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Twilight2k wrote:

Really? Boutique outlets? Some of the largest European publishers give free pdfs with all physical book purchases (from their web store - I don't think any do it everywhere). 1-2 books in a product line per year is irrelevant when they operate close to a dozen product lines.

Like?

I've picked up PDFs for various Gumshoe products from Pelgrane Press. They are in the UK, but that is close enough to European for me.

I've used Bits and Mortar to get PDFs from Chaosium. And I think Evil Hat does that too. Both of them are in the US. I like this because it helps support my FLGS and still gives me an electronic copy.

I think PDF with hardcopy is the norm except for Paizo and WotC.

Is there an official path (PFS Legal) for a MCD Wizard to get Hand of the Apprentice? My understanding is that it requires a Wizard to be a Universalist, but that isn't a school, so Arcane School Spell cannot grant it.

So maybe MCD Wizards are Universalist before taking Arcane School Spell (which picks a school) which means they could just pick it up with Basic Arcana. That means the prerequisite isn't really Universalist, it is "not Abjurer, not Conjurer, ...." Although I guess Universalist could be interpreted to mean just that.

The other possibility is that a MCD Wizard has to do something to positively affirm being a Universalist, and that doesn't exist. That indicates that MCD Wizards are blocked from learning Hand of the Apprentice. Maybe I'm reading too much into Wizards explicitly choosing to be s Universalist at 1st level, and there being no equivalent for MCD Wizards.

Has there been any "official discussion" about this? Google has turned up some threads, but I've not seen anything that looks like it had official Paizo confirmation as to what the RAI would be.

BTW: I'm not trying to use this to get to Drain Bonded Item,

I agree with graystone that Shadow Jump's seems to cover this well.

I want to say all class features are allowed, but not allowing companions make sense. They're just well trained pets. Familiars are more than that, especially for witches.

The text of Dimension Door includes

If this would bring another creature with you—even if you're carrying it in an extradimensional container—the spell is lost.

This spell is Arcane and Occult, which means Witches and Wizards with familiars are some of the intended casters. Are there any special loopholes for familiars so they can come along for the ride?

A failed Saving Throw is also not represented by "stepping into harm's way" so much as they are unconscious and automatic reactions that your body/mind makes without LITERALLY any thought or mental input into the task. This is more like saying "Oh yeah, I could totally just stand there and face the fireball without flinching, eyes open and smiling"...

I agree that many saves are without conscious thought. But when the friendly spell caster says "Hey, I'm about to do <X> to you", then it isn't 100% instinct. I'm asking for RAW/RAI, not what makes sense, so I'm afraid that that the PCs have no agency to accept the magic.

I did like how 1e required a save for all magic, but everyone intentionally failed saves coming from the healer. That had a certain elegance.

I was wondering about intentionally failing saves too. But I was thinking about using Gravity Well to force move the party away from something bad. Not resisting the spell to facilitate the movement seems reasonable for the PCs, but I don't see the rules to back that up.

This is a bit different than No Cause For Alarm in that with that check, the conflict is with the fear affect, not really the player. Sure, it is using the player's Will DC, but the player most likely isn't willfully feared. In the case of Gravity Well, there is nothing being imposed on the PC other than the normal forces of gravity.

My takeaway is that Taldane is the only nationwide language of Brevoy. Hallit, Iobarian and Skald are used with some regularity. Varisian, Draconic, and whatnot are used, but in small, scattered pockets.

Does this seem like the consensus?

Brevoy has plenty of Iobarians, so I imagine their language would be spoken there as well.

Does Iobaria have a regional language? I thought most of the humans on the north coast spoke Skald (Ulfen) and in the interior they spoke Hallit (Kellids).

In addition to the ubiquitous Taldane (which the arrogant people of Taldor call "Common"), what else is spoken there? I figured the north (Issia) has some Skald because of the Ulfen. But what about in Rostland? I had thought that they were ancestrally Kellid with a lot of trappings from Taldor (such as "Common"). If I'm right, then the more remote villages would still be likely to speak Hallit.

This has been my working assumption for years. I started a Rostlander in Hero Lab Online and it says

Characters from Brevoy gain access to the regional languages Skald and Varisian when choosing languages.

I was surprised to see Varisian. I can imagine a few villages here and there, but I'm surprised to see it listed above Hallit. Looking it up in the pathfinder wiki I see

Having received waves of migration from all over Avistan, the people of Brevoy speak a large number of languages, depending on their own ethnicity. These include Hallit, Skald, Varisian, and of course the common language of that part of the world, Taldane. Strangely, a significant minority of people also speak Draconic, which is quite unusual for non-dragons to be conversant in.

So, what is the traditional language for the peasants of Rostland? If there is a group of Rostlanders who want to split Brevoy and go back to the glory days of "free Rostland", what language are they most likely to speak?

Using a rogue with a rapier vs aldori sword, the d8 will average 1 more point of damage for each damage die. Over time that is a decent damage differential, although the deadly d8 from the rapier reduces that. But two general feats for weapon training and the dedication means the rapier rogue has more feats to do other things. 3 feats for a fractional point seems like a lot.

I've loved the flavor of the Aldori for a decade, but in PF1 it was too feat intensive. I was hopeful for PF2, but so far it seems too bland. So far it seems the rapier is almost as good without needing as many feats.

Am I the only one who thinks this? What has been tried to balance things.

I was thinking about adding two feats to the archetype. One would add disarm and trip to the Aldori sword. The second which has a prereq of the first, adds agile.

Agile is pretty awesome, especially on a d8 weapon, so I see the risk of being overpowered. But it takes three class feats, and that sees like a high price.

Does it seem like I'm on the right path?

Etiquette question: If an Internet Rando (someone outside your geographical area and having no personal connection to the local Lodge) signs up to a full game, is that viewed positively ("Oh, cool, someone found our Lodge!") or negatively ("They're taking a space from one of us!")?

I explicitly tell the GM that I'm an interloper and I will drop if there are locals on the wait list. My goal is to grab an open seat, not to displace anyone. So far I've played 3 out of 3 times, so it has been a safe bet ;-)

I live in Fayetteville nc.

Hey. I'm in Cary. Go to Facebook and look for "Pathfinder Society of North Carolina". It isn't super active, but it should get you started. PFS around here isn't what it was a few years ago, but you should be able to meet some people. Store play is in hold, but normally there were 3 stores in Wake County with weekly games. We'll see what it's like oafter COVID. No clue about Fayetteville.

Good luck and welcome.

the point is that there's some sort of consistent guideline.

Does anyone know how many bundles found are required to hit wealth by level guidelines?

Dumb question: The conclusion says that "In gratitude for their service, Valsin presents the PCs with an archaic wayfinder". That sounds like a free gimme. But the sheet says it costs 25 GP, which is closer to what I would expect. So, really this is just a 5 GP discount?

Currently, Quests 1,4, and 9 are repeatable.

if they stick to the pattern, #16 will be the next repeatable quest.

I think it is mostly a "them" to contrast the "us". I imagine the Thrune had something against halflings from way back, but I don't know what. And of course, it is reminiscent of the antisemitism of the Nazis, or the slavery of the United States. It makes sure that we don't look too favorably at Cheliaxians. They are bad guys, or at least good people suffering through a bad situation.

PFS2 character creation covers all the creation rules. I think that mentioned.

I'm going to try this quest as my first attempt at online gaming. Is there a way to get the map without the dotted lines?

I think (but don't quote me on that) that if you buy the app (the in-app purchase) you get access to a feedback link where you could suggest "please add guard dogs".

Yep. Nominally it is for bug reporting but I've been a horrible person and used it for requesting a feature.

I understand that at that hidden ends when you move. Spring from Shadows calls this out. But what about move and strike in a single action? Sudden Charge and Skirmish Strike both allow movement and striking in the same action. I wouldn't think it would be allowed for Sudden Charge because it spans multiple actions. But Skirmish Strike allows a step and a strike in one action. This seems reasonable, especially as it is only a step.

So I guess I'm asking if you loose the hidden condition only at the end of an action, or if it can end within an action. Basically, are actions atomic relative to stealth?

You've just unwittingly aided the band of assassins and murdered the carriage's only guard, ultimately leading to their targets' demise, and possibly yours as well. Even if you survive the encounter, you will have been responsible for a young noble's death, and quite possibly branded a criminal.

As-is, that is going down a dark path, and sounds like no fun. My immediate reaction would be to call out the GM and ask where this game was going, and verify that I wanted to play it. My RPG time is too limited to squander on nonsense.

Tweak it a bit and it would be a good intro to a "The Fugitive" type scenario. Instead of them killing the guards, the PCs disrupt the defense, and accidentally allow the bad guys to win. Then from there they have to bring justice to the assassins while not being arrested. That sounds more like a story worth my time.

I don't mind the GM "tricking" the players as long as it is setting up something interesting. Think of it as exposition, but with some player involvement. But this sort of thing has to be infrequent. People play RPGs to have input/agency, not to be be told that they got things wrong.

Abadar because the circus is bringing civilization to the hinterlands, and charging for the privilege.

Some kind of mechanical specialist- someone who might be less than great at picking pockets or conning people, but who can open that lock- YES, that one- something a BIT like the Thief racket (since Thievery is the relevant skill) but without Stealth, and with some kind of Engineering Lore synergy with Disable Device and Pick a Lock.

Isn't that just thievery and lore? Any rogue can do that. Easy for any class with enough skills. It even seems natural for alchemist and wizard.

The thing for Thief is DEX to damage. Ruffian has armor and extra weapons. Scoundrel can feint. What are you saying you want? Just a Thief who replaced stealth with engineering lore? Even if this racket allowed INT rather than DEX, it doesn't seem distinct.

You mention some kind of synergy. What kind of synergy?

I imagine the Order of the Chain goes wherever fugitives do. Local jurisdiction is mostly meaningless, although if the local cops have arrested said fugitive, all is right in the world. Likewise, I think there are valid reasons for many of the orders to send knights to foreign countries. The rule of law transcends borders.

So, it is clear that they mostly operate in Cheliax, Isger, and Korvosa, they can be anywhere. Since quite a few went to Mendev to fight the demons of the world wound, I wonder if they have some chapter houses up north. They can still fight demons and trample the locals traditions.

I could see the Church of Sarenrae mounting a full-scale crusade against Eox.

Backed up by Iomedae, with the Caydenites along for the ride.

Sarenrae? Why? She is the patron of the Kellesh Empire, and they've not taken out Geb. Why would she care about Eox? Can those undead be redeemed? She dislikes undead, but it isn't high up on her to-do list

Pharasma is the who would take on Eox. And I bet she is. Crusades don't seem to be her style. I imagine she is important to the surviving Elebrians ,just like she is with the living in Geb. But I would guess her worship is prohibited by the Bone Sages. I can imagine a Pharasma and Norgorber pantheon focused on quietly killing the undead.

Scenarios are planned through at least Level 14.

Where was that said?

Has anyone actually used the term "Black Elves" for the Drow? I don't think I've ever heard that. I'm used to them being called "Dark Elves".

Still I have the sensation that we are losing something (in relation to PF1) in every single class progression, not only in nerfed classes. If I wanted to make a characters with the same features as in PF1 (not speaking of power, just of features) I wouldn't be able to do so in this edition.

That isn't my impression. What is an example of a character concept that you could build with pre-APG PF1 that you cannot build properly with PF2?

I don't see any size restrictions with snagging strike. Can this be used against any opponent, or is it intended only for similarly sized enemies? Can a halfling use it on a purple worm? What is RAI?

... introduced a variant of the Necromancer who travels the world laying restless souls to rest.

Although it was for Pathfinder 1, I could look at converting it to 2e - if there is any interest.

Yes, please. I always has a soft spot for Parl Dro from Kill the Dead. And Dresden-esque makes it all the better.

Is one of the Pantheons the Gods who passed the Test of the Starstone? Since the death of Aroden it seems a likely candidate for worship for what's left of his faithful.

Hellknights have very strict rules, and they follow those rules to the letter, regardless of local laws. Generally local laws do not conflict with order structures, so there are no problems. By nature, they follow all rules even if they don't respect the local government.

The Order of the Torrent is lawful good and focused on freeing kidnap victims. If that means breaking into a jail, then so be it. If the local government is involved, then they will be treated as part of the problem.

Likewise, if the Order of the Nail decided that some local practice is preventing growth of civilization and society, then they will fight it. If that is Cheliax, Molthune, or wherever the order will do whatever is necessary. Preferably using the local government, but that is not required.

There are also plenty of games that update themselves significantly with each edition, just like D&D and PF. It is not, as you say, a D&D phenomenon. In fact I’ll go as far as to say that 20 years of support for a largely unchanged game is a uniquely D&D 3.X phenomenon.

It is uncommon, but not unique. The latest version of RuneQuest is almost totally compatible with RuneQuest 2 from 1978. There are new rules, but the existing stuff mostly works as-is. Closer than 3.5e to PF1. And they are still using the Glorantha setting which first was published in a board game in '75.

If continuity is your thing, they deserve your respect.

Have you tried Know Direction?

Garund, eh? I don't know squat about the southern two thirds. I think lizard folk, cat people, and dinosaurs hang out there. The top third is inner sea, and the two uber powered nations are Geb and Nex. Neither one is expansionist, but with Geb being back on the scene, that could change. And I could see Sarenrae worshipping Kellish forces provoking Geb. Other than Geb himself, I don't see much of a reason for anyone to tangle with Nex.

For details, see the wiki, or better still the ISWG.

He gets replaced by 3 halfling sorcerers in a trenchcoat.

Are you sure it wasn't three gnomes? In the run up to the P2 launch, Ryan from Know Direction wrote up the middle gnome from a trenchcoat trio. Kinda cool way to show off the new system.

For Southern Casmaron look into the Kelesh Empire. Its western most province is Quadira, which is in the inner sea region. You can start with https://pathfinderwiki.com/wiki/Kelesh.

Then why do Backgrounds exist at all?

I think it is for two reasons. The first is a list of easy to understand concepts is less daunting than "build your own." The other is that if they introduce special backgrounds that have bonus skill feats, general feats or whatever, this mechanism is a bit more future proof. "Here, use this background as-is" doesn't require explaining deviations from the normal rules.

Had I designed PF2, I'm not sure if I would have gone with backgrounds, or just free form choices like you want. But I didn't, and this is fine.

I have used the custom background editor in pathbuilder2 to (re)build a beloved 3.5 character that I never was able to get quite right a decade ago. None of the existing backgrounds were exactly what I wanted, although "noble" was close and would have worked.

Didn't it take 2 years for the Starfinder Beginners Box? Assuming similar thinking with P2, GenCon 2021 is my guess.

I was pondering an option where you could try to cast faster. At the end of the first action, flat DC11 (aka coin toss) and it casts or not. If not try again for your second action. If you that fails, you can go for a third. If that fails, or if you bail on an earlier failure, then you lose the spell. That means

One round: 50%
Two rounds: 75%
Three rounds: 87.5%
Spell loss: 12.5%

Maybe allow this to continue to the next round, but no movement and no reactions makes me think that would not be popular.

No clue if this should be a class feat, a skill feat, or just a choice available to all casters. It should not be alliwed for your top few spell levels.

Not really. But you still have the issue of fitting. Getting centaurs up the stairs then to sneak across the roof to drop on the enemy from behind will still be difficult. And likely humorous.

Honestly, I'd trust your players and just let them know your expectations of armour and what you're looking for.

Bingo. RPGs are co-operative story telling with dice (usually). Session Zero is for getting everyone on the same page. In addition to alignments, goals, and theme, it should include setting. If your story works better without heavy armor, say so up front. Then ban it and move on. If you are running an evil game you say "no paladins", right? Same thing.

In PF1 the falcatta could be used as a longsword. I think the clan dagger should be useable by anyone as a regular dagger. Some dwarves learn all the tricks, but usually it is just a fancy dagger.

... allowed the party to avoid I think over 20 encounters in a 30+ room dungeon, fighting only 4 times (negotiating once, so 5 encounters).

This is heresy to some folks. Encounters and conflict are why many people play. My son is unhappy when one of my diplomancers talks us past an encounter. His logic is that I basically soloed it and prevented the rest of the party from participating/enjoying that creature.

The problem with basing more conflict on order v. chaos instead of good v. evil is that players in general will always avoid being too constrained by rules and laws in game, even if they're completely good guys. Seems most folks feel restrained enough by order in real life that they'd like to try some more free-spirited gaming.

Perhaps for casual gaming. I like Cheliax and how its sense of unity itand destiny have been corrupted by hell. This is playing with subtleties on the lawful end of the alignment spectrum. For a while now that has been my thing

I haven't seen an interesting concept of true neutrality yet, unfortunately. A true champion of balance would have to be truly horrific from time to time to balance out the heroic acts involved in saving the world or whatever that happens in most APs. The three neutral deities in CRB (Nethys, Pharasma, and Gozreh) are all very different from each other.

The common thread for those three is the relative disregard for mortals. Magic, nature, and a well ordered life/death cycle are what is important. Basically a TN champion is dedicated to a cause that has little to do with people. Focusing on something like that seems a bit niche, but in sure someone somewhere will come up with a good story based using them.

Must we have pan-neutral champions? I want one champion group for each of the four alignments. We have good, so evil, law and chaos are what I want to see. And I think the corners have to pick. A LG champion in the Godclaw has to be the lawful variety, not the existing good one.

I read a lot of Michael Moorcock when I was a kid. I want more law vs chaos to balance out good vs evil.

That said, I don't mind a true neutral champion, but it should be distinct, not bundled with LN and CN. I still don't like how Faiths of Balance handled things. LN and CN have as much in common as NG and NE, but no one tries to lump those two together.

I think most Rahadoumi would like to be gods. Most folks have power fantasies. They might want to follow in Irori's footsteps, or maybe Nethys. And the starstone appeals to them as well. They just won't subjugate themselves to any divine overlord to get there.

Refusing to follow a god is not the same as opposing that god. An artist might be glad that Shelyn inspires works of art, and might even hope for inspiration, but won't actively ask for divine help. Some things are not worth the cost.

Hmm. Replace magic traditions with ritual learning. That makes sense for communal witches but hurts the self taught variety. I don't see Granny Weatherwax being limited by what she is taught. Adding to known spells via eating scrolls just means more expensive spell acquisition. So this means broader choice than most at the cost of fewer spells and less loot.

I like this flavor for some witches, but this will be painful in PFS and published modules. As you are off saving the world, there will be little/no interaction with your coven, so you will feel the downside of the limited choice of spells. I think this will be mostly for NPCs, or home games.

They focus on divine agents, not Gods, so whatever they think of a particular God, they will still persecute priests. A priest of Irori might be able to hide it better than most. But if directly questioned will need to lie.