Blue Wizard's page

Hank Woon wrote:

Blue Wizard wrote:

So I bought the Bestiary to use in our upcoming Shackled City campaign using Pathfinder rules. I was sort of hoping I wouldn't have to drag out Monster Manual I, II, or III...but some of the monsters aren't in the Beastiary so it looks like they're in.

Is anyone else running an older campaign arc in Pathfinder and having to mix/max Bestiary and MM? I like the way the Bestiary has given XP amounts for each monster, but if I'm going to have to drag out the MMs anyway is there really much point in using both? They really don't seem to have changed things that much (though it is nice not having to figure out a given monster CMB/CMD).

I'm currently running a new Shackled City campaign and using the Bestiary where I can and defaulting to the MM I+II when I need to. As to whether you need to, so far I haven't come across anything that seemed breaking either way.

Shouldn't anything from MMII or another non-core book be statted out in the adventure? My understanding that it was never assumed a GM had access to anything other than the PHB, DMG, and MM for Dungeon adventures. If this is the case, you can simply print the few monsters not in the Bestiary out from d20srd.org and take just those sheets along with your Bestiary to the game.

Mainly I was thinking of the differences in the way 3.5 and Pathfinder track experience. I was wondering how much (if any) effect it would have to possible have to use both systems in the same session. I've noticed that the "fast experience" pretty much meshes with the 3.5 scale, so we'll be using that. But it seems to me that in Pathfinder everything is worth a set amount without regard to level. Then you have 3.5 in which your 2nd level rogue is getting a lot more XP than your party's 4th level wizard. So it's looking like using the Pathfinder XP scheme would leave your lower level party members without much of a chance of catching up.

So I bought the Bestiary to use in our upcoming Shackled City campaign using Pathfinder rules. I was sort of hoping I wouldn't have to drag out Monster Manual I, II, or III...but some of the monsters aren't in the Beastiary so it looks like they're in.

Is anyone else running an older campaign arc in Pathfinder and having to mix/max Bestiary and MM? I like the way the Bestiary has given XP amounts for each monster, but if I'm going to have to drag out the MMs anyway is there really much point in using both? They really don't seem to have changed things that much (though it is nice not having to figure out a given monster CMB/CMD).

I've also been looking for a pbp Pathfinder. I tried it once before but didn't really get anywhere. If you're still looking for a replacement player (or anyone starting a new game) I'd be interested. Allan Treebeard should get first shot at this dwarf though, as he started this thread.

Blue Wizard wrote:

Speaking of beholders and mind flayers being cut off to us, what is going to serve in their stead?

Officially? Nothing. In your home campaign? You can still use beholders and mind flayers.

Into the Darklands might be of interest to you, actually; it has a lot of information about races that could well serve as stand-ins for mind flayers. Serpentfolk, seugathi, neothelids, and intellect devourers all come to mind. In fact, I think the intellect devourer is a GREAT "stand-in" for the mind flayer niche—they're about the same CR, both eat brains, are psionic, and their names sorta even mean the same thing.

We don't plan on specifically replacing any of these monsters with Pathfinder clones, though. That's tacky.

Right on. Thanks.

Speaking of beholders and mind flayers being cut off to us, what is going to serve in their stead?

Unfortunately, Illithids - Mind Flayers are also closed content. Luckily, their PF replacement - the Intellect Devourers - are open :)

Man, it's early. I meant aboleths.

Sorry. Brewing coffee now.

Beholders are intellectual property of Wizards of the Coast, and as such cannot be used by any third party. Your best bet is to get the number cranking and convert said beholder to PFRPG using the guidelines from the Bestiary and Conversion Guide.

For the very same reason, the following are missing:

- kuo toa
- mind flayer
- githzerai
- githyanki
- carrion crawler
- umber hulk
- displacer beast
- slaadi

Aww, bummer. Thank you though; that's exactly what I'll do. At least we still get mind flayers.

I just got this in the mail yesterday and am overall fairly pleased with it so far. My one compliant is the stunning lack of the beholder. I bought this specifically because my group is about (after three years this month) to finish Age of Worms. I'm slated to run Shackled City, and we want to switch over to Pathfinder for this campaign. Anyone know what fate befell the beloved beholder?

The hatchet's not a D&D weapon...

Throwing axe.

I don't spend a lot of time on message boards anymore, but this thread kind of surprised me. In 20 years of gaming, I've never played with a group that had this discussion. Fighter and Wizard are my two favorite classes of all time.

I think the key to this is to remember that it isn't a competition. At low levels wizards depend on fighters to keep them from being impaled on a goblin spear. At higher levels the wizards keeps fighters from all manner of horrific deaths.

Also, who says everything has to be balanced? Some characters, even just through the luck of dice, will be more powerful than others in some respect. As long as the people in the group who play the wizard and the fighter are both having fun, who cares?

1) Nah. I play with five other people, and only one of us even plans on buying the books. We have all the 3E books we could possibly want, and the idea of starting over doesn't really appeal at all. That and we like 3.5 just fine, so we're staying out of a combination of "if it isn't broke..." and primordial cheapness.

2) If you guys change over to 4E I will likely not buy stuff. I really like the stuff you guys put out (especially Pathfinder) and would like to renew my subscription to Pathfinder after I move in two months, provided it's staying 3e. I might still buy the odd module, but I won't be driven to get my grubby hands on everything I can.

3) I will buy your products with glee.

I too would like to cancel my Pathfinder subscription after issue #6 ships. It was awesome, I loved it, but I'm buying a house and just can't spend the extra loot. Thank you very much, and I look forward to once again being a subcriber later on in the year.
-Carson Strother

Last week, sadly, my Age of Worms wizard, Lysander the Younger, bled to death because of failure to locate his body in a crowded inn shrouded in magical darkness. So he died on the floor of a bar after getting stabbed twice.

I was bummed out, for about three whole minutes.

Now we have a rogue and I'm happy again.

ok... I finished reading the background articles in all of the pathfinders, but the only adventure I've read is #1... and I have all the GMM but have only read D0 D1 and D2... what should I read tomorrow when the storm hits here

I don't have any of the GMM, but I do know that at about the third installment, Pathfinder starts to go awesome ultra crazy.

Blue Wizard you out there some where?

Yes, I'm sorry! My coworker's father has been very very ill and I've been super busy at work. Sorry. Hopefully things will be back to normal very soon.

Utak/Blue Wizard I was wondering about linking up as relations or whatever to give us a start together. Are either of you interested?

Cheers

Fine by me, so long as it's DM friendly. I was planning on being from Forlorn. Is that a problem? I'm all for party harmony, and have always like having a good reason for the party to be acting in accord.

I'm leaning heavily towards human ranger. I made an alias (Roderick Hafspan) and have done most of the creation work. However I will defer in favor of party balance (i.e. I'll play a cleric if no one else really wants to).

Just weighing in.

Forgive me if I missed it somewhere, but what about dieties?

Cool. Everything is looking great. How exactly do we go about this? I assume I'll be sending you a copy of a character sheet, yes? Is all gameplay through this forum? Turn based? Sorry to ask so many questions; this is my first time.

Awesome. I have to work tonight, hopefully I'll be able to generate a character and some backstory tomorrow. Elite array +3 pts, yes?

I just dispelled the invisibility. I'm into the history Dreamweaver, good job. I will wait and see what others are playing, then fill in the gaps. Since we have a rogue with Nani, in order of preference:

1.) fighter or barbarian, probably half-orc
2.) sorcorer or warlock, not sure on race yet
3.) brutish half-orc cleric

Cheers

I can't seem to find this history. Am I missing something or just not very good at this yet?

Does everyone but me already have a PC?

Alright it looks like we only have one more spot left.

- Nani
- Utak
- French Wolf
- Blue Wizard

I will start the Discussion thread in a couple hours.

Awesome. I'll check back in a few hours. Thanks again; I'm looking forward to this!

Any more room in this game? Our regular game group only meets every other weekend (if we're lucky) and I've been giving PBP the eye for a while now. I'd love to give it a try if you have the space.

Thanks (or thanks anyway if I'm outta luck)!

I don't know about this. Savage Tide is really compelling story-wise; I don't see how 4E changes could make all that much difference. Really I think this boils down to a combination of how good 4E turns out to be and how much time you have to convert.

I can say for sure that running STAP in 3.5 will be fun.

. . .many of us are D&D addicts...

** spoiler omitted **

Yep, there is that. As angry as I was this morning wtih the announcement, you've got me there.

And it'll probably be fun, too.

The people who bring us CCGs now bring us CB(ook)Gs. Big Surprise.

They've been releasing 2-4 $30+ books a month, and now want us to start over. Big Surprise.

I'm disgusted. What are they doing now? Dumbing it down? Making it even more complicated? Who knows. Who cares?

I've played D&D for 21 years now. I haven't been nearly this disgruntled since they took away demons and devils to appease the media. I'm sick of it; the constant glut of books that cost a fortune, more and more classes and outrageous feats to compete with WoW, their scheme to get us to buy far more minis than we need by making them a blind box purchase. And this, this blatant call for even more of our income on new rules...forget it. Just forget it. If they expect they can take the things we love (Dungeon/Dragon mags) and flush 'em, then pull this hard sell - they can just find new customers.

I hope this doesn't affect Pathfinder anytime soon; at least not for the first two arcs (which are, I assume, written already and using current edt rules).

Crap on this. I'm out.

Judging from the email about Pathfinder shipping "sometime next week" it looks like we're in for another long couple of days.

Any hope for today?

You'll get access to the PDF when your volume ships from our warehouse. That definitely won't be today because I have yet to write the new remote watermarker code. (That's today's todo item!)

You should receive some sort of bonus compensation for our constant hounding. Or is a job well done it's own reward?

So, anyone get their hands on this yet? In the past I've had trouble getting back issues and such from the "My Downloads" section. And everyone being so quiet for two days now makes me wonder if everyone isn't busy reading...

You don't have to yell!

So, if today is the day where do we get our download of the first issue?

I'm overwhelmed that everyone seems to be enjoying this so much, thanks for all the kind words. You can bet that a lot of the questions raised in the Player's Guide are going to be picked up on in Rise of the Runelords. There's even a bit that'll get some screen time in Curse of the Crimson Throne. Besides that, you've got a setting now... who's starting a game? ^_~

I plan to, just as soon as it shows up in the old mailbox.

I may be slow in saying this but, while I am broken up quite a bit by the demise of the magazines I grew up with, you wonderful people at Paizo have softened the blow considerably. I ran Savage Tide and am currently a player in an Age of Worms campaign; both experiences have made the anticipation of Pathfinder overshadow my shock, disbelief and grief of the untimely end of Dungeon & Dragon.

Well done, Paizo. Well done indeed.

-Carson Strother, 21 year (A)D&D veteren.

Whee! Thank you thank you thank you!

It's up, by the way.

I have this mental picture of a bunch of gamers perched like gargoyles, looking over and watching...waiting...

*joins everybody in the watching & waiting*

...drinking coffee...increasingly hyped up...

I may implode!

Whee! Anybody keeping track of how many times they're hitting refresh until this goes up? (I've lost count).

When can we expect these to ship? Am I right in thinking that they will come about the same time as my last issue of Dungeon? Also, I know the player's guide pdf will be available for free in August (I haven't bought it, as you wonderful people will be sending me one anyway). I'd like my players to be able to download it soon, so we can get crackin'.

Jeremy Mac Donald wrote:

But I remember thinking "What was the point of such similar classes?"

To sell you more $30+ books? Before the good people whose marketing ideas were defined by CCGs and such, we didn't have such a glut of books, nor were they so expensive. This game was once run by a bunch of people who loved it; now it's run by a corporation most interested in the bottom line. The pressure to buy all these suppliments is a false urgency. For years and years we had five sourcebooks total, and it didn't reduce our enjoyment of the game at all. Then second edition came out, along with more and more rules (the Complete books and such). Now we get, what, one to three rulebooks a month?

They have a very "Well if it's in the adventure, it must be for us to exploe" mentality.

My players were exactly the same way, and for me it was a huge opportunity for fun. Granted, it's nearly as much work as an entirely home-brewed campaign, but it was a good opportunity to really get a feel for the tropical atmosphere of the game. A lot of D&D seems to take place in relatively familiar terrain (Appalachian Mountains look a lot like most fantasy movies, and West Virginia has more trees than buildings). My group went wild running around exploring off the main gaming maps. Yes, as DM it was a hassle constantly improving things, but at least we knew where our five or six sessions per issue went.

Oh, my. I love it.

When puddings split in my game they are free to overlap, as they have no set form. If you keep splitting a pudding into incrementaly smaller puddings, then you get a SWARM of black puddings, which is bad news. PCs die in this swarm, and I almost feel they deserve it from dint of effectively creating more and more foes.

I completely intend to include this in my Savage Tide, as well as a lot of the areas that are mentioned in the companion Dragon articles. The environment alone makes for a fun game. In more years than I care to think of we've explored subtropical areas but twice. It's nice to have something fresh in Greyhawk or any game.

I also think it does a lot to enhance the overall scale of the AP. In a game where you're destined to visit and contest demons, there should be intelligent magic weapons dancing about the streets of the setting, wrecking havoc. Compared to anything else I've ever run, Greyhawk is very magic heavy, and this is a good showcase of it.

Why not just let them tough it out? If you ban these spells, it may well come down to a tougher party in the long run, one which is of a significantly higher level in the long run. By making them physically trek overland, sail great distances, maybe even build a bridge or two you gain a lot of opportunities. There is not only room but active encouragement to flesh out this campaign. If you're in an exotic location, why not just take advantage of it?

As it stands, Savage Tide is epic in scale and will without fail develope epic heros. Banning teleport and such will foster epic deeds. If a journey is arduous, taking months, then these are months that the epic heros have spent wandering the land, taking in the implications of the evil they are fighting. It's flavor. The gravity of their struggle become more apparent, more real. You'll wind up with a party that doesn't run across Demogorgan and see a chart of hit points, base attack and treasure tables, but an Evil, an ultimate encounter, something that they will feel proud to have had characters that suceeded or died trying.

I say make them work for it.