CrazyGnomeLady's page

We finally had the session yesterday, and it went incredibly well! We just continued gaming as usual for a while, and as it got closer to evening, I had a talk with her and explained an idea. She loved it, so the coming morning shortly before dawn, the chupacabra kidnapped her from camp while she was on watch duty and carried her off to its nest. The whole camp immediately packed up and followed the coast line to the general direction of the Red Mountain (the direction the chupacabra flew off to), resting only during the worst heat.

The group found the rocky mountain side with the nest at dusk, and the NPCs decided it was too dangerous for all of them to climb up there, especially since the ledge looked too narrow to hold them all anyway. So only the remaining PCs started up (after quite some discussing, and a lot of clanking from the Battle Oracle's armor). When they were just about to step onto the ledge, the chupacabra woke up and unfolded its wings with a piercing scream, and I had them roll initiative.

At the beginning of the battle, the Ranger (the death candidate) is lying unconscious in the beast's nest. The sun is already setting (meaning dim light, and darkness in just a few rounds--I expressively told the PCs). I had set up the ledge with partly difficult terrain and limited space, plus the nest walls as effectively low walls with the risk of getting stuck between the driftwood when climbing above it.

At first, the chupacabra waits and watches the PCs (I had lost initiative against all but one of them, unfortunately). The second round, my readied charge triggers when the Rogue gets too close, but I miss him with my claws and can't grab him. I get attacked in return and take my first damage. The next round, I decide to attack the Sorcerer from above and try to grab him. He casts his readied Color Spray even after the clear warning that the beast would fall right on top of him if he managed to affect it. One failed Will save later, my chupacabra is stunned and the Sorcerer effectively pinned between the heavy beast and the stone floor, down to one HP (I misread the falling object rules, I admit, but it thankfully didn't stop the fun). Unfortunately, I eat some nasty attacks and am reduced to below half my HP while stunned. So when my next round comes up, I chupar on the Sorcerer for one Con dmg plus the effects of the Haste effect and tumble my way back into the air, into an area of dim light where I stealth against all but the Rogue (the only one with Darkvision 60 ft.).

By now, the Ranger is up and shooting at me with her longbow too. When I effectively disappear in the dim light of the Oracle's light spell, though, she decides that it's safer closer by her companions. She attempts to climb over the next wall and gets stuck with her foot, caught between driftwood. No one is able to attack me before my next turn, so all they can do is watch as the monster (unidentified, btw) soars down on the Ranger, bites her twice and then claws at her with both claws, reducing her to below 0 with those attacks, and then grab her, jerk her out (with an awkward snapping sound to be heard), fly high enough to be out of range for any melee or spell attack, and drain her off blood. When it's done, it discards her bloodless body over the rigged valleys and flys off into the night.

I allowed the player some last words to be spoken in the moment she sees the beast soar down on her, as it dawned on her that this might be her last living moment. The remaining party looted and burnt the nest in revenge (which will definitely make them the goal of a bit of chupacabra revenge in the future).

My players were happy, and I was a happy GM because in spite of tough dice luck in that fight, my chupacabra escaped alive after killing the Ranger. My only really successful round was the last one where I attacked the Ranger....

Your "fake" sword in itself would be considered a powerful artefact. Ask yourself: If artefacts are usually created by deities, how and why would a dwarven weaponsmith be able to do it without divine help? And...what effect would it have on your game world if a second powerful artefact were existent? Even if the dwarf was actually able to create that "fake", is it reasonable for your play to have that "fake" available?

I really like to roll hit points, but in my campaign (the two-character campaign my sweetheart is running for me) I'm glad that I have the safety net of getting at least half my HD in HP every level up (that is, at least 3 + Con for my sorcerer, and 4 + Con for my rogue). However, I voluntarily restricted my sorcerer's Summon Monster II spell to elementals only (character concept) in exchange for the choice of taking average HP out of the Bestiary or rolling HP every time I summon. And yes, I've ended up with a small elemental with only 2 HP, which still punched the bad boy in the face for major damage (and survived the fight thanks to good AC and not getting hit, IIRC).

For the first time now, we've tried out a Point Buy system for a module, and to be honest, I really like rolling my ability scores a lot better. I might feel different if we actually used a different, more dangerous rolling method. Something about seeing numbers and having to find my character concept rather than creating my own numbers according to a concept appeals more to me.

For the module, I rolled HP without safety net and (thanks to a 15 Point Buy and SAD builds) Con at 10 or even 8 (racial penalty). Which now means that my melee rogue with only 25 HP at level 5 has to make sure his AC is high enough to avoid getting hit.... Oh well, I'll see how well that party plays out in the end. Honestly, I don't expect my low HP to be of a major importance anyway--either high AC or ranged attacker, darkvision across the party and access to Darkness spells, Stealth high, ....

Best,
your crazy gnome from next door

Just downloaded Frozen Wind and hope I can convince my sweetheart to GM it for me (he's GMing a module for four 5th level characters for me in a few days, so if we end up enjoying the party I create, I for one might want to play another module with them) ;)

Thanks! :)

Oh, I know that feeling of thinking my decision were clear before reading the second one, because the first one didn't catch me (poorly written explanation, confusing, poor formatting, you get it). And then I read the second one--and vote for the first one without hesitation since the second one is utterly game-breaking.

The player is cool with it, yes. I asked her first and she was the one asking me to let her die in a memorable way, instead of just having her die in some Spiked Trap or such.

I'm not one of those hero girls who fall in battles against dragons and stuff like paladins do, but I don't want to die in one of those traps neither. Maybe I marry a cannibal king to make sure everyone else is fine. Or a waterdragon. Or I die at something I'm good at like being the only one able to climb up that volcano to throw the ring inside. ;)

I don't want a stupid death by coincidence, that's for sure.

That's what she wrote to me (so actually the gorilla king abducting her with wedding bells in the background might be a fun idea) ;)

We already had our halfling rogue hanging from those spikes (and dying)....

"Let the rogue walk first, he's best at spotting traps."

Whoosh!

"Look, he found one! Now how do we get him down again before he bleeds out?"

That was after their healer (the oracle) had walked into the first trap.

Spiked Traps : Party 2 : 0

I doubt they'll make it to the temple during the next session, and the Aztec ritual might be too gruesome for her liking, but maybe I can work with foreshadowing some later events on Smuggler's Shiv here (like the flying thing--she seems to attract death from above).

Again, thanks for all your great ideas!

Best,
your crazy gnome lady from next door

Wow, there are some great and fun ideas right there, thanks a lot!

I'll likely choose a few of those options and let her choose which one she likes most, and then work it into the next session. She definitely gets a say in her own death, since it is unfortunately an inevitable and permanent one.

More ideas still appreciated, since I still have some time before the next session (definitely not before January).

Oh, and I'll totally let you guys know how it played out afterwards!

Best,
your crazy gnome lady from next door

Okay, so my party is still on Smuggler's Shiv (level 2 characters), has explored much of the upper part (including the Brine Demon and the Treasure Pit). Their current base camp is at the abandoned village close to the Treasure Pit (I3, I think).

Unfortunately, one of my players moves in January and has to leave the group. She is playing a human ranger from the Mwangi Expanse, and will only have one more gaming session with us. I want her to have a memorable last session, and to kill her off in a way that is more than "Oh, crap, our ranger died. Let's move on."

I also have to take into account that the group is in possession of a Raise Dead scroll, so the ranger needs to get killed in a way that Raise Dead isn't an option.

The other party members:

a human oracle of war
a human sorcerer
a halfling/oread rogue

Apart from Ariel, all NPCs are still with the group and alive, all friendly or helpful (Ariel stormed off on Day 1 and got killed by now; the group doesn't yet know of her fate). Sasha has a baby dimorphodon, which the ranger is also fond of.

There's another, customised NPC in the camp, but she's mostly there to get the PCs into a side quest I'm planning for later; she hasn't yet been relevant (apart from taking one of the camp roles).

I'd appreciate any ideas on how to kill off the ranger in a way that my players will still talk about it in years to come ;)

Best,
your crazy gnome lady from next door

uriel222, may I ask you one question? Does your new player want you to do that for him? If yes, great, and I haven't said anything.

If not, however, please let me offer my point of view (from the player side): I would want to build my Sorcerer. I might ask for help, or for explanations of certain things like bloodline power or spells, but I would want total control of my character. Yes, I might make mistakes, but I'd learn from them and try to avoid them in the future.

The way you describe it, I as a player would probably feel treated like a small child incapable of learning, of trying things out. And honestly, I would probably leave the group after the very first session because it wouldn't be my character but the GM's.

Another thing: If you don't let your player build his Sorcerer, choose his spells, etc., how do you expect him to learn the mechanics and improve?

Again, please don't take my post the wrong way, I'm not trying to criticise you. I think it's great you're worried about him having fun with his character. Take my post as a player's POV (and your player could be completely different, for all I know) and as something to think about or, even better, talk to your player about.

Best,
your crazy gnome lady from next door

CrazyGnomeLady wrote:

Quote:

I'm playing a Sorceress and don't think it's a difficult build, as long as you have a strong concept in mind (for spell and feat selection, mostly).

Burning Hands definitely (is one of my favourite spells so far)

See, that right there is exactly the kind of rookie mistake people make with Sorcerers. Why are you getting into dangerous range to deal laughable damage when you could instead be blinding/stunning/knocking unconscious those enemies in the same area? Color Spray is so much better than Burning Hands, it's like a more one sided fist fight than Mike Tyson vs. a new born.

I mean, I'm glad you enjoy the spell, but at the same time, thank you for perfectly illustrating my point.

Well, you do have a point that Burning Hands with CL 1st is rather weak (especially for being close to the enemies). I forgot that I actually started the game at level 3 (only two characters in the party so my GM allowed me to start at a higher level to keep the power level balanced), and my Pyromaniac racial trait gave me another +1 to CL, so I started Burning Hands with 4d4 of damage. Against low-level enemies with rather low Reflex saves? Great spell! Against swarms? Live-saving! The other reason I still like Burning Hands as a damage spell even a few levels into the game (CL 7th for fire spells by now) is that I hit the enemy no matter how high their AC is. So yeah, even though I can cast Scorching Ray with 2 x 4d6 of damage now, there are times when I prefer to cast Burning Hands for 5d4 points of damage, even though I have to get closer up.

Color Spray is definitely an impressive spell against low-level enemies, if they’re not immune to it. And if you don’t take a damage spell as second 1st-level spell, you should definitely take Ray of Frost or Acid Splash as a cantrip…one of my players has Color Spray and Vanish, and no offensive cantrip, and has been fleeing combats far too often when the enemies were immune to Color Spray….

I’m by no means a rookie anymore, but I think it’s important that you pointed out the dangers of a spell like Burning Hands if you don’t really know what you’re doing ;)

Best,
Your crazy gnome lady from next door

Well, guess that note never reached me ;) While I do use a pen name for some of my writing, it is clearly a female name (and has more to do with keeping the languages in which I write apart).

I'm playing a Sorceress and don't think it's a difficult build, as long as you have a strong concept in mind (for spell and feat selection, mostly).

Burning Hands definitely (is one of my favourite spells so far), maybe Vanish if APG is allowed (a good "safety plan" if his enemies get too much in his face, as long as he's good at casting defensively). Maybe you even want to allow him to take the Druid spell Produce Flame (1st level spell from APG) since it would kind of fit his concept and the Sorcerer description states that the spells known don't necessarily have to be from the Sorcerer/Wizard spell list if there is a good reason for a different spell.

As cantrips, how about Ray of Frost and/or Acid Splash as backup attack spells, Light (depending on his race, Light can be very important in combat to see the enemies), and maybe Spark?

Best,
your crazy gnome lady from next door

I was actually very happy about the thread listing the 27 auto-rejects, since my first idea had indeed been guilty of one of them. It was a good guideline for me when I developed my second idea, and I didn't feel like I had too little information about what to do.

Maybe it's because I've been writing creative stuff for all my life (okay, for all my life since I learnt how to write), and have been working as a professional writer, editor, and translator for some years now. For me, knowing exactly what I shouldn't do while at the same time knowing the theme of the contest gives me a good framework to spin my ideas around, but it also leaves me enough freedom in my creativity. I'm not so much a plotter but rather a pantser, and coming up with a module pitch before I actually start writing will be an interesting challenge I'm already looking forward to (if I make it that far).

Anyway, I know there are good female game designers out there; a friend of mine actually writes for a big German tabletop game ;)

Best,
your crazy gnome lady from next door

Pendin, I don't have any words with spelling differences in my text. Don't ask me how I ended up with that, I didn't specifically plan it, but that makes it even easier for me to use US spelling for the contest ;)

Anyway, thanks for pointing it out! :)

Thank you, guys :) I found the thread where Anthony Adam explained the formatting (basically a walk-through step-by-step guide for people like me), so I think I'll get it all done and submitted soon. Already read through quite a few of the advice threads here (especially the 27 auto-rejects, which resulted in me changing my complete item concept again) and think I successfully manoeuvred around all of them.

Hey, thanks a lot for all your responses and views on this issue! I guess I just wasn't sure what to make of the wording, especially with some bad experiences from other writers in my head (different kind of writing though), and therefore my alarms went off. That's why I posted it in here, to get some feedback from people more experienced with this industry and these kinds of contests.

You guys rock!

And, yeah, after reading through your posts and rethinking the issue, I think I'm giving it a shot. Now I just have to get the formatting straight.... ;)

Best,
your crazy gnome lady from next door

I actually wanted to enter, and had already created an item, but then I read the Submission Agreement, more specifically, this:

I understand that all submissions to the RPG Superstar contest become the sole property of Paizo Publishing and that I willingly forgo any and all ownership of submitted materials and give all such rights to Paizo freely and without encumberment.

As a professional writer, it strikes me as odd to have to give up all rights to a submission just for entering. That basically means Paizo gets hundreds of new items for free, all rights become theirs, and they can do with them whatever they want while the smart creators get nothing (unless they make the cut and still have the chance to get a contract...).

I can't think of any legit writing contest where the entrants give up their rights just for submitting.

I'd really be interested in knowing the reason for this, Paizo, since it's a shame that this submission agreement spoils the fun for me now.

Best,
your crazy gnome lady from next door

CrazyGnomeLady wrote: wrote:

If I recall correctly, the Sniper Goggles are in Ultimate Combat, which the OP stated isn't allowed (I wanted them for my Rogue too and then realised that they're not in the books allowed).

The Greater Sniper Goggles are in the UE, but the Sniper Goggles are in the APG and thus legal for the OP (and a must have for any sniper really).

Yeah, you're actually right, I found them last night on a "shopping tour" for my characters. Now I need to wait on my GM's decision on whether they're available in the town my AP is set in, or not.

If I recall correctly, the Sniper Goggles are in Ultimate Combat, which the OP stated isn't allowed (I wanted them for my Rogue too and then realised that they're not in the books allowed).

Take a Rogue (just the plain Rogue), one of the small races (probably a Gnome due to Low-Light Vision), and a high Dex plus Int at at least 11. Keep your Str at 10 or more (but 10 is probably enough, you just don't want to get a damage penalty with ranged weapons).

Your feats: Shadow Strike (SA against Concealment), SF Stealth, maybe Stealthy, possibly Point-Blank Shot, Rapid Shot, Manyshot, Improved Initiative

Your Rogue Talents: Fast Stealth (right at level 2), then Minor and Major Rogue Magic (Minor your choice, but a RTA cantrip like Ray of Frost might be a good idea to hit the lowest possible AC with SA whenever possible; Major: Vanish)

You don't want to be seen if you're counting on SA and play a character with a d8, so the high Dex will help you with three crucial things: ranged attack bonus, AC, and Stealth.

Vanish allows you to disappear even in plain sight (and since your Rogue level counts as CL, even concentration checks shouldn't be too difficult if you have to cast right next to an enemy to get out of a bad situation), while a high Stealth bonus (my level 6 character has a bonus of 22 and actually hit 62 total while invisible last session--try to find that Rogue before he peppers you with one or more SAs) might save your life and/or allow you to get SA on your opponents before they even know you're there.

I chose a shortbow so that I don't need Rapid Reload for more than one attack per round.

Tactics: Always, and I mean always, sneak (with Fast Stealth, you don't get a reduced movement speed while sneaking). If you can attack with more than one attack per round, you could spend your surprise round to get into a good spot that allows you to maintain your Stealth against those enemies who haven't yet noticed you (kind of what Go Unnoticed does for you if you did not get a surprise round but act before the enemy in the first round of combat, iirc). Your Initiative should also be not too bad (especially if you decide to take Improved Initiative), so with a bit of luck you might even get a surprise round and a full round of flat-footed enemies before they can (re)act.

Even when minmaxing Stealth like this, Sniping would not be a good option most of the time (I would have an effective bonus of +2 right now at level 6), but it might become a viable option at higher levels, especially if you can get some magic item with a high Stealth enhancement bonus. Still, my Rogue rocks as a sniper even without using the actual Sniping action ;)

Best,
your crazy gnome lady from next door

Okay, yeah, I just imagined it from a PC's point of view. I'm standing in a hallway, and all of a sudden my buddy slips through the solid (in my eyes at least) floor. What would my reaction be? Certainly something like, "Whoa, what just happened? This can't be true!" -> another Disbelief Save

The character would not forfeit his save, since he is disbelieving. The player might want to do it, but that would be metagaming.

This whole idea is awesome, but one question sprung to my mind:

Can't you voluntarily fail a saving throw? Like, when someone casts healing on you, for example? So what would prevent the PCs from voluntarily failing their saving throws in this situation?

(Unless the stuff about voluntarily failing was one of the houserules too in my previous groups where I learnt the game....)

I really like my Sorceress (Fire Elemental Bloodline) and my Oracle of Flame multiclass. Both spontaneous casters, both use Cha as their casting stat, and both benefit from my Pyromaniac alternate racial trait for being a gnome. I took the Deaf curse, so now I'm able to Vanish (Sorceress spell) and then use Summon Monster to summon up to four helpers before my Vanish spell ends. No one will know where I am or what I'm up to, unless they have a different means to detect me (other than Perception), or an insane Perception (my Stealth bonus while invisible is 30 at level 5).

I also like the mix of lower levels of spellcasting together with Rogue levels. If you manage to attack your enemies without their Dex bonus, you go up against the lowest possible AC while also dealing decent amounts of damage (Touch Attack spells plus SA bonus damage).

Best,
your crazy gnome lady from next door

One example where my Sorceress was able to hide her spellcasting:

We the PCs were playing on stage, and my Sorceress was playing a Wizard. So, when she needed to cast a spell, my GM allowed me to use Bluff to make it seem as if it belonged to the play.

Apart from exceptional situations like that one, yeah, maybe the Oracle curse Deaf is your way to go (guess why my Sorceress dipped into Oracle levels). Being able to cast spells silently without spell level penalty is awesome, especially if you're good at sneaking around too (or cast Vanish). Now I can summon elementals whithout anyone noticing (first Vanish, then the summon spell(s)).

Best,
your crazy gnome from next door

Thanks :)

Maybe I'm just confused, but where do the feats at 8th and 16th level (with the "human" in brackets) come from? As far as I know, a human only gets a bonus feat at 1st level?

About your build: I don't know your group nor your GM, but I've played a two-weapon-fighting Rogue before and after only some weeks wished I had taken a different build (I entered the game at 14th level, and my Rogue basically got maybe one round of attacks before he dropped--each fight!).

I usually play very Stealth-optimised Rogues (small race, probably Skill Focus and Stealthy, high Dex) with ranged weapons.

Anyway, the main question is: What concept do you have in mind? What are your goals, do you have the right party to complement your concept, and do you think playing this character will be fun? ;)

Best,
your crazy gnome lady from next door

One of the alternate Gnome traits from the Advanced Players Guide, Pyromaniac, gives you +1 CL for all spells with the fire descriptor. Pretty neat ;)

Hah, one of my Sorcerer/Rogue builds has already used a variety of the Bard's Knock Spell trick. A good Bluff (read: high bonus and good RP) and I was in. When I came back the next day to get back my mw crossbow (don't ask how I "lost" it; I got out alive), the trick was varied (by knocking while being invisible) and I was in again. I survived the APV+4 encounter a second time (6th lv Wizard against one 4th lv Sorceress/Rogue) and even managed to make him flee into his bedroom and agree to my terms of a deal. *g*

Made a great story to tell at the local Cayden Cailean temple....

I have a Sorcerer lv 5/Oracle lv 1 with the Deaf curse, and I love her! I had wanted to take the Silent Spell feat anyway, but now I'm even able to cast my spells silently without suffering the level adjustment. Okay, guess it only works that well since my GM allowed me to learn lipreading (I already had some ranks in Linguistics, a few days of free time to practice, and a willing practice partner).

BNW, thanks a lot! At least I'm not alone with my interpretation then :)

I agree with you on what the RAW say about Stealth. I'm currently brainstorming this with my sweetheart, who's also GMing (I wasn't even aware that Stealth, by RAW, did not allow SAs during a fight since every GM I've played with so far allowed it, so thanks for pointing it out).

You have a valid point with your darkness example. I'd also like your thoughts on the situation of the target being in fog or smoke (since this thread is mostly about this situation). The target isn't effectively blinded since he's able to see 5 ft. around him (even with a miss chance), but someone farther away would still get total Concealment. Would the target still lose his Dex against a Rogue attacking from, let's say, 10 or 15 ft. away?

BNW, the discussion implies that the Rogue has Water Sight or Gaze of Flames (Oracle revelations) to be able to see through fog or smoke normally.

I checked the rules and you are right, it does not directly say that a successful Stealth check makes your opponent flat-footed against your attacks (or denies him his Dex bonus). However, if you have successfully stealthed, aren't you effectively invisible for them? Same with total Concealment, if they can't pinpoint your location with sight because you have total Concealment, isn't that basically the same as being invisible for them?

I just realised how inconsistent the rules seem to be when it comes to Invisibility and total Concealment (they grant different things although, actually, they have the same effect: you cannot be seen). *sigh* Okay, time to think of a consistent way to rule it in my campaign, I guess.

Kazaan, if the target can't see anyone beyond the smoke or fog, then the Rogue would effectively have Concealment from the target even without having to be in the area of smoke/fog. It doesn't matter whether the Rogue could also use Stealth against other enemies not in the smoke/fog since he's not trying to get a Sneak Attack on them.

Target can't see Rogue = Rogue has total Concealment = Rogue can use Stealth = Rogue can use Sneak Attack against target

Well, but Concealment would allow a Rogue to use Stealth, which would then allow him to use Sneak Attack. Cool idea, might have to keep that in mind for later :)

Suzaku, then would you theoretically allow a 5th level Sorcerer to cast a 3rd level spell without a CL check, off Charisma? Or, more extreme, a 5th level Paladin, although he wouldn't get access to 3rd level spells until 10th level?

Almost. The first UMD check would be to use the scroll (it's 20 + CL), the second UMD check to emulate the corresponding stat (if your Ninja doesn't already have a high enough stat).

So my sweetheart and I have been discussing the issue of scrolls and their casting requirements lately. The trigger was that my group (a Sorceress/Oracle and a Rogue/Cleric) found some scrolls, one of them Dispel Magic, which I could actually need at this point. When I found the whole batch, we figured it wouldn't make sense for Dispel Magic to be the only arcane scroll in a batch of Cleric spells, so we agreed on it being divine too.

Now, my Sorceress is usually the one casting spells from scrolls, but I realised that, hey, if the scroll was written by a Cleric, wouldn't I need Wisdom to cast it?

The RAW don't seem to give a definite (and satisfying) answer to the scroll problem (who scribed it, which stat is needed, which CL, etc.) and after some back and forth, I came up with a solution I like (I still don't know whether he will houserule it the same way for the campaign he's running for me, but I definitely will in my campaign):

Back in NWN, scrolls usually came with all possible caster classes and spell levels on them. Now in that case, I will treat each scroll (either bought or found) as if it had each possible caster class and spell level on it too (more to pricing later), and whoever tries to cast that spell can choose which casting class he wants to use.

For example, my Sorceress could choose to cast Dispel Magic as a Sorcerer spell with the appropriate CL 6 and the casting stat Charisma, while my Rogue/Cleric could choose to cast the same scroll as a Cleric spell with CL 5 and Wisdom as casting stat.

Now, if a Wizard wanted to cast a Bard spell, for example, he would need UMD to use the scroll since the spell wasn't on his own spell list, and--if necessary--he would need a second UMD check to emulate the appropriate ability score for the casting stat (Charisma). He would NOT be able to use Intelligence as casting stat, since Bards use Charisma!

Pricing:

If scrolls list all possible caster classes and spell levels, that also means that most scrolls could be cast at different CL (sometimes even as different spell levels).

To stay with Dispel Magic as an example:

Cleric 3 / Oracle 3 / Wizard 3 / Sorcerer 3 / Bard 3 / Paladin 3 / Druid 4

We have three spontaneous caster classes with basically CL +1 (6) in here (Bard, Oracle, Sorcerer), two casters at normal CL 5 (Wizard, Cleric), the Paladin at CL 10, and the Druid at normal CL 7 (4th lv spell!). To determine the spell level and CL for the price, add together all CL (6+6+6+5+5+10+7) and divide it by the number of classes (45/7=~6.5). Then do the same with the spell levels (3+3+3+3+3+3+4=22; 22/7=~3). To make things a little easier, round to half levels.

The price for Dispel Magic would be 6.5x3x25gp=487.5gp

I know that pricing gets a little more complicated with these houserules, but honestly, think about this: If a Druid found a divine Dispel Magic scroll (usually worth 375gp=as scribed by Cleric), would he cast it as 3rd or 4th level spell? If he'd cast it as 3rd level spell, why? It's not on his spell list at that level.... If he'd cast it as a 4th level spell, he'd get the benefits of a 4th level spell for the price of a 3rd level spell. Or, let's get more extreme: If a Paladin cast Dispel Magic from this scroll, would he use his own minimum CL (10!!!), or the Cleric's? If the Cleric's, why? And if he cast it at the Cleric's CL, would he have to use the Cleric's casting stat too?

The point I'm trying to make here is that while my pricing might seem too complicated, the RAW are actually open to a lot more confusion and arguments.

If we just went with the assumption that each scroll is either scribed by a Cleric (divine) or Wizard (arcane), then, for consistency's sake, characters would also need to use either Wisdom (Cleric) or Intelligence (Wizard) as relevant casting stat, which would basically screw Sorcerers, Bards, Paladins, and Oracles (all of which use Charisma).

Now, just for the sake of completion, in my homebrew scrolls can be specifically written for just one class (e.g. a Wizard scribing scrolls for his own use) at the normal price specified for that class. However, a Sorcerer could not cast a Wizard's scroll without UMD and Intelligence.

Okay, and now roast me ;)

your crazy gnome lady from next door

My sweetheart is currently running Council of Thieves for me alone. I play two characters, and to make up for being at least two characters short of a normal party, I started the campaign at level 3.

One character is a Gnome Sorceress with Con 14, whose favoured class bonus always goes towards skill points.

My second character is a Halfling Tiefling (customised merger of Tiefling and Halfling stats) Rogue with Con 13, plus the HP from favoured class.

Currently, they are level 6, and they're working out really well (though I burnt through quite a bit of money with scrolls and potions).

My life insurance: incredible Stealth and almost only ranged attacks. Actually, my Sorceress only recently got anything resembling a weapon since she only attacks with spells.

Best,
your crazy gnome from next door

I've been doing some amount of battles against my sweetheart, sometimes 1-on-1 with same-level characters, once I built an "NPC" CR+3 to challenge our old gaming group (which he played completely--and won ;)--and yesterday we did some battles between monsters straight out of the bestiaries (only restrictions a set CR for each side, and the terrain).

Battlemaps for these kinds of encounters should make Stealth possible, as well as finding cover. Difficult terrain can be an interesting option IF your players know the rules for moving in/out/through DT. Same goes for height differences.

Best,
your crazy gnome lady from next door

I don't really get why this should be necessary. I mean, if the character's/PC's actions got him to shift in alignment, and he just continues as before, he IS already acting according to his new alignment, isn't he?

Edit: An afterthought...even if the character then started to act, let's say, good again. Why shouldn't he be allowed it (resulting in a new alignment shift somewhere along the way)? If it was allowed in the first place to "act out of alignment" and go so far that your alignment shifted, it should be equally allowed to "act out of alignment" again, with the result of another alingment shift if necessary.

We just use playing cards which are handed out for each fight (from Ace=first up the numbers). Monsters usually go on one or two initiative counts, even if there are several of them. It's a bit of switching around if someone readies or holds, but it usually works very well for us.

You guys are awesome :D Now I know why my sweetheart spends so much time here on the boards while preparing for the campaign he runs for me ;)

I'm not sure whether I want to turn Sasha's pet into her Animal Companion since I banned Animal Companions for my players (bad experience with absolutely overpowered Druids or Rangers) so I guess it would be unfair to grant an NPC one. Oh well, guess I should have seen that coming before the quest was completed.

I've read through some of the Serpent Skull subforum in the last few hours and have the feeling that I might have to customise (more or less huge?) parts of the other books anyway in order for all of us to enjoy the campaign, so maybe I'll just turn her into a Sorceress with the Arcane bloodline, and make the dinosaur her familiar (with the Improved Familiar feat) ;)

Anyway, it's late for me (I'm in Europe) and I need to be awake enough to teach tomorrow morning, so I'm out of here for now.

Best,
your crazy gnome from next door

Rynjin, since the ranger was almost killed by the egg's mother (in a single crit flyby-attack), I think they deserved to see it hatch ;)

GM Poisonblade, thanks :) I'll try to read on some more soon.

Oops, didn't see that sub-forum...sorry!

Thanks for the nice welcome and the advice so far!!! :D

I really like the NPCs, and there have been some funny interactions so far...

The Leadership feat is banned from our game, so no need to keep them "at the right level" for it, so I think I may keep them at about party level in case they need to help them out in any fight (or get into a fight with them). Guess it will also depend on whether or not the fourth player joins us, and how the next encounters play out. Do all of them play a role in the other books? (Sorry, haven't found the time to read through the other books yet.)

How did you deal with Sasha's new "pet"? My PCs brought back an egg for her, which hatched towards the end of last session and now follows her around wherever she goes, but I have no clue where to take it from here.

Best,
your crazy gnome from next door

So...my sweetheart has been a GM for quite a while (and is good at it) but also loves to play, so I agreed to run the Serpent Skull campaign for him and two (maybe three) new players (experienced gamers, just new to Pathfinder).

We've had the character creation session and the first gaming session so far, and the group dynamics are great! All four of us had fun, which is the most important thing in my eyes.

Anyway...I'd like to make it a really great and memorable campaign for them and will probably add in some side quests/custom materials at some point. Each player got a secret mission or background story part based on their background stories from me, which may or may not lead to side quests for the group, and I also created an NPC with her own side quest when the time comes (right now she's playing only a minor NPC role).

The group consists of an Oracle of War (basically their tank/front-line fighter), a Shadow Sorcerer, and a Ranger with ranged weapons and hunter's tricks instead of spellcasting. I've invited another player we know from a different group to join us from game session two on, but he hasn't decided yet. Since I don't want to change too much for their encounters, I granted each character a bonus feat at first level, and let them start with above-average stats (more an accident than intention, but works for me) to balance the small group.

So far, I didn't need to change anything, but they haven't explored much of the island yet. They managed to get every NPC but one to friendly (one stormed off right on day one after a failed Diplomacy check--none of the PCs has Diplomacy) and even solved one of their side quests, and another NPC has offered to accompany them at least for a while (a Rogue).

One question I have is: How should the NPCs level up? They're currently at lv. 2 (right out of the AP) while the PCs are still lv. 1. My custom-made NPC started at lv. 5 and will probably gain exp. at the same rate as the PCs, so that for now she remains too powerful for them in case they decide to get rid of her but will slowly become less powerful compared to them. Her side quest will probably be a challenge for a lv. 8-9 party later in the AP.

Another question: The AP names two diseases they're likely to catch in the jungle, Red Ache and Mindfire (iirc). What other diseases would you suggest for a 1st to maybe 3rd lv. party in a jungle setting?

I'm open to suggestions, advice, brainstorming, constructive criticism, and praise ;)

Best,
your crazy gnome from next door

I've played a multiclassed Rogue/Sorceress who dealt SA damage when she attacked with the Ray of Frost (a Cantrip which is a RTA). Way cool when you're actually able to attack a foe flat-footed touch (lowest AC you can get) ;)