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Totally unrelated to Charlie Sheen, but there is a fair number of folks in the midwest who have voiced similar displeasure with CBS, for cutting away from the MU v. KU games, with just 5 minutes left on the clock and a four point game, to cover the start of the Michigan v. Michigan St.


It's worth noting that Wordcasters seem to benefit greatly from bonus spell slots, as these translate into more available points. This combined with the a bility to skimp on some prepared spells, either by not preparing all slots or by only preparing the minimums for some slots, kind of makes the high cost necessary.

For example (and please check my math, I'm doing this on an ipod) at level 15, the wizard wordcaster has 350 total points available to divvy up among his slots, plus anothe 246 points from bonus slots for high int and school specialization. Between Word Burning and under preparing, a word caster can work with the relative high cost quite nicely.


Quandary wrote:

That echoes my sentiments exactly, Eric. The dove-tailing systems of point-cost and spell slots just ends up WAY more complicated than a ´flat´ point pool used for spells/powers ala 3.5 Psionic or Spellpoints.

The problem this approach introduces is one we also saw in 3.5, the Nova.

The format is a little rough, but I believe my numbers are basically correct:
The following ignores word burning and bonus spell slots (which wordcasters also ge, and benefit greatly from, as they get more spells and more points from bonus slots).

Caster level, total points, max points per word 
{#max point words/day, no spellslot cap} (real max pw/d)
 1,  14,   5 {2} (1)
 2,  22,   5 {4} (2)
 3,  29,   7 {4} (1)
 4,  41,   7 {5} (2)
 5,  51,  10 {5} (1)
 6,  61,  10 {6} (2)
 7,  79,  13 {6} (1)
 8, 102, 13 {7} (2)
 9, 125, 16 {7} (1)
10, 154, 16 {9} (2)
11, 181, 20 {9} (1)
12, 215, 20 {10} (2)
13, 252, 24 {10} (1)
14, 296, 24 {12} (2)
15, 350, 28 {12} (1)

I think it is a game balance issue to allow a 15th lvl wordcaster twelve level 7 equivalent spells per day, even if doing so means the wordcaster gives up nearly all other spells.

Keeping spell slots removes this complication.


GeraintElberion wrote:
Crimson Jester wrote:
Grognard is in fact an old term.

Brilliant, you've given me derivation.

It is not, however, currently in the OED, despite being in consistent use by a section of the English-speaking population.

Hence the need for printed sources.

. You should be able to use Google Book search to find suitable sources. 30 seconds with that search app turned up, "Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks" by Ethan Gilsdorf, published in 2009. Page 75 seems to contain a complete definition for 'grognard' in the gaming usage of the word. Also, "The Civil War in American Culture" Will Kaufman, 2006, pg 120.


KaeYoss wrote:
F33b wrote:

This is kind of spoiler-ific, but don't we meet one of Golarion's Old Ones in Rise of the Runelords?
** spoiler omitted **

** spoiler omitted **

Right. My question was more along the lines of "does the being in question qualify as an Old One, or is it something else?"


Gorbacz wrote:
Kthulhu wrote:
Azathoth and Yog-Sothoth are confirmed to exist. So it would make sense that Shub-Niggurath and Nyarlathotep are out there as well. As for Cthulhu and most other known Great Old Ones, they are on Earth, and therefore not on Golarion. But nothing says that Golarion doesn't have its own Great Old Ones.
James did say at some point that Golarion and Earth exist in the same multiverse, so Cthulhu could, in theory, have influence on Golarion as well. However with him being mostly preoccupied with Earth, it's the other more "global" Old Ones that leave a mark upon Golarion.

This is kind of spoiler-ific, but don't we meet one of Golarion's Old Ones in Rise of the Runelords?

Spoiler:
Mhar Massif


Zaister wrote:
What is the fascination with these so called "mega-dungeons"? To me that sounds like something totally unrealistic and contrived. Why would they even exist?

Angband.


Rethinking my previous post, I'm thinking that two sets of double-sided character cards, per class (levels 1-4) and player rules to support those presets would be fine from a player standpoint (make it easy, provide all the mathy bits) if a somewhat robust DM/adventure builder component was included.

The thesis is, basically, a limited number of hard-coded player character options is acceptable, if a framework for infinitely extensible adventure is also provided. This second part is a bit like LEGOs, a detailed plan for 1-2 constructions and a detailed suggestion for 3-5 more (1/2 page geomorphs, to borrow from 1e.)


James Jacobs wrote:

We're VERY early in the preliminary stages of designing this game, and there's really not much more for us to say about it now other than "We're doing it."

What would be more valuable to us would be: What do YOU the customer hope to see in a Pathfinder introduction game?

Please note, I'm framing this as a box set, but this could well work as a set of Companion-sized books.

"Player's Guide" containing:


  • stat generation rules.
  • 4 to 5 base classes (Cleric, Fighter, Rogue, Wizard with Ranger, Sorcerer or perhaps Magus being the fifth), with 2-3 pages per class. Each class should run to about level 3, explicitly list skills attached to the class, provide some lore/flavor text and all relevant class abilities and some canned spell lists.
  • Sample equipment "packs" per class, 1/2 page per class, covering all classes and providing relevant damage and ac stats and providing 2-3 options per class.
  • A brief skill list containing all skills attached to the base classes, "short" rules on using skills, and a side bar on adjucating things not explicitly defined.
  • a brief feat list.
  • An overview of combat and movement rules.
  • An Spell or condition rules.

"Intro to Golarion Guide":


  • An into to 4-6 Inner Sea nations, 2-4 pages each.
  • At least two intro towns, with maps (two pages per town, including town map, would be fine.)
  • A 2 page write up of each race included in the guide. Ideally, this would be a streamlined version of the info presented in the front cover of every "Races of Golarion" Companion book + 1 to 1/2 pages of Lore/Flavor text.
  • The inner covers should provide an inner sea map

A DM's Guide:


  • Any rules needed for play not contained in the other books.
  • Monsters of the Inner Sea, containing 10-14 pages of monsters, 1 page per monster.
  • 2-4 short adventure scenarios.
  • Rules for making your own scenario/adventure.

Other bits:


  • one set of dice
  • Character and monster tokens/counters
  • One generic flip mat or set of 4 tiles
  • One or two pages of dungeon accessory tokens (walls, pits, stairs)
  • Character sheets.


Sebastian wrote:

I always liked the original* Senate appointment rules - IIRC, Senators were appointed by the governors of the states or by whatever method the states deemed appropriate. The concept being that the states were semi-sovereign and the senators would represent their interests in the republic.

A review of American politics from 1840 - 1905 will reveal some of the flaws of this system. The 17th amendment came about because of cronyism, voting irregularities (both within individual elections and between states) and the power of state level political machines.

Given how few people actually show up a vote for their state level reps, much less in the primaries for state reps, this would probably given broad power to a very select group of citizens.

The great irony is that some self-identified populist candidates in this election cycle support repealing the 17th Amendment (good luck) whereas in the 1850's, direct election of Senators was seen as the very core of the populist ideals.


imo, the place where a lot of these suggestions falls down is on the emphasis of mechanics, even streamlined mechanics, over roleplay.

I think something like a session or two of DREAD wrapped in a fRPG shell would probably work out ok. Once the kiddos pickup on the roleplay aspect, I'd probably transition to the redbox, castle ravenloft, maybe heroscape or some possibly some retro-clone and run a short campaign or two and then transition into Pathfinder.

It's kind of like cookie -> cookie tray -> cookie store


walter mcwilliams wrote:
If your read the Cinderlands primer in "A History of Ashes" it should put you on the right track. I really cant think of any place on earth that comes close to how I imagine the place. However, in devloping the area for my campaign I have used the badlands of of South Dakota as inspiration.

Which is a nice choice, given the 20 - 30 degree temp differential between the badlands and the black hills.


Given that the back cover of the Adventurer's Armory (Pathfinder Companion, pg 35, inside back cover) lists this as 1d8 19-20/x2 and that page 18 of that book notes that values in the Adventurer's Armory explicitly replace those of prior sources, I'm wondering if we can get some confirmation on the stats presented in the APG, as reported in this thread, as the move to d8 19-20/x3 seems to be a re-reversal.


Peer-review pls.

also, how can the following claim be substantiated, given that so very little research has been done on Corexit 9500:

"it is so toxic that Persons exposed to the Dispersant have a lifespan of 52 years."

I suspect that the following are far stronger sources of information on the dispersant:
http://lmrk.org/corexit_9500_uscueg.539287.pdf
http://nalco.com/news-and-events/4297.htm.

Even Mother Jones provides more detail than your Aussie source.


Louis: Looking good, Billy Ray!
Billy Ray: Feeling good, Louis!


There are a number of encounters, throughout the AP, where both tactics can shine, but (and I apologize if this is spoiler-ific)

Spoiler:

Most major encounters happen in doors

Feel free not to click on the above spoiler. A Paladin will do well in this AP for a number of in game and meta-game reasons.


Enevhar Aldarion wrote:
I have not had a chance to look at Orcs of Golarion yet, but are there any possibilities in there that a half-orc paladin could use, or are any deities listed there only evil?

Orc "deities" are faceless, EEEEEEvil and/or demons (possibly all three).

The most reasonable choice for a half-orc paladin is Iomedae or Sarenrae, honestly.


Without a solid proof, I don't believe for a second that a 4d6, drop lowest equates to a 20pt buy in Pathfinder. I've certainly played in games where this method created players (in the same party/campaign) that had the equivalent of 15 point buy and 32 point buy.

The problem with the 4d6 method is that while there is generally a provision for re-rolling a suboptimal stat set (total modifiers less than +3), there is rarely a rule for re-rolling a set of stats that breaks the curve (say, total modifiers more than +8 or +9).


Warforged Gardener wrote:


Ubuntu auto-updates.

Disingenuous, as there are twenty bajillion different distros out there, with varying levels of support. For the record, I use Jaunty and the Eeebuntu remix on my laptop and netbook.


Oliver McShade wrote:


Kind of wondering if you could use Wall of stone, to make roads, buildings, aqueduct, fences, etc ???

I think the Sage, in his/her various mortal incarnations, has ruled that raw materials created by "wall of ..." spells are low grade, fundamentally flawed, and all around unsuitable for raw building materials (hence the fabricate spell).

Also, I'm going completely off the cuff here, as I'm being to lazy to go into the other room and crack open my various PHBs & DMGs of various editions, but I think that, going back to the 1st edition, worked and unworked stone were considered to be one of the main components of dungeon walls/floors/ceilings, so this is a spell that probably had waaay more utility when most adventures were taking place in the Temple of the Frog or Lost Caves of Tsojcanth, and much less utility when we left the dungeon in search of greater verisimilitude.


seekerofshadowlight wrote:
The gods are from gods and magic, I think he just went down and listed all gods within one step. It seems that way anyhow

I did review the flavor text to make sure Paladins would be appropriate. This seems somewhat less so for the Elven deities, but very much so for Apsu, the dwarven pantheon and the halfling demigod.

Sources: Gods of Magic, 3.5 Campaign setting, Pathfinder Companion: Dwarves of Golarion.


Theo Stern wrote:
Also a 25 point buy is quite powerful. I gave my party a 17 point buy and they are doing well in all modules so far.

Worth repeating, Second Darkness is balanced on a 3.X 20pt buy or a Pathfinder 15pt buy.


Pharasma's faith has a lot of white necromancers, but only those that study other necromancy and do not raise dead.

Control undead is frowned upon but acceptable if those undead are immediately destroyed or too powerful to otherwise destroy. Pharasma would most likely vehemently oppose the creation of new dead.

The closest you'll find to a warlike deity that explicitly endorses the creation of undead would be Urgathoa.


Even less common:

Dragons / Scalykind:
Apsu,

Dwarven:
Angradd, Folgrit, Bolka, Grundinnar, Dranngvit, Kols, Magrim, Trudd

Note, Dwarves are pantheistic, so a Dwarven Paladin could conceivably worship the entire pantheon (excluding Droskar) and not just Torag.

Elven:
Alseta (more of a protector deity, really), Yuelral

Halfling:
Chaldira Zuzaristan

Human:
Kurgess


As a loyal Jayhawk, I'd love nothing more than to join in on the Texas-hate, but given that Texas is the reason the conference still exists in some form, I'll direct my nerdrage at those red traitors to the North.

Nothing good ever came from Nebraska.

That and we still got ya'lls National Bio-Defense lab.


Everybody knows the best ninjas are emo cyborgs with jump jets.


I'm totally confused, how does Cheliax enter into Legacy of Fire? It's a half continent and a full AP (Council of Thieves) away.

That said, granting PC's property rights after LOF #5, and having the Caliphate ask the PCs to defend those rights, could extend the AP through the City of Brass indefinitely.


Just tossing this out there, page 18 of Orcs of Golarion throws some cold water on Sech Nevali / Brimstone Haruspex, as it is described as being "relatively small in size", and thus not so "mega".

I realize nominations are now closed, but think Saggorak (Dwarves of Golarion, page 14, "Kovlar") may deserve a second look, as it has a well-defined safe area (Kovlar) and tons of possibilities for political intrigue via the guild rule of Kovlar. Finally, dungeon ecology is fairly easy to account for, as most residents of Saggorak are undead, although I concede this might lead to too much of a "dungeon monoculture".


Numeria: Silver Mount in/near Starfall

Belkzen: The Cenotaph - doubly nominated, due to it's ties to the Whispering Tyrant.

The Sodden Lands: Lost cities of Hyrantam, Kokutang and Oagon

Geb: the Mortuarium in Yled (heck, ALL of Yled)


It's worth noting that Erastil doesn't really like adventures of either gender. Any DM or player is going to have to work out how their adventuring priest of Erastil continues to get spells when Erastil sees most adventures as a blight upon communities.


"Dude, it's brown acid."


Goblich wrote:
So the Ranger Animal Companion list seems pretty Strict. My question is this: Can a Ranger select a Thylacine or an Elk as a companion?

Why not, they're available to Druids (see pg 7, Kingmaker Player's guide). IIRC, the ranger companion list is just the 1st level Druid list. Since both are available to 1st level Druids, I can't see why they would not be available to 4th level Rangers.


Shadowborn wrote:


As the audience, we (assuming we've already seen the original trilogy) know all this already. When Anakin is on screen, we know he's destined to become Darth Vader. In our minds, he's already a villain. So why is the action of the movies focused on him?

Speculation follows:

All of Lucas's understanding of his characters comes from his source material and Episode 4, not the actual mythos created by episode 5-6 (which is where we get much of the back story and character development). The Leigh Brackett / Lawrence Kasdan stuff is basically off the table.

Because of this, Vader's character ends up being limited to the story dimensions carved out by Susumu Fujita of General Hyoe Tadokoro in The Hidden Fortress, which is that of a merciless warlord, who after being betrayed by his master, rebels against him.

The irony is that Lucas sets up Vader as false protagonist through the mythos he builds around the Sith (the inherent Master vs Apprentice betrayal in all Sith stories). Vader is fated to betray the Emperor sooner or later, simply by being a Sith.

Unfortunately, Lucas is blind to the mythos he created and attempts to cast Anakin/Vader as the protagonist anyways, never realizing that he never creates the opportunity for choice for his would-be protagonist.

Really, the closest we come to protagonists are Obi-wan(ep1-3) and Solo(ep4 - 5).


DM_aka_Dudemeister wrote:

I like the idea of taking Minor Magic keyed to detect magic. Aids trap finding and reveals the most valuable items in a room.

Any other nifty combinations out there?

Minor Magic for Read Magic is pretty useful for a UMD/Scroll rogue, as it basically means you can decipher any scroll w/o a skill check.

Depending on your DM, you might get a ton of mileage out of Prestidigitation

If your DM allows Golarion non-core materials, Liberating Command might be an interesting choice for Major Magic, even though there are probably better spells such as [i[Jump[/i], Expeditious Retreat[/i], or Feather Fall
.


harmor wrote:

It removes the fatigue condition...

I think that it removes the fatigue condition, but does resolve the cause of that fatigue.

I believe that were a character to do this, the fatigue would be removed, but after each additional hour of activity, the character would be forced to make another Constitution save against fatigue.

Basically, the spell removes the condition, but does not reset the counter.


SirUrza wrote:

So I've been reading A LOT of tech blogs and watching a few podcasts.. everyone seems to agree that the kindle is dead.

What do you guys think? I've played with it, two of my buddys got it. I'm really tempted to get one myself.

Penny Arcade disagrees with you thesis.

That said, the .azw format will, eventually, cripple the Kindle. It's all about .epub and .pdf


Jeremy Mac Donald wrote:


As I recall the lethality was not so much due to save or die effects but that many of the 'traps' had no save at all - you just die. Often because the trap was built from a magic item.

IIRC, it was originally a tournament module, which accounts for some of the over-the-top lethality.

One of the traps involves what is considered a major artifact in the Pathfinder rule set

Spoiler:
Hiding a Sphere of Annihilation part way down a pitch black tunnel the exact width of the sphere
and would probably result in a beating by a DM's player(s) should the DM use the trap in an actual campaign.

There was an awful lot of poison (in spike pits, on crossbow bolts) in the dungeon, which was pretty lethal in 1st ed. D&D. There was at least one see-saw trap that would drop your party down a shaft full of lava, while sealing the only exit. Teleportation and ethereal travel were also blocked within the dungeon.

I believe there was also an encounter with a demi-lich, which was a bit nuts for a party of 7th and 8th level 1st. ed. characters.

One of the nice things was that there were lots of lighting challenges, which made torches and light spells pretty useful.


Austin Morgan wrote:


I wasn't stating opinion, just fact. My only point was that marijuana is Federally illegal. True? Yes. And that's all I was saying :)

Understood and agreed, just pointing out how that fact might work to some folks advantage.


Austin Morgan wrote:

It doesn't matter what California does about marijuana, it's Federal Schedule I drug. You can't even make it legal with "prescriptions".

This is true, but consider the following:

1. The current administration is not enforcing federal drug laws in California with respect to medical marijuana dispensaries and their suppliers.

2. A Corporation cannot legally sell, distribute or manufacture Schedule I drugs.

3. Various international treaties prevent foreign countries from allowing corporations to operate within their boarders if the corporation sells, distributes or manufactures Schedule I drugs (or whatever the banned list is in that country.)

What this amounts to is local decriminalization within California, should it pass with no or minimal fed enforcement, as long as distribution and cultivation is local to California. No corporation will be able to get near it, at least until it is dropped from Schedule I by the Fed, as it would be a major barrier to trade.

Some in California is counting on this, as it creates an instant cottage / niche tourism industry within their State, which might bring in much needed out of state revenue.


Ainslan wrote:


The Bladed scarf really wins the cheesefest. It's even a 2-handed weapon, so theres incrased Strenght and Power attack damage to boot(unless I'm missing something).

Wait, isn't it a light weapon?


Being a fully proficient Dorn-dueling dwarf dork requires at least two feats, three if you're not a class with martial weapon proficiency, and BAB +4. On the face of it, that seems a significant low level to mid level investment for some tactical advantage.

For example, a Dwarf Ouat caste huscarl monk wielding a Dorn-dreger would need to be level 9, with three feats invested, to fully utilize a Dorn.

also after careful re-reading, the meteor hammer is always a reach weapon and never threatens adjacent squares, by RAW.

Also, Vorpal Bladed Scarves, anyone?


Set wrote:

Also cool, and I know I've seen that one around before. Something Haft something. It's a solid concept.

Short Haft, PHB 2 (3.5), requires +3 BAB

I think nearly all the weapons that now threaten adjacent and have reach are exotic, which lessens their impact, somewhat (since you need to burn a feat for proficiency).

Does the Dorn-whatever qualify as a racial weapon for Dwarves?


I think a strong arguement can be made that American exceptionalism did exist in the period between the beginning of US involvement in the Second World War through the end of the Cold War.

Prior to that, the US was overshadowed by European colonial powers.

After that, democratization of former Warsaw pack states, accompanied by massive, rapid adoption capitalist ideals in China, India and Eastern Europe have done much to diminish America's brand in the modern era.

Imo, exceptionalism isn't in itself a bad thing, especially if it creates an aspirational goal that leads to a more egalitarian society. The problem emerges when exceptionalism is used as justification for totalitarian or unilateral actions.


Does this also mean that a 13th level Barbarian (DR 3/-) wearing an Adamantine Breastplate (DR 2/-) only has DR 3/- ?

Thanks!


the Stick wrote:

Your beer party is passe and does not appeal to the key demographic - gamers. Thus, I now found the Mt. Dew party! It's extreme!!!

The old timey Mountain Dew Party of Appalachia does not endorse this new-fangled, neo-Dew party.

If yer Dew can't take the paint of a model T, if the revenuers ain't gunnin fer yer still, it ain't no dang gum Mountain Dew.


Lots of slaves in Katapesh and Qadira. It is conceivable that s/he escaped and fled north into Brevoy (which would be quite a ways north, think fleeing Mexico City and ending up in Quebec).

As for the No-Dachi, point them in the direction of the Elven Curve Blade.


RunebladeX wrote:
why is there no REAL campaign setting, like a box set? i loved how the old forgotten realms campaign had i think 2-3 books, maps and everything.

Which FR boxed set are you referring too? Neither the Old Grey Box, nor the 1993 revision, contain substantively more detail than the Pathfinder campaign setting.

The former contained about 192 pages of content, including new spells and and adventure information on Myth Drannor (if memory serves correctly, I still have it in storage).

The 1993 revision contained a 128 book of general campaign detail, including deities, cosmology and recent history (time of troubles). A shorter 96 page book with much more detailed information on Shadowdale, as well as complete adventure for level 1 pcs, was also included. (224 pages, total)

Compare this to the unrevised Pathfinder Campaign setting, which is chock-full of 256 pages worth of Crunch and Fluff, without any page count given away to a full adventure for low level pcs.


Howdy.

Excellent product, all around. In the one file per chapter deliverable, the figures in the fiction piece "Death at the Saddled Otter" the white background behind figures on page 70 and 73 is covering up some of the body text and the display quotes.

Cheers!

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