Goblin Squad Member. Pathfinder Lost Omens, Rulebook Subscriber. Organized Play Member. 73 posts. No reviews. No lists. No wishlists. 3 Organized Play characters.
Your reading is too legalistic. I read it with "and" not leading to a separate effect (otherwise that'd be worthy of a new sentence), but rather connecting the two effects; being Fascinated is what leads to spending one's actions that way/doing nothing. It's a package deal.
As you've pointed out, it would be too horrible if interpreted the more severe way. And the CRB has a rule about that, that if a game mechanic seems to good or bad to be true, then it's likely being misread.
So in effect, the Viper Vine can bring the party to itself, but once combat starts, they're all there to fight. They might not want to be there though, and they might be Sickened 1 or Stupefied 2.
Funnily enough, your interpretation operates a bit in reverse. When the Viper Vine attacks, the effect ends completely, but unless they critically saved, the PCs have to save again at the beginning of their turn or become captivated (unless they've left the cloud of course). So the amount of heroes fighting will fluctuate every round, which yes, makes the cloud quite strong and why it has the Incapacitation trait so it can't be used as a minor minion w/ that game-changing ability.
The save DC is normal for its level.
CRB: "If any other effect has the incapacitation trait, a creature of higher level than the item, creature, or hazard generating the effect gains the same benefits."
Thanks, I think your interpretation makes sense, but I do think it could have been written better, since none of the additional effect has anything to do with the RAW of fascinated.
My players encountered this creature tonight. As we played through the encounter, it seemed to me the signature ability is broken, or I am interpreting it wrong.
https://2e.aonprd.com/Monsters.aspx?ID=854
Captivating Pollen (enchantment, incapacitation, mental, poison) The viper vine releases a 60-foot emanation of invisible pollen that stays in the air for 5 rounds unless dispersed by a moderate or stronger wind. Each creature that enters or starts its turn in the area must attempt a DC 33 Will save or be captivated. The viper vine can't use Captivating Pollen for 1d4 rounds.
Critical Success The creature is unaffected and is temporarily immune to Captivating Pollen for 24 hours.
Success The creature is sickened 1.
Failure The creature is fascinated, and it must spend each of its actions to move closer to the viper vine as expediently as possible while avoiding obvious dangers. If a captivated creature is adjacent to the viper vine, it stays still and doesn't act. It ceases to be fascinated if it's no longer in the pollen aura at the end of its turn.
Critical Failure As failure, plus the creature is stupefied 2 for 24 hours.
So, with a single action it releases a 60' emanation that lasts for 5 rounds. Players in it have to make a high DC will save or be fascinated AND move towards the creature/stand next to it doing nothing AS LONG AS THEY ARE IN THE CLOUD (which lasts for 5 rounds) AND it can do this every 1-4 rounds, meaning it can keep the cloud going forever.
Now fascinate normally gives a -2 to some checks, restricts concentrate actions but is broken as soon as the creature or friendlies are attacked. But the AND part is not fascination, but rather an additional effect not seemingly subject to fascinate's limitations.
So in this case a party of 5 had 3 characters fail their saves, meaning the other two had to take on a level 13 creature.
I decided to let the players re-save every round, since otherwise 3 of them would just stand their slackjawed for the whole fight, and in fact everyone would likely fail their saves eventually as well (I also didn't have them roll additional saves after they had succeeded).
Also, how does the incapacitate trait work since the attack doesn't have a 'spell level'.
I can't think of anything specifically in PF2E right now, but 1E has the Siabrae template, which sounds like it may be a good place to start. Maybe someone has converted it over to 2E already?
An evil druid has raised someone (who died) close to a player as an agent of his druidic circle. Trying to think of what a good monster base might be for this? Want something humanoid (or could even pass as human in a pinch), sentient, will probably give it the druid abilities it had in life.
I can create something from scratch but wondering if anyone has a good idea of something Pahtfinder to use for inspiration, or even something from mythology.
Matthew Colville has a great perspective on when you design an encounter that you think ought to work and end up with a situation where you're likely to kill PCs without meaning to. As a game designer he enjoys the ability to test encounters until it's juuuust at the right difficulty, then he ships the game. As a GM, we don't have that luxury - we put an encounter together, at best we do a bit of math to figure out if the party can reasonably hit the enemy, then it's play time, and real people's PCs are there facing whatever it is we put in front of them - good, bad, or otherwise.
So, Colville's perspective is, why make the players suffer for the lack of playtesting? if it was supposed to be a low stakes encounter and it's shaping up to be a high stakes encounter, do something about it.
In this case you've already attacked them so they have a rough idea of how dangerous the attacks are. They've hit the thing and know how the split works. What they DON'T know is how many HP the jellies have. So... change the HP. I'm too lazy to scroll up, I think you said the jellies have around 40-50 HP left - cut that in half, at least. 20 HP ought not to be too hard to burn through even with punching. The champion is likely STR based, so a d4 punch is around 7 damage per hit. At 4th level the punch should have a + 10 or so to hit so hitting is practically guaranteed - even the 3rd punch is fairly likely to land. So in 3 punches a 20 HP jelly is dead or nearly dead.
You've hit it on the head here. This was a random encounter to give them a slightly different challenge than before and give them a little bit of loot. Depending on how things progress, I may do exactly what you say.
I grabbed that thread after the fact. I was using the die rolls in Roll20 for 2nd edition so its essentially the same.
I actually think torches might be a better option than fists since they do 1-4+1 bludg/fire which all works, though that does mean spending a round getting them out and lit.
The problem is the players have repelled into a cave via ropes, so escape is going to be very difficult, thus the fear of a TPK.
Also, much of the group does have alchemist fire, though remember at 4th level they can only afford moderates, which at 10gp a pop are a significant part of their overall wealth (suggested net worth of a 4th level character is 140gp). At 2d8+2 persistant, that's an average of 9 damage + 2 burn, which means a ton of alchemist fires to take down a 150 or 75 hp monster. Thus my point about maybe the jelly needs to have a weakness to something.
So I'm a very experienced GM but relatively new to Pathfinder 2. I've been running a side game with friends on Roll20. A few people started with Fall of Plaguestone and more joined in as the COVID pandemic had everyone with more time on their hands. We've since moved on from Plaguestone and into stuff of my own creation.
The recent setup is the party was hunting a bunch of kobolds through the forest when the ground gave out and a couple of them ended up falling 25 feet into an ancient dwarven crypt. They duested themselves off and the rest of the party came down via rope (currently 5 players, all 4th level). As they are examining the crypt an ochre jelly comes oozing out of part of the collapsed ruin.
Initiative goes off. Party rogue, not knowing what it is, runs up and stabs it, splitting it in two. There are now two 75 hp ochre jellies (Which do full damage per the rules). Party champion makes a surprisingly good Occult role untrained and announces don't hit it with slashing piercing or electricity. Unfortunately he doesn't have any fire or bludgeoning weapons so he lights a torch. Party fighter (a glaive specialist with no other melee weapons) throws a moderate alchemist fire for like 8 points. The jellys go, first one crits the fighter (who is already down 7 hp from the fall), and grabs him. Second jelly goes, grabs the party fire sorcerer, crits again (knocking her down to 1/3rd hp), and grabs.
Party cleric casts 2 action harm, rolls 4 damage on 2d8.
Sorcerer goes, fails to break out, does get off a burning hands, rolls below average and the ooze doesn't crit fail, so it takes another 9 or so.
So coming around on initiative, we've got two ochre jellies with about 50-60 hp each, grappling the party fighter and sorcerer (the only one who can do consistent non-slashing/piercing in the party. Its quite reasonable via this thread: https://paizo.com/threads/rzs2rrdi?Ochre-Jelly-maintaining-a-grapple-damage
that the Jellies will do 4d4+6 plus 2d4 acid on their turn, or about 21 each, easily taking out the sorcerer and either taking out or almost taking out the fighter, with the rest of the party left with torches doing 1d4+1 as their only options.
Now the players did get unlucky here with the back to back crits, though with a +15 against 4th level characters with ACs around 21 thats not that unbelievable (about a 1 in 15 chance).
I don't see a way out for the party here. It feels like in a relatively confined space (30x50 room) the ochre jelly is WAY above a CR 5 monster. They fought a troll in a previous encounter while already severely weakened (coming off two major encounters with only 10 minute rests) and did just fine. In this case the party came in at full strength. If anything, a full strength 5 player 4th level party should overmatch a single CR5 monster.
Sure I made some mistakes by not realizing how badly the party was equipped to handle this. But it does feel like the ochre jelly should have some more weaknesses than just a low AC.
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I have already received the regular editions of the Bestiary and Pathfinder Core Rulebook via subscription. I'd rather not get the deluxe versions as well so can they be removed?
Also, I had planned on cancelling my Starfinder Adventure path after Dawn of Flame #6.
I have started a Core Rulebook subscription. No matter how many times I keep selecting 'start with core rulebook' it keeps adding Planar Adventures. I definitely don't want this.
Please make sure my sub starts with the 2.0 content!
The game, like most games, is made to assume you want to be good at things. It's not going to cover corner cases of wanting to be bad at things.
One reason is because being bad at things can make things more difficult for the party, not just for you.
They may have to save you due to a weakness, and therefore put themselves in danger. If they elect to not save you it could cause OoC issues.
I'd just talk to the GM about allowing you to be bad at ____ if that is what you want.
I can see the augment of hindering other players. It might just be my knee jerk reaction of a lvl of control being removed from 1ed where I could fine tune my skills E.G max ranks in one thing, a point in another for to show some lvl of competence, then nothing in a knowledge I know nothing about.
One thing I want to say in addition to my starting point is if no skill can be bad no skill can be particularly good ether. If you have two PCs with the same abilities the score the skill difference is barely noticeable.
I will be playing as written for the playtest ofc but I'm hoping for a more flexable version of skills in release. On the bright side it is still better than DND5ed skills where your forced in to certain skills based on class, I can at least choose to be untrained here even if it doesn't make much difference from being trained.
I think this is one of those rules where it seems fine while everyone is very low level but starts feeling stupid at high levels.
I believe in 5e if the group is required to make checks for something like stealth then only half are required to succeed. Given the rules around Exploration mode something like this makes sense.
So as I read it on page 291, all skills are modified by level regardless of proficiency. So a completely untrained lvl 20 pc with a 18 associated ability will still have a +18 modifier. A legendary indivishal will have a +23. That seems bizarre to me, even taking into account some actions can't be done untrained.
OK. Thanks for the response. I searched thoroughly for 'space goblin ac' and 'space goblin armor class' both here and on google and found nothing, thus I posted. Nothing in the first contact book mentions that they don't follow normal rules for AC.
I'm at GenCon, this adventure sold out on day one and its listed unavailable on the website. Will it get more printings? I loved the Starfinder intro game and would like to have from the beginning so I'm subscribing, but it starts with #2.
I assume you cannot hold tickets in your cart forever. Anyone know what the expiry on that is if people don't pay for the tickets in the cart? Some tickets may get freed at that point
They did attempt to deliver something on the 28. I then used their website to rearrange delivery. they never attempted this and have now already returned to sender.
Can you ship it out yet again using a trackable shipping method? I will pay the difference.
I have not received the replacement order you listed above
2858408. It says it shipped back on the 24th of October.
I have been receiving my regular subscription shipments without problem so it can't be my shipping address as a problem. I also received the original Skull and Shackles crate order without issue.
I think it's worse than you are making it sound. By your own admission you have a roleplay centric group, and yet you had to condense the 20 days to 12. And even then, I think asking even a roleplaying group to spend 6 sessions essentially near-powerless victims of tedious lashings will stretch their patience to the limits. 10 sessions definitely would.
As for the swarms, lets be clear here. Swarms have always been one of the more broken parts of Pathfinder/3.5 rules, and placing these in a scenario where there is no clear way of combatting them is beyond 'deadly', its malpractice by the adventure designer. As mentioned, without a very specific type of PC in the party, this is a near certain TPK, especially in the scenario where the party is attacked by the ankheg at the same time as the swarm.
Finally, the overuse of monsters with improved grab and high-damage output means that you are likely taking multiple PCs out of each fight, not only threatening a lot of deaths but also being constantly frustrating.
Not even mentioned is that the group supposedly only has 48 hours to get through the island the only fresh water source is miles from the coast.
A more creative selection of opponents on the Island (no flying creatures? how about some goblin primatives?) would have presented challenges to different character types without making it a cakewalk.
My party is a veteran group of 5 members and is on 25 point buy and if I hadn't removed the swarms and fudged in a few cases they would have been wiped out. I question if this was ever successfully play tested without many player deaths as written now.
I just posted this on the product message board but perhaps more relevant here. Maybe people can give me some feedback on this. I almost feel like I'm doing something wrong:
I am taking my group through this, and there are a number of questionable design decisions that I wonder were play tested.
SPOILERS BELOW
1) The initial 'time on the ship' is set to 20 days. This includes 2 ship actions at a minimum per day per PC (with lots of seemingly pointless DC 10 checks, but with occasional con checks which are quite hard and result in various whippings.) Add in 5 bonus ship actions per pc at the end. Lets make an EXTERMELY conservative guess that a ship action takes 2 minutes of real time to resolve. 20 days x 2 actions +5 x 4 PCs is 180 ship actions!!!! At 2 minutes per action that's 360 minutes or SIX HOURS. And we aren't even counting the actual encounters and events during this time!
I ended up cutting it in half and it was still tedious and dragged over two sessions.
2) Shipwrack Isle or whatever its called: I hope you like monsters with improved grab. Giant frogs, Ankhegs, vine-chokers, giant crabs. All with improved grab. This is a nightmare for PCs with average CMDs (and are 2nd level at this point). Being constantly grappled is NOT FUN.
3) Botfly swarms? Sure, these are CR3, but if the group lacks a character with an AoE spell, they are a TPK waiting to happen. 31 hp? 2d6 damage automatic, IMMUNE TO ALL WEAPONS. Oh, and they give ghoul fever? Basically if the party doesn't have a sorcerer with burning hands, its game over, or they do a lot of un-fun running. I just took them out completely but since they were factored in to get the players up to level 3 for the caves at the end, I had to fudge XP.
I love pirates and was so psyched to run a pirate themed campaign, but I'm definitely going over each adventure going forward and dramatically re-working anything like this I See again, as it is constantly annoying and frustrating my group.
I am taking my group through this, and there are a number of questionable design decisions that I wonder were play tested.
Spoiler:
1) The initial 'time on the ship' is set to 20 days. This includes 2 ship actions at a minimum per day per PC (with lots of seemingly pointless DC 10 checks, but with occasional con checks which are quite hard and result in various whippings.) Add in 5 bonus ship actions per pc at the end. Lets make an EXTERMELY conservative guess that a ship action takes 2 minutes of real time to resolve. 20 days x 2 actions +5 x 4 PCs is 180 ship actions!!!! At 2 minutes per action that's 360 minutes or SIX HOURS. And we aren't even counting the actual encounters and events during this time!
I ended up cutting it in half and it was still tedious and dragged over two sessions.
2) Shipwrack Isle or whatever its called: I hope you like monsters with improved grab. Giant frogs, Ankhegs, vine-chokers, giant crabs. All with improved grab. This is a nightmare for PCs with average CMDs (and are 2nd level at this point). Being constantly grappled is NOT FUN.
3) Botfly swarms? Sure, these are CR3, but if the group lacks a character with an AoE spell, they are a TPK waiting to happen. 31 hp? 2d6 damage automatic, IMMUNE TO ALL WEAPONS. Oh, and they give ghoul fever? Basically if the party doesn't have a sorcerer with burning hands, its game over, or they do a lot of un-fun running. I just took them out completely but since they were factored in to get the players up to level 3 for the caves at the end, I had to fudge XP.
I love pirates and was so psyched to run a pirate themed campaign, but I'm definitely going over each adventure going forward and dramatically re-working anything like this I See again, as it is constantly annoying and frustrating my group.
I have switched my shipping method to UPS a few days ago because of these issues. Will you refund the shipping cost from my original shipment and apply it to the new one?
There will be no shipping and handling charge for the replacement (which is why we're bundling it with your next subscription shipment). :)
Thanks,
cos
I appreciate it thank you. As I said I'm sorry this had to happen I am a loyal Paizo customer and want you guys to do well!
I will get replacements put in your next subscription shipment.
Thanks,
cos
Thanks.
It's a real shame this is necessary.
I have switched my shipping method to UPS a few days ago because of these issues. Will you refund the shipping cost from my original shipment and apply it to the new one?
I have a character that is registered as a core campaign character that has GM credit and play credit in only core games that is unable to recieve credit for a core game due to not being registered as a core character.
Now recruiting for a run through of the Mists of Mwgangi utilizing the new Core Campaign rules.
I run my games at a fairly brisk pace and typically post two updates per day; one in the early morning (EST) and another later in the day/evening. Please post your intererst below with a Core Campaign legal character. I'll keep recruitment open until January 30th. In the event that more than six players are interested I will choose the party at random.
All players must use one of the 1st-level Pathfinder Society pregenerated characters. A player who plays through one or more of the Quests receives a Chronicle sheet for The Silverhex Chronicles, noting which ones he played. He can later play the rest of the Quests in the series, earning greater rewards (See the Variable Rewards boon on the Chronicle sheet at the end of this series). At any time, he can apply the Chronicle sheet to a 1st-level Pathfinder Society character, but if that character gains XP from another Chronicle sheet, he can no longer earn additional rewards for playing the other Silverhex Chronicles Quests.
We will play through all six quests in the series. You are free to use the same pregenerated character for all quests or you can switch characters in between quests. This might give you an opportunity to play a type of character you wouldn't ordinarily play.
It might help to set up a special "pregenerated character" alias for your account. I have a specific alias for the barbarian as well as a more generic alias whose identity I can change as needed.
When the daring half-orc scholar Ulisha enrages a noble family in the River Kingdoms, she contacts the Pathfinder Society with a special deal: she will sell them a unique and ancient druidic relic at a steep discount to secure the gold she needs to pay off her bounty. By the time the Pathfinders arrive to meet her, she has gone into hiding. However, she has left behind a journal full of profitable leads as a sign of good faith. Can the Pathfinders recover this hidden wealth and claim the powerful Silverhex before an assassin finds their friend?
This game will be run as a part of the Third Official Pathfinder Society PbP Game Day. To sign up for this scenario simply post your interest with the appropriate character alias below.
Here are some useful/essential links if you want to read up on Pathfinder in general and Pathfinder Society play in particular; it is assumed that everyone who signs up for this game will be familiar with this material.
Guide to Organized Play: Essential reading if you want to make take part in Pathfinder Society Play.
Additional Resources: Lists certain restrictions etc that pertain to Pathfinder Society Play
Paizo site: where you register your character and download and/or purchase Pathfinder resources etc.
The game will start as soon as we have four players with PFS Legal 1st level characters. I hope to finish this game in three weeks or so; which will require at least one post per day per player.
A Pathfinder Society Scenario designed for 1st to 5th level characters (Tiers: 1–2, 4–5).
Pathfinder Lugizar Trantos recently returned from the Mwangi Expanse with haunted eyes and a pack full of strange idols. Absalom's famed Blakros Museum purchased his pieces and Lugizar vanished. The strange monkey idols he pulled from the misty jungles of Mwangi carry with them a fell curse, and now their power has laid claim to the museum. Can the Pathfinder Society uncover the source of the curse in time, or will the Blackros Museum be forever lost to the mists of Mwangi?
This game will be run as a part of the Third Official Pathfinder Society PbP Game Day. All games will begin on November 1, 2014. To sign up for this scenario simply post your interest with the appropriate character alias below. We have room for two more players.
A Pathfinder Society Scenario designed for 1st to 5th level characters (Tiers: 1–2, 4–5).
Pathfinder Lugizar Trantos recently returned from the Mwangi Expanse with haunted eyes and a pack full of strange idols. Absalom's famed Blakros Museum purchased his pieces and Lugizar vanished. The strange monkey idols he pulled from the misty jungles of Mwangi carry with them a fell curse, and now their power has laid claim to the museum. Can the Pathfinder Society uncover the source of the curse in time, or will the Blackros Museum be forever lost to the mists of Mwangi?
This game will be run as a part of the Third Official Pathfinder Society PbP Game Day. All games will begin on November 1, 2014. To sign up for this scenario simply post your interest with the appropriate character alias below.
As you all stand in a secluded office in the Starrise Spire Lodge in Nerosyan, Venture-Captain Jorsal of Lauterbury is stoic yet shows signs of exhaustion as he strides into the room and places a piece of paper on the table.
“Pathfinders, some weeks ago we received this letter from an anonymous source, advising us of the discovery of a Sarkorian site in rural Mendev, near the village of Dawnton. We sent three Pathfinders to perform an initial investigation. Word came to us two days ago that the entire team has been arrested for murder and is scheduled to be hanged in seven days’ time. I would appreciate your traveling to Dawnton, investigating the crimes, and finding any evidence necessary to clear their names.”
He pauses for a moment, as if gathering his will or holding back strong emotion.
“As much as it grieves me to think this possible, you may find evidence that implicates our comrades. If they are guilty of this crime, let them hang. It’s justice of a sort, and we must all remember that we are guests in Mendev and subject to all its laws. Your predecessors’ reputation has tarnished the Pathfinders’ name in Dawnton, so I recommend you not travel and investigate openly as Pathfinders agents. Be careful,” he recommends, “and remember that three comrades are relying on you.”
You may introduce your character, describe him/her, and make a Diplomacy (Gather Information) or Knowledge (Local) roll.
The fiery inquisitions that raged through Mendev during the Third Mendevian Crusade may have been damped but never truly extinguished. Fanatics have reignited the witch-hunts in eastern Mendev, and in doing so they have captured and accused allies of the Pathfinder Society. Unless the PCs intercede and put a stop to this mob justice, their allies' deaths will spark a new wave of internecine executions throughout
Venture-Captain Drandle Dreng, a stout and hardy Taldan with thin, graying hair and a thick, bushy mustache, unfurls a map on his butcher-block table and places a meaty finger on the parchment. “The abandoned district of Beldrin’s Bluff was once the gem of Absalom’s Precipice District—now it is but a weathered crag of broken rock at the edge of the roiling sea."
"When the great quake hit ten years ago, entire blocks of the Bluff sheared from the mainland. Cliffside tearooms and exclusive estates fell into the waves and carried hundreds of nobles to a watery grave. An elite academy, called the Tri-Towers Yard, remained on the mainland, but sank wholesale into the earth. Children unfortunate enough to survive the quake lay pinned under debris as sewer water slowly rose from the ground and drowned them. Nearly every student perished."
“Today, crumbled stone walls and weed-filled lots sprawl where gentlemen’s clubs once filled with pipe smoke and hobnobbing lords. The Drownyard—er, that’s what the illmannered call the school these days—lies behind a fence of black iron pikes, constructed by the families of the dead to discourage morbid trespassers."
“Even respected archaeological groups have been denied official access. Our own Society has itched to explore the site ever since the quake—that is, ever since we discovered that the school fell through the roof of a lost necropolis. Unfortunately, the emotional trauma attached to the school has remained fresh. But finally, after ten years of mourning, the politically-connected families of dead students have sanctioned our delve request.”
With a toothy smile and a clap, Dreng says, “I’m pleased to announce that I’ve selected your team for the delve. I want you to find a way into the necropolis, document your findings with professional detail, and recover artifacts of historical significance. The Society is interested in one artifact in particular—a two-finger ring topped with a ruby salamander.”
Welcome everyone...I realize a few of you are currently finishing up games so we can shoot for a Tuesday start if that works for everyone. I may put the introduction up sooner than that so your characters can get to know one another.
This is a pretty straightforward scenario that we should move through fairly quickly. I like to have players post at least once each day. If we haven't heard from you in 24 hours I'll move the story forward...if we're in combat I'll GMPC your character; either taking swing, shooting an arrow, or hiding behind the tallest person! I'll make every effort not to utilize limited resources (like spells or wand charges) unless it's a life or death situation.
As soon as you can please post in the gameplay thread with the character you intend to use in this scenario. It's OK if you still have some shopping to do...just make sure your PFS number is somewhere in your stat block to prevent delays in reporting. (Or you can post your number in this thread.)
Three spots are spoken for…three spots are up for grabs.
I tend to run my games at a brisk pace and expect at least one post per day per player. Posting on the weekends is optional; however at least one post on either Saturday or Sunday will help keep things moving. I will GMPC characters when appropriate; typically when someone hasn't posted in 24 hours.
If interested please post interest below. I hope to have the game started by Monday morning at the latest.
A Pathfinder Society Scenario designed for level 1-2.
Almost all Pathfinders undergo extensive training for three or more years to learn the tricks of the trade, and their last test before graduating from the ranks of the initiates to the status of a full Pathfinder agent is the Confirmation, a special research project that involves considerable fieldwork and is designed to simulate the initiates' future work as a Pathfinder. Even the noteworthy field commissioned agents sometimes participate in such trials as a way to familiarize themselves with the Pathfinder Society’s rules and expectations. Although Confirmation is typically an individual affair, the society recently discovered a site on the Isle of Kortos that would be perfect for initiates but perhaps too dangerous to handle alone. Successfully uncovering this site’s secrets will not only contribute to the society’s body of knowledge but shape the exciting careers ahead for each of the prospective agents.
This game will be run as a part of the Second Official Pathfinder Society PbP Game Day. All games will begin on April 5th, 2014. For more information click here.
The following players are signed up for this game:
Table 2
Nathan Castle
Amaranti
M'grul
Lars von Halgraff
Unknown Ediology
Sebastian Mapplethorpe
A Pathfinder Society Scenario designed for level 1-2.
Almost all Pathfinders undergo extensive training for three or more years to learn the tricks of the trade, and their last test before graduating from the ranks of the initiates to the status of a full Pathfinder agent is the Confirmation, a special research project that involves considerable fieldwork and is designed to simulate the initiates' future work as a Pathfinder. Even the noteworthy field commissioned agents sometimes participate in such trials as a way to familiarize themselves with the Pathfinder Society’s rules and expectations. Although Confirmation is typically an individual affair, the society recently discovered a site on the Isle of Kortos that would be perfect for initiates but perhaps too dangerous to handle alone. Successfully uncovering this site’s secrets will not only contribute to the society’s body of knowledge but shape the exciting careers ahead for each of the prospective agents.
This game will be run as a part of the Second Official Pathfinder Society PbP Game Day. All games will begin on April 5th, 2014. For more information click here. To sign up for this scenario simply post your interest with the appropriate character alias below.
This is actually one of the few scenarios where the old faction missions are the secondary success conditions. I'll put them up on the Campaign Info tab tomorrow.
After fifty days at sea, the Pathfinder lodge at Heidmarch Manor in Magnimar is a welcome place to spend the night on dry land. In the shade of the gazebo on the shore of the manor’s exotic carp pond, the resident venture-captain, Sheila Heidmarch, speaks to the assembled Pathfinders in a low, breathy voice.
“I hope you’ve found your brief stay here in the City of Monuments relaxing. The Pathfinder Society owes you a debt of gratitude for engaging in such an important and lengthy mission. When you set out from Absalom nearly two months ago, I’m sure you never anticipated the monotony of a life at sea, but I’m happy we can put you up as the ship restocks before the final leg of the journey to the Mordant Spire.
“Thus far, you have done an excellent job of representing the Society as the escorts of the Mordant Spire’s envoy, the distinguished Sephriel, whom we hope had a productive meeting with the Decemvirate regarding the Azlanti ruins over which the Mordant Spire elves hold such a protective position. If he was pleased with the meeting and doesn’t find you too reprehensible, perhaps we can launch full expeditions into the lost continent of Azlant from this very lodge in the near future.” She winks, and her eyes glance around the assembled agents. With a wry smirk, she continues.
“Keep up the good work, and ensure that Sephriel’s final two weeks on the Throaty Mermaid are as pleasant and event-free as they can be on as disreputable a smugglers’ ship as it is. Thus far, it’s provided an unassuming cover for such an important dignitary. Let’s hope the unscrupulous crew delivers their current cargo on time and in pristine condition. When you arrive at Riddleport after dropping Sephriel at the Mordant Spire, a chartered boat will be waiting to take you back to Absalom. May Desna’s blessings be upon you.”
While on a routine mission to escort a dignitary to the mysterious Mordant Spire aboard a disreputable smuggler's ship, the Pathfinders find themselves embroiled in a murder mystery that could jeopardize the Pathfinder Society's relationship with the isolationist elves who call the citadel home. Can the cunning Pathfinders discover who among the ship's crew of scum and villains is responsible for the crime in time to clear their own names?
I'm looking for 4 to 6 Pathfinders to sail upon The Throaty Mermaid. This will be a sanctioned Pathfinder Society game; please ensure you download and read the Guide to Pathfinder Society Organized Play. Please post your interest using the alias of the character you intend to use for this scenario. I'd prefer to run this scenario at the lower tier (1-2) but will run it at the higher tiers (4-5) if that's where the interest lies.
This scenario is a murder mystery with more roleplay than combat. I expect a minimum of one post per day from each player, and preferably one post during the weekend. I reserve the right to either take an action for your character or assign another player to do so in order to maintain forward progress. With consistent posting we should be able to finish two to three weeks.
When four statues of unspeakable power were found in a tomb in Osirion and then stolen, the Pathfinder Society assumed they were gone forever. When they appeared again in the illicit inventory of a Qadiran smuggler in the massive trade city of Sedeq, the Society wasted little time dispatching you there to recover them. Finding the smuggler dead and a familiar face from Absalom responsible, your task quickly becomes a race to retrieve the statues before their brutal power can be unleashed on the citizens of the Satrap. Can you find the statues in time or will Sedeq be swallowed in a plague like none Golarion has ever seen?
Venture-Captain Drandle Dreng’s pinched face is hard to see from behind the stack of books that divide the front of his office from the space behind his desk. A shockingly old man with white hair and slightly milky eyes, he is surprised by the appearance of outsiders in his office, and looks up, half startled and half relieved.
“Thank you for coming on such short notice. I’d been meaning to give this assignment to you at a later date, and with less pressing time constraints, but it seems that time has conspired against us.” Dreng mumbles to himself as he passes out a stack of notes and maps from behind the wall of books. “These notes are from a recent Chronicle—it contains some interesting finds, but one of them is now the utmost priority to the Society.”
Dreng lightly taps a bony finger on a map, on which can be seen a section of Absalom with a small corner townhouse circled in deep red. “This townhouse is a façade for an underground vault. The vault belonged to an old noble family of Absalom that was expelled a decade ago—the Decklands. The family was forced out when their patriarch—a man known as Orias—was discovered to have written documents detailing the city’s defenses, documents he intended to hand over to hostile forces loyal to Cheliax. The Chronicle indicates that a copy of these documents exist within the vault."
“A Pathfinder looking into the Decklands and their Chronicle references in Cheliax was attacked and killed ten days ago. The thugs made off with a copy of his notes—fortunately, he’d already sent us another. We have reason to believe it was the work of the Decklands’ oldest child, a young woman named Celeena, and she’s the reason this assignment is now urgent. The fact that Celeena and her forces were willing to kill a Pathfinder for this information shows how desperate they are to retrieve the documents. If she were able to get these documents and return them to Cheliax, it would undermine the defenses of the whole city, as well as cause the Society undue headaches. Find Celeena, find the documents in her vault, and prevent this situation
from turning into one big mess for the Society.”
A decade ago, the Decklands family, a house of Chelish nobles, were exiled from Absalom for treason. Their fate made for an interesting story and when a Pathfinder agent in Cheliax studying the family's long history and exile from the City at the Center of the World ends up murdered, the Society sends you to the recently discovered Deckland Vaults in Absalom to see what connection their old home might have to your murdered colleague.
I'm looking for 4 to 6 Pathfinders to storm The Infernal Vaults. This will be a sanctioned Pathfinder Society game; please ensure you download and read the Guide to Pathfinder Society Organized Play. Please post your interest using the alias of the character you intend to use for this scenario. I'd prefer to run this scenario at the lower tier (1-2) but will run it at one of the higher tiers (3-4 or 6-7) if that's where the interest lies.
I expect a minimum of one post per day from each player, and preferably one post during the weekend. I reserve the right to either take an action for your character or assign another player to do so in order to maintain forward progress. This is more or less a straightforward dungeon crawl and if all goes well I expect that we will be finished up by mid-February.
The gala inside the Chelish embassy appears to be in full swing, and as the faint light from the building falls upon the alleyway outside, Venture-Captain Ambrus Valsin's mission briefing is hard to forget.
“Pathfinders,” Valsin boomed but hours earlier in the briefing chamber within the Grand Lodge, “Zarta Dralneen no longer exists. She never existed. She's never worked for the Chelish embassy here in Absalom, and she's never been in charge of the Chelish Pathfinders. At least that's what I was told, repeatedly, to my face, through three layers of Chelish bureaucrats. I know those people, and they all knew Zarta. They didn't just forget about her. She's been ‘disappeared.'
“I don't know where she went and I don't know who took her. What I need you to do for me is to go into the Chelish embassy and find out as much as you can by snooping around for a bit. I want to know where Zarta is, I want to know who took her, and I want to know why she was taken.'
“We can't afford to offend Cheliax, so you'll have to infiltrate their embassy quietly. I've devised a cover story that should get you in the side door with orders to see the new Chelish ambassador. An ongoing diplomatic gala scheduled for the same time and a clever ruse by Venture-Captain Amara Li— who is also attending the gala—will keep the ambassador busy, but you'll have to act quickly if you want to secure the information we need before he arrives to meet you. You must get into the embassy, get what we need, and get back out of the embassy without the Chelaxians ever catching on that we've been rooting around.'
“Here is a packet of information that bears on Chelish interests in Sargava. It's legitimate intelligence that we probably would have passed on to Zarta eventually anyway and that we're willing to give up for free as our ticket into the building.'
“You'll enter the embassy through the north entrance of the residential wing, where Chelish imperial security receives all of their informants. Even if you have a good cover story, you might have difficulty getting past the guards there—if necessary, you'll have to resort to bribing your way through. Once you're in, the guards will likely make you wait for the ambassador when you tell them you have important information for him. Don't give it to anyone else, since once they have the information there will be no reason for them not to show you the door.'
“Amara Li will keep the ambassador pinned down at the gala while you break out of the waiting room and snoop around. She will also meet you just before you enter the gala to cast a message spell on you, just in case you need to keep in touch during your mission. You just need to make your way to Zarta's chambers—they're in the southwest corner of the residential wing, but you'll have to find a route that doesn't intersect with the gala's attendees or residents of the embassy. Try to get in and out in less than an hour. That's my best estimate at how long the gala and Li can keep the ambassador preoccupied. Once you've got the information and made it back to the waiting area, you just have to wait for the ambassador to find time to see you.'
"My informants tell me that Ailenia Hospar, one of the clerks you'll likely run into at the embassy, is addicted to shiver. I've procured some of the drug for you to slip her if she initially proves less than accommodating. You may also have to deal with Anstrella Trelax, the pompous night-duty officer. Beyond that, what you'll face is beyond my knowledge. I've ordered for you to receive several tools that might help you in your mission. Good luck, Pathfinders."
Looking for one player to join an existing group for The Disappeared. I'll keep recruitment open for 24 hours and will choose someone by Friday afternoon. A divine caster is preferred, but not required.
1. Please have a legal PFS character ready to go. (The group currently consists of 1st & 2nd level characters.
2. Please be prepared to post at least once each day in a heavily roleplay-centric scenario.
I plan to start this game on November 18th and hope to finish in about a month.
A powerful ally of the Pathfinder Society has disappeared, and no one but the Pathfinders even remembers that she ever existed. Can the PCs discover the fate of their missing associate, or will all memory of her be erased completely from history?
The city of Padiskar near the northern tip of the Isle of Jalmeray is not so much a city as a ring of small villages surrounding a massive, howling ruin, from which terrifying screams of whatever the Vudrani Maharaja Khiben-Sald left there in ancient times can still be heard. The new Venture-Captain Vasuman Mihir maintains a small safe house for the Pathfinder Society here, taking over from Padiskar's longtime Venture-Captain Aamina Shahrazad, who was recently murdered by men loyal to Zamir, a bandit lord and rumored Aspis Consortium agent who operates out of the nearby jungles.
Venture-Captain Mihir's briefing was short and serious.
"This is a fake scepter of the arclords,” he said, hefting a bejeweled staff in his hands bearing glowing runes across its surface. “You will lead a caravan toward Niswan carrying this false relic and several crates of minor magical items. My porter, a young boy named Waman, will give you a detailed travel itinerary, which you must follow with care. Except that it is almost certain that you will be ambushed before you reach your destination, since young Waman is a spy for the Aspis Consortium and has sold out and murdered a dozen or more of our brethren and associates, including our former venture-captain—I'm sure of it. The scepter is bait in a trap, and you are the teeth. Do not let on to Waman that you know of his transgressions—we need him to lead us to his master, the bandit lord Zamir. We'll either make Zamir our man or disrupt his business permanently. I'll deal with Waman myself once this affair is resolved.”
Venture-Captain Mihir held up a second item, a plain-looking but easily recognizable wayfinder. “This wayfinder is also a fake, although unlike the scepter, it does have real power. The dial always points to the scepter.” Mihir demonstrated, moving the wayfinder in a circle around the scepter, the needle pointing unerringly at it.
“Waman gave Zamir information that enabled the bandit fool to steal artifacts from dozens of our caravans and even from safe houses such as this one. Zamir has a method of disassembling the artifacts so that he can smuggle them off the island with ease, bound for ports of call in Cheliax. What we do not know is where Zamir is, since he never attacks with his men.”
“I gave Waman the information about your journey, so at some point along the route, Zamir's bandits will ambush you. Previous experience indicates that his bandits will not kill if they don't have to. Let them steal the scepter. You must put up a small struggle, maybe even kill or injure several of his men, but most importantly you must let them escape and they must escape with the scepter."
“Give them a few hours after the ambush to escape and then use the wayfinder to track Zamir to his hideout. Zamir is an arrogant man whose loyalties lie with whoever can make him famous to the people of Jalmeray. Right now he believes the Aspis Consortium is the answer. You will either convince him that the Society is the answer—as he could be a very powerful ally in the region—or you'll end his operations for good. How you handle it, I leave to you. Good luck on your journey and may the gods guide your hand.”
The Blakros Museum rises into the night sky, its single black spire severing the full moon in twain. The black iron gates surrounding the exhibition hall grind in protest against the wind. Beyond, the museum’s large oaken doors stand wide open, a silver-gray mist belching forth from the cavernous darkness within. You wonder how you ended up here, standing at the precipice of unknown terrors, and instantly Venture- Captain Adril Hestram’s wide looming face is conjured into your minds’ eye. His booming words ring out from memory as clearly as he spoke them only one hour ago:
“The Blakros Museum is cursed. Some darkness has descended upon the place and those who enter are blasted with evil and left raving through its halls, more beast than men. The curator, Nigel Aldain, is an old associate of the Society, though he chose to leave our organization some years back after a disagreement.” Adril looked sheepish then, as if remembering some distasteful incident from his youth.
“Nigel has long denied the Society access to the Blakros Museum’s considerable collection of relics and scrolls, using his extensive contacts to nab several excellent finds right out from under us... he always had a nose for the hunt. Whatever is past between Nigel and the Society, he needs our help now. Perhaps if we can come to his aid, he may think on rejoining the Pathfinder Society, or at least offering to share his discoveries with us.”
“Apparently the trouble at Blakros Museum began this morning, shortly after a wayward Pathfinder named Lugizar Trantos returned to Absalom after months spent in the Mwangi Expanse. Supposedly, instead of coming straight to the Lodge to report in, he went to Blakros, sold his finds to Nigel, and then disappeared with a hefty sum of gold. The few who glimpsed Lugizar claimed he was much changed by his time in the Mwangi... gaunt, his eyes yellowed and unfocused, a strange rasping cough that seemed to wrack his now wasted frame. Whatever he brought back with him, we believe it is the cause of the Blakros Museum’s ills. Root it out.”
