chest, creator must have 5 ranks in both Use Magic Device and Bluff; Cost 1,000 gp

Hey, folks! Sorry that this is a bit late...but I was hoping to offer a game of Day of the Demon for the VTT gameday for anybody who is interested. If you are, please send an e-mail to andrewshumate1@gmail.com . This would be on Saturday, December 14 at 6 PM EST.

In my time on these boards, I've seen several complaints about Thornkeep, Godsmouth Heresy and Crypt of the Everflame being a bit unfair to parties of 1st-level characters, as those characters are supposed to level up halfway through those modules. The problem arises when the 1st-level party goes up against a boss designed for 2nd-level PCs. Given the huge power difference between 1st and 2nd level, this is a serious problem.

Therefore, I recommend that PFS allow for 1st level PCs to take the level advancement early in Tier 1-2 modules, to make playing those a more realistic choice for newer players. The time spent to level up shouldn't be a serious issue, given the ease of going from 1 to 2.

As it currently stands, rules questions in the PFS forum are generally moved to the rules forum unless they relate specifically to PFS rules. I raised some issues with this policy in another thread, and John indicated that it would likely be a good topic to discuss in a separate thread. As such, I would like to post here and get some thoughts about the creation of a simple, unofficial clarification system.

First, let's talk about what this is meant to address. As we all know, Pathfinder rules can be vague at times. Interpretation of rules in a home game is generally left up to the GM, but it can be jarring to have varying interpretation of character abilities in Society play. With some abilities, I can't say with any certainty how a random GM at a convention would handle a particular class ability, and it may severely impact my play.

As an example, I am currently building a variant channeler of Sun Wukong who channels Ale/Wine. This was stated as a possible choice by James Jacobs in another thread, but by RAW, it is unclear whether or not it would work. The rule mentions that it relates to the deity's area of concern, and Sun Wukong has Drunkenness as an area of concern. Therefore, I think most GMs would allow it. However, no official ruling has been made, and therefore I will likely only play this character with GMs that I've had an opportunity to sit down and discuss the issue with.

So, with this issue, under the current system, I should start a discussion in the rules forum about whether or not the ability works as I believe it to. If I were to post in the Society forum, it would likely be moved to the Rules forum. However, the rules forum isn't exactly ideal for this sort of thing. Most posters on the rules forum will reference third-party products or house rules, none of which are relevant to PFS. Most posters will not understand why it matters all that much that we have a more definite ruling. However, as PFS is a RAW campaign, and as we try to minimize table variation as it relates to the interpretation of character abilities, we often need something a bit more concrete.

Furthermore, there can sometimes be a significant delay in getting rulings on questions. I had an issue with a player at my table believing that confusion bombs do not offer a saving throw. The ability was unclear. When I searched, I found that two previous rules threads had been created on the subject, both ending with a simple "Answered in the FAQ." It had not been addressed in the FAQ. So, I started a new thread. Two months, 40+ FAQ requests and 8 pages later, I finally got an answer. The initial post asking the question was over two years old. That's significantly longer than the lifespan of most PFS characters.

Therefore, I proposed in the other thread that Mike and John start issuing off-the-cuff rulings. These rulings would be non-binding on the larger world of Pathfinder, and would simply provide guidance for GMs in interpreting unclear rules. Campaign staff would be allowed to change these rulings without warning should a particular one turn out to be problematic. I would recommend that these requests be made in a separate section of the PFS forum, to separate it a bit from the general discussion.

The main focus here is that players need to be able to sit down at a table with confidence that their character will play as they believe it should play. This is easier in an AP, because the GM has the ability to make a houserule. In PFS, however, that is not available, and there is an expectation that there should be consistency amongst tables. Therefore, I think that this would be a valuable addition to Society play and would help eliminate much confusion.

Welcome, players, to the Temple of Empyreal Enlightenment. As you decide on the character that you will be playing, please post here under that account. Once all six of you have posted, we will begin with the mission.

When you post, please give a brief introduction of your character. This should include the following:
.
.

Name
Race
Class
Chosen Deity (So that we know which afterlife to send you to)
Faction
A link to an image which could be used as a token for your character
Your character's favorite dessert

Welcome to the Temple of Empyreal Enlightenment. I'm Netopalis, and I will be your GM for this adventure. First of all, thanks for signing up! This is my first time GMming a PBP, so I hope you'll all bear with me as I work through the kinks of running my first one.

The Temple of Empyreal Enlightenment is one of my favorite scenarios. It's dark and a bit morbid, and oozes with flavor. As such, please be prepared for the discussion of some adult themes.

A few notes before we get started:

1) Remember to have fun and don't be a jerk. Things may get a bit heated, but it's all in good fun.

2) Try to post once a day if you can. I'm not going to strictly enforce that, but it would be good for all of the rest of us if you could do so. If you will be leaving for a vacation, let us know. In advance, I should let you all know that I will be attending a convention on Oct. 17-20, and will likely not be posting in the game during that weekend.

3) During the non-combat portions of the adventure, when moving to a new room, please post something along these lines: Move: North or Move: Library. There are certain events in this scenario that will depend heavily on where everybody is. Once one player moves, I will give 24 hours to see who else has moved before revealing the next room. This is done to avoid combat with only half of the party present, or somebody falling into a trap without other party members around to help them out.

4) Please be sure to have your character info updated in the appropriate character that you will be posting under. I won't be doing full audits of all characters, but I would like to glance over everybody's character sheets, as some abilities can come into play in odd ways.

5) All Perception rolls will be done in secret, and you will not know the exact result on the die.

Thanks for reading all of this! We'll be starting on Oct. 4!

As part of the 2013 PFS PBP Game Day, I am offering a session of The Temple of Empyreal Enlightenment for those who are interested.

As part of signups, I would like to ask that all players are above the age of 18, as the game will deal with some very dark themes. If you are looking for a more lighthearted game, there are a number of other ones available for signup.

All players will need to be registered members of Pathfinder Society and have a legal character ready to play. Currently, only one of the six slots has been filled. If you are interested, please sign up on our Warhorn page -

[url]https://warhorn.net/events/pfs-pbp-online-gameday/schedule/2013/10/05[/url]

The game will begin on October 4, and will likely last 2 months, depending on the speed of posting.

To tell you all a little bit about myself, I'm a four-star GM with Pathfinder Society, but this is my first experience with PBP. I tend to be a roleplay-heavy GM, so expect a lot of talking and less in the way of combat. Combat will still be a heavy part of this adventure, however, as it is an extremely difficult scenario.

So, I'll be the first to admit that I generally hate these threads. It's rare that I consider a player's choice to be so overpowered as to require intervention like what I am asking about here. However, this ability was brought up in a recent scenario that I ran, and I feel that it merits examination by the campaign staff. The ability is Confusion Bomb, an Alchemist discovery that allows the alchemist to affect those hit by bombs with the confusion spell.

The text is as follows:

The alchemist’s bombs twist the target’s perception of friend and foe. A creature that takes a direct hit from a confusion bomb takes damage from the bomb and is under the effect of a confusion spell for 1 round per caster level of the alchemist. Reduce the amount of normal damage dealt by the bomb by 2d6 (so a bomb that would normally deal 6d6+4 points of damage deals 4d6+4 points of damage instead).

Firstly, to my reading, the bomb would act as the confusion spell, and thereby grant a saving throw. However, unlike the other bombs which feature saving throws, none is listed in the text of the ability. According to the player at my table, a creature hit by a Confusion bomb directly is confused without a save. While I disagree with this interpretation, I also cannot disprove it.

In the event that the players' reading is correct, I would contend that Confusion Bomb meets the criteria for something that should be banned from the campaign.

A) It is so strong that no alchemist would avoid taking it unless said alchemist were intentionally choosing a less-powerful build. There are but a small subset of enemies in PFS that would not be affected by a confusion bomb, those being creatures which are immune to mind-affecting effects. Given the power of the Confused status and the minimal sacrifice to use this discovery, I feel that it meets this part of the criteria.

B) It takes features from other classes and does it far better than those classes can. Generally speaking, Confusion is a spell that is the province of bards, sorcerers and wizards. Alchemists can, however, cast it far more effectively - this particular alchemist got 21 (!) uses of it per day, with no saving throw. The alchemist merely had to make a ranged touch attack. Therefore, much like the vivisectionist alchemist, this steals a major class ability from another class.

C) It entirely takes the difficulty of practically any scenario. A level 8 alchemist could use confusion bombs to defeat practically any high CR creature, including a Balor, an Ancient Dragon, a Pit Fiend or a Linnorm Tarn. As I look at the level 11 module that I hope to run soonish, the Ruby Phoenix Tournament, I notice that there are literally no enemies contained within it that would be immune to such a bomb.

Therefore, for these reasons, I urge the campaign staff to take a good look at Confusion Bomb and either clarify it or ban it from PFS play. It's simply no fun to play a scenario when another player can literally shut down any encounter with a single effect that offers no save.

Upon reading the title of this thread and who posted it, I am fairly certain that there are certain posters on this forum who are wiping the coffee off of their monitors. Still, it's true - after GenCon, I've realized that one area which I desperately need to improve on as a GM is in running monsters in a challenging fashion. In order to be effective, this game needs to feel close, even if it isn't necessarily. I have seen many GMs do this quite well, but I often see my monsters dying early and without note. Can anybody here suggest some ways to make these encounters more challenging without abandoning the written stat-block? Any way to make them *feel* more challenging even if they are not? Any help would be appreciated.

So, I have to say, this was a great con experience. I had a fantastic time and really enjoyed meeting so many great people.

First of all, I'd like to make a special shout-out to Noel Anthony de Joya and Alex Greenshields, both of whom were very welcoming to me - I really appreciated them being willing to chat with me, a relative newcomer to RPGs, about things they've probably talked about hundreds of times.

Moving on to the adventures themselves, I have to say that 5-02 is quickly becoming one of my favorite scenarios. It has a really strong central character and a fascinating plot that is a bit more dark than your average scenario. One table loved it, one table hated it - even though it's a bit polarizing, I think it was well worth it.

I had a really great table of Gods' Market Gamble, too. That's always been one of my favorite scenarios, and the new-ish players at my table got really into the investigative portions. Fantastic experience.

The special was a blast. I GMmed for two VOs (One of them, I think, was Brett Sweeney? Sorry, I didn't catch your names.) who completely trounced the final boss at tier 14-15. I've never seen so much damage come from a single arrow. It was a fantastic experience, and I hope that my players had as much fun as I did.

Overall, GenCon was a great experience for me. I had a great time, met up with some folks I knew here on the forums, and learned an awful lot about how to improve as a GM. There were a few rougher tables, but by and large, I'm happy that I was there.

So, I have to say that, on my first read-through, I am very excited about this scenario. It seems extremely flavorful and really sets the tone for Season 5.

Unfortunately, I also see a scene set up for complete disaster. Does anybody else feel the same way about C1? The sidebar warns to softball it, but given its wording, I fear that many GMs will find themselves in a bind. Any thoughts?

So, right now, I am prepping my GenCon scenarios. I am quite pleased at the overall mission, but I also have some reservations. I wanted to start an open thread for discussion of some of these issues.

1) I was under the impression that the product page and scenario description would list the factions present in each scenario, but I see that this is not the case. Is this information something that the GM should withhold, or is it public knowledge? Was this an oversight?

2) How should a GM nudge a player towards finding their faction mission, if at all? There is one particular faction mission that I have recently read which seems to be incomprehensible given the faction's Season 5 goals. There is no prompt for the player to know that this is their faction mission. To me, that is rather frustrating.

3) What shoud be the approximate success rate of new faction missions? From the one I have read, I am guessing somewhere around 1/5. Is that accurate, or am I being too harsh on my players?

This is a bit off-topic for this forum, but I was curious. Anybody on these forums going to Origins? I'm signed up for 7 slots and am really excited about it!

So, I was playing with my online group tonight, and one of the players made a basic point that I was rather shocked by. As we all know, wands in PFS are purchased at minimum caster level. For wands of, say, Cure Light or Magic Missile, that is assumed to be CL 1. HOWEVER, my player pointed out that wands are crafted at a minimum of CL 5, due to the prerequisite for the feat. Therefore, isn't it impossible to have a a wand with a CL lower than 5, making 5 the minimum level?

As a GM, I love running roleplay-heavy scenarios. I find that they tend to provide excellent player experiences, and I have the most fun when running them.

Usually, at least.

I've ran into issues, though, where it seems that the PCs idea of roleplay is to go around threatening everybody in the scenario, many times threatening characters that are likely far above their level. This has happened both in The Gods' Market Gamble and Murder on the Throaty Mermaid. My question to you is this: How do you, as a GM, deal with it when a player attempts to threaten/intimidate a character that they really shouldn't be able to do that with? How do you deal with a situation in which a non-combat NPC would obviously start combat, and you don't have a stat block?

So, with the announcement of the revamping of faction missions, I would like to ask everybody to chat about some of their favorite missions. There are some extremely entertaining ones, and I, for one, wouldn't mind trying to steer my PCs towards tables offering those missions. To avoid spoiling, please just mention the faction and the scenario.

Some of my favorites:
Shadow Lodge in Blakros Matrimony
Taldor in Severing Ties
Taldor in City of Strangers I&II
Andoran in Among the Dead
Cheliax in The Immortal Conundrum
Andoran and Sczarni in Severing Ties