Alexandre Gayk-Lemay's page

Hello, this question pertains to the Snake Style feat, particularly the section that follows:
"While using the Snake Style feat, when an opponent targets you with a melee or ranged attack, you can spend an immediate action to make a Sense Motive check. You can use the result as your AC or touch AC against that attack. You must be aware of the attack and not flat-footed."

I would like to know how late in the process of being targeted by the attack one might declare the use of this power. For comparison, the Swashbuckler's opportune parry and riposte reads:
"The swashbuckler must declare the use of this ability after the creature's attack is announced, but before its attack roll is made."

whereas some other abilities in the game state something along the lines of:
"use of this ability can be declared after the roll is made but before the results of the roll are revealed"

Now I'm pretty confident that Snake style's wording clearly tends more toward those two example than it does toward, say, the wording of mounted combat which indicated that the feat's use is declared after the hit has been confirmed... but when, specifically, should its active use be declared?

Thanks in advance!

Hello all, I seek PFS advice from experienced PFS GMs and/or officials,

I recently got into an argument with another PFS GM about determining APL. My stance is that the Pathfinder Society Roleplaying Guild Guide (currently v7) stands as the sole source on this subject and that it trumps other sources. The first paragraph of "Determining Subtiers" is what I would use to determine APL in a PFS game:
"In order to determine which subtier a mixed-level group of PCs must play in, calculate the group’s average party level (APL). Divide the total number of character levels by the number of characters in the party. You should always round to the nearest whole number. If you are exactly at 0.5, let the group decide which subtier they wish to play."

My colleague's stance is that APL should be calculated according to rules on encounter design (found on this page):
http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/gamemastering.html
notably, the following passage:
"Determine APL: Determine the average level of your player characters—this is their Average Party Level (APL for short). You should round this value to the nearest whole number (this is one of the few exceptions to the round down rule). Note that these encounter creation guidelines assume a group of four or five PCs. If your group contains six or more players, add one to their average level. If your group contains three or fewer players, subtract one from their average level."
According to my colleague, this position is espoused by many online GMs who use 2010 posts made by Mr.Joshua J Frost:
"Groups, tables, sessions, etc normally have to calculate APL and play the appropriate sub-Tier. So, even at level 1, if you were a table of 6 level 1 characters, your APL is still 2 and that means you still need to play sub-Tier 1-2." (conversation found here: http://paizo.com/paizo/messageboards/paizoPublishing/pathfinder/pathfinderS ociety/general/shoppingWithPrestigePoints&page=1#48)
As you can see, Mr.Frost's posts imply that APL should be calculated according to the information found in the section on Encounter Design.

It seems to me that the information on the Encounter Design page is mostly incompatible with the Pathfinder Guild Guide's prescription for calculating APL and determining subtiers. As such, it should not merely override Encounter Design rules for determining APL when necessary but replace those rules completely in the context of PFS.
In our small circle of players, a lot of GP for out-of-tier rewards are at stake: for a season 0-3 scenario, the guild guide would have a table made up of 4x level 2 adventurers, 1x level 1 adventurer and 1x level 3 adventurer (average 2 therefore APL 2) play low tier whereas my colleague would attribute them an APL of 3 (average 2+1(as prescribed by the rules on Encounter Design)) and allow them to choose their subtier.

Thank you in advance for your help, our Lodge's balance depends on these results!

P.S. In addition, we have a word/rule-lawyer or two who would argue that the wording in the guild guide, "In order to determine which subtier a mixed-level group of PCs must play in" implies that a group on non-mixed-level PCs are exempt from these rules, and a group of 6x level 2 adventurers would have an APL of 3 (as per Mr. Frost's recommendation) whereas a group including 4x level 2 adventurers, 1x level 1 adventurer and 1x level 3 adventurer would have an APL of 2 (as per the Guild Guide's recommendation). So basically I need a consensus as to whether PFS GMs should [always and only rely on Encounter Design rules to calculate APL] or [always and only rely on the Guild Guide for calculating APL in PFS].

I have a question for PFS GMs and, ultimately, the PFS campaign head-honchos. It stems from the fact that GMs normally receive everything on the boon-sheet, regardless of whether the PCs found/earned a given item (as long as the tier is correct, of course).

Now, season 7 includes some content gated by specific players who have participated in the 6-98 Serpent's Rise special. If such a player is not at a table, does a GM still obtain a chronicle sheet with all boons available (in accordance with subtier) including content that will have been gated for players at the table?

My instinct says no, if the GM wants the special boon he needs to find a player who gave life to the appropriate NPC during a friendly bout of of the Serpent's Rise special, but I want to know if there are specific instructions to that effect somewhere... because if not, I have to assume that the gated boons are available to GMs as normal.

Also, the roleplaying guild guide tells me, on page 39, that: "The GM may select any special boons bestowed by a Chronicle sheet, such as free magical treasure, regional boons, or future bonus die rolls." So I'm inclined to disagree with my first instinct. As you can see, I'm in dire need of enlightenment!

Thanks in advance!

Iner Sea Gods gave us Deific Obedience, and Chronicles of the Righteous and Book the the Damned II Lords of Chaos gave us the heavenly and demonic versions of that feat. But what of the group most likely to submit, no matter how they must prove themselves to their patron? What of Diabolists and Infernal Obedience?

With the upcoming Adventure Paths set in Cheliax, Empire of Devils, I would like to invite people to make suggestions about homebrewed versions of Infernal Obediences for their favourite Dukes, Whore Queens and Malebranche from Book of the Damned I Princes of Darkness and other Golarion-friendly sources. Of course, because of the relevance of this concept in relation to the upcoming adventure paths, I would also love it if some companion or another might make Infernal Obediences (and relevant rituals, fluff and bonuses) official.

I look forward to seeing what you all can come up with;
On your marks!