Seltyiel

Aldren Halfblood's page

989 posts. Alias of SnowHeart.



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Please cancel my remaining subscriptions. I'll resume them if/when the union is able to say work conditions and protections for the staff have improved.


Please cancel my Rulebook and SF Roleplaying Game subscriptions.

Please keep the AP subscriptions in place.


Just had one of "Those Moments" -- the type of moment that is the reason we game -- in our regular game today that I had to share, we were just dying of laughter.

I'm running the Hells Rebels AP for my regular group and they came up against an end-of-book boss but in very bad shape. Half of them wind up dead, the other two wind up in prison. The players for the two dead characters put together replacements, and one of them goes with a paladin.

Everyone starts in prison, nothing except a loin cloth, straw mat, and a chamber pot.

A couple of the players insist on provoking the guards into a fight, so the guards go after the arcanist, but the paladin is still locked in his cell. With the bars too thin to throw the chamber pot, he grabs a piece of excrement.

We all tell him, "that's not going to do any damage."

He replies, "Ah ha, but I have 'Smite Evil.' I activate it and throw."

We chuckle at the gag, but then he rolls a natural 20. He confirms.

He kills the guard.

We declared this "Holy S***."

While we were all a bit sad to have two PCs die and the players were sad to lose a big fight, the whole session wound up being one of those things we'll be talking about for years.


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I found an old, 500+ post thread on this topic that had 130+ nominations for a FAQ and, in the end, am still confused.

Situation is this:

A. Player readies a spell (Cause Fear) if NPC takes an attack action.
B. NPC declares attack action, triggering the readied action.
C. NPC fails save and is frightened, requiring them to flee the source of the spell.

Question: Did the NPC ever actually use his standard action?

AoN wrote:
Readying an Action: You can ready a standard action, a move action, a swift action, or a free action. To do so, specify the action you will take and the conditions under which you will take it. Then, anytime before your next action, you may take the readied action in response to that condition. The action occurs just before the action that triggers it. If the triggered action is part of another character’s activities, you interrupt the other character. Assuming he is still capable of doing so, he continues his actions once you complete your readied action. Your initiative result changes. For the rest of the encounter, your initiative result is the count on which you took the readied action, and you act immediately ahead of the character whose action triggered your readied action.

One way I read this is the NPC never actually took his standard action, the spell went off before it, so he is able to take a full round action to withdraw. However, if the readied action "is part of another character's activities", then the NPC simply loses his standard action and is only able to take a move action.

Thoughts? (And thanks in advance.)


I'm going to be a player in an upcoming Tyrant's Grasp game and would welcome some advice on a build. The general idea is a bloodrager going Dragon Disciple, but we have a few House Rules in place:

* 20 point buy
* Any archetype must be PFS legal (no primalist)
* Characters must be human, half-elf or half-orc
* We are using background skills
* We are using Automatic Bonus Progression Rules
* We are using the "Elephant in the Room" (aka "World is Square) House Rules to eliminate the feat tax (link); this tweaks a lot of things but most critically I get Weapon Finesse and Power Attack automatically

Thanks in advance for any feedback and suggestions!

I was generally thinking something along the lines of the following:
Half-Orc Bloodrager (Urban Bloodrager 5) / Dragon Disciple (10)

Abilities
Level 1 / Level 15
Str: 17 / 23
Dex: 14 / 14
Con: 13 / 16
Int: 10 / 12
Wis: 10 / 10
Cha: 14 / 14

Bloodrager's Bloodline: Draconic (Brass [Fire])
Dragon Discipline Bonus Feats: Blind-Fight; Cleave; Improved Initiative
Feats: Furious Focus; Toughness; Arcane Strike; Dodge; Extra Rage; Raging Vitality; Sunlit Strike' Weapon Focus (Natural Weapons)
Traits: Bloody-Minded; The Outsider (Stealth)

At 15th level, it results in something similar to this (without any gear)

Stat Block:

Male half-orc bloodrager (urban bloodrager) 5/dragon disciple 10 (Pathfinder Player Companion: Heroes of the Street 24, Pathfinder RPG Advanced Class Guide 15)
NG Medium humanoid (human, orc)
Init +7; Senses blindsense 60 ft., darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +18
--------------------
Defense
--------------------
AC 21, touch 13, flat-footed 18 (+3 armor, +2 Dex, +1 dodge, +5 natural)
hp 199 (15 HD; 5d10+10d12+95)
Fort +14, Ref +6, Will +6
Defensive Abilities improved uncanny dodge, restrained magic; Resist draconic resistance, fire 10
--------------------
Offense
--------------------
Speed 40 ft., fly 30 ft. (average); dragon wings
Melee bite +20 (1d6+10 plus 1d6 fire), bite +20 (1d6+10), bite +20 (1d4+7), 2 claws +20 (1d8+7 plus 1d6 Fire), 2 claws +20 (1d6+7)
Special Attacks blood casting, bloodrage (22 rounds/day), breath weapon (15d6 fire, 60 ft. line, DC 22, 2/day), claws, claws (2, 1d6, treated as magic weapons, 5 rounds/day), dragon bite
Dragon Disciple Spell-Like Abilities (CL 10th; concentration +12)
. . 2/day—dragon form
Bloodrager (Urban Bloodrager) Spells Known (CL 12th; concentration +14)
. . 3rd (1/day)—fly
. . 2nd (3/day)—resist energy
. . 1st (3/day)—shield
. . Bloodline Draconic
--------------------
Statistics
--------------------
Str 24, Dex 14, Con 21, Int 12, Wis 10, Cha 14
Base Atk +12; CMB +19; CMD 32
Feats Arcane Strike, Blind-fight, Cleave, Combat Expertise, Deadly Aim, Dodge, Eschew Materials, Extra Rage, Furious Focus[APG], Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Raging Vitality[APG], Sunlit Strike, Toughness, Weapon Focus
Traits bloody-minded, the outsider
Skills Acrobatics +5 (+9 to jump), Climb +10, Diplomacy +6, Handle Animal +3, Intimidate +23, Knowledge (arcana) +9, Knowledge (geography) +14, Knowledge (nobility) +19, Linguistics +7, Perception +18, Profession (trapper) +4, Spellcraft +5, Stealth +20, Survival +1, Swim +10; Racial Modifiers +2 Intimidate
Languages Common, Draconic, Orc
SQ controlled bloodrage, fast movement, finesse weapon attack attribute, orc blood
Other Gear studded leather, backpack, belt pouch, blanket[APG], flint and steel, pot, soap, torch (10), trail rations (5), waterskin, 88 gp
--------------------
Special Abilities
--------------------
Arcane Strike As a swift action, add +1 damage, +1 per 5 caster levels and your weapons are treated as magic for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.
Blind-Fight Re-roll misses because of concealment, other benefits.
Blindsense (60 feet) (Ex) Sense things and creatures without seeing them.
Blood Casting (Su) Cast bloodrager spells while in bloodrage.
Bloodrage (22 rounds/day) (Su) +1 Str, +6 Con, +2 to Will saves, -2 to AC when enraged.
Breath Weapon (15d6 fire, 60 ft. line, 2/day, DC 22) (Su) As a standard action, deal energy damage in area (Ref half).
Cleave If you hit a foe, attack an adjacent target at the same attack bonus but take -2 AC.
Combat Expertise +/-4 Bonus to AC in exchange for an equal penalty to attack.
Controlled Bloodrage Gain lesser bonus split as desired, but without normal drawbacks.
Darkvision (60 feet) You can see in the dark (black and white only).
Deadly Aim -4/+8 Trade a penalty to ranged attacks for a bonus to ranged damage.
Draconic Resistance (Ex) Gain Fire resistance 2 and +10 natural armor.
Dragon Bite (Ex) Bite atacks deal 1d6 damage
Dragon Form (II, 2/day) (Sp) Use Form of the Dragon II as a spell-like ability 2/day
Dragon Wings (Su) Gain flight when raging
Energy Resistance, Fire (10) You have the specified Energy Resistance against Fire attacks.
Eschew Materials Cast spells without materials, if component cost is 1 gp or less.
Fast Movement +10 (Ex) +10 feet to speed, unless heavily loaded.
Finesse Weapon Attack Attribute Finesse weapons use Strength on attack rolls.
Fire Claws (Ex) 2 Magic Claw attacks deal 1d8 damage + 1d6 Fire
Fly (30 feet, Average) You can fly!
Furious Focus If you are wielding a weapon in two hands, ignore the penalty for your first attack of each turn.
Improved Uncanny Dodge (Lv >= 9) (Ex) Retain DEX bonus to AC when flat-footed. You cannot be flanked unless the attacker is Level 9+.
Magic Claws & Fire Bite (5 rounds/day) (Su) As a free action, gain 2 claw attacks that bypass DR as magic weapons. Bite attack deals 1d6 damage.
Orc Blood Half-orcs count as both humans and orcs for any effect related to race.
Power Attack -4/+8 You can subtract from your attack roll to add to your damage.
Raging Vitality +2 CON while raging, Rage does not end if you become unconscious.
Restrained Magic (Su) Grant any in spell's area +2 to save vs. your spell, on success not affected.
Sunlit Strike (DC 24) +1d6 Arcane Strike damage if foe is vulnerable to light. They are also staggered 1 rd (Fort neg).
Weapon Focus (Natural Weapons) Choose one weapon group. You become better at using that type of weapon.


I need to resolve a damage/sunder attempt against a character's spiked-chain, but I can't figure out where on the chart of "damaging objects" a spiked-chain would fit, specifically whether it would be considered "hafted" or not. To me, it seems like a relatively fragile type of weapon that would have less hardness, but my personal brand of "common sense" frequently does not align well with the RAW.

So... Where on this chart would a spiked-chain fail in?

Damaging Objects

Two-handed blade? Two-handed hafted weapon?

Thanks!


Short Version: Subject, or “If you’re simply trying to appear as someone from a different social class, but not as any particular person, so you need to make a disguise check or otherwise conceal your identity?”

Long Version:
Background: I’m running a Hells Rebels campaign. One of the players has selected the Noble Scion feat and the Child of Kintargo campaign trait. What this means for the game is they are a child of one of the nine major noble houses in the city, gain certain stat bonuses, and begin the campaign with a noble’s outfit, signet ring, and a nice piece of gear worth up to 200 gold. Same character took another feat/trait, I think ancestral weapon, that lets them have a silver or cold iron mwk weapon.

Scene: Party is investigating something and decides to find a low end bar frequented by criminals and folks down on their luck (think Mos Eisley Cantina). Before they go in, I ask if anyone is wearing disguises, trying to be stealthy, etc. Only one character says he is putting a mask on. I ask again, nobody else says anything.

They go in, the player running the noble speaks first and says he wants a drink. I have the bartender tell him to shove off, a poncy noble slumming it doesn’t belong in his bar. Player becomes upset; he and another player say the barkeep couldn’t have known he was a noble.

Additional Detail: on the players character sheet, his nobles outfit is in his backpack, he’s wearing an adventurers outfit. I was not told this.

I think for someone in the position of being the son of a prominent noble family, you need to make a disguise check. I think the implicit counter to that is “I’m not dressing like a noble, and I’m not trying to look like anyone else, so I don’t need to.”

Question: Is a disguise check the right approach, or is there another way to approach this?


As things are developing in a couple tables I'm running, members of the parties are finding they basically like Cimri. I'm thinking of putting her into a little bit of a trap the party has to save her from later in the AP, specifically that Razelago or Fex have had her sign a contract to serve them. If the party wants to keep Cimri on their side (which she will want to do but feels she can't), they have to find a way to release her from the contract.

As additional flavor/context, I'm thinking Razelago will have tricked Cimri into believing (or allowing Cimri to incorrectly infer) this is an infernal contract involving her soul when, in fact, it's just a rather mundane contract.

As the general arc, I'm thinking the party can find a copy of the contract with the notary and, in reading it, find a loophole to get Cimri out of it. One party has an inquisitor and a priest of Asmodeus, so even if it is not infernal, I expect they'll insist on following the letter of the contract rather than just ignoring it, so describing an actual loophole will be important.

Any thoughts or suggestions on what that loophole might be?


Hi there. Early this month I subscribed to the Pathfinder Core Rulebook line, and selected "start with Core Rulebook". I just got an email confirming shipment of my first order (thank you!) but noticed it does not include the bestiary. Is that as intended? Is it possible to get the bestiary, too?


Belial's Maps; Dispater's Maps

The town of Longacre sits just outside the fringes of the Whisperwood. A few lights shine in the streets and windows, and the occasional snippet of conversation or laughter issues from open doors, but here on the outskirts of town, the night is quiet and dark. Sparse clouds scud across the sky, momentarily obscuring the dim light from the moon overhead. Across a scrubby field, barely distinguishable under the starry sky, a darkened, fortlike compound hunches in the distance.

Cimri points toward the dim structure.

“That’s it--Louslik Tannery. Here’s the job: We break in, sack Ol’ Louslik’s office, take whatever’s shiny in lieu of unpaid taxes, and get out before the sheriff shows up. If we get separated, meet back at the Ash House by dawn.”

Dull moonlight glints across her dagger as she flicks it in emphasis. “If you get pinched, remember: you’re mute. Keep your mouth shut, and I’ll handle things. I got assurances that we won’t take any blame if things go south. But get chatty and I’ll let you rot.” A beat passes and her usual crooked smirk appears. “If you don’t screw things up, we’ll all be drinking on Razelago’s coin come dawn. Let’s do this.”

Belial's Bastards, you can "dot" in here so the campaign is added to your tabs and you begin to get notifications, but please hold off on posting any substantive until the Green Light in the discussion thread. Pro-Tip: You can reply to dot this thread, then delete your post, and it will still show up on your campaigns tab. This will help keep the start of this gameplay thread nice and clean, but it's not necessary.


Belial's Maps; Dispater's Maps

The town of Longacre sits just outside the fringes of the Whisperwood. A few lights shine in the streets and windows, and the occasional snippet of conversation or laughter issues from open doors, but here on the outskirts of town, the night is quiet and dark. Sparse clouds scud across the sky, momentarily obscuring the dim light from the moon overhead. Across a scrubby field, barely distinguishable under the starry sky, a darkened, fortlike compound hunches in the distance.

Cimri points toward the dim structure.

“That’s it--Louslik Tannery. Here’s the job: We break in, sack Ol’ Louslik’s office, take whatever’s shiny in lieu of unpaid taxes, and get out before the sheriff shows up. If we get separated, meet back at the Ash House by dawn.”

Dull moonlight glints across her dagger as she flicks it in emphasis. “If you get pinched, remember: you’re mute. Keep your mouth shut, and I’ll handle things. I got assurances that we won’t take any blame if things go south. But get chatty and I’ll let you rot.” A beat passes and her usual crooked smirk appears. “If you don’t screw things up, we’ll all be drinking on Razelago’s coin come dawn. Let’s do this.”

Dispater's Devils, you can "dot" in here so the campaign is added to your tabs and you begin to get notifications, but please hold off on posting any substantive until the Green Light in the discussion thread. Pro-Tip: You can reply to dot this thread, then delete your post, and it will still show up on your campaigns tab. This will help keep the start of this gameplay thread nice and clean, but it's not necessary.


Belial's Maps; Dispater's Maps

Dispater's Devils, please check-in here.

Cellion -- Vivia Nens
Cwethan -- Raziya Magaalye
Grumbaki -- Ingrid Foedottir
Fighting Chicken -- Brogol Stockl
Fox-Pantom -- Karik Blood-Drinker
Pathetic Wretch -- Eris Seven-veils

As discussed in the recruitment thread, my overarching assumptions are as follows:

* We will post at least once-per-day on weekdays, and once per weekend
* We are all committing to run through at least the first book of this AP. If I'm up for continuing to run Book 2 and there is a critical mass of interest, or we're able to recruit enough people to fill any gaps left my players departing, we will continue through the Book 2, and so on.
* Everyone's character (and player) is going to be able to work with a group of generally unlikeable souls.

A few notes on my GMing style for PbP:

* When combat starts, I will roll initiative for everyone and then, based on the averages, either the opponents go first or the party goes first. I run them as groups, and for the party it is first post, first action. Having a high initiative helps in terms of getting the average roll up, but I find combat can stall if we're all waiting on initiative turns before posting.
* In most circumstances such as a dungeon, trap, or surprise, I will also roll perception everyone, rather than wait for everyone else to roll.
* In addition to not believing anyone is perfect, I will acknowledge I'm not even close to the nearest thing. I will make some mistakes. My emphasis is going to be on being fair to your reasonable expectations while also keeping the game moving and fun for everyone (myself included). I am always open to taking a closer look at the rules, but I don't want to get bogged for several days for a discussion on them. Generally speaking, once I make a ruling, it's decided for that particular instance. Further conversation about it on the discussion thread is fine to the extent it may impact future scenes.

For now, please do the following:

* Take time to look over the character histories of the rest of the party, then discuss here ways you may know at least one of the other party members and incorporate that into your backstory.
* Put any necessary final touches on your characters.
* Let me know if you have any questions.

I will follow-up tomorrow (Monday) with additional items to get us ready.

Finally... I'm hugely looking forward to playing this AP with all of you! Welcome!


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Belial's Maps; Dispater's Maps

Belial's Bastards, please check-in here.

Delightful -- Ameliya Arvanxi
Delmoth -- Lily Tuvol
Patrick McDade -- Slink
rdknight -- Veda Northanger
Simeon -- Alixus Vade
TheWaskally -- Jerax Hellfire

As discussed in the recruitment thread, my overarching assumptions are as follows:

* We will post at least once-per-day on weekdays, and once per weekend
* We are all committing to run through at least the first book of this AP. If I'm up for continuing to run Book 2 and there is a critical mass of interest, or we're able to recruit enough people to fill any gaps left my players departing, we will continue through the Book 2, and so on.
* Everyone's character (and player) is going to be able to work with a group of generally unlikeable souls.

A few notes on my GMing style for PbP:

* When combat starts, I will roll initiative for everyone and then, based on the averages, either the opponents go first or the party goes first. I run them as groups, and for the party it is first post, first action. Having a high initiative helps in terms of getting the average roll up, but I find combat can stall if we're all waiting on initiative turns before posting.
* In most circumstances such as a dungeon, trap, or surprise, I will also roll perception everyone, rather than wait for everyone else to roll.
* In addition to not believing anyone is perfect, I will acknowledge I'm not even close to the nearest thing. I will make some mistakes. My emphasis is going to be on being fair to your reasonable expectations while also keeping the game moving and fun for everyone (myself included). I am always open to taking a closer look at the rules, but I don't want to get bogged for several days for a discussion on them. Generally speaking, once I make a ruling, it's decided for that particular instance. Further conversation about it on the discussion thread is fine to the extent it may impact future scenes.

For now, please do the following:

* Take time to look over the character histories of the rest of the party, then discuss here ways you may know at least one of the other party members and incorporate that into your backstory.
* Put any necessary final touches on your characters.
* Let me know if you have any questions.

I will follow-up tomorrow (Monday) with additional items to get us ready.

Finally... I'm hugely looking forward to playing this AP with all of you! Welcome!


Are there any reasons for not letting an unchained summoner use the Blood Summoner archetype? It looks like all the abilities the archetype modifies relate to the summoner and happen at the same level. And the spell that is referenced in one of the higher level abilities (marionette possession) is a level 3 spell for both versions of the summoner.

So, basically, it looks like this archetype should work for the unchained summoner. If it doesn't, what would need to be kitbashed or houseruled to make it work?


Submissions due by Sunday, February 16 at 12n (East Coast/New York)
If you're interested in submitting a character for a new Hell's Vengeance (HV) campaign, I am going to try to put all the relevant information in this post. Obviously, if you have any questions or something isn't clear, please ask and I'll answer as soon as I can.

Notes on the Evil Theme:

C. Paolini, Eragon wrote:
“Keep in mind… no one thinks himself a villain, and few make decisions they think are wrong. A person may dislike his choice, but he will stand by it because, even in the worst circumstances, he believes that it was the best option available to him at the time.”

This is explicitly an evil campaign, but that can mean different things to different people. So, I want to ensure we are all on the same page.

Even in the realm of fantasy, villains don’t usually think of themselves as “evil”. An interesting villain doesn’t wake up in the morning, look into a mirror, and think, “Gosh, I’m evil. What evil acts can I accomplish today to prove how evil I am?” A villain would probably explain his actions as being pragmatic, coldly calculated to lead to a justified end that, once reached, will be to the benefit of many (though likely not all).

A villain doesn’t run around killing people because the voices in his head told him to. Villains are not hopelessly insane; the villain realizes, whether due to design or circumstance, that he doesn’t conform to conventional views of morality. To put it into a literary context, Dracula was a villain who knew he was different but also “knew” he was better than mere mortals. In contrast, Renfield was a tragic figure in that he did evil things but he was trapped within his own mind and wholly subservient to Dracula.

Short-version is I want a mature, thought-out character that doesn't go around thinking about how to hurt people just for the sake of hurting them. They have a plan. They have goals. They (hopefully) even have friends and family they like (or at least don't hate). Make a three-dimensional character.

Important Even though the characters are evil, you are still a party. You need to develop a character that can work with others of similar predilections (e.g., serving House Thrune, Asmodeus, Devils, etc.). A little bit of snark is fine. Threatening other player characters is not. "My way or the highway" attitudes are not okay. We're playing this game to have fun; I don't need inter-player drama and conflict.

Finally, think of this as a PG-13 campaign. Sexual assault may be something for backstories, but we won't be part of the campaign. Torture will an option but resolved with a dice-roll and high-level narrative.


The Character Builds:

While the APs are written for 15-point buys, I want to give room for folks to play multi-ability dependent builds without feeling handicapped, so we're going to go with a 20 point buy. Here are the rest of the details:

- 20 point buy
- 2 traits, one of which must be a HV campaign trait from the Players Guide; no drawbacks/flaws
- No 3PP material but anything from Paizo is fair game as long as you can link to it on www.d20pfsrd.com
- Lawful Evil and Neutral Evil alignments are encouraged
- Good alignments are prohibited
- Neutral alignments (on the good-evil axis) are discouraged but not prohibited
- No Hero Points
- We will use background skills
- We will use the "Elephant in the Room" system for modifying the "Feat Tax" (link)
- If you want to play a summoner, it needs to be the Unchained version. Other classes may use original or Unchained, player's choice


Other Submission Requirements:

You may post your submission either with the actual alias you will be using or with the stat block pasted into a post with your primary profile.

With your submission, address the following questions in bullet point format:
1. What is your character's connection to Longacre? Why is he here?
2. Who is one NPC your character thinks of as a friend or ally? (Can be made up and not from AP or official source material.)
3. What is one goal for your PC other than the one provided in your campaign trait?
4. If your character is anything other than a human Chelaxian, explain how she fits in to Longacre.

You can write a more complete background story if you like but it's not necessary at this time. However, I will ask for the "Ten Minute Background" if your submission is accepted. Also, if accepted, I strongly encourage folks to talk with the other players and explore the possibility of interconnected backgrounds. Maybe you're friends, family, lovers, or simply allies.


House Rules:

- As mentioned above, we will use the "Elephant in the Room" system for modifying the "Feat Tax" (link)
- I've been playing Pathfinder since it came out and don't expect there are any rules I'll want to change beyond those in this document, but I still reserve that right. If I think there is an issue, I'll bring it up in the discussion thread and consider all views and input before making a decision.
- Monsters and foes may have their stats and abilities adjusted from the original source material in order to provide an appropriate level of challenge to the party, usually through application of a template or maxing of hit points.
- Similarly, I may tweak NPCs to better suit the campaign and the party, in terms of stats, personality, background and motivation.
- Level advancement will be based on milestones rather than awarding XP. In other words, I will let you know when it's time to level up and it will be at a time that is appropriate for how far you've advanced in the AP.
- No leadership feat.
- Romance isn't the focus of an AP and, frankly, gets a bit weird when you have a few other players reading along who aren't part of it. That said, romantic feelings can help provide background to characters, build relationships between PCs and NPCs, and so forth. So, I'm fine with this being lightly incorporated into the game and want to be clear that also includes LGBT characters, but we're not going into multi-page dialogues on this or explicit detail. If you'd like a romance novel, take it to PM. :) Put another way, flirtatious jokes, embarrassing scenes that give everyone a chuckle, and a quick kiss are fine. Anything else, we will have a "fade to black".

Mutual Expectations and Duration of Commitment:

- Players will be familiar with the information presented in the HV Players Guide and all rules related to their character.
- Once we get going, I expect everyone to post at least once per weekday and at least once on weekends.
- Posts don't need to be long or pieces of literature, but they should generally help advance a scene or the plot.
- If you haven't already, please read DH's Guide to Play by Post Gaming (link).
- You can expect me to post at least once a day, to respond to questions in a timely manner, and to let you know if I predict any problems on the horizon with my ability to post (e.g., vacation, work, family). Please do the same.
- I'll use Google Slides for maps and handouts
- A full AP can take a long-time to go through in Real Life, and significantly longer in a PbP format. As such, I'm going to commit to running the first book of the AP and ask you to make the same commitment. Once we finish the first book, we can decide whether to continue. If most players want to continue, others will have an opportunity to bow out and we can recruit replacements.

Final Notes
I'm looking for is 5 or 6 players whose characters will provide a good mix of abilities and fit within the theme of this campaign, both respect to the physical setting as well as the overall gestalt. I hope to be able to accept players with a range of experience with PbP, including people who have been unable to get into recent campaigns or who are new to PbP, as well as veterans.

As for me, I've been GMing face-to-face 3.5, Pathfinder and Starfinder games for more than ten years, including a homebrew DragonLance campaign, the DL Age of Mortals campaign, Jade Regent, Way of the Wicked, Skull & Shackles, Dead Suns, and Against the Aeon Throne. I've GM'd a few other PbP campaigns, played in a few more, and was away for the last year. I'm committing to having this as my only GM-PbP campaign, and no more than two PbP campaigns as a player.


I was wondering if there was much interest in participating in this AP. I have a soft-spot for evil-themed campaigns but the players in my F2F group aren't. And, having already run Way of the Wicked a few times, I'd like to try something else. Before I dive into the materials and start prepping a campaign, though, I was wondering if folks are still interested in (a) First Ed. APs and (b) evil-themed campaigns.

If there is enough interest here and I decide to run it, I'll probably do a new recruitment thread but will post an update here with a link to it.


Hi. I'm looking at my subscriptions and order history, and it seems I got skipped for book 1 of the threefold conspiracy. Maybe, as I write this post, it is in some sort of processing limbo, but I have another thread from last week with additional order issues as well so I'm concerned things are getting lost with the infrastructure work you were doing last week.

Specifically, under my subscriptions, it lists the last book I received as Book 6 of AotS (accurate), but says the next AP book I'll receive is Book 2 of Threefold Conspiracy, and Book 1 appears in neither My Subscriptions nor my order history.

I would definitely like to receive this book; I didn't cancel or pause my subscription. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you.


Not trying to be snarky but I am a bit confused and frustrated. As evidenced by the current state of the customer service forum, questions and requests haven’t been touched in about six days (counting today), including issues with placing orders (I’m trying to give Paizo money and can’t; another user reported a similar issue). Less urgent but there are two threads about being unable to change avatar images, and emails to customer service are likewise unanswered. Is there a Con right now that I forgot about?


Hi there. I received an email confirming this order as Pending with all the correct details (an AP bundle and $70 + shipping), but when I look in my order history it says Complete, but with no items in it and a $0 charge. I just want to make sure it's actually in progress and will be shipping, or if I need to re-order it without getting double-charged.

Thanks!


I'm reading through the books, currently about half-way through book 3, and it feels like this AP has great flavor, but it kind of feels like the potential for roleplay is relatively limited and that this is more of a combat-focused AP line. Curious about other folks impressions, particularly from GMs who have run (or are running) the AP.


Hi all. My group has been running Starfinder since it came out but we're going to take a break from it for a couple months and decided we would play through the first book of this AP as a standalone. I have a group of 6 players. Most of them are veterans of 1E but we will be coming to this a bit rusty given our last two years with Starfinder. I'd welcome any feedback on my initial thoughts for setting this up, as well as any general tips or suggestions folks may have for running this as a standalone.

For general character creation:
1. Human Only
2. Any class that has immunity to fear is banned (i.e., Paladin)
3. Use the expanded fear rules
4. Use background skills
5. Maybe use the sanity rules? Corruption?
6. Per a suggestion in the character creation thread, each PC comes up with four "cornerstone events" in a backstory and gives those just to me. I then use two of the ones a Player created for their own character, plus two created by another player, and then add in additional details.

For atmosphere:
We have a dedicated gaming table with a built-in tv, so I was going to use Roll20 with the additional line of sight and lighting effects for the map, and run Syrinscape. I also splurged on some color LED bulbs, so I was going to adjust the lighting in the room and maybe use some candles to help get the mood going.

Wrapping up book 1 and the fugue state:
Since we're finishing with book one and won't be continuing, I think I need to change the pace at which players learn about their characters, and come up with a proper Cthulhu-esque ending for the book. Any thoughts or suggestions for either?

Finally, for the opening sequence, I'd like to run a video of a roiling yellow fog or mist on our monitor, but my Google-fu has failed me (I keep getting crap for yellow fog lights). If anyone has a link to a good video or effect, I'd be hugely grateful.

Thanks!


My fellow players and I have a debate as we're working on building a tier 11 ship. Which do you feel is better: M10 Thrusters (10 hex movement, +0 Piloting) or M12 (12 hex, -1 Piloting)?

Underlying Assumption: Ship is equipped with long-range weapons.

In favor of the M10: No Piloting roll penalty, so you're more likely to win piloting checks (initiative) and succeed at stunts and maneuvering. Flak cannons can help deal with any incoming missiles that managed to close the distance, and winning the initiative helps keep them pointed the right way.

In favor of the M12: The extra speed will help keep you at a range beyond the enemy's initial missile envelope and perhaps other weapons as well. If you're outside the first missile envelop, that means they have to roll at least twice to hit you to maintain the TL. Dump the flak cannons and use the BP for something else.

Curious to hear the hivemind's thoughts. Thanks!


Possibly a dumb question but...

The generic description for powered armor is a little confusing to me. It says powered armor provides a listed reach, then says you add that reach to your weapons.

“Powered armor with a reach greater than 5 feet allows you to attack creatures within that range in melee even if they aren’t adjacent to you. Add the reach of the powered armor to the reach of any weapons you wield using the powered armor.”

If I’m in a suit of Ironclad Bulwark powered armor, which specifies a reach of 5’, and I’m wielding a large melee weapon, what’s my reach? 5’, as specified by the armor? 10’, for a large creature wielding a melee weapon, or 15’? (I can’t see how it would be the last but may as well put it out as an option.)

HeroLab is calculating the reach as 10’, but I realize it wouldn’t be the first time there was an error.

Thanks!


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Hello. I would like to cancel my Pathfinder AP subscription while keeping my various Starfinder subscriptions.

Thank you!


Hi all. Sorry if this has been asked and answered numerous times. I tried skimming thread titles and running a search but came up snake eyes. I have two questions that have been nagging at me and maybe I just missed the info somewhere in the books.

1. What is the relationship between Ambassador Nor and the Corpse Fleet? The reason for the corpse fleet agent's presence on the Acreon seems have to have been left intentionally vague in book 1 and I haven't managed to find an explanation for it elsewhere.

2. In Book 5, why can't the PCs just destroy the gate, leaving the stellar degenerator in its pocket dimension? I'm sure my players first thought is going to be, "Wait... if the cultists can't get to it without repairing the gate, why are we repairing the gate?"


I could use some advice/information from folks who have experience with Chromecast, as I'm thinking about buying one but not sure it will work for my particular application.

By way of background, for our gaming table setup, I have a tv set flat that I use for the display of digital maps. So far, I've done that by running an HDMI cable from my laptop to the tv, then set it as an Extended Desktop with Roll20 in a browser window that is then set to full screen on the tv. Audio from Syrinscape also plays on the tv via the HDMI connection.

However, that laptop died and my replacement (from work) does not have an HDMI cable. I'm thinking of just buying a new laptop for myself but, as an alternative, I was wondering if a Chromecast device would work.

Specifically, I know I can cast just one tab from google Chrome, but can I have that tab go "full screen" on the tv so that it's not windowed? And, would audio from Syrinscape also cast to the tv (since the audio source is not the tab that is being cast)?

Thanks.


Hello, all. This campaign started as invite only (hence the established gameplay thread but new recruitment thread), but we've lost some folks to real life and would like to add 1 or 2 new players/characters.

General guidelines are in the first Discussion post, but to summarize:

Character creation will be:
* 2nd level (not a typo. Yes, the party is currently 1st level but will be leveling up very soon)
* 10-point buy
* 2000 credits (purchase of level 3 items is approved as long as you stay within your budget)
* Any core or legacy race (maaaaaybe First Contact, but lets discuss first)
* No evil alignments
* Please write up something for background. In terms of the amount of detail or format, go with whatever you like. I find the "10 minute background" concept helps me get a skeletal framework for a background then I write a narrative on that, but do what works for you. (If there's something you don't want other players to read, mark it off in a spoiler but, otherwise, I encourage players to read each others' backgrounds. I feel these help provide RP hooks. However, it's not required as I know some people like to discover things organically.)
** An initial conceit/requirement for all characters is that you are a recruit or initiate for the Starfinder Society. So, your character should have a reason to want to join the Starfinder Society. (More details to follow.)
* No 3PP at the start although I may be open to it later

I'm going to keep recruitment open for about one week, aiming to close on March 2 around 12 noon, give or take depending on volume of submissions and my bandwidth that day. In other words, try to get it in before then but you may also have a little time to get it late. Maybe. But don't count on it. :-)

Let me know if you have any questions.


Quote:
When in battle, you enter a state of metaphysical alignment with cosmic forces. At the start of your first turn in combat, if you are conscious, you must choose one of three stellar modes: graviton, photon, or unattuned (see below).

I'm sure this has been asked before but my searches and Google-Fu have failed me (perhaps due to lack of caffination). What action, if any, does it cost to enter a stellar mode? Swift? Free? Standard? None?


Belial's Maps; Dispater's Maps

You've all become accustomed to the dull thrum of the Okimoro's drift drive as it has sped towards Absalom station these last few days. Wherever you are from, whatever it is you are leaving, you are all heading towards the same destination with the same purpose. To join the Starfinder Society.

Though nothing fancy, the Okimoro is an adequate and modestly comfortable passenger and light-cargo vessel. Your trip has been paid by the Starfinder Society as part of its recruitment efforts. Upon arrival at Absalom Station, you're told you will be met by a Starfinder named Duravor Kreel, a dwarf.

You have a day or two until your arrival and are free to explore the Okimoro or remain in your cabin.

Feel free to "dot" in here by making a post and then deleting it. That should get this into your list of campaigns. Once your character is finalized, feel free to start roleplaying introductions if you like. The official campaign will probably start next week or early the week after.


Belial's Maps; Dispater's Maps

This is the discussion thread for our Dead Suns AP. Players should report in here and have any OOC discussions, discuss character concepts, etc.

Character creation will be:
* 10-point buy
* 1000 credits (purchase of level 2 items is approved as long as you stay within your budget)
* Any core or legacy race (maaaaaybe First Contact, but lets discuss first)
* No evil alignments
* Please write up something for background. In terms of the amount of detail or format, go with whatever you like. I find the "10 minute background" concept helps me get a skeletal framework for a background then I write a narrative on that, but do what works for you. (If there's something you don't want other players to read, mark it off in a spoiler but, otherwise, I encourage players to read each others' backgrounds. I feel these help provide RP hooks. However, it's not required as I know some people like to discover things organically.)
** An initial conceit/requirement for all characters is that you are a recruit or initiate for the Starfinder Society. So, your character should have a reason to want to join the Starfinder Society. (More details to follow.)
* No 3PP at the start although I may be open to it later

I don't have any House Rules right now. We're still learning so may as well go with this "as written" until we find something we think doesn't work, but as always I do reserve the right to implement house rules if I think something doesn't work.

Probably looking to start late this month or early October, so there's plenty of time to think about your characters and discuss them with others. You're all "in" so feel free to discuss shared backgrounds if you like.

I'll send out PMs eventually for the Roll20 gamespace that we'll use for combats. All dice-rolls and posts will happen here, but we'll be using Roll20 for mapping purposes. Let me know if there are other resources you'd like to use.

As always, let me know if you have any questions.


I was looking at Death Clutch, which says (in part) that death can be averted by casting Regenerate on the character the next round. Problem: Regenerate has a casting time of 3 rounds. As nobody will have ever started casting Regenerate two rounds prior to someone else casting Death Clutch, this way to save the victim seems meaningless to me. Am I missing something? How would that work short of predicting the future or just happening to have a regenerate spell cast and ready to be discharged?

On an related note... any other suggestions for a high-level, evil cleric who wants to put a truculent underling in his place (without permanently killing him)? Trying to come up with something creative and a little flashy.


Belial's Maps; Dispater's Maps

In the kingdom of Talingarde, many crimes may send you to Branderscar Prison, but the sentence has but one meaning. You are wicked and irredeemable. Each of you received the same greeting when you arrived. You were held down by rough hands and branded upon the arm with a runic 'F'. The mark signifies ‘forsaken’ and the painful scar is indelible proof that each of you has betrayed the great and eternal love of Mitra and his chosen mortal vassals.

Condemned, you face at best a life of shackles and servitude in the nearby salt mines. Others might await the “gentle” ministrations of the inquisitors so that co-conspirators may be revealed and confessions extracted. Perhaps, some of you will be spared this ordeal. Perhaps instead you have come to Branderscar to face the final judgment. In three days, the executioner arrives and the axe falls or the pyre will be lit. Through fire or steel, your crimes will be answered.

You have all been chained together in the same communal cell dressed in nothing but filthy, tattered rags. Manhandled and mistreated, any finery you once possessed is either ruined or long lost. No special treatment has been given any prisoner – male or female, commoner or noble – all of the forsaken are bound and imprisoned together. Your feet are secured by iron cuffs tethered by one long chain. Your arms are secured to the wall above by manacles. A guard is posted right outside the cell day and night.

Little thought is given to long term accommodations. At Branderscar, justice comes swift and sure. Escape seems hopeless. You have all been well searched and every attempt to conceal anything on your person has failed. And if you could somehow slip your bonds and fly out of this prison, where would you go? Who from your former life would want anything to do with the forsaken? Despised, alone and shackled – all that you can do now is await your doom.

For each of you, your old life is over. For each of you, hope is a fading memory. For each of you, justice will be fairly meted. And who can blame fair Talingarde after what each of you has done?

Before posting here, please get settled into the Discussion thread and make introductions. Once you've done so and if you're confident you don't want to make any further tweaks or changes to your character, you're welcome to post here. I'm going to give y'all an opportunity to RP and meet in character before things start to happen.

Further, if you follow the "Link to Maps and Handouts" link at the top of this thread, you'll land on a Google Slides presentation with images of your branding and Branderscar Prison. On the second slide is a map of the prison cell block. The PCs start in cell 18A. Once you've all checked in, I will update the map with tokens for your characters.


Belial's Maps; Dispater's Maps

First, congratulations and welcome! I enjoyed reading all of your backgrounds and I think we're going to have a great campaign ahead of us. We have a mix of experienced Play-by-Posters and others who are new to the medium who still wrote some great material.

For those who are new to PbP, if you haven't already, please read DH's Guide to PbP Gaming. You don't have to follow it to the letter, but having shared expectations and common formatting conventions help with consistency.

Backgrounds
For everyone, I encourage you to read one another's backgrounds. Your characters may not know this information (and I expect all of you will be able to separate metagame knowledge from in-character knowledge), but you may see interesting hooks and ideas for you to play off of.

And, having read those backgrounds, if you mutually decide you'd like to adjust your backgrounds to have previously run into or known one another (maybe even been captured together), that's fine by me. What I was looking for in the submissions was quality and you've delivered that. Now, if you want to tweak some things to better fit with the final group, go right ahead.

Combat
I run combat by taking both sides' average initiative roll and then having everyone act in a block. So, if the average roll of the party is higher than the average roll of your foes, you get to go first. You are not restricted in the order in which you post. So, even if Bob the Bard has a +11 initiative, Willy the Wizard (with his +2 initiative) can still post his action before Bob. I find this keeps combat moving without a lot of delays and pauses.

Maps
I'm inclined to use Google Slides for our battle maps as well as handouts and images. You should see a link at the top of the thread. Please click on it and let me know if it works for you.

That's it for now. Let me know if you have any questions, and I'll probably have the gameplay thread up later today.


Hey all. Turns out only a couple members of my Pathfinder group are going to have time for another game, but I'm determined to either run of play in a Starfinder game once it comes out.

If I'm GMing, my ideal would be to get a total of 5 players but I can swing 6. I'm married, with a child, and have a professional job. Looking for other players in a similar stage of life who won't bring drama, racism, sexism, homophobia, whatever to the table.

I live about two minutes off the Beltway in Silver Spring. I'm happy to host and GM, the incentive to which is a dedicated gaming table with a built-in 43" tv for projection of maps and Syrinscape.

Based on negotiations with my spouse, my ideal is to run/host an in-person game one Sunday a month and then VTT sessions (d20pro or roll20) two weeknights a month.


Hello!

Could you kindly cancel my Pathfinder Roleplaying Game subscription? (I want to keep my other three subscriptions, including the Pathfinder Adventure Path subscription.)

Thank you.


Most of those browsing these forums probably know what Way of the Wicked is, but for the uninitiated, this is an unrepentantly evil adventure path. The characters start in prison and gradually rise to become overlords of a kingdom, ruling in the name of Asmodeus. If evil campaigns aren't for you, neither is this recruitment thread. No hard feelings.

Okay, now that the softies and goody-two-shoes are gone...

Player's Guide
This AP did not include an official Players Guide so I wrote one for my F2F group. I'm linking to a copy of it on Google drive that I've edited for PbP. It contains all of the house rules and other bits of information you'll need to create a character.

You can find that file here.

The Short Version
* 25-pt buy
* 2 extra skill points per level
* Any race as long as it is 20 or less RP points (i.e., no Noble Drow).
* Unchained class variants are allowed; it is mandated for Summoners
* We will use Hero Points
* Alignment must be LE, NE, LN or N -- but mind you, it's an evil campaign and I'm going to be looking for characters that fit the campaign

Notes on Submissions
As outlined in the players guide, a character background is required and it has to touch on a few points, but it can be as long or as short as you think is appropriate.

Let me know if you've played WotW before and, if so, what you would do to make this play-through different and avoid spoiling it for new players.

I'm going to be looking at your posts in other campaigns, both in Gameplay and Discussion threads to get a feel for the type of player and poster you are. However, if you're new to PbP, don't fear. Just include a note in your submission about how frequently you expect to post, how you would resolve differences between players/characters (and to what extent you draw a distinction between the two), and why you're interested in joining a PbP campaign.

Submissions will close Friday, June 23 at 8pm, East Coast (NYC) time.

Let me know if you have any questions!


Hi there. Can you please cancel my map subscription (and only the map subscription)?

Thank you!


Belial's Maps; Dispater's Maps

Gregor:
Days have gone by looking for Tom. All without any more success than what Gregor had at the beginning. A hunch. Gaedren Lamm.

Inquiries have led to the same tentative conclusion. Rumors about children being abducted. Taken into service. If you'd crossed Gaedren, they said, he may very well have taken your child. And the only thing worse than being kidnapped was to be found useless. Oh yes, there were rumors of that, too.

Then, one afternoon, as you head down the street wondering how you're going to continue to pay for food while your pursue what has happened to your son, you shove your hands into your coin purse to count the few goins you have left... and discover something else entirely.

A harrow card. On one side, the Rabbit Price. On the other, a note.

"I know what Gaedren has done to you. He has wronged me as well. I know where he dwells, yet cannot strike at him. Come to my home at 3 Lancet Street at sunset. Others like you will be there. Gaedren must face his fate, and justice must be done."

Sunset. You have a few hours before then.

Quinlan:
The last few days have not been... easy. There's been the itch, scratching in the back of your brain, under your nails, twitching in your heart. How long has it been since you kicked the habit, and still the shiver pulls at you?

Just last night, one of your lovers tried to give you some. It was strange, not because you'd never done shiver with a lover before, but because this one had always been clean. And now that you looked, you could see the early signs of addiction. When you asked where he'd gotten it, he sniffed with indifference, "From an urchin, one of the Lambs. Who cares, come on!"

You know what the Lambs are, but they'd always been sneak thieves and pickpockets. That they were now being used as dealers?

As you gather your things to set out and try to track down some information about the Lambs and their master, something slips from one of your pouches. A harrow card!?

On one side is the Wanderer. On the other, a handwritten note:

"I know what Gaedren has done to you. He has wronged me as well. I know where he dwells, yet cannot strike at him. Come to my home at 3 Lancet Street at sunset. Others like you will be there. Gaedren must face his fate, and justice must be done."

Sunset. You have a few hours before then.

Brin:
It's happened again. The nightmare. Funny thing, they don't only come at night. It's night and you're walking down one of the streets in Old Korvosa. Or is it North Point. No, it's the docks. All of them? A laugh. Like bells in a spring wind. Cammeile. You smile and move faster, eager to see her. You've a surprise you want to share with her. She'll be so thrilled. What a great feeling to be in love.

You know what's coming. You try to tell yourself to not feel so happy. To wake up. Something. Anything. It doesn't help. It's like you're watching yourself from inside your own head, unable to control your own actions. Screaming but with no voice.

The laughter leads around a corner and into an alley. It becomes disembodied. Sinister. There, laying in the alley, dead... blood pooled and drying around her body. You collapse, sobbing, and the laughter shifts again. Coming from all around you. From the walls of the buildings. The bricks of the street. Crushing you.

Waking in a panic, you realize -- again -- it's in the past. But you now have a name to go with the laughter. Gaedren Lamm. But you've never been able to find a location or other lead.

As you get ready for the day, you lift your pocket scarf and notice something left underneath it. A harrow card. The Joke, and on the reverse side, a handwritten note:

"I know what Gaedren has done to you. He has wronged me as well. I know where he dwells, yet cannot strike at him. Come to my home at 3 Lancet Street at sunset. Others like you will be there. Gaedren must face his fate, and justice must be done."

Sunset. You've several hours until then.


Belial's Maps; Dispater's Maps

If you were selected, please "dot in" here. We'll be using this thread for all substantive OOC discussions, letter others know about our availability, etc., so on, and so forth.

For now, feel free to introduce your characters, discuss your roles, abilities, and see if there are any opportunities for your characters to have pre-existing relationships. (Absolutely not required but sometimes fun.)

I'm aiming for us to start with in-character posting on Monday, but I'm going to want to write a proper introductory post for each of your characters and that may take me a little time.

In the meantime, here is the "something extra" I mentioned I would ask of folks if they were selected for the campaign.

Please provide the following and add them in a spoiler box on your alias's profile:
1. Five Background or Concept Elements for your character. This can include a physical description, an overview of the character's personality, significant background points, etc. Just a couple sentences on each is sufficient.
2. Two of Your Character's Goals. One is your campaign trait. The other is something you already picked in your submission. Please provide a couple sentences here. (Cut and paste is perfectly fine; this just helps me to have it all in an easy format.)
3. Two Secrets. One secret that only you know; another secret that you do not know but someone else does.
4. A Fear or Paranoia. Something that really gets to your character.


Submissions due by Saturday, March 11 by 12n (East Coast/New York)

If you're interested in submitting a character for a new Curse of the Crimson Throne (CotCT) campaign, I am going to try to put all the relevant information in this post. Obviously, if you have any questions or something isn't clear, please ask and I'll answer as soon as I can.

I'll be running the hardcover re-release version of the AP. I may add in a module or two, depending on how things are going and if we need a break from the main plot, and I expect to make a few tweaks and adjustments based on the PCs' backgrounds.

CotCT has a few moments in the campaign that could be emotionally difficult for some people. If you would like specifics constituting potential spoilers, send me a PM. For this post, it should suffice to say there are some very evil antagonists in this AP.

The Character Builds:

- 20 point buy
- 2 traits, one of which must be a CotCT campaign trait (full list in the post immediately following this one)
- No 3PP material but anything from Paizo is fair game as long as you can link to it on www.d20pfsrd.com
- Evil alignments are prohibited (as is "neutral leaning evil")
- No Hero Points, but we will do Harrow Points
- No background skills
- If you want to play a summoner, it needs to be the Unchained version. Other classes may use original or Unchained, player's choice

Other Submission Requirements:

You may post your submission either with the actual alias you will be using or with the stat block pasted into a post with your primary profile.

With your submission, address the following questions in bullet point format:
1. What is your character's connection to Korvosa? Why is he here?
2. Who is one NPC your character thinks of as a friend or ally? (Can be made up and not from AP or official source material.)
3. What is one goal for your PC other than the one provided in your campaign trait?
4. If your character is anything other than human, explain how she fits in to Korvosa.

You can write a more complete background story if you like but it's not necessary. I will ask for more if your submission is accepted but the above bullet points are all that is required at this point.

House Rules:

- I have yet to find a rule or ability in Pathfinder I've felt a need to change or tweak, but I do still reserve that right. If I think there is an issue, I'll bring it up in the discussion thread and consider all views and input before making a decision.
- Monsters and foes may have their stats and abilities adjusted from the original source material in order to provide an appropriate level of challenge to the party, usually through application of a template or maxing of hit points.
- Similarly, I may tweak NPCs to better suit the campaign and the party, in terms of stats, personality, background and motivation.
- Level advancement will be based on milestones rather than awarding XP. In other words, I will let you know when it's time to level up and it will be at a time that is appropriate for how far you've advanced in the AP.
- No leadership feat.

Expectations:

- Players will be familiar with the information presented in the CotCT Players Guide. Although it was written with 3.5 in mind, the fluff is still highly relevant. Campaign traits have been adjusted slightly when the AP was updated to Pathfinder; the following post details them.
- Once we get going, I expect everyone to post at least once per day, preferably twice, especially if we are in combat. Posts don't have to be long but they need to help keep things moving.
- If you haven't already, please read DH's Guide to Play by Post Gaming.
- I will probably ask people to save their PCs stats in a particular format. I'll also ask for combat posts to follow a particular template. The goal is to present the information to me in a way I can quickly find what I need and post the results promptly to advance the combat.
- You can expect me to post at least twice a day, to respond to questions in a timely manner, and to let you know if I predict any problems on the horizon with my ability to post (e.g., vacation, work, family). Please do the same.

Final Notes
Based on the response to an "interest check" thread, I expect there will be a lot of applications, which means I almost certainly will have to turn away some great applications. In the end, what I'm looking for is 6 or 7 players whose characters will provide a good mix of abilities. I hope to be able to accept players with a range of experience with PbP, including people who have been unable to get into recent campaigns or who are new to PbP, as well as veterans.

As for me, I've been GMing face-to-face 3.5 and Pathfinder games for ten years, including a homebrew DragonLance campaign, the DL Age of Mortals campaign, Jade Regent, Way of the Wicked, and Skull & Shackles. This will be my first PbP GMing experience and I'm looking forward to collaboratively writing our own version of this story with you.


2 people marked this as a favorite.

Hey all. I'm getting ready to GM this for a PbP campaign and wanted to ask for advice from folks who have already run or played through it. There may be spoilers ahead.

1. Any sort of "trigger" issues I should flag for potential players? I read about Gaedren and Gobblegut and read in one thread this AP messed with some players heads. I don't want to start this and then have people dropping out because they're having issues with the content.

2. I'm leaning towards starting the PbP campaign with 6-7 players, expecting 2 to drop out. With that in mind, what kind of point buy would you suggest? I've usually done 20 but am debating 15. I won't go up to 25.

3. From reading threads here, I know an all evil party requires some rework of the books, but as long as the character has a connection to Korvosa and is able to work with party members, are there issues that would preclude an evil-aligned character?

4. Any other words of wisdom?


1 person marked this as a favorite.

Hey all. Im thinking about starting a PbP campaign for either Way of the Wicked or Curse of the Crimson Throne, probably start with 6 or 7 players, assuming a couple will drop out. I've done WotW in a F2F group and it is a lot of fun with the right group, but I've never been through CotCT and I have the hardback version, so I'm also considering that.

Would folks be interested in another one of these being run and, if so, which one would you prefer?


When in the course of an attack must the use of the Bodyguard feat's aid another ability be declared?
1. Before the attack roll
2. After the roll but before the result is declared
3. After the result is declared?

Quote:

Your swift strikes ward off enemies attacking nearby allies.

Prerequisite: Combat reflexes.

Benefit: When an adjacent ally is attacked, you may use an attack of opportunity to attempt the aid another action to improve your ally’s AC. You may not use the aid another action to improve your ally’s attack roll with this attack.

Normal: Aid another is a standard action.


As the title says, this is intended for GMs who've run S&S and/or the referenced module. Thar be spoilers ahead!

...

...

I'm replacing Mancatcher Cove with the Isle of Bonjo Tombo from Dead Man's Chest. I noticed at one point, if the players do what they'll likely do, they get attacked by 13~16 wights (CR 3 each; an EL of something like 11 or 12) that appear behind the PCs blocking off their primary exit (with a possible exit by diving into an underground river). At that point, the party will be around level 6. Current party completion does not include anyone who can channel positive energy.

As written, this looks like a massacre to me. It's easy to cut down the number of wights, which is what I would do, but I'm wondering if anyone else has run this or what there thoughts are generally on the setup of the encounter.


We're getting ready to start a Skull and Shackles campaign and a player wants to run a Gunslinger (Buccaneer). This archetype swaps out the Quick Clear deed for Seadog's Legs. As we're using the default Emerging firearms and players will be mostly restricted to early firearms with the usual misfire mechanics (and their interplay with alchemical cartridges), I think keeping Quick Clear is nigh essential to a gunslinger's viability. Otherwise they have to repair the broken weapon out of combat. So, I'm worried that taking an archetype that dumps Quick Clear is going to hobble the character's effectiveness (and ultimately frustrate the player).

What say you? Am I overly concerned about the importance of Quick Clear? I don't want to tell the player how to play their character, but the player is also relatively new to Pathfinder generally and the gunslinger specifically, so I don't want them to create a character that thematically looks cool but they wind up being very disappointed with once we start to play.


Hi. We recently moved and this order was shipped to our old address. Mail forwarded is in place with USPS and I'm hoping it will eventually make its way to me, but I was wondering if it might have been returned to sender (you). Is there anyway you can check? Thanks!


Hey there. Our group has lost a couple players due to life circumstances so we're looking for a couple of players to join our group in NW Washington, DC for games two Sunday's a month. We're going to start a new campaign with book one of Throne of Night on the evil/overlord campaign path. If you're in the area and interested, send me a PM.


One of my players who is running a disease-themed witch is wondering if the empower spell feat would affect the ability score damage done through the Contagion spell (e.g., filth fever, 1d3 to dex and Con). Given that there is a variable effect, I can see the argument in favor of it working. On the other hand, I think the spell is just delivering the disease, not inflicting the damage.

Thoughts? (Thanks!)


I've been trying to find rules for fleshwarping and, aside from an item creation feat and a creature template, have not had any luck.

The process gets a fair amount of narrative description in Wayfinder #9 (which I have but is non-canon fan fluff, albeit excellent fluff) and is apparently referenced/described in Pathfinder #16: Endless Night (which I do not own but couldn't find any rules in the pfsrd aside from those above). It seems to me that this is begging for some feats or a PrC, but I can't find anything. I just wanted to double-check/confirm that what I'm looking for does not exist or, if it does, ask for someone to point me in the right direction.

Thanks!

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