Deidre Deimos's page

Heya, Paizonians -

This kickstarter was started by a close friend of mine - actually, the guy who is probably most influential in getting me started in TTRPG's. He's an insanely talented artist, and this premise (I think) is really cool. Do me a solid and take a look, and share it around if you don't mind. It's very much in danger of not being funded, which I think would be a real shame, because it has a lot of potential.

The Black Coat Kickstarter

Many thanks!

Hey, Golems!

Money, she is tiiiiiight. She is not going to be any less tight in November.

Please cancel my RPG line subscription, but know that I'll be back.

Hey, all -

Sorry for the late query, but I kind of need to know this, as I need to determine whether I have an invalid character on my hands and need to come up with a new one for a Gencon game tomorrow morning at 8 - Yoi.

Obviously, I'm kind of new to Society Play. We recently converted our home game to a Society game, so I think that we may have made a kind of crucial error.

Am I reading correctly that I cannot buy anything from my faction until I complete three scenarios, thus accumulating 6 fame (5 is the number on the chart, but I'm not sure how I'd even arrive at 5)?

In short, I bought a +1 Greatsword at level 2... that's not permitted, is it?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Hi everybody!

So, if you were to Golarionize Way of the Wicked, where would you put it? Could it even be done without causing far too many inconsistencies in either the AP plot or the setting canon?

These are the things that keep me up at night.

I'm thinking it probably can't be done.

Sorry, guys/gals -

I totally meant to get in on the "pick UE up at Gencon" thing...is it too late?

Order # 2171710

My profuse apologies - if it's too late, that's fine, it's all on me.

Many thanks,
Jeremy

So, obviously this isn't getting addressed this weekend (hope everyone is having fun, and man am I jealous), but:

Say I scroll all the way down to OTD and click in the FAWTL thread. Why I'm doing this is anyone's guess; let's just assume I have a few extra SAN points burning a hole in my pocket. (:-p) When I click 'Back' on my browser, my thought and, I guess, subconscious user expectation is for me to land on the main forum page, scrolled down to the bottom where the FAWTL thread is. Alternately, I could see being at the very top of the page as well - that would make some sense. Instead, I am placed back to the correct page, but I'm looking at the campaign journals section, which is no place near where I actually was.

Note that if you don't scroll at all on the second page (the FAWTL page, in this example), you're fine. But if you scroll on that page, when you hit 'back' you're unceremoniously dumped somewhere seemingly random on the front page. And who doesn't at least READ the page they chose? So, therein lies the problem.

Hey dudes, link. In case you hadn't seen this. :-)

LINKY

So, this is pretty perfect for the Paizo forums:

Linky

Would it be possible for us to launch a kickstarter just to back this other kickstarter at the highest level? We need a card game delivered to the Paizo offices at Christmas complete with Sebastian cards, and Ross Byers floating-Brain Thread Nuke cards.

Anybody else playing this? The game is really polished, and seems well thought-out. I was a HUGE GW1 fan, and some of the deviation from a few of the things that made that game great are a little off-putting, but man, it's turning out pretty good.

Also, Jeff Grubb is involved! I cornered him last PaizoCon and talked to him about the game, he was very enthusiastic about it. From what I've seen so far in a limited sample size, he has good reason to be!

I miss monks, though. :-(

If a module/scenario equips an evildoer with a wand of burning hands - with no further description - ought one to conclude that the wand does 5d4 damage with a successful activation? I would think so, based on Craft Wand needing CL5 as a prerequisite. I thought if we didn't have information stipulating that the wand was made less powerful than it could have been, we were to assume that the crafter made it as strong as he could.

Yes? No?

Grazi.

Bought it for PC, in anticipation of a new graphics card. Tried to play it on my old card and failed, but I was able to determine that it seems to be really good.

Anybody else playing, and on what platform?

Is there any chance of getting G+ integration on the "List This Forum/List This Thread" functionality in the upper-right corner? The RP community on G+ is very active and good people, and it'd be nice to be able to quickly share things with them.

Stemming from a conversation in another thread, I had posted this:

I see an opportunity to push my "DM screens are toxic" agenda, here, so I will.

All rolls, from everyone, should just be made in the open. If the Wizards SoD's a BBEG in round one, so be it. That's why he chose to play a wizard, to do stuff like that.

The very presence of a DM screen on a table is like an open invitation for everyone to fudge the occasional roll. The rules should apply as evenly to the DM as they do to the players, and in cases where the DM is fiating something, he should make that clear.

These are my opinions. I'm certainly not blaming you for your friend's cheating. I have had friends that did this before, it's totally lame.

Hama replied that he disagreed:

I have to respectfully disagree. DMs screen is very useful. Players have no business seing NPC stat blocks, and DMs rolls. That is why they chose that person to be GM.

I would like to hear more about why Hama feels the players have no business seeing the rolls - I agree that they have no business seeing the statblocks, but I use Combat Manager for those, so that's not a real concern for me. I don't think "they have no business" is really a reason, and would be curious to hear what the reason is.

I am curious to hear other's opinions on the matter as well. Engage. Please?

Holy stealth update.

Go into focus mode at the top of the main forum page. The little circle with the line on it at the far right clears dots and x new from a post. THIS IS FANTASTIC. APPLAUSE, MR. TETER.

Now, if only there were a way of making that a checkbox instead of a click...it's going to take like 300 clicks (with waiting for server refresh, too) to clear all the threads I don't want dots or X new on. Still, APPLAUSE.

14 Pharast, 4711 AR

Each story has a beginning. Ours takes place on a day that dawns damp and slightly chilly, reminding each of you that Spring has really only just arrived. A thick fog is spread over the Glade, causing vision to be hampered more than five feet or so ahead. Dark shapes move in the mist, the forms of Gladesmen quietly going about their morning routines. Most of the traffic leads to the fire pits, as breakfast is soon to be served there. Doves sing softly from the trees overhead, as nature wipes the sleep from it's eyes.

About a half hour remains before your meeting with Fyrwyn. Is there anything you wish to do before meeting with her?

Well, I'm finally back in Pennsylvania after an amazing experience at Paizocon. Having the chance to rub elbows with the folks who make this great game I enjoy and meeting other industry luminaries was truly unforgettable. I promised myself I'd wait until I got home, though, to bring up the one thing I disliked: the venue.

Everybody's going to have differing opinions on this, which is great. It's entirely possible that I was in the minority on this, and in fact I hope that is the case, but I wanted to put some thoughts out there and see what others thought.

The Coast is, in my opinion, not a suitable venue for the event. Here are the specific things I thought were less-than-seaworthy:

• The room where the seminars were held was really small. I thought I read somewhere that it would seat 100 people, which is obviously untrue. Maybe smushed together, or sitting nearly on top of one another (as we were), but not with any degree of comfort involved.
• The hallway. That thing is, what, 5 feet wide? With people lined up on either side to get into games/seminars/etc., it was more like two and a half feet. As we all know, that's a squeeze. Combined with the Medium load I was carrying due to my backpack, I was frequently coming down with claustrophobia, which would be fine, except I'm not claustrophobic.
• The banquet room. Look, this was a total fail on the part of the hotel. When I have to wonder where I even begin, there's serious problems. First, the sound. Seriously, one entire half of the room gets no sound at all? Seriously? Also, the room just isn't big enough. It was like sardines in that place - there was a fair amount of room between the tables, but the number of people at each table meant that we were eating on top of one another, with no room for elbows. Also, too many seats off to the left (if you're standing and presenting, to the right if you're looking at the "stage") had no view of the projected images at all - and additionally, these same people couldn't hear because they were on the side with no working speakers. So, can't see, can't hear... The food was - I don't want to say bad, but when I got there, there wasn't really anything left of it. It wasn't getting refilled fast enough for whatever reason, and again, that goes to the hotel. It'd be nice to have the meat at the beginning, because having room for it on your plate is crucial... see, now I just sound like I'm b!*~%ing. The bottom line of the banquet is that I had fun because of the people I was sitting with and the trivia contest (great job, Mark!) and the presentations, and in spite of the room. It's a testament to the people at the convention that I had as much fun as I did.
• The restrooms are like dungeons - I kept expecting to encounter a dire rat.

On a positive note, I found the food at the bar to be really good. The fish and chips plate, particularly, will be sorely missed. They could staff a few more people during peak hours, though.

In closing, let me just reiterate that the con itself is amazing, and shouldn't be missed by anyone. For any reason. Whatsoever. But, I really do think that Paizo can do better with the venue, and as a con-goer I think it's my duty to at least mention it.

13 Pharast, Evening

Dinnertime has arrived in The Glade, and as is normally the case on pleasant evenings the band has settled in around several large campfires. The wood crackles and pops occasionally, interrupting the sounds of tales being told and boisterous laughter. About 50 people are nestled around 3 centrally located firepits, but a few spots remain empty around the last of the three. Seated here are Fyrwyn Dern, leader of The Glade, Banatar Firth, her second-in-command and leader of the Defenders of the Glade, and a stranger - a rugged human man of middling age. Their voices are lowered, and they appear to be talking animatedly. Seeing that they are about to be joined, however, Fyrwyn sits up on her haunches, beckons, and clears her throat.

Come, friends, Gladesmen. There is room at our fire, room aplenty! Come and chat, and enjoy what the forest has provided.

On a nearby blanket a glorious spread has been laid - roasted venison, a plum pudding, a collection of berries and grapes, and an open cask of mead, standing aside of a bowl of clear water.

Please feel free to describe yourselves in as much detail as you'd like, and make conversation. You all know each other in passing, and probably even each other's names, but as of yet you've not had the chance to properly get to know one another. You're welcome to engage the NPCs as well. You can basically do whatever you'd like with your backstories or assume whatever pre-existing relationships you want, here - I'm not bound to be a stickler at all about such things.

Your friendly neighborhood reporter here, with the "Future of the Adventure Path and Modules" Seminar. You already know it's called "Skull and Bones", but maybe there's some cool stuff on here that you don't know. I haven't actually listened to it yet, honestly, and I wasn't in the room. But Jacobs was involved, so it's probably pure win.

Enjoy my linkification

Hi, everyone, I haven't had a chance to level-check this, so it might not sound THAT great, but here is the So You Want To Be a Superstar panel.

Ryan Dancey, Neil Spicer, Sean K Reynolds, and Clark Petersen are your panelists.
Recording

Edit 12/7/2012: Old link dead, new link at Know Direction —SKR

Hello, and welcome. I'm thinking we're going to have a good group here! Let's get down to it.

Character Generation Guidelines:

• 20 point buy, no dumping below 8, and only one 8.
  
• 2 traits from the APG (they're on PFSRD.com if anyone doesn't have the APG), max of one from each category (Magic, Social, etc.). No Rich Parents. If you have an Heirloom weapon, please explain it in some detail and be advised that Sundering happens (I'm not going to go out of my way to sunder your weapon, but neither will I go out of my way to avoid it).
  
• Max HP at level 1, rolling at level-ups. You'll have the option to take what you roll or, if you don't like that number, I'll roll at your request. If you ask me to roll, you keep my number, even if it's lower.
  
• Average starting GP.
  
• No UM Antagonize feat.
  
• Please leave your email address on your profile or simply email me at jeremymillzz {at} {gmail} {dotcom} and let me know who you are :-)
  

You have awhile to do this. I am going to PaizoCon, and will be visiting the Seattle area for about a week afterward. I don't plan to really start the proper part of the game until Monday, 6/20. However, once everyone's character is together and approved, I'll put together an in-game "Campfire" thread where you all can interact with each other and several other members of The Glade over dinner one night as a sort of "getting-to-know-you" excercise. I'll pop in and post as frequently as I can while I'm away, and when I get back we'll really start cooking with gas.

Any questions/concerns, please let me know! Woohoo let's have fun!

J

So, a while back I tried to run a CoT PbP, and it failed due to me not having the time to expend on it. I had several great players, and I regret that the game died, but my second child was very young, I wasn't getting much sleep, and I underestimated the amount of prep time it would take.

I also hated CoT (the AP itself), but that was a secondary concern.

Now, 6 months or so later, my daughter is sleeping through the night. I am no longer dog tired every day, and I have the time to spend on GMing properly.

But...

I really don't want to start an AP, because to get through a whole AP will doubtless take several years. Golarion's a big, fun place, and I'm finding that the idea of a homebrew game rather appeals to me.

So, with that said, here's the recruitment thread.

A few thoughts/guidelines:
-----------------------------
* Posting once per weekday, at minimum, would be greatly appreciated. I am sensitive to people getting burnt out, though, and I am resolved to not become burnt out myself this time. Weekends are the exception to this. I probably won't post much on weekends, and I don't expect you to. If you do, great, and if I do, great. Vacations and whatnot happen, no big deal there.

* I am seriously only selecting 4 people. I will ask for email addresses from those selected, and will offer mine.

* I am biased toward fairly vanilla, normal characters. I'm not limiting material - make whatever you want, although the only 3PP stuff allowed will be SGG material. When I'm selecting players, though, I'm most likely (51% likely, if you must know :-p) to select a classic party (Think Fighter/Rogue/Wizard/Cleric) if I can. I might select a different party makeup, but my point here is, if you want to play a gunslinger or an alchemist with a tumor familiar, you're going to have to sell me on it in your background. Don't in any way plan on taking Antagonize from UM. Those of you who know me from elsewhere know that it is dead to me. Dead, I say. Fighters will get nice things in my game, but those things won't be mind control.

* Characters will be built on a 20 point buy, no dumping below 8. I tell you this for planning reasons, because:

* In this thread, please only submit a character concept, the more detailed the better. No need to make a profile, yet. If I select your concept, we'll move the character generation process into an OOC thread.

* Characters can be from anywhere, as long as you're willing to work with me on how you got to Nirmathas, where our story will begin.

* The party will start off as members of The Glade, a well-established and tight-knit community of free peoples living in the Southern Fangwood. The Glade consists of all manner of individuals, from outlaws to rugged woodsmen to entertainers and even a few practitioners of magic of various kinds. It is a communal group not unlike the Merry Men of the Robin Hood legend, but larger (200 or so people) and decidedly less illegal. The Glade is currently led by Fyrwyn Dern, a woman in her late thirties who is renowned for her kindness and wisdom, but who speaks little of her past. Elections are held every other year, and Fyrwyn has recently been re-elected for a second term, running unopposed. She is nearly universally beloved among the members of The Glade. The community largely lives off the land, and they are welcome to do so - this is, after all, Nirmathas.
-----------------------------

If you've read this far, thanks. I look forward to seeing what ideas people come up with, or if anyone even applies. I don't know how non-AP games actually do around here. If anyone has any questions, feel free.

Let's have fun!

J

OK, vets, I have a question. If you have events that run into each other, for instance one event running until noon and another starting at noon...how does that work? Do I need to leave event A early to get to event B on time?

My Saturday is seriously jammed with goodness, and I'm thinking I may need to memorize Teleport several times in order to make everything on time.

OK, I'm going to start this off, because I'm pretty sure I had the best lottery ever.

I got in Jason's "Cursed Lot" game (the description of which intimidates me a good bit - I surely qualify as a "veteran", but I mean, veteran by what standard? I'm scared), and I got in Mr. Greenwood's "Mousehole". I have totally got to brush up on my 2nd edition.

While I've had amazing luck, those are some pretty intimidating games. I'm equal parts excited and, like, OMG.

Hi Customer Service!

This is more of a question than anything else, if there's nothing you can do at this point I understand.

I had some checks out (one for a very large amount), and if my subscription order for Ultimate Magic goes all the way through, I'm going to be way beyond broke. I really don't want to cancel my subscription - believe me, I really don't! - but is there a way to cancel before UM ships to me, or is it too late?

Sorry for being a headache.

Edit: Oh, wait wait wait, maybe I can just change my payment method. Hold off, please!

Edit 2: OK, I think I changed it to a different card. **Please disregard** - and feel free to mock me at your leasure for being a spazz.

There are two:

Under Usage Requirements:

By using content under this Policy, you agree to not use any material in a way that suggests Paizo endorses or is in any way responsible for anything you create, or that suggests that you have any other relationship with Paizo, unless we have a separate written agreement that lets you do so. You agree not use Paizo's trade dress—that is, you may not make your material look like ours. You agree that such use could irreparably harm Paizo.

...obviously, this should be "You agree not to use" or something like that.

Also under Usage Requirements:

You agree to use your best efforts to preserve the high standard of our intellectual property. You agree to present Paizo, our products, and the Paizo Material in a generally positive light. You agree to not use this permission for material that the general public would classify as "adult content," offensive, or inappropriate for minors, and you agree that such use would irreparably harm Paizo. You agree not do anything illegal in or with products or websites produced under this Policy.

...same sort of thing.

Don't worry! I agree not tell anybody.

:-p

My search-fu turned up nothing on this topic, but it became an issue at my table tonight and I wanted to get some opinions.

If there are two creatures in squares which would grant them a flanking bonus against a third creature under normal circumstances, but they are instead flying 5' off the ground, are they still considered to be flanking? Likewise, if two creatures on the ground are in a position to flank a third creature, but it is instead flying 5' off the ground, are they still flanking it? Let me know if we need diagrams to answer this.

Gracias.

I mentioned this in Ashiel's thread back in the first playtest, but I wanted to restate it here, because I still think it adds value to the class and solves a major problem - misfires.

I understand the need for guns in a medieval setting to have a misfire mechanic. It's a nod toward history and common sense, and I get that. It's also (I assume) being used as a bit of a balancing mechanic to explain why everyone doesn't put away their bow and pick up a gun instead, and that's fine, too.

The problem is, I just don't think that the class that is explicitly built around the use of firearms should have this terrible opportunity to not only completely suck for one round, but also damage their weapon. As other have pointed out time and again, this doesn't happen to (for example) the archer when he rolls poorly, although there is plenty of historical precedent for bad things happening to bowstrings. Various melee weapons have been known to break off at the haft, but there are no rolls that fighters can make that will ruin their weapons. This is a disparity that makes the Gunslinger class too unattractive to me, especially because it's unnecessary and easily avoided.

Gunslingers should have an almost mystical connection to their guns, and while this is portrayed increasingly well in the second playtest, there's still the problem of misfires. I suggest this:

Make the gunslinger's rest cycle similar to that of a caster (PFCR, pg 218, "Rest"). The gunslinger must get 8 hours of sleep, and spend 1 hour breaking down, cleaning, and oiling his guns. In return for this level of devotion to his craft, the gunslinger does not suffer from misfires until he rests again.

There! Done! Now we can stop building deeds centered around making misfires suck less (while still, by definition, sucking somewhat), and instead concentrate on making the gunslinger more bada**. For me, the whole rest issue is and has always been a Pretty Big Deal, and I like the idea of taking a mechanic previously employed only by casters and applying it to a martial class to remove a serious penalty.

If this is painting with too big a brush, make it a feat. That way, there's a Feat Tax associated with the ability, and there's still the inconvenience of the rest cycle. Is this a terrible idea for some reason I'm not seeing?

I look forward to following your exploits and offering my thoughts :-)

...as the title implies. Allow me to say, as both a player in a game where I utilize the Growth Subdomain and a DM in a game where I'm having it used against me, THANK YOU.

Even if the result is a character that is (almost ridiculously) growing and shrinking again round after round, it's still better. It might even offer a player a bit of versitility that they may not have had previously, because, let's face it, committing to being Large for 10 entire rounds is much more of a risk than just choosing to be Large for 1 round.

Kudos on that change. That s#+* was busted as all heck.

http://paizo.com/paizo/messageboards/paizoPublishing/rpgsuperstar/general/d one&page=2#2400318

I posted this in the "done" thread in the RPG Superstar forum, and was assigned this totally off-the wall, non-sequential post #. My post isn't showing up. What gives, PMG?

J

Happy Superstar kickoff day! Whoohoooooooooooooooooo!

So, when our group started RRR, the Spymaster got a report about the Narthropple Expedition passing through an outlying community. I told them that there was a group of Gnomes that were travelling through the lands, making maps.

For some reason, the party's witch (Archmage) and Cavalier (General) decided that these gnomes represented a SERIOUS THREAT TO THE SECURITY OF THE KINGDOM. Somehow they got it in their heads that the gnomes were either an expeditionary force preceding an invasion of some sort, or at the very least going to sell detailed maps of the Stolen Lands to Pitax or Cheliax or Abadar knows who else. Mind you, I did nothing to persuade them that this was the case - I just gave them sort of limited information, and their imaginations did the rest.

This brings me to the two reasons I started this thread, which are two things I just think DM's should be aware of as possibilities. The party adventured in a completely backward way, encountering (in this order) The Old Beldame, The Mad Hermit, The Scythe Tree, The Abandoned Elven Fort, the Dryad, the Angry Loggers, and finally the Gnomes. This really messed with the "Sandboxy-ness" of the adventure, because by the time they encountered the Dryad, they had already solved her problem, so she handed her reward over, which was in turn the solution to the angry loggers. The whole thing seemed very "convenient" ("Wait, you want 6 hundred year old oak trees? Why, we just happen to have these 6 tokens in our pockets..."). I'd advise GM's to consider moving the encounters in these hexes around if it looks like the party's going to hit them in the "wrong" order.

Secondly, be aware that the party may become completely adversarial with the gnomes!! As absurd as it is to get mad at a group of gnomish adventurers wandering around unclaimed hexes that the party has been given a charter to mold into a kingdom, a slightly paranoid/insane Cockatrice Cavalier may do precisely that! Jubilost actually had to say "Are you threatening me?" at one point before the Kingdom's ruler managed to diffuse the situation with a good diplomacy check.

And then, after all that, the party wanted to chase down the kobolds that had attacked the gnomes (something the module seems to assume will not be a thought that might enter the party's heads). It was a very "flying by the seat of my pants" night - something that I hate doing when running an AP, as I sort of feel like I shouldn't have to.

I guess the moral of my story is, gnome cartographers are apparently evil.

13 Desnus, 4708AR, Oathday

Oathday dawns cold and grey, more like to the winter that has passed than the summer that should have nearly arrived by now. Early in the morning a courier arrives for each of you, handing you a note and not waiting for a response before running on. The notes read as follows:

If you wish to do anything during the day, please let me know. Once everyone has done what they need to do, I'll advance.

If primaries and alternates could all send me an email address where I can reach you, I'd be very grateful. This is especially true for alternates, who I will (obviously) need to get ahold of if someone drops - curse the Paizo messageboards for not having PM functionality.

I'll post again when I get into work today in about an hour or so.

Welcome to the game!

Edit: Helps if I tell you that my email address is jeremymillzz at gmail dot com.

Wander Weir, You've basically got a spot as a Rogue already, as long as you're OK with the posting schedule. If you could post up a concept, I'd appreciate it, though.

JM

Dear magnanimous PMG,

I am a moron. At about 11PM PST on August 27th, I made a totally boneheaded move and performed an update on my "Gwenyth" profile, completely replacing it with info from a totally different PBP character I was generating. Is there any way to undo that update? I imagine not, and I imagine that even if you could, doing it would take up far too much time...but if you can somehow do it, lunch is on me...you name the pizza (or chinese, or whatever) delivery place and tell me what you want and what time you want it, and it's yours. I am such an idiot.

If not, no big deal. It was worth a try, though.

Gah! SO STUPID!

J

The following is written in a strong feminine hand, crammed into a portion of the back side of a yellowing sea chart.

Cast away. Such seems destined to be my fate in life.

The opportunity to set pen to paper has not arisen since I left Promise – or rather, since I was cast away from my home for reasons I still do not fully understand. Assuming that there are in fact forces that guide mankind, the most likely scenario that I can fathom is that the “Gods” decided to voice some measure of displeasure to Glorious Mengkare through me. Why I was chosen – cursed or blessed I can no longer tell – I do not know.

Mengkare suppressed any knowledge of the Gods of this world, hoping that in so doing he would suppress any desire in Hermeans to bow to any will other than his own. To my exhausted mind, this is a logical fallacy; if a ruler’s people do not follow him out of fully informed free will and believe that his edicts are in their best interest as a matter of course, is the regency itself not an imposition of might upon those too powerless to be able to fight back? Although Mengkare postures the Grand Experiment as a grandiose set of ideals and principles, I am well past beginning to wonder whether it might not be better described as a form of slavery or, at best, indentured servitude. Perhaps the Gods conspired to inform Mengkare that they could influence events on his island regardless of his willingness to allow their worship. There is no way for me to know for certain.

What I do know is that my body no longer feels precisely my own. At times of great stress and trauma, it seems that my mortal coil is usurped by a force or forces greater than myself, and I become a conduit of some sort – perhaps a conduit of Life itself. The feeling, though alien, is not altogether discomforting. There is a sort of warmth and familiarity to the strangeness of it, as though perhaps half of what I am was always missing, and is only now returning home. In these moments I can speak (and, indeed, understand) only a tongue I have been told is called “Celestial”, the tongue of angels. What this portents, I cannot say – another mystery in a rapidly expanding pile of queries.

When I was cast away from Promise, I ought to have died. I found myself on a small sailing craft with a few others who had not passed their Tests, bound for the mainland. After a day of fairly smooth sailing, we were beset by Mengkare himself, swooping down on us like an avenging angel of death. It is clear that the rumors that are occasionally heard in Promise of bodies washing up onshore are not founded in myth, but fact. I survived only by my wits and my cowardice, staying underwater until the great lizard had flown back to my home, to continue his rule over my people. I clung to the mast with all my strength, knowing that it would likely not be enough, that I would fall into the depths never to arise. Fortunately, this was not to be.

What must have been days later, I was found, barely alive, by the merchant ship Jenivere. I was hoisted aboard, and set to recovering. Before I knew it, I was working for a man named Rambar, the cook on the ship. At first I thought I might be able to be useful to him (as my knowledge of herbs and spices is surpassed by few among the herbalists in Promise), but it quickly became clear that nothing I could do would help this man. He insisted on watering the soup down to the point of redundancy, and no amount of cajoling would sway his opinion of his recipe. With no herbs or spices onboard to speak of, I was reduced to little more than a serving-girl, which, while somewhat humiliating, was still better than becoming food for fish.

It was in this way that I met many of those with whom I am now stranded. My first acquaintance was Jask, a mountain of a man who was imprisoned in the ship’s hold. After only a few days of bringing “meals” to Jask, I knew that his kindly demeanor did not lend itself to a true criminal, and resolved that he was almost assuredly innocent of whatever he was charged with. It turns out that he was a fugitive of the Sargavan government, having been framed for uncovering corruption and reporting it to the wrong person. Ambrose tells me that he is a Cleric of Nethys, the God of Magic. I have never met a Cleric before, but if they are all like Jask, they are a worthy lot indeed.

Ambrose himself is a study in eccentricity. He is only the second Halfling I’ve met, the first being Bulgo, the chef and cooking instructor who prepares meals for Mengkare himself. As far as I know, Bulgo may be the only Halfling on the island of Hermea. Ambrose is certainly nothing like the fat little Bulgo, being a brave and intelligent Halfling. He has taught me much of the world at large already, and I can only imagine the things I will learn from him before we part ways.

Aerys is a drunkard. She hopes one day to become a ship’s captain – although whether our current predicament has cured her of that brand of insanity yet, who can say? She is a pitiable thing, always begging Flute for a drink of whatever alcohol he might have, although he assures her repeatedly that he has none to give, and would not even if he did.

Flute is the most hilarious man I’ve ever met, although “man” is hardly the right term for him – he’s about half the height of a normal man, and half again as wide. Ambrose tells me that there is a whole race of these “dwarves” – they live under stone, and are as adept at slaying the monsters of the deep as they are at singing, drinking, and making merry. I have thoroughly enjoyed Flute’s company since I’ve known him.

Tun’ada strikes me as being more in his element lately, since the crash (more on that in a moment). He stalks the land with the experience of one who has long lived off of it. He is a quiet man, and seems to speak more through his actions and his strange weapon than from his lips.

On the Jenivere, James always struck me as aloof, even anti-social. Since we made land, though, he has become an engaging and interesting fellow. Sometimes he is quite frightening – he tends to completely allow his emotions to overtake him in battle. Although in many ways his culture seems to be much more primitive than that fostered in Promise, James is a complex and nuanced man.

Gelik is annoying; I’ll mince no words on him. He is a member of another short-statured race called “Gnome”, but if all gnomes are like Gelik, I’d be glad to be shut of the lot of them. He’s interesting enough, and when he turns his mind to it he can weave an interesting tale and a song, but too often his mind is allowed to idle, and he becomes pompous, brazen and crass. Never without a snarky comment or a rude observation, Gelik is the one individual amongst us that I could easily live without.

Finally, Ishorou. He is a man of duty and honor foremost, but I do not know much beyond that about him. He hails from the faraway land of Tian Xia, which I have only read about in books, and even then the tales seem to fold in upon themselves until one cannot be sure what is real and what is exaggeration or outright fantasy.

To whatever extent possible, I actually enjoyed my time on the Jenivere with these new acquaintances, but that time came to an end more quickly than any of us could have expected. There was some confusion among the crew as to our course and bearing, but I made nothing of it, being an inexperienced sailor myself. Then, we were called to a celebratory dinner – Rambar prepared it all – to revel in the completion of our journey. Our journey was indeed complete, but not in the fashion that we had foreseen. I blacked out after eating only a few mouthfuls.

The next thing I knew, I heard the sound of battle around me (which I have come to associate with confusion and a kind of buzzing, blurred vision, both accompanied by everyone speaking a mishmash of nonsensical words). James and Flute were laying about them with their weapons, and bodies of scorpion-like creatures lay everywhere. In my confusion, I called to the heavens, and was rewarded by a sense of well-being and confidence. My allies have since assured me that they were similarly effected, lending credence to my theory that I am acting as a conduit of a divine force somewhere. Before long, we had vanquished the strange creatures, and began to pull ourselves together.

As we acclimated ourselves to our surroundings, we found two interesting things. The first was an elf by the name of Chi that had been quietly hiding in the ship’s hold with a very intelligent cat who seems to be a companion of sorts. It was clear that she was as confused as we were, though, and Jask spoke for her, so my initial concerns about her soon faded. Chi has since proven to be a trustworthy and loyal friend, although she also seems unaccustomed to the close interaction with other people that our current situation demands.

The second thing we noticed was that what remained of the Jenivere was clinging desperately to a cliff just down the beach. James, Tun’ada, Chi, Ambroze, Flute and I decided to investigate quickly, while there might be supplies to scavenge from the boat. We fought several more of the scorpion creatures, but James and Tun’ada made quick work of them, their bright blades flashing in the sun. Chi was bitten by one, though, and I fear that she has still not fully recovered from the effects of it’s poison sting. I did what I could, but no amount of beseeching the Gods has yet allowed me to restore her full sense of well-being.

On board the wreck, we found the remains of Master Rambar and Master Devers, the first mate of the ship. Among the more interesting points of this journey was our discovery that Master Rambar had apparently been killed before our meal had been served the night before, even though the last thing I can remember is him serving the Captain his meal. He was apparently bitten to death by a snake of some sort, but I don’t recall any being on board. There is a connection here, but I can’t put it together as of yet…

After finding some supplies, maps and documents, Jask’s equipment, and a key to free him from the manacles he wears, we left the ship. Upon reflection, our situation became much more clear. The Captain had become enamored with a Varisian scholar named Ieana – I suspect this was a magical compulsion, but that is conjecture on my part as of now. She had persuaded him to set into motion the events that brought us to the island we are now on, names Smuggler’s Shiv. He almost certainly killed his first mate, and would have been the death of us all, had first mate Devers not deigned to risk his life and limb to save our skins prior to dying, himself. The captain is almost certainly somewhere on the island even now, with Ieana, doubtless pursuing some nefarious end. He will be brought to justice for what he has done, and although I have some reservations about harming a man who was acting under compulsion, I am not sure that James or Tun’ada will see it that way, nor anyone else for that matter. Ieana is almost surely the main culprit behind our dire situation, and for her I will have no pity when our wills meet.

A few other opportunities have presented themselves – Jask wishes to prove his innocence, Ishorou knows of a hidden pirate treasure, Gelik believes a missing Pathfinder ship may be wrecked in this area – but we have only recently used the supplies we found to erect a base camp of sorts, so those items remain to be addressed. For now, I am so hot that I can barely stand up, and must rest.

I am cast away again, and I remain resolved to hold my head high. I will not submit to despair, and by the will of the Gods – if indeed they exist as they are commonly conceived of – I and my companions will pull through our current predicament somehow.

Gwenyth E. Finley
Formerly of the Jenivere, Currently of Everywhere and Nowhere

I'm pretty sure the answer to this is "no", but I looked for awhile and didn't see this spelled out.

Are SU abilities (like the witch's Cackle, for instance) subject to Arcane Spell Failure from Armor use? I can't find any definitive Yes or No to this in the Rules Text, so any sort of pointer would be very much appreciated.

Regards,
J

Am I the only person for whom the Messageboards are Unavailable for short bursts every 5 minutes or so?

Dealing With HIPS

Does Darkvision Counter/Negate Shadowdancer HiPS? if it does not, how is the Shadowdancer actually hiding from a flavor perspective?

Does Shadowdancer HiPS actually rely on an area (read: a square) of Dim Illumination, or is the presence of a shadow sufficient? How much Shadow is enough? Could a Shadowdancer, for example, hide in the shadow of a marble?

Coming Out From Stealth

Can a Rogue who has made a Stealth Check cover any amount of open (unobstructed, unconcealed, fully illuminated) ground to Sneak Attack a target under any circumstances?

Is the presence of nearby combat enough of a distraction to allow a Rogue who has previously made a Stealth check to cover any amount of open (unobstructed, unconcealed) ground and score a Sneak Attack?

Let's talk about Stealth and perception

What does "being observed" mean, relevent to the rule that a PC cannot make a Stealth check "while being observed"? Does this mean "while an opponent CAN see you", or does it mean "while an opponent DOES see you"?

Is the default condition for all participants in Combat "Observed"?

OK, so my group met last night and, huddled around my laptop, we decided on our first post-APG party. We'll be starting Kingmaker next week. Here's what we came up with:

Half-Elf Cavalier, using the Half-Elf Racial trait to gain proficiency with the Aldori Dueling Sword, which he will use upon dismounting after utilizing his lance. He has the Precise Strike Teamwork Feat.

Human Inquisitor of Erastil, using the Growth Subdomain. Obviously, the ability to Enlarge Self multiple times a day will be huge (NPI) here.

Human Witch, the player's general idea is to spend every feat they get on the "Extra Hex" feat, which should afford maximum versitility in combat.

? Summoner - this player was just really reading the Summoner for the first time, so we didn't get too far into what exactly he'll be doing.

And my character, a Human Druid. I'm using the "Eye For talent" racial Trait to give up my Bonus Feat at first level in order to grant my companion (a horse) an intelligence of 4 straightaway. This offers several benefits. 1) I've given him a skill rank in Linguistics (Druidic), so he can follow spoken commands, completely negating the need for trick-teaching and really just making managing the horses that much easier. 2) This is the important one - my horse, having a Dex 13 and BAB of +1, also has the Precise Strike Feat (LOL). This gives my horse(!) 3 attacks, a +4 bite and 2 hooves at +0, with the bite doing 1d4 + 1d6 (when flanking with the cavalier, which is the plan), and the hooves doing 1d6 + 1d6 (again, when flanking with the cavalier). Obviously, flanking with the cavalier is crucial, but I think this is an amazingly cool concept. My Druid will otherwise be focused on Spellcasting - I won't ever be ON that horse when it gets in combat, I'll tell you that!

So, that's our party. It should be pretty hilarious to play, I am absolutely loving the amount of options available to us now. I am so excited to play!! Your thoughts welcome :-)

Oh magnanimous Mr. Teter:

Out of curiousity, when I hover over the "X New" indicator, why is it that I get a short preview of the last thing that I've read in a thread, as opposed to the first thing I haven't read? I'd think that it should be the other way around, or is that intended?

Kind regards,
J

Hey, does anyone play Pathfinder in the Pittsburgh, PA area? I'm in a group, but I'm interested to know how big our community is.

OK, when you say the word "Beast", it's pronounced "Bee-st" (long E), right? How come when I hear people (in podcasts and the like) say "Beastiary" it sounds like "Best-iary" (short e)? That doesn't make any sense to me.

It's like when people say "To - mah - to" instead of "To - may - to", except I can understand the Tomato thing as possibly being a regional difference in dialect. The Beastiary thing I can't understand at all.

Tell the J-Dog he's not insane, please!

Our group needs to be clear on this point for tonights's session, so I figured I'd elict some opinions:

Is a rogue necessary to deal with magical device traps? Could a Sorceror or Wizard simply use Detect Magic to find the trap, and Dispel Magic to "Suppress" it? Is a magical device trap a "magical item" for purposes of the Dispel magic skill?

The basic problem is that magical device traps are made with spells, but (in most cases) simply employ those spells passively (Arcane Sight) and/or regurgitate them instantaneously (Fireball). Dispel Magic states "The effect of a spell with an instantaneous duration can’t be dispelled, because the magical effect is already over before the dispel magic can take effect", and the magical trap entry states "Unless otherwise stated, most traps have a duration of instantaneous". But (and this is the heart of the matter), can the magical device trap be Dispelled prior to being set off?

I know how I'd rule it, anxious to hear what others think. Thanks in advance.