Besby's page

I ran this last night with a group of 4. This was my first time running a PFS game, so I wasn't sure exactly how my players would do with it.

I think they really liked it up until the last encounter...

Eridan, could you explain the "fast" Tie Up option?

I first saw this idea referenced on Dorkistan (http://www.dorkistan.com/PFRPG/misc/grapple.htm). However, I am struggling to get the same interpretation. The first sentence in Tie Up says "If you have your target pinned, otherwise restrained, or unconscious". To me, those seem to be well defined precursors to attempting the Tie Up action (although "otherwise restrained" is somewhat nebulous). As the controller, you still have the Grappled condition when your opponent is Pinned, so I assumed the sentence, "If you are grappling the target, you can attempt to tie him up in ropes... at a -10 penalty" actually applies to the controller and isn't a special fast path around the Pinned condition (because the "pinned, otherwise restrained, or unconscious" requirements aren't met).

I'm think that I'm struggling with the interpretation because it seems like the Tie Up is just another kind of combat maneuver that anyone can perform as a standard action. Meaning that you can attempt to Tie Up an opponent that is Pinned and you don't have to be in a grapple to do it (and if you are, it is just a bit harder).

Btw, thanks for the hard work on the flowchart, they are very useful.

Sorry, 2 years later and I'm responding to this post: personally, I did like the original artwork of Shalelu.

Anyway, my group is finally about to finish the 2nd module but only one character was from the original group that rescued Shalelu (the others were all killed in previous encounters).

I'm trying to figure out how to re-inject her into the game and not create a huge reality gap. So far, I'm leaning towards a self guided "dream", but trying desperately to figure out why Sandpoint might have sent her in search of her wayward heroes...

My other thought is to create a new character that the mayor "trusts" to send with the party but it just seems to add too many hearings that I'm not ready to deal with.

Any help at this point is appreciated.

I had a slight variation: 3 Successive Fort Saves (15, 16, 17). I went to great lengths to describe the taste/texture after each "swallow". Failed attempts were promptly given a mop and bucket.

By the end of the first module, I had two PCs going back multiple times and one even beat it twice earning him a "hall of fame" bust over Norra's tank (a buffed and enraged Shoanti Barbarian).

For some reason, I gave the barkeep a loud aussie accent (a mix of Steve Erwin and Billy Mays) and it's proved to be one of my players favorite NPCs.

This was a great RP hook and should not be overlooked in Sandpoint.

Finally, your insults and accusations only serve to make you look bad. Debate the merits of your premise, and lay off the ad hominem attacks. Trying to silence dissenting opinions only gives the impression that you can't defend your premise. Oh, and telling me I should be "ashamed" if I happen to agree with Lich-Loved doesn't endear me to any of your future ideas.

QFT.

I've followed both of the Lich Loved debates and in each, Frank and K have turned it into an ad hominem attack. The debate is clearly about someones ideas and as such, we should be able to openly discuss them in a forum. The childish responses are indicative of an ego that is too big for this forum.

I addressed the problem this way:

I asked my players if S&D was a technique they supported. If they did, then the foes would use it as well. They thought better of the idea and asked me to derive a house rule.

I ruled that teleportation magic requires a metaphysical connection to the place to which you are teleporting. You can get this connection by physically seeing the place (atop yonder mountain) visiting the place (we were at the palace once, let's go there) or having your familiar visit the place (familiars provide this benefit to their masters per PHB) but simply viewing the place though magic is not enough of a connection for the spell to work. This allowed all forms of divination to be useful but prevented S&D attacks on NPCs and the party (which is far more vulnerable to it really since they interact with a wider circle of people).

And as far as dungeons go, they are used IMHO because they are easily defended, out of sight, hard to locate, relatively easy to expand with labor or magic and hard to recon without entering.

I actually like this solution and may adopt it in my game. The idea of limiting teleport in some reasonable way prevents S&D in most cases and, potentially opens up many new strategic decisions for the players -- do they attempt to infiltrate the cultist hideout to get a "teleport resonance"? Do they risk sending the fragile familar into dangerous areas unprotected? etc.

The limitation on dungeons doesn't account for wizard towers, keeps, abandoned buildings and the like that are common settings for hideouts. To be honest, I don't want to have to design my world around lead-lining everything.