Mutagenists get nasty drawbacks for just trying to keep up with martial of same level and still fall behind
And then there's this.
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BTW, there are more Alchemist oddities here. Would have been better if I'd kept them together, to begin with. Should probably be under rules questions, too. Oh, well. So, does anyone know if there is some sort of "future errata" section? Because the Mutagenist thing really feels like a mistake. The automatically-encumbered thing has that feel, too.
Wait till you reach the base class abilities that allow you to make 3 different items in one hand but no way to hold them...Ugh... Didn't even think of that... Yeah, I think you have to read it that way. Otherwise, the ability is pretty useless. And, as I said, looks silly. BTW, there are more Alchemist oddities here.
Wait till you reach the base class abilities that allow you to make 3 different items in one hand but no way to hold them... Uh... I guess. But it seems like shroudb is right in assuming that it is a wash, which makes this a non-ability. It also assumes a status quo situation, during all that kibitzing. And... well... it just makes for a really silly image.
Wait till you reach the base class abilities that allow you to make 3 different items in one hand but no way to hold them... Ugh... Didn't even think of that...
You're totally right. I just control F'd through the pdf and found nothing about Mutagens being keyed to a person anymore. This is really baffling. I hope the people at Paizo are checking out these threads because Alchemist is one of my favorite classes and I really have not been enjoying what I've seen of it in 2e. I second that. Since posting my original two threads, I've done more digging, and it seems like all of my concerns were valid. I was just hoping I had missed... several... somethings. I had heard from a reliable and very Pathfinder-savvy source that the new Alchemists - especially, Mutagenists - were underwhelming and kind of boring to play (vis-à-vis getting to enjoy any limelight, in a typical group), at least at low level, but I was hesitant to believe that, without a thorough examination, of my own. At this point, I'm afraid I couldn't argue the point.
I agree that the research fields are poorly balanced. The right answer is to pick bomber but diversify in what you're actually using your feats and reagents for. Yeah, that was the feeling I was starting to get. But am I right or wrong about #2? Can anyone safely use mutagen, now? Because it sure looks that way. But the Mutagenist ability seemed to imply that I'm wrong, so...?
More problems... Aren't Alchemists looking at serious encumbrance issues? Alchemist gear = 2 bulk. Formula book = 1 bulk. Healer gear = 1 bulk. Uh... Isn't the Chirurgeon going to start with 4 bulk, before even buying weapons, armor, and an adventurer's pack? This seems like some kind of typo or glitch or something... And I'm unsure how you would even start to do the absolutely classic Jekyll/Hyde or Banner/Hulk build, now. As near as I can see, there is no way to enhance your physical power, without just getting critter parts. And the basic Bestial Mutagen is just... sad. 1d4 slashing claws? My dagger can do that. 1d6 piercing bite? Morningstar, anyone? And my dagger and morningstar don't wear off or wreck my AC and Reflex. Again, I feel like I'm missing something, here. Because if I'm not, Alchemists seem to have... issues.
I feel like I must be missing something, here, but isn't the 1st level portion of the Mutagenist Research Field kind of useless, until you reach at least 7th level? Let's break this down: 1) You get two extra formulae. Good, but they all get that, so it's a wash, comparison-wise. 2) You can safely use mutagens that were not specifically brewed for you. Uh.... can't everyone? I know that non-tailored mutagens in 1st edition could make you sick, but I can find no sign that this is true in 2nd. Check out page 546, for example. No hint of it. So, this seems to be a non-ability. 3) Your unarmed proficiency keeps pace with your simple weapon proficiency. Okay, this is a lot more useful... but only at 7th level. Until then it does absolutely nothing. Isn't that like giving a 1st level Wizard an ability that only works on 4th level and higher spells? Or a 1st level Fighter an ability that enhances Weapon Specialization? Wouldn't it make a LOT more sense to grant this feature at a level where it would actually do something? Otherwise, if I never make it to 7th level, I effectively never have any ability, at all. As near as I can see, when compared to the 1st level Bomber and Chirurgeon options, this just seems sad. The Chirurgeon ability isn't that big of a deal, but at least it lets you use your (presumably higher) Intelligence for Medicine, instead of Wisdom, right away, while having it improve with your Crafting, later. And the Bomber option... well, it's just better than both of them. Protect your allies from your splash damage, while harming your foes. That is going to come up all the time - and long before 7th level. Again, am I missing something, here?
Hmmm. Thinking along those lines: allow lower level spells than you can cast to avoid the concentration rules? Or cast a lower level spell from a higher level slot, without getting the other boosts for casting at a higher level, to not need concentration Maybe. You could rule that, if the spell is, say, two levels lower than the highest slot you possess, you don't have to worry about concentration checks (or, to go all 5E about it, you get advantage on them). Using a higher level slot might work, kind of like metamagic. Of course, both of these solutions don't help low level characters, at all. Bless still crumbles easily and can't be maintained while casting Shield of Faith. Best solution: less concentration spells. (Okay, I promise I'll quit being a broken record, now...)
Hmmm, that's not a bad idea (the one-round-fadeout, I mean). As you said, it would give your buddies a chance to recover from failed Spider Climbs, Invisibilities and the like (as long as they sense that the end is near). And it would, at least, give that "ablative" feel to defenses that I was talking about earlier. Still wish there were less of 'em, though...
Concentration is still going to be a hell of a lot easier to maintain than in 0e, 1e, 2e, B/X, BCMI, or RC. Yes, most spells could only be disrupted while being cast (a pretty narrow window). And, as I said earlier, the term "concentration" mostly applied to illusions and other spells that you might want to alter while they were in effect (to make them move in a non-stupid way, for example). I think Kthulhu is a bit muddled, on this one.
We were tossing around the idea of allowing a caster to have one concentration spell "for free" but then have to make concentration checks to cast other concentration spells, at the same time, with the DC slowly going up. So, for example, you could cast Blur, as usual. Then, on your next turn, you could make a DC 10 concentration check to maintain it, while casting Flaming Sphere. If you want to push your luck, you could then try to maintain both of those while making a concentration check (this time, DC 12) to add in Spider Climb. Failure causes the whole mess to collapse. A couple of tweaks we discussed: the DC increases by +2 for each extra spell of a different variety (as noted above) but only by +1 for an extra incident of the same spell (so you can cast Spider Climb on both yourself and your buddy). A failed concentration check only ruins the last spell, not all of them (I prefer the "nuke 'em all" approach - or, at least, "nuke all of them but the most recent one, that necessitated the check" - but I'm mean that way). Of course, none of this deals with the much more serious damage-ruins-your-defenses problem (especially for paladins, rangers and the like). Really, as I said earlier, the best solution would have been for WotC to be more careful about which and how many spells they applied the concentration label to. But it's too late for that.
Concentration is still going to be a hell of a lot easier to maintain than in 0e, 1e, 2e, B/X, BCMI, or RC. How do you figure? You weren't limited to only a single concentration spell, in those editions. And they didn't give clerics, rangers and such a bunch of spells to cast on themselves and the party that would end if they got hurt. Spell use expectations are very different, in 5E (or 3E or 4E or Pathfinder, for that matter). Actually, come to think of it, there were no concentration spells, other than a few illusions, in those editions, and concentration meant something somewhat different. So, you're kind of comparing apples and oranges, here. If you are referring to the fact that damage might disrupt a long-term spell, you have a point, but there is no other connection. And, even in those editions, there was some debate as to how that applied to a spell that was already cast and simply became "part of" the target or gained an existence of its own, so to speak - Mage Armor, to give a more modern example (which, BTW, is one of the few non-concentration defensive spells in 5E).
I'm not sure that reducing the DC would entirely solve the problem, at least with defensive spells. There would still be a reasonable chance of the spell crumbling before it actually does anything. And remember that, while the DC goes up, at higher levels, the bonus for the roll usually doesn't. I actually don't have a big problem with this, if the defensive spell is supposed to be "ablative" - that is, if it is supposed to, say, take some damage and then collapse. But none of the 5E spells work that way, so far. In fact, I can't help but think that the folks at WotC didn't even bother to run the numbers, on this one. And who knows what their "playtesters" were doing... And, of course, none of this solves the problem that you cannot have more than one spell going at a time - a problem that might not even be a problem, if so many spells weren't concentration spells, in the first place. I mean, I know we don't want to over-buff, but does anyone really have a problem with the cleric putting up Shield of Faith and then Blessing the group? Or the wizard protecting himself, a little, with Blur, while using a Flaming Sphere or letting his buddy Spider Climb? And do we really want that Spider Climb to fail, when the wizard gets hit? The best solution would probably be to just have less cocnentration spells, in the first place - especially, in the defensive department. As stands, there are far too many of them.
This is a tough one. On one hand I really like the limitations on spell stacking when it... I was continuing the conversation about concentration spells, elsewhere, and found that several people either didn't fully realize how they worked or thought that the damage problem would hardly ever come up (they hadn't actually played, of course). I thought I might as well cut-and-paste my reply, here, since it ties in with my last post. Okay, let's do some math. The DC for the concentration check is either 10 or half the damage that was taken, whichever is higher. In practice, this means that it will almost always be 10, at lower levels, but will tend to creep up, as monster damage increases, at higher levels (or even at not-so-high levels, if you believe, as the Mines writers seem to, that a green dragon is an appropriate threat, in a beginner's module: its breath weapon can easily turn the DC into a 21). When it comes time to make the check, it is a Constitution save. Given that most spellcasters are not going to have proficiency in Con (neither clerics nor wizards do, at this point), this means that, unless you add a lot to your Con score, as you advance, your chance of making the check will be much the same at 20th level as it was at 1st - actually, often lower, at that point, since the DC will be higher (possibly, much higher, judging by the aforementioned "beginner dragon"). And note that the spell level doesn't even enter into the picture, so your 20th level wizard has the same chance of maintaining concentration on 1st level spells as he does on 9th level spells. Also, keep in mind that this applies to all spellcasters. Maybe WotC pictures the wizard hiding behind rubble, maintaining his (single) concentration spell by avoiding melee altogether, but I can't even guess what they picture clerics, rangers and paladins doing, in the same situation... In practice, this means that most spellcasters have about a 30% - 45% chance of failing the check and losing their spell, every time they take damage (or are jostled on a boat or whatever). This assumes a typical Con of 12 - 15, with the occasional 16+. These Con scores might seem a bit high, but I'm trying to give WotC every benefit of the doubt, here. Also, I'm assuming that a lot of spellcaster players will soon pick up on this and start making Con a priority. Anyway, for the sake of argument, let's call 35% typical (Con 14 or 15), since that's near the middle (again, erring in WotC's favor), and Con 14 seemed pretty common in our groups, anyway. This means that, if you get hit once, there is a 35% chance that your Shield of Faith or Blur or Beacon of Hope or whatever goes down (possibly, without actually doing anything). With two hits, the average chance of failure jumps to 57.75%. With three, it jumps to 72.5375%. And so on. To put this another way, even your defensive spells are going to typically fail after two or three hits, of any sort, and often they have better than a 1-in-3 chance of failing after one. Watch out for monsters with multiple attacks! And in actual game play, we found that this was exactly what happened. For the wizard, this was a problem because he (one group) or she (the other group) would often only cast a defensive spell if (s)he was in trouble (i.e. in danger of getting hit... and, thus, losing the life-saving spell...). For the cleric, it was even worse, in a way, since casting a defensive spell on yourself or someone else and then charging into battle is just business as usual, for a cleric. Three specific examples come to mind, just in a few days of play, although I'm sure there were others that would do just as well. - As previously mentioned, our wizard got into a tight spot and, quite sensibly, cast Blur. The critter immediately hit him, anyway, causing him to fail a concentration check and lose the spell. End result: wasted turn, wasted spell slot, and a defensive spell that did no actual defending (and, very nearly, a dead wizard). - In the other group, the cleric had the same thing occur with Shield of Faith. She was pounced on by a couple of ruffians and promptly lost the spell - which was not surprising, given that each ruffian got two attacks. Again, wasted turn, wasted slot, no defense. (Sidenote: Apparently, the writers of Mines also think that "ruffians" should appear in hordes, in a 2nd level dungeon, and that they should each have 16 hit points and get multi-attack - something the fighters would not get until 5th level. Are you getting the impression that I was less than thrilled with Mines as a let's-go-catch-us-some-newbies introductory adventure? We experienced folk managed - barely - but I foresee a lot of beginner TPKs, with the ruffians and their bugbear buddies. Not to mention the dragon.) - Same group. This time, the cleric, seeing yet another band of ruffians and now appreciating that the Mines writers really like ruffians, quite sensibly casts Bless on the party. Again, she gets pounced on, and again the spell goes down - without any other player ever benefiting from it. There were a lot of people gritting their teeth, at that point. And at least one saying that she will never again play a cleric, in 5E. (It probably didn't help that this was one of the few times she got to cast a spell that wasn't Cure or Healing Word). All of this got us wondering: once the real player's book comes out, is anyone going to even want to look at a transmuter or bard? Most of the buffs seem to have been removed (judging by both the basic rules and the playtests), and those that remain are mostly concentration spells. Are you going to want to play a wizard who can only have one spell, of his primary type, up at a time? And are you going to want to be on the receiving end of a potentially critical spell, such as Spider Climb or Invisibility, which might abruptly fold, if the wizard, three tunnels back, takes damage or gets jostled? BTW, I should clarify that I don't entirely hate the idea of toning down the number of buffs that can be used, at once. I'm good with that. But WotC's method is way too extreme and has too many ridiculous side-effects.
Well, we've just gone through a bunch of marathon sessions, using the basic rules and the Starter Set, and completed both Scourge of the Sword Coast and Lost Mine of Phandelver - which, BTW, are too similar, for my tastes. In many ways, plot-wise, LMoP is just SotSC, with different locations. I was hoping for something a bit more new and interesting, from WotC, in the Starter Set, given that it will be a lot of people's first real introduction to 5E. (And don't get me started on the idea of placing a CR 8 green dragon in an area meant for just-leveled-up 3rd level characters, as part of a module meant for beginners...). Anyway, we had some fun, for sure, but we also ran into several annoying and/or problematic things that will probably keep this game from being a regular with us. Just a sampling: - The lack of customization makes for less interesting character creation than in Pathfinder, 13th Age, etc. You really end up getting to make very few choices, early on, and even less, later. The whole bond/ideal/etc. trait mechanic seems a bit tacked on and doesn't really help much. WotC doesn't even seem quite sure how to handle it, inspiration-wise (the basic rules don't quite coincide with the Starter Set's comments or Mike Mearl's observations or... well, you get the picture). Certainly, the lack of feats until 4th level doesn't help, either (and, of course, there are no feats in the basic rules, anyway). Having said all of this, I guess this is really a subjective thing, so I'll leave it at that and go on to more objective problems, before starting a feud. - The lack of any sort of sensible stacking system with advantage/disadvantage is a real problem and created some pretty silly situations. You can be picking locks, with crappy tools (disadvantage), while poisoned (disadvantage) and frightened (disadvantage), during a torrential storm (disadvantage), but all of these problems go *poof* with just one incident of advantage (having someone help you, for example, since that provides advantage - a *very* common source of advantage, in our games, as it turned out - even if the helper is also poisoned, frightened, etc., etc.). As I said elsewhere, one advantage should cancel one disadvantage, and vice versa. If one side or the other ends up with "left overs" then that one should count (still giving only one advantage or disadvantage die, as appropriate, since WotC wants to avoid multiple dice). Just seems like common sense, to me. But, apparently, WotC figures this is too complicated for newbies. - The concentration rules are going to be a game-breaker, for some people, as they are very poorly implemented. The idea is that you can only concentrate on one spell at a time, and things like damage can break that concentration. The plan was to prevent people from over-buffing, but WotC clearly didn't think through the ramifications of this - especially, given that they made a truly vast number of spells use concentration (I kid you not: *every* 2nd level wizard spell, except one, in the Starter Set, is a concentration spell). What we found this means, in actual play, is that, once the cleric casts Bless, for example, he is done supporting the others, except through healing. He can't even cast Shield of Faith, since it's another concentration spell. Very frustrating. Ditto, for a wizard trying to cast, say, Blur and Flaming Sphere. The wizard can't cast Invisibility on two people, to let them back each other up on stealth missions, unless he raises the level of the spell (and do you really want to use your one and only 6th or 7th level slot to cast the equivalent of Invisibility Sphere, for your group?). And it gets worse. The whole "damage can ruin concentration" thing makes spells such as Spider Climb and Blur problematic, at best. Imagine: the wizard casts Spider Climb on you, then gets hit with an arrow, causing you to fall off the wall, because *he* got hurt. Worse still, it applies to most defensive spells. Real example: the wizard got hit, just after casting Blur, with its effect not saving him, on that particular attack (it grants disadvantage on the attacker's roll, but with its high attack bonus and the wizard's low AC, it hit him, anyway). The wizard then proceeded to fail the damage-based concentration check, caused by that attack, which ruined the spell, without it doing anything useful, at all. Wasted turn, wasted spell slot, and a defensive spell that did no actual defending. Ugh. - Clerics are getting turned back into heal-bots, to a degree. Channeling (used for healing, that is) is only available to Life clerics and only works on really trashed heroes, since you can't heal above half hp. Cure spells have mostly been turned into a single spell that you level-boost, but this makes the effect weaker, beyond about 4th or 5th level (since you add your Wis mod, instead of level). Other forms of healing, such as Prayer of Healing and recovery dice, can only be done out of combat, when you have some time to burn. And judging by the two modules, combat is as frequent as ever, if not more so - so, you're going to get hurt... a lot. Unless you stock up on a *lot* of healing potions, the cleric is going to spend at least his first three levels using most, if not all, of his slots for Cure spells and Healing Words. - The saving throws are unbalanced. As I believe someone mentioned earlier, in the basic rules and starter set, only Dex, Con and Wis come up at all regularly (hmmm... kind of sounds like Reflex, Fort and Will, no?). Str could, in theory, come up, but doesn't much, in the adventures. Int is used for a single spell, I believe, and it is hard to imagine that this will change, given the very restricted way it has been described, saving throw-wise (basically, Wis trumps both Int and Cha, almost every time). Cha saves never come up - and I would not be surprised if they never much do, even in the full rules (again, given Cha's restricted nature, saving throw-wise). - On related noted, the abilities are horribly unbalanced. This has always been a problem in D&D type games, but 5E has taken it to a whole new level. Cha is never used, except for a few social skills (WotC split them all up as much as possible, to make it look like a lot, I think....). Presumably, bards and sorcerers will use it (pity them). Int isn't much better, unless you're a wizard. Wis is slightly more useful, but all three of these dwindle into the distance, compared to the physical abilities. In particular, Dex is now the stat of choice. A Dex-based fighter or rogue rules, since the score is used for hitting, damage, AC, the most common save, and several of the best skills. What a shock: our Dex-based fighter had a 20, by 4th level, and everyone else in the group had at least a 14. - The two-weapon fighting rules are just... weird. Basically, anyone can do it - no special training, class feature, feat or anything else required. And most everyone did (except for those using shields, of course). Why not, given that there is no attack penalty or anything? Sure, you don't get your ability score modifier on the second attack's damage, but it's still... well, a second attack. It means you have to use a relatively light weapon, but, if you are stuck with low-damage weapons, anyway, this isn't much of a restriction. In particular, every rogue I have seen *anyone* make has used two weapons, since rogues want light Dex-based weapons, anyway, and can't use shields. Given the restrictions the class already has, weapon- and shield-wise, you would be stupid *not* to use two weapons. - Dwarven wizards rock, since they can wear good armor and run around doing 1d10, two-handed, with a warhammer (ours did). Toss in a Con bonus and/or a hit point bonus (depending on the type of dwarf), and your hit points aren't even half-bad. In one of our groups, the dwarf wizard spent a lot of time in melee. Spells were just a fun extra. I'm not sure how unbalanced it was, given that his Int was a bit lower ("only" 15, pushed to 16, at 4th level) to get the Str and Con, so this may not really be a problem. I actually thought it was kind of fun, but, for some groups, it will seem... odd (and, potentially, abusive). - The bounded accuracy system is like a lot of the rest of the rules: good idea, poor implementation. The problem is that it goes up painfully slowly and affects practically everything. So, your numbers, even for skills and saves, don't change one jot for a bunch of levels, and then suddenly shoot up, all at once, at 5th level (the first time the bonus changes). Even if you get to 20th level, your bonus will only increase from +2 to +6, which, again, feels really... odd (and not in a good way). This weights the game heavily toward ability score modifiers, but... wait... that would be those same really unabalanced ability score... Once players get used to this, learn to live with a lot of 20s in Str, Dex and Con. We all agreed that a slightly faster rate (2 + level / 3, so it goes from +2 to +8) would work better and take a little of the burden off the ability scores, magic gear, etc. It would also means that your first increase would occur at 3rd level, which feels about right, in actual play. I could go on (and might, at some later point) but these were some of our obvious grumbles. And, yes, I realize that I sound like I've given the lie to my earlier comment about having some fun. We actually did. The game has some strengths. At low level, combats are fast and furious (oops! hope Savage Worlds didn't trademark that!), although I'm not sure that will continue at higher levels. The new spellcasting system, which is vaguely similar to the old Spirit Shaman's (i.e. prep several spells, cast any that you've prepped, as long as you have slots of the right level) is fun and versatile. All of the spellcasters liked it (but felt that the concentration rules almost ruined it). Our GM mostly liked the critter write-up format (but wondered about the level balance of some of the critters). And so on. In a nutshell: you can have fun with this game, but also get ready for some frustration, eye-rolling and head-shaking.
Yeah, this spell seems completely busted. I was planning to pop in and ask about it, assuming that maybe I was missing something, but you beat me to it. You missed another problem, though: it uses d6 for the energy type, but the energy type table uses d8. As stands, you can't get Cold or Earth (which does not seem deliberate, given that there is nothing special about those two types). To be honest, a lot of the numerology spells seem a bit iffy (neat ideas, questionable implementation), but this one seems completely unusable. Pity, as I rather liked the idea...
For those who are curious, the new locations in Call of the First World are described, below. But, really, if you want to use these, you should go and download the jpgs. Much nicer. ---------------------------------------------------------------- ANCIENT FOREST Silence haunts this labyrinth of towering trees - a vast beast, waiting with infinite patience. An occasional gust of wind - the beast's breath - catches at your hair and whispers in your ear, causing you to freeze and hold your own breath, involuntarily. At This Location: You may attempt a Dexterity or Stealth 6 check to evade a monster; however, if you succeed, draw another random monster from the box and shuffle both into the location deck. When Closing: Succeed at a Wisdom or Survival 7 check. When Permanently Closed: On closing, draw a random ally, with the Animal trait, from the box. Monster 3, Barrier 2, Weapon 1, Spell 0, Armor 0, Item 1, Ally 1, Blessing 1 ---------------------------------------------------------------- CURSED BATTLEFIELD An eerie calm permeates this vast field, broken only by the occasional raucous call of ravens. Everywhere, shattered weapons, armor and bones litter the ground. Many years ago, war claimed this land, and it has never truly released its grip. At This Location: The difficulty of combat checks is increased by 1, but the difficulty to acquire weapons and armor is decreased by 1. When Closing: Summon and defeat a random monster. For each spell used in this check, increase the difficulty by 2. When Permanently Closed: On closing, shuffle together any weapons and armor remaining in this deck and place them under this location. At the start of your turn, roll a d6: on a 1, summon and encounter a random monster. This counts as exploration.
Monster 4, Barrier 0, Weapon 2, Spell 0, Armor 2, Item 0, Ally 1, Blessing 0 ---------------------------------------------------------------- FEY FOREST The very air breathes enchantment, in this tangled wood, and every other turn reveals a new wonder. At times, it would be only too easy to lay down your burden and rest, just for a little while... At This Location: The difficulty to defeat banes with the Fey trait is increased by 1. Any time that you would discard a spell, banish it, instead. Then, draw a random spell from the box and shuffle it into your deck. When Closing: Succeed at an Intelligence or Arcane 7 check or banish a spell from your hand. When Permanently Closed: When you end your turn here, you may banish a spell from your hand to draw a random spell from the box.
Monster 2, Barrier 2, Weapon 0, Spell 2, Armor 0, Item 1, Ally 1, Blessing 1 ---------------------------------------------------------------- FROZEN HILLS Ice and snow cover every surface, as far as the eye can see, though the wind seems to be doing its best to whip it up into a frigid mist. This is a harsh land, and it demands harsh choices from those who would journey through it. At This Location: At the start of your turn, succeed on a Wisdom or Survival 7 check or suffer a -1 penalty on all checks for the rest of your turn. When Closing: Succeed at a Wisdom or Survival 8 check. You may discard one or more allies to gain a +2 bonus on this check for each ally lost. When Permanently Closed: On closing, each character at this location must recharge her entire hand and then immediately reset it. Monster 3, Barrier 3, Weapon 1, Spell 0, Armor 0, Item 1, Ally 1, Blessing 0 ---------------------------------------------------------------- GOBLIN MARKET A swirl of alien colors, sounds and smells dazzles your senses, as you step into what can only loosely be called a market square. Fey creatures - and many other sorts, as well - seem occupied with trading, haggling and negotiating. Most pay you no mind, save those who call to you to sample their wares. At This Location: Any monster encountered here can be defeated in two additional ways, beyond those listed on its card: banish an item, or succeed on a Charisma or Diplomacy 7 check. When Closing: Banish a card, other than a blessing, from your hand. When Permanently Closed: On closing, add 1d4+1 random items to this location, without looking at them, and then automatically acquire the top card. When making a check to acquire an item, banish an item to automatically succeed.
Monster 2, Barrier 0, Weapon 1, Spell 2, Armor 1, Item 2, Ally 1, Blessing 0 ---------------------------------------------------------------- MISTY TOWERS Suddenly, unexpectedly, a spire appears, in the mist, followed by several others. Who would have created this edifice, deep in the wild, well off the beaten path? And what lurks there, now? At This Location: Whenever you fail a check, take a Haunt from the henchmen deck and put it in your hand. A Haunt gained in this manner does not affect your checks but does take up space in your hand, since it cannot be discarded, even as damage. If you spend a turn at a different location, without exploring, you can discard all Haunts and reset your hand. When Closing: Succeed at a Wisdom or Divine 7 check or banish a blessing from your hand. When Permanently Closed: On closing, each character at this location may recharge an item from her discard pile. Monster 2, Barrier 3, Weapon 1, Spell 1, Armor 1, Item 1, Ally 0, Blessing 0 ---------------------------------------------------------------- MYSTERIOUS CITADEL Along the rocky shore of a crystal lake, a proud citadel with improbable battlements stands watch. Though the will o'wisp lights in the windows and the graceful sailing vessels anchored nearby hint at occupation, no obvious inhabitants can be seen on the outer walls. At This Location: The difficulty to defeat banes with the Fey trait is increased by 1. You may attempt a Charisma or Diplomacy 8 check in place of the usual check to acquire a boon. When Closing: Succeed at a Charisma or Diplomacy 7 check or banish an ally from your hand. When Permanently Closed: When you end your turn here, you may recharge an ally from your discard pile.
Monster 2, Barrier 1, Weapon 2, Spell 0, Armor 1, Item 1, Ally 1, Blessing 1 ---------------------------------------------------------------- RIVER FORD Below you, through foliage painted with the colors of autumn, you spot a calmer stretch of the tumbling river that has blocked your progress. Perhaps, you can find a safer path, here - though other creatures have also, doubtless, considered this. At This Location: If you did not explore this turn, after you reset your hand, you may banish an item from your hand to draw a random item from the box. When Closing: Summon and defeat a random monster. When Permanently Closed: On closing, you and any other characters present may immediately move to any other one location, at the end of your turn. Monster 3, Barrier 1, Weapon 0, Spell 0, Armor 1, Item 3, Ally 1, Blessing 0 ---------------------------------------------------------------- SILENT KEEP A towering keep of ancient stone looms before you. Strangely, the gate is open, flanked only by flickering braziers. Why are there no guards? And what force seems to beckon you forward, more daring than welcoming? At This Location: Any monster with the Animal, Goblin or Human trait, encountered here, gains the Undead, Incorporeal and Ghost traits. It is immune to the Mental and Poison traits and gains the following power: If your check to defeat does not have the Magic trait, the monster is undefeated. When Closing: Summon and defeat an Ancient Skeleton henchman, with the combat difficulty increased by 2. Instead of making a combat check to defeat this foe, you can make a Charisma or Diplomacy 10 check, if you wish; however, failing this check causes damage, just like a failed combat check. When Permanently Closed: On closing, shuffle together any weapons, armor and items remaining in this deck and place them under this location. Monster 2, Barrier 2, Weapon 2, Spell 0, Armor 2, Item 1, Ally 0, Blessing 0 ---------------------------------------------------------------- STONE BRIDGE An impressive stone bridge - perhaps, of dwarven build - crosses the chasm, at this point. The far side lies in shadow, and, for a moment, that darkness seems to shift, as something moves within. It seems that travelers who would take this route may not always do so uncontested... At This Location: When you make a combat check with a weapon that has the Ranged trait or with a spell that has the Attack trait, add 1 to each die rolled. When Closing: Summon and defeat a random monster. Unless you first succeed on a Wisdom or Perception 8 check, you cannot use a weapon that has the Ranged trait or a spell that has the Attack trait, for this combat check. When Permanently Closed: On closing, choose either your character or one other character who is present. The chosen character can draw a random ally from the box. Monster 3, Barrier 1, Weapon 1, Spell 0, Armor 1, Item 1, Ally 2, Blessing 0 THE BURNING LAND Dark spires of barren rock erupt from the noxious mists and the pools of water that reflect the crimson sky. No, not water. Something much more dangerous, which glows with its own inner heat... At This Location: At the start of your turn, succeed at a Constitution or Fortitude 6 check or take 1 point of Fire damage. All banes encountered here are immune to the Fire trait. If an encountered monster would normally be weak to the Fire trait, banish it and encounter a random monster from the box, instead. When Closing: Succeed at a Constitution or Fortitude 8 check. When Permanently Closed: On closing, shuffle together any weapons and items remaining in this deck, plus 1d4 random items from the box, and place them under this location. Getting these can be costly, since Con/Fort checks are still required to avoid taking Fire damage.
Monster 3, Barrier 1, Weapon 1, Spell 1, Armor 0, Item 1, Ally 1, Blessing 1 ---------------------------------------------------------------- WOODED ISLE As the sun sets, the silhouette of a lone island, well out in the lake, catches your eye. Trees crowd its expanse, creating an even thicker gloom. Yet, as you watch, tiny lights flicker and dance along the shore, luring you onward... At This Location: You must succeed at a Wisdom or Perception 7 check to move or be moved to another location. Any check that includes a spell with the Arcane trait gets a +1 bonus on its total. When Closing: Banish either an ally or a blessing from your hand. When Permanently Closed: When you end your turn here, banish an ally from your hand or discard pile. If you can do this, you may recharge any one card from your discard pile. If you cannot do this, take 1 damage, which cannot be blocked in any manner.
Monster 2, Barrier 2, Weapon 0, Spell 1, Armor 0, Item 1, Ally 1, Blessing 2
CALL OF THE FIRST WORLD (New PFACG Adventure) To play through this adventure, you will need twelve new location cards. The jpgs used to create these can be found, here:
They are designed to be printed off as double-sided cards, although this is not strictly necessary (you could just *yawn* print them off as sheets). I printed them, double-sided on cardstock, and laminated them, and the result is pretty cool (not to mention, far more sturdy and convenient). The files are fairly large, for jpgs, since I created them at 600 dpi, for high quality printing. I don't intend to ever make scenario cards for this adventure, since some of the "During This Scenario" entries are much too long and idiosyncratic. However, for a much nicer version of these rules, with art and all, you can check out: That file has been set up to create one sheet for the adventure and one for each scenario, with all of the critters and such included, in the right places, as needed. Much more convenient. Substitutions: If you do not have access to card sets beyond #1 (Burnt Offerings), make the following substitutions: Scenario 4: Replace the Shimmerglens with the Wooded Isle (one of the new locations). Scenario 5: For the new Misty Towers location, the Haunts are simply used as counters and can be replaced by any other henchmen that you have a lot of (Poison Traps are probably best - or just use coins, beads, poker chips or whatever). All Scenarios: You will have to change some of the stand-in cards for the new henchmen:
By default, Nightbelly Boas are used to indicate a special monster encounter (see Special Adventure Rules, below), primarily because there are enough of them to cover every location, no matter how large the game. If you do not have these cards, use Bandits, instead, and simply do not make the usual monster card substitution for the final area(s) on the scenario’s location list, if you come up short (you often will, in a six-player game, with the Character Add-On Deck, or a four-player game, without it). Since Bandits are also used as stand-ins for Fauns, you will have to use something else to represent them, in the first scenario – Poison Traps, for example. Note that, once they appear, Atomies, Brownies, Pixies and Sprites should not generally need cards, in this adventure. If you do need substitutions, for some reason, try using the following, as defaults:
---------------------------------------------------------------- CALL OF THE FIRST WORLD Description: What begins as a mischievous prank turns into something much darker and more dangerous, when the Fair Folk take an interest in Sandpoint. Guided by an ancient power, the fey have decided to welcome the town into their realm - whether the citizens like it or not. Complete these scenarios, in this order:
Reward: Each character gains a card feat. Special Adventure Rules: 1) Because the Villains and many of the Henchmen used in this adventure are unique and do not have cards of their own, they require "stand-in" cards. Each new Villain and Henchman, described below, has a Stand-In entry that indicates the existing card to use. Simply shuffle that card into a location deck, as usual, but remember, when it is encountered, that it represents a new threat, as described herein. 2) For all five of these scenarios, whenever a location has 2 or more monsters, replace one monster with a Nightbelly Boa henchman, while creating the location deck. Each Nightbelly Boa is a stand-in for a new fey monster. When one is encountered, ignore the instructions on its card and replace it with one of the following, based on a d4 roll: 1 = Atomie, 2 = Brownie, 3 = Pixie, 4 = Sprite. ---------------------------------------------------------------- 1 - UNINVITED GUESTS Description: When fey marauders begin kidnapping citizens of Sandpoint, during the Swallowtail Festival, heroes are needed to fend them off and free their prisoners. But who put them up to this prank, in the first place, and what darker plot does it foreshadow? Villain: Nikolas (Jubrayl Vhiski)
During This Scenario: Whenever a location card tells you to summon a Bandit henchman, summon a Faun henchman, instead. Whenever you encounter an ally, roll a d8: on a 1 - 4, the ally is currently being held prisoner by a fey captor. Summon and encounter one of the following, based on your die roll: 1 = Atomie, 2 = Brownie, 3 = Pixie, 4 = Sprite. If you defeat the monster, you automatically acquire the ally, with no other checks required. If the monster is undefeated, both it and the ally are banished. Reward: Each character draws a random ally from the box. Players Locations
---------------------------------------------------------------- 2 - THE SUMMONING Description: Questions need answers, and the only one who has the answers the heroes need is the fey oracle, Shaowyn. An ancient ritual can be used to summon her, but the heroes must first obtain all of the necessary arcane materials. Villain: Shaowyn (Nualia); do not shuffle the villain card into a location deck, initially - just keep it handy.
During This Scenario: When setting up the location decks, replace one item in each location, except the Ancient Forest, with a Poison Trap henchman card. Each Poison Trap represents a ritual ingredient, used to summon Shaowyn. When you encounter a Poison Trap, ignore the instructions on that card and use the following, instead. Place the Poison Trap card next to your character card and immediately roll a d8, adding the total number of Poison Trap cards that are currently sitting next to all character cards. If the result is equal to or greater than 5 + the number of players, Shaowyn appears. This also automatically occurs if the number of Poison Traps revealed ever exceeds the number of living characters. When Shaowyn appears, she is shuffled into the Ancient Forest deck, if that location is still open; otherwise, she is shuffled into the deck of a random open location. If there are no open locations, she appears in the Ancient Forest, despite the fact that it is closed, and never moves, thereafter. After that, she is treated as a normal villain, in every other respect. Note that Poison Traps cannot be traded, discarded or otherwise lost, and they are never banished until Shaowyn has been summoned or the scenario ends, whichever comes first – they are always attached to a location or a character, living or dead, until then. If a location is about to be closed and Shaowyn still has not been summoned, search through the location's remaining deck, to see if a Poison Trap is present, just as you would do for a villain. If so, the other cards are banished, the Poison Trap becomes the entirety of the location deck, and the location is not closed – but at least you know where an ingredient is! If you encounter a Poison Trap after Shaowyn has been summoned, banish it and pull a replacement card from the location deck, as long as one is available (if not, the location can now be closed, as usual). Reward: Each character gains a skill feat. Players Locations
---------------------------------------------------------------- 3 - GUARDIAN AT THE GATE Description: Heeding Shaowyn's cryptic advice, the heroes must seek a portal to the First World, where their true foe resides. Legends provide a guidepost, on their quest, but also hint that a powerful guardian may block their path. Villain: Guardian of the Gate (Black Fang)
During This Scenario: The Guardian is very powerful, but clues can be found, concerning its weaknesses, that would give you an advantage in defeating it. Each time that you acquire an ally or defeat a barrier, take a Poison Trap card from the henchman deck and place it beside your character card. This represents a useful clue or battle technique that you have discovered. Ignore the instructions on the Poison Trap card and use the following, instead: for each Poison Trap card that is currently sitting next to your character card, add +1 to all checks made against the Guardian of the Gate. Poison Trap cards cannot be traded, discarded or otherwise removed from a character but are automatically banished when the scenario ends. Once you run out of Poison Trap cards, no further clues are available, so there will never be more then seven, in total (five, if you are not using the Character Add-On Deck). Reward: Each character chooses a type of boon, other than loot, then draws a random card of that type from the box. Players Locations
---------------------------------------------------------------- 4 - HUNTERS AND PREY Description: Arriving in the First World, the heroes discover a realm of wonders and perils - not the least of which is a deadly fey hunter, who has been sent, by their foe, to put an end to their meddling. Villain: Master of the Hunt (Gogmurt); do not shuffle the villain card into a location deck, initially - just keep it handy.
During This Scenario: Whenever you defeat a Huntman's Hound, summon and encounter the Master of the Hunt, as instructed on the Huntman's Hound card. Note that this occurs immediately after any attempt to close your current location, whether or not you succeed. If, at any point, you close the last open location, you automatically win this scenario, even if the Master of the Hunt has not been defeated. Reward: Each character gains a power feat. Players Locations
---------------------------------------------------------------- 5 - LORD OF THE LOST WOOD Description: At last, the heroes have identified their nemesis, the mysterious Lord of the Lost Wood, who plans to add Sandpoint to his domain. Unfortunately, knowing him does not mean finding him, given that his enchanted grove moves about the fey realms, at his command. Villain: Lord of the Lost Wood (The Sandpoint Devil)
During This Scenario: When setting up the location decks for this scenario, do not shuffle the Lord of the Lost Wood in with the henchmen cards, as you would do, normally. Instead, shuffle that card directly into the Fey Forest's location deck (the Lord of the Lost Wood always begins in the Fey Forest). The henchmen are shuffled randomly into the remaining location decks, as usual. Initially, set aside the Fey Forest and its location deck, since it cannot be visited, at the beginning of the game. Once you have closed a number of locations equal to the number of players, the Fey Forest appears and can now be visited normally. Reward: Loot - Impaler of Thorns, Sihedron Medallion, Wand of Enervation. If any of these cards are not available, make the following substitutions, as needed. Replace the Impaler of Thorns with the Icy Longspear +1 or, if that is not available, with a random draw from the weapon deck. Replace the Sihedron Medallion with the Amulet of Life or, if that is not available, with a random draw from the item deck. Replace the Wand of Enervation with the Wand of Force Missile or, if that is not available, with a random draw from the item deck. Players Locations
---------------------------------------------------------------- CALL OF THE FIRST WORLD BESTIARY VILLAINS Guardian of the Gate
Lord of the Lost Wood
Master of the Hunt
Nikolas
Shaowyn
HENCHMEN Bogeyman
Faun
Forlarren
Gremlin
Grig
Huntsman's Hound
Korred
Leprechaun
Nuckelavee
Nuglub
Quickling
Redcap
Rusalka
Twigjack
MONSTERS Atomie
Brownie
Pixie
Sprite
For those who are interested, I'm going to be posting more adventures here, as time permits.
VEILED THREAT (New PFACG Adventure) Note: You can certainly play through this adventure just using these notes, but, for a much nicer experience, grab these front and back jpgs and print them off, ideally double-sided on cardstock, to create actual adventure and scenario cards. I did this and laminated them, and the result is pretty cool (not to mention, far more sturdy and convenient). The files are fairly large, for jpgs, since I created them at 600 dpi, for high quality printing. Description: When a mysterious traveler is murdered, while staying at the Rusty Dragon, the heroes are drawn into a web of intrigue and danger. Foes lurk in every shadow, and a nearly forgotten enemy of Sandpoint arises to prove that he, for one, is not ready to forgive and forget. Adventure Deck Number: 1 (for new characters) Complete these scenarios, in this order:
Reward: Each character gains a card feat. ---------------------------------------------------------------- 1 - MURDER AT THE RUSTY DRAGON Description: When a mysterious stranger is poisoned, at the Rusty Dragon, Ameiko Kaijitsu asks the heroes to find the killer. During the investigation, they soon discover that a hidden foe does not wish to see the truth revealed - and is willing to kill, again, to protect the secret. Villain: Varies (none placed; see below)
During This Scenario: Each time a Henchman is defeated, you locate a clue as to the identity of the Villain. Roll 1d6, and check the list, below, to see which Villain is under suspicion. As soon as either one Villain gets 3 clues or all locations are closed, the Villain with the most clues appears at the indicated location (ties go first to Pillbug, then to Jubrayl). The Villain never leaves that location, even if other locations are open. If the Villain is defeated, the game is won; if the Villain wins a fight, it gets shuffled back into the location deck, if one still exists.
Reward: Each character draws a random item from the box. Players - Locations
---------------------------------------------------------------- 2 - DAGGERS IN THE DARK Description: With the murderer revealed, the heroes turn their attention to motive. The stranger carries a map and a cryptic message, warning of a dire threat. Making preparations for a journey, to follow the map, the heroes soon learn that some of their enemies remain in Sandpoint. Villain: Ripnugget and Stickfoot
During This Scenario: Goblins working for your enemy have gotten into Pillbug's stock of disguise self potions! Whenever you encounter an ally, immediately roll 1d6: on a 1 - 3, banish the ally and encounter a Goblin Raider henchman, instead. Unlike most summoned monsters, these goblins function as normal henchmen: if you defeat one, you may attempt to close the location; otherwise, shuffle it back into its location deck. Reward: Each character gains a skill feat. Players - Locations
---------------------------------------------------------------- 3 - PERILOUS JOURNEY Description: Following the map, the heroes journey deep into the wilderness. It seems that the goblins they fought, in Sandpoint, have not given up the hunt, and they are just one of many dangers, on the path. Still, tracking them to their lair may be the surest way to end that threat. Villain: Gogmurt
During This Scenario: Goblins are bad enough, but a savage werewolf also prowls this land. Before you build location decks, set aside a Werewolf monster card. The first time a hero encounters a monster, when the top card of the blessings discard pile belongs to either Gorum or Lamashtu, banish that monster and encounter the Werewolf, instead. When the combat is over, regardless of the results, place the Werewolf card face down on an open location deck of your choice. The Werewolf can only be banished by defeating it when there are no open locations or when the top card of the blessings discard pile is Blessing of the Gods. Reward: Each character chooses a type of boon, other than loot, then draws a random card of that type from the box. Players - Locations
---------------------------------------------------------------- 4 - THE FORGOTTEN KEEP Description: The heroes have finally reached the destination marked on the map - an ancient keep that probably does not appear on any other modern maps. At first glance, the place looks abandoned. Why, then, do ghostly lights appear in some of the crumbling windows? Villain: Black Fang
During This Scenario: Black Fang was slain by heroes, in an earlier adventure, and is now an undead dragon, immune to the Mental and Poison traits. If you defeat a Zombie Minion from a location deck and then fail to close that location (or choose not to do so), return that Zombie Minion to its location deck, placing it face down, at the bottom. Reward: Each character gains a power feat. Players - Locations
---------------------------------------------------------------- 5 - WHERE SHADOWS DWELL Description: Exploring the tunnels, beneath the ruins of the forgotten keep, the heroes discover the architect of their woes: the necromancer, Caizarlu Zerren. Can they stop him, before he wakes an ancient evil and unleashes it upon Sandpoint? Villain: Caizarlu Zerren
During This Scenario: The difficulty to defeat Ancient Skeletons is increased by 1. Each time you defeat an Ancient Skeleton, Caizarlu's necromantic power grows: put out a Haunt henchman card to indicate this (ignore its Powers - Haunts are just used as counters). When you combat Caizarlu, increase the difficulty of the first check made against him by the current number of Haunts, which are then banished. If Caizarlu is undefeated, Haunts build up, again, as Ancient Skeletons are defeated. Reward: Loot: Sihedron Medallion, Snakeskin Tunic Players - Locations
SPIDER IN THE WEB (New PFACG Adventure) Note: If you do not have access to card sets beyond #1 (Burnt Offerings), make the following substitutions:
Description: A mission to rid Sandpoint of Sczarni thugs turns into something much more dangerous, when a hidden threat is revealed. Can the heroes ferret out the true menace and put an end to it, before all of Sandpoint suffers? Adventure Deck Number: 1 (for new characters) Complete these scenarios, in this order:
Reward: Each character gains a card feat. ------------------------------------------------------------------ 1 – TURF WAR Description: A new gang of Sczarni thugs has been terrorizing the streets of Sandpoint. As local heroes, you have been asked, by the mayor, to put a stop to their depredations, by chopping the head off the snake. Villain: Jubrayl Vhiski
During This Scenario: The citizens of Sandpoint are grateful for your help and are willing to pay a bounty for each thug captured. Whenever you defeat a henchman, keep the card, as a reminder. Any time that you make a check to acquire a boon, you can “spend” a henchman card, banishing it, to get a +1 on the check. No more than three cards can be “spent” on a single check. Reward: Each character draws a random item from the box. Players - Locations
------------------------------------------------------------------ 2 – INFILTRATION!
Description: While questioning Jubrayl Vhiski, you have discovered that foul shapechangers have recently infiltrated the town of Sandpoint. Longtime friends and allies may not be who they appear to be. Investigate the town and interview its citizens. Root out the infiltrators to restore order and peace of mind to the citizens of Sandpoint. Villain: Doppelganger Leader (see below; use Pillbug Podiker’s villain card as a stand-in)
During This Scenario: Add 2 to your checks to acquire allies. Treat Ambush, Goblin Raid and Skeleton Horde barrier cards as if they were the new Doppelganger Ambush card (see below). Reward: Each character gains a skill feat. Players - Locations
NEW CARDS Doppelganger Agent (Henchman; stand-in: Poison Trap)
Doppelganger Ambush (Barrier; stand-ins: Ambush, Goblin Raid, Skeleton Horde)
Doppelganger Leader (Villain; stand-in: Pillbug Podiker)
------------------------------------------------------------------ 3 – CLEAN-UP CREW Description: Now, that the doppelganger problem is dealt with, it is time to discover the connection between those fiends and the Sczarni. There is a spider in the web, and it is your job to find it and crush it. Villain: Erylium
During This Scenario: Only the toughest of the Sczarni thugs remain: the difficulty to defeat Bandit henchmen is increased by 1. In addition, because they have been cracking down hard on the locals, add 1 to the difficulty of all checks made to acquire allies. On the positive side, these thugs are better equipped: whenever you defeat a Bandit henchman, draw a random card from the box. The type of card is based on a d6 roll, made at the time, as follows: 1 – 2 = armor, 3 – 4 = item, 5 – 6 = weapon. Reward: Each character draws a random ally from the box. Players - Locations
------------------------------------------------------------------ 4 – DEADLY PURSUIT Description: Although Erylium has been defeated, it is clear that she was working for someone even more powerful, outside of the city. At the last minute, she was able to send out a messenger, to warn her master. You need to stop that message and, ideally, discover where it was bound. Unfortunately, your foe has enlisted the aid of the local Fire-Stomper goblin tribe, so you can expect to meet with some resistance. Villain: Lyrie Akenja, who is treated as a villain, instead of a henchman, in every respect. Her Check to Defeat is changed to: Intelligence, Arcane, Wisdom or Perception 10 (seeing through her trickery) then Combat 11. Failing the first check causes no damage but ends the fight immediately, leaving her undefeated. She retains her ability to deal Fire damage and gains the following Power: You may not play allies with the Human trait.
During This Scenario: All banes with the Goblin trait (including Bruthazmus, who should have it) are from the Fire-Stomper tribe and gain the following Power: Before the encounter, make a Dexterity or Acrobatics 7 check. If you fail, you suffer 1 point of Fire damage. If you succeed, the goblin’s Check to Defeat is decreased by 1. Reward: Each character gains a power feat. Players - Locations
------------------------------------------------------------------ 5 – ENDGAME Description: You managed to stop Lyrie Akenja, at the last minute, which means that you have discovered her destination – hopefully, without being discovered, yourself. Explore the ancient ruins that stand before you, and finally face your true foe. Villain: None
During This Scenario: Place the villain Nualia face up, next to the blessings deck (which means that all of the location decks will have henchmen). This card represents the true villain, the drow cleric, Arlavdra. At the start of each turn, select a random location deck and put its bottom card, face down, under Arlavdra. At any point after you have closed a number of locations at least equal to the number of players in the game, you can choose to challenge Arlavdra, moving your character next to the villain’s card, instead of moving to and/or exploring a different location. Note, however, that the villain will be stronger, if there are still open locations (see below). As soon as Arlavdra has been challenged, sort through all of the cards underneath her and banish any that are not henchmen. Place the henchmen on top of Arlavdra’s card, in any order. You must defeat each henchman, in the chosen order, before battling Arlavdra. You can continue to battle foes until you fail a Check to Defeat, at which point you must reset your hand and end your turn. Note that Arlavdra never moves but always remains, to be challenged, until defeated. After the first challenge, her card effectively becomes a location, which means that more than one character can move to face her, so that they can work together, just as they could at any other location. Reward: Each character chooses a type of boon, other than loot, then draws a random card of that type from the box. Players - Locations
NEW CARD Arlavdra (Villain; stand-in: Nualia)
PERILS OF THE LOST COAST EXPANSION Adventure Deck Number: 1 (for new characters) To use this expansion, which turns the Perils of the Lost Coast adventure into a full five-scenario outing, the following changes should be made to the existing cards: 1) Change the reward for The Poison Pill to: Each character gains a skill feat. 2) Change the reward for the entire adventure to: Each character gains a card feat. 3) Add the following two scenarios. ------------------------------------------------------------------ 4 – BEHIND THE CURTAIN Description: Although Black Fang was a serious threat, it has become apparent that someone else was pulling the dragon's strings. Following tenuous clues, you journey to an ancient ruin, seeking the true source of Sandpoint's woes. Villain: Erylium
During This Scenario: Whenever you acquire an item, weapon or armor, there is a chance that it is cursed. Roll 1d6: on a 1 or 2, take a Haunt from the Henchmen deck and place it in front of you (as long as any remain). It reduces your checks, as described on the card. While you are at the Temple (open or closed), you can discard any number of blessings from your hand to banish an equal number of your own Haunts or those possessed by any other character at that location, in any combination. During this scenario, Haunts cannot be removed in any other way – not even by losing the cards that summoned them – but they do not carry over between scenarios. Reward: Each character gains a power feat. Players - Locations
Note: If you do not have access to card sets beyond #1 (Burnt Offerings), just use Poison Traps or any other convenient counters, in place of Haunts. Each one gives a -1 penalty on all checks. ------------------------------------------------------------------ 5 – THE SOURCE OF EVIL Description: Now, at last, you have discovered the true evil, behind this plot: the fanatical priestess of Lamashtu, Nualia. Put a stop to her plans, once and for all, before the entire Lost Coast pays the price. Villain: Nualia
During This Scenario: Any time you defeat a monster with the Undead trait, roll 1d6. On a 1 to 3, instead of banishing it, place it face down on top of the Shrine to Lamashtu location deck. This no longer occurs, once the Shrine has been closed. Reward: Loot – Impaler of Thorns, Sihedron Medallion Players - Locations
Note: If you do not have access to card sets beyond #1 (Burnt Offerings), replace Grayst Sevilla with Bruthazmus and the Impaler of Thorns with a Bastard Sword +1 (from the weapon deck), in the last scenario. If the Bastard Sword +1 is not currently in the weapon deck (presumably, because someone else has it), then choose any other +1 weapon to replace it.
I've decided to start a new thread for posting some of the adventures I've been working on for the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game, rather than have them scattered all over the place. So, here we go...
While I'm posting adventures, anyway, here's another one we've been playing. Basically, I just turned Perils of the Lost Coast into a full five-scenario adventure, like those in Rise of the Runelords. ------------------------------------------------------------------ PERILS OF THE LOST COAST EXPANSION To use this expansion, which turns the Perils of the Lost Coast adventure into a full five-scenario outing, the following changes should be made to the existing cards: 1) Change the reward for The Poison Pill to: Each character gains a skill feat. 2) Change the reward for the entire adventure to: Each character gains a card feat. 3) Add the following two scenarios. ------------------------------------------------------------------ 4 – BEHIND THE CURTAIN Although Black Fang was a serious threat, it has become apparent that someone else was pulling the dragon's strings. Following tenuous clues, you journey to an ancient ruin, seeking the true source of Sandpoint's woes. Villain: Erylium
During This Scenario: Whenever you acquire an item, weapon or armor, there is a chance that it is cursed. Roll 1d6: on a 1 or 2, take a Haunt from the Henchmen deck and place it in front of you (as long as any remain). It reduces your checks, as described on the card. While you are at the Temple (open or closed), you can discard any number of blessings from your hand to banish an equal number of your own Haunts or those possessed by any other character at that location, in any combination. During this scenario, Haunts cannot be removed in any other way – not even by losing the cards that summoned them – but they do not carry over between scenarios. Reward: Each character gains a power feat. Players - Locations
Note: If you do not have access to card sets beyond #1 (Burnt Offerings), just use Poison Traps or any other convenient counters, in place of Haunts. Each one gives a -1 penalty on all checks. ------------------------------------------------------------------ 5 – THE SOURCE OF EVIL Now, at last, you have discovered the true evil, behind this plot: the fanatical priestess of Lamashtu, Nualia. Put a stop to her plans, once and for all, before the entire Lost Coast pays the price. Villain: Nualia
During This Scenario: Any time you defeat a monster with the Undead trait, roll 1d6. On a 1 to 3, instead of banishing it, place it face down on top of the Shrine to Lamashtu location deck. This no longer occurs, once the Shrine has been closed. Reward: Loot – Impaler of Thorns, Sihedron Medallion Players - Locations
Note: If you do not have access to card sets beyond #1 (Burnt Offerings), replace Grayst Sevilla with Bruthazmus and the Impaler of Thorns with a Bastard Sword +1 (from the weapon deck), in the last scenario. If the Bastard Sword +1 is not currently in the weapon deck (presumably, because someone else has it), then choose any other +1 weapon to replace it.
I ended up adding this scenario into a much larger adventure, so I thought you might like to see the end result. We've played through a couple of times, and it all seems to work together quite well. Enjoy! ------------------------------------------------------------------ SPIDER IN THE WEB (New PFACG Adventure) Note: If you do not have access to card sets beyond #1 (Burnt Offerings), make the following substitutions:
Description: A mission to rid Sandpoint of Sczarni thugs turns into something much more dangerous, when a hidden threat is revealed. Can the heroes ferret out the true menace and put an end to it, before all of Sandpoint suffers? Adventure Deck Number: 1 Complete these scenarios, in this order:
Reward: Each character gains a card feat. ------------------------------------------------------------------ 1 – TURF WAR Description: A new gang of Sczarni thugs has been terrorizing the streets of Sandpoint. As local heroes, you have been asked, by the mayor, to put a stop to their depredations, by chopping the head off the snake. Villain: Jubrayl Vhiski
During This Scenario: The citizens of Sandpoint are grateful for your help and are willing to pay a bounty for each thug captured. Whenever you defeat a henchman, keep the card, as a reminder. Any time that you make a check to acquire a boon, you can “spend” a henchman card, banishing it, to get a +1 on the check. No more than three cards can be “spent” on a single check. Reward: Each character draws a random item from the box. Players - Locations
------------------------------------------------------------------ 2 – INFILTRATION!
Description: While questioning Jubrayl Vhiski, you have discovered that foul shapechangers have recently infiltrated the town of Sandpoint. Longtime friends and allies may not be who they appear to be. Investigate the town and interview its citizens. Root out the infiltrators to restore order and peace of mind to the citizens of Sandpoint. Villain: Doppelganger Leader (see below; use Pillbug Podiker’s villain card as a stand-in)
During This Scenario: Add 2 to your checks to acquire allies. Treat Ambush, Goblin Raid and Skeleton Horde barrier cards as if they were the new Doppelganger Ambush card (see below). Reward: Each character gains a skill feat. Players - Locations
NEW CARDS Doppelganger Agent (Henchman; stand-in: Poison Trap)
Doppelganger Ambush (Barrier; stand-ins: Ambush, Goblin Raid, Skeleton Horde)
Doppelganger Leader (Villain; stand-in: Pillbug Podiker)
------------------------------------------------------------------ 3 – CLEAN-UP CREW Description: Now, that the doppelganger problem is dealt with, it is time to discover the connection between those fiends and the Sczarni. There is a spider in the web, and it is your job to find it and crush it. Villain: Erylium
During This Scenario: Only the toughest of the Sczarni thugs remain: the difficulty to defeat Bandit henchmen is increased by 1. In addition, because they have been cracking down hard on the locals, add 1 to the difficulty of all checks made to acquire allies. On the positive side, these thugs are better equipped: whenever you defeat a Bandit henchman, draw a random card from the box. The type of card is based on a d6 roll, made at the time, as follows: 1 – 2 = armor, 3 – 4 = item, 5 – 6 = weapon. Reward: Each character draws a random ally from the box. Players - Locations
------------------------------------------------------------------ 4 – DEADLY PURSUIT Description: Although Erylium has been defeated, it is clear that she was working for someone even more powerful, outside of the city. At the last minute, she was able to send out a messenger, to warn her master. You need to stop that message and, ideally, discover where it was bound. Unfortunately, your foe has enlisted the aid of the local Fire-Stomper goblin tribe, so you can expect to meet with some resistance. Villain: Lyrie Akenja, who is treated as a villain, instead of a henchman, in every respect. Her Check to Defeat is changed to: Intelligence, Arcane, Wisdom or Perception 10 (seeing through her trickery) then Combat 11. Failing the first check causes no damage but ends the fight immediately, leaving her undefeated. She retains her ability to deal Fire damage and gains the following Power: You may not play allies with the Human trait.
During This Scenario: All banes with the Goblin trait (including Bruthazmus, who should have it) are from the Fire-Stomper tribe and gain the following Power: Before the encounter, make a Dexterity or Acrobatics 7 check. If you fail, you suffer 1 point of Fire damage. If you succeed, the goblin’s Check to Defeat is decreased by 1. Reward: Each character gains a power feat. Players - Locations
------------------------------------------------------------------ 5 – ENDGAME Description: You managed to stop Lyrie Akenja, at the last minute, which means that you have discovered her destination – hopefully, without being discovered, yourself. Explore the ancient ruins that stand before you, and finally face your true foe. Villain: None
During This Scenario: Place the villain Nualia face up, next to the blessings deck (which means that all of the location decks will have henchmen). This card represents the true villain, the drow cleric, Arlavdra. At the start of each turn, select a random location deck and put its bottom card, face down, under Arlavdra. At any point after you have closed a number of locations at least equal to the number of players in the game, you can choose to challenge Arlavdra, moving your character next to the villain’s card, instead of moving to and/or exploring a different location. Note, however, that the villain will be stronger, if there are still open locations (see below). As soon as Arlavdra has been challenged, sort through all of the cards underneath her and banish any that are not henchmen. Place the henchmen on top of Arlavdra’s card, in any order. You must defeat each henchman, in the chosen order, before battling Arlavdra. You can continue to battle foes until you fail a Check to Defeat, at which point you must reset your hand and end your turn. Note that Arlavdra never moves but always remains, to be challenged, until defeated. After the first challenge, her card effectively becomes a location, which means that more than one character can move to face her, so that they can work together, just as they could at any other location. Reward: Each character chooses a type of boon, other than loot, then draws a random card of that type from the box. Players - Locations
NEW CARD Arlavdra (Villain; stand-in: Nualia)
Pathfinder's version of psionics will be called psychic magic and will be nothing like the magic point system from past systems. From what's been said about this, Paizo isn't a fan of the power-point system, which is one of the reasons why they wouldn't just use DSP's system. I'm not heavily invested in the idea of point-based mechanics for psionics - I just like Dreamscarred's work and appreciate the fact that they're the only ones doing it. Having said that, I'd rather a point-based system than a "psychic magic" system that just treats psionic powers as spells with different names. Seems to me that psionics should feel different from spells; otherwise, there is really not much point in having them, in the first place. I suspect that Paizo feels similarly but is unsure as to how they would make the two phenomena feel different without using a point-based system. Figuring that out is probably not a high priority, for them - they have a lot of stuff in the works, already, that is. So, in the meantime, I'll stick with Dreamscarred.
This will be the second hardcover I skipped but I do understand that it was made for beginners so it doesn't bother me that it exists or anything like that. Yeah, I guess, when all is said and done, I feel much the same way. Ever since some of WotC's "build books" I tend to have a negative knee-jerk reaction to anything that sounds similar. I may have over-reacted. Still not buying the book, though. But I just found out about the Inner Sea Gods book, around the same time period, so I'm back in my happy place. :)
It's been said that Vudra needs rules for psionics, so it has to wait until such rules are out. Well, we have Dreamscarred's stuff (including the massive new hardcover on the horizon). Seems good enough to me. I suspect Paizo may think so, as well, since they don't seem inclined to touch psionics, themselves. Honestly, it would be hard to beat the work Dreamscarred has been doing.
Now, this is more like it! I was just grumbling about the Strategy Guide and, then, heard about this - big sigh of relief. Guess Paizo will be getting some of my money, next spring, after all. It will be nice to have all of this info in one place, rather than scattered over lots of other books. New spells, traits, etc. are always welcome, too. My only concern: it would have been nice to include gods from Tian Xia, Vudra, etc. (kind of takes away from the "all of this info in one place" otherwise). Still, that does leave all the more room for the Inner Sea gods (which are the ones that get used the most, by far) and character-related stuff - so, not a major beef. Which makes me think of a wildly tangential question: is there any chance that the Pathfinder Campaign Setting line is ever going to do more with Vudra? Seems like an interesting place to tinker with, but it gets ignored a lot.
Ugh. Well, it's official: Pathfinder really has replaced D&D. You can tell, since they're starting to turn out the kind of books WotC did (especially, when they ran out of ideas for 3.5 and 4). I hated it when WotC kept trying to tell me how to make my characters "efficiently" - the word "build" still gives me shudders. Not keen on having Paizo do the same (although I at least trust that the writing style will be less condescending). Okay, that might be a little mean, and, to be fair, I can see that beginners might find this useful. From a business point of view, though, the price tag may scare them off - maybe this should have been a softcover? Anyway, this will definitely be the first PF hardcover that I have ever passed on. Absolutely no interest in this one.
I just purchased Dwellers in Dream and have been enjoying a good read. I definitely see some new additions for our local game (although the high RP values for some of the races may give our primary GM pause - it might have been better to be a bit more conservative for races specifically designed to be used by players). Great flavor, in any event, and lots of good options. I found one goof, though, on page 53. The Benefit text for the Giantshaper feat makes no sense, seeming to have been copied from the Camouflage Flesh feat. I assume that feat allows the Changeling to take Large form, based on the flavor text, but, of course, there is no way to tell if there are any other rules details that stem from this (i.e. ability score changes, duration limits, etc.).
Another thought about barbarian rage: it can represent different things. For example, it can represent a quirky fight-or-flight response - a character who is not normally violent or angry but freaks out under extreme stress, reacting with adrenaline (credit where it's due: this was my wife's idea, for a character). Or it can represent religious zeal and/or extreme, burning focus (as in the case of my own aasimar barbarian). Neither of these versions of rage would require a non-Lawful alignment (or any particular alignment, for that matter). Indeed, it could be argued that a character of the latter sort might actually lean towards Lawful.
You could easily have a Lawful barbarian, who is committed to the traditions of his people and is obedient to the tribal elders, who believes that a warrior must be honourable and keep his word, but who allows himself to be overcome by furious spirits (loss of self-control) in order to fight the enemies of his people. This barbarian may have a number of tribal rituals preparing for battle or for purifying himself after a rage. Absolutely. In point of fact, many historical tribes, in the real world, have been quite regimented, having many taboos, rituals and so forth, i.e. they have been quite Lawful. And with good reason: living in a truly Chaotic culture is not conducive to long-term survival, in the wild. For this reason, the whole "barbarians can't be Lawful" thing has always bugged me. It smacks of a very pulp/cinematic - but not very realistic - understanding of what tribal life is really like. As for monks... well, Paizo has already put the horse's head in the door, with martial artists (who can have any alignment), drunken monks (lawful? yeah, right...), and so forth. Seems to me, the alignment restriction should probably be ditched for them, too. Really, the only alignment restrictions I think are best left in place are those that involve ties to the divine, i.e. a cleric's need to mirror his deity's alignment, etc. Having said this, I sometimes wonder if paladins should simply be restricted to Good, rather than Lawful Good. It would make just as much sense and allow for interesting possibilities. By extension, it would also imply that anti-paladins need only be Evil (I want my Lawful Evil anti-paladin!). There is something else worth noting. I'm not sure if anyone has mentioned this before, but most of the alignment restrictions were originally put in place as a balancing mechanism (in the days of 1st edition D&D and even the original brown books). Paladins, for example, had a code of conduct (along with tithes, possession restrictions, etc.) to make up for the fact that they were simply better than fighters in every other way. These days, with the classes being more internally balanced, that particular use for alignment restrictions is long gone. So, if it's simply a flavor thing, shouldn't that depend on the campaign in question?
well i definitely like the genie-kin adjustments Thank you! :) They were actually the ones that got me to update our notes, in the first place, since it was bugging everybody that Elemental Affinity worked for sorcerers and clerics but not elementalist wizards and oracles. That and the fact that oreads are slow but get nothing in compensation (by a literal reading, not even "slow and steady"). You just have to look at the pictures to see that they should have some sort of natural armor.
I don't disagree with that, but I think it has more to do with versatility than strength. Because you have more room to maneuver, with humans, you can more easily adapt them to different roles, so they tend to get picked more often in guides and the like. But they are often inferior in some roles, as compared to other specific races. For example, if we're just talking power, here, I'd sooner play an elf wizard than a human one. The Int and Dex bonuses are both useful, as are the magic-based racial traits, and the access to longbow is great, especially at low levels, when you want to reserve spells (not to mention longsword, if you really want to risk melee). Keen senses, enchantment resistance, and the like are just icing on the cake. Another simple example. Say, for whatever reason, you want to give your human Skill Focus. In effect, you've made a weak half-elf, since, as compared to a half-elf, the human has, effectively, given up a whole pile of racial traits, just to get Skilled. In ARG terms, he paid double for the bonus feat (which left him few points for anything else, other than Skilled), but gained no advantage from doing so. (Actually, with the new alternate racial traits, I'd probably take the one that gives you Skill Focus scattered over three levels, anyway, but that's beside the point. I could just as easily have picked some other race with some other feat the human happens to want.) Linguistics has the same problem, if you aren't playing in Golarion: humans pay 1 more RP to get one less language, on the average. And if you want, say, Elven and Gnomish - well, the elf gets those options, without paying for them (as do many other races). But I digress. My point is, it's all a matter of context, with or without the ARG. If you are just talking about a point system, as in the ARG, then you can only really judge the power balance by the end result of many character comparisons, not by just picking the most optimized possibility for your favorite combination and ignoring the rest. Take any bonus feat you want for your human - my elf will still probably make a better wizard and have a bunch of extra racial traits, to boot. The human is more versatile, but it does not make him any tougher, in this context - it actually makes him somewhat weaker. Unless, of course, elves are widely distrusted and hated, in your campaign, in which case the human might be a more "optimized" choice. Again, it's all context. To be honest, though, even my comments, about this, are kind moot, the way we tend to play. We tend to make the characters we feel like, that suit the story, not necessarily ones that seem particularly optimized. I think elf wizards are better than, say, halfling wizards, but that doesn't mean I'm going to play one, if I have a halfling image firmly in my head. Munchkinism isn't terribly popular, here. We realized, quite a while back that, as I implied, power-level is often based more on context than racial abilities, anyway (especially, as character's progress in level and those racial traits become less and less important, anyway). And class abilities are balanced enough, in the big picture, that context is often the deciding factor for them, as well. Show me a highly optimized character from one of those guides, and I'll show you three situations in which he pretty much sucks. Which begs the question: why the article? The race balancing started quite a while back - long before the ARG - more as an attempt to round out some races and make them more interesting, rather than make them especially tougher or weaker (it started with the elemental races and changelings - and the fact that humans get no cultural weapon familiarity). The ARG just gave us some tools to take a second look at what we were already doing and make the more recent changes somewhat more objectively (in theory). I'm still not sure how effective those tools are, when used with the races that we specifically changed, using RP (not the core races, so much, but the ifrit, undine, changelings, etc.). The verdict's still out on that one. And, frankly, this thread, which has devolved into the usual "humans are too tough! no, they're not!" argument, hasn't really helped much, in judging that. Guess I'll think twice before bothering to post house rules, again...
Had you bothered to really read the article and the many posts on this thread - rather than just dipping in, being sarcastic, and then disappearing (as I notice you tend to do in many other threads, as well) - you might have realized that I meant balanced in ARG terms, i.e. all worth 10 RP. I suppose I could have titled this differently, for clarity's sake, since "balance" is clearly a subjective (and, apparently, somewhat loaded) term, but hind-sight's twenty-twenty. Obviously, if you assume the ARG system is flawed, right from the beginning, then you are not going to like these ideas. Which begs the question of why you are bothering to get involved in this thread, at all... Just bored, I guess. Anyway as far the samsaran thing... you lost me on that one. Getting +2 on two skills is interesting, by you? It's not like almost every other race gets that one. We wanted an ability that more accurately reflected the samsaran's description - i.e. that they remember multiple past lives, not just a single one. It seems to me that the new trait works better in that regard and is certainly much more versatile and interesting. But, of course, as noted in the article, if you don't like it, you can always take the original one as an alternate trait - we didn't "get rid" of it, as you said. You did bother to read that far, I hope?
"amazingly versatile"
Man, people are big on hyperbole, here... Really, I don't think any of the races are amazingly, wildly or phenomenally better than any of the others - not even the tieflings and aasimar. Anyway, has anyone actually managed to get past page 3? To be honest, I'm not terribly interested in feedback about the core races, since, as I said earlier, we've been using these rules for over a year-and-a-half, now (since long before the ARG came out), and they work just fine for us. And I'm frankly getting rather bored of the "humans are amazingly wildly phenomenally over-powered" feud, from this thread and too many others. I'm much more interested in what people think about the Featured and Uncommon Race changes - especially the elemental races, changelings and samsarans - since those are the only ones that are actually new(ish) for us and, thus, haven't been playtested nearly as much.
Yup, thankfully, they get Common and one regional tongue (usually), according to page 11 of the Inner Sea World Guide. The change we made to human languages is simply a logical derivative of that, broadened to apply to most other worlds, as well. In ARG terms, this means that they actually get what they paid for, linguistics-wise.
Actually, from my point of view, this isn't really a good example, at all. You see, as I believe I implied in my earlier posts, we settled on this version of humans a long time ago. Nothing new, there. Much later, the ARG just seemed to validate our decisions, since it has PF humans being worth 9 RP and ours being worth 10 RP. Couldn't really argue with that. Having said that, I do agree that some of the ARG's point values seemed kind of wonky - including the fact that human's pay 1 RP for supposedly good language skill, when, in fact, they tend to have one language less than everyone else, on the average. But the point system is useful for ballparking, and I was careful to factor in its weaknesses, when making choices for the newer races, over the last couple of months. It has problems, true, but, once you know where they are, it can still be a useful tool.
Yes, yes, I get it: you think humans are too tough. We don't. Let's just agree to disagree. As I said earlier, these house rules - or at least the core race parts of them - have been used for many, many months, now, and work very well for us. I simply posted them in case anyone else wants to make use of them. If you don't like them, don't use them. Or just use the parts you like (if any). I promise my feelings won't be too hurt, either way. I do wonder, though, if anyone, other than Ciaran, has read past the Human entry, which is apparently more controversial than I thought. It would be nice to know if anyone found any of the other race stuff worthwhile...
I think you need to re-read the article - every human cannot take EWP: Fauchard or EWP: Falcata for free. WF is not the same as the Exotic Weapon Proficiency feat. If you choose an exotic weapon - and note that you would have to justify it as a cultural choice - it simply becomes martial. If you're cleric, wizard, rogue or some other non-martial type, you're just out of luck - no falcata for you, I'm afraid. For any of these classes, you would have to pick a martial weapon, to gain proficiency, not an exotic one. As I said earlier, this is not the same as just being given elven curved blade or something like that. *sigh* I do wish people would read things before arguing about them... And, as for the "amazingly versatile and strong" comment... Versatile? Yes. Amazingly strong? I just don't see it. The bonus feat is nice, for sure, but no better than some races' spell-like abilities and the like. And humans give up almost everything else for it, having far less traits that most other races. Seems like a wash, to me.
Again, the only thing I can say, to this, is that these changes have been very well playtested (for well over a year-and-a-half, now) and seem to be working fine, for us. I am only posting this, now, because I finally got around to adding in the some of the newer Featured and Uncommon race stuff and coordinating it with the ARG. The core race stuff (and some of the other pre-ARG race stuff, from the Bestiaries and modules) is nothing new, at least for us. During all of this time, there has been no sudden rush to make humans in any of our campaigns - they are no more or less frequent than they ever were. Most people I know who really worry about exotic weapons and the like would be more inclined to play an elf, to get elven curved blade (or just a longsword and longbow, for a wizard). Frankly, the other races' weapon familiarities are much more potent than this one - and, in ARG terms, cost no more than this one. But to each his or her own. It was written for our games - and works well for them - but posted in case anyone else wants to make use of it. Use what you want, and leave the rest.
Who looks at Humans in Pathfinder and says, "Yeah, this race is pretty underpowered, let's give them Exotic Weapon Proficiency as an extra bonus feat"? Paizo, apparently, since humans are worth only 9 RP in the Advanced Race Guide. And that's after over-paying for linguistics (since, as written, they have no racial tongue - they pay for at least two languages, but only get one). To be honest, though, the human change - which is one we applied long before the ARG came out and which, thus, has been well playtested - started as a reaction to the human's loss of the Multitalented trait (as compared to 3.5). We were of the opinion that humans were more or less balanced against the other races in 3.5, so taking this away, when some of the other races were actually strengthened, just seemed unfair (where I come from, if you have two equal sides and take something away from one... well, that one is obviously weaker). We could have given humans back Multitalented, but, under PF rules, that seemed not quite right (specifically, it would seem extreme, when added to Skilled). So, given that most core races have a weapon familiarity (actually, several), this seemed like a good trade-off. And note that WF, of this sort, is worth 1 RP in the ARG - just right, to bring humans up to the proper 10 RP. BTW, when it comes to racial traits, I'm not sure that you can consider the option to be proficient with a single weapon (or, at least, make it martial, if it is normally exotic - proficiency is not automatic) equivalent to a feat. Theoretically, it is, but, if Paizo was looking at it that way with the other races, dwarves, elves and the like would be worth a lot more than they are now. In effect, our human weapon familiarity just gives humans a single weapon which is treated as having "human" in the name (and note that it cannot be another race's weapon, such as elven curved blade). The weapon you choose should, of course, be cultural, but it's up to the GM to enforce that.
The dwarf weakness was clever. Thank you! :) It was a bit tricky, because I wanted it to be a genuine weakness (but not too extreme), while still feeling like it was implied by the dwarves' description, so that it wouldn't feel new and tacked on. Actually, the "not feeling tacked on" notion was foremost in my mind for all of the changes the article presents. Anyway, the dwarves-acting-surly-to-other-races notion sprung immediately to mind, but I didn't want it to prevent the possibility of dwarven bards and the like - that is, dwarves who actually make the attempt to be personable having that option. I think that the Diplomacy rank mechanic handles that: in effect, the weakness can be "bought off" - but only by someone making an active effort (and spending skill ranks) to do so.
The small boon granted to half-orcs seems worthwhile. Truthfully, aside from a few differences, I can't tell which ones you changed, and which ones you didn't. maybe you could removed the ones you didn't alter. All of the ones included have some changes, except Elves, Gnomes and Half-Elves. I included those three in the original document, though, for the sake of convenience.
As far as balancing the races is concerned, you might want to look at this. BTW, I would want to keep Lawful and Chaotic. They make the shades of alignment more interesting and descriptive. Besides, doing otherwise would put the proteans and axiomites are on the same side, i.e. neutral.
We recently updated and finalized our house rules for Pathfinder, and I took the opportunity to balance most of the races, as per the Advanced Race Guide. Basically, any that were worth less than 10 RP were brought up to 10 RP (and dwarves were actually given a minor weakness, to bring them down to 10 RP). I haven't tinkered with aasimar, tieflings, drow or any of the other really high point, more obscure races, as any changes there would probably have to be too major (and would make the "Blood of ..." books, which I quite like, harder to use). Anyway, since I have seen this topic brought up on the messageboards, now and then, I assume that others might be interested in this. Here is a link to a document, which details all of the changes: |