Thanks all, this is about what I was thinking. :)
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I have a session coming up (as DM) wherein the players will be dragged through an underwater current into a magically-murky lake of death (yes, THE Lake of Death for other Dragonlance nerds). The only rule I'm having trouble ironing out is this one: once they're dumped out of the current about 30 feet down into a lake which only allows them to see 10 feet without total concealment affecting their vision, how do they realize which way is UP? Wisdom check? Survival check? And either way, what is the DC? At this point, these 9th-level characters have been through the current for enough time that they are about to have to start making Con checks to hold their breaths, so I want this to be stressful and claustrophobia-inducing without wiping the party. If you've ever taken a big dive (especially one in which you tumble around) into murky water, you know what I mean when you get that nearly overwhelming sense of panic and as you have to ascertain which way to swim and live. Thanks for any advice!
I'm the Elven Evoker (named Mardenu) and just like Stix, he's only evil by certain standards. He's certainly willing to sacrafice others for his own gain, but only if that's the absolute last resort. He did stay behind to help Mina when others deserted her, and has even put himself into real danger to ensure others survive. However, he is all about himself and the goals he has (of attaining immortality and Knowledge of the Runelords, among other things). His personal investment in the other members of the group grows as he travels with them, and friends are friends even to most "bad" people. He has no problem, however, in killing innocents, children, etc if it seems as if that's the only way to get what he wants. So yeah, he's probably Lawful Evil, but not in the manner of Thay Wizards or Palpatine...okay maybe a little like Palpatine.
Tetori Monk IS a professional wrestler. If you're doing it any other way, you're doing it terribly wrong. His ability to counteract Freedom of Movement is enough by itself.
That's why I mentioned Tetori, which has the ability to nullify Freedom of Movement. Sorry, caster, there is now literally nothing you can do.
Tetori Monk with the proper feats. Give him flying at some point and it's golden. :)
I messed that part up, terribly sorry. It's been a long time since we've played. The character WAS a Cleric of Mishakal, but he found out through the story that he's actually the son of Hiddukel, and through the truth being hidden by Mishakal (ironically doing the service of Hiddukel, since hiding the truth is his forte) the PC has forsaken god-worship and will actually be an Oracle of Life. And we're using exclusively the Paizo core books and the Dragonlance 3.5 products with appopriate adjustments.
Okay, sometimes simple solutions are difficult to find. When the room explodes outward, I'll have the CR 23 Dragon and his CR 20 Paladin get sucked out into the storm. It serves two purposes: removing two high-level NPCs that could outshine the PCs while communicating how serious the threat is. It also allows me to introduce the NPCs for a minute before removing them. So there go two problems with action economy. I think I'm going to take all of your advice (tactics too!) and while the Gate thing doesn't tickle my fancy, I'm definitely using the rest. I'll throw in 3 reasonably-strong NPCs (likely dragons) to mix things up a bit. The cool thing with this is if the battle starts to look like it's not winnable for the PCs, I can randomly have NPCs get sucked out into the temptest. PS Wraithstrike, the Dragon/Wizard/Cavalier are buffed to high heaven before combat begins. I'll PM you their stat blocks.
I like it! Thanks. I did the math, and the PCs will definitely be 19th level by the final encounter, not 20th. So it's 7 19th level PCs and their 3 allies versus the bad guys. We've got the CR 29, 21, and 20. How many weaker dragons should I put in there? I'm at work, so after I actaully do a little work I'll post some details on these three NPCs.
Sorry about the lack of a quick response; after no one responded to this post for a bit I thought no one was going to. Okay, here’s what we’ve got. Gellidus is a CR 29 white dragon overlord, melee-focused dragon with magical runes carved on his body. He is accompanied by a CR 21 Wizard with an evocation/necromancy focus and a CR 20 Cavalier (Gendarme). The latter two are riding skeletal dragon-wurms (no combat effect other than being fast, flying mounts.) The encounter takes place in a ginormous cave, large enough for the colossal dragon to move about freely, but shortly after combat begins the room explodes outward from the center (in a release of energy from an artifact in the center) and the rest of the encounter takes place in the eye of a hurricane-winds storm. There is no ground at that point, but all PCs will have the ability to fly. From that point on the PCs need to kill the dragon and his ritual artifact in order to defeat him. Without going into too much detail, for the first round of combat the Boss dragon (Gellidus) will not be taking any actions in order to complete a ritual. This is key, because then you’ve just got two NPCs versus the entire hero party for one round. The group is made up of (including the added PC) 7 19-20th level pcs (I assume they’ll be 20th at this point) who are going to be heavily optimized, and accompanied by three NPCs. The party then looks like this: Fighter (Dragoon)
That doesn’t even include the mounts of the Dragoon and Archer, which will likely be dragons through the leadership feat. On the other side, you’ve got: CR 29 Dragon Boss (Gellidus AKA Frost)
So I think I need to add something to the “baddie” side of things. Crysknife: I’m not the kind of guy to want to outshine PCs by any means, but this story has been running for years and the three NPCs in question are rather important to the story. In addition, this encounter happens after multiple other high-level encounters with no time for rest, so I planned on bringing in the CR 23 Dragon and CR 20 Paladin to heal the party at that point. All of this happening in the “lair” of the boss, so it would be odd to then have them leave.
**DARIUSH I KNOW YOU FREQUENT THESE BOARDS, DO NOT GO FURTHER OR IT WILL RUIN YOUR FUN** Okay with that out of the way, hopefully my players will stay out of the thread. We're going to revisit the DragonLance adventure path Key of Destiny, and we stopped at an interesting point: at 18th level, just before the finale of the entire thing! (I know it's odd, we had some stuff in real life go down that caused a ruckus.) So I have finalized updating it to Pathfinder, but I seek some help for the final encounter. ---------------- First of all, here are the CR breakdowns. I was planning for six 19th-20th level PCs. The cavalier PC will have a dragon mount as his cohort from Leadership, which I understand does not affect the challenge rating. Assisting the PCs are NPCS as follows: one CR 23, one CR 20, a second CR 20, and an undetermined CR which I haven't finished statting yet. Facing them are the following enemies: one CR 29, one CR 21, and one CR 20. There are other factors involved that probably increase the overall CR by 2. Now with all that said, it seems my sister will be moving back to town which means we will have a SEVENTH PC at level 19-20. I am going to need to add another enemy to the combat, but I need help in deciding how tough that enemy should be. So...what should be the CR of the NPC on the heroes' side, and what should be the CR of the additional enemy? The math is blowing my mind. ---------------- Second, if I were to post the Pathfinderized stat-block of the CR 29 big boss, would anyone be willing to go over it to A) make sure it's been converted correctly and B) help me make sure it's fully optimized? This fight needs to be epic, and if it ends in a TPK that's perfectly fine (although I hope to have it go either way). Thanks for any help!
I don't understand the problem, though - you either use the canon or don't. Accordingly, you either play PFS or don't.
In answer to Raymond, your mount does get its attack any time you do not use it to double move. If you charge someone and the total movement your mount has taken is less or equal to its move speed, then it does in fact get an attack with the +2 from charge. Don't forget that your mount takes a -2 to its AC like normal on a charge. As for Ride-By Attack, here's how it works basically. You (the rider) must have the Ride-By Attack feat to get the attack as you ride by. Your mount must have the Spring Attack feat to get its attack as it moves by.
1 - The mount moves/attacks on the same initiative segment as its rider Yes. 2 - On a character's turn, they use the movement rate of their mount Yes. 3 - A character can still take an action that is during their personal movement phase before or after their mount has moved, separate from their mount's action during their joint movement phase Yes; however, there are some feats and such that allow this to change. 4 - When a character takes damage, they make a Ride check to Stay In Saddle; do they also do this when the mount takes damage? No, only when the character takes damage. 5 - Can a range-based character's mount move and the ranged attacker still get multiple attacks, or does this fall under the ruling of movement = single ranged attack/round? They can in fact get multiple attacks. This is what's so cool about mounted ranged attackers. However, notice that it's a bit different from regular mounted combat, as the character must take all of his attacks at the mid-point of the mount's movement when using ranged attacks. Also, there are penalties associated with using a ranged weapon while mounted. If the mount moves its move speed or less, there is no penalty. If it double moves, there is a -4 penalty. When the mount is running, there is a -8 penalty. 6 - Military saddle + armour for mount = Good Things Definitely, but keep in mind how armor reduces speed. 7 - Amour penalties apply to Ride checks Yep. 8 - Can an opponent on foot and without a reach or brace weapon reach someone on a mount? [Assuming: rider is Medium, opponent is Medium; mount is Large; both are on adjacent squares] Yes, they can. For the intent of targeting (this is going to sound silly), a mounted character counts as being in ALL FOUR squares of a mount's space. If anything (melee attack, area effect of spell) hits any one square of the mount's space, the character is affected. 9 - Does an opponent on foot with a reach or brace weapon choose whether they are attacking the mount or rider? Or is it automatically assumed they are attacking the mount and it is a "Called Shot" to attack the rider? This question is different based on the answer for 8, but yes anyone can choose to attack either the rider or the mount. Intelligent opponents often target the mount due to its lower HP. 10 - Can a rider reach an opponent on foot if they do not have a reach weapon? [Assuming: melee weapon, rider is Medium, opponent is Medium, mount is Large, both are on adjacent squares] Yes. In addition, the rider gets a +1 on the attack roll for attacking an opponent from higher ground. (This higher ground bonus also applies while standing on a table, etc)
My friend did a similar thing, but she played a Synthesist Summoner creep little girl who is often possessed by her demonic watcher.
No, there is not. Holmes would have both a high Wisdom and Intelligence, so there's the rub.
I made a post a bit ago regarding wanting to make a Rogue that used firearms in an efficient way, while still being a high-skills character that could politick and find traps. Not too easy to do, but here's what I ended with. Any advice or critique is welcome - I have thick skin. :) NOTES: There are two House Rules important to know.
Second, I'm using an sub-archetype of Pistolero that my DM and I whipped up which uses Int in place of Wis for all things Gunslinger. Yes, it's powerful, but it's how we want to do it. :) Third, our campaigns allow the use of the Ranged Flank feat. Stats (At level 2, which is where we start):
Weapons: Masterwork Pepperbox, Short Sword
Feats:
Overall, it's okay but feels a little...spread out and unfocused, but maybe that's how this build is meant to be? I also have two open feats and one open talent, all in caps. Help please?
I'd like to make a sort of politician-that-is-more-dangerous-than-he-looks for my friend's homebrew campaign. He's going to be soft-spoken and articulate, but very underhanded and power-hungry. As the campaign is steam-punk...ish, guns are a vital part. We've been told we'll be able to have advanced firearms by 5th level or so, and we're starting at 2nd. Should I just go straight gunslinger, or can I possibly make a rogue that wields a gun effectively?
I don't mean literally transforms, but the idea one of my players has is to be a 12-year-old innocent girl who is possessed, and when in danger her eyes glow and she rips people apart. We've looked at Possessed Oracle, but it doesn't exactly fit what we want, since we were thinking the PC has no armor or weapon and just rips people apart naturally. Any suggestions would be helpful!
Nah, that's not how Archetypes work. They use the BAB/Saves/HD from their actual class, there's no mixing like that.
Haha touche, I guess I can convince him to let me at least bring those two feats over, since they're not that powerful. Thanks for all your help!
Thanks very much, and yes those two spells were overpowered. :) The part I'm stuck on is the wings...how can I recreate that?
I had a 12th level Battle Sorcerer/Fighter/Eldritch Knight in our 3.5 game, and my DM wants me to bring him into our Pathfinder Eberron Campaign. I'm looking at Magus of course, but Paladin/Sorcerer/EK is tempting as well. Here are the key things to recapture with this character, so any help or advice would be great: - He was an Aasimar with the chain of feats that allowed him to have wings. (This is the most important flavor, I think)
Any help at all would be appreciated as to how I can best recreate these effects. Thanks!
I want Tiny Coffee Golems!
"In a structure hidden beneath the black waves, the PCs discover the agent of the Whispering Way betrayed, and a congregation of eldritch things readying to unleash its foul lord, Shub-Niggurath." To be sure, my group will refer to him as "Shub-Niggarath." We're very progressive and hip.
I'd like to build something using the Falcata that's maybe Rogue-based or some other non-fighter class, and capitalizes on critical hits. Is this possible? Thanks for any advice, even if it's "don't try it, it's a lost cause."
No, the proprietor would have some loose grounds if he had (good) legal reason to believe *I* was stealing or pirating...but not with some knowledge that I *knew* that someone was stealing and didn't go out of my way to report them. There's still a distinction, and an important one, between assisting in breaking the law and not actively working to keep someone else from breaking it. It's a small distinction, and the lines are vague, but it's important. I definitely was very strong in my anti-whistleblower rhetoric...I think we're pretty close to the same page as far as at least understanding the other's point.
...and yes before you point it out, I'm a law student who does not like the law, or most laws for that matter. Let that one fry some brains.
The irony is great here. :) I'm well aware of the laws pertaining to refusal of service, and contrary to what many think because of the basic signs they read on various establishments, the law is quite a bit more convoluted than that. In most situations, lawsuits can and do occur because while an establishment has the right to refuse service in the immediate, the reasons for refusal must be legal in order to avoid being sued for said discrimination. This is my area of study. ...however, I will say that you're right about my statement regarding my ethical guidelines. I simplified it and put it bluntly, and probably too simply. I make a judgment call when I need to regarding whether I feel I should involve myself in something, and petty theft is not one of them. That's better I think. :)
I think the greater issue here (and one that has derailed the issue of PDF-pirating) is your insistence to apply the law as a good ethical guideline. The law is not always what is "right," "just," or "best." They are different in different areas and countries, and even change within any given area over time. If the "bad guy" in your viewpoint is someone who doesn't obey the "law," then that's the core of where the disagreement lies here. My ethical guideline is that if my actions aren't physically harming someone, literally and directly, then I have no problem with them at all.
My friend is running a short, hardcore campaign in which he expects us to die toward the end. It will be a fun exercise of the rules at somewhat higher levels than we’ve been playing, so I made a Draconic Heritage Sorcerer-Paladin for the game. However, I made a 10th level character, and he told us today we need to make 11th level characters instead. So: 1.I tried to make a resilient character, with amazing saves and okay armor. Should I be going a different route than the Ray one, or something different entirely?
Thanks for any help! Aurgun the Drake
Holy crap he knows my name! How did he do that, I'm so in trouble! Oh wait..it's because I have it publicly displayed. I'd like to see you call them since I know the entire staff personally; what's more, I'd love to see a company refuse me entrance based upon an anonymous call from someone saying that Anthony, who goes to their store, will not report stolen merchandise. Lawsuit waiting to happen.
Actually, if you allow someone who's stealing books or using illegal downloads to play in your games, a case could be made that you "aid or abet the crime". But whether anyone would make the case is a different story. Exactly. Not only that, but we're not even talking about a crime occurring currently.
And no response to my question, Elfgasm? You must care enough that you won't say where you play, as you know you if they were aware of your opinion, you won't be welcome in the store. It's people like you that give gamers a bad reputation. It's too bad you feel the need to even bother to share your warped views.Hmm...I guess I just really don't care to police someone's activity. Doe that count as "advocating" illegal activities? If a guy told me he stole his book from the LGS we're playing at, I wouldn't do or say anything simply because I don't care. Sorry, I have had a busy weekend. I most commonly play at Great Escape Games in Sacramento. 1250 Howe Avenue #3A, Sacramento, CA 95825.(916) 927-0810. There's the address and number if you'd like to contact them and let them know that they have players there that don't care if other people steal from them. *rolleyes* I've never stolen a thing in my life (physically or by downloading illegally) and I don't feel I will ever need to. That still doesn't mean that I have a moral obligation to police the activities of others. That's what store workers, police, etc are for. If you'd like to tout your ethical more as higher than mine, go for it - it doesn't change the fact that by doing nothing I am in fact not doing anything wrong or illegal. High horse and all that, have fun with it.
I don't understand threads like this. Golarion is not the real world. A Ninja in Golarian could be a kind of canker sore that grows on the inside of your kneecaps. Or it could be this class that they have put together. Whether it's evocative of a Japanese Ninja to you is irrelevant, because it's not the real world. What a weird thing to care about.
Hmm...I guess I just really don't care to police someone's activity. Doe that count as "advocating" illegal activities? If a guy told me he stole his book from the LGS we're playing at, I wouldn't do or say anything simply because I don't care.
My PCs were frustrated as well. :) They tried to engage him in a battle of rhetoric when they found him in the city square, and lost every roll resoundingly. Eventually the Bard surreptitiously charmed some people and started a riot and they were able to accuse Grigori of inciting riot. They arrested him and then he disappeared as the guards walked him to the jail. (I'm not sure when and if I'll bring him back.) I gave them 1 Unrest, but they handled it pretty well overall. From an OOC standpoint, they were annoyed at the arguments I had him present, which involved things like "the will of the people" and using the word "democracy," which they felt was inappropriate for the setting. I explained to them that there are democracies of a sort in Golarion, and that we're not playing a strict Dark-Ages analog here like many original D&D modules assumed.
When I first heard of the Kingmaker Path I was ecstatic, and even put aside a very fun Star Wars campaign to DM it. While it's been extremely fun so far and we've all had a blast with the kingdom-building rules in Rivers Run Red, I am starting to have trouble with the Path. As a DM I do not like to run APs of any sort directly out of the book (and any experienced DM will likely agree with me) because it is not catered to the individual PCs' backstories and goals. This sort of thing has been a bit difficult for me due to the sandbox nature of the AP. At this point my players are already becoming a little weary of the kingdom-building. I admit, I am as well. The process is fun at first, and the system is very well-built, but at a certain point it just isn't what my group is looking to spend a lot of time in. We already play every other week as it is, so our gametime is limited. Now that the foundations for the kingdom are built, I'm thinking of not running any more Kingdom-building stuff as we start the next module. I feel like I'm betraying the reason that I was excited about the module in the first place, but I just can't justify running the material when it takes so much time and micro-managing. Has anyone else dealt with this? I'm thinking of just going with a regular storyline that I direct for the next modules, but with the mass combat tossed in where applicable. Specifically, I think I'm going to write a storyline of my own for the next four modules, using the skeletal framework of the AP as my backbone. All of the exploration stuff and hex encounters will be there, but just not part of the main plot and most of it will unfortunately be missed by my PCs because they will be going with the story itself.
Thanks guys! What about the second question then?
Iiinteresting. So was it the designers intent that it work this way? It seems worded strangely.
There are two issues that came up during our last Kingmaker game that I wasn't sure how to rule on, since game balance isn't my strong point. I've brought them here for your advice, and I truly appreciate any comments. 1. There is a Feat in the APG called Gang Up which considers you Flanking an opponent if you have "two or more allies" threatening your opponent. My resident rogue read it wrong and thought that the two more allies clause included himself as one of the allies. Would it be too powerful to allow the feat to work as he thought it did? Secondly, if you say that it IS too powerful, what do you think about a subsequent feat that allows what he wanted and also gives a +2 extra to attacks against opponents if he DOES have two allies besides himself threatening the opponent? 2. My resident Sorcerer really loves the theme of the Summon Swarm spell for his character, but feels the spell is too weak for its level. Do you think it is too powerful to make it a Standard Casting time instead of a Full-Round, or to make it so that he can direct the swarm instead of the spell's current statement (which says he cannot.)? How about both?
I like this idea; it's similar to the events of Key of Destiny from Dragonlance.
There is actually an excel sheet already made, that does about 90% of the work for you. If you want it I can get you a link to it. Actually, can I get a link to this sheet please? :)
Thanks guys, I printed this stuff out and am eager to use it!
Oh I see what you mean, sorry for not being clear there. She's definitely lycanthropic before becoming pregnant, and pregnant before getting the Periapt. So I think her kid is SOL either way.
Oh ABSOLUTELY it's a great opportunity for roleplaying, that's the only real reason I brought it up here. This Baroness has had rumors abounding in her kingdom that the reason she has not taken an official consort is because she is barren, and this frustrates her so that's why she started "dating." I was thinking of her finally getting pregnant and - in the vein of a Shakespearean tragedy - not be able to have the baby due to her needing to not be a Werewolf. Self over baby, baby over self, the possibilities there are great.
Hmmm...as a fetus is medically in many ways a parasite, my group (which includes an Endocrinologist) felt the Periapt should affect pregnancy. I actually didn't expect anyone to disagree with that portion of it. That's what I get for assuming. :)
In the Kingmaker campaign that I am currently running, our ruler has become inflicted with Lycanthropy by a Werewolf that had been plaguing the streets of their capitol city. After reading the full descriptions of Lycanthropy, I realize that it is a debilitating disease that makes a character nearly unplayable in a society in which they are ruling a NG kingdom. The players of my group have had the wonderful idea of getting their Baroness a Periapt of Health, which as we understand it will nullify the effects of the disease while she is wearing it. Here's the fun part: she doesn't know yet that she is pregnant, as she has a thing going with Akiros, a fallen Paladin from earlier in the story. Here are my questions that require your help and input. :) 1. The Periapt of Health will stop the pregnancy in its tracks, but not cause a miscarriage, I would imagine. How would you handle this? Let's say she wears the Periapt for 15 years and then loses it; does her term continue from where it was frozen? 2. If so, in the meantime, if she takes serious damage and/or physical trauma should we worry about a miscarriage? Or does the Periapt remove any and all elements of the pregnancy while equipped, as if it were not there at all? 3. A different issue: if/when the child is born, how does Lycanthropy work with him/her?
Book 1: 8 sessions.
I guess we just don't get as much done as most groups. Even with 4.5 hour play sessions, there's just too much good roleplay to get in. :) We also have 5-6 people a session, so combat can get clogged up.
All is well! Gargadilly and the Sith won initiative, and Rigg hit the Sorcerer with his sword...however, the Sorcerer made the Fort save. The Sith then used Entagle on the Sorcerer, and he failed the save, but subsequently made the Concentration check to cast Obscuring Mist, and the battle erupted. The Sorcerer hit Rigg with the Fey Bane sword from the Haunted Barrow, scaring him off, and the Sith was killed after killing only one party member (the female Gnome Sorcerer.) |