For anyone running the first book I've Carrion Crown, I've created a few maps for use on Roll20.
Some of them are specific for my home game like the Lorrimor's basement (with a 60sq/300ft secret tunnel) and an abandoned mining shack used by the cultists.
But I've also created a Temple of Pharasma and both the Outward Inn and Laughing Demon
Hi! Hello. Um I might have a few ideas for content to add to an updated compilation edition of Kingmaker that have been loved by many groups over the years ;-)
I also have Legendary Beasts that stalked the Stolen Lands as optional bosses for each region. My additions and changes are very much expansions on the original spirit of the adventures and I would love to help bring them to the next edition of Pathfinder and 5e! :-)
I'd like to take a moment to disclose that I am a friend of the Dude Meister, but more importantly I had the pleasure of playing in his Kingmaker game.
His additions added depth the the trials we faced and would be well placed in an expanded edition
Re: editions, I'd look 5e or Pe2 in the future, but if 1e was an option i would snap it up. It's what my group are still playing with
2. Complex Hazards seem to be ran like a creature would and gets actions. One such Hazard is Quicksand. Does it get 3 Actions like a creature does, and can just outright pull a creature down under in 6 seconds? That just seems outright cruel to say the least.
This one I can answer. Page 13 of the Bestiary, RHC
"Routine
This entry describes what a complex hazard does on its initiative. Unlike creatures, a hazard usually has a rote program it follows. The hazard’s number of actions per turn is noted in parentheses; if partially disabling the hazard reduces the number of actions it can take each round, this is noted in the Routine entry."
Math counts for predicting damage outcomes, not the enjoyment players derive from playing.
That's why things are playtested instead of simulated with formulas.
Most players enjoy it when the game behaves as predicted (within a tolerance.) That is why formulas are an important part of game design.
Additionally, we have had 18 years to playtest the hell out of the system. We are pretty good at understanding how changes to rules will impact the game prima facie at this point. Formula or no.
Yeah, but combat is about more than how much damage you're dealing in a turn.
There's also a narrative component.
Players care how they deal their damage as much as how much is dealt
When you design an enemy that's meant to last more than one turn how do you make sure they have enough.....
I will confess I am a lazy GM but... I don't design enemies to any specific combat goals.
I throw together their capabilities according to their theme and target CR and cut them loose to let the dice fall where they may.
I also refuse to spend more than half an hour prepping per session of gameplay.
I used to do this, and the only thing fun about it for players was when the fight went there way, which was not always what you'd expect.
When a "the party is supposed to win" CR target at APL-3 was risking a TPK because of bad dice rolls, things were bad.
When a CR APL+3 boss fight was won in the surprise round off a crit, things were bad, because the party were looking for something guarded by a great unknown monster, and their first response was to go back and check a room they nearly died in.
Now I spend lots of time preping for sessions, not just mechanically, but also world checking, 30min piffle, everyone's favorite game in town to play and simply watch is the mythic game I put 10hrs a week in for prep, when the sessions only meet every other week. (And everyone can tell when I'm slacking). Admittedly, only about 2hrs of that two week span is spent on mechanics.
But there should always be the risk of dying when you're going on life threatening adventures. That being said, if you get the jump on someone and are able to act before they do and you kill them, I don't see the problem. They managed a surprise, ran in and hit with a critical. That is not unrealistic. Similarly if they have a run of bad luck and they're missing their blows, maybe that particular monster was exceptional for his kind, then you could write in on the fly that there was something peculiar about it. Have
...
Not wrong. Just different.
Doing optimal calculated damage is great but have you tried diving in front of an ally with your shield to block a killing blow.
Or walking unarmed into an enemy lair anf soam diplomacy until the mind controled barbarian comes to their senses.
There are many valid ways to play pathfinder, but the developers (and some posters) are going to preference some over others.
I think I see the problem Marshmallow. You micromanage the game, so set numbers is very attractive to you.
But that isn't the style that most here utilise.
Speculative maths and drawing judgments on it is a mistake right now.
This isn't the playtest rules. This is just a teaser to get us excited and keep us engaged until August
Feel free to go to the math thread which proved Power Attack in PF2E is better than static power attack.
But more than that, rolling dice is straight up more fun.
The math thread can't even agree on what damage die is being used much less what the expected bonus to hit and the AC you're targeting, nor how many attacks you're rolling, nor if it two-handing the weapon for the -1 +3 bonus or one handing it, all of which greatly changes the math behind power attack.
It's almkst as if you don't have enough information to judge the changes from PF1 to PF2 :P
So please devs, elaborate for us on whether or not this is intentional to counterbalance the fact that martial characters can move more, or if they simply want less reward for reading their products more thoroughly so Joe Schmuck can be just as good as someone who toiled for hours reading their book.
Poor Joe, just wanted to have a good time with friends.
Doesn't stop him from being a Schmuck.
I'd prefer Joe Schmuck at my table than a gatekeeper demanding the party perform a requisite amount of toil to qualify to play the game.
Well, then you must love derailing your game every 5 minutes to explain to him how the rules work and making sure he understands how his character works while everyone else at the table sits there bored too.
5 is a gross exaggeration. We go 30min or longer before someone has to pause to ask questions.
What really slows things down is the archer with a bucket of variable bonuses who has to calculate manyshot, rapid shot, judgement, bane, haste, bardic performance, deadly aim... ect with each shot
And then what space is left for heroes and adventurers after that? Taldor is interesting precisely because it is not a friendly place for most people and because of its decadence.
"Taldor is a land of decadent nobles fighting wars of intrigue against the idealistic new Empress' reform efforts" seems like a better launching point for conflict and stories than "Taldor is a land of decadent nobles".
Is that what we're going to get though? To what extent does the setting update to reflect APs? For example if Paizo published a new PFS scenario set in Korvosa, who would be in charge? Eodred Arabasti? Ileosa? Someone else?
Likewise, if PFS sets a scenario in Taldor next year who will the Emperor be? Stavian or Eutropia?
There are various references to completed APs in published stuff (there are PFS scenarios that reference the society wanting to explore Xin-Shalast for example), but I've never been clear on what the general policy was. Are we basically in an eternal Inner Sea World Guide? Are we assuming readers have consumed the entire AP and setting lines to make sense of things? Some middle ground?
My personal preference would be for a setting that developed and changed with periodic updates rather than something like a comics universe where Batman is a middle aged man for 80 years and Peter Parker never seems to get out of high school for long.
When shattered start came out, the developers "decided" the results of a few APs. Rise of the Runelords, Curse of the Vrimson Throne and a few others i think were given in canon endings.
And with the prospect of Pathfinder 2, they announced that they'll again decide the events for some APs. So there is the likely hood of PFS senarios in new, struggling, progressive Taldor
Totes here for the shield DR. Seems like a mix of regular play and Ultimate Combat rules, only smoother.
As fir the possible absence of AoO, MnM didtched AoO, and it was exciting.
Gone was the tactical movement, and with that went the battle maps. No more drawn out turns plotting routes around enemies.
Turns were faster and the play was more engaging.
Please, try not to prejudge the playtest until the rules are out. Even then you should wait until you play with them and see the results firsthand.
It might suprise you
Assuming PVP is what everyone wants and no one at the table will have hirt feeling when their PC is defeated, this is what you should do.
1) Even the score. Orcs are a 1/3 CR creature with an XP of 135. 200 of them are roughly in the range of CR 13.
That's also the CR of an Adult Bronze dragon. They sometimes work with adventures to fight evil, which an Antipaladin and an army of Orcs sound like.
But it's still an Dragon, so prepare an inspiring speach if you want his aid.
The alternative is to look to your own.
An army of 200 elves should be a fair opposition.
To run the clash of the two armies there are a few options.
Troops
Have the GM group the armies into small units, or troops and have them battle each other using normal combat.
Mass Combat.
Developed for Kingmaker and reprintes in ultimate campaign, provides an alternate combat system for armies to fight in.
Aid another.
This is useful if the armies are fighting you and the Antipaladin.
Any character can use their action to provide a +2 to defence or attack of an adjacent character.
Sacrifice character actions to increase the attack and defense of certain Orcs or Elves.
2) Fight on your ground.
For this to come to a satisfying conclusion it should wnd with you and him an an epic 1-1 duel.
Being paladin based, he'll have the advantage up close with his armour, smite and touch of corruption.
DON'T LET HIM GET CLOSE.
Confront him on difficult terrain so he can't charge and use hit-run tactics.
Hit once, then move out of his reach so he can't tag you on the next turn.
Use full withdraw or the mobility feat if you have it to keep away.
Those are some really good cards for this adventure
You could scatter the icons through the adventure to for shadow some aspects.
For example a glyph represeting the card for betrayal could be found in the temple in book 1 to represent the Daemon and the fallen cleric.
The fiend can make an appearance in book 2 when the players decend past the throne in the house of the beast, representing the destruction to occur of Xonti is reawaken.
And a perception check on Radi Hamdi in book 3 could reveal the Idiot or Snakebite, fortelling his dishonesty
A piece of Advice. Legacy of Fire is heavy on the rails, with the story taking a team of players who fulfilled their goals in book 1 and dragging them across the plains.
Try mentioning a treasure or item rumored to lie on the isle of Kakishon so when they players find the map they lead the charge in getting it activated.
After 4 1/2 years my group wrapped up Legacy of Fire with an 8 hour encounter.
I was exhausted at the end of it but our group finally got a sense of closure for an Adventure Path.
I started with two groups that merged into one as players dropped off and came back.
I made an epic mistake 4 1/2 years ago by giving my players an overly generous ability array and one group used it well to crush every encounter I lined up in front of them.
I started modify and building encounters to challenge them, and by the End of Eternity I learned how to build encounters properly.
Halfway through I dropped their Ability Scores to a 20 point buy and adjusted all future encounters accordingly.
I lost 4 PCs during the campaign.
The most memorable was the Rogue who decided to investigate a noise with the Paladin while on watch. He spotted one pair of Hyenas greaping into camp but not the ones behind him.
The other was another rogue who, on 1 hit point made a dash for the paladin for healing. An invisible Efreet cut her down 5 ft from the safety.
In the end everyone had fun and a Huge thanks to the team who put this together.
The problem I have with Aang as depicted in the show is the extent to which he favored Tenzin. Based off the interactions of the siblings, one might assume Aang never took any child on any trip or vacation other than Tenzin after he was old enough. Ever. Tenzin started rattling off all the different places he'd been that none of the other kids got to see.
At the same time, I'm hard pressed to think that Katara would ever let him get away with that. Katara is way too headstrong to let Aang so badly neglect his other two kids to such an extent. She takes charge in everything and with Aang being so passive, I'm more inclined to think that Katara would force him to take all the kids if he's going to take any of them.
That's not to say I don't think Aang wouldn't favor Tenzin, I totally understand why he did, but I don't think that he would have favored him to the extent that he did.
I also find it hard to believe Tenzin can't remember the fact that none of his family went with him on any of the trips; that it was just him and his Dad. Lack of perception is one thing, but being that thick is something else entirely.
I can't see Katara letting Aang get away with that either, but I can see Aang taking Tenzin on a pilgrimage to the temples to learn airbending traditions and getting sidetracked with penguin sledding
In my opinion what you want to do with the OGL is to encourage 3PPs to publish complimentary products rather than competing ones.
I think Paizo is missing trick with this by not opening up Golarion, and in particular APs, to 3PPs.
It's certainly been done before (Glorantha comes to mind). Paizo could state quite clearly that anything published by 3PPs is not consider canon in exactly the same way that 3PP Pathfinder content is not considered canon.
The advantage, however, would be that 3PPs could publish a whole host of AP-supporting material, in much the same way River Nations was but with greater integration, in order to tailor APs to the various diverse tastes which are found around the community. For example we could have:
Additional side-quests or even major new complimentary adventures
Crib-sheets, charts and other GM aids
Hero-lab content
5 and 6 player conversions
Conversions for pre-pathfinder APs
Updates to APs to bring them in line with the new books
Major overhauls to re-imagine the APs for different play styles (more or less RP, more or less combat, etc).
All of these things would support the sales of APs rather than detract from them.
It seems like a win-win situation to me, and if some 3pp wants to write an adventure where Galactus comes down and devours the whole of Varisia - what does it matter? It wont have happened in the *real* Golarion.
Richard
Legendary Games do a Gothic and an Oriental series of adventures and supplements that have "nothing" to do with Carrion Crown and Jade Regent, but totally work well during and in between the adventure paths.
One of the CS's primary deities is all about cooking people, on top of the cosmic insanity deity and the make babies with all things deity previously mentioned.
Cooking people? Are you referring to Gyronna (not one of the main 20), or another one?
I'm assuming that the other two are Zon-Kuthon and Lamashtu, although one could substitute the entire Cthulhu mythos for Zon-Kuthon when it comes to cosmic insanity.
The unholy text of Urgathoa Serving Your Hunger is partially a cookbook. A people cookbook.
That's a misconception that started with an incorrect translation and spread by intolerant enemies of the church
The artwork for Demons Revisited: every chapter title page has one of the iconics about to be killed by a demon, in particularly nasty ways. The two I find most chilling are...
Lirianne, possessed by a shadow demon, firing her pistol into Seelah's head, blowing out her friend's brains.
A glabrezu gleefully showing the corpse of Droogami to a caged and despondent Lini.
Now, now... that wasn't Droogami's corpse. It was just his fur. He might still be alive. Kept painfully so, even after he was skinned. The artwork doesn't make that part clear.
So Paizo has dialed back the sexiness of it's female iconics.
Boo hoo.
These guys have always been about inclusiveness, and that extends to telling woman that they don't have to be a sex fantasy to play the game.
@Lord Frye
No one has said having sexy art in fantasy is badWrongFun .
What is badWrongFun is sending the message that there is only one way women should be depicted in fantasy.
I started the emerald spire this past weekend and managed to introduce the players to the town and get through the Tower Ruins Level.
To help the players move around the town and keep track of memorable events i printed out Fort Inevitable & Emerald Spire Location cards
At this stage I've only noted major NPC the players have met but as events unfold they'll be recorded too as will the NPCs attitude towards the players (From Hostile to Friendly).
In the folder is an editable open office version and a ready to print pdf
Despite attempts to approach quietly, the goblins were alert to their presence.
Upon reaching the tower ruins a lone goblin commando drew the 4 into an ambush while his companion raised the general alarm.
The tide soon turned to the heroes favor as they dispatched the goblins and the returned commando.
Aselia moved to deal with the remaining goblin commando but was caught in the falling rocks trap which buried her and cut the party off from the chamber where the goblin remained.
The party pocked the potion of cure moderate wounds from the commando they defeated and moved deeper into the ruins.
Through stealth and caution they managed to get a drop on the next goblin patrol. They killed one guard while she was putting food in her sleeping companion, and quickly and quietly dealt with the other.
A search of the room revealed a cramped secret passage hidden behind a canvas wall.
One by one they squeezed into the passage and were confronted by the commando they had faced earlier.
Realizing that they couldn't contribute in the cramped conditions Zetaya and Jarael retreated and left the fight to Rocky and Aselia.
Square by square the three fought down the corridor, with the commando retreating out of the reach of Aselia's trident and striking with his own horsechopper.
Eventually they made it to the chamber at the end of the passage way and no longer constrained by the rocky corridor the two quickly dealt with the commando.
Further in the ruins was the mess hall. The two goblins fighting over food were unaware of Jarael creeping up behind them until one sprouted a dagger through his throat.
After a frantic chase around a table the other goblin was captured. Realizing that neither they nor he spoke a common language, the heroes quickly put him to an end.
They made an attempt at stabplomacy in the ruins kitchen when faced with the goblin cleric and his patched automaton.
Even when pinned the cleric refused to order his automaton to back down. That is until Jarael stabbed him in the side.
They cleric quickly ordered a surrender but his continued refusal to serve them led to their end.
Despite being alerted to intruders, the panicked goblins defending the barracks didn't notice Jarael opening the door a crack and peering inside. The revelation of a door on the other side and their knowledge of the ruins layout led to a daring plan.
The party was split with Jarael and Zetaya remaining while Aselia and Rocky raced around to the other door.
*knock knock* "PIZZA."
The goblins couldn't understand the gravely voice but they know something was up.
Two took positions at the door while the third took up a sniper position behind a bed.
He was the first to die as Jarael and Zetaya crept in from the other door.
Rocky kicked open the door and Aselia lashed out with his trident, and the four heroes converged to put the remaining goblins to rest.
The heroes tried the split approach for the room in the centre, but while Rocky and Aselia faced two goblins and stairs leading deeper into the complex, Jarael and Zetaya opened their door to an empty room and stairs leading up.
Jarael and Zetaya raced around to the other door while Rocky bull-rushed a goblin and rode him down the stairs.
Aselia attempted to replicate this feat but ended eating stair instead.
Jarael came in and dispatched the downed goblin while Zetaya headed down the stairs after Rocky.
Meanwhile Rocky made it to the bottom of the stairs.
There waiting for him were two reanimated goblins zombies.
He led with a holy water then his fists.
He proved to quick for the shambling abominations, dispatching them double handedly before they could harm him.
The others met Rocky on the stairs as he was making his return. After a quick conference they agreed to check the upstairs room before continuing deeper.
Zetaya was the first to enter the upstairs room and froze as she encountered the goblin leader.
The bugbear Grulk had his bow drawn as a warning.
Rocky ignored his warning and charged. He ignored the arrow that landed in his side and attacked wih his stoney fists.
Jarael lept up onto the table to get around him and Zetaya did the same, her bombs ready to fly.
Grulk switched to his morningstar and dealt a terrible blow that threatened to put Rocky down, but the stubborn Oread held on.
A burning disarm from Aselia left Grulk weaponless and attacks from the others left him injured.
Unarmed and threatened, he did what any villain would do.
He turned and fled through his secret door and dropped 60 feet to the roof below.
He landed softly thanks to his ring of feather fall and ran for cover.
Aselia picked up Grulk's discarded longbow and took aim, but the arrow missed by a wide margin.
Grulk had escaped.
While victorious, Aselia and Rocky had both taken a beating. The heroes decided to grab the automaton's remains and take them back to the fort.
The sage Abernard was happy to purchase the oddity from them and got to work studying it.
Zetaya visited Kagnin at the Helmed Lady and shared the days experiences with great excitement, while Rocky and Aselia got some well deserved rest.
GM Notes:
As a party of native outsiders, the light limitations of this dungeon was a non issue for my players. Still, the initial encounter gave them a healthy dose of fear.
And Grulk escaped!!! I've never had a villain survive the initial encounter. I'm looking forward to his revenge.
Four heroes travel to the river kingdoms on a quest to save their home. A cryptic clue leads them to the root of the emerald spire, but the clock is ticking...
26th Erastal 45 Days until destruction.
The four elemental heroes arrive in the town of Fort Inevitable.
Zetaya, the Ifirit Alchemist.
Rocky Krakoa Oread Brawler.
Aselia Undine Warpriest.
Jarael Killian "The Wind Wraith" Sylph Rogue.
They wasted little time gathering information about the spire.
Within an hour they learned about the Sage who had ventured into the spire and the Wizard who had lost two of her companions.
Rocky and Zetaya met with Illaria Starcloak, Elven wizard of the Starfire Order at the Juliver Arms. She told them about the two missing members of her order and filled them in on the unstable elemental portals in the region.
They gained the Missing Wizards and Portal Research quests.
Meanwhile Jarael and Aselia made contact with the retired Wizard Abernard Royst. He told them of his brief foray into the Emerald Spire and the Noqual Relic he found.
They managed to gain the Sage's Expedition and Noqual Relic quests.
The search for some divine insight led Jarael, Aselia and Rocky first to the Temple of Silence, and then to the Temple of the Golden Key where they learned of the undead plaguing the city an gained the Crowned Skull quest.
Meanwhile a bored Zetaya sought out anything of interest in the painfully lawful town and came across an abandoned house.
A few rocks through the windows attracted the attention of a few Hellknights and Zetaya made a quick retreat into the nearest building, The Helmed Lady taphouse.
There she became a captive audience of Kagnin Alemaster as she recalled the histories of the various trophies mounted on the wall.
Aselia left the others at the church to catch up with Zetaya, worried that the Alchemist might get into trouble with the Hellknights.
She found the Hellknights investigating an abandoned house and thought the worst.
A quick lie had the Hellknights chasing after some kids down the street while Aselia slipped into the house looking for Zetaya.
Zetaya couldn't be found, but Aselia did found signs of habitation. Something the Hellknights were most interested in when she reported it.
Later that afternoon the four heroes retired to Prancing Pony (Formally Red Shield Tavern) to plan for tomorrows expedition.
GM Notes:
This is the first day and first half of the inaugural session.
Disaster was averted when we convinced the bored alchemist out of game that burning down a house (even an abandoned one) would lead to trouble in the Hellknight dominated town.
It all worked out in the end because the player/character really took a liking to the owner of the Helmed Lady.
The warpriest made initial contact with the Hellknights, and this develops further. And his disruption of thieves guild safe house could lead to something interesting.
We do, but our GM excels at bringing these NPCs to life.
Loosing an NPC in one of his games is like loosing your favorite character in a book or TV series.
I used to think that it'd be cool to be knighted because then people would address me as "Sir". Eventually, I realized that I could get that treatment without being knighted, I just need to grow old and at that point I'll be hearing it so much that'll I'll be sick of it.
I just want someone to call me sir, and not add "you're making a scene"
Wizards can't wink.
While we usually leave 90% of our brains un utilized, wizards need much more space than that. Often 500% of our brain power is required to master the most basic arcane marvels.
Fortunately wizards have learned exceed petty things like limits, but some mental re routing of the mind is required.
Because of this Wizards are no longer able to wink.
Loy and Latricia Rezbin are also a straight couple who exist in Kingmaker. A human and an elf, and one of the cutest couples ever (he's kind of a country-boy hick, and she's kind of a badass ranger).
Not all gravestones state the cause of death. you could also make it vague, like 'Sacrificed Himself For The World' or 'Died As He Lived ... Like An Idiot'.
He died doing the right thing. (Mandatory inclusion to the above list)
Xenomorph
School Transmutation Level cleric/oracle 3, sorcerer/wizard 3; druid 3; witch 3;
Components: SMF
Casting Time: 1 Standard Action
Duration: 1/hour level
Save: Will
Targeted creature becomes a new race as per the reincarnate spell.
I'm a white, 30 year old straight Australian male. I have had no experience with discrimination and no shortage or role models growing up.
I know there's a great deal of inequality in this world but I don't know what the best way to deal with it is. I studdied electrical engineering, not social science.
I don't know if a black Johnny Storm is a token black guy or not.
I don't know if it would help or hurt the cause.
I don't know how to best increase the heroes represent minorities.
By creating new heroes?
By retconning white heroes? (which there are plenty of)
I don't know. But what I do know is 'because that's how it's always been' should never be a valid excuse.
Because they way things have been aren't the way things are now.
And the ways things are today won't be the way they are tomorrow.
As for the other two...
Actors are actors. They act.
Did anyone think Heath Ledger could pull off the joker?
That Hugh Laurie play house House?
That Jim Carrey could play a serious role, ever?
This is just casting. We have no idea what the people involved are planning. Now is not the time to judge this movie.
Just take a deep breath, and wait for the trailers.
