I'm operating on Pacific Time. My posts tend to happen once I'm off work, though sometimes I sneak in a brief update before then.
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I'll be setting up my character profile after work either today or tomorrow, but it should be up and ready to go before the game begins.
I think I might be a little late to make it into the top six, but I'm interested with either a 5th-level detective or a level 1-2 (depends on credit earned before the game starts) character of another persuasion. Ths would be my first PFS play-by-post, though I have plenty of experience with the medium.
Captivating Song: Captivated creatures can take no action other than to defend themselves. A victim within 5 feet of a harpy simply stands and offers on resistance to the harpy's attacks. It appears that any target not adjacent to the singing harpy easily defends itself normally, but I'm not completely sold on the PC being Helpless when the within 5 feet. As a result, I see the the sequence of coup-de-grace moves as a little rough. If I were to demolish a party so quickly, especially at a convention, I would at least offer to run a second scenario for them (perhaps even a Season 0 to allow them to take out their frustration on an easier scenario's villains). If the first scenario were not a time-sensitive one, I would also suggest that they could recover bodies, raise dead, and come back with a few choice pieces of equipment to slay the foes who so stymied them the first time. I find it far easier to convince players that they had fun despite character deaths so long as the players got to experience a few encounters. I had two near-TPKs this past weekend at SCARAB, but in both cases it was after the groups had stomped on at least one encounter.
I had a blast writing the boon, and I only passingly considered putting in a clause about different settlements. Although my vision when I devised it involved a character wandering around to different settlements, I see nothing in the boon that prohibits one from using the same settlement repeatedly. The player might get the most role-playing enjoyment out of the boon if he or she uses a different settlement each time, but so long as the player is enjoying the boon, I'm happy.
Gykrossin, I'll let Kyle or Nani (the local Venture-Captains) weigh in on some of the activity in your area, as I have not been in that area in some time. What I can say is that most of our region's game days take about a two week formal hiatus around Christmas and resume early in January. If you're in the region after January, there is a wealth of regularly scheduled games in and around the Atlanta area, and in the past we have had events in Warner Robbins and Macon. One other option out there would be to ask around our forums at GeorgiaPFS.org. We have had several successful home games start up when an individual polls the community for interested players. Recently there have been a few pick-up groups running PFS on those rare weekends when there isn't a formal game day (5th Saturdays of the month or holiday weekends). It wouldn't surprise me to see someone asking around about a December 29th game in the near future. Whatever your preferences, we're glad to hear from you and learn how we can connect you with like-minded gamers in your area. Best,
Archives of Nethys does an exceptional job of listing any and all archetypes, items, and spells by PFS legality (look for the Glyph of the Open Road)
"The Great Beyond" from the Pathfinder Campaign Setting line is a solid reference for all things planar, though it does not detail particular energy types for many outer planes. You might consider the energy resistances/immunities of the outsiders native to an outer plane as a good starting point for relevant energy types.
The other great way that I know to encourage cleric-building is to emphasize the excellence that is the pantheon of Golarion and the associated domains. If a player becomes really excited about a deity, that player might also be more interested in playing a cleric — not because it's "taking one for the team," but because playing a cleric is fun.I had fun with the "Gentle Rest" from the Repose Domain against a two-weapon fighter *snicker*. My experience with this tact involved a friend who I was running through the Beginner Box adventure. She was rather amazed that clerics could (from her perspective) do just about anything, and she became really excited when I began telling her about other domains beyond Sun and Healing. The next week she had a smile on her face and a cleric with the Death domain. My how Kyra can change with a little bit of player ingenuity...
To add a bit about pulling punches, I would encourage you to pull punches for new players through slightly more generous tactics. Instead of altering the results of the dice, have a foe verbally threaten a nearly-unconscious character before turning the foe's attention to a healthier target (e.g. "You're half dead already, fool. Stand down, and I'll give you a head start in running away!" [attack different character]). You might also begin fighting defensively, attempt a combat maneuver, or anything else. In my view, it's important to give newer players a positive experience. Avoiding cutthroat tactics and showing a little bit of mercy can go a long way in encouraging a player to keep playing. Just don't set up unrealistic expectations for higher level play. Then around level 5 start teaching them valuable uses of 16 PP...
Let me emphasize that in Pathfinder Society Organized Play we should not be altering scenarios, introducing house rules, or passing out new equipment that is not in the Pathfinder rules. In particular this applies to the pink paste, which I gather is a local remedy to the lack of clerics. Let players play what they want, but I would also allow them the opportunity to feel the effects of a less balanced party. If having to spend substantial chunks of cash or PP on healing potions, wands, and NPC spellcasting, so be it. A scenario does not require a particular mix of party roles, but scenarios are usually easier if there is a balanced party. The other great way that I know to encourage cleric-building is to emphasize the excellence that is the pantheon of Golarion and the associated domains. If a player becomes really excited about a deity, that player might also be more interested in playing a cleric — not because it's "taking one for the team," but because playing a cleric is fun.
I once stored a weapon cord in a spring-loaded wrist sheath just so that as a swift action I could have ready an item that would allow me to recover a weapon as a swift action. I tried tying a weapon cord to a dagger and then placing it in a wrist sheath, but I kept on failing to catch the weapon and then having to spend another swift action to pick it up again.
Here now, I thought we were toning down on the number of haunts in PFS! Kyle's Ego Haunt (CR 18): XP — (That's right, nothing!)
EFFECT
DESTRUCTION
Both of my answers follow RAI and not the strictest reading of RAW (lessons for future boon-writing, I suppose). Thank you for bringing this up. 1) The item represents a new item, not an upgrade. The idea is to have uncovered a new piece, not buried your favorite piece of armor underground, watered it daily, and returned a month later to gain a +2 enhancement bonus. 2) I believe both abilities were intended as one-shot bonuses. The single expedition uncovers not only a relic but a lost secret. Upon gaining the relic, you can hang onto the secret for as long as you want, but using the bonus fulfills and ends the boon's effect.
The boons are sometimes available at conventions of 15+ tables per event. The organizer can apply for prize support, though the boons received may not include the dhampir. There was also a one-time event about a year ago that opened up the dhampir to participants, but that one's no longer available. The human Racial Heritage feat can also open up Dhampir archetypes and the like, should you not be able to acquire the boon.
The upper AC limit for the haramaki is lower (+6) than that of the bracers (+8). In addition, the bracers are automatically ghost touch-friendly by nature of being a force effect. In addition, a haramaki still counts as armor, even if extraordinarily easy to wear; a monk still loses abilities for wearing armor when wearing a haramaki.
I also received this boon at the same convention, and Im confused on how the thing even works, lol. Do I get to choose to do one of these one time and that is all? Or can I do each one one time? Do I get the item(s) right away, or do I have to wait til I complete another scenario to get them? Do I exchange one of these puchase options to use the skill bonus? Choose one of the PP-to-price ranges for the boon. When you get the item, you still have the skill bonus. The boon aims to grant rewards both tangible (which all Pathfinders love) and intangible (which ostensibly Pathfinders also love) for completing the expedition.
When I get to play, I'm usually hankering for a chance to role-play over the thrill of wondering if my character's next breath will be his last. As a result, I tend to enjoy more laid-back GMs who let me play around in social encounters. Colin Webster is a favorite in part for this reason. Even though he can present a very solid combat encounter, I tend not to feel the dread of impending character death until things really heat up. In a bit of jest:
But in all seriousness, Joe pulls off a very solid spooky/threatening exposition that keeps the players wary and interested. Mike Brock is up there on my list. Not only was he the one to run our group through Eyes of the Ten, but he also indirectly taught me how to hide my dismay at a party's quick and embarrassing defeat of a prized encounter. Many a combat or role-playing that ended in players high-fiving each other simply drew a polite smile and a mild but congratulatory comment of "outstanding" from Mike, while behind his eyes I could sense maniacal laughter building and an unspoken message of "Enjoy it while you can...bwa ha ha ha!" The guy knows how to handle a social skill check and knows how to tell a good story. I would add Kyle Baird to the list, but I just don't know that I can offer any credible commentary. Thanks to an oversight by Nani, I still haven't had a chance to meet him.
I believe this point has come up in the past, and when it did rear its head, the answer referenced the hefty amount of time that it takes to write, develop, illustrate, and polish the scenarios that you seem to appreciate so. It looks like you've already started GMing PFS scenarios, and I encourage you to continue to do so. If you are running out of material to play, you might consider the sanctioned modules (if you crave PFS credit) or the Adventure Paths (if you just love the Pathfinder game).
We have run several modules at conventions in the Southeast, and it has met with mixed success. The typical module runs over three slots, and several (Crypt of the Everflame, for example) run two slots. While the modules as a whole are very popular in Georgia, sometimes we get no sign-ups at all for one or two of the modules offered at a convention. My suspicion is that convention attendees tend to enjoy bouncing around between tables and playing with lots of different people. Also, players might be scared off from modules at conventions if the host convention has many other activities that a PFS player might want to attend; it can tie up one's entire day with no appreciable breaks to see other things. At conventions where PFS makes up a larger portion of the convention's offerings, modules tend to fare fairly well. In the past year, we have run:
The wording on Ritual Casting leaves plenty of room for ambiguity, particularly with what types of sources can be used and what happens to said sources after being used. Phrases/Sentences such as "including spellbooks, scrolls, and formula books" and "Using this ability does not consume the original text" could help there. Circle Magic's added spells have an extraordinarily potent progression, and I think that some of it might happen too quickly. At the least, increase the spell level of planar binding, greater to 7th. Given the boost the witch already gets to spontaneously cast circle spells, I would also return magic circle against XYZ to 3rd level. While the Pentagram ability borrows effectively from the scrying diviner's 3+Int ability, I see two points for improvement. First, I don't believe that the name of the ability at all conveys its effect; a pentagram suggests a rune, warded area, seal, or curse, not a scrying effect. If you can introduce a sentence of flavor text demonstrating why a pentagram aiding in scrying, you'll make a much better case for the name. The other issue is that Pentagram does not follow a common model for replaced abilities; most archetypes replace existing abilities with ones that are similar in structure, like replacing a fighter's Bravery with something else that increases by +1 every four levels. Anything that replaces Patron Spells would make a great deal more sense if it also increased every even level or granted better spell access. I propose having Circle Magic replace Patron spells while expanding the offering of Patron spells ever so slightly to give a full nine levels of extra material. I would either rename Pentagram (which would be a shame, really), change its effect, or bolster its flavor to connect the name to the ability. Clean up the language on Ritual Casting, as it's a very different mechanic from anything else out there. Take a page from the Advanced Player's Guide when it describes the alchemist's Alchemy ability — a sizable entry due to its new concept. I love the idea of a ritual-based witch, but in the past I've merely invented new patrons to represent it. Keep editing, and you'll have a solid archetype.
The list of sanctioned modules and the associated Chronicle sheets can be found on the Additional Resources page. Take a look at the banners/boxes on the right, and you'll see The Moonscar. For an added preview of what's to come, you can always check out the Modules page. Click the "Preorder" tab, and you'll see any modules that will be released in the next 3-4 months. To date, every module in the Pathfinder rules set has been sanctioned for Organized Play.
A more complete character sheet: Female Dwarf Cleric (Forgemaster) 1 LE Medium Humanoid Init: -1; Senses: Perception +5, Darkvision 60 ft. Speed: 20' ------------ DEFENSE ------------ AC 9, Touch 9, FF 9 (-1 Dex) HP 10/10 Fort +3, Ref -1, Will +7 ------------ OFFENSE ------------ ------------
Feats:
Traits:
Skills:
Languages: Common, Dwarven, Giant, Infernal, Undercommon -----------------
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1st (3+D):
Pardon my not noticing the recruitment until now. I'll try to make things interesting to offset the tardiness. It looks like we're in need of a divine touch, and I have a soft spot for the dwarven forgemaster archetype. A touch of back-story:
Targi Silverspike acquired the fundamentals of smithing as a child, watching her father toil in the forge while she learned the slightly more feminine arts of preservation, lore, and engraving. As part of the family business, she was responsible for fusing gems to pommels, inscribing runes into blades, and furnishing scabbards for swords — all work that allowed her ample time with the nearly finished products before they were spirited away to the entirely undeserving commissioners of her family's art. It was while working alone on two projects simultaneously, one a mithral belt and the other a golden tiara, that she donned both objects and began dancing about, thrilled by the decadence of her accouterments. "Oh, how I wish I could be decked in such finery every day!" she exclaimed to herself in an exuberant whisper, and it was in that moment that Mammon found her. Beginning that day, with Mammon's guidance, Targi began crafting replicas — often cheap or forged from inferior alloys — of every project that crossed her work table. The replicas went to the commissioners, and the true masterpieces went into hiding beneath the flagstones of Targi's bedroom. Every night she capered about her room, bedecked in her ever-growing, ill-gotten finery while merchants, adventurers, and kings masqueraded unknowingly in forgeries. It was in mid-skip that her door crashed open, its frame crowded with Talingarde guardsmen. Apparently the electrum ring of feather-falling that she had switched out a month before hadn't worked when a particular paladin really needed it to. Fancy that! Now the only adornment she bears is the letter F branded into her flesh. ...but Mammon promises wealth at the cost of patience. A few character specs:
Dwarf Cleric (Forgemaster) 1 Sin: Greed Crime: Forgery Patron Deity: Mammon Why she cooperates: Targi does not begrudge anyone his or her wealth, but she must have an equal or greater share. So long as it aids her dream of bathing in platinum pieces, she is willing to create equipment and accessories for others, but she always keeps a small replica of anything she makes; sometimes it's just hard to let go... Why she would serve Asmodeus: Ultimately Mammon admits Big A's authority and superiority, and the Lord of the Third would not mind having an open ear planted in an Asmodean organization. Why her Focus and Foible are thusly aligned: Targi is furtive and attentive, always on the lookout for opportunities, but she is withdrawn and shy from years of hiding her true passion except when alone. Her best defense had been silence, and now she finds it difficult to articulate her thoughts with any conviction. Alright, let's hope the numbers match my intentions.
Close enough!
Joe, I can't wait to murder Nikolai for good in The Witchwar Legacy.. Get in line! I thought we had a deal where we take turns GMing Nikolai's death. Tomb of the Iron Medusa: John
And that's before we count "killing" Joe as a GM. Hey Joe, how are those crimson-masked assassins doing?
It would be option 3. You can still only apply GM credit once, and the exact level of the character does not matter so long as you fall in the appropriate level range. From here on you could play in We Be Goblins as many times as you want, but you would only be able to apply play credit to a 2nd level character once. Such is my understanding.
I think my favorite moment was meeting Kyle Baird (thanks Nani for introducing us!) for about the fifteenth time. Besides that, I had a great time running GM 101 on Thursday, Friday, and Sunday. GMing both parts of the Special was made all the more amazing for the great mix of players that gave their all during each game. I will forever remember the cabinet delivered the VC Heidmarch, the extraordinarily clever titan mauler, the screams of a wizard who heard too much, and the excellent roleplaying of a ranger who was afraid to read anything that appeared in the scenario.
For those watching at home, I present the gruesome details of how Sarenrae turned her back on our poor Nikolai. Please, Sarenrae turned her back on Nikolai around level 3. It's been nothing but arrogance and painful voice acting since then.
Maybe next time we can dress as cultists and behead an effigy of Nikolai to mark the occasion. Bonus points if one of us packs dark red Kool-Aid to toast with and drink.
Relishing Caubo-tears in person should be a new criterion for becoming a 5-Star GM.
I understand the only branch of the Pathfinder Society in Varisia is in Magnimar. The lodge is in the Alabaster District and is run by Sheila Heidmarch. There's some more detail of it both in Seeker of Secrets (I'm pretty sure) and the newer Magnimar: City of Monuments book.
I presume John failed where I shall not? You give me too little credit. I killed Nikolai before he could even act. He also fell to negative hit points twice in the first encounter. Nikolai was a few moments shy of returning as an incorporeal worshiper of Sarenrae. I'm sure that that would be the final straw in her granting spells to the foppish Qadiran. It's a real embarrassment that the Sarenraite was resurrected by an Iomedaen priest. I thought the sun witch was the one with the healing domain.
It is derived from the number of times you have bragged about Nikolai's invulnerability. I would count myself lucky that Kyle never heard all of your boasting in Georgia.
Stoneskin? Pfah! Kyle picked up the Adamantine Will feat several levels ago (gained from supping upon slain PCs and consuming their most valuable items). It grants him an automatic success on all Will saves against pitiful mewling while also allowing him to overcome DR/adamantine.
I have to apologize in advance, Kyle, as I will be feeding the six-person group to Tomb of the Iron Medusa in another week. I will happily package the mushy remnants of Nikolai to send to Gen Con for your GMing pleasure.
I'm going to make a guess by saying that they may have noticed the scope first and decided not to read/comment further. I gather that there are a few qualities of a submission that will get it turned down automatically: comedy, easter eggs, lack of ties to Golarion, etc. Someone who sends in a proposal for a Quest in Krynn or Faerun would likely only feedback about the inappropriateness of the setting for the Quest, not any comments about active voice. I don't know that having a proposal with a large scope would fall into that same category, but I would not be discouraged. Perhaps you could reply with a quick email. Possible email: Thank you for taking the time to review my submission. I would appreciate your answering a quick question for me to improve the quality of my future submissions. Besides the excessive scope of the proposal, were there any grammatical or technical issues (active voice, grammatical errors, quality of the concept, etc.) that jumped out as needing improvement? I am not asking that you review my proposal again in detail, but I will take to heart any insights that you can remember. Much appreciated,
In our region we have offered the three different modules separated by two months so that all of the players who started the trilogy would have enough time to gain a level between the events. If you're playing with the same group an controlling which scenarios you play, this could be a great opportunity to run a few other scenario arcs. Might I recommend City of Strangers 1-2 to distract the newly 2nd level characters? The 4th level survivors of Masks of the Living God might really enjoy taking on Tier 3-4 of the Devil We Know series.
I'm of the "donkey urine" school. The Aspis Consortium has a bit of snake motif going on, but saying Asp-is requires one to cut the "p" very short just to fit in the "is." In fact, I fact myself saying "Asp-hiss" just in an effort to make it sound like one word. Asp-is may seem thematically correct, but it's a beast to pronounce. Go with "donkey urine."
Shouldn't dying just be a 10 minute break at that level? That should be the case, though it might be complicated by his being the party's primary divine caster. With Kyle Baird running things, I can only imagine that there will several encounters involving disintegration effects in areas with high winds.
That's how our home group is looking. Here's how it would look for Joe Caubo's character: Finish your normal career at 12.0
Feel free to bounce other ideas off of me here or by message.Can we bounce other things off of you as well? Perhaps coconuts or rotten eggs? Save it fer Dragon*Con! I'm much better at dodging rotten eggs when I can grab Nani and use her as a shield.
That sounds like a great way to incorporate the rescue mission concept while giving you plenty of ammo for faction mission design. I like where this is going. Feel free to bounce other ideas off of me here or by message.
I believe there are other scenarios that explicitly deal with tracking down lost Pathfinder teams. One I specifically remember is Rebel's Ransom.What seems a little off-flavor is that an entire team of Pathfinders is being sent to recover the first team.Not at all. One of the party died and needed to spend prestige to get their bodies back. You're the team that the prestige bought. You getting the mission prestige is dependent on getting their bodies back safely. Clearly I'm in a Shadow Lodge frame of mind. You're right that there are some rescue missions out there, but I find that many of them are tied to locations where there are known treasures (or rarely when there is a very notable person that needs rescuing). As a result, I can think of a number of scenarios whose missions can be paraphrased as a) rescue Mr. XYZ, and b) also investigate those delicious ruins while you're there, as clearly our first team couldn't manage it. A few scenarios that fit that model:
Among the Living Rebel's Ransom Fingerprints of the Fiend Fury of the Fiend Before the Dawn, Part 2 Forbidden Furnace of Forgotten Koor There are certainly also some scenarios with rescues of either important Pathfinders (like Venture Captains) or non-Pathfinders rescued to further the Society's cause. I'm having difficulty thinking of a scenario in which the PCs are sent to rescue some no-name Pathfinders who weren't already at the archaeological site. As a result, I encourage the prospective writer(s) to incorporate some reason for the higher-ups to care about fishing those Pathfinders' bodies out of the Shackles. The Shadow Lodge performs rescues for the sake of rescues, but I understand the Decemvirate to perform rescues for the sake of major Society goals.
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