Azmyth's page

Hi Pathfinders, it's been a while...

Some of you might recognize this ol' Venture-Captain from conquests past! ;)
(Very proud to be one of the first fifteen VCs AND eighth campaign coin recipient)

Perhaps you might know me as the Producer and Co-Host of the Ennie award winning Chronicles Pathfinder Podcast?
Or you might be thinking, "who is this clown"? :)

Either way, I have launched a new and unique (Pathfinder Second Edition) play stream with a companion podcast (if you prefer audio over video).
Another play-stream? What makes it unique? I'm glad you asked!

Here's a few off my list:

>> A production schedule with multiple group launches, featuring Indy and/or lesser known TTRPGs. New episodes published every Monday.
* I know PF2E is not exactly a lesser known system - see below >>

>> Azmyth Busters is an anti-racist and anti-misogynous safe & inclusive space! My
friends come from all walks of life and their XP ranges from 1st time players to seasoned industry professionals.

>> Therapy 4 Nerds! There is undeniable therapeutic benefit from table-top gaming. Azmyth Busters will be an intimate visit into my deliberate process. That process benefits myself, the players, and especially you.

>> When I'm not working as a freelance author/designer or producing this show, I am a (full time) Professional Game Master/Story Teller. I believe you will enjoy the content we are creating!

>> Physical Battle Maps, scenery, and miniatures. I don't use virtual table top software. Instead delivering a visual experience (in 1080p) that closely resembles actual play, as if you were sitting at my table.

I introduced myself at the beginning of this thread and if you really know me, you know that I have a reputation for always uplifting, promoting, and including my friends in everything I do! Play Group 01 features my friend Stephen Randney-MacFarland, playing the role of dwarven Investigator Theron Glimmermine. We're playing "The Fall of Plaguestone" and this is my first time running Second Edition. Who better to help me learn?

I invite you to invest an hour a week out of your busy lives and join us for this new adventure!

https://www.youtube.com/c/AzmythBusters

https://azmythbusters.buzzsprout.com/

1st post in years! Don't get used to it! ~@~

[I have failed to find a RAW ruling of what an Android is officially classified. Is it organic? Is it technology? If it is technology, how does the mentioned spell affect them? How about if they are the caster? I know how I am leaning on this, but I'm curious what the PF Hive Mind thunks...]

You might be seeing more of me 'round these halls.

A~O

#first15
#eighthcoin
#VCforLife

"Am I evil? Yes I f*@~king am!" - Metallica

I am one of a handful of Dungeon Masters who have successfully run an multi-year evil campaign to completion. It is not an easy task to pull off and requires a ton more preparation than a 'normal' run. That being said, I've been itching to run WotW for years, but reluctant to introduce a non-Golarion setting to my PF players.

Fast forward four years and add the latest edition of Dungeons & Dragons into the mix and I'm ready to kick this show into full gear! I'm using Herolab to convert all the main characters to 5e and re-writing anything that doesn't make sense for the system change.

A year or so ago, I decided to convert my (30+ year old) home-brew world setting I call "The Empiricism of Tamaria" to 5e. This is a perfect blank slate to drop WotW into and leave the island of Talingarde basically as Gary wrote it.

As I complete each book, I will make the .pdf & .por files available upon request. I also plan to discuss my WotW game in future Chronicles Podcast episodes.

I just stumbled across it completely by accident.
Wow! What a great idea and resource!

Who can we thank for this awesomeness???

[This is 100% player perspective from our campaign start. I do not know what is custom content and what might be a smidge spoilerific(?)]
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We are three sessions into our new GS campaign. All five players have opted to play Dwarves of the same clan. I am playing the eldest (by minutes) of my identical triplet siblings. We are joined by our first and last born brothers. Our Aunt, who served as the blacksmith in Trunau, passed away recently and we've traveled as a clan to settle her affairs.
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Our clan:
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Malakai Redrock - Stonelord (Paladin)
Ulbricht Redrock - Cleric
Hemattin Redrock - Wizard
Horadaric Redrock - Scoundrel (Rogue)
Hrafnarr Redrock - Hippy (Monk)
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Our method:
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Our GM is 2,636.2 miles away from us players, so we've purchased a 50" 1080p LED that will live flat on the table as our electronic game table. The GM will deploy D20Pro and control the battle-map remotely. We will be placing actual miniatures on the LED (with some kind of clear plastic sheet over the screen). A local webcam will feed the video of the LED game back to the GM and he will be able to make adjustments in real time. We are (finally!) meeting weekly to play, so I expect that we'll be burnin' through it a lot faster than APs we've run in the past.

I might get around to periodic updates.
/shrug

We say by-de-by to Captain Neil and halllooooooo to Uncle Nicky!

With the exception of a near TPK and (the first PC) death of the healer in the last battle, they've managed to waltz their way through most obstacles and gained every advantage available to them in Torch. It is a very satisfying run to GM and I enjoy having Spicer in my 'peanut gallery' tossing one liners at my players from time to time!

Now that I've seen the Android race and the Technologist feat in action, I wish these were not starting options for players. I believe that the mystery and exploration of technology should have been prolonged throughout the story. Allowing players to buy the feat a couple books into the story, would reflect a more realistic learning curve through exposure and experimentation. I didn't allow any of my players to know Androffan until they discovered/collected/studied examples and then spent skill points in linguistics.

My 0.02

I'd like to recommend that you change the name of this message board to simply "Dungeons & Dragons".
Do away with '4th Edition (and Beyond)' and it becomes relevant again.
Who knows folks might actually start using it?

~@~

Our group has completed (about) two-thirds of book three and we are totally feeling dungeon crawl fatigue.

Has anyone else experienced this and what (if anything) did you do to keep it fresh for three more AP books?

I know folks are inclined to use these terms when describing the new rules, but I've seen no example on any printed or electronic product that uses either term (post play-test).

Whenever I talk to anyone about the game, I deliberately avoid calling it anything other than D&D. I believe that deploying that kind of language perpetuates the mentality of edition wars and community polarity around them.

Think Globally.
Start Locally.

(Yes, btw if you're interested, I am playing the new D&D)

I'm not trying to provoke Druid-lovers into debate...
I'm not trying to entice you to convince me otherwise...

+++

For the last six years, I have played PFRPG exclusively:
Three Adventure Paths completed, two playing and one as GM.
In my KM campaign, I had one play to 16th level. She was mostly flavor and build, so no min/max or power play. The second is currently playing in my Wardens of the Newborn Forge game, started at 12th level and is 100% optimized for power play. He tanks better than our fighter, has an impossible to hit AC and is immune to critical hits.

The Druid class experienced a complete metamorphosis from 3.5 to PF.
In DnD it was primarily a flavor class. In PF it has become an unparalleled power house of imbalance!

* Wild Shaping into 3x3 elemental/creatures at high level is pure stupidity and continues to ruin every encounter by allowing the player to ignore spacial constraints and the setting's design. If I wanted a monster in the party, I would have allowed the Summoner class!

In the past, I was fine with banning some of the newer (APG) classes that Paizo created. Now it's the Druid's turn to get pummeled with the ban-hammer. Moving forward, I will never again allow a Druid beyond 10th level in any of my games. They are completely off the negotiating table for AP play, unless the player is willing to give up the Wild Shape ability.

I am very pleased to announce that during last night's Red Moon Eclipse, Joshua Archer completed his 150th game table of Pathfinder Society, earning the rank and privilege of a 5 Star Society Game Master.

Josh is both an amazing GM and a integral member of my team of VO/Organizers here in the Bay Area.

CHEERS!

Will be public very soon.

Has anyone created or found an easy conversion method for converting S&S ships into FaSB builds?

I've been meaning to sit down and figure this out for months and have never managed to find the time to get it done.

Hopefully Lazy.
Azmyth

I've bought my copy of the PACG and played it non-stop for weeks.
My character cards are now marked up by several different people who have played with me. Now I'd like to start over from scratch...

I don't want to print fake ones. I'd like real/clean replacement character cards. Wanna sell 'em to me?

Thnx.

It was an unexpected surprised to receive a copy of Littlest Shoggoth in the mail a few months ago. I determined after speaking with Stan! that one of my friends must have supported the kickstarter and send their reward copy to me!

This is an awesome story that deserves to be told to young and old alike!

Stan! channeled his inner Suess and I approve Doctor!

Phaeleh
Matt Preston (Phaeleh, pronounced Fella) is a multi-instrumentalist, producer and DJ residing in Bristol, United Kingdom.

He produces music that could be loosely described as cinematic electronica, but his roots are in dubstep, garage and house.His compositions are a fusion of live instrumentation and electronic production.He has created numerous DJ mixes, two albums and 11 EPs and singles.

Thank you Erik Mona and Adrian Swartout for providing the Prize and allowing Chronicles the opportunity to give it to you!

The Deal...

What can you WIN?
A complimentary 4-day badge for the 'Four Greatest Days of Gaming' aka GenCon that may be redeemed
(at the winner's discretion) for a refund this year or for the 2014 season.

What do we want from you?
If you've never been to GenCon (shame on you!), tell us why you deserve to go.
If you're a GC veteran, share your best memory from past events.
(Or anything else GenCon related that you think will get you in the Winner's Circle)

How can you do this?
If you enjoy writing, do that.
If you're an artist type, do that.
If you've got a face for radio, record it.

Where do I send my creative expression aka Contest Entry?
Send your writing, pictures and/or recordings to:
azmyth@d20radio.com

Subject: [GenCon Contest]
(Mandatory for mail filtering)
You get the first 1200 points for getting your name correct

ENTRY DEADLINE : September 15th 2013

WINNER TO BE ANNOUNCED IN CHRONICLES EPISODE 020

Chronicles Returns with a Special Convention Episode: post PaizoCon wrap-up and a pre-Gencon celebration. We start with a banter session and introduce some guy named Kyle to the podcast crew.
The PaizoCon wrap-up features discussions with Erik Mona, Tim Hitchcock, John Compton, Ryan Costello and others. We turn our eye from Seattle to Indianapolis, with an extended interview with Erik Mona of Paizo and the CEO of Gencon LLC., Ms. Adrian Swartout and a contest to win a 4 Day pass to Gencon Indy.
Lastly, author Tim Hitchcock joins us to discuss his interactive event running at GenCon, The Slaughter-Priests of the Razor Coast. The Summer Special weighs in at about 2 and a half hours.

http://www.pathfinder-podcast.com

Enjoy!

It gives me great pleasure to announce the promotion of both
John & Wendy-Ann Francis to the rank of Venture-Lieutenant.

The Silicon Valley of Northern California is made up of several large towns. John and Wendy-Ann keep a close eye on several stores in the area as well as developing new retail relationships!

If you plan to attend our Pacificon convention in September, you can stop by HQ and wish them congratulations in person!

Strong links make for a strong chain.

If you supported the PFO kickstarter, your vial of the Emerald Elixir is in your possession!

If more than one player activates an emerald elixir at the same time, all drinkers may choose the mutation acquired rather than roll randomly.

If you're also attending KublaCon, might I suggest that you organize & participate in a G.A.G (Group Alchemical Guzzling) event!

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o
O

Post below, the name and level of the character that will undergo the mutation at Kubla:

Several months ago, Chronicles Pathfinder Podcast adopted an additional live format that utilizes Google+ Hangouts for streaming live sessions.

Around the same time, we also completed running KingMaker and I had an idea of putting together a Hang-Out focused on the AP: Meta discussions on the overall story arks; Q & A from judges running KM; A contest for the best character death story; Revisiting the Kingdom Building and Mass Combat rules (soon to be revised in Ultimate Campaign); KingMaker Mythic?!

Would there be interest from game masters running KM if we produced an episode like that?

Campaign Page
(Woo-Hoo! I'm a player!)

We've played two sessions, finishing the first act of book one:

01 - "The Dawn of a new era in Magnimar"

02 - "Beyond the First Hurdle"

My group has been pioneering the craft of playing PF online without a program to 'run' the game. I'm not trying to bash VTT (Virtual Table Top) software, they just never felt like I was playing my game. So I've been tweaking and polishing my set-up for over three years and I'm quite pleased with the results!

This is not an easy route by no means and most people wouldn't go to the lengths I have to reproduce the pure play experience of a table top RPG. We have achieved a solution to touch our friends that have moved great distances and new friends discovered by the wonder of the Internet and play this amazing game with them!

Azmyth's Gaming Set-Up for Online Play

Additional questions answered and advice given!
{e-addy in Paizo profile}

Enjoy!

Burlingame, CA (San Francisco Airport)

The Bay Area Pathfinder Society convention season exploded right out of the gate with DundraCon in February. We followed that up in Fresno, putting the power of PFS to good use at Bookwyrm Con in March. We traveled up to Conquest SAC to support our Sacramento siblings in April.

BUT now it’s MAY and time to bring it home! PFS at Kubla Con looks to be bigger than ever this year and we want to blow our previous Organized Play attendance records into a distant memory! The Kubla Family has provided BAPS with an amazing level of support and ever more table space to accommodate our incredible community growth! We asked our die hard players about their favorite scenarios and we’re offering them for new-player scenarios with our best PFS Ambassador GMs at those tables. We also have a ton of additional tables lined up with this season’s story arcs and new modules ready to go for our experienced community members, as well as a selection of older stuff for those that might have missed it in the past.

Joshua Archer is heading up expansion into the Young people and Teen Room area and we are offering more PFS there than ever before. We’re even adding a line of Beginner Box tables out front to let players sample an encounter before heading in to the full scale PFS area.

The Ruins of Bonekeep Part 1: The Silent Grave

• Paizo's own Jason Bulhman presents one of the most challenging experiences in Pathfinder Society history - The Ruins of Bonekeep! We will be running the first level of this multi-part dungeon, "The Silent Grave," at this year's KublaCon.
  Be warned - the dangers within this event are intense and not everyone is guaranteed to make it out alive! But those that conquer the dungeon will reap great rewards. Don't miss out on this very rare opportunity to experience a unique and exciting dungeon within the Pathfinder Society!

The GM rewards:
Once again this year we have GM rewards. While all of our community members contribute in some way, GMs are what allow us to offer so many opportunities to so many. The amount of preparation that goes into making even a single table happen can make your head spin and our GMs do it over and over again, providing an AMAZING gaming experience for everyone.

GM 3 tables and Earn a Free Badge! To do this, though, I need you signed up by May 1st so we can make sure your badge is ready for you come convention time. If you have questions, or if you’ve never GMed before but would like to try your hand, please contact us at bapsconorganizers@gmail.com

GM 5 Tables: A crowd favorite, we will have the AWESOME 2013 BAPS coins for our judges that go that extra step and judge FIVE or more tables.

Pathfinder Scenarios on the KublaCon Calendar:
(Over 200 Tables? Oh Yeah!!)

Ruins of Bonekeep, Level 1: The Silent Grave (3-7)

• Paizo's own Jason Bulhman presents one of the most challenging experiences in Pathfinder Society history - The Ruins of Bonekeep! We will be running the first level of this multi-part dungeon, "The Silent Grave," at this year's KublaCon.

  Be warned - the dangers within this event are intense and not everyone is guaranteed to make it out alive! But those that conquer the dungeon will reap great rewards. Don't miss out on this very rare opportunity to experience a unique and exciting dungeon within the Pathfinder Society!

Pathfinder Society Sanctioned Modules:

• We Be Goblins (1-2)*
  
• Crypt of the Everflame (1-2)
  
• Fangwood Keep (3-5)
  
• Cult of the Ebon Destroyers (7-9)

Pathfinder Society Scenarios:

Low Tier

• 0-01: Silent Tide (1-5)
  
• 0-05: Mists of Mwangi (1-5)
  
• 0-06: Black Waters (1-5)
  
• 0-07: Among the Living (1-7)
  
• 1-35: Voice in the Void (1-7)
  
• 1-51: The City of Strangers I - The Shadow Gambit (1-7)
  
• 1-52: The City of Strangers II - The Twofold Demise (1-7)
  
• 2-11: The Penumbral Accords (1-5)
  
• 2-15: Shades of Ice I - Written in Blood (1-5)
  
• 2-17: Shades of Ice II - Exiles of Winter (1-5)*
  
• 2-19: Shades of Ice III - Keep of the Huscarl King (1-5)
  
• 3-01: The Frostfur Captives (1-5)
  
• 3-07: Echoes of the Overwatched (1-5)
  
• 4-01: Rise of the Goblin Guild (1-5)
  
• 4-07: Severing Ties (1-5)
  
• 4-11: The Disappeared (1-5)
  
• 4-15: The Cyphermage Dilemma (1-5)
  
• 4-18: The Veteran's Vault (1-5)
  
• 4-19: The Night March of Kalkamedes (1-5)

Mid Tier

• 2-06: The Heresy of Man I - The First Heresy (5-9)
  
• 2-07: The Heresy of Man II - Where Dark Things Sleep (5-9)
  
• 2-09: The Heresy of Man III - Beneath Forgotten Sands (5-9)
  
• 3-02: Sewer Dragons of Absalom (3-7)
  
• 3-25: Storming the Diamond Gate (3-7)
  
• 4-02: In Wrath's Shadow (3-7)
  
• 4-03: The Golemworks Incident (5-9)
  
• 4-05: The Sanos Abduction (3-7)
  
• 4-06: The Green Market (5-9)
  
• 4-09: The Blakros Matrimony (3-7)
  
• 4-13: Fortress of the Nail (5-9)
  
• 4-14: My Enemy's Enemy (3-7)
  
• 4-16: The Fabric of Reality (5-9)
  
• 4-17: Tower of the Ironwood Watch (5-9)
  
• 4-EX: Day of the Demon (3-7)

High Tier

• 2-04: Shadows Fall on Absalom
  
• 2-08: The Sarkorian Prophecy
  
• 3-26: Portal of the Sacred Rune (7-11)
  
• 4-04: King of the Storval Stairs (7-11)
  
• 4-08: The Cultist's Kiss (7-11)
  
• 4-10: Feast of Sigils (7-11)
  
• 4-12: The Refuge of Time (7-11)
  
• 4-20: Words of the Ancients (7-11)

Thornkeep:

• The Accursed Halls (1-2)
  
• The Forgotten Laboratory (2-4)
  
• The Enigma Vaults (3-5)
  
• The Dark Menagerie (5-7)
  
• Sanctum of a Lost Age (6-8)

Young Players Room

• Kids Track-Beginner Box (learn to play)
  
• 0-05 Mists of Mawangi (1-5)
  
• We Be Goblins (1-2)

Teen Room

• 0-05 Mists of Mawangi (1-5)
  
• 3-01 The Frostfur Captives (1-5)
  
• 3-02 Sewer Dragons of Absalom (3-7)
  
• We be Goblins (1-2)

Join us for the BAPS event of the year!

Please join me in welcoming Josh McIllwain aka ThreeEyedSloth to the rank and position of VL of Bakersfield California!

His promotion comes just in time for his first official event taking place March 9-10.
If you're in the area, make the trip there and congratulate him in person! ;)

~@~

Congratulations John! I look forward to seeing what you do to help PFS grow in a much more epic way.

Campaign Began: 06/22/2010

Charles Hernanadez - Whisper Maphone' - Archer/Rogue/Cleric
Elizabeth Miller - Lulati Tippypit - Gnome Druid of Gozreh
Shaen McGee - Cormyr - Witch (Joined game in Book 2)
Ryan Rivers - Quel Spyralshot - Halfling Bard (Left Game in Book 4)
Bryan Soshea - Evan al'Baba - Halfling Paladin of Erastil
Robert Trifts - Ramilien D’Rattan - Human Wizard

Campaign Finish: 02/09/2013

Yesterday's game session marked the final epic battle with the Fey Queen, Narissa. My heroes persevered in the face of a 'Ground Hog Day' looping reality, surrounded by the exhausting chaos of temporal uncertainty. Her defeat came after several 'cat n mouse' sessions through the Fable. She had studied her opponents for years and catered her tactics to them, but faced with overwhelming power and the fully awakened artifact Briar was eventually too much for her.

The Teleporatation Trap that never made it out of editing, was completed reconceived and inserted back into my game. I decided that a key part of the Chaos of Fey magic would be expressed through manipulation of time/space. My Narissa had a back-up plan just in case the players were successful in untethering 1000 Breaths from 1000 Oaks.
All transportation and temporal magics were effected once the 'bomb' went off. Spell target destinations (location and time) became an unpredictable variable completely removing my player's complacency for teleporting all over the realms. And like astronauts traveling at light speeds, when it had run its course the characters had lost 11 years relative to the realm.

I would estimate that 70% of our KM campaign was additional custom content. [My players started calling me Chris Claremont!] I ramped up the political/national intrigue and tension by a Spinal Tap factor of 11. I also developed a separate personal storyline for each player, influenced by their written background and primary motivations. We managed to cover most of the written plot devices in all the books with two exceptions: 1) In the hexploration of book 2, I provided my players with too many distractions for exploration. As a result they never made it down to the Lair of the Lizard King, who grew in power unmolested by my players. 2) At the start of book 5, our campaign had dramatically advanced state of the war in the region and I found it impossible to run the Rushlight Tournament.

I chose transparent mechanics for kingdom building, allowing my players to understand (and inevitably) game the system with amazing success. I wanted my player's kingdom to be strong and reflect their personalities and I'm completely confident with the outcome.

This campaign was the first test-bed for hi-bred play. I had one player on the eastern side of Canada, one player in southern California and the remaining three in the room with me in northern California. I wanted to develop a system of playing that utilized technology to assist playing the conventional method, not replace it. Three years and five ongoing campaigns later, I think we were successful.

This is one of the best game I've ever run. I want to thank Paizo (James Jacobs) for creating an AP that brought out my strengths as a game master.

Thank you Rob McCreary (James Jacobs) for Grigori. Best NPC of the AP!

Thank you Greg Vaughan (James Jacobs) for Vordacai and the best butt-pucker combat of the AP.

This was the first time in at least two decades that Steel_Wind played outside his regular group and I want to thank you coming along for the ride!

I want to thank the Merry Prankster (aka The Little Pally) for letting me help you kick 4e cold turkey and come play with the cool kids!

I want to thank my woman for letting us take over our home and lives every Thursday night for the last three years! And for being the wildest, most insane, Ettin riding, Chaos Seeking Druid the realms have ever seen!

Shaeno! Thanks for absorbing the remotely abuse and moving back to California in mid-game.

I have plotted out 100 years of the kingdom's advancement and have plenty of plot lines to flesh out in the future! I intend for us to revisit these characters again in 10 years of realm time passing and then once again in 50. Beyond that, who knows?