Darrien's page

Ok, this is what I came up with after a quick run-through. Note: I didn't differentiate between the ogres (ogre & ogre brute) or the stone giants......

Thanks Dude, you are a scholar and a gentleman.

Before I start flipping through the book, page by page, has anyone made a list of the figures needed to run the AP. I mean, how many harpies do you need for the encounter with the greatest number of harpies or cultists.
I know I am short 1 Ripnugget from runing the AP (Must be Ultra-Rare) but I assume I have models that are extra as well (I know I am not going to use 3 Harsk). Figured I could do some trading at the game store if I know that I have figures that are Extra.

So....
Are they enjoying it? I have an unused beginner box, and a gamer friend who has a boy and a girl also about 8 and 6.

I thought about this more and I think for it to work for me the following has to be true (ie my world has these rules/characteristics)

1) Firearms are flintlock weapons both rifles & pistols

2) Firearms are expensive/difficult to craft but not rare. Using them requires about the same training as a crossbow and is easier than a bow

3) They are more powerful than bows & crossbows however getting hit with a bullet is not as bad as getting hit by say a two handed sword all things being equal

4) They are less accurate at greater distances (boring doesn't exist)

5) Gunpowder is more expensive than arrows/bolts and cannot be reused (obviously) It also more dangerous to carry in large quantities

6) Guns are obviously loud and this can carry consequences

7) A loaded gun can be fired quicker than a bow but takes longer to reload

8) gunpowder doesn't work when wet, guns must be cleaned

I think the above allows the existence of firearms without rendering all of the other things I love (swords,bows,spears, armor) obsolete.

Agree?

Did you ever see Deadliest Warrior, Pirate vs. Knight

Wait, is this a serious thread or are we being ironic. I didn't know there was a new show, what's a "bronie". I thought the thread was about this video (a friend sent to me because I collect anime figures).

post script
I think I'll keep the superstar tag.

When I make the change, everything seems to have worked (I get confirmation the address has been changed)but when I look at the active address, the phone number remains the old one.

Unrelated, why do I not have any subscriber tags?

I cannot seem to permanently make a change to my shipping address. While the address does not need to be changed, the phone number does.
Whenever I place an order, I must either choose the existing address with the incorrect phone number, or retype the entire address as a new address to ship to.

And what a ride it has been.

What alignment should I play? I want a character that kills creatures, then takes their stuff. :)

Seriously, excelent post Juno, I agree completely.
Also as stated several time all alignments should be used as a tool for role-playing a character, not a staitjacket for the player.
Having an alignment system just lets the player get into the character, so the player does not have to think "What would I do in this situation?" it is one more tool to allow the player to think "What would Tiera Spellsword do in this situation?"

Perhaps it is a simple as this; a paladin's supernatural abilities are all based on the character being a paragon of goodness. There is no requirement to worship a god within one alignment step, as a cleric must, paladins just serves virtuous deities.
One could argue the paladin simply based on abilities, and fluff, should be Neutral Good, true Good, excepting that they adhere to ironclad laws of morality and discipline.
So in my opinion, a paladin is mechanically a good character, and has that aura, but role-play wise is a lawful character.

Glad to hear you and the players had a good time, DeathQuaker!

I might have "tweaked" the rolls a bit since 'Crypt of the Everflame' is pretty challenging for 1st level PCs (especially if they don't retreat to rest at some point).

I don't recall if PF RPG has anything on leveling up in the middle of the session, but I've never, ever allowed that -- leveling up, for me, is linked to the end of the session (preferably the end of the adventure, even) when PCs rest and have some time to think over what they've gone through (sort of reflecting on what they faced, tried and experimented). So, I wouldn't let PCs gain a level as they walk from one room to another, but this is just my own preference as a GM.

Agreed, but in a demo situation (if time allowed) it might be a nice showcase of how advancement works and how players get to customize for their vision of the characters.

Eloquently put. That is what I meant to say.

Additionally, D&D always used gauntlet to mean glove that came to the elbow. By definition, a gauntlet does not have to be a weapon; simply a gloved hand (it may be reinforced but not by definition) a spiked gauntlet is a weapon.
That is my take anyway.

Do (su) abilities work inside Antimagic Field if they are not targeted (i.e. regeneration, damage resistance, etc...)?

No supernatural ability, spell-like ability, or spell works in an area of antimagic but extraordinary abilities still work.

If Antimagic Field is *impervious* to magical effects, does it block line of effect?

No. Antimagic does not dispel magic; it suppresses it. Once a magic effect is no longer affected by the antimagic, the antimagic fades; the centre of the effect moves away, and so on, the magic returns. Therefore, a magic missile fired at a target on the other side of an antimagic field would be struck, though the missile would temporarily fade while travelling through the field. (Assuming the caster and the target were both out of the field)

When the following from the description happens:

"Should a creature be larger than the area enclosed by the barrier, any part of it that lies outside the barrier is unaffected by the field."
how do (su) abilities like regeneration work? Damage reduction? Can it cast spells outside the field? On itself?

Assuming the creature can cast the spell’s center outside the field it would work. A spell’s components would be a good indicator of the ability to cast, Verbal requires the caster to have his mouth outside the field, Somatic requires the caster to have his hands outside the field, and material components also would have to be outside the field.

Can you kill a regenerating creature with normal damage when inside Antimagic Field? If it doesn't have regeneration inside, it should die normally, right?

No supernatural ability, spell-like ability, or spell works in an area of antimagic but extraordinary abilities still work. If the regeneration is anything but Regeneration (ex), then the creature can die normally.

What happens to bonus hit points and spells granted by stat enhancing items when the items stop working? Max HPs are reduced (?), but do you lose current hit points too? Do you get both back when you exit the field? Are lost bonus spells determined randomly? Do you get them back when you exit the field or do you have to prepare them again? Do you need rest before preparing them again?

Magic items with continuous effects do not function in the area of an antimagic effect, but their effects are not cancelled, so the contents of a bag of holding are unavailable, but neither spill out nor disappear forever. Making a knowledge check in an antimagic field would deny a character his bonus from a Headband of Intellect, but he would not loose any prepared spells.

How are attack and damage bonuses calculated when attacking in or out of Antimagic Field with melee or ranged attacks? How overlapping bonuses of magical arrows and bows work in similar situations?

If an arrow strike the target in the field, it is a non-magical arrow. If it was fired from outside of the field, it was a magic arrow; therefore the example arrow may be +3 to hit and +0 to damage. Alternately an arrow may be fired from within the field and strike a target outside, this example arrow may be +0 to hit and +3 damage.

Isn't the spell too powerful for a 6th level spell, especially as it cannot be removed and can only be blocked with a few wall spells (even disjunction is hardly certain)? Also, there is no other spell that can take away innate (su) abilities of a creature. It might sometimes be difficult to trap a creature in an Antimagic Field, but it gets no saving throw either. Everything magical is taken away automatically and most creatures turn into hit point piñatas for melee when that happens.

Yes.

If you want to switch grips round to round, that is allowed. That is the whole point behind double weapons. Run up to the bad guy I only get a standard action, guess I’ll power attack 2 handed bad guy survives and two buddies move in guess I’ll take 3 attacks this round.
Round to round is no problem, but once you commit to brandishing the weapon a certain way, that is how you wield it for those 6 seconds.

In 3.5, a search check was really just an active perception check, using all five senses. Since perception under PFRPG takes into account the use of these senses, I would say that a perception check to spot or listen are passive and take into account scent and everything else, and that search is when you make a perception check actively, looking for something in particular.

I have to disagree. I like most of the pathfinder system changes but Search being rolled into Perception was not a good idea in my opinion. Spot and Listen were both Wisdom based checks and simply relied on the characters intuition and situational awareness. Similar skills in mechanic and flavour, so, sure put them together. After all, everyone pretty much rolled both of them in a given situation anyway, “I spot and listen.”

Here is another variation on the question. A character gets skill points for class + INT modifier (Minimum One) and then they MAY get a bonus for favored class and race.

So does a fighter with a 5 INT who is human and have fighter as his favored class get {(2-3) Min One} +1 (human) +1 (Favored) for three skill points or is it 2+1+1-3 for one skill point?

The first senerio is exactly right, as his Int bonus (penalty) is added as a class feature, the Fighter description awards Skill points : 2 + Int mod. After the character receives that, a human would gain his racial bonus of 1 per level, and a pathfinder favored class could take a bonus of 1 per level. (2 - 3 = -1 Min 1) + 1 + 1 = 3

Like a hand breaking a brick?

So even NPCs get max HP at 1st when staring with a class. Interesting.
I wonder if they get favored class bonus +1 hp or skill point as well?

Situational awareness is king. You ignore elements of the battlefield at extreme peril.

I couldn't agree more, but if Situational awareness is king and Wisdom is defined as a characters awarness of his suroundings, why is it a dump stat for tanks?

I was sure there was a Sage Advice or errata article on just this flanking subject. It has not come up too often in all my time GMing but my apparent house-rule was based on something I thought I read officially.
The article referred to Defensive Disregard.
A character can choose to ignore an opponent, becoming flat-footed to that opponent, but denying that enemy the ability to provide flank for others. This was not the main focus of defensive disregard though, as giving a creature the ability to ignore certain threats allowed the creature to deny the Power Attacking fighter with the ghost-touch battle axe to stack crazy amounts of +2 from his I attack to annoy as I can not hit it party members.

I may be wrong but if I recall you could not gain enough xp to skip levels. Maybe that was from 3.0 or maybe 2e I just misremember but it's a good rule anyhow

Pretty sure the DMG for 3.0/3.5 limit total xp to one point less than what a character needs to raise 2 levels. i.e. you can never 'double ding'.

I guess in the rare case that an archer is tripped, has to use a move action to stand, and then takes a 5ft to not provoke with the bow. Really, it's so limited in application if you bring AoO into the mix.

The archer can't take a 5 ft. step after getting up. A character can only take a 5 foot step (movement that does not provoke an AoO) if his move action does not involve movement. If a character gets up, his move action, then moves any amount (5 feet, 30 feet, does not matter) it is a double move, not a 5 foot step.

Put me on the growing list of people thanking you for all your effort and great work. I am running RotRL in a week and you are a godsend.

Hey guys, so we're in the midst of converting previously released 3.5 formatted Paizo monsters over on d20pfsrd.com and I had a question.

Proper Names are considered Product Identity and as such are not open content per the OGL.

How does this affect unique monsters/creatures, such as:

• Ghartok, the Carrion King
  
• Madfang the Holy Ascensioner
  
• Sunlord Thalachos

I can see how a "Blast Shadow" would be open content because it does not have a "Proper Name" but creatures such as "Sunlord Thalachos" may be product identity and therefore not open content. I want to make sure we do not include anything that is not open and I can see how they would be considered product identity. After double-checking with d20srd.org, I do not see any creatures there that are unique or named either. I suppose at this point I am inclined to conclude they are not open until I hear otherwise and I will remove them from the site to be safe.

--John

LOVE the site.

I just printed off the conversions you did for Burnt Offerings and wish to thank you for all the effort you spared me. I am running a rise of the runelords campaign in a week with the new rules and wanted to do a full conversion rather than just 'quick conversion' as the group already ran the path before. Well, half the path, using beta rules and on the fly conversions.

Secondly, if D&D (4e) is now all about being 'entry level above all else' doesn't that mean those new customers will inevitably move away from the game (pretty quickly if my early roleplaying years are anything to go by), never to return to it? D&D should be accessible, but without equal attention given to depth and good fluff (settings etc), it's doomed to be only played for relatively short time spans before seeming very limited. A fact you can see from numerous posts on these very boards if you browse around, I've read this week posts from previously pretty fanatical seeming defenders of 4e who are now admitting they are losing interest in the game, or finding it ultimately limited in scope.

My opinion is that WotC made 4e the best game they could, as they understood the current market. A market dominated with computer RPGs and MMORPGs, console (x-box and ps3) RPGs, and miniature games. However, these formats are constantly advancing as their technology advances. When WotC makes a 5e or 6e, they may focus more on setting, roleplay, and character development as the general public (and I mean at the entry level, not long time gamers) will have a greater appreciation for these things.

Anecdotal evidence from my FLGS reflects what Goodman was saying in his post.
4E does not sell as well as 3E/3.5 did, but sales of 4E are what pay the bills.

And this is the greatest problem with 3rd Edition and its derivatives....the arbitrary level cap. Get rid of it. Design a game that just continues and, simultaneously, eliminate the whole line between 'epic' and, eh, 'not epic'. The Rolemaster system has done this nicely for decades. I actually tried to return to playing Rolemaster for a short time; however, after playing 3E for so long, it was a bit like trying to wade through wet cement. Of course, this may be an unrealistic pipe dream. Now that I think about it, the math may simply not work beyond 20th level. D20 is just too limited a variable range for that sort of extended play.

The arbitrary level cap is the only balance to multi-classing in the d20 system. Multi-classed characters gain all benefits, while disregarding most of the penalties from all their classes. The balance is if a character is multi-classing two or three (front loaded) classes he misses out on the 'top end' features of these classes. Things like 9th level spells are generally not available to characters with two core and a prestige cless.

I personally love fey and all that fairy tale-esque goodness, and Neil captured it well.

I am a huge fan of fey, believe them underused in D&D, and rarely if ever portrayed as the dark malicious beings many of them are.

Good luck to all the contestants.
Congratulations to those that advance.
To those that do not advance, let me say nice work. I enjoyed reading all the entries.

Nothing about a low-level villain requires them to be one-and-done. And even if that villain defines the campaign for only levels one through five, that's what, 6 months or more of great play? I'll take that every day and twice on Sunday.

I agree. I am just seeing some “My group would pwn that guy so fast” type reactions in the threads.

I'd like this made explicit:

* Does not have to be high CR to be a villain.

While that is certainly true, so is

A villain:
* Is a unique NPC
* Is an individual creature or entity
* Is as much a plot device as an encounter
* Is an antagonist for the PCs
* Does not have to be a final boss, but he/she/it must be more than just a simple henchman
* Must be capable of being a proactive opponent, not simply reactive
* Must be capable of independent thought and be able to come up with plans and take actions to thwart the PCs

But, I think to do well in this contest, at least this year, higher CR would be better.

What most of the audience is looking for, in my opinion, is a campaign villain. What might be a great villain for a session length adventure, lets say a module, is not igniting the voters.
They do not seem to be interested in the chief of the hill giants, except as a lackey, or the leader of the frost giants, except as the next step to the real villain. They want the demonic storm giant using these pawns to further a quest of total planar domination.

Next year, or even next round, who knows?

Flourishing Rose Petals

Aura faint universal; CL 3rd
Slot –; Price 3,200 gp; Weight ½ lb.
DESCRIPTION
Legends speak of a sorceress so vain she decided the ground itself was not deserving of her feet - so she created magic rose petals that would flitter on the ground before her, ensuring she always stepped on them. Such petals often come in a scented silk bag containing a couple of fistfuls of rose petals. The magic takes effect after the petals have been scattered on the ground. As the owner walks, the petals flitter into the air and land in front of the owner to be stepped on again. The petals try to land in the direction the owner is facing. Complex maneuvers confuse the petals, but they catch up over time – but they only move 30’ a round. A command word forces all the petals back into the pouch. When motionless, they scatter in a 10’ radius around the owner. The petals do not function in water, or during flight.
Flourishing rose petals provide a +2 circumstance bonus to Diplomacy and Intimidate checks.

CONSTRUCTION
Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, prestidigitation; Cost 1,600 gp

I like the item. Nice visuals, the back story while unnecessary is not overdone in my opinion.

I would probably go with Aura faint enchantment
I realize the spell used in construction is prestidigitation, a universal spell, but the effect of the item, other than coolness, is certainly in the enchantment vein, bordering on enchantment (charm).

I think that generally, the aura is mostly important to someone detecting magic to figure out what exactly the item does. I believe a magic items aura should reflect the power of the item, regardless of the auras of the spell(s) that are used in the construction.

For example, if a character constructed an item that brought a dead character back to life, but the spell used in the construction was wish rather than resurrection, as a GM, I would have the item radiate conjuration (healing) rather than universal if the party detected magic on it. The item does not let them cast wish, it uses that spell to create a resurrection effect. Similarly, the petals do not cast prestidigitation, they make the character more diplomatic/intimidating.

Also, maybe a +4 bonus to Diplomacy, and forget the Intimidate bonus altogether. It is already more specialized than a strait “charm” item, as it provides no bonus to Bluff, the third skill in the trinity.

I like it, just my two cents.

And I can understand having a system that effects every one. But having a system that affects every one but the PCs?

.....
No, of course we do not. So why should PCs be insulated from social manipulation by skilled NPCs

Yeah, this always threw me off a little as well. I certainly understand the design philosophy anytime a player is not in control of his character’s actions he/she is not having fun but certain spells do just that and most players would not argue their PCs should be able to disregard a domination or charm.

Sorry for the threadjack……

Now back to the Villain

I will go on record with Casey gets my vote.

Much has been said that the concept does not work, 'that the character is not a villain because he is too kill-able'. I disagree, I believe characters would not simply dispose of a town’s blessing and saint like some random monster in a dungeon.

The other big complaint seems to revolve around the fact the character lacks development showing how he would cause ‘trouble’ to the characters.

I am guessing Casey was planning to expand in this area in the next round, as the character concept is nearly at the 500-word limit. I assume, perhaps incorrectly, that by stat block the author was going to include a tactics entry to answer these questions, and (mis)understood that this round was all flavour, no crunch.

Casey, I wish you luck on getting to Round 3. I loved the Maw, see the potential here, and look forward to seeing this villain fully realized.

Maetros sees the adventurers at the local tavern. Being a bit paranoid, he assumes (incorrectly) that thay have come to town for the specific purpose of investigating the recent rise in shark attacks. He hatches an elaborate plot to lure them out to his grotto, sneak up behind them, and shove them into his shark pool. He hires a small group of thugs to attack the party and gives their leader a note with hints leading back to the hidden grotto.

The next time the characters travel by water, for whatever reason, no matter how briefly, they are attacked by sharks. Lots of sharks. Even if it's fresh water. After the battle, they find a note on one of the dead sharks, with clues leading them back to the hidden grotto.

Bolding is my emphasis.

This entry is definitely in my top 5. I love that the villain is supposed to be first level, but you could not resist the level of druid.

Why have these problems become more common since the introduction of 3e? I don't believe it's completely due to the ruleset.

Sam

I believe that since 3e is a strategy game more than any previous edition (I do not want to debate the role-play vs. roll-play argument but…let’s face it) many players, as well as GMs, get into a board game mindset rather than a storytelling one. This is most obvious during combat, and third edition is more combat-oriented than any previous edition because of the attempts to balance the system resulted in a more concrete rule set. It became so much more clearly defined, x number of ranks in this, lets you do that, moving this way creates an AoO, but this feat counters that. Most players have a ‘build’ for different types of characters in their mind (2-weapon finesse fighter, 2-handed strength fighter, rogue, cleric, etc.) that they are loath to deviate from in the slightest.

Additionally, I too have become more selective with who is in our gaming group.

I look forward to seeing what you guys have got cooked up for all of us Superstar! fans, and best of luck to each and every one of you!

Once again, Boomer has shown us the way. I too cannot wait to see the villains and wish everyone the best of luck.

Since third edition minmaxing has become so prevalent we just call it optimizing. At one point, an optimizer was a bad thing (a munchkin), now we accept there will always be one character at the table stronger than Hercules and with just enough Charisma to not be an ‘object’.

Ok here goes.

RAGE FETISH
Aura moderate transmutation; CL 8th
Slot neck; Price 16000 gp; Weight 3 lb.

DESCRIPTION
This grotesque necklace most often appears to be a shrunken goblin head attached to a simple cord of leather. Other types of heads are found, as the type of head must have significance to the item creator.
As a standard action, the rage fetish begins howling, filling the wearer with bloodlust. The character gains a +4 bonus to his Strength and Constitution scores for 10 rounds or until the character ends the rage, a free action.
If the wearer has the rage class feature, activating the item, a standard action, allows the character to instead access the necklace’s rage. The character enters rage (see Barbarian class description) and may use any rage power that he possesses at their usual cost. The rage fetish is treated as storage device with 10 rage points, if all the points are consumed, the rage ends.
Regardless of the wearer, it is the rage fetish that sufferers fatigue and may not be activated again that day.

CONSTRUCTION
Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, bear’s endurance, bull’s strength creator must hold deep animosity toward creature type used; Cost 8000 gp.

This was originally 260 words before paring down for submission, perhaps I cut the wrong text?

How I would interpret this mechanically is that 20th level is the upper limit of standard mortal characters. If a character advances to 21st level, then they have to select an epic prestige class that defines in which way they have broken through to a new level of consciousness. This could include bonding with an artifact, the demigod route, gaining insight into a new level of magical power, etc. After 21st level, they continue to develop powers associated with their chosen route and develop abilities beyond the standard set of powers 1-20th level characters can achieve. (BTW, if this has any resemblance to 4E epic destinies, I wouldn't know.)

Bolding is my emphasis.

I think the biggest problem with the ELH is the progression.
The 3.x was designed with the assumption that 20th level was the cap; so multiclassing as well as prestige classes, take this into account. Take a level of this class to grab that feature and you may never acquire this feature, spell slot, or whatever.
As an example (with all due respect0
Someone had suggested a Fighter 15/ Rogue 15 and Rogue 15/ Fighter 15 should have the same BAB? No. The 3.x system assumed you took the rogue class first to get the phat skillz, the sacrifice is to your final BAB, (and those characters should be Fighter 15/ Rogue 5 and Rogue 15/ Fighter 5).

I know this for a fact....there is at least 1!!! Mine, hehe good luck to all.

Make that 4, I posted 3 times (or none, I'm not quite sure).

I can function perfectly well with 6, but really prefer 8... I can get by with 4 if I have to, but the people around me are generally not very happy because 5 or less hours of sleep and I turn into an A-hole.

I'm a 4-hour guy. Never really occured to me maybe thats why I'm an A-hole.

Oh and a dark cloak is required, one with a hood that hides all the face expect for two pinpricks of gold/red/evil. A propensity for monologuing is also important.

I believe the cloak must billow and flow on its own, as if by an unseen wind, as well.