I'm on team Shalelu, so glad to see her back. Although in our game she didn't make it out of second darkness alive, I can't remember how she became a vampire, but its always nice to have the tie back on key NPCs who are more "people" and who grow with the world, and are not just static near god level NPCs.
Now, I do have a question, will the cartography in this AP be like Second Darkness, where 90% of all the maps have circular/oval rooms that were a PIA to draw. We have a running gag about elven architecture at our table just because of that. It reached a point of being so frustrating, I just switched to hexes instead of squares for those maps.
Been trying to say thanks for a bit, but the been having trouble posting,
I really want to give a thanks out to Tonya, and Bob for helping to find a VC to supervise my 5 star game at GenCon. I had the pleasure of having David Shaw (our new campaign coin holder) join my table. Between him, and the group of great players our marshal specially selected we had an amazingly fun table.
Hey all, I'm in a bit of a begging situation here. I'm not eligible to run my qualifying game for my fifth star, but I"m missing one piece, a VC to supervise. My local VC is about a 5 hour drive, so I am instead heading to Indianapolis for this tiny little con called GenCon where I expect a slightly higher number of VCs to be in attendance.
If you are one of those VCs, and you are planning on playing either Thursday night, or Friday Night in one of those two schedule specials, I would love to invite you to my table (I'm running tier 3-4 both nights.). While bringing traditional offerings of beer, and/or food, are more complicated by my cross boarder travel, I can offer bribery in the form of 2017 PFS Dice for the Great Lakes Region (they are blue/gold.)
If anyone is game, please let me know, probably direct message to exchange emails? Then we get the logistics running.
So a flat check DC 5, is the same as a 20% miss chance for concealment. So that seems in the spirit of "everything is a d20 roll." By making such a change, do you open up to things like rerolls and bonus like a luck stone applying to them, or saying "precise shot decreases the DC of concealment checks by 5" or something like that?
I like that swords can switch between piercing and slashing damage. Very good. :)
I would rather swords give a defensive bonus than the flat footed deal as swords are extremely good at parrying.
Otherwise it sounds pretty fun, I have some minor other gripes but nothing too concerning.
I think the parrying thing is why they leave opponents open, it is a weapon for skillful manipulation and interaction with your opponents weapon. Imagining they come at you with their big arse axe, and you turn their momentum, leaving them off balance. So yes that should also improve your AC, but I think it works for the leaving them open as well.
I think will see a lot of "well weapon group X would be able to also do the special thing weapon group Y is doing" and while probably logically true, we are playing a combat simulator, and so they are striving for variety and balance, so things that might logical be true, sometimes shouldn't be in the rules, because it homogenizes the game.
Soooooooo, last night while running Rise of the Runelords a player decided that using a fireball in what would be traditionally a highly combustable environment was "a good idea."
I made up something on the fly that felt right, and while it didn't immediately kill anyone, the subsequent slow burning building, with fight going on inside claimed two lives (okay so the confusion spell helped as well.)
Just wondering how others would have ruled the equivalent of a spark in a grain silo? How much damage would you roll?
Where are you guys located? Here in Sacramento we have a pretty decent group.
Boston North.
You might consider giving Pathfinder Society a try. There's a strong contingent in Boston (and Massachusetts in general), which you can find at The Boston PFS page. They're good people with tons of games going and a flexible schedule that allows you to game whenever you like.
From the Society Coordinators page there are almost a dozen folks in Boston who can help you get connected with your local scene, although My guess is they will point you to the same sites that John did.
In our PFS community, people use PFS both for its own enjoyment, and as a spring board to meet people and launch other campaigns.
Just got my PDF and started skimming, on first blush there are half a dozen frivolous things that I love from this book, but the number one has got to be the Neverspill Goblet. It doesn't need as big a write up as it has, but the corner cases its write up gives are amazing. I would like to raise a toast to the Neverspsill Goblet and its designer, cheers!
When the duration of the spell ends, creatures within the hole rise up with the bottom of the pit until they are standing on the surface over the course of a single round.
I think your question was more rhetorical, but in the spirit of more organized play, I will be running two PFS tables at Phantasm in Peterborough, Ontario. I've never been, and I hear it is actually a bit of a gem of small cons, and we PFS is running games both Saturday and Sunday.
So... Some people now have the first part of the AP before the Players Guide? That doesn't seem right.
It's a bit odd. Hopefully the situation resolves itself soon.
I would argue it is far from odd, but in fact the norm. Subscribers get PDFs when their order ships, (just ahead of street date) and the players guides are target to be ready by the street date (but often just make it.) I can't think of an AP I didn't get the first PDF before the players guide.
.. but I truly don't think that will postpone anyone's campaigns, and if that's the case I do apologize.
Nope, not postponing us, two books of Mummy's Mask or a little more than three of Giant Slayer is doing that, I'm just eager to see what is in store, and the flurry of character generation ideas that follow.
Very much appreciative of the existence of the AP players guide, they always have done a great job of setting the tone.
My reading of the scenario, is that unless the villain is breaking the chains, the furniture falls at a non-dangerous speed. That PCs are shunted to an adjacent square for no movement cost/danger. The purpose is to shift the battle field and make for chaos, not weaponize the room.
page 28 wrote:
Features rise and fall slowly enough that they do not cause damage; a creature is instead displaced in the direction of its choice.
Big Bad runs away, party pursues. Big Bad casts a spell that makes a stone wall suddenly appear in between him and the party, party knows he's an illusionist and decides to run straight through.
What are the ramifications of running at top speed into a stone wall that you thought was an illusion?
To avoid confusion, refer to the ramifications of running into a prismatic wall at top speed, those are known, 7 saves :)
"Heh-low, my name is Cerulean Monsianta, my father is alive and well, prepare to drink!"
OOC: Cerulean is swashbuckler,who worships Cayden Caylen, I then usually show the character sheet which has a picture Inigo Montoya as a character reference.
As an aside, I have ruled in the past that if you anger a deity other than your own enough that it causes issues for your deity, you can lose your class features. But I have a lot of dynamics between subets of my gods, which include cooperative efforts and infighting. But these are mostly the more important active gods who are also PC gods. For which my players (old ones, and current ones) actually end up making the decision. And sometimes they end up deciding to kidnap and torture PCs, as has occurred more recently after a theft by a level 10 of about 3 million gp from a god, while acting as a subset of another god's domain (undeath, he was a vampire and the god he stole from was the god of nightshades). But that's just an aside.
Wow deity office politics, I think in classical mythology this is handled by just cursing the poor fellow, I think Hera cursed like 50% of Zeus's kids.
One of the things I've enjoyed but been surprised about, is how its not an issue being a girl in a RPG gaming group. Most times I'm the only girl in the group but no-one has batted an eyelid.
I know RPG playing is very much seen as a geeky guy thing but I think more women are giving it a go.
Quick survey... who here has a girl in their group... and is she treated with the respect she unquestionably deserves!! ;))
The answer I wish I could give:
"I game with humans, some of the humans are different than some of the other humans, but they are all humans and treated with dignity and respect."
aka, it shouldn't matter...
But in reality, today it does, and we need to encourage people towards behaviour like tolerance, respect, and dignity.
In my core gaming group we have one girl who plays, although currently she isn't in either of the primary campaign. In our monthly open PFS night we have probably 1/4 of our registered players as girls, but at our next session almost 1/2 of the attendees are girls.
I'm a bit melancholy on this subject, having read a long article on the subject that is making its rounds on social networks. It detailed the authors personal experience through 20-30 years of harassment, and assault at gaming stores, conventions, and online. I was horrified when I read the article, but not surprised, and I've made a new conviction to speak out against the small intolerances that enable the big ones.
p.s. I'm making a point of posting this using my own name, and not my avatars, this isn't an issue hiding from will make better.
Why in a world where the gods channel power into mortals, and mortals with study can wield nearly the power of the gods, and horrors beyond mention roam the wilds, would a well behaved bear upset the guards?
Because the guards are usually human warrior 1-5
Bears are f~~%ed up
More than demihuman races?
More than a tiefling?
The world view and context we hold as normal doesn't apply in this campaign setting...
Why in a world where the gods channel power into mortals, and mortals with study can wield nearly the power of the gods, and horrors beyond mention roam the wilds, would a well behaved bear upset the guards?
Can I please amend my post with the hope for at least one vigilante BBEG in one of the modules of this AP, so when the characters defeat him, and he is unmasked from his vigilante identity, his social identity (Mr Jenkins the caretaker) can proclaim "And I would have gotten away with it, if it weren't for you meddling kids" (although given the way most gamers work, that would be gurgled out in blood bubbles as he dies.)
If you look at an AP like Hell's Rebels, a Vigilante can be a really powerful pick, at least at the onset when they are still fighting to push the city into rebellion, the social aspect can appear to be a member of the Chelaxian society, pushing reform politically while staying clearly on the side of the law, while the a vigilante aspect engages in the direct acts of violence. It works perfectly well if the party knows about the characters secret identity, as he lends them legitimacy.
I think the part that makes a vigilante a challenge is it is built for an urban/intrigue campaign, and while it might mechanically work in a dungeon crawl, it isn't going to be best utilized in that setting, the archetypes give you a lot of versatility.
Now I would say that you could easily build a complete party of just vigilantes with each one look and feel unique by virtue of the archetypes. So you could have your Avengers/Justice league party.
So who is building the party with:
Velma the Investigator
Daphne the Bard
Fred the Ranger <Trapper>
Shaggy the Alchemist <Psychonaut>
Scooby the Riding Dog <awakened>, Barbarian <Drunken Rager (house ruled to replace drink with cookies)>
For folks who want to make sure they play the special, but aren't sure what character they will play, or if they will have a character in the correct tier, they should probably aim for a ticket in one of the tier's with pregens (1-2, 3-4, or 7-8) that way in the event of character death, or not having an appropriately levelled character they can still play. It may not be the ideal experience, but at least you will have an assured seat.
To Bob, at our local cons we've had some decent success assigning GMs who are GMing the odd tiers (5-6 and 9-11) to cross prepare with tiers that have pregens, but we are talking on such a small scale where one table can make the difference between legal and not, so possibly not relevant in this context/scale.
They are a good read for new and old GMs, experience is your best friend in GMing, but start something small, and ask for forgiving players, and remember your objective is fun.
A decision really should be made though on whether to do something about the servers, distribute DRM-free via Humblebundle's infrastructure as a stopgap, or wait for people to give up on trying to download their purchases legally.
It would be depressing to see frustration over the implementation of such a cool event incentivize piracy, or simply cause people to shrug and wander off.
If a few days the volume will ease off and people will get their stuff.
As a Canadian, I kind of resent that last paragraph...
...as a true Canadian, Thursty could have done this WITHOUT putting down the curling broom!
;)
100% agree, all you had to do was shout at him "HURRRY, HURRRY HARD" and broom and all he would have got this out. Putting down the poutine is only because most clubs frown at gravy being spilled on the ice.
Honestly, a section on laying ground rules as a group of players and GM what kind of evil your willing to collectively or individually perpetrate as characters. Things that an evil character, who is unencumbered by morals, may do include: kick puppies, kill children, and commit sexual violence. Some of these topics will be more uncomfortable than others for the players/GM, and the players/GM should agree to what is acceptable/constrained to non-detailed*/taboo.
*Constrained to non-detailed: You may say "My character goes into kennel and does evil..." instead of dragging the GM and table through vivid puppy kicking roleplaying encounter.
This is AP presents a unique opportunity to explore some dark places, and everyone should walk in eyes open, I think encouraging people to do so is appropriate in the guide.
Having to "Hobo-Con" (because one can't get a close place to sleep with the amount of time they are volunteering) to Tier 1 HQ doesn't sound very hygienic, safe, or customer-friendly.
With this many geeks there has to be some way to get a ortable booth sized "geek wash" to run people through...
I pretty sure this is why Paizo gives us 1 shirt / day for volunteering.
Has there been an unofficial, or rumour of what is coming next for Pathfinder Battles? If not I'd take some educated guesses, wild-arsed speculation, or fanfic hopes. I know Erik has offered that we might be getting more info soon, but I'm mini-news-hungry this AM.
Pathfinder Society Organized Play is a worldwide fantasy roleplaying campaign that puts YOU in the role of an agent of the Pathfinder Society, a legendary league of explorers, archaeologists, and adventurers dedicated to discovering and chronicling the greatest mysteries and wonders of an ancient world beset by magic and evil.
The campaign’s home base is sprawling Absalom, the so-called City at the Center of the World, that stands astride the great Inner Sea on the mountain-capped Isle of Kortos. A Pathfinder’s adventures explore the dark alleys and political intrigue of Absalom between far-flung travels to the most interesting and exotic locales in the world of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game.
In Pathfinder Society Organized Play, you play a member of the Pathfinder Society, seeking fortune and glory all over the face of Golarion. At the same time, your character works for one of the competing factions, all with their own motivations and secret agendas.
Paizo recommends four encounters a day. If that guideline is followed, a Barbarian with Con of 18 starts out with enough rage for two rounds per battle at level 1.
Except a Con of 18 is pretty hard to come across with the 15 point buy assumption the core rules were designed around. It'd be closer to assume a Con of 14-ish.
The rules are actually designed around 20 point buy and the 15 point buy is a math error Paizo really wishes you would stop bringing up.
That is not the case, James Jacob has posted that the APs and all the adventures they write are based on a 15 point build.
I'm pretty sure that isn't the only time that has been posted by himself or another Paizo employee.
Your paper chronicle is the thing that really matters!
If your GM hasn't provides one, go and ask (him/her)/the local organizer/VA/VL/VC/RVC/CC for one (in that order)
For GMs at cons the reporting is critical for earning stars, especially for specials. Tthe chronically may be sufficient, but it is easier if the number in the reporting system is accurate.
Sure, circles exist, but are actually relatively uncommon because they are architecturally more difficult to produce.
As far as rectangular structures on an angular grid, "interest" is WAY below usability. They're a pain in the rear end to transfer onto a grid mat, for the first place. Secondly, you could have a room that is the same dimension as 4 squares by 4 squares (which should have 16 easily identified usable squares for movement) that instead is put on an odd angle on the grid, resulting on maybe a 10-12 easily identified usable squares and a bunch of partial squares that result in ambiguity for where players and opponents can move. Why have two half squares on either side of the room; if it's 20' wide, it's 20' wide. There should be four squares of usable space, not three and two partials.
Seriously, right now I'm running two different groups (one in my second time running RotRL and one in IG), and both groups raise issues with the maps at every session. It's not me complaining; it's the players.
Then change things to suit your players better if it's that huge of a deal. That's kind of the GM's job if his/her group has an issue with an adventure.
You can redraw the map (change circles to squares, or diagonals to ziz-zags that follow squares). A better solution might be to allow characters to occupy those partial squares as if they were full squares without worrying about whether or not the shape of the miniature's base matches the "available room" of the square itself. It won't hurt the game at all to let a PC or NPC occupy such a spot, and frankly, in the real world, since a person can fit in a much smaller space than a 5 foot square, it doesn't really shatter verisimilitude either.
At the danger of poking the dinosaur in a tender spot, my biggest beef with Second Darkness was the cartography, sure it was elegant, and sure it was all open and airy, but it was a pain in the arse to duplicate on to the grid. In the end I switched to a hex grid and fudged the rules otherwise 1/8-1/4 of every room required players to be squeezing. It fills me with a visceral dread to this day.
/me goes into fetal ball and beseeches the Aboleth to throw another rock or two at the elves.
On the topic of companions, the point build does impact the effectiveness of the companion. In a 20, 25 point build game the companions are weaker then their team mates (master, other players)
Name: Nirin
Race: Dwarf
Class: Monk 5
Adventure: The Hill Giant's Pledge
Location: Vault of Thorns
Cause of death: betrayal
Spoiler:
The party, after an unorthodox exploration of the Vault of Thorns (starting from the bottom due to gravity and working their way up through the north stairs) found themselves in the throne room with Ewigga the "Elven" Druid. Glad for a friendly if vague and airy face the party made camp. The parties only "human" (half-orc rogue) was casually seduced by the "elf". (Hags gotta grow their coven some how...)
The druid agreed to travel with the party to deal with the Fey in the remainder of the vault, and so they worked their way through the south wing, and to the Brambleblight.
The fight was a pretty darn close one, and the party was a bit in shambles at the end. She helped, maybe not as efficiently as wading in and destroying the thing in melee, but hanging back and using her low level spells and domain ability.
At the end of the battle, once the party was divided some down in the cellar some above, and the ones above spread out, some near the ladder and some by the doors at the far end, she attacked.
Nirin was the one who was still "up" and near the ladder, and so she wailed on him, doing a lot of strength damage, and you know real damage. Weakened and poxed by pox pustules, with s+@!ty dice by his side, Nirin ineffectually wailed on Ewigga who was now taking her true form. As the party converged, she slowed the cleric with entangle, and harried the rest with other spells. Nirin thinking to stop a spell caster, and unaware of exactly how deadly a hags claws are, grappled her. Instead of escaping the grapple, she just laid into him, and in two mighty, final, blows killed him.
The party tried continued to wail on her, but once she hit her moral break point, she fled, the rogue now feeling very unamourous chased her. When she was climbing out he shot the rope, causing her to fall, but not die. At which point she recollected her ability to wild shape, and flew away through the still open portal.
I think it is a good question, and I think for me the answer is no, but I do not believe it would make the game better. PFS puts certain restrictions in place because of the necessity of organized play to have a different mechanic for handling wealth and item creation, game play time balance, flavour and limits of table variation Those same restrictions aren't necessary outside of gameplay balance.
That being said, the character creation rules for PFS certainly mimic many groups house rules, and are a good starting point for new gamers as safely carving out some of the more complex elements that cause table variation.
Once you are sufficiently skilled with the system, one begins to appreciate that the rules are just a pallet of colours from which you paint your campaign, and you get to pick and choose what colours suit your needs.
