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Thanks Neil! Nice to see I was near the ballpark ... Whispering Shroud
I'd appreciate any feedback possible ... Whispering Shroud
It appears Paizo is certainly battling the 'Prestige Class Bloat' subject. And it appears prestige classes, are, well, ... prestigious. They've set a stage where we might see prestige classes for: - organizations (Hellknights, Pathfinders, Bloatmages)
I'm interested to see if they do any more geographic/cultural prestige classes (mammoth riders, linnorm berserkers, etc). I've been borrowing/retooling/modifying prestige classes for my homebrew campaign, and I have about 12 total for my world ... and right now, that seems good. I'd hate to go above 20 at any point.
I'm just taking a second round of editing my item as well! I'm probably going to submit mine on the very first day at this rate. I'm very jazzed about my item since I designed something of 'player usefulness' equivalent to the Handy Haversack! And it's incredibly aweseome, thanks for asking. :) I've started roughing out my ideas for later rounds. Hey, three days a round is NOT a lot of time ...
I used GIMP to layer the player handout blank hex map over the DM map, and unveil hexes as they explore. I tried Foxit PDF editor, and it let me manipulate the map icons ... sort of. Most of them are multiple images, and I can't just cut and paste them into my current GIMP map. I'm looking at adding a map/label layer in GIMP, and putting the images of settlements, etc. into it. It'll be useful when then the players get further along, and I need to add new settlements and towns. Any specific suggestions on extracting the icon images and bringing them into GIMP?
Over on the Cartographer's Guild forums, there are plenty of people with strong GIMP-Fu. They are a friendly bunch. I've been over there, but my questions are Kingmaker-specific. For example, I can easily deal with the base map -- but how do I find or extract a symbol for Oleg's Chandlery and paste it into my GIMP detail layer?
Hey all, I'm attempting to use GIMP to take the Kingmaker maps, layer the player's blank hex map, and reveal only sections of what can be explored. I'm having difficulty matching up layers, and selecting only sections to reveal. Does anyone out there have GIMP experience who can help me?
So I’m getting ready to run my version of the Kingmaker campaign after a summer hiatus from gaming, and our first session is in two weeks. It’s set in our homebrew campaign setting, and I’m making some changes to the story. In the dark fey realm of Avalor lives the pale reflection of the Vadani witch Vecna, before she was slain and returned as a foul undead creature. Vecna Dsalti, a daughter of a nymph princess and she is reaching out from the Vale of the Whispering Wood to the Vallenwood, and from there, to the lost and slumbering kingdom of Ruendell. The Lord Marshal of Ressen Tauth has issued writs allowing exploration of the Greensward, and defeating the organized bandits under the Stag Lord. I’ve rolled up random treasures, a month of weather, noted a bunch of wilderness descriptors, and made what changes are necessary to the first part of the campaign to fit with my campaign world. I have writs for the characters, and I plan on some fair amount of roleplaying in Ressen Tauth before they head out, specifically • Scene – meet Marcus Voller, the herald of Ressen Tauth. Marcus is a wry, intelligent man who is pragmatic (and perhaps a bit sarcastic), and speaks with a clipped, germanic accent. • Some sort of indication of bureaucracy? The rustwormer goblin infestation! Marcus personally petitions them since the Lord Marshal’s Court has yet to hear of the problem, and will personally pay them 800 gp. He has relatives in Kayr Sargyn who tell of the problem on patrols. • Scene – Liathan Telmansdottir is flirtatious wife of Helmun Bloodsinger, one of the Howling Wraiths who are currently in the Nolven Hills • Scene – just before meeting with the PCs, the Lord Marshall cuts off trade with Paeglianto and expels their ambassador for indiscretions with his neice, the Lady Athiva Sellen. Any other suggestions or input?
I have received my PDF and butchered out the bits I really liked for my Campaign Guide for my group. I am particularly happy with the feats that let you build off of Spell Focus (etc) in the tradition of Augment Summoning, the new Wizard familiars, and the new combat maneuvers. I'm still poring over the book, so I'm finding more to inspire me.
They are indeed very much like elk-ish minotaurs! I basically took a were-elk, and made them true breeding creatures many generations later (monstrous humanoids), so that's why they have the DR 5/silver. Their stat adjustments were based on the were-elk hybrid form as well. The feats were what Elk had in the Pathfinder magazine, but I did change one of their feats, as I recall. The hoof attacks I could take or leave, to be honest.
Hi all, I'm looking to replace centaurs in my Kingmaker campaign, and I came up with Large bipedal elk men. Does this look CR3-ish to you? Thanks! Eldren
N Large Monstrous Humanoid
Here are my more prolific house rules from my campaign document: RANGER: Combat Style (Ex): The following additional combat styles are available to the ranger class: If the ranger selects riding, then he can choose from the following list whenever he gains a combat style feat: Mounted Combat, Mounted Archery, Mounted Casting, and Skill Focus (Ride). At 6th level, he adds the following feats to his list: Ride-By Attack and Trample. At 10th level, he adds the following feats to his list: Spirited Charge and Improved Mounted Archery. If the ranger selects skirmishing, then he can choose from the following list whenever he gains a combat style feat: Weapon Finesse, Dodge, Combat Expertise, and Dash. At 6th level, he adds the following feats to his list: Mobility and Improved Feint. At 10th level, he adds the following feats to his list: Spring Attack and Whirlwind Attack. ROGUE: Rogue Talents: The following additional talents are available to a rogue character: Fast Talker (Ex): This ability allows a rogue to make a Diplomacy check as a standard action at a -20 to their check. Jack of All Trades (Ex): This ability allows a rogue to make any skill check, even if it is limited to trained only. Hidden Countenance (Ex): This ability grants a rogue the ability to conceal certain actions if they succeed at a Sleight of Hand check at –10, opposed by Perception. This includes spellcasting, attacks, aiding another, drawing a hidden weapon, using a magic item, readying an action, or the like. If the opponent does not succeed a Perception check, sneak attack damage may apply. Slippery (Ex): This ability allows a rogue to make an Escape Artist check as a swift action. Misleading Stance (Ex): This ability allows a rogue to use Bluff to feint in combat against all opponents within 30 feet. Dangerous Tongue (Ex): This ability allows a rogue to double the duration of Intimidate checks to make opponents shaken. Likeable Scoundrel (Ex): This ability allows a rogue to use his Bluff skill for Diplomacy checks, or his Diplomacy skill for Bluff checks. AID ANOTHER: For every 10 points you exceed the DC of 10, you grant an additional +1 to your aid bonus granted, whether it be to aid in a skill, or to grant a bonus in combat. DIPLOMACY: Selling Goods: Any character can sell up to the gp limit of a town per day in goods. However, a character may use a Diplomacy check to sell more than this in a day. If a character can make a DC 15 Diplomacy check, they sell an extra multiple of the town’s gp limit, and a further multiple for every 5 points they exceed the DC by. If a character is in a rush to sell products, they can attempt a DC 25 Diplomacy check to sell up to the town’s gp limit in an hour. For every 5 points they exceed 25 by, they may sell an extra multiple. Buying Goods: Diplomacy can be used to locate and acquire equipment or magic items. There is always a 75% chance that an item up to the town’s gp limit is available. A character with Diplomacy can spend an hour and make a further DC 20 Diplomacy check for a reroll. Further rerolls are allowed, but the DC increases 5 each time. A DC 25 Diplomacy check and an hour reveals the list of unique items for sale in any given town. A character can also hire a specialist, such as an enterprising merchant or a local expert on swords to find these items for you, if an item is not available. This requires a DC 25 Diplomacy check, increases the cost of the item by 10%, and requires 1d6 days per 5,000 gp market price of the item. A character may also use Knowledge (local) or Appraise to locate items, but the DC is 5 higher. SPELLCRAFT/PERCEPTION: DCs to identify magic items are +5. ARMOR - Leather Coat: Portions of this long coat around the chest, shoulders, and bottom edges are made rigid from boiling, but most of the armor is composed of softer and more flexible leather. (200 gp, AC +4, Max Dex +4, ACP -2, ASF 10%, 20 lbs) ACTION POINTS (pretty much as the Unearthed Arcana version) COMBAT - Massive Damage: If you ever sustain damage so massive that a single attack deals over half your hit points or more than 50 points of damage, whichever is greater, and it doesn’t kill you outright, you must make a Fortitude save, the DC being 15 + 2 per 10 points over 50 (for example, a medium creature taking 62 points of damage just made a DC 17 Fortitude save). If this saving throw fails, you die regardless of your current hit points. This amount of damage represents a single trauma so major that it has a chance to kill even the toughest creature. If you take 50 points of damage or more from multiple attacks, no one of which dealt 50 or more points of damage itself, the massive damage rule does not apply. For each size category larger or smaller than medium, add or subtract 10 points from your threshold. COMBAT - Disarm / Grabbing Items: You can use a disarm action to snatch an item worn by the target (such as a necklace or a pair of goggles) but the DC is +5. Unlike on a normal disarm attempt, failing the attempt doesn’t allow the defender to attempt to disarm you. This otherwise functions identically to a disarm attempt, as noted above. You can’t snatch an item that is well secured, such as a ring or bracelet, unless you have pinned the wearer (see Grapple). Even then, the defender gains a +5 bonus on his roll to resist the attempt. RETRAINING YOUR CHARACTER
Retraining requires the character not spend any time engaged in strenuous or demanding activities, such as adventuring, magic item creation, spell research, traveling, or the like. All changes to a character must be ‘backwards-compatable’. If a 12th level character retrains 4 levels of wizard for 4 levels of fighter, not only must they give back skill points, they must ensure their total skill points used are a valid build option for their current configuration, as if the character had never had those 4 levels of wizard. Likewise, if a character retrains a feat, they must have been able to take all their feats and meet their various prerequisites in some sort of legal and valid order. If a character comes back from the dead, via raise dead, or some similar magic, they may change one thing about their character (a feat, a class level, or the like) should they choose. Class: A class level may be changed if a character wishes to substitute a class level for another, they may do by spending a month in study. The character must ‘give back’ their class skill points, class abilities, and bonus feats. This can only be performed once per level. If a character wishes to retrain their specialized wizard class, they must ‘give back’ all levels of the class and replace them. Class Features: A character may retrain a class feature, such as a ranger’s choice of favored enemy, an advanced rogue talent, or a cleric’s domain choice by spending two weeks of retraining. If the class feature bestows a bonus feat on the character, it must be retrained as a feat below. This can only be performed once per level. Skills: A character may retrain up to 2 skill points by spending a week of retraining. If a character is reallocating skill points to learn a new language, they must have a tutor or other source of the new language. This can only be performed once per level. Feats: A character may retrain a feat by spending two weeks of retraining. This can only be performed once per level.
Well, we had our latest session, with our (now) 3rd level witch. Not a heck of a lot to report. - in fighting the big bad guy (a ghast rogue 4) after becoming paralyzed, the witch out of frustration sent his little viper to go get the enemy ... and it managed to hit AC 25 and do 4 points of damage! He said he wouldn't have sent it out if most of the party wasn't down to a handful of hit points each. - feeling braver about his familiar, he sent it out to deliver a healing spell on his behalf in a later combat against 4 morlocks, successfully tumbling with his/its' ranks in Acrobatics giving it a +5 check. - the witch continues to play the healer in the group. I looked over his spell list, and he has memorized the majority of his spells as cure spells, but that's because the healers of the party are a witch and a bard (?!).
I too enjoy the Gygaxian in my game. I also see a lot of Jack Vance and Poul Anderson and Fritz Lieber there still. One of the great Gygaxian tropes of the original DM's guide is Paizo's products often throw away one liners that they can later develop, should they choose. Casually mentioning stuff like "the Wind Dukes of Aaqa" from the original DMG got my imagination firing (and had me put Aaqa as a place in my high school campaign, which is updated and used today for Pathfinder). When third edition came out, they did a great job of capturing first edition ambiance without the first edition clunkiness on a number of levels. The only thing I feel that I miss from Pathfinder are some of the overly verbose Gygaxian/Vancian names like "Malandrust's Magnificent Magelight" or "Ibenfaust's Sword of Impaling". But I just added back into my game ... :)
That's exactly like our gaming table! My advice? 1) Go to Goodwill or Ikea, and buy a cheap kitchen table. Take off the legs. 2) Go to Home Depot. Ask them to cut a number of 2 x 6's in 5 inch blocks. Lie them on their side for a uniform 6 inch riser. Use 4-6 of them like you have in your blueprint. 3) Get some tact-tiles or a gaming map to sit on the top layer. 4) Shift the rise-table slighly down, so the DM has a flat space with his screen buts up against the rise-table. It makes it easier for him to see what's going on! Great minds think alike sir!
Okay, so we had our next session, where our intrepid tiefling witch tried to deal with a ghoulish cult. A few random notes ... One incident that happened during the session is when a swarm of undead bats filled a narrow passage and threatened to mulch the party. The witch pulled out a scroll of gust of wind and saved the day ... until we noticed that gust of wind isn't on their spell list. It struck us all as odd that a world-oriented spell such as this wouldn't be available to the witch. We all agreed it should be added. But don't worry, our witch made his Use Magic Device check, so he's okay... The viper familiar still wasn't brought out, even though the witch hit 3rd level. He's still paranoid about risking his 14 hp spellbook with horrendous penalties for replacing it. But we've all discussed this one to death. Our witch player complained that he's pretty fragile with no armor to be wading into combat to heal the party. At 3rd level, I can sympathise ... perhaps his healing hex should be allowed at a short range? He also pointed out he doesn't have a lot of direct damage spells, but our player is making up for it with a Ptolus-style dragon rifle. The other thing that was pointed out is healing hex can be used 1/day per person ... once or twice during the session the players couldn't remember who got healing hexed. Afterwards, we discussed it, and one of my more sinister players postulated a town of 3000 people could all be healed once each by the witch? There should probably be a cap of 3 + Stat mod / day rather than 1/day per target, and avoid bookkeeping headaches. That's what we had so far ...
What I am seeing from my player is not that his familiar (a viper) is ineffective, but that it's fragile at 8 hp for a 2nd level witch. The creatures they faced would be great to throw a poisonous snake at, but they'd kill the familiar dead in one hit. That's why I suggested the option for extra hit points for the familiar. I would personally like to see a witch's familiar be more than a living spellbook.
I'd like to thank our player Gavin for being brave and taking the plunge -- he was a little dissatisfied with his 2nd level duergar cleric, and when he aske to try one of the new classe, I allowed him to swap out for another character – he took a 2nd level tiefling witch with a viper familiar, and the healing and cauldron hexes. He didn’t exactly outshine the other characters and his actions contributed to the party goal, he identified potions, cast inflict light wounds on a dretch, tried to cast shocking grasp (on a dretch, which is immune to electricity -- oops) and healed the party with his hex and cure light wounds spell. While its too soon to say after one session, the only thing I didn’t like is the fact his familiar was a non-entity. Because his viper only had 8 hp, he was afraid to use it extensively. Healing Hex seemed to function pretty much as a replacement for his former cleric’s channel energy ability (1 use), and he was more effective as a healer than the druid, but not as much as a cleric would be. My initial feeling from the playtest is a low-level witch should have the option to have their familiar (which strikes me as a key class ability) to be more prominent or useful. I would recommend either allowing automatically, or through a hex, the option of having the familiar have equal hit points to the witch. That would allow low-level witches to use their familiar without fear. More to come next week -- his witch leveled up to 3rd level, so he'll be trying some 2nd level spells ...
This is how I've always run it, and it works pretty well. Although usually I simply cut to the chase and ask the player to roll whatever the actually required Knowledge check is. This does mean that the player gets a clue as to what the monster's type is... if that's a problem (as in the case of an undead masquerading as a living creature, for example), I'll be more cagey about it, maybe asking them to make the roll and then looking at their sheet or asking them for ALL their knowledge ranks. In our game, I often call on my players to make a "what the hell is that thing" roll, and they read out the options ("I got an Arcana 24, Dungeoneering 22, and a Planes 20").
AdAstraGames, you might try Harn its not an historical game but it has a very medieval feel to it with more hardship and less magic. Harn indeed has a very good economic model, and it is based on medieval prices. That being said, a broadsword in Harn is 155d (silver pieces), which translates to the equivalent cost of a longsword in D&D. The biggest difference in Harn vs D&D is the silver/gold model. In Harn, a gold coin is truly rare, and is worth 240d. So, if you were to change D&D to a Harn-style model, simply reduce everything to a silver-based cost, and make gold coins worth 240 silver. That means a +1 longsword would cost 10gp. :) However, in Harn, longtime players strive to have armor that doesn't break, swords that don't bend, and magic items are rare rare rare ... so it's not that simple ... but a good place to look!
In this particular case, I think it really depends on the level of the group. The Drow Noble abilities are really good if the PCs are 2nd or 3rd level, but up at 10th, they become much less valuable, and by the upper levels, that 1 level loss is a serious liability. Setting it at 2 would have helped the low level issue a bit, but would have made the mid to high level issue significantly worse. What I've done in my game, taking the hint from the COT Players' Guide, is allow (somewhat odd) races but assigning them an "XP debt" that needs to be paid off. For aasimar and tieflings, I assigned a 500 xp debt at 1st level. One of my players wanted to play a duergar, so I assigned a 500 xp debt at 1st level, and another 500 xp debt at 2nd level. By doing this, I slow down progression at early levels, but by 10th level, that xp debt is negligible. I'm still playing with this, but it seems like a scalable handicap for more powerful races without racial HD, and my players are satisfied with it.
I used to worry about overpowered characters. Right from our first 3.0 game, the half-orc barbarian with a Strength 20 gave me trouble. Then I found ways to make a challenging game in spite of character strengths (or overstrengths). It's not about the DM vs the players. Players want to have the occasional cake-walk, but most of them want to be challenged, and pushed to their limits. 1) Got a bruiser that can kill everything? Give them dozens of goons, so the rest of the PCs can deal with him. My favorite -- a chess board with 32 tiny animated marble objects. Sure, they only do 1 point of damage, but they have a hardness of 8... 2) If they are strong, use their strengths against them. That half-orc barbarian? Dominated by vampires. Suggestion spells to inhibit his fellow adventurers. 3) Use terrain. Sure the two-weapon fighter can moulinex through goons, but can he balance on a crumbling cliff? 4) Finally, use roleplaying and skill checks. Anybody can build a bruiser character. But can they convince the Archduke to give up a prized painting? Or get a canny merchant to give up some information? Ask the barbarian for a diplomacy check ... It doesn't matter how much damage their greatsword does in those circumstances. Try not to hamper or harm characters, take away their magic items, steal their gold, or permanently alter their stats. That's mean, and is player vs GM mentality. Look at your players' character sheets and see what challenges them. But occasionally, give them a cake-walk. It makes them feel heroic, and it changes the pace, so they know that after the cake-walk, the scary scenario is coming up ...
Hi all, A quick question that came up in play tonight that a player of mine and I disagree on. I'd appreciate some feedback. Under Masterwork Weapons on page 149, it states "the masterwork quality adds 300 gp to the cost of a normal weapon (or 6 gp to the cot of a single unit of ammunition" Is that 6 gp per arrow, or 6 gp per 20 arrows?
In one of the Thieves' World novels, they refered to someone as a 'Hazard class mage'. Doesn't that sound awesome? I've used in the past an 'order of magnitude' to describe levels of spells (ie 'i will sell you a scroll of any spell up to the second order of magnitude'). As for a +1 sword, you could refer to that as a 'simple enchantment' or 'base enchantment'. Darn it, now you are making me think about this ... :)
I agree with the sentiments of this post. The problem lies in that 3.x is great for craft rules ... for anything up to about 20 gp. After that, it breaks down. It takes 157 weeks to make an adamantine dagger?!? Never mind that a basketweaver and a cobbler and a shipwright all make the same amount of money per week, with equal skill checks. I proposed the following during the playtest, and I am using it as a house rule: CRAFT Profession Checks: If you practice a low-risk craft (cook, groom, animal trainer, farmer, etc) and can make a DC 15 check you can earn your Craft check in gp per month. If you fail your check, you earn nothing this month.
Crafting an Item: To craft an item, make an income check as above to represent a week’s worth of work. If the check succeeds, your income roll determines progress towards the market value of the item. If the result equals the price of the item, then you have completed the item. If the result equals double or triple the price of the item, then you’ve completed the task in one-half or one-third of the time. Other multiples of the DC reduce the time in the same manner. If the result doesn’t equal the price, then it represents the progress you’ve made this week. Record the result and make a new Craft check for the next week. Each week, you make more progress until your total reaches the price of the item.
Wow. You folks are a bunch of sickos. Pigs and haversacks and zombies playing dead. :) What I was thinking was adding a house-rule spell, a necromantic spell around 3rd level which is 'keep the dead dead'. Keep bodies from being animated as undead, or keeping corpses from being raised from the dead. It's nothing sinister, just a flavor spell for my campaign, for my church of Madrael, the Angel of Death. ... But I really like the zombie playing dead idea ... :)
With so amny disliking "Oracle", might I suggest "Prophet"? This is a title that is not synonomous (SP?) with divination. As a matter of fact the Prophets of the Old Testament (I am treading dangerous territory now) were men and women of God that (for the most part) were not ordanined clergy. The same could be said for the word "Apostle" due to the fact that they (the Apsotles) "spread the gospel" but were never (in my reading of the New Testament) ordained clergy, either. If my use of terms caused offense, then I apologize! Oracle isn't bad in my book. I can certainly see Joan of Arc, or someone who is held to the domain of healing wandering around the realm spontaneously casting divine spells referred to as an oracle. However, if you are looking for other ideas, there is Avatar, Demagogue, Disciple, Seer, Haruspex, Apostle, Harbinger, Envoy, or Channeller?
I've got players in my group that want to play non-human creatures. I went with the suggestion in the Players' Guide for the Council of Thieves, and applied a 500 xp penalty at 1st level. Then I had a player request a duergar character. In 3.5 it was a +1 ECL, but I thought it was a little more powerful than a tiefling, so I applied a 500 xp penalty at 1st level, and a further 500 xp penalty at 2nd level. We're only one session into Pathfinder, but the xp penalties seem to be going well so far.
What made the bard feel more useful? The free action to maintain the bardic performance, mainly. The bard made a fair use of their cantrips, running around dazing goons, while maintaining the inspiration. The player commented quite a bit, feeling like they had more of a role in the party with the small changes to the bard.
So, we kicked off our new campaign with the final Pathfinder rules, and the game felt a bit ... different. On the player side, the party bard felt more useful, the extra hit points made characters a bit more durable, cantrips were used a fair amount, and the party was able to go through a fair number of encounters before retreating to rest. On the GM side, I found the xp and treasure system interesting. I tracked the encounters, and kept an eye on the treasure I was handing out on the fly, and while I should have handed out 2000 gp of treasure, I only gave 1600. It's neat to see in the middle of the session whether or not I should give the party a boost, or reign back on the swag. My rulebook is getting a bit of a pounding in our sessions, flipping to rules a lot until we get used to spells and other effects. It's holding up so far!
Guys, is 2 points of AC really worth all this fuss? Breastplates give +6, Heavy Plate gives +9. Breastplates are +1 better. Let's not even get into the fact that medium armors usually offer better Max Dex scores. If it is, give higher level clerics extra gp in treasure so they can buy enhanced armor bettered by +2. Or give the War domain a bonus Heavy Armor Proficiency. But it isn't really worth this much passion -- it's only 2 points of AC over a career of 20 levels.
Well, we are starting our new campaign with the final rules on Sunday, so this session the players started mulling over options. There was a great hue and cry over clerics losing heavy armor, and they think it's far worse than just (effectively) losing 2 points of AC. I told them wait and see. The players seem pretty excited over the diviner specialty wizard of all things. Someone mentioned they might play a bard, and they received a lot of leftover 3.5 incredulity. He might still go ahead with it, though. |
