Ed Reppert's page

And yet... the kinds of things that were in the Player Companions will at least sometimes appear in the Lost Omens books, no?

It seems to me that in large part, people from a predominately monotheistic society (ours, for example) have trouble role-playing people from a predominately polytheistic society. Henotheism may be as far as they can go.

As for me, I've always kinda taken the "override" theory. I mean most characters didnt' start off as Alchemist, Fighter, Wizard, Paladin etc as Kids or teens. But at the same time we didn't start off as Commoner or Expert either, we have a full 20 levels to go.

So when your power awakens(Sorcerer), you're chosen(Paladin), something pokes you(Cleric, Oracle, Summoner), or you've just found your path(Fighter, Alchemist, Brawler, etc etc), it supersedes and overrides whatever you were before.

Perhaps this is one of the flaws of a class-based system. IAC I've never liked "solutions" that don't make any logical sense. Maybe it's the engineer in me.

DRAGOON!

Acrobatics, STRENGTH based class who can use verticality and charges with Polearms to great effect…

Sounds interesting, but… what the heck does "use verticality" mean?

Hm. That's... okay, I'll wait until I see the book. :-)

Ed Reppert wrote:

Paksennarion was a soldier before she became a paladin. She almost certainly learned first aid.

I just want to point out that she also was incredibly unusual for a paladin in her setting. There was a whole school dedicated to finding and grooming paladin candidates, and she was considered unusual there.

The point being, she's not the best example for the argument, though I consider Paksennarion to be one of the best examples of paladins in general.

That's fair enough, I suppose. Though I wonder if that school found candidates among the general population who had no prior combat experience. I don't remember if that was mentioned in the books.

Ah. Okay. But... what's a focus spell? How does it differ from any other kind of spell?

And that also makes sense in fiction: the paladin never had to learn first aid when they had such a renewable well of magic to use.

Paksennarion was a soldier before she became a paladin. She almost certainly learned first aid. Same for Bahzell Bahnakson. I would not be surprised if that were the usual way in which people become paladins. It's one class that seems like starting from scratch would be unusual. Of course, neither of those fictional worlds is Golarion.

Just making sure I have this right. In the First Edition Core Rulebook, I find "Spells come in two types: arcane (cast by bards, sorcerers, and wizards) and divine (cast by clerics, druids, and experienced paladins and rangers)." I think the equivalent in the Second Edition CRB would/will say "Spells come in four types: arcane (cast by some sorcerers, and by wizards), divine (cast by clerics, experienced paladins and some sorcerers), occult (cast by bards and some sorcerers), and primal (cast by druids, experienced rangers, and some sorcerers)". Did I miss anything?

Two things on this order: a subscription (PF maps) and a pre-order. I expected the pre-order to go in my sidecart, but it didn't. I don't think it matters, but it seems curious.

Okay, I have it now. :-)

Not sure what happened here, but I had a couple things in my cart and wanted to added a second copy of one item. So I went on my iPad and changed "1" to "2" and hit the update quantities button. That cleared my cart. :-(

Haven't tried it on the iMac yet.

Six non-subscription items are listed. Two are deluxe hardcovers. The other four appear to be candidates for the accessories sub. Will that sub happen before these ship, or do I need to preorder all four? If I do preorder and then sub before shipment will the pre-orders be cancelled/folded into the sub, or will I need to cancel the preorders to avoid getting two of everything?

Ed Reppert wrote:

"Advanced Class Guide adventure path"? Nani desu ka?

It was an error on the cover of the first printing of the Advanced Class Guide.

Oh! I'd forgotten about that! :-)

Regarding the connection between Aroden and prophecy, I think it's just that since he died (if that is indeed what happened to him) prophecy hasn't worked. Also, from the pathfinder wiki:

Aroden himself had prophesied thousands of years before that he would return on the cusp of mankind's greatest triumph and usher in the Age of Glory. His priests and followers calculated the supposed exact time of this event and prepared for it with lavish pomp. On the prophesied date, instead of his return, all contact to the god was lost and the world was devastated by terrible storms, the opening of vast planar rifts, and decades-spanning political upheavals. Since then, no major prophecy has come true, a condition for which historians have named the current era.

Also:

Aroden Th best known of the dead gods, Aroden was the god of innovation and history, a strong influence in the development of human culture, and the diety who raised the Isle of Kortos and the Starstone. The Starfall Doctrine prophecy predicted his manifestation on the material plane once again, but instead his worshippers were severed from his power and a series of catastrophic storms marked his mysterious and abrupt death.

I am still waiting for those 50 additional hybrid classes in volumes 2-6 of the Advanced Class Guide adventure path. I guess that adventure path will never be completed? I did notice that the first volume was a little short on plot for such a big book. ;)

"Advanced Class Guide adventure path"? Nani desu ka?

I know the cover art we see here isn't final, but I notice the last few are missing any of the iconics. Can we expect that to change in the final versions?

"An injury that does not kill a patient outright may still have serious effects. Bleeding, infection, and shock are more likely to kill a patient than a thrust through the heart or sudden decapitation. Injuries that fail to heal properly may also permanently impair their victims." -- Harnmaster Gold Player Edition, v. 2.1.

"BLEEDING WOUNDS continue to generate blood loss until headed. Treatment must be continued until the bleeding has been stopped." -- ibid.

"CLEAN & DRESS Takes: 2d6 + IP/2 minutes. Requires water and bandages. Needle & thread required for 11+ IP open wounds (and treatment generates an E1 shock roll)." -- ibid.

IP is Injury Points - HM doesn't use hit points in the way PF does. You get one healing roll per day to reduce IP by 1 or 2, if successful. When all the IP are gone, the wound is healed.

An injury up to about 10 IP is minor. 11 to 20 is serious, over 20 is grievous. Most injuries are minor, and will heal on their own in a few days. Wounds can become infected (critical failure on a healing roll), which is most definitely [b]not[/I] a good thing.

Thank god. I hated psionics from the moment it first came into D&D. It always just felt wrong because D&D requires magic and telepathy always seemed much more an element of science fiction.

If you can find a copy of it, read P.E.I. Bonewits' Authentic Thaumaturgy. It explains that the ability to do magic comes from innate psychic abilities, of which telepathy is just one, or actually two, sending and receiving. :-)

AT presents a magic system that could replace the system in just about any RPG. It doesn't provide a lot of spells - the emphasis is on using your innate psychic abilities and the laws of magic to devise your own spells. He does give a couple of examples, like "finger of blowing out of saddle", which requires a cheroot and a serape as materials. :-)

Oh, and "a spell is a process, not a thing." (It's the process of putting yourself in a mental state in which you can access your psychic abilities).

I'm still waiting for an "accessories" sub.

Ran across this little ditty again (it's from an early 1950s Alfred Bester novel, The Demolished Man, which won the first Hugo award in 1953):

"Tenser, said the Tensor.
Tension, apprehension, and dissension have begun."

Does it give you any ideas for a PF adventure? It's tickling the back of my mind, but nothing's gelled yet.

ROFL!

This discussion is just bizarre. :-)

I think if you want a comprehensive and sensible organization of types of magic you should probably take a look at P.E.I. Bonewits' Authentic Thaumaturgy. In that system, though, the occult/arcane/divine/primal differentiation doesn't exist. Magic is the use of innate psychic abilities to manipulate the real world. The affects achievable are subject to physical law; the average PC isn't going to be able to to do "miracles" on their own - that's the province of the gods. OTOH, a PC could "channel" power from his god and do miracles (defined as effects the PC doesn't have the power to do by himself). Magical traditions do exist - hermetic magic, for example, is pretty much what wizards in PF do. Oh, one other thing — "a spell is a process, not a thing" (quoting Bonewits). What process? The process of putting yourself in a mental state where you can access your innate psychic abilities. It's actually a. pretty interesting system, though not as "high magic" perhaps as most PF players would like to see.

Oh, BTW, one thing it's not is Vancian. :-)

Yeah, that's true.

If you want the pdfs of the 2nd ed core rulebook and bestiary, you need to subscribe to the basic editions of those books. If you want the deluxe editions, you'll need to order them separately. Then you'll have a "deluxe edition", a "basic edition", and a pdf, all of the same books. Don't want the basics? Ebay 'em.

GM: Your town is surrounded by an army of 100,000 orcs. What do you (party of six) do?
Party: Open the gates, charge the army.
GM: <rolls a die> You win. Game over. Advance to third level (from first).

-- From one of the first times I played D&D, ca. 1977.

My June sub shipped the other day (Order#7866109). The subject pawn collection is included, but the pdf is not showing up in my downloads. I tried the link from the product page, which does claim the pdf is in my downloads, but no joy. No hurry, but...

Doesn't matter. The NSA has it all anyway. :-)

Personally i have bought every pocket edition released so far and i am looking forward to octobers "Bestiary 6" & "Villain Codex" pocket editions.

I don't know if any more are coming after those, imo at least "Monster Codex" & "Pathfinder Unchained" would be needed.

Mythic stats are also used in "Tyrants Grasp", as both Arazni & Tar-Baphon have mythic tiers.

I got curious this morning, after my cat woke me up at 5:30 AM, about the pocket editions. There are eighteen currently in print, and I have them all. There are 29 books in the "rules" line, and of the remaining 11 one, the Bonus Bestiary, which was a preview of the first Bestiary, will probably never have a pocket edition. That leaves these ten:

Adventurer's Guide
Bestiary 6
Book Of The Damned
Horror Adventures
Monster Codex
Mythic Adventures
Pathfinder Unchained
Planar Adventures
Strategy Guide
Villain Codex

I wasn't aware that Bestiary 6 and the Villain Codex had been announced. I'm looking forward to them. I'd like to see all ten published, although there are a couple I don't really expect to see even if Paizo does continue publishing these pocket editions.

"First softcover printing May 2019. Contents match first hardcover printing."

So no updated Shifter.

Perhaps we need more attributes, or different attributes. Perhaps we need skills to be tied to more than one attribute.

IIRC, that quote from the new core rule book comes directly from the old one.

Ah, so *that's* why there are less than 150 posts in a thread that claims to have 207, and why page 4 has no posts at all.

Sherlock Holmes and the Shadwell Shadows, by James Lovegrove, is rising to the top of my "to read" pile. It's part of a series called "The Cthulhu Casebooks". Have you perchance read it? If so, how did you like it?

I think that (4th) is the one I have too. Haven't really looked too closely at 5th yet.

Which version of L5R are you running?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kusarigama

:-)

I'm not all that fond of most metal, but that's a pretty good one, Cal. :-)

"The rats! The rats! The rats in the walls!" -- H.P. Lovecraft

"Barak Khazad! Khazad ai-menu!" :-)

"It popped into my head on level-up".

Yeah, this is kind of what bugs me about class-based systems in general, particularly those where all gaming sessions are about "running the adventure" and downtime isn't really a thing. So on Day One you go adventuring, and a few days weeks or months later, after doing nothing but that, suddenly you "learn" all this new stuff. :-(

There's this thing called "willing suspension of disbelief". Okay, I can do that, up to a point. I can even do it beyond that point (which the above is, for me) if the game is interesting enough. But it still bugs me.

Ed Reppert wrote:

There's an updated version of the shifter? Where?

Here.

The FAQs for Ultimate Wilderness contain the updates.

Thanks, David. But...

"This will be reflected in the next errata."

Should I hold my breath?

There's an updated version of the shifter? Where?

Just for laughs, I built UnarcaneElection's Hinterlander character in Hero Lab. This is how it came out:

The Hinterlander
Human cleric (foundation of faith, separatist) of Erastil 3/hinterlander 8/ranger 2 (Pathfinder Player Companion: Elemental Master's Handbook 8, Pathfinder Player Companion: Paths of the Righteous 18, Pathfinder RPG Ultimate Magic 32)
LG Medium humanoid (human)
Init +0; Senses Perception +21
--------------------
Defense
--------------------
AC 10, touch 10, flat-footed 10
hp 102 (13 HD; 3d8+10d10+29)
Fort +14, Ref +8, Will +12; +2 bonus to save vs. spells, spell-like abilities, and supernatural abilities used by monstrous humanoids
Defensive Abilities bastion
--------------------
Offense
--------------------
Speed ; hinterland stride
Special Attacks combat style (archery), favored enemies (goblinoids +2, monstrous humanoids +2, undead +4), imbue arrow
Domain Spell-Like Abilities (CL 11th; concentration +15)
. . 7/day—resistant touch (+1), touch of good (+1)
Cleric (Foundation of Faith, Separatist) Spells Prepared (CL 13th; concentration +17)
. . 6th—blade barrier[D] (DC 20), mass cure moderate wounds
. . 5th—mass cure light wounds, dispel evil[D], raise dead
. . 4th—cure critical wounds, cure critical wounds, divine power, healing flames (DC 18), holy smite[D] (DC 18)
. . 3rd—create food and water, cure serious wounds, cure serious wounds, daylight, magic circle against evil[D], water walk
. . 2nd—align weapon (good only)[D], bull's strength, cure moderate wounds, deadeye's arrow, find traps, freeze (DC 16)
. . 1st—ant haul[APG] (DC 15), bane (DC 15), bless, cure light wounds, detect evil, protection from evil[D]
. . 0 (at will)—detect magic, light, read magic, stabilize
. . D Domain spell; Domains Good, Protection
--------------------
Statistics
--------------------
Str 14, Dex 10, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 19, Cha 10
Base Atk +10; CMB +12; CMD 24
Feats Combat Stamina, Diehard, Endurance, Erastil's Blessing, Favored Prestige Class, Great Fortitude, Improved Precise Shot, Manyshot, Precise Shot, Prestigious Spellcaster, Quicken Spell, Rapid Shot, Weapon Focus (longbow)
Traits goblin watcher, magical knack
Skills Appraise +12 (+17 to identify the most valuable item in a treasure horde), Diplomacy +15, Handle Animal +13, Heal +20, Intimidate +9, Knowledge (nature) +20, Perception +21, Sense Motive +8, Sleight of Hand +2, Survival +20
Languages Common
SQ chosen kin, defended hearth, favored enemy (monstrous humanoid) bonus, favored enemy (undead) bonus, favored terrain (hinterland) +2, forbidden rite (protection), granite focus, improved precise shot, manyshot, precise shot, rapid shot, track +1, weapon focus, wild empathy +2
Other Gear 140,000 gp
--------------------
Special Abilities
--------------------
Bastion (Ex) Add Constitution bonus to CMD and DC to be Intimidated.
Chosen Kin (7 allies, 60 feet) (Su) Standard action, grant allies in range 1/2 fav terrain (hinterlands) and defended hearth bonus.
Cleric (Foundation of Faith, Separatist) Domain (Good) Granted Powers: You have pledged your life and soul to goodness and purity.
Cleric (Foundation of Faith, Separatist) Domain (Protection) Granted Powers: Your faith is your greatest source of protection, and you can use that faith to defend others. In addition, you receive a +1 resistance bonus on saving throws. This bonus increases by 1 for every 5 levels you possess.
Defended Hearth (Sandpoint) +2 (Su) Sense if some types are in 5 mi of chosen towns and fav terrain in them (stacks with others).
Diehard You are stable and can choose how to act when at negative Hp.
Endurance +4 to a variety of fort saves, skill and ability checks. Sleep in L/M armor with no fatigue.
Favored Enemy (Goblinoids +2) (Ex) +2 to rolls vs. goblinoids foes.
Favored Enemy (Monstrous Humanoid) Bonus +2 to save vs. spells and supernatural abilities of monstrous humanoids.
Favored Enemy (Monstrous Humanoids +2) (Ex) +2 to rolls vs. monstrous humanoids foes.
Favored Enemy (Undead +4) (Ex) +4 to rolls vs. undead foes.
Favored Enemy (Undead) Bonus Fired arrows deal full dam to incorporeal undead, as ghost touch.
Favored Terrain (Hinterland) +2 (10 mile) (Ex) When in range of small settlement (2000 or less), gain init/skill bonus and can't be tracked.
Granite Focus +2 (Ex) Move action, add CON modifier to concentration checks for cleric spells.
Hinterland Stride (Ex) As woodland stride, but only in small settlement (2000 or less).
Imbue Arrow (At will) (Su) You can cast an area effect spell on an arrow before firing it.
Improved Precise Shot Ignore AC bonuses and miss chance from anything less than total cover/concealment.
Improved Precise Shot [Combat Trick] Bonus for Precise Shot combat trick increases to +4.
Manyshot You can shoot two arrows as the first attack of a full attack action.
Manyshot [Combat Trick] 5 stamina points to fire two attacks with final iterative attack.
Precise Shot You don't get -4 to hit when shooting or throwing into melee.
Precise Shot [Combat Trick] 2 stamina points to assist an ally engaged with an enemy (+2 atk, +2 AC).
Quicken Spell Cast a spell as a swift action. +4 Levels.
Rapid Shot You get an extra attack with ranged weapons. Each attack is at -2.
Rapid Shot [Combat Trick] Up to 1 stamina point for each shot taken using Rapid Shot, decrease penalty by 2 for each stamina spent.
Resistant Touch +1 (7/day) (Sp) As a standard action, touch ally to grant Protection domain's resist bon for 1 min, but lose own bonus.
Touch of Good +1 (7/day) (Sp) Grant +1 to skill checks, ability checks and saving throws for 1 rd.
Track +1 Add the listed bonus to Survival checks made to track.
Weapon Focus [Combat Trick] 2 stamina points to gain Weapon Focus bonus on another weapon for 1 rd.
Wild Empathy +2 (Ex) Improve the attitude of an animal, as if using Diplomacy.

Hero Lab and the Hero Lab logo are Registered Trademarks of LWD Technology, Inc. Free download at https://www.wolflair.com
Pathfinder® and associated marks and logos are trademarks of Paizo Inc.®, and are used under license.

He has no gear, but 140,000 gold he can use to buy whatever he wants.
I could probably have done a better job on his spell list. For one thing, I didn't look for good area of effect spells he can use with his Imbue Arrow ability.

Comments?

Rivani? Who dat?

Spock, grimacing: "There... is... no... pain..."

Some years ago I heard a tale about a midshipman at the Naval Academy who made an error on a book report. Writing of Don Quixote's sidekick Sancho Panza, the midshipman referred to his "burrow". The report came back with this comment from his professor: "'Burro' is a four-legged beast of burden. 'Burrow' is a hole in the ground. As a future Naval Officer, you are expected to know the difference." :-)

"Elke, Ripple Creek's psychotic demolitions expert, has a nuke. The problem with Elke having a nuke is that Elke will use it." -- Michael Z. Williamson, Do Unto Others

I wouldn't be surprised if Paizo published rules for Magi in second edition -- eventually.

You're saying having an evil lich inviting hero parties into his dungeon and having his hapless minions (ie: the players) setup traps so that he can impress the vampress two dungeons over isn't long-form story-telling? ;)

Isn't "evil lich" redundant? :-)