Something below the boat hit it with the force of a battering ram! The rowboat starts to break apart! It begins to take on water and it lurches forward a little. The small craft is nearly destroyed!
ROUND 3
1. Caelius (21) Hold that Smuggler!
2. Robed, Unarmed Pirate (21) Failed to escape
2a. Rowboat! Will move 15' unless men in boat neutralized.
4. Belwick (14) Elemental command
5. Something in the Water (11) Three Hits on the rowboat!
7. Venn (10) GO! 9. Alisanne (7)GO!
10. Hobs TBD (6)
11. Lemunda TBD (5) TBD
12. Baghotir (2) GO!
ROUND 4
1. Caelius (21) GO!
2. Robed Unarmed Pirate (21) Grappled, restrained, TBD
2a. Rowboat Moves 15' can make 1 90 deg turn, facing North ATM
4. Belwick (14) GO!
5. Something in The Water (11) TBD
Venn takes the blow from the oar and doesn't even register that he's been hit. He then swiftly slays both pirates right out.
2 Kills.
The charming pirate takes the hit to the belly. He looks down at himself and laughs, bitterly.
"Hehehehe... Ye didn't pay the toll."
He dies.
The man on the ground continues to struggle under Caelius. Perhaps because of his words... A feeling of dread comes over you, though you don't know why.
Lemunda regains her senses and looks around, uneasy. She sits.
The Hobs shoulder their bows and congratulate each other.
Rest of the Party is up.
ROUND 3
1. Caelius (21) Hold that Smuggler!
2. Robed, Unarmed Pirate (21) Failed to escape
2a. Rowboat! Will move forward 15' unless men in boat neutralized.
4. Belwick (14) Firebolt, MISS, Elemental on Defense.
5. Pirate (11) ENTHRALLING PANACHE
6. Pirate First Mate (11) Multiattack, Unarmed strike, Shove
7. Venn (10) Suck it, DM
9. Alisanne (7)GO!
10. Hobs TBD (6) HIGH FIVES
11. Lemunda TBD (5) DODGE
12. Baghotir (2) GO!
Lemunda stays in the boat, but her eyes go all starry and she can't act against the pirates. She catches the oar and just stands there, transfixed. You actually hear her ovaries thump. Charmed for 1 Round
The man on the ground, now that he's shaken off Alisanne's Command, is slippery as an eel...
1d20 + 5 ⇒ (10) + 5 = 15... And Caelius just holds on.
The rowboat, with Venn, Lemunda and the two pirates skirts forward.
The pirate first mate swings an oar at Venn and Lemunda...
1d20 + 2 ⇒ (17) + 2 = 19 Vs. Venn... HIT
1d20 + 2 ⇒ (14) + 2 = 16 Vs. Lemunda... HIT
Neither of you take any damage, BUT... You need to make a STR or DEX save (your choice) vs. DC10 or be knocked over into the drink.
Ok, this is weird, but bear with me. I swear it is in the stat block...
The pirate flashes Venn and Lemunda a winning smile. There's just something about him! Even down here, on a rowboat in a sea cave, possibly knocked over into the waters... He's just so darn charismatic!
Venn and Lemunda, Wisdom Save DC12 or you are both Charmed by the Pirate.
Ulver flys at incredible speed and lines up for a magic spell. He takes out some kind of rod and what looks like an animal pelt... And a stroke of lightning arcs down through the two pirates.
Caelius tackles the robed smuggler and grapples him. His speed is zero and to change that, he'll need to break the grapple on his next turn. He is not tied up at the moment, someone will need to do that with rope or manacles or something I'm not thinking of. He will try to escape the grapple at his next opportunity.
The two remaining pirates bolt for their rowboat and successfully push it off into the water. They are frantically rowing for the seacave entrance. Their position is on the map. There is a second boat, FYI.
One of the Pirates screams, RUN FOR THE BOATS!!!! It's clear that the remaining pirates are going to rabbit. The only one not turning to go is the robed one that Alisanne got with her Command spell.
OA?
Possibly. On their turn, they'll take actions. If disengage, then no.
One of the Pirates screams, RUN FOR THE BOATS!!!! It's clear that the remaining pirates are going to rabbit. The only one not turning to go is the robed one that Alisanne got with her Command spell.
The Firebolt arcs through the air and catches the pirate captain center mass! A hole burns into her and she clutches her chest, only to have the Elemental bring both fists down and smash her body into a heap of broken bones and flesh.
"Ageg, have your men ready ranged weapons. Pepper them as they come forward. Ulzer, if you have something that'll hit them all, like a ball of flame, now would be a suitable time for it."
Ulzer slides his goggles down and retrieves a feather from his pouch.
By this time, the pirates have made it back to the boats, and start yelling.
"...Well, come on! She must have gone that way! Let's go you lubbers!"
The five pirates start running for the northern passage.
Lemunda takes the axe from Baghotir and gives it a couple of pumps to get a sense of the balance. She scowls. "Great. Hobgoblins and mercs. I *am* gonna die", she quips. "Hells' Bells. Let's go." She takes position next to Baghotir and looks to Alisanne, smirking. "Thanks, Angel."
Alisanne has successfully stolen Lamunda Fireborn from the pirates!
And earned each adventurer 1500 Experience Points!
Alisanne actually has some trouble carrying the woman. Lamunda is clearly a warrior. She is every inch the daughter of a warrior, well muscled, wearing studded leather that's seen blood and combat. She has a scar that runs from behind her hear down her neck--must have hurt like mad. She is calm but she motions aggressively for someone to cut her loose.
The pirates stop talking, and start skulking towards the southern entrance.
They draw steel and prepare to jump hobgoblins. The Captain takes a flintlock pistol from her sash and thumbs back the hammer. They move into position for an ambush.
Baghotir leads the party south. The southern door is stuck like all the rest, and just needs some oomph to get open. 1d6 ⇒ 4 The Hall continues south to a door that opens freely. You find yourselves in a room with a statue of a robed person pointing directly at you.
Ageg explians: "See, the doors open into this room easy enough, but once you're in, the doors lock. You need to rotate the wizard to the door you want to exit by."
The hobs rotate the statue so it points west. There's an audible, "click", and the western door unlocks. Ageg leads the party out that way to the Sea Caves.
The Sea Caves are dimly lit, with daylight spilling in from outside. There are two large rowboats on the shore. Five people are talking in light, conversational tones.
One is dressed loose trousers and a tunic. No visible weapons or armor.
Another carries a quarterstaff and is bedecked with pouches.
Two carry long swords, one wears leathers and the other in chainmail.
One, big captain's hat and an eyepatch. Carries a rapier and some kind of rod tucked into her sash. No visible armor.
The Party is gathered in the mouth of the cavern entrance on the north part of the seacave. The five folk in the boat do not know you're there. Ageg and his boys are just behind you, and await commands. Or you can leave them back in their barracks, it is up to you.
Belwick considers the offer. "Magical flight is interesting to me. What else do you know?"
Would like to hear what else he's got, if only to know his capabilities fully.
The possibility of learning Counterspell is too good for him to be cagey about his spells. He also knows: Fog Cloud, Gust of Wind, and the Mage Hand and Prestidigitation cantrips.
"Oh! Your kidnapped lady is in the sea caves with a group of smugglers and pirates. Keledek oversees their comings and goings. After a tustle when we first moved in, we all thought it best to avoid each other. We guard this way in, they handle the caves."
Ageg describes the rest of the dungeon as best he can:
"Alright. Me and my boys have sealed off some tunnels. The north is unexplored, because those are catacombs that go beneath the graveyard. Keledek wants to explore, but hasn't had the chance yet. He's convinced there's treasure and secrets buried up there. We sealed the passages off to keep out undead--something up that way is waking up the corpses. And everything north of the barricades is infested with rats."
To the West: "The Sea Caves are west of here, but you're gonna want to go south first to avoid the next room. There's something in there--Intelligent and hungry. It just showed up one day after we sealed off the passage north out of the room. We avoid it."
To the South:"There's a statue south of here. The position of the statue determines which of the four exits is unlocked. South and west leads you to an underground river and the sea caves. South and south takes you to the Nasty Giant Snake. Keledek's chambers are somewhere there."
To the southeast:"South and East of here... Back door into Keledek's study. It's magically sealed. And there are rats and undead around there. One room in particular... You came down the stairs, that first passage south takes you to a room with something nasty on it. We leave it alone. Keledek's using it to guard that way into his study. It doesn't leave that room so we didn't bother sealing the door. No, I don't know what it is."
Otherwise:LOTS of rats wandering about. In the bloody walls, likely. Sometimes a walking undead gets through the barricades. Stirges and spiders are recurring annoyances. Other vermin. Crabs as you near the sea caves. And... Get this... Zenopus bred some kind of benign Gelatinous Cube. It's not aggressive, cleans everything, and can get through any door in the place. Stay here long enough and it'll pass through. Easy to avoid and not interested in eating the living."
"It is a spell. Do you have experience with any abjurations? It's something that can be learned, and it's possible that I can teach it to you. I would be interested in learning what you have to offer, though I will say that I've not had an apprentice before. I presume you are not looking to apprentice though."
--------
"Is that a basilisk? I think I've heard of such creatures before."
Ulzer shakes his head. "Nay, Boss. I'm no apprentice--I just never saw anyone shut down a spell like that. I can perform Abjurations, but I'm an Evoker--energy manipulation is easy for me. Would you trade one spell for another?"
He can offer the following 3rd Level Spells to you: Lightning Bolt and Fly. You already know Fireball. He has some 2nd and 1st as well if you'd like to see those.
Ageg: "Nah. I've fought basilisks. This is bigger than any basilisk I've ever seen. And it's all snake--no legs."
Given the time constraints, Belwick draws up a simple contract. No more than a handful of sentences, but enough to be adequately binding. He makes sure the contents suffice for Agreg, then writes up a duplicate and signs both. He keeps one copy and gives the other to the Centurian.
Belwick notes the caveat, and accepts it. "I would like to know more about this guardian. Spare no detail."
Once done he spares only a few moments with Ulzer, mindful that he can only keep the elemental within this plane for so long. "What is it, Devestator? We're going to need to get moving soon."
Ulzer pulls you aside.
"How did you do that, Human? Er... Boss. How did you do that, Boss? Cut off my power like that? Was that a spell? Would you trade for it?"
Ageg tells you all of the guardian: "Straight south. Keledek's lab and quarters. The entrance is hidden, and the room is guarded by an enormous viper of some kind. Deadly venomous, but that's not the bad news. If it catches your gaze, you turn to stone. That's Keledek's obsession: turning folk to stone. I think he gets off on it."
Unless you really wanna hammer out the contract, we can settle on the following:
-They're basically hirelings. If you fight alongside of them, they'll obey your orders and be loyal unless you ask too much of them. They'll affect XP Calculations for battle. They may need to be persuaded or otherwise influenced if you ask too much of them.
-30 Long Rests, and they'll either leave or need to be recontracted.
-You can send them to do tasks/quests alone, if you think they can handle it. I will let you know what the results of that is.
If you have the money and you're good with this, I'll give you the intel they have on the dungeon and Keledek.
Agreg nods. Nothing you've said seems to be a surprise. He's all business.
"Right. Scouting's mostly done. I can tell you where to go, what to avoid, and what you'll find. We've got no problem fighting Keledek with you, but his guardian is another matter. That's beyond my boys and I and you might as well slit our throats now. Guardin' Saltmarsh? Now that's a laugh! But it's your money and we're yours for the month. Happy ta do it--just funny s'all. Let's draw up the contract. If you've got coin, we can call it done."
You learn:
Agreg, their leader. Calls himself Centurian.
Ulzer is their magic-user. He identifies as, 'Devestator', but it seems to be a rank not a title. Or maybe it's both.
The Bugbear is their scout, Char. He doesn't seem to have a rank, but he defers to Agreg and Ulzer and clearly has status above Grod, Kred and Kral.
Grod, Legionaire.
Kred, Legionaire
Kral, Legionaire.
Venn killed one they call Rherg, a Legionaire. They don't seem to grieve him as you understand grief, but note his passing as a shame because it weakened their squad, but you hear more than one of them commend him to, 'Maglubiyet'.
Religion 20:
Maglubiyet is The Mighty One, the greater god of Goblinkind. Slain goblins go to The Infinite Battlefields of Acheron, where they fight for Maglubiyet in his never-ending war.
Ulzer would like to talk to you, Belwick, apart from the others. He keeps trying to get your attention.
Belwick considers this news. "How much is your contract? And how much would it cost to employ you?"
"The Contract is monthly, and payment is due, or we might not be having this chat. For 450 Gold Coins of whichever realm you prefer, we're yours to command under terms you negotiate for 30 days. Soldiers of Fortune we are. Guards, scouts, and warriors. Our Loyalty is yours until you do something stupid such as stiff us on the bill. We share information. If you need something... Lessay, a, 'special project', we may need to talk about hazard pay. But the 450 you get us as guards, scouts and support troops. Make sense? Oh, and as discussed I'll freely give you any intel I have about Keledek and this whole place."
The lead Hob actually rolls his eyes at you. He motions to the others with a whistle. They all move to one spot on the floor and sit. One of the hobs starts treating the wounds on the others, but the rest just put their hands on their heads.
The bugbear grins at Baghotir and moves to join them.
The leader answers Belwick.
"Agreg, Centurian. 7th Cohort, 6th Century. What's left of it, anyway. I'll not lose what's left of my honor by betraying our contract. But for words as pretty as those, I'll tell you two things: First, the girl you want is that way [points west] in the sea cave. We advised against that particular move, anyway. Second... I'll tell you that we can be bought out of our contract. In short... Pay us and let us go and I'll consider our agreement with Keledek fulfilled and tell you anything you want. But until then: Agreg, Centurian. 7th Cohort, 6th Century. And if you feel the need to sic your rock dog on me, just get it over with."
Caelius's swing at the Warlord is easily parried. His first strike is a miss and his second hits. The hob in front of him is bloodied.
The Mage, nearly to his knees starts casting a spell. The runes on his staff glow, and he's using it as an arcane focus. He starts chanting in the same mysterious language--it sounds much as it sounded before.
Belwick's fire lands and the mage is pummeled by the elemental! All hits! The castor is trying to deal with the fire when the Elemental's two fists come in and pound the Hob, bones break and the Mage howls, somehow remaining on his feet.
Baghotir swings again, but the brute is surprisingly fast. Clangeddin hits, however.
The Hobs retaliate. It is clear that they have experience working together. One ducks north and snaps his companion out of the hypnosis. He blinks and advances on Venn, supporting his heavily wounded squadmate to the south.
1d20 + 3 ⇒ (20) + 3 = 23 Venn starts to fight off the two hobs, but they are coordinated and tough. While the warrior is trying to avoid one, the other sneaks a lunge through the ranger's defenses and it is a bad stab to the stomach.
Venn flat out murders a hobgoblin and nearly does in the other!
Alisanne's spell... 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (15) + 1 = 16 Does not affect the Hobgoblin Caster.
The Bugbear goes smiles wide and tries to slay Baghotir with a big overhand smash of his morningstar... 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (13) + 4 = 17 But the dwarf is ready for it and raises his shield in time.
Caelius rushes the Hobgoblin Warlord and their blades clash! The Warlord uses his reaction to Parry his first strike. The second hits though.
The Warlord keeps his cool and moves back, and uses his action to snap one of his soldiers out of the stupor.
Caelius may use his reaction to make an Opportunity Attack
"Form up, Soldier!"
The, "Half-Heart", icon indicates which are still hypnotized.
The Hobgoblin mage is startled to see an elemental spirit appear out of the stones next to him. He whoops a little as he dodges both slam attacks. He lowers his goggles and reaches into a pouch. He withdraws something from the pouch and begins rubbing and kneading whatever it is with one-hand. The runes on his staff glow. He's done with whatever he drew from his pouch and his hands start tracing strange patterns as he chants in an unknown language. You can smell ammonia and brimstone.
He casts a spell with verbal, somatic, and material components.
ROUND 1
Alisanne 22 Hypnotic Pattern
Bugbear 19 MISS
Baghotir 13 Spiritual Weapon, move and miss
Hobs 12 Hypnotic Pattern, one wakes the Caster.
Belwick 10 Summon Elemental
Caelius 10 1 HIT, Opportunity Attack
Hobgoblin Caster 9 Magic
Hobgoblin Warlord 9 Wakes underling.
Venn 8 GO
The bugbear takes a hit from the spiritual axe, but ducks the hammer and pulls his morningstar.
Most of the Hobs are out of it, but one retains its wits, and discipline. He backs up and stands next to his mage and gives it a swift kick to the rear, snapping him out of it.
Belwick and Caelius go!
ROUND 1
Alisanne 22 Hypnotic Pattern
Bugbear 19 MISS
Baghotir 13 Spiritual Weapon, move and miss
Hobs 12 Hypnotic Pattern, one wakes the Caster.
Belwick 10 GO
Caelius 10 GO
Hobgoblin Caster 9 TBD
Hobgoblin Warlord 9 TBD
Venn 8 TBD
Hobs4d20 ⇒ (12, 16, 3, 12) = 43 Three of the hobgoblin soldiers go slack-jawed and wide eyed as they are hypnotized by Alisanne's spell.
1d20 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5 And so is the spellcaster.
1d20 ⇒ 20 The Warlord snarls, and resists the light-show.
From the north, there's a curse in goblinoid and the bugbear closes distance and tries to disrupt Alisanne's spell. She sees the creature in the shadows and is not surprised.
1d20 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 4 = 7 the javelin toss is shockingly terrible though. There's another curse in goblinoid as the bugbear enters the brighter light and looks dumbfounded at his throw. The javelin clatters to the floor some distance from the party.
They are all hobs and one bugbear. I'm using a pirate wizard (back of the formation) for the caster and a Bandit Captain for the Hob Warlord in the front.
Baghotir prys the door open and finds a smaller, empty room beyond. There is another door to the west similarly stuck. Baghotir makes short work of it and prys it open.
It opens into an enormous room that appears empty, but the edges are off in darkness, out of the range of your light.
You are not alone.
Six hobgoblins emerge--four with swords and shields, one attired as a Wizard, wearing goggles and a bandana on his head. He is carrying an iron-shod staff decorated with runes. The sixth is larger than the others and he steps ahead of the others and readies his greatsword into a high guard.
"Halt! You are intruders in Keledek's domain. Leave now or die!"
Perception checks please, or I'll use your passive.
In the light of [Belwick's Light Spell?] you find yourselves in a 10' Wide passageway. This is hewn stone, and very very old. Ahead you come to an intersection with passages leading North, South, and West. The North is blocked by a barricade made of dirt, loose stones, furniture, and other random items--someone wanted to try to seal this passage off. You can clear it, but it will take time.
The ceilings here in the passage are 10' High.
The doors to the west and south are not locked, but are stuck and will either need to be forced or destroyed to proceed.
Welcome everybody and thank you for joining me on the slightly weird game. Out of Character Discussion and the like will go here.
My strong preference is to have some key stats available in your header:
No preference on order but I think here's the key info for me:
Defenses (AC/Saves/Notes)
Perception Bonus/Vision/Notes(Scent, other weirdness)
HP
Exploration Mode and Initiative.
Also, notes on potential reactions as well. Either in your header or in your posts. I don't mind rolling Reactive Strikes or the like for you as long as I know they are happening, or you're more than welcome to pre-roll them in a spoiler in your posts as appropriate.
Welcome to the town of Petitioner’s Port in Druma.
You're not entirely sure why Venture Captain Drandle Dreng has sent you halfway across the Inner Sea to check in on an Alpaca farmer or why he's sent so many of you.
But as you gather in Petitioner’s Port, outside the Meticulous Truffle Inn, you have a chance to introduce your yourselves before you head about two hours north to the Harjhack Farm to work on Dreng's cryptic mission
This is a recruitment for the level 1 Pathfinder Society2 Bounty #2 Blood of the Beautiful
This will be a somewhat unusual game, so please make sure to read carefully.
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Pathfinder Society2 Bounties are run in Adventure Mode.
"This mode allows the GM more freedom to adapt those adventures, including running the adventure in Pathfinder using GM house rules and the ability to alter encounters and statistics found in the adventure."
Some things that will be different:
We are not limiting ourselves to 6 players. That's right we'll potentially have a whole gaggle of PCs. Adventure difficulty will scale appropriately based on how many players we get. (And since it's in Adventure Mode, you still get your rewards and character back even if things turn out to be a total disaster.)
To keep things flowing smoothly, all rolls will be made by the attacker, and enemy statistics will be fully visible, so that you can fully resolve your turns without having to wait for me. (I'll include some notes about reactions later)
Example: you cast electric arc, so instead of the enemy making saves at +5 vs your DC 17, you make +7 rolls against my DC 15. (Since the roller effectively wins ties, this has slightly boosted the effectiveness of abilities that would normally generate a save. I'm aware of that, and am okay with it.)
Also in combat I will be aggressively delaying PCs who do not act in a timely manor. (Generally around 20+ hours since they've been up without taking an action).
Do note, despite being in Adventure Mode you are required to bring a PFS character. (Ionics Pre-Gens are acceptable as well)
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Normally I'd expect a bounty like this to just take 1-2 weeks. I'm guessing at least twice as long assuming many players, but it's just guesswork given my lack of experience in this format.
To participate you must both check in here, with the alias/character you plan to use, and fill in the sign-in sheet Here.
Eventually I'll need easy access to your character's key statistics, Preferably via header, but can work with profile if needed.
I will take everybody who signs up by the time I close recruitment about 30 hours from the time of this post, late Saturday 10/26 PDT.
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Questions and comments appreciated as well here. We'll address specific issues as needed once we get started.
"Once you take a dedication feat, you can’t select a different dedication feat until you complete your dedication by taking two other feats from your current archetype."
was not a general rule, but one that was printed in every archetype except Flexible Spellcaster.
With only 1 total feat available for the archetype (Just the dedication), post remaster it's no longer possible to combine Flexible Spellcaster with other archetypes.
This may even be a problem for existing characters.
Can we add to the PFS FAQ or character options a note about Flexible Spellcaster not requiring additional feats to unlock further Dedication feats?
"In the event of any discrepancy between a Foundry module and a print or PDF version of the same content, the Foundry module should be treated as the latest and most up-to-date resource unless explicitly stated otherwise."
This leads us to 1 of 2 problems.
1: Andrew is not listed in Guide to Organized Play. as Campaign Leadership, and thus we ignore anything he says. (I think this technically means that people using the Foundry Errata are not following the rules as written, obviously not a desirable outcome, or what anybody thinks.)
2: What Andrew says is valid for PFS. However those without access to the Foundry material still have no way to access it that isn't hearsay. This still remains a core problem.
---
To solve these problems two things need to happen"
1: Andrew/his position needs to be added to Campaign Leadership, or at the very least confirmation from somebody who is. (Alex Speidel (Organized Play Coordinator), Shay Snow (Pathfinder Society Developer), or Josh Foster (Pathfinder Society Developer)).
2: And most importantly, the errata/rulings need to actually be posted there. A promise that Foundry is the definitive version isn't good enough, even from an official source. We need an official source of that errata that's not behind an additional foundry paywall.
(Changes made to 6-01 are listed, but there's no assurance that future changes will be listed, or assurance that changes to previous products will be made public)
---
Thank you Paizo/Andrew for taking the first steps of creating a place for the errata/rulings to exist, we're just not quite there yet in terms of a fully workable solution.
For those of you not in the loop, here's my Previous Thread going into detail on the issues behind discrepancies between Foundry and the PDFs.
With thanks to Isis, I think I've finally figured out what's bothering my about the alchemist remaster.
With ~6 encounter power and ~8 dailies, it feels like there's this expected pattern of having about 3 rounds of quick bomb + spend 2 actions to use an elixir (or move and throw a second bomb). You can basically get through an infinite number of those encounters a day, and still have the Quick Vials and 8 dailies as back ups for when things go long or encounters stack or whatever.
This is fine, and it's nice to give alchemists a nice expected plan. The problem is it's too narrow. There are plenty of alchemists out there, who's players saw the class and built something that doesn't fit into the paradigm.
Personally I have 2 in PFS, a Chirurgeon who hands out buckets of items at the beginning of the scenario (some infused, some real which I generally don't tell the other players that some aren't infused so they won't be shy about actually using them) and then barely has enough bombs to get through the day.
I think this'll technically be an improvement for them. The ability to chuck quick healing vials or quick bomb vials when I want to contribute without actually using any resources. Much more encounter level flexibility in making niche healing/condition removal items.
But I'm sad to lose all the cool items and index cards I made to hand out to people pre combat. I like prepared spellcasting. Alchemists getting to prep 2x/3x items or get 1 on the fly was a mechanic I really liked.
My other one is a lvl 6 "assassin" They are a sneaky toxicologist/archer dedication. Their combat routine is to hide and fire lots of poisoned arrows via double shot. Now instead of say spending 5/11 daily reagents making 15 poisons and just poisoning all their arrows ahead of time, they get 8 dailies + 6 encounter. Applying poison in combat is too action intensive to be effective, and they can use 2 encounter powers to prep 2 extra poisoned arrows meaning they can have 2 per encounter + 8 total and still have some other encounter powers. So it's a little less poison but much worse if the encounters are uneven. 2 long encounters is much harder to deal with etc. Also maybe I want to use 1 of those regenerating VVs on Quicksilver which will be nice to always start with and not have to try and guess when an encounter will start. Of course a couple more levels and they'll get access to triple shot, which I'm seriously reconsidering at this point.
So it's probably an improvement for alchemists in general, and certainty makes them much simpler to be basically effective, but with the way PFS treats the remaster they cut off the ability of alchemists doing weirder things and I like doing weird things.
With Player Core 2 out, I decided to try and figure out how they would function without a rebuild. Here's my reading of things. Please let me know if you see any mistakes or even things that aren't completely clear. Obviously I could avoid this all by rebuilding but I wanted to think about how it would work.
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After Aug 12th until rebuilt (Once they finish their current pbp), they'll still have the old chassis, but the new mystery.
Looking at feats first (because they are easier):
Blessed One is in Player Core 2, The Dedication seems the same
Old Mercy did fear or paralyzed. Now I have to choose a category of Body/Grace/Mind and get several conditions to remove. Technical action economy changed slightly but not effectively. (From 1+1 to 2)
Level 8 Debilitating Dichotomy now just gives me a Cursebound ability {instead of a revelation (cursebound) focus spell} Scaling is slightly worse (scales at even levels 10+ instead of odd levels 9+). Casting it no longer uses focus points though.
Level 2 Divine Access now an 11th level class feature with the same name and function as my level 2 class feat. I obviously don't get the new one as I don't get the new chassis. I think this makes my current feat choice invalid (Since it's now a class feature and not a class feat) and since it shares a name it counts as errata and I have to replace it. (Not 100% sure though)
--
Biggest changes are of course the mystery.
Cosmos Mystery loses Physical DR (2+ 1/2*level)
Granted Focus Spell Spray of Stars got improved damage. The chassis says "Revelation spells have the cursebound trait" so even though Spray of stars no longer inherently has it, my chassis gives it the trait.
Related Domains (Choose a domain spell, it gains the cursebound trait.) There are more domains available, but Moon remains on the list, and Moonbeam (already in PC1) has improved damage. Note that since it's the Oracle Chassis, and not the mystery that gives this spell the cursebound trait, it retains that trait.
Curse of the Sky's Call is part of my mystery and shares the old name. Now it enfeebles and reduces defenses against forced movement based on my "cursebound value"
My curse also has the Oracle Feat "Oracular Warning." and "Granted Spells" It's unclear to me if I receive these or not, since the Legacy Oracle Chassis doesn't provide information on what to do with these features. Is the "Reading a Mystery" section in the remastered oracle part of the chassis that I don't have access to, or it it just instructions for how to use the new mystery, which I am using? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
It looks like I still retain the Minor/Moderate/Overwhelmed Curse progression(Major and Severe at higher level). Still can't reduce below Minor during the day, but Minor/Moderate no longer do anything.
Overwhelmed still locks out my Revelation Spells, but doesn't stop me from using things like my new Debilitating Dichotomy (Since it's no longer a revelation spell, and my overwhelmed only says "you can't Cast or Sustain any revelation spells"
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Tl;DR: I lose DR, and the jumping/weight benefits of Cosmos. I think I have to replace my Divince Access feat. I may or may not get some spell access, and the Ocular Warning ability. I'll never actually trigger the Cursebound #s to make my curse do anything. My low level focus spells are slightly improved, but I can use my high level cursebound feat every round (will quickly lock out my cursebound focus spells, but not my LoH from Blessed One.
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Thanks in advance for any thoughts or error corrections. <3
Are these changes/clarifications official? Who made them? Why are they behind an additional $150 product and not present on the product pages or GM discussion threads, or updated PDFs?
Instead of reading a clarification/errata from a source I know to be official, such as the Developer of a Scenario or an OP official. I have a forum poster, claiming that foundry claims, that Paizo told them. (I have no reason to disbelieve the poster, or Foundry, but no way to confirm either)
Let me be clear: This is a problem.
Links below go to GM discussion, noting the foundry changes, spoilers for those scenarios present (duh).
I'm currently looking for a few Pathfinders for [PFS2] 1-23 Star Crossed Court (Levels 3-6 Replayable)
For play we'll be using these love Gameplay and Discussion threads as well as Google Slides.
Some basic expectations for this pbp: Obviously some times real life can get in the way but please try and post more than once a day. Even if you don't have anything to move forward with even a small post with a bit of roleplay or description lets me know that you've read and are engaged and that I don't need to wait for you.
If it approaches 24 without a response I will likely "bot" you forward taking whatever reasonable action makes sense to me for your character. If you wish feel free to leave "botting" instructions in your profile and I'll happily follow them as well etc.
Looking to start within the next 24 hours, so you'll know quickly. This is not a first come/first serve recruitment and posting speed expectation are significantly faster than "once most days" that is most common in these forums. I hope with your collaboration and speedy posting that we'll be done before PaizoCon but I can't guarantee it.
Things I would like from you for this recruitment:
What character you would like to bring.
Have you played/GMed this before? (It's replayable)
Something about you the player that's awesome.
I will not be seating BattleCry! playtest characters for this game. As always let me know about any questions.
Is Rasuna a Pathfinder, or just studying the Maze with their permission etc?
She says "“I’m an elementalist working out of the Grand Lodge, and Venture-Captain Ambrus Valsin gave me permission to study the disturbances we’ve been seeing lately. I didn’t expect to end up in this situation!”
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Various Rewards:
"If at least half the PCs succeed at their retuning check, the raw energy responds to their desire, so long as it’s unanimous."
Do I just ask the players if their characters want a diplomatic boon or a combat boon, and then provide nothing unless they hive the same answer? I'm a little puzzled by the expectation here.
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Plane of Metal:
Folded Hounds can get the speeds and strikes of animal forms. I've included them in the spoiler below.
Rust Beetle gains a rust cloud aura (as metal wisp) but Metal Wisps are not statted anywhere in the scenario.
So this text might be useful: Rust Cloud A metal wisp is constantly surrounded by a cloud of rust flakes that cause it to be concealed from creatures more than 5 feet away from it.
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Plane of Fire:
Please read the chase rules as the scenario incorrectly describes them.
"Each round, the PCs face a fresh challenge unique to one area of the Incandescent Terrace"
That's not true. PCs advance in a chase when they accumulate enough points, potentially mid round.
The Development then goes on to say "Development: After the flame flowers, Farah leads PCs through a small cave behind a lavafall that’s spilling over a basalt cliff. If the group earned at least 3 Chase Points per PC, they make it before the lavafall spatters explosively"
So I guess it is just 1 obstacle per round, and the chase points listed in each round are actually not relevant, and instead we've removed the one bit of agency in a chase which is choosing what order to have PCs try and overcome each obstacle.
It feels like whomever wrote this encounter did not understand the chase rules.
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Plane of Water:
I pity the party with a troublemaking goblin or gnome etc who doesn't follow instructions well and picks up the shell before the party gets all bubbled and causes some of them to drown since it takes a minute to turn the shell back on.
My initial thoughts were that you couldn't amp a cantrip that came from a spellheart.
Assuming it's one of your psi cantrips I now think it works but wanted to see if I was missing something.
Relevant notes:
You can apply an amp only to a psi cantrip, which is called the amped cantrip.
At 1st level, you learn three psi cantrips determined by your choice of conscious mind; one is a unique psi cantrip and two are common cantrips, typically from the occult spellcasting tradition, that you always cast as psi cantrips.
Polished Demon Horn
Activate Cast a Spell ; Effect You cast daze.
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Activate Polished Demon Horn makes you Cast Daze.
Psi Cantrips says that you always cast Daze as a psi cantrip.
Therefore, it’s a psi cantrip and you can amp it.
...You can spend Downtime erasing the item’s stubborn curse. This uses the same rules as you would to Craft the item, with the following exceptions. First, you must use Arcana, Nature, Occultism, or Religion in place of Crafting for all purposes. Second, you only need to spend 2 days of Downtime before attempting your first skill check and subsequently beginning to reduce the item’s effective cost.
Naturalist wrote:
...Making the item with the Verdant Wheel’s method the standard rules for Crafting the item, with the following exceptions. First, you must use Nature, Survival, or Herbalism Lore in place of Crafting for all purposes. Second, you only need to spend 2 days of Downtime before attempting your first skill check and subsequently beginning to reduce the item’s effective cost.
So I had always assumed that these boons let you craft.
Recently however I've encountered the opinion that they do not remove the need for any of the prerequisites, including the need for crafting feats.
A strict reading seems to support that, but also makes these boons a lot less exciting.
Is there some clarification I'm missing somewhere, and if not, any chance we can make that happen. (My preferred resolution is that they cover crafting feat but none of the other requirements to avoid weirdness with potentially crafting items above level)
Repeatable: Players and GMs may receive credit for scenarios with this tag an unlimited number of times, though characters can still only receive credit once for a given scenario.[/url]
(As a side note big props for extending the special back up to level 8, it's clearly a lot more work, but I think makes a big difference for letting our most dedicated Players/GMs feel like they get to bring out their special high level characters that don't see much play)
The adventure begins in the Grand Lodge of the Pathfinder Society in the great city of Absalom.
Inside the Grand Lodge’s central hub structure of Skyreach, you wait to meet with the three deans of the Pathfinder Society in one of the lodge’s many meeting chambers.
I'm currently looking for 2-3 more Pathfinders for [PFS2] Intro 2: United In Purpose (1-2) Replayable
For play we'll be using these love Gameplay and Discussion threads as well as Google Slides.
Some basic expectations for this pbp: Obviously some times real life can get in the way but please try and post more than once a day. Even if you don't have anything to move forward with even a small post with a bit of roleplay or description lets me know that you've read and are engaged and that I don't need to wait for you.
If it has been more than 24 hours without a response I will likely "bot" you forward taking whatever reasonable action makes sense to me for your character. If you wish feel free to leave "botting" instructions in your profile and I'll happily follow them as well etc.
Looking to start in the next day or so, so you'll know quickly. I expect, but don't guarantee that we'll be done before game day.
For play we'll be using these love Gameplay and Discussion threads as well as Google Slides. You can also find the link in the header of this campaign and in my "character" header as Wishes.
There are a couple slides there I would like you to fill out before we get started for ease of play. Also the RPG chronicles link in the campaign header should be filled out so I can easily provide chronicle sheets.
You have all received a letter from Ambrus Valsin.
See page 2 of slides (linked in my header and in the campaign header.
Having arrived in the Blackwood Swamp around the same time the group of you all have some time to kill and introduce yourself before meeting with any of leaders mentioned in the letter.
I'm looking for 4-6 Pathfinders for 1-09 : Star Crossed Court (HH) Level 3-6 for GM X (Game will start Sept 6).
Please note that while I'm not quite as fast as posting as I used to be you should be able to post more often than the 1/day standard for many games on these forums. I tend to get antsy and bot people forward after about about 20 hours of inactivity.
To apply please post here with the following information:
1. Something awesome about yourself.
2. A bit of info on the character you're most interested in bringing. (Applying from their alias works well, or even just a brief description if you don't have a functioning profile yet).
Things you'll need by game time if selected: A character sheet and Profile Header that I can read. Access to Google Slides. (Please note I'm recruiting players rather than characters so you're not locked in to your preference from above.)
As always if you have any questions or concerns please feel free to post those as well.
