D6Veteran's page

The Pathfinder Beginner box was brilliant and is how I got back into "DnD" with my kid (and her friends). If you're saying the core rules for Starfinder are like the simplified rules in the Pathfinder Beginner box then that's a good start. But the beginner box also provided the means for a GM to dive right in with the players with almost zero prep.

Maybe my experience was unique and the Beginner Box didn't sell well? Otherwise I can't see a reason why Starfinder wouldn't launch with one. Nevermind my kids, I personally don't want to dive all into another RPG without a "beginner box" to try out / dive in.

Just my 2c.

Is this game system launching with a beginner box?

Two words: critical dance.

Pros:

The staff and attendees are top notch compared to any other con I've attended. Speaks volumes for Paizo.

Lots of things to do! The PFS scenarios were great.

Great depth of books at the store.

Great swag bag!!!

Improvements:

The main hall is incredibly loud. This is my fourth year and the Double Tree hall seems particularly loud. I enjoyed the games upstairs much more simply because I could hear the DM and other players. Maybe try:

+ The tables could have been spread out more.
+ Partition off the room with dividers or curtains?

T-shirts. I mentioned this the previous years. Make some beige/parchment color t-shirts with the core characters on them. Just like the banners in the main hall. My teen and my friends teens (and the parents) would buy as many of these as we could. Not purple or black - but use the same graphic from the banners. Include small sizes. Huge opportunity for fans to wear their favorite characters never-mind spread the word ("marketing").

Add more space for unique scenarios like True Dragons of Absalom.

Good point about flame blade. I can give that Druid a +1 Flaming sling, and then use flame blade for melee.

That's straight forward - thank you!

I have to create a couple lvl8 characters for some friends and I for a game at PaizoCon.

I need level appropriate weapons for two lvl8 druids (halfling and dwarf) including a scimitar, sling and warhammer. What would be some weapon builds for increasing att/dmg for that lvl?

The dwarf is themed for cold spells and the halfling is themed for fire spells. Ideally the scimitar would have fire damage and the warhammer cold.

Thanks for the great game everyone. I love going mapless!

Found a father/son to take them.

Thought I could trade these all up until the con while I coordinated with other friends. Looks like trading is closed.

I have 2 tickets for this event which looks like a blast. I will post them to the board later tonight or you can private message me your email so I can get them to you tonight. I won't have both tickets until around 6pm Friday when my daughter checks in.

Bringing a lvl8 Dwarf druid. Can also level all the way down to 5. Just let me know by Friday night.

Bringing a Dwarf druid.

Party so far?

Druid
Warpriest
Summoner/Witch

Thank you! Looking forward to it.

Can someone confirm the scenario and what level character we should bring?

Thanks!

Don't give them up yet. Let me check into some things.

Once you transfer a ticket, you still have to have one account request the buddy and the other account confirm it to ensure both parties consent to be buddies.

OK so I remember her accepting but you are saying that is only for the ticket and that I needed to then issue another request to be a buddy. Dangit. I thought I set it up for us properly.

I'm confused. I had to make her my buddy to transfer the ticket right? Isn't that how it worked last year?

So at this point do we give up our lottery draws?

So my daughter and I got two different lottery picks.

Can someone look into this? This is our third year and using the buddy system has never been an issue. I just checked and I did transfer the ticket to her (D20Dragon).

The lottery results will have to be posted before event scheduling opens. I'm sure they will postpone event scheduling until the lottery results are available - it makes no sense to open even scheduling before lottery results are known.

A couple questions from a first time con-goer:

1. Is it common for the majority of the "lottery" events to be friday in the morning and early afternoon? I had already booked my flight long ago and wont be arriving until friday afternoon, and it appears I'll miss out on even having a chance to even play in most lottery games. I had assumed special events would be more spread out over the weekend.

+1

I know this won't work for many groups, but here's how I DM:

I put a lot of time into prepping and hosting a game. Including looking over characters before the first game of a campaign, and then seeding the adventures with loot and challenges that would be cool for those characters.

In return for the time I put in, and the resulting fun, I basically get a commitment from the group that the DM has final ruling. And that I can make crap up to keep the game fun/challenging.

So in your original example, if a character kept pulling the sleep shenanigans, by the third time I'd just say it didn't work. (I'd make up some other NPC in the room who can ward against *that* hex, OR the character has acquired some sort of witch ailment, and there's a 50% chance of the hex effecting some random member of the party include the witch).

Turn it around and make it fun for everyone, including you. It's your game - run it. The players will thank you and remember those games. And for the few players who resist - then don't invite them back.

Life is too short, time is too precious and games should be fun.

Any chance we can get the date posted for lottery and event sign-up?

Hi, we are excited to come back this year for PaizoCon. This time I bring more friends.

Questions:

1) When does the lottery start? Even a general time-frame. Will an email be sent to let me know what to get ready?

2) There will be four of us trying to get a couple tables together - is the buddy system going to be used this year? Meaning, well there me a way to link tickets for registration?

Thanks!

Maybe the dragon also celebrates Thanksgiving, and is having her friends over as well, that's why she needed the turkeys!

Oh I love that! :D

I've got two tween girls who want to play Pathfinder with their grandparents during ThxG.

I was going to use the Pathfinder stock characters and run the four of them through a short 60-90 minute encounter.

The hook is that they are at grandma and grandpas turkey farm. They do a good business with the local townfolk, but make most of their money when the court holds a feast, and on Thanksgiving they sell 40+ turkeys to the court for the annual feast where the poor and disabled and other folks in need are invited in for the feast.

But the party wakes up at grandmas to hear there frantic grandpa tell of the disappearance of all the turkeys.

I thought they'd have to do some sleuthing to find the tracks back to a lair. Where they find a young dragon with 40 turkeys stuffed into a bag of holding - she's taking them out one by one and feeding them to herself like you'd imagine an ancient roman nobleman eat a grape.

Maybe they fight or rob or bargain with the dragon to return the turkeys.

Any ideas to give it more flavor? (no pun intended)

That said...

YOU might want to read some of these things so that YOU could suggest to the players that a few things they've done aren't working out perfectly and suggest alternatives that will work out better. Ultimately, every game runs smoother if the PCs are at least partially optimized for success; dungeons get boring then the PCs can't handle simple ordinary challenges. Unless, of course, you want to be constantly changing the encounters to simpler, easy...

This is where I want to land. Like MendedWall12 said, it *was* a ton of fun to see them figure out what a bag of holding does. And it took me back to a very happy place when I first discovered DnD when a friend ran me through Tomb of Horrors and my curiosity killed me immediately ;)

I think I ran through that dungeon like 20 times over the course of two weeks and never made it through, but I was sold on DnD from there.

There's a ton of advice and pointers in this thread that are spawning an education for me as a (Pathfinder) DM, that I can then pass on to the players so that I can keep moving them through the levels without making major changes to a lot of the existing modules and APs I am using. But it also provides me with more ways to accommodate their curiosity and make them successful while still having fun (buying ponies and saving for castles).

Druids normally are able to spontaneously spam summon nature's ally, no preparation required.

When you say spam, do you mean they can spontaneously cast SNA more than once (replacing other spells)?

This is Rock Buddy. He can be summoned using Summon Monster 2, or Summon Natures Ally 2, which all druids can spontaneously cast.

Without Augment summoning feat:

He has a +6 to hit on power attack, hits for 1d6+8, assuming both him and his foe have feet touching the ground. Which is most of the time.

If your druids took spell focus conjuration, then augment summoning:

He has +8 to hit with power attack, and hits for 1d6+11, assuming both him and his foe have feet on the ground, which is most of the time.

Those numbers do not include flanking bonuses which they can get if they get positioning right. If you need more Rock Buddys, bust out the Summon Natures Ally 3 for 1d3+1 of them.

I need to look over their spells more closely. Both Druids have SNA (one at lvl2 and one at lvl3). They are choosing animals they think are neat . . . and I just read the complete text noting that the one with lvl3 can summon several. That's huge!

I need to basically read all the available Druid and Witch spells/feats so I can give them more advice. I've not played either class.

1d3+1 Rock Buddies wants to make me play! They are going to love that.

Bottom line: At lv 5, you're supposed to have 10500 gp in gear, and at lv 6, 16000 gp. Ask them to leave a copy of their character sheets with you so you can do the fiddly maths thing to see if they don't have enough gear.

The players should take responsibility on what they need to get with their money, and not have GM provide it to them all the time.

All the sheets are here actually and I just reviewed them (we have a game this Friday). One of the players is sitting on 6,800 gp. Saving it for a ship or something (I'm not kidding). Totally reminds me of when I started. I think I wanted to build my own Keep.

This is an incredibly helpful thread btw.

It is possible that a GM who spent most of his time playing in the 70s and 80s might be more familiar with the comparative rarity of magical items in AD&D rather than the relatively frequent nature of magic items in Pathfinder.

THIS!

As I was reading the previous 3-4 posts listing all the magical buffs (including Rings!), I realized I am being incredibly stingy with loot as well as guidance on what the players can buy. I've dished out some +1 weapons and some cloaks, but no rings, belts or headbands. Although I did throw in a small bag of holding just for kicks (which they loved figuring out how it worked). The funny thing is they are so new that any thing they get is like amazing to them.

If they're not running with proper Big Six gear that would likely play a large part in why they're having a hard time staying alive.

What is "Big Six gear"?

Part of the problem is I'm new to DM'ing Pathfinder ;)

If you're handing them a "grizzled old vet" of a healer, you've also got an in-world way of offering optimisation and tactics advice.

"You're a Druid aren't you? I've seen Druids entagle whole platoons, or create mud to slow down distant foes. Something like that could buy us time to reposition next time we fight."

"I recall two warriors I fought alongside a few years back. Both loved their shiny trinkets. With the loot from an Orc lair one bought himself a magic sword, the other a ring of protection.

The Orcs came looking for us about a week later. The first volley of arrows pretty much bounced off the fella with the ring! His mate wasn't as lucky. The funeral was very tasteful, mind. I officiated it myself."

This is good. I could probably run a whole session that is part fireside chat and some sort of confrontation at the Inn the the party either has to break up or choose sides.

I think the witch forgot slumber hex and glitterdust, and the party forgot to buy a wand of CLW. Please tell me they bought mw studded leather barding for their animal companions..(what animal companions are they running, anyway?)

The druids can even summon small earth elementals to surround the bad guys. If you think you want to ignore an augmented summon earth elemental, wait till it hits you, you'll change your mind pretty quick.

No on the mwk Studded Leather Barding. In fact I need to look that up.

They do have wands of CLW.

They are running a Wolf and a Leopard (as a big cat).

Tell me more about small earth elementals . . . are you saying I advise them each to summon an earth elemental behind the enemy, to give bonuses?

I love the idea of the grizzled old veteran mending their ailments and regaling them with tales of adventure.

If this is on Thanksgiving weekend, maybe make a session out of leftovers/baking cookies/s'mores around a fire, et al?

You could combine your own player experiences (as the grizzled vet's tales) with cautionary tales of game play (advising about nasty stuff like mummy rot, lycanthropy, getting horribly cursed by the slams of clay golems, eaten alive by swarms, rot grubs, ad nauseam) with some hang-out time.

Love it! Great idea. They like it when the sessions are heavy on the role playing aspect.

Actually, you might want to look into how your players are spending their gold OP? PC defenses get really trash towards the mid levels if you're not spending gold on boosting them, which isn't something that's going to be immediately obvious to a new player. If they're not running with proper Big Six gear that would likely play a large part in why they're having a hard time staying alive.

That's a good point! I've been generous with loot but they are buying things like . . . wait for it . . . ponies. I mean, two of them are 12yr old girls. I'm not going to tell them not to get pony.

I think I'll have an NPC loan them some AC boosts while they are in town planning the next segment of their adventure.

Lots of excellent feedback here! Thanks again!

Just have a cleric wander by and encounter them. Preferably right after they have a really tough fight and they're all lying around licking their wounds (the druids might be literally licking them). The cleric offers to heal them, but then says he's currently "in between jobs" for whatever reason you think would entertain these players. Young girls? I'd go the romance route. This particular cleric fell in love with the daughter of someone important and they were discovered. It led to a Romeo and Juliet kind of tragedy and his order kicked him out for causing the death of that girl. Now he's wandering the land, looking to atone for his past and he thinks finding these adventurers is a sign. Why a sign? Because his god has sent him on a quest that he cannot complete alone. And Presto! now you have a plot hook AND a healer.

Brilliant idea! It also gives me a way to build the memorable moment I've been looking for in the next closing couple of sessions. Thanks!

Good call on the witch hex - I didn't see that.

Thanks for the feedback everyone.

Context - they are 12 and 13 years old. This is my daughter and here friends and they have played 7-8 sessions with me. I totally got them hooked :)

I wasn't concerned about party balance when we had our first game because it was just a little dungeon crawl intro. But then they wanted to keep going and they are too attached to their characters. I have to take them to complete this adventure (2 more sessions).

I'd like to both help them, and also teach them about party balance. Not having a true Cleric + their lack of experience, has been super tough as a DM. I've had to pull back and open escape routes several times. I've already killed both Druid's animal companions twice.

I'll guide them on the witch and druid cure___ spells, and I'll need to read up on leadership and healer cohort feats.

I'm running a party that is:

Druid -5
Druid -6
Fighter -6
Witch -6

They are too far along and cannot be changed. But, I'm having a harder and harder time not killing them because they are weak on healing. I've given them all the cure light wounds they can carry through various loot, but I need some other ways to buff them without totally breaking their classes. Any ideas?

Note: there might be something obvious but I am newish to Pathfinder (I played DnD for most of 70/80s, and then got into the game again via Pathfinder).

Thanks.

The portal is in the process of being opened and it is the means for a large, defeated army (now undead) to return and challenge the King again. Various groups have made it through the portal to scout and recruit.

They have an object (a necklace) that was part of earlier loot that is the key to closing the portal. It has many similarities to the portal so once they recognize that they should realize that destroying the necklace destroys the portal (the necklace has many types of resistance so destroying it will require some other items they have accrued).

So far that's not very memorable though. Maybe one of them has to go into the portal and close it from the inside? That player would think they are making a sacrifice, but then once the portal closes I would spit them out somewhere, safe and sound.

Context:

I introduced my 12 yr old daughter and her 3 school friends to "DnD" by running a small dungeon crawl for them. To my delight, all four of them caught the bug and I ended up running them up to level 6 over the course of 8 sessions. I wrote my own adventure path, taking parts and pieces from old DnD 1.0 modules as well as Pathfinder modules, and weaving my own story for the group. It's been a lot of fun, but also challenging because this groups of kids will not stay on any rails - I have to build the sandbox and with several plot points and let them weave through them in the order and style they wish.

In our last adventure I had to throw them a way out so they wouldn't all die, and off the top of my head I had a group of Driders come come out of a side passage and team up with them to take out a small horde of undead. The session concluded with them heading off with the Driders to meet the local lord.

They are 1-2 sessions max away from completing the Adventure Path (the end goal of closing a portal door).

At this point I want to give them a memorable event as they close out the adventure.

And I think I might have accidentally created the basis for that when I added in the Driders without much thought. Obviously, the Driders invitation to meet the lord cannot be with good intent. The party is already a bit suspicious but it was the end of the session and they lazily agreed to be escorted. (I thought they would run/escape).

So . . . looking for ideas here - even seeds. I would like to sow paranoia or give them a tough choice that will have hard consequences either way. Maybe play the Driders against the local Drow. Maybe they have to make a choice between two really great choices. What would a great escape look like?

They have to exit the mountain in a manner that allows them to reach a hidden valley (where they have an encounter that concludes the Adventure Path).

D6Veteran wrote:

For the marketing staff - if possible you really should consider making t-shirts with the iconic characters. These would sell like hot cakes! I have to think there is some IP reason you can't do this because I'm sure someone else has thought of this. I can tell you that it would be an incredible marketing tool for Pathfinder.

Like these ones here? T-Shirts are kind of weird to merchandise at the store for us, and we haven't quite figured out the best way to handle them quite yet.

I didn't know you had those! Now just need something other than black ;)

We'd buy the whole set.

I used to manage marketing at trade/exhibit shows and t-shirts were always reliable sellers. Just need a variety of colors (white, blue, black and red are best). You'll quickly find which ones move the best.

One more remark. The difference between Core and Normal I think adds an unnecessary complexity to the PFS events.

Even though I signed up for Normal, I ended up having to play some Core games, which meant I had to keep re-tooling my character to fit Core, and now the same character is logged across to PFS numbers.

The reality is I really don't care if I'm playing Core or Normal - I just want to play a PFS character (a single PFS character) through the con.

If there was just Core *or* Normal, then there would be a lot more flexibility in putting tables together.

Events:

Well organized and well run. All the GMs were fun, positive and it's what makes me keep coming back to PaizoCon.

Family Friendly:

My 11yr daughter came for the second year in a row and this year she was able to sustain 2 events per day. We have plenty of games that were age appropriate and in general the Pathfinder community is great at getting young players involved. My daughter said to me Monday, "everyone is just so nice and friendly".

Store:

The store is getting bigger year over year and I love that! I hope more vendors continue to show up.

For the marketing staff - if possible you really should consider making t-shirts with the iconic characters. These would sell like hot cakes! I have to think there is some IP reason you can't do this because I'm sure someone else has thought of this. I can tell you that it would be an incredible marketing tool for Pathfinder.

Hotel:

While I understand the space for the events is better. The hotel was a super big disappointment. I travel for a living and have never paid a higher price for such lack of amenities and service. Room service was the worst food I've ever had (normally I like to treat myself to room service because while it's expensive, it's usually good food and getting it served to your room at the end of a long day is a nice treat. At the Double Tree I paid $18 for 5 tiny, barely edible buffalo wings, and $28 for a frozen pizza).

The previous hotel had an indoor pool and movie service in the rooms which made it nice for those that treat PaizoCon like a vacation and bring family.

Not a deal breaker, but there are other great hotels in the area.

Overall:

Wonderful time! I'm ready to book plans for next year! :D

I tried to find this information before posting so apologies for starting a new thread. I have a game 8am Saturday. What time can I arrive to pickup my badge before the game starts?

As part of the glitch, were any events over-booked? I ask because my daughter and I booked two events that reached max attendance and I want to know if this is something I might need to stay tuned for or if I can unplug and ignore event scheduling this weekend. ;)

Although I did notice that spots are not being marked off. Maybe that's because it's pulling from cache to show those numbers.

Requests started returning about 10 minutes in. I was able to get scheduled pretty quickly once my daughter go in to.

All signed up!

Honestly to those complaining - it really wasn't a big deal. Paizo staff kept us posted and we had to wait less than a 24 hours.

There are plenty of seats!

I'm feeling thankful for everyone who has patience and the Paizo staff that's putting in a lot of energy to get everyone scheduled.

Maybe it's because this cup of coffee is particularly delicious this morning, or that I'm super excited for PaizoCon and know that there will be plenty of events available, even if you wait till the con.

<sip sip>