Dr. Gradgrind's page

After spending way too many hours converting Shackled City to Golarion and PF, I've finally been able to run it. So far, it's going great, although it's taken some unexpected turns.

First off, I decided I wanted Vhalantru and Thifirane Rhiavadi to play bigger roles in the adventure. I made Lord Vhalantru in charge of Cauldron's adventuring licenses. No license means no adventuring, and to get a license requires the sponsorship of a noble house. Vhalantru was able to get Thifirane to agree to sponsor them (after the party took care of a nasty rat problem for her). The party didn't much like the arrogant Thifirane, but they seemed to like Vhalantru. Exactly the result for which I was hoping.

The party wisely explored all of Jzadirune before heading down to the Malachite Fortress, but unfortunately for them, they quickly found Kazmojen while still level 2. They started running when Kazmojen knocked Fario and Fellian unconscious with one attack each. The last person out saw Orbius teleport in, claim Terrem, and teleport back out.

After that mess, they decided to prepare more carefully, and perhaps explore the Malachite Fortress first. Seeing as how Kazmojen stomped them so thoroughly, I figured he wouldn't bother increasing the guard - the clearly incompetent adventurers were no threat to him.

The party found Fario and Fellian in the prison cells and rescued them, as well as the other slaves, and with careful preparation, stomped Kazmojen as easily as he did them the first time. Unfortunately, however, the remaining three children - Deakon, Lucinda, and Evelyn - were no where to be found, since after driving off the party the first time, Kazmojen finished the sale to the durzagon. I left a receipt on Kazmojen, however, stating the children were sold to "Pyllrak Shyraat, denizen of the Darklands."

My players weren't exactly keen on the idea of venturing into the Darklands until Jenya told them the reward was for rescuing the children. Still, they detoured off to Kingfisher Hollow to investigate...

After seven years my group is about to finish Shackled City. It is quite a journey. I suggest you spend some time in the early parts of the adventure foreshadowing Adimarchus as well as introducing some of the Cagewrights to the PCs. I had Freija Doorgan as the owner of the local magic shop, Ardeth Webb as the Mayor's bodyguard, Shebelith as dean of the academy, Fish as owner of a tavern, etc. It makes the later encounters much more interesting.

The original Kazmojen is a CR 5 with 3 fighter levels. However, the way CR is calculated is different in Pathfinder, and giving him 3 fighter levels would only bring him to CR 4. I decided to keep his CR the same and gave him another fighter level.

I sent Lord Orbius to you as a private message.

Have you converted the resurrected Orbius from Asylum? I'm getting ready to run the final chapter and could definitely use that conversion.

testing, testing...

A, D, and E.

My box arrived today, filled with Frog-God goodies.

The Foundation

I'd like to see an AP where the PCs begin as petitioners in Hell and have to work their way up the diabolic hierarchy.

Tyrant sounds very interesting, as does an all-underwater AP.

If you are running an adventure path then it makes sense to ditch awarding XP altogether and just level the party at appropriate points. A sandbox campaign is different - individual XP seems correct for that.

In my campaign I houserule that Vital Strike can be combined with Spring Attack, charge, cleave, or any other standard action attack. It hasn't broken anything and encourages more tactical movement.

I'm currently running Shackled City. We started in 2007 at the beginning, converted to Pathfinder in 2010. The PCs have just reached the Fiery Sanctum (Thirteen Cages). After we finish with Adimarchus sometime next year I plan on running Kingmaker.

The only AP I've played in is Second Darkness, but we only finished the first chapter (GM moved).

The APs that I find the most interesting are Curse of the Crimson Throne, Legacy of Fire, Kingmaker, and Carrion Crown. Also very impressed with Way of the Wicked (I'd like to run this as a sequel to Kingmaker).

Least favorite APs are Second Darkness and Council of Thieves.

Email received and PDF downloaded. I am a big fan of Frog God games and am looking forward to seeing the S&W rules. Thanks very much, Kthulhu, and here's wishing you a Merry (eldritch) Christmas!

Howdy, guys! Wishing you all a Merry Christmas. I feel like sharing the awesome old-school game that is Swords & Wizardry, so what better way than to give the first five responses that want a PDF copy of that game the Christmas present that keeps on giving...old school RPG goodness. You can take a look at the product page here (which includes my review of the game). I love FGG's products, and hope that this also serves to make some people aware of how awesome of a company they are as well. They also offer Pathfinder products in addition to their S&W products. Check them out, their stuff is amazing!

Disclaimer: Other than being a huge fan of their work, I have no affiliation with Frog God Games.

Disclaimer 2: I dunno exactly how the gift system works for PDFs, so I'll need to figure that out before I get them to you. But hopefully it won't be too difficult.

Yes, I'd like a copy! Thanks

I would also like a copy. I've run Keep on the Borderlands many times over the years and would love to see a Pathfinder conversion.

Thanks!

Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering

Lagavulin

I'd like to see the following:

1. A mercantile campaign, where the players are building a trade empire. It could include dealing with pirates as well as political intrigue. And it could have the PCs traveling throughout Golarion.

2. Interplanetary, in the spirit of the Planet Stories fiction Paizo has been publishing.

3. Planar, with the PCs eventually ruling their own demi-plane.

4. Osirion, with an element of time-travel into the past to witness the glories of the Pharaohs.

Steelfiredragon wrote:

which means it would have to be renamed and the maps changed around.... and then maybe get distributed by Paizo.

one can dream...

The name Caves of Chaos is not copyright as I recall, so I think that it could be used as the name of an adventure instead of Keep on the Borderlands. It would be relatively easy to create an adventure with much of the feel of the original adventure, perhaps a bit more tightly written and with some things better explained (such as what do the monsters eat, have they been there a while).

A Pathfinder introductory product SHOULD include a great introductory adventure that a new or experienced GM could build on.

I also sent out some more copies of my conversion.

Could you send me a copy of your conversion:

Thanks!

Our group started about 3 years ago and just finished the Temple of Wee Jas (Secrets of the Soul Pillars). We converted from 3.5 to Pathfinder during Demonskar. I interpolated the Paizo module Gallery of Evil between Zenith Trajectory and Demonskar, as it was a good fit and gave me the opportunity to provide more background info about the Cagewrights.

The tenuous connection between Adimarchis and the Cagewrights was a pet peeve of mine for years as well. The reason for this was simple – there was planning to the campaign and no threads and links throughout. This is a huge flaw in what is otherwise a wonderful series of adventures.

The Path was written from the bottom up – making it up as it goes. So with those limitations in mind I thought to adapt and rewrite the campaign from the opposite direction – from the top down.

In my campaign Adimarchus is a general of the celestial armies whose forbidden love causes his fall from heaven and then desperate decision to seek the add of his greatest enemy which ultimately proves his undoing. He is manipulated into committing great acts of evil but it is his betrayal by his enemy that eventual sends him mad and unleashes his Inner Demon.

The Inner Demons ultimate plan is two-fold. First to create a gate into the material plan so his prison tumbles from Canceria and he can escape his physical bonds and secondily to destroy Adimarchus last threads of sanity forever so the Inner Demon can fully take over the angels body forever.

While Adimarchus cowers locked in his cage on Canceria and in his own mind, this Inner Demon reaches out to others through their dreams to corrupt and manipulate. In my game, Dry’ryd (leader of the Cagewrights) was the first to be corrupted to the Inner Demons Cause. Dyr’ryd second head, Ryd, is completely in Adimarchis hold to the point that he/it is merely a mouthpiece of the demon.

I changed the Cagewrights from, what I believed, was a group of faceless villains to a much smaller group broken up into one Leader – Dyr’ryd, 6 Master Cagewrights and 6 Apprentices = 13 Cagewrights. Of these I attempted to foreshadow these extensively so when the party eventually faced them they were meaningful battles.

Here’s a more thorough explanation –
http://therpgenius.pbworks.com/Alternate-Villains

I got rid of the adventure Strike on Shatterhorn which seemed pointless to me and created...

Delvesdeep, I am currently running a group through SCAP (just finished assault on temple of Wee Jas) and have incorporated many of your ideas about Adimarchus' fall and restructuring the Cagewrights. I would love to see your replacement for Strike on Shatterhorn.

Can Wall of Force be placed in contiguous segments but with 90 degree bends? For example, can Wall of Force be placed in a closed rectangular pattern? How about an "L" or "T" or "E" shape? Can segments be stacked to get a height greater than 10'? Or must all segments be placed in a straight line with no bends?

How useful is Loyalty compared to Economy and Stability? Economy gets you more BPs, Stability wards off unrest and most random events, but Loyalty only seems to matter if you're looting your kingdom or with the random events feud and scandal (and the consequences of failing are not that bad).

Why wouldn't you set taxation at "overwhelming" and festivals at "none" and take the hit in Loyalty?

I'm in.

Phoebus the JustFortunateEnough wrote:

I know, I know magical food isn't at the top of everyone's list.

Actually... there's a 3PP product entirely devoted to chocolate items and magic, including a punny version melding Melf's Meteors and M&Ms. I had my campaign go to Goodman Games' fairy tale module after a TPK and I really did need all the candy and desert themes I could find.

There's a niche there, especially for parent DMs.

What is the name of the 3PP product? Sounds useful.

About 65 degrees Fahrenheit in Los Angeles.

Something for running a larger world: mass-battles, trade-routes, guild wars, diplomacy. Something Birthright-like in scope.

Seconded. In the earliest books there were rules for establishing a barony, building a keep, clearing the wilderness, actually using your gold for something other than more magic items, and leading your followers. Pathfinder needs an endgame for mid to high level characters that is more than just fighting higher CR monsters.

I thought I'd create this thread to find out what everyone's favorite level to play and adventure are at! Please drop in a post here and answer the following questions if you're interested:

1) What's your favorite experience level?

2) Why is that your favorite experience level?

3) What's your favorite adventure, and what level was it for? Why is it your favorite adventure?

1. 1st through 12th.

2. At low levels PC choices for feats and skills have much more impact than later (a +2 really matters!). Encounters tend to be easier to run and classic monsters can still challenge the PCs. The game still has a medieval rather than a superhero feel. Interactions with "ordinary" people are on a more equitable basis. Beyond 12th level PCs begin to have uber-powers and spells which make calibrating encounters and challenges difficult. Mathematically the D20 system starts to break down past around 12th-15th level.

3. Keep on the Borderlands (1-3). I've run this many time for newbies and veterans alike. Relative to PC level it is very challenging but it has the right feel for a D&D adventure. I also liked running Temple of Elemental Evil and Necromancer's Tomb of Abysthor for similar reasons.

I received my copy this afternoon. It looks great. My gaming group will be converting from 3.5 as soon as everyone has had a chance to review the rules.

Congratulations Neil! Your submissions were great in each round. I'm looking forward to running your module for my gaming group.

In terms of what I am interested in watching these days:

1. Battlestar Galactica (current series)
2. Firefly
3. Buffy (seasons 1-6)
4. Angel(seasons 1-3, 5)
5. Blake's Seven (will this ever be released on DVD?)

In terms of influence on the genre:

1. Star Trek (original)
2. Babylon 5
3. The Prisoner
4. Dr. Who
5. Star Trek Next Generation

A better system for computing effective level. Something like the 2nd edition paradigm where a 5th level single class character and a 4th/4th multiclass character were roughly equivalent. 5th level does not equal 3rd/2nd, especially when spellcasters are involved.

I just want to get a quick response about how much time people have spent playing or DM'ing at high levels, how they got there, and why they stopped.

1) What is the highest level that you have played at for a few sessions?

2) Did the campaign start at low levels?

3) What ended the campaign?

For me, it is about 16th level as a player, and only about 7th level as a DM. The high level campaigns started at 1st level, and ended due to power differences between characters.

1. 15th level. We had concluded Black Sails over Freeport.

2. We started at 1st level with the original Freeport Trilogy at the onset of 3rd edition (2000) and played for about six years (usually once a month). Other modules we played were Bard Keep (Dungeon magazine), Tomb of Abysthor (Necromancer), and lots of original material.

3. After six years the players wanted to try new characters. So we started the Shackled City adventure path and are currently playing Zenith's Trajectory.

Does anyone else believe that the hit dice mods were not needed for chars such as the wizard?

I've been using the beta rules for a few months and the existing d4 based hit points have been fine for our wizard. I never really had an issue with them dying off at low levels either because they were always protected by the meleers like an artillery piece would be protected.

I plan on keeping the old hit dice for each of the classes - which is the only rule that I havent really liked out of the whole beta book.

I also intend on keeping the d4 for wizards and sorcerers. It is consistent with the image of the wizard as having sacrificed his health for forbidden arcane knowledge. The lower hp at higher levels also gives the wizard a weakness he must deal with, even at high levels.

I do intend on using the d8 for rogues and bards. Commoners and experts will get the d6.

In July we officially kick off the Pathfinder RPG with the release of the Pathfinder Bestiary. The massive Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook follows in August, but beyond that we have not yet announced additional rules support for the game.

That support IS coming, and we're in the process of finalizing what form it will take.

The current plan is to release between 2-3 hardcover rulebooks per year, including additional Pathfinder Bestiaries.

What form would you like these books to take? Would you be interested in subscribing to such a line, provided the books cost somewhere around $35 a pop?

What titles/ideas would you like to see us explore?

We're all worried about rules bloat. What is your opinion of new classes and races?

Are you as tired of prestige classes as I am?

Discuss.

I would like to see a book focusing on things high level (12-20) characters can do that are not directly related to melee or dungeoneering, such as building strongholds, clearing wilderness, exploring the planes, raising an army, establishing a trading empire or church - the kind of things that should be a goal or endgame for powerful PCs. I have never seen much on this topic in any previous edition.

I would definitely be interested in subscribing to a series of supplemental rulesbooks.

I'm not so keen on new races - Golarion seems fine as it is. New classes and prestige classes are fine as long as they are interesting and fill a niche.

I would like to see favored classes eliminated - otherwise certain race/class combinations are penalized (in effect).

There are two proposals here that I find interesting. Although I do not think that allowing fighters to freely swap their feats each day is the right way to go, there is a way to make that work. Here are the proposals that I see as possibilities.

1. The fighter gets a special feat slot every couple levels (replacing his normal bonus feat). The feat in this slot can be swapped out in the morning, allowing the fighter to customize his package a bit. This feat cannot be used as a prerequisite for other feats or pclasses.

2. The fighter can swap a feat every few levels, like a sorcerer can with his spells. The feat that is replaced cannot be one that was used as a prerequisite for a feat or pclass.

Thoughts?

Jason Bulmahn
Lead Designer
Paizo Publishing

I like the second option.

In my House Rules I give gnomes a +2 INT rather than CHA. I like the idea of illusionist as a favored class.

Most enjoyed to play: An Egyptian-themed blend of Forgotten Realms and Al Qadim, set in the Anauroch Desert.

Most enjoyed to run: Planescape

Fungi from Yuggoth (cycle of poems). Especially "Nyarlathotep".

No - we're playing 3.5/Pathfinder. No interest whatsoever in 4E.

Thanks for your hard work. I remember playing "Maldred" back in 1990, when we revived our D&D campaign following a hiatus after grad school. An excellent and memorable adventure - which I hope to someday run for my 3.5/3.P campaign.

I ran this with some mods and my players really enjoyed it. On their own initiative, they sought out instructors in dance and etiquette and had a great time role-playing at the party. The paladin was selected to portray Nabthataron and succeeded at all the dance checks (thanks to the lessons), impressing the assembled nobles (which sets things up nicely for Chapter 4 and the Cusp of Sunrise). The PCs also had a chance to mingle and have dinner with most of the major villains, which sets up some great encounters in the future. Thanks for this wonderful addition to Flood Season!

Gnomes should get +2 INT and include wizard as a favored class.

KAWS tchuh chiye (rhymes with "sky")

I am starting to agree with the idea of deleting favorite classes altogether. I don't want to place an inherent penalty on someone wanting to play a dwarven rogue, or a gnomish wizard (illusionist), or an elven fighter (all of which have been around since 1E). And it is a penalty, since making a rogue a halfling rather than a dwarf results in a benefit (minor though it now is).

Infamous Jum wrote:

As an example, look at the latest DDM Preview, specifically the Chain Golem, where we're told "One of the minis of the Dreamblade line, the Iron Thug, provided inspiration for this monster". Now, are they trying to say that Chain Golems are all new for 4th, something that they just now made up? Well, sure looks that way, but why in the hell would they need you to believe that? Are they trying to tell me that the Iron Thug figure wasn't just a castoff Chain Golem figure to begin with (seriously, look through the Dreamblade figs and tell me with a straight face that there aren't any figs that began life as art requests for DDM). Again, what illusion are they trying to project here, and to what end?

When I read that preview, I immediately flipped through my Monster Manual II, thinking that I had gone insane . . . but there it was, in 3rd (not even 3.5) edition.

There was a similar statement made about the Cyclops never having stats in 3.5 as well, which was strange since it was in my Shining South FR book.

I don't think that there is anything malicious going on, but honestly, it does make you wonder why they make some of these statements without even glancing through their own books.

The Greater Cyclops was also statted up in Deities and Demigods (3E)

One of my favorite characters is Zazel (gnome fighter/illusionist).

My group is just finishing Flood Season (and having a great time!). We have no intention of converting to 4E (ever). When Pathfinder Beta is released I will give everyone the option of converting their characters to 3.P or remaining with 3.5. I don't foresee any problems with finishing SCAP (other than finding game dates compatible with everyone's busy schedule - most of my group are age 45+ and have to juggle work, family, etc. to find time for gaming).

1. Add a third favored class to each race and modify as follows:

dwarf: fighter, cleric, rogue
elf: ranger, wizard, rogue
gnome: bard, wizard, rogue
half-orc: barbarian, cleric, rogue
halfling: fighter, rogue, ranger

2. Allow a favored class to grant either a +1 HP or an additional skill

3. Modify gnomes to gain +2 Cha, +2 Int, -2 Wis

4. Retain the 3.5 Domains for clerics (enhances backward compatibility)

5. Retain the 3.5 HD progression (d4 for wizards, etc.)(enhances backward compatibility and retains the flavor of previous editions - d4 for wizards has been there ever since Day 1).

Overall I think 3.P is very good. I especially like the Alpha 3 skill system (good compromise) and the benefits for single-classing and not switching to a prestige class. I'm not yet convinced about Turning = Mass Healing.