Chot's page

Page of spell knowledge can be useful for the faerie dragon. Vanish, enlarge person...

Death

Death

Back to the question. Question to GMs: Have you really ever had an issue with the so called "GOD" wizard? I have see it done in different ways. One less effective way leave the wizard indifferent to death with some contingency-greater teleport-clone. Death indifference can become a problem. The risk of death or risk of something is part of the game. If they are playing an evil (weather on paper or just play it that way) pc they don't risk much of anything ever. O ya back to the question - if the wizard doesn't rain on the other players parade and every one is having fun it is not an issue. I don't like playing level 17 + that long I find it uninteresting and the game tends to bog.

Bullet list! (Nicks good idea)

Pros:

- Paizo staff was awesome... I had a great pull of GMs most were venture captains or venture lieutenants. The GMs are usually good at Paizo con, it was just one step higher, the only thing I missed was the usual Dragonmoon GMing Session.
- Preview banquet was good, better than last year. Lisa took her constructive criticism to hart.
- Registration line actually moved pretty quickly
- SWAG was great

Cons:
- No restaurants or markets really in walking distance (I know it is unrealistic for next year but when you can take it into consideration please do)
- Noise not good but still better than last year and much better than Gencon
- Preview Banquet cut into game time
- Store & Registration closed early
- Gaming area didn't have wifi freely/easily available even though the rest of the hotel did. Not crucial but sometimes like to check the PRD for some reference or another.
- I miss the 2nd and 3rd years of Paizo con location but those years of a smaller con in sub divided rooms are long gone.

Goblin Faction T-shirt with Goblin boon (14.99 con sale price) - small and extra small sizes only.

8 am time slots are for the east coast folks to catch after they have slept in :)

Maybe Friday and Saturday but by Sunday it is a different story

Wait ... there's an 8am on Sunday???

There has been discussion on removing the entire 0800 hour on all sundays and adding it to saturday at 2200. The bill went to congress but failed to make it out of committee.

Call your congress-man,woman, elf, dwarf and tell them to vote for the elimination of 0800 on sundays

I like going to CONs with at least a 2nd level guy, but I have played and sat at several tables with new players and playing new PC. Let the GM and other players know so they can help you understand the game. Paizocon is a much better con to get your feet wet over a monster con like Gencon. I only killed one PC once*.

*Paizocon 2009 grand melee PVP 1st level guy makes it to round 2 by killing another PC. The grand melee 2011 was avoiding Dragnmoons beat down till 1am. This year they are brewing something more like 2009 that 1st level guy is now 11th, it should be fun.

The one big binder plans work well till the 3rd day of Gencon or Paizocon and you mind that of an Otyugh and your gut is of an elf who has filth fever.

I have 4 binders/folders, I often only take 2 to a con(focus on 2 pfs characters). My 11 level guy who was at the 1st Paizo run Paizo con(so the second) has lots of boons and other crap. I also have a copy of the Favorite summoned guys incase I forgot my Bestiary. I hate carrying lots of stuff to a big con. So do what fits your needs and thinking of Otyughs I think I am hungry.

My list would be extremely short. I could care less about what class your playing. There are only two things banned at my tables: overly annoying people and Dragnmoon.

Wait, that's only one thing.

Hmmm if I banned Dragnmoon from my table I would feel like I would be missing almost 1/3 of my PFS games, since he is my CON GM. He did try to kill me more times than I can remember...

I think this is a good thing, it will make 6 and 7 player tables more interesting, but not simply slay 4 player tables. With 5 players I think the GM need to look at the PCs and make the call, since not all PCs are not the same level of combatants.

This one encounter was brutal, We had 6 players and 2 went down(not dead). If we had 4 players it would have been 2 down and most likely 2 dead. I don't like this one and I don't think I would ever run it with the wrong party.

I will be flying in early from Va.
I am interested in a game.

So I have this Dwarven Cleric and he just feels self conscious about carrying around a scimitar. He gets looks from all the other dwarves with their great dwarven axes and beautiful hammers. He doesnt want to offend his deity with her preferred weapon and all but it just doesnt fell right?

Any ideas for a pathfinder society member? Help a dwarf out eeeh?

Ole Rumble Gut!

First as a PFS player have fun with it what ever it is.

Return to Torag brother. Reject you lawless god, return to your heritage, return to your strength, return to Torag. All dwarves are savable, I travel to the depths of Asmodeus's realm and delivered lost dwarves to Torag. The realm of Sarenrae is a fiery lawless place, throw down your scimitar and let Torag pick you up as you hold a mighty warhammer.

Torag has worked through all dwarves to bring the strength the forge to all of us, even those who fallow weaker dark gods.

Repeat
make a story, have fun and go with it.

SCENARIO DESIGN
-----------------------------------------------
Regarding scenario design, I think scenarios would be much better if they were designed for 6 players. That way:

Each as we know encounters currently have different sub tiers they are run, in addition to making higher and lower in difficulty the sub tiers could has be widening effect by adding an additional thug or two when run at 6 or 7. The maps need to be made larger to handle the possibility of 7 players and 3 or 4 pets, have a 6 or 7 player murder box addition beyond the 4-5 player box.

You need to keep things as basic as possible my adding additional thugs so it does not make the encounter harder to run.

The average table size I play at is closer to 6 than 5, but I see problems if the encounters are designed for 6. If they are 4 players and you have a bad player mix your screwed. I fear being a DM and having 4 wizards (or really missing a full BAB guy and a healer) sit down at my table who are being run by new players. (At our home games we work out a good class mix and when I go to Cons I am usually going with 2 others so we work as a team.)

To those who DM PFS at CONs, what do you do if you have a table of 4 underpowered/poorly matched PCs?

Just an idea

Bob Jonquet wrote:

In my experience, the number of players doesn't really impact game time.

Now run 7 player table with 4 Summoners, a player that has to look up every spell during his turn to figure out what he is casting, another player that takes for ever to figure out his bonuses to hit *And gets it wrong every single time* and another player that argues with the GM with every rule...

I have had some game mechanics bread down. 4 of the 7 players had pets 3 of which are large. The PC overflowed the place PCs here/murder box and started next to the enemy caster. If you dont play up the combat encounters tend to be a little light(the PCs just have so many more actions). We have all seen "hay wait that was just my animal companion" then they try to figure out what they (the pc)are doing.

The writers need to write encounters and make the murder boxes at least 12 spaces(if they are going to use murder boxes)

At the moment i like that the Legal table size for PFS is between 4-6 players, with GMs having the option of running 3 people tables or 7 person tables in case of emergencies.

There has been plenty of discussion about what table size is "too big" and where the "fun stops".

I am curious about the three person table. Have you had good experiences at a 3 person table? bad experiences? Have you had fun?

What sort of problems crop up when running a 3 person table? Were there things you liked more about a 3 person table?

are 3 person tables too small?

Of course when I am referring to a 3 person table, I am referring to a table with 1 GM, and a Pre Gen NPC, 3 players with their characters.

thanks

3 VS 7

As a player it is a social game. I have played a couple of 3 player games they were not bad, I have played in several 7 player games. If you are at a good table it is lots of fun. If you have a 7 player table that has lots of mechanics/lack of attention/new player what am I doing/personal conflicts issues it is a mess and you are just waiting for it to be over.

Bob Jonquet wrote:

Personally, I think that if you sunder an item intentionally, that character should lose the value of the item.

I thought that Make Whole was only necessary for during-that-session usage.

If this isn't right, can we get this specifically called out please?

Please Note I am pulling your leg, some may call it sundering...

If you damage anything intentionally, you must lose that value of the item. If you kill some ones pet dog, 25 GP. If you kill their pet dog and then kill the master, then it is the 25gp plus 200gp/HD for the master(life to gp relationship from from sacrifice spell). If you sundered the masters +1 sword and his Leather armor but saved his socks, killing the master and his dog... forget about it stay home and just make your day job roll adventuring is to expensive...

Mend/Make whole your leg

Chot wrote:

I believe the GMs often do not issue and assign a physical chronicle sheet at the same time he hands them out to the other players, there are more than enough to ask on these boards.

What huh?...

GMs have copy of the scenarios themselves.. If they don't give it to themselves at a CON they can print it up later...

They also sign it themselves...

GMs are required just like players to have chronicle sheets for all their characters be it playing credit or GM credit.

I personally would not let a player play a character if he showed up with no chronicles for the character that had a few levels.

What Huh??

So I agree with Dragnmoon...

If a player showed up with a IPad with all his chronicles scanned in (signatures and all) would you let him play??

If you're playing at a 7-person table more often than very rarely, something more than the presence of 7-person tables is going on.

What is Very rare? I dont remember a home PFS game which I have played 7 players. In CONs they are far from very rare, I dont know about more than 50% but far more than what I would consider very rare. What % of PFS games at the last 2 PaizoCons were 7 players??

as the GM is supposed to issue himself a physical chronicle sheet at the same time he hands them out to the players.

We will see about the ruling for keeping physical sheet on hand at a CON, I get and keep all the DM placed ink on physical chronicle sheets. I believe the GMs often do not issue and assign a physical chronicle sheet at the same time he hands them out to the other players, there are more than enough to ask on these boards.

I've never had a good experience at one and they only make scenarios drag.

I has played at and GMed 7 person tables. I have only GMed 1 at PaizoCon 2011 and it was one of the best DMing experiences I have had (I have not had that many PFS gming experiences).

I have had some game mechanics bread down. 4 of the 7 players had pets 3 of which are large. The PC overflowed the place PCs here/murder box and started next to the enemy caster. If you dont play up the combat encounters tend to be a little light(the PCs just have so many more actions)

I believe PCs have to rollplay and interact with other player well and know what you are doing durning their turn.

Mark Moreland wrote:

In the past Scans of the chronicle sheet where not allowed, so If that is the case, then yes it does need to be clarified.

Where was this codified? And how can one tell the difference between a scan and a normal printout?

I go to three or four cons a year. and totally digital record keeping is being used more and more often. I am not there yet but I am tempted. I guess it is not legal, but it keeps the amout of stuff you have to carry down and eliminates the posiblility of death forever though loss of paper work. Keep the paper at home safe in a folder.

Last con one GM played his first game with a PC at level 6 (all gm credit). so the paper most likely never existed.

I guess the official ruling makes a difference if I get an Ipad/kindle.

I (and i think most people) would be fine if was back to any weapon and simply granted prof with that weapon.

That would be good some some classes but not as useful for others. Fighters would never have heirloom longsword. That could be one of the options if they go that direction once again. But I agree with you on getting rid of the upgrade restriction and powering other things down, less rules are better.

I'll say it here as well i would ban Heirloom Weapon since to a newer player its almost a saddening option to pick it up and have a great Story moment about using Granddads old war-worn longsword only to learn that not only can it not be upgraded but also that if your not normally proficent your also not proficient in another one should you choose to continue with your method of fighting.

So could it be fixed?... again, power it down but then let it be upgrade able. Could you make it +1 to one maneuver or +1 trait bonus to damage on your first attack (maybe to powerful) or summons fish on command(definitely to powerful)...

1. Removing the restriction on taking 10 from the day job roll.
-James

Remove the shirt reroll restriction on day job rolls too

and fixed. But I am curious why stuff disappeared....

Things aren't looking good for a high (6-7) level game since it is lacking those signups. I am sure you can rally some low level sign ups. I am going to pull the plug on my end. At Marscon the table was made days before the con.

Best wishes happy gaming.

Anyone considering playing the Grand Convocation with a 12+ character? I'm curious to see how many folks will do this.

I hope to get eyes of the 10 in at Gencon 2013 or Paizocon 2013, After the showing at the last Gencon/Paizo con I am not sure it will happen.

How many Con players are level 13+, Last year the high table at the Paizo special there was only 2 level 11 a 10 and a 9 at the only high level table.

This has made me wounder if people were doing the same for raise dead. pooling the ingame treasure to pay for and still getting it at the end. You may scoff but what is the difference. It's trading ingame treasure for a material spell component.

Raise dead would not work under the same logic, it would have always required you to buy the spell components, buying stuff is clear. Not that it would not ever be mistaken. I have been lucky enough to catch them most the time with breath of life.

Material components are an odd handling condition out side of PFS (really where did you collect a few hairs, or a pinch of dung, from a bull for bull str). I have also had liveoak be unusable in a game, so now I need an oak....

Chot wrote:

So to be clear, you are upset that you now have to actually pay the cost of the spell as it was designed and balanced?

What kind of entitled logic is that?

Upset??? no

it was gray
In PFS the consumables rule is strange, and it was a play on that. In campaigns you must "pay" for cure potions or scrolls or what ever. In PFS they are "free" to be used in the scenario. I understand spell components have a cost for a reason, usually scrolls and potions have a cost for a reason too.

Some of the Alchemist abilities will most likely follow suit (potion to poison as well as Dilution).

I guess I will find out if I can sacrifice NPCs as bargaining tools for outsiders too... Torag would most likely not approve... well maybe for an elf...

Chot wrote:

... My 1st and 2nd level guys are more in a fix since they now cant use potions and found scrolls freely (they will cost at the end of an adventure).

That's not what he said.

He didn't say that consuming a chronicle item means you have to pay for it afterwards..

He only said that if during play you give away a chronicle item as payment for a spell cost, THEN you still have to pay for it. Seems that even in this situation, the item will still appear on the chronicle, if you want to buy ANOTHER one to keep.

Now it makes a difference on how it is consumed.

Whatever price a PC pays to bargain with an outsider needs to be listed as gold spent at the end of the scenario the same as if he had spent real gp out of his amassed wealth. Whether or not the equivalent of that gp value came from his own existing gear, an item found in the scenario, or his cache of coins is immaterial. You cannot use the proposed workaround to get free material components.

This will be clarified in the FAQ as soon as Mike gets back from vacation and we can put together clear language for it that covers all such loopholes.

The rules on this are vague and an update is needed. My 11th level cleric doesn't care much(I have only ever pulled hound archons which are not overly powerful). My 1st and 2nd level guys are more in a fix since they now cant use potions and found scrolls freely (they will cost at the end of an adventure).

Chot wrote:

I cast it almost every game I play my 11th level cleric, I pull a Hound Archon. I sacrifice some item we find on our enemies body

Can you clarify how you use the spell a bit? It might help people to adjudicate how it will work in their game.

What are you using the Hound Archon for? Considering the casting time is 10 minutes, it's not really a combat spell. So you have to cast it in advance. Then you have to declare the specific purpose for the contract. If you keep it around for the entire scenario, that would likely be in the long-term task category (6000gp) or at least the mid-term category (3000gp). Either option is relatively expensive for a one-shot consumable. If it is expected to fight in combat, that can easily be considered an especially hazardous task with the archon requesting an even higher payment. Do you actually role-play the negotiation or is it automatic by the GM?

Also, you mention sacrificing items you find on enemies. Does that mean you are delaying the payment to the archon? The spell specifically states the payment must occur prior to the task.

Finally, are you giving the archon the reward/treasure items found during the scenario with the thought that since items are not expended at the end of the scenario those items will still be there for the gold reward on the chronicle? That might apply to consumables, but I'm not sure it applies to permanent items.

As noted it is not a combat spell. I usually cast it halfway through the mission. By then you the party usually has a fair bit of items that no one is using. For role playing when wouldn't a cleric call to his god to assist him with an ally. For items used and reward on chronicles players get the same amount if they use potions and scrolls or what ever else or not. I have seen no rule on Permanent items. If you don't kill a bad guy and he gets a way do you get less gold?? You may not have access to an item but gold wise do you get less?

Assuming an 11th level CN cleric of a CE god, one could summon a glabrezu (highest CR monster of 12HD or less on the planar ally list) and have it cast wish. Note that it is called rather than summoned so it's spells do not automatically end if it goes away and since wish is an SLA it has no material component...

I thought this sort of thing was fixed somewhere in the Pathfinder book but I'm unable to find it at the moment.

Then the Glabrezu kills the rest of the party...

I had a question about the Planar Ally line of spells in PFS.

The spell description reads:

SRD wrote:

By casting this spell, you request your deity to send you an outsider (of 6 HD or less) of the deity's choice. .

Restrictions on what outsiders can be called by a player in PFS? Should I as a GM allow basically any reasonable outsider to a player?

I cast it almost every game I play my 11th level cleric, I pull a Hound Archon. I sacrifice some item we find on our enemies body. The creature I am pulling is really strait forward and doesn't require a long stop to look at the monster manual. I have never had a DM question my choice of outsider. Once you confuse things with templates I think it starts going down hill. Pick an outsider which matches the deities alignment and keep it simple. I have been questioned on using loot which we find but I use the argument that we use potions and scrolls why cant we use other magic items.

I DM too, I would suggest keep it simple, but don't nerf the spell.

I can't sign up for the Late Saturday Session
#41: The Devil We Know—Part III (Lv 1-7)
It is missing, any reason why??

Good times
It was a much louder this year but nothing like gencon...
A 900 start and adding 30 min to each session would be nice...
I miss getting to play with Adam Daigle, the hag encounter last year was too good.
Getting GMed by Dragnmoon was good as it is at most my cons...
The extra give aways and boons were good...
Chot is down the the last couple of mods till 12th maybe he will finish up next year at Owlcon.
The best are the other players to chuck dice with
Still a good CON

First i heard that Dragnmoon was wrong somewhere is this mess.
At CONs (looking at gencon) it has taken 1 hour to start playing from start time. We had our 10th level pc audited. We sped things up at the end and 2 of the players ended up with 0PA mainly based on time. That was with a table of 5. I have had lots DMs rush the finish and miss initals and crossing things out and Then I get questioned on it later in the con.

When I GM and when i GMed at Paizocon I did a quickly describe your character and asked about large bonuses which came up during the game. I have not DMed PFS enough to get burned by some wrong PC at a table who wrecks it for others, I have played at tables in which the DM has called shenanigans on a PCs abilities(crazy overrunning druid, it was a difference of rule interpretation)

The 100% audit will not work with 4 or 5 hour sessions with high level tables.

It is getting harder for GMs as the crazy archetypes and feat chains get more crazy.

did I hear "Dragnmoon was wrong?"

My Once upon a time happened at Paizo Con... I too have given up... most my PFS play is at CONs these days.

All right!

Sounds like Saturday night is shaping up...

I'll bring Torath (Cleric of Asmodeus 11) for Hall of Drunken Heroes, and Jianguo (Clr1/Mon2) will be on hand in case we play Penumbral Accords.

Adam, sounds cool that your cousin will finally make it out. Perhaps you both should jump in on the Saturday night game (that is not the interactive) and make us play low level ;)

MSG

I/Stone has played the Penumbral Accords :(. I guess I will hope high. Kelly have you played Penumbral Accords? If not I could run it.

Chot

Hopefully we can find other players to join in the fun.
Dragon Moon what is your 10th&8th level guys??
Chot is 11th level pos Cleric, I also have a 7th level tripping monk

Kell is Kota 1 away from 7th??

LOL, I GM'ed the near TPK at MarsCon and that was a case of bad dice rolls. It happens to the best of players sooner or later.

Marcon Rocked, fun fun. Our tables always had cleric on hand and we worked as a team. (yes the Bard helped too)

I was the GM for a society game for the first time yesterday and nearly inflicted a TPK. I determined that the boss monster's wand was not fully charged to avoid this. So questions:

1) Was I a wimp? Should I have played it out without pulling punches? Two party members were still up, they still had a chance to win.

2) How common should it be for PCs to die?

3) How common should a TPK be in society play?

Thanks!

1. Was it the dice gods or was it stupid PCs or bad party comp? And win?? I think at some point PCs need to flee, in non PFS and PFS, yes I have seen 0 PA. A party of first level wizards will most likely not make it, having a cleric with pos channeling makes a large difference.

2. I have run a few PFS games and sat at a few dozen (~80 total) and I have only seen 3 deaths and no TPKs. I generally play with a group of 3 so we have a good team going in. I have breath of lifed 4PC and raised another so I am not putting them in that list.

3. Rare, it happened at the table next to me at Marscon during the last encounter of the one of the first steps mod(if you have played or DMd you know the one)

High mobility enemies or enemies with other movement modes (teleport, earth glide)

Am I good or is there other stuff I need to do?

You still have work to do after that Zon-Kuthon event you went to, really you should look into anti-paly. Evil, it is a growth industry.

There are several types of whips do they all work with Weapon Finesse?

Chot wrote:

I am working on a Armored Hulk/Martial artist with the Crane style feat chain. He will be monk heavy barbarian light and nothing like a typical barbarian or monk. He will be decent damage multi attack tank at level 2. Slow... not much need to good cha, dex, wis, or int, all str and con. I think I would only tank 1 stat. and start with an 18 str and a 16 con. (human or half ork). I think he may be loosing to much to run well. But our group needs a low level tank. Any other interesting martial artist/barbarian combinations? I do like the Gnome titan mauler/Martial artist silly but could be fun.

Don't the alignment restrictions make a monk/barbarian hybrid impossible?

only the Martial artist since he/she can be of any alignment

I am working on a Armored Hulk/Martial artist with the Crane style feat chain. He will be monk heavy barbarian light and nothing like a typical barbarian or monk. He will be decent damage multi attack tank at level 2. Slow... not much need to good cha, dex, wis, or int, all str and con. I think I would only tank 1 stat. and start with an 18 str and a 16 con. (human or half ork). I think he may be loosing to much to run well. But our group needs a low level tank. Any other interesting martial artist/barbarian combinations? I do like the Gnome titan mauler/Martial artist silly but could be fun.

fun fun... I usually go to Gencon and Paizocon... maybe I should also hit a local con or two...
good info
Thanks from C-ville (Just about the middle of the state)