Anain Cuthnor's page

Anain seems a bit taken aback by Riann's strange and foreign blessing, but nods his thanks, the sun highlighting his slightly red cheeks. Reaching again into his robes, he rubs the top his toad familiars head, then ensures everything on his person is in its place for the short walk. Following Ansley, he heads towards the orc encampment, hoping for the best. Once within an acceptable range for Ansley, he gestures a few long magical phrases and turns her invisible. "Remember, this lasts only a short time. I will wait here for your successful return. Good luck!" he says as he kneels down, watching and listening.

Moving towards the orc encampment, casting Invisibility on Ansley once we're withing the discussed range; then kneeling down, trying to Spot and Listen as best as possible in her direction.

"Ansley, will you come with me closer to the camp? I'll turn you invisible when we approach. Remember, it will only last a short time; though I am quite sure you can disguise yourself well enough. The rest of you should stay several lengths back until she can report on what she sees." Anain says matter-of-factly, looking at the paladin and half-drow.

(In answer to Riann's question) "Only a short time. 4 minutes to be exact.We will need to get closer, then I'll cast the spell and she can proceed. I am ready to venture forth."

I'll cast Invisibility on Ansley once we get closer, if that's ok with everyone.

"The cover of darkness would provide as much, if not more, of a hindrance as a help for us, yes," Riann agrees. "However, know that if any of us should become injured, we will be without Eilistraee's grace until this evening. Perhaps we can lie low today and tonight as well, and meet the enemy in battle tomorrow, so that we might have the benefit of both sunlight and Eilistraee's healing?"

"The longer we wait, the more orcs show up. Let's scout them now, make a sound attack strategy based on that report, and try and take some of them out while the sun is on our side. If need be we can push back, making several small runs at them at our own pace. The odds would seem to favor us if we move now. Do you have any potions or treatments that could suffice if we do find ourselves in a tight spot?" Anain says as he nods at Ansley's answer. "Worst case scenario- we hightail it back and try and get some reinforcements out here sooner than later."

Anyone else want to chime in on strategy?

Anain shakes his head at Thelen's comments. "We're not going to see what we're up against first? I think not. Who knows how many orcs are there and how many more are coming thanks to their infernal smoke signals? Let's send Aynsley to scout out the camp and report back. I can turn her invisible to assist. I say we move closer as a group and then send her to sneak ahead. Wading in with no idea of what we're up against seems like a HORRIBLE idea."

Anain then turns to Riann. "Riann. I know you and your kind prefer the darkness, but I believe the orcs are weaker in the daylight. With the rest of us not having your keen vision, the daylight hours of the Morninglord would be preferable. I hope you can see the advantage of that." With that, Anain turns casually to the red headed scout. "What say you?"

Finishing his perusing of his spellbook, he closes it with a snap and looks at the others. "If it is being seen you are concerned with, I can assist in that matter, but only for one of us. I think this a much better idea than a full frontal assault. I think the daylight hours would be much preferable as well; I believe the orcs shun the daylight." Anain says. "I am ready to venture forth, whatever the decision is."

Anain stretches his hands above his head, surveys his surroundings and pulls himself out of his sleeping posture. With a nod, he greets Riann and gets his belongings together. Happy to see the night's rest served him well, he begins thumbing through his spellbook.

My fair DM, Should we be keeping track of XP, HP and the like or are you doing that?

Riann Kirahel wrote:

Anain Cuthnor wrote:

I'm for resting then.

Me too. Shall we hike an hour or two away from where we are (back in the direction from which we came) and camp there, hopefully well enough away from the camp not to be bothered until we've rested?

Sounds like a plan.

We need to reach a concensus here. You know that the orcs are obviously aware of your presence and you have no idea how big their camp is. Remember that the apprentice said that there were about a dozen of these orcs that attacked him and the knights. You've dropped 4 so far. That worg is also still alive out there... somewhere.

Oh, also, there should be three battleaxes, not two as I said earlier. There were three warriors and one shaman.

I'm for resting then.

I'm good with whatever you guys and gals wanna do here. I'd prefer to find a safe spot to rest but I'm ok if you wanna press on.

Anain tucks away the scroll into his backpack and nods at Ansley. "I'm sure it does reek, but it can surely be cleaned and can serve in a pinch as warmth." Looking at Thelen and Riann, he offers "I'd like to find a place to rest before we forage onward. I've got a feeling we're going to face much worse than what we have tonight. I, for one, would like to be prepared as possible for what lies ahead."

Anain frowns a bit and says "Nothing magical here, sans this scroll. The runes on the orcs seem to be magical in nature, perhaps placed on them for added combat zeal or protection. Obviously, someone or something is behind these markings as I doubt the shaman had the ability to do this. More questions than answers it seems." With this, he mutters another arcane phrase and unrolls the scroll, trying to discern its spell.

Casting Read Magic on the scroll.

Anain pulls all the equipment and items (including the robe, excluding the orcs armor) he finds on the orc bodies and places them close together in a line. He rustles around in his soft leather back pack and pulls out his Everburning Torch, laying it on the ground at his feet. Hearing Riann speak, he looks her direction and smiles. "Glad to see you're awake. Quite the battle, eh?" Turning back to the items on the ground, he mutters a strange arcane phrase and begins studying the items in hopes of learning more about them.

After a few moments, he hails the rest of his companions: "Anyone have any need of this stuff? Come take a look when you have a moment." After figuring out all he can about the items with his simple arcane spell, he turns to the bodies of the fallen orcs, seemingly using the same spell on their battle torn bodies.

Using Detect Magic on the items, then on the orcs runic markings.

Anain looks solemnly over at Riann's limp body and nods at the paladin's request of him. He walks over the bloody orc warriors, scanning the immediate area around them for anything they may have dropped. After a quick search of their bodies, he makes his way over to the piggish looking shaman, wondering to himself what the runes imprinted on their bodies meant. After rolling up the sleeves of his robes, he performs a thorough search of the dead spellcaster, hoping to find some clues or at the very least, see if "it" (did it really matter if the beast was male or female? After all, it was an orc) carried any interesting possessions. After concluding his search of the orc spellcaster, Anain makes his way back over to the fallen warriors again, this time searching them thoroughly as well. Taking care not to stain his hands with orc blood, Anain rustles through the fallen bodies, wishing the sun would rise and the night were over.

Take 20 while Searching the spellcaster, 10 searching the other two. Also, if possible, I'd like to make a Knowledge(Arcana) check and see if I can identify anything magical in nature (or flavor) about the runes.

Book says "Will Save", so I assume DC is same as if I cast a 2nd level spell.

Anain moves towards the spellcaster, robes still sizzling from the orcs energy bolts. With a word, he moves his hand over his eyes and reaches out towards the spellcaster, trying to blind him.

Move within 30' of the remaining orc and use the Shadow Veil feat to try and put the lights out.

Anain moves closer to the fracais, turning visible as he does so. Watching in horror as the half drow goes down, he methodically pulls the components necessary from his spell pouch and weirdly twists his fingers while muttering an arcane phrase. Within a moment, a bolt of fire forms in his hand and he hurls it at the spell casting orc.

Not what I wanted to do, but such is combat: Voluntarily end my Invisibility, move 20' closer to the spellcaster and casting Kelgore's Fire Bolt at him.

Disregard that then.

Anain invokes another spell on himself while behind the tree, knowing he needs to get somewhat closer to help his fellow party members. With an almost inaudible word and nimble finger movement, he disappears from view.

Casting Invisibility and moving 30' closer to the spellcasting orc.

Anain peers around the tree and nods to himself as he notices the now visible orc. With wave of his hand, he intones a arcane word and tries to blind the newest combatant.

Using the Shadow Veil feat to try and blind the orc spell caster. If he's not within 30 feet, I'll move from behind the tree and get close enough to use it, trying to stay away from the melee fracais.

Making sure to keep his cover, Anain casts a spell intended to make it harder for the charging orcs to hit him, should they come close enough to do so. After the spell is completed, he looks around the tree and takes a defensive posture, knowing the orcs will soon be within range for him to work his magic on them.

Casting Mage Armor on myself, no other action(s) this round.

Anain shakes his head in disgust as Thelen lights the group's hideout. "Well, here we go!" he says as he tries to drop carefully to the ground from his spot in the tree. Upon obtaining his balance again, he moves himself behind the tree and waits for the others, readying himself for the moments to come.

Take 10 (or 20 if necessary) to Climb out of the tree and put the tree between myself and the humanoids line of sight.

Pickwick wrote:

Thelen = PWN. :[

Quite possibly. If that's the case, I have a question for the other players:

Would you prefer that I NPC Thelen and continue with the rest of you or should I start looking for a new player to fill the slot (perhaps a captive at the orc camp or somesuch)?

I prefer you NPC Thelen until you can find a new player to fill the slot.

Anain sighs as he sits up as quietly as possible. In response to Ansley's comments, he whispers "Can they see us?" before readying himself to drop to the ground below.

Anain attempts to climb up into the tree, clearing his hands of his possessions and placing them in his soft leather backpack. He takes his time; a fall being not only embarrassing, but possibly painful. Looking for a somewhat comfortable spot in the back of the tree, he settles in and waits for the rest of his companions.

Take 10 on my Climb (or 20 if need be) to get up into the tree.

Way-hey-hey, reaches into his robes and scratches his 'familiar', eh? Is THAT what the kids are calling it these days?

::cough::

</bawdy>

Yes, but only in the Realms as I understand it. Ahem.

Anain scratches his chin for a moment, looking up at the night sky. "We are at a distinct disadvantage here. We're on their turf, they can see in the dark and we don't know where they are. I suggest we find somewhere to evade them until morning; our chances should improve with the coming of the morning light." With that, he walks over to where the others are standing and says quietly "That's what I suggest, unless someone has a better idea." With that he reaches into his dark blue robes and absentmindedley scratches his familiar, Gin on the back.

Anain wipes his brow, flinging not only sweat but relief as he looks back at the pit. He brushes himself off, ensures he didn't drop anything and motions for the others. "I would now assume they are on to us. Coming?" he says, half sarcastically. Trying to remain calm, he steps back away from the pit and surveys the area around him.

I'll step back at least 10' from the pit and Search the ground around me in a 5' radius for more traps.

Anain breaks into a sprint after the wolf, his torch bobbing and weaving like a celebratory firework as he tries to close the gap between himself and the faster creature. Hoping to close with the wolf and get off another blast from his wand, he tries to breathe calmly, knowing his companions are not far behind.

Anain will Run after the worg as a full round action.

Anain moves towards the wolf like beast, reaching into his belt for a simply carved piece of wood. With the wand in hand, he whispers an arcane phrase and flicks his wrist in the worgs direction. White blue light bursts forth from the wand with a hum, leaping at the injured creatures hide. Knowing this is his best chance to hit the creature, he mutters to his companions "Shut it up!"

30' move towards wolfy, trying to blast it with my Wand of MM.

Anain nudges Ansley softly with his elbow and nods at the others, wondering if they hear the same noises he does. "About 30 yards ahead...I hear faint breathing and something moving in the grass." he says quietly. He points in the direction of the noise and grips his torch tightly. "I hope the beast has not led us into an ambush. That would be quite unfortunate."

Anain moves into his position in the group, holding his torch in his hand. Looking ahead, he nods at Riann's comment and focuses his eyes into the darkness.

I'm for waiting for the paladin and cleric on this one. Who knows where he's going and since we can't catch him anyway, why not wait?

"Agreed. Let's see if the beast is involved with these orcs we seek. We can rest after we've investigated. Aynsley, lead the way." Anain says as he gathers his belongings from the campsite. "I hope we are not making a mistake."

Anain pulls up his movement after the wolf, clearly noting its speed and distance from the rest of the group. He watches it clear out of range of sight and looks back at the rest of the group to see the paladin and cleric perform their healing duties. He walks slowly back to the others, hoping that everyone is ok with the wolf fleeing. " I believe that these are worgs." he says as he glances quickly at the body of the fallen wolf.

"Unfortunately, or fortunately, I suppose, there is a strong possibility that these wolves are associated with the orcs we seek. Worgs can communicate with others via speech and I suspect the wolf will lead the orcs to our position given the chance. We may consider moving camp or at the very least, leave those on watch in armor and prepared to fight again should we choose not to move." Anain reaches down and quickly searches the fallen worg's body for any possessions it might have. Looking at the night sky, he sighs and looks at the others.

Damn it....That's what I get for posting before checking my character sheet. I forgot I had a wand of Magic Missle. Oh well, now I know.

No dirty tricks here. Due to the distance the wolf is from my posistion, the fact that I've no shot to catch it with any fancy spells, I'm afraid that's all I can do without just wasting a spell.

Anain reaches down on the ground and picks up his dropped torch, trying to illuminate the darkness. He moves towards the fleeing wolf, hoping to close on it before it scampers away. "Damn it...." he mutters to himself as he runs, hoping that the wolf is not connected to the orcs the group is trying to track down.

Move action to pick up the torch and then move after the wolf.

Anain moves closer to the wolves; seeing two of his companions on the ground in front of the snarling lupines. With a single fluid motion, he drops his torch at his feet and digs into his spell pouch. With a cold determination in his eyes, he makes quick and decisive gestures in the air with his hands, finally pointing at one of the wolves. A shadowy nothingness springs forth, lauching towards one of the wolves.

30' move (trying to stay out of the combat still) towards the melee. Free Action to drop the Everburning Torch and casting Phantasmal Assailants at the wolf that just dropped Riann.

The noise wakes the mage from his light slumber. Anain quickly rises, shakes the cobwebs from his mind, and gets to his feet. Rummaging through his nearby pack, he pulls out his Everburning Torch and tries to light the scene so he can see exactly what is going on.

DM Fatespinner wrote:

What are the watch arrangements? I'm ready to move on.

I'm ok with the watch Thelen suggested---Riann, Thelen, Aynsley---if everyone else is.

That watch is fine with me.

Anain's spellbook flies into the air with a flutter of pages and a sharp pang of suprise emits from his mouth into the night air as Ansley pulls her prank. An incantation begins to shape in his mind, but just for a mere second; it flits away as he notices it is the Ranger. "Quite the sneak, eh?" Anain mutters, more amused than sore. "I do not have any extra parchment with me, I am sad to say. Other than the soon-to-be-filled pages in my spellbook, that is."

Noticing the half-drow and paladin return from their foray into the distant night, Anain gathers himself, stands and retrieves his spellbook from the earth's floor. With a nod, he glances at Riann then to the paladin. While he tries to stifle the smallest of smiles, he welcomes the two back to camp. "Most interesting. Most interesting." he says without explaining himself further. "As to the matter of my torch, I will gladly conceal it. More to the point I think, is the matter of how everyone, with the exception of our naked friend here, plans on seeing while on the aforementioned watch." His dark right eyebrow raises as he looks at the paladin and ranger.

"I would prefer to see during my watch, but I may be a tad inexperienced when it comes to fighting in the dark. I will need to rest if I am to handle matters tomorrow, but will accept any watch that the three of you see fit to assign me." Anain crosses his arms casually as he waits for the others to figure out the arrangments.

Looks like I got here too late today...

Anain grumbles to himself as he watches the naked half drow and paladin walk off. "Hmph. Who wouldn't want to follow? I'm sure she'll be just fine with Thellen though. I wonder if he'll see her from any other angles that I couldn't? Ahh... so be it."

After swigging a long gulp from his waterskin, Anain reaches into his backpack and pulls out his Everburning Torch. He replaces the waterskin and looks about the area which his torchlight illuminates. Not being able to see much, he reaches into his backpack yet again. With a long sigh, he pulls out some jerky and sweetbread from his rations and begins to eat.

His thoughts wander as he eats the meal and while he is tired, he finds himself suprisingly enjoying the adventurer's staple. Again, he wonders if camping in the open is a good idea; but figures he can at least defend himself should any sort of trouble rear it's ugly head. "And besides," he thinks, "I'm sure Ansley is about somewhere."

After wolfing down his meal, he rises to his feet and again takes a pull from his waterskin. "Not quite ale, but it'll have to work." Anain walks a small perimeter around the camp, ensuring there is nothing of worry close by and after a few moments, finds a comfortable spot in the long grass. Once the wizard is settled in, he begins flipping through his spellbook, the torch illuminating a content smile as he sees the familiar arcane words.

Anain sits down on the long, soft grass and stretches his arms and legs with a quiet yawn. After a moment, he stands up and looks about the country side. "Is this spot okay with everyone? I'm not too sure about camping here in the open, but I'm not exactly a tenured wanderer either. What about a fire? I can't wait to dig into these rations..." he says with an obvious smattering of sarcasm. Excited to be on an adventure (of sorts) and glad to be in the company of new and differant people, Anain looks forward to some well deserved rest and conversation.

Anain gives Ansley a half smile from the corner of his mouth. "Ahh, my sarcasm is not lost on the lady, I see. Unfortuantely, I fear my skill with a blade is on par with my looks. I might be able to overcome a baboon wizard on a good day with my meager skills of the arcane, but only if Tymora smiles on me." Anain stops and gives a quick half bow to Ansley, then continues walking, happy to have new folk to converse with.

Anain snickers and cracks the long, bony fingers on both hands at once. "Well," he says as he smiles at the paladin, "one can always hope that the Grand Marshall wasn't correct, but I suppose THAT doesn't happen very often does it?" Anain follows Riann as she leaves.

Walking beside her he speaks: "What good is wild game then, if you can't cook it? Bah, I'm sure you're better than most! And besides, I'd give anything to be able to even get close to a beast of the field or forest. My experience is limited to having them run away as I get within 100 yards. Must be my striking good looks...."

"Agreed then!" adds Anain casually. "While I'm sure that both of you are more than capable of gathering some very tasty delicacies, I would like to investigate this matter of the orcs with some sense of urgency. I do not prefer the taste of rations much though; maybe after we've investigated this band of maruading pigmen? I would very much like that."

"Unless we're forgetting something, I would like to gather my things and prepare for travel. Shall we proceed by equestrian means or (sighs) shall we trust our own appendages to cover the distance?" Anain says as he looks at the now quiet paladin.

Kind DM, I would like to purchase an additional 5 days of trail rations if possible. Any local shop is fine.

Still feeling underprepared, Anain looks at the paladin after he shakes Dorin's hand. "I'll need to pick up a few more rations if we're to be out in the wilds for more than two days, but other than that, I believe I am set." With a nod to the others, he motions as if ready to leave.

Ahh, thanks!

I'm no longer having the time to go through the adventure paths, so I would like my subscription to the Adventure Path to be cancelled.

Any Paizonian Pathfinders in the general Pueblo Colorado area?

Here's the thread for the project proposed here.
Basically, we will work as a group to collectively design a location and then play through an adventure that I create using said location. This is intended to foster a greater sense of involvement and personal/character investment in the setting of the campaign.
Setting - Golarion
Rule Set - Pathfinder

Since this is the first time I've tried this, I'm going to say that the basic structure should be that of a town (between 1,000 and 3,000 in population) located somewhere in the Inner Sea region (the location will be decided by group consensus.
All details beyond the basic structure will be designed by group consensus at this point.

The following are basic elements that need to be settled first:

-Location of the town
-General feel of the town and surrounding area
-Basic history and present condition of the town
And finally,
-Tone and style of the adventure (dark fantasy, horror, intrigue/mystery, ect)

To those who have stated interest thus far, please toss out a few ideas on what they'd like to see in response to these questions.

I've sometimes had problems getting some of my rl players to feel connected with the setting; they generally approach it simply as a backdrop for the adventure, without really delving into the setting or becoming engaged with their surroundings, which lessens the depth of the campaign.
So I've been tossing around ideas on how to get them a little more engaged with the world around their characters, and looking through my FLGS' copies of the Dresden Files RPG I got the idea: what if I involve my players in creating (at least to an extent) the surroundings of their characters?
I need some guinea pigs for my little experiment, and that's where you come in.

Basically my idea is to find 4 or 5 people and design a location in which to start an adventure and then ultimately play a game in that place. To start, the players involved would toss out ideas for what general kind of campaign they'd like to play, and then once one was settled upon, we'd move on to more specific details.

So, is anyone interested in pursuing this little experiment of mine? I'm looking for 4-5 players, setting will be Golarion, system will be Pathfinder.

I've always been rather fond of the Binder and Shadowcaster materiel from the Tome of Magic, and I was wondering if anyone's converted them to Pathfinder yet.

I've been considering running an adventure for my group in which they're engaged in a sort of race against several different groups who are all trying to achieve the same objective (capture a fleeing nobleman, in this case). In designing it, I've found myself unsure how to run a chase scene so as to give them the feeling of urgency and being involved, rather than just narrating it, and so I was running how the members of the Paizo community generally handle chase scenes.

On a wider topic, how do you usually handle long travel in general, particular in regards to specific encounters and locations, without it being a long narrative occasionally interrupted by calls for initiative?

The cold rays of the dawn sun creep across the desolate hills and dales of Ustalav, slowly dispelling the oppressive fog that lays over the land, driving it from the cliffs of the shore and out over the cold waters of Lake Kavapesta. Nestled amongst the craggy, unforgiving heights of these cliffs is one of the small villages that dot this haunted countryside.
As the shroud of night is slowly lifted the people of Daven’s rest stir; doors are unbarred, windows cast open, fires rekindled, prayers and greetings spoken. The symphony of the small village’s awakening continues much as it has for generations. But this morning things are different.
It all starts with a startled yell uttered by one of inn keeper Thorson’s daughters, a yell which quickly becomes a scream of terror, shattering the morning tranquility and bringing you suddenly to wakefulness.

As the title says, if I view a thread or post on a thread, is there a way to clear the dots or the display of how many new posts there are on that thread?

Welcome to the discussion thread!

Our adventures will start in Daven's Rest, a small fishing village in southern Ustalav sitting on the rocky shores of Lake Kavapesta.
We will be using the Pathfinder system, primarily with what information is found in the Advanced Player's Guide and the Pathfinder Reference Document. Other sources will be considered on a case by case basis.

Character Generation
- 20 point buy, as per the Pathfinder tables
- Starting gold is 175g
- Players are permitted 2 traits from any Pathfinder source (please summarize your traits in your character's profile). Alternatively, you may select an additional feat in place of your traits/
- Hit Points: Max hit points at first level, and then rolled from there on out. Rolls of 1 can be re-rolled.

Rolling: Rolling will be done using the forum's dice roll function, which is found in the BBCode tab.

When creating your character profiles, please include your full character sheet, background, and reason for being in Daven's Rest and Ustalav.

After a year long hiatus from the game, I've started getting back into DMing. However, finding a local group has proved to be problematic and as such I've decided to see if I can get a PbP started here.

The game will begin in the small fishing village of Daven's Rest, located along the coast of Lake Kavapesta in Ustalav. Due to its nature as a port along for Ustalav, its relative proximity to Lastwall, and several nearby ruins, Daven's Rest experiences a higher degree of foreign traffic than much of Ustalav so there are many reasons a character might be there, whether they were born there or came there seeking glory or wealth.

I am looking for 4-6 players with a good character concept and who can commit to posting regularly (preferably more or less daily).

Rules
Characters will start at first level, built with 20 point buy.
We will be using most anything in the Advanced Player's Guide or the Pathfinder Reference Document.
Additionally, I am open to some *reasonable* classes/races from other Pathfinder sources or even adequate conversions of 3.5 content, however anything falling under this category will be given due consideration on a case by case basis.

If interested, please post with your character concept and any questions you have.

Some of my old gaming group is finally getting back together and the consensus is to continue from where we left off in the Rise of the Runelords AP, roughly at the beginning of Hook Mountain Massacre. The primary issue with this is that its been over a year since we were last playing the AP, and in addition we're introducing a new person to the group. Since none of them really want to re-play the first two chapters, I've decided to compose a mini-adventure of sorts to reintroduce the group, refresh everyone's memories, and get the new player involved in the campaign.
And so I'm looking for any advice anyone might have on this.
What information from the first two chapters do you as a player or a DM think is necessary to understanding and enjoying the story of the later chapters?
Additionally, how would you as a DM go about doing this? My ideas thus far have been to have an investigation started by the authorities of Magnimar on the events in Sandpoint and Magnimar. Alternatively or additionally, I was considering having Sandpoint beset by additional difficulties that would lead the party along the path of the first two chapters, which could possibly include: sinspawn raids on Sandpoint (we didn't destroy the runewell the first time through), Malfeshnekor and possibly Erulyium (both of whom I believe either escaped or weren't encountered), and/or continued hauntings from Aldern Foxglove and some of the Skinsaw Men. Any opinions on this?

Some of my old gaming group is finally getting back together and the consensus is to continue from where we left off in the Rise of the Runelords AP, roughly at the beginning of Hook Mountain Massacre. The primary issue with this is that its been over a year since we were last playing the AP, and in addition we're introducing a new person to the group. Since none of them really want to re-play the first two chapters, I've decided to compose a mini-adventure of sorts to reintroduce the group, refresh everyone's memories, and get the new player involved in the campaign.
And so I'm looking for any advice anyone might have on this.
What information from the first two chapters do you as a player or a DM think is necessary to understanding and enjoying the story of the later chapters?
Additionally, how would you as a DM go about doing this? My ideas thus far have been to have an investigation started by the authorities of Magnimar on the events in Sandpoint and Magnimar. Alternatively or additionally, I was considering having Sandpoint beset by additional difficulties that would lead the party along the path of the first two chapters, which could possibly include: sinspawn raids on Sandpoint (we didn't destroy the runewell the first time through), Malfeshnekor and possibly Erulyium (both of whom I believe either escaped or weren't encountered), and/or continued hauntings from Aldern Foxglove and some of the Skinsaw Men. Any opinions on this?

Generally the most difficult step in planning an adventure or running a pre-published one is the beginning. Specifically, how to get a group of characters to interact and pursue the intended objectives. It may have something to do with the anti-social nature of most of the characters I deal with, and with my way of beginning the adventure.
I don't like obeying the trope of 'you meet in a tavern and accept a random job together', nor do I like having the players pursue an adventure as a group for the sole reason that its the adventure offered by the DM. A good beginning is an important element in creating a good campaign.

So how do you get your groups of characters to interact and form a team? How do you get them started on an adventure, particularly one at the beginning of a campaign?

I'm a big fan of the Dresden Files novels, and I've always thought that it would be a fun world in which to run a game so I was pretty excited to see source books for it in my FLGS. However, the books are a bit pricey, and so I'm wondering if anyone's played this, and if its a good system and good source books.

Its been a while since I've been here, and I was wondering if I was remembering something correctly. I think that at some point I read that people who bought a print copy of a Paizo product would be able to download the PDF version at no additional cost. Am I remembering correctly?

I want to be the guy.

I seem to remember seeing this variant at some point. Was I halucinating or does it exist?

Where would I find character sheets for the 6th edition Call of Cthulhu RPG?

Hobgoblins. Not the wandering homeless. Is there an official take on them yet? Is there going to be some special Golarion angle on them like there was with goblins or are they just going to be the standard hobgoblins?

I can't seem to find a list of suggested names for Chelaxians in the RotRL player's guide. Am I missing them or is ther no such list yet? If there isn't, could I get some input as to what sort of names Chelaxians have.
Thanks.

A character in an upcoming campaign has the leadership feat (with a maximum cohort level of 8th) and wants to get a succubus as her cohort. Is this permissable? Can a monster serve as a character's cohort.

Last session my players finally made it to Fort Rannick. Seeing it overwhelmed with ogres, they started firing off Fireballs into the fort. After a few rounds of mayhem I had Dorella Kreeg fly out of the fort via potion and, finding the PCs, started hitting them hard with Lightning Bolts. They've hit her hard with ranged attacks and she's about to retreat but a lot of Kreegs are on the way. Any advice on what next? I'm hoping that the poor bastards will retreat soon otherwise things could go south for them. Did anyone else's players pull this stunt?

Minkai is an asian influenced nation right? So would their language sound a little like chinese perhaps? Cuz I've got a list of Firefly translations that I'm dying to use in character.

Just out of curiosity, I was wondering what would happen to Sandpoint If no one intervened and Nualia's plan worked? What exactly would happen to Sandpoint?

Has anyone come up with an actual puzzle for the cannister that the Black Monk in Jorgenfist has? It only opens if you solve it's puzzle and I want to confront my players with an actual puzzel, not just a series of Intelligence checks, but I'm unbfortunatly not terribly adept at solving or creating such puzzles. If anyone else has come up with a puzzle for this I'd greatly appreciate it if they shared it.

Would RotRL suffer if I get rid of Black Magga entirely? I could say that the ogres managed to break the dam and then I wouldn't have to deal with her entirely. She seems like an encounter that would easily degenerate into a TPK and would leave veryone going "WTF? What was the point of that?" Opinions?

A player in my PbP game (Grimmbold Manor) has dropped out so I'm looking for a replacement.
Grimmbold Manor is on its way to becoming a horror campaign with a more or less equal amount of RP and combat (previously more combat, about to be more RP) and needs either a healer or a trapfinder/lock opener.
2nd level, 28 point buy, set in a homebrew world.
I have access to a lot of the 3.5 books, so instead please post a character concept and I'll let you know if it'll work.
BTW, I started it off when I was new to DMing so the first bits aren't especially good. The joys of experience.

Is there a way to get rid of an alias?
I play in a lot of pbp games but when the game bites it I have another useless alias. I'm up to about 15 and I'd like to delete a few of them.

Are there plans for a Hellknight prestige class? They intrigue me and I might have to play an aspiring Hellknight at some point.

I seem to recall hearing of a small town near Riddleport called Ravenmoor, but I can't find it on the map or a reference to it when I searched this site.
Does it exist or was it a figment of my imagination?
If it does exist, are there any details about it somewhere? Is it going to be a part of future APs?

Anybody know more about this? Is it just a rumor or is it something that we can look forward to soon (2008 was the release date that I heard)?

...can spoil a whole barrel.
The last time that our D&D group met, a long time irritant came to the forefront. There is one player who I don't care for, as a person or as a player, who seems to lessen the experience of it for everyone else (although my own opinions of the player in question may be coloring that opinion).
When we play she often spends a great deal of time either engaging in pointless sidetracks, that often send the rest of the group off into the weeds or insulting the DM for their DMing style, the campaign for it's story, NPCs and writing, and the othe players on their roleplaying.
She complains when we spend an entire session roleplaing our characters (not necassarily advancing the story much, just having fun with our characters and telling their story and displaying their personalities) but then when we spend most of a session in combat she also complains that we never do any roleplaying. Needless to say, this gets very annoying. Sometimes she says that she never gets a chance to roleplay and has asked to take 'turns' roleplaying the way we do with combat. This wouldn't work, as most of our roleplaying is spontaneous and putting an artificial and arbitrary rules system on it would pretty much kill it. I don't even know why she plays as she doesn't seem to really enjoy any facet of our games.
It's somewhat discouraging when one of your players vocally and repeatedly b*#@!es about every element of your campaign but gives few specifics other than laughing at your NPCs, giving you a hard time about how you DM, and makes fun of your logic and storylines. It's also hard as a player when this other player makes constant fun of your character and your RPing (not good natured fun either, we spend a lot of time teasing each other and each other's characters but what she does is always more along the lines of "Your character is stupid. How you roleplay that character is stupid. Everything about it is stupid").
Then when I try to make the campaign more suitable to her tastes she just keeps on b#!!#ing about it.
She's also the kind of person who will b&$$# and whine about something, worrying an issue and going over something (often arguing about it) for a long time after it's happened.
The real problem is that I can't ask her to leave. She is the youngest member of the group (our group ranges from 11-18 years of age) and is also friends with at least one other member of the group (also a friend of mine). I know that at least one other member of the group doesn't like her, but I still can't just ask her to leave, especially since that would probably put our mutual friends in the difficult spot of choosing one friend over the other. In addition, it would make certain political issues come up, such as the fact that then I would become the villian in the eyes of the parental units (since that is how she would tell it) and it might make it so that her brother (a player who I value) might not be able to come, in addition to making the whole group uncomfortable.

I try not to let real life issues cloud my judgement at the table, although it may be corrupting my objectivity.
Some of the dynamics in the group really suck, although I really like the rest of the group and treasure their friendship so I'd like to resolve this as peacefully as possible.
Alright, I'm stopping now. I'm rambling and probably sounding a little whiny/pathetic. Advice appreciated.
I'm open to any suggestions on how to absolve this/make it tolerable, since it has gotten to the point where I fantasize about making this player leave the group. If anyone out there has dealt with something similiar please let me know how you dealt with it; it may help me resolve this.

Is anyone else as psyched as I am about this?
I haven't had a chance to watch any of the videos except for the cinematic trailer but so far it looks like it kicks nine kinds of ass. The graphics look amazing, I only hope the storyline and the control systems are as good as Starcraft and the Brood Wars.

Is there a PrC class that allows a bard to control inanimate objects, undead and ultimately the living like puppets through magical means? Is there something like this?

I'm working on a character. A character with two distinct personalities (a good natured street urchin and a tyrannical priest of an evil diety) and I want each one to have a distinct set of personalities. I want to give them both class levels but I'm trying to design a mechanic for the switching of personalities. I'm thining opposed charisma checks to see who's in power but I'm not sure if that's the route I want to take, sine the tyrant would almost always be in control. Perhaps a Will save from the dominant personality? I'm also thinking about making triggers that force each personality to rise.
Help would be appreciated.

What've you done that's made your player's skin crawl? What morbid and creepifying items, spells, monsters and anything else have you come up with? What paragons of terror have haunted your PCs?

One of the things that I love about Eberron is the airships (I've always had a fondess for airships and dirigibles, magical or mundane) and I was wondering if they existed in Golarion too. Would it be contrary to the intended flavor of the world to have airships? Are they already in the works?

Can anyone suggest some good Dungeon adventures that feature the fey as key story elements? I'm looking for adventures that are about equally combat and RPing, maybe more on the RPing side.

I've been wondering about this for a while. Why can't you take divination as a forbidden school as a specialist wizard? I'm considering doing away with this rule but I want to make sure there isn't some reason not to do this. Is it because of read magic? Input appreciated.

Anybody else got any they'd like to share? Is there something out there that fills you with completley illogical fear?
For me it's wasps, hornets and yellow jackets. When I see one fly past me I kind of freeze and shiver. Why I don't know (although it may have something to do with the fact that I stepped in a hornet's nest last summer).
Heights also mess me up. I get all dizzy and feel vaguely queasy.

Another thread got me thinking, what was your first character? What class holds that special place in your heart as your first class? What race?
My first character was a halfling rogue named Gimble Oakenshield. He was created when I didn't have the best grasp of the rules so there are many errors on his character sheet and he is totally munchkin but I still have the character sheet in my binder.

Would someone be so kind as to post stats for the whip-dagger? It sounds interesting and like something an upcoming character would use but I can't buy the Arms and Equipment Guide for one weapon.
Thanks

The morning mist is burned away by the rays of weak sunshine that pierce the gray clouds to warm the cobbled streets and shingled roofs of the small village of Sandpoint. People fill the streets and taverns, laughing and chatting about everything from the weather and their harvests or crafts to the goings-on in the greater world. Children run through the streets, laughing and shrieking in delight and excitement as they explore all that the Swallowtail Festival has to offer.
Tzek, you and Madam Mvashti have just returned from a walk along the beach, enjoying the solitude and removal from the busyness of the village. As you walked through the cool ocean mist she continued to tell you of the ways of the druids, in the hope of passing her knowledge on to her most promising student before death comes to claim her in its embrace.
Tzek

After you returned to the village she told you that she was expecting a visitor and for you to go out, enjoy yourself in the festival and, later in the day, bring her a flask of holy water that Father Zantus had promised her.
Sshantera, you arrived in this quaint little village three days ago. The whole place was abuzz with excitement about the upcoming Swallowtail Festival, a christening of their new cathedral to replace the one lost in a tragic fire five years previously. You found a room at the White Deer Inn and, although the owner, a Shoanti man named Garridan Viskalai, is somewhat gruff the rooms are warm and clean and the food is good. Though you’ve searched for days and made many subtle inquiries you’re beginning to lose hope that you’ll find the teacher your master said could be found here.
Sshantera

The White Deer’s common room is a little more quite than elsewhere in the village, although several people cluster around the crackling fire and swap tales of the last season’s hunts with Garridan. Through the windows onto the street you can see the people gathering in the crowded Church Square before the new cathedral as they examine the wares presented by the merchants there and enjoy the entertainment provided by a small man, maybe half the height of a human, with a lute.
Razghul, you stand on the wide stone steps leading up to the cathedral’s large wooden door. The cathedral is a large stone building, with a bell tower and impressive stained glass windows representing the symbols of Abadar Sassarenea and Desna set into the thick walls on either side and above the door. The acolyte who greeted you, a pretty Varisian bearing the symbol of Desna, said that Father Zantus would be right out. After a few moments a human man of medium height bustles from the open cathedral door. He has a pleasant, open smile and knowing grey eyes that give the impression of being someone who can be trusted. He smiles warmly at you and says “Allya said that one of Abadar’s blessed had arrived. My name is Abstalar Zantus, I’m the leader of our spiritual community here in Sandpoint. What can I do for you? You wouldn’t happen to be the priest that the church of Abadar is supposed to send would you? Can I offer a room in the cathedral? We have several guest rooms for traveling clergy and it would be an honor to have one of Abadar’s faithful as our first guest.” As he is about to ask you something else a gruff, irritated voice shouts from within the cathedral “Are ye goin’ ta spend the whole day chatting or can we get back ta getting this damn cathedral finished? No! Mellison! Get tha’ damn door on straight this time.” Father Zantus sighs and says “Well, I must go to see what Master Ironshield needs. Perhaps we can talk later. In the meantime, enjoy Sandpoint’s hospitality.” and with that he hurries back into the cathedral. Church square is filled with happy people seeing what the various vendors have to offer and to listen to the lute playing bard. The square is filled with the cacophony of happy people talking, of children laughing and shouting, of the bard’s music, or the merchants hawking their wares. One man sells homespun woolen cloaks and other thick winter garments from his stall while besides him an earnest looking acolyte does good business selling idols and symbols important to the six faiths represented within the cathedral. The smell of exotic incense wafts from a heavily veiled stall from which an exotic woman who looks like she has elven heritage tells fortunes mixes with the smell of the smoked venison, roasted corn and piping hot apple tarts that are sold from a booth manned by a jovial fellow dressed all in an eye-hurting array of yellow, blue and red.
Raz

Torillan, your search for a job, any job, has brought you to this little bastion of civilization known as Sandpoint. You sit in the crowded common room of the Rusty Dragon. The common room is full of townspeople and farmers in from the Hinterlands discussing matters of local importance, such as crops and harvest and weather. A few talk of goblin raids and one man boasts that he “Killed me seven or eight of the little devils this season.” to the laughter of his drinking companions. Your search has so far turned up nothing of interest and, looking around the crowded room full of farmers and merchants you see little hope of getting a job as a bodyguard or mercenary. This region seems to be, apart from the occasional goblin raid, quite peaceful and relatively free of crime. You sit in the crowded common room of the Rusty Dragon. Sitting in the corner across the room from you is a tall thin man with cold, severe features and dark eyes that watch the people in the room with an unreadable expression.
Khev, though the common room of the Rusty Dragon Inn is warmed by a fire it seems to have little effect on the unshakeable chill of loneliness that haunts you. So far few of these happy farmers and merchants have seemed to take a liking to you. They aren’t hostile, and are in fact polite, but they still don’t seem comfortable around you. Still, maybe with time you can show yourself to be a useful member of the community. Maybe you can fit in here. A smiling barmaid with the olive skin of a Varisian and blue eyes approaches you and politely asks “Can I get you something to drink sir? Some hot cider would do you good.” Across the room from you is a heavily armed half-elven man with short white hair and a tanned complexion.

I have a few questions for all of you lawyer folks on the boards.
I'm trying to get a job at one of the local law offices (some kind of low-level position so that I can gather experience, ultimately I plan to go to law school) and I've only ever had jobs at restaurants before now so I don't really know what said offices would be looking for in an applicant. What kind of things do they want to see on a resume? What kind of questions will they ask an applicant? What positions are available that don't require a high school diploma (I'm still under 18 and haven't graduated so this will be my first real job)? What low-level positions would be best for someone wanting to get experience with the legal system with a goal of becoming a lawyer? Anything else I should know/ask?

Alright, since we seem to have gotten the roster mostly figured out I decided it was time for the discussion thread.
So far we have:
Mevers, possibly a druid
TwiceBorn, undecided
Torillian, playing an elven fighter
gurps, playing a human shadowcaster
Evil Genius, playing a binder
Radavel, playing a cleric

On the list of back-up players are:
Jeremy LeGrue
Santinj@
TerraNova

Everyone, if you could post the reasons for your coming to Sandpoint and how long you've been there that would be great.
Hopefully we can start later this week.

I submit these two feats I wrote up to the Paizo community for review. Are they balanced?

Insightful Strike
You have a knack for figuring out expecially damageing places to hit an opponent.
Prerequisites: Combat Expertise, Base Attack Bonus +4
Description: When you make a successful melee attack you can add your Intelligence bonus to damage in addition to your Strength bonus. You do not gain this bonus against foes that are immune to critical hits or extra damage from sneak attacks.

Wrathful Strike
You channel your anger to add power to your melee attacks
Prerequisites: Base Attack Bonus +2, Power Attack
Description: A number of times per day equal to you Charisma modifier (minimum 1/day) you can make a wrathful strike. You must use the Power Attack feat to make this attack. This melee attack gains a bonus equal to your Charisma modifier on the attack roll and a bonus equal to your Charisma bonus x2 on the damage roll. Wrathful Strike is a full round action.

I just got my first issue of Pathfinder and it inspired a simple question: would anyone here fancy playing in a RotRL campaign here on the boards?
I’m looking for 4-5 first level characters.
The books inside the spoiler are the ones from which materiel will be allowed.

In addition I’m fine with most materiel from Dragon magazine, just run it by me first.

Stats will be generated by rolling 4d6 and dropping the lowest one.

Each character will get a bonus feat chosen from those presented in the Rise of the Rune Lords Player's Guide

House Rules

Is it worth getting? It is it well designed? Does it have a good storyline? From what little I've heard of it it sounds like something that my players would enjoy and something I'd enjoy running for them but before I invest money into it I'd like to know if its worth getting.

Are there more vestiges somewhere? I just got the ToM and love it, espcially Binders and Shadowcasters and I was wondering if more vestiges had been published online or in another splatbook.

I love the Swashbuckler; I like the idea and I like most of the abilities. But it's always seemed a tad underpowered at the higher levels. As it stands it's pretty much a three level class. So I was looking at it and it seemed like it would make sense for a Swashbuckler to get Skirmish, as the Scout ability since it would give the class a little more appeal beyond 3rd level and becuase the swashbuckler is a mobile combatant. Would this unbalance the class?