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By that same logic, one should never work a day in their life, in case they win the lottery. After all, winning the lottery means you've wasted all that potential that you could have put into other aspects of life. So quit your job, drop out of school, and start playing the lottery, otherwise your potential will be waited.
6th edition, which will happen at some point, will likely abandon Bonded Accuracy and have the return of high magic campaign like the previous editions (including 4th edition). Items will likely not augment stats or give out bonuses beyond +3 to hit/dmg, much like what PF2 is likely doing, but the magical items will be a part of the game once again, not rare artifacts that a character may get about 10 times in his adventuring career.THAT bugs the crap out of me, and why I can't take 5e seriously. Also the lack of specific item prices. I get people don't like MagicMart. But even if the items are once in a lifetime additions, I want a price tag. There is one. It's in the DMG and the price is based on rarity.
Make a vague and unsupported negative claim.Ha, what part is unsupported and vague? And with that simple, short sentence, you proved me right. Thanks! You didn't try to deny it, you didn't try to clarify, but instead you made yet another request for someone else to do all the work while you sit back. Ah, the classics.
You seem to be kidding with pedantry, check the rules. Ha! That's a classic! Always fun seeing the classic troll tactics used. Make a vague and unsupported negative claim. Wait for the inevitable counter arguments, than say, "You need to go pour through all these works to prove me wrong." And when they inevitably try, all you have to say is, "nope, that's not the one I was talking about. Try again." A few simple and short sentences, and you can force them to waste hours pouring through books trying to show you are wrong, and all the while you never even care about the argument. Ah, the classics.
The main question I want answered is just how much is Paizo willing to listen to its fan community? If, for example, enough people have a huge problem with goblins being a core race, NPCs and monsters working differently than player characters, or some other aspect of the playtest rules that is supposedly hardwired into PF2, will they be willing to listen to what the players want and change it? What about the large amount of players who want those things? Should we completely discount their opinion because it's different from yours?
I find that the more tactical I am with my monsters and the more intelligent I play my bad guys, the worse it is for the martial classes.
I would say that everyone will be wondering what the hell to spend their money on, I've always found that an interesting question. A lot of people used to talk about rollplay vs roleplay and the stormwind fallacy, claiming that one can be an optimizer and a roleplayer at the same time. And theoretically, this seems true. But over the years I've also discovered that some of those who make these claims are also unable to think of what they can spend their money on if not magic items. That just screams of "I can't roleplay or think of how money works in the world." If the only thing someome can possibly imagine spending their money on is items to increase their personal statistics, then that means the stormwind fallacy is false for these individuals - they cannot both optimize and roleplay at the same time. And ever since 5e came out, that has been the #1 complaint of the system. "What can I possibly buy if I don't have magic items?!" Well, think about how money is spent in the real world - you can literally purchase all of that: property, political influence, donations, henchmen/servants, and thousands upon thousands of other options. You just have to think beyond the character sheet.
PFS is very selective about the rules they allow in their games. If it's such a problem that people aren't able to talk to each other like adults, or - god forbid - that a player might occasionally hear a "no," then they can remove that rule from PFS.
Good. People are so hell bent afraid of the GM that they hide behind the rules and complain every time they're "forced" to talk to the gm about something in game. This is a social game. Part of socializing is talking to each other like mature adults. Talk to me. We can work it out. But if you're so God awful afraid that I might say "no," then the problem isn't table variance or a bad gm.
I thought realism was what caused the LF/QW "Oh you can't do magic, then you are limited to what people in the real world can do, mostly" ;)Maybe realism caused the LF, but the QW came from uncontrolled power creep. ^^ Kind of. I mean, the QW existed in 1e and 2e as well. It's just those editions had some major setbacks for casters that WotC got rid of in 3rd.
Also, people forget that Pathfinder is set in OUR universe, so leather should not be more protective than padded layers of cloth, and adding studs to leather should make it WEAKER, because that's not how our universe works. Man, you must be REALLY pissed that they included magic.
I've always hated this sentiment. For two reasons: 1) Just because the game isn't how you want it, doesn't mean it's broken. 2) This is a game of imagination. Requiring you to actually use your imagination and brain in order customize the game to be how you want it to be doesn't make the game "broken," it just required you to actually use that brain of yours. This isn't a computer game where if one thing doesn't work then the game can actually be defined as broken. It's a game of imagination where you as the user are actually required to use your imagination - and complaining that you actually have to use it says more about you than it does about the game.
Is there REALLY a need to make a SECOND thread for this??? Second? Isn't this like the fifth thread?
From an inconspicuous corner, a damaged robot rolls outs, blaring some kind of warning. It raises its gun up at you in a threatening manner.
Moving to area D6... In stark contrast to the caverns elsewhere inside the Drift Rock, this chamber looks more like a room on a space station or starship. Rather than the unfinished rock of the asteroid, the walls, floor, and ceiling are clad with finished sheets of some polished, metallic substance, along with components of unrecognizable equipment. Panels on some of the walls flash with lights and mysterious symbols, and an almost infrasonic hum of unseen machinery pulses through the walls. DC 16 Engineering or Life Science:
You can determine that the wall panels are some sort of ceramic-metallic plating that is as strong and durable as adamantine alloy. DC 14 Perception:
You notice that the lower portion of a wall panel in the northwest corner is actually a concealed hatch. Detect Magic/Tech:
The technology here is a mixture of tech and magic not seen in the past worlds. DC 30 Engineering or Mysticism:
The controls here are used to monitor the status of some other much larger area. There are also symbols on the wall in a language you cannot recognize. DC 30 Culture or Comprehend Languages: You can recognize them as error messages and warning indicators in an unknown language. It’s impossible to divine the exact nature of the errors and warnings, however, even with magic— there’s simply not enough context or information.
I can go for that, Clara says to Wedge's offer.
I'll have a friend pick me up, after taking a space walk. And I was paid 5k credits, with half up front. Be losing that other half now, won't I?
It's Clara. Clara-374. And no, I don't know what's beyond the doors. I crashed into this side of the rock when you shot me out of the black, and I've been waiting here for you since then. I knew you'd be here eventually.
On a computers check, you do not see any connection between HSC and 21, Inc.
Picked it up in an auction a few years back.
I was hired by Twenty One, Inc. I looked them up, and it was an obvious shell company, but I do not know who controlled the shell company. It's obviously someone rich enough to afford shell companies and the lawyers to ensure its done legally and properly; anything less I would have uncovered. And it must be someone who believes that you're continued work will interfere with their profits. Know anyone like that? As for me, I work alone. Whether they hired anyone else, I don't know. But I'm not going to die for a job. So I'm happy to call this a failure so long as I get to walk away.
She drops her weapon and puts her hands up in the air. All right, I yield. I've tried and failed twice now, but no amount of money is worth stupidly sacrificing my life. Tell ya what, let's make a deal. I'll tell you whatever you want to know, and I'll leave you alone and head back to the station. What do you say?
Wedge manages to hook into the frequency of the android, and you can now openly communicate with her.
Hal takes cover. She fires back at Hal.
The shot hits the cover Hal is behind.
Making your way back into the Drift Rock and taking the right passage this time, you come into a room with a lot of debris and wreckage. DC 30 Perception:
You see the same pilot who attacked you in the necroglider hiding behind a large boulder, ready to fire. If you pass this check, you may take an action in the surprise round.
A round fires at one of the goblins.
The shot blows the goblin apart, it's blood splattering against the rock behind it and forming globules in the air.
DM Notes:
A signal comes back.. Drift Rock Detectives. Dust Runner, here. This is Captain Serissi. This. is. amazing. You guys have been doing a fantastic job! It'd sad to see we've lost our brothers, but thank you so much for finding out what happened to them. When I met with you before you headed out, I didn't know what to think. You weren't a team. You had no leadership. Your crew did what they wanted. I knew for certain you'd fail and we'd lose it all. Damn am I happy to be wrong! Even if the HSC doesn't win this court battle, you and yours are forever welcome among us, just for what you've done so far. We've been in contact with stating security. They say they've remotely removed the Hippocampus from the Drift Rock for safety reasons, but as soon as you guys signal, it will be returned to pick you up. Best of luck out there. Know you've got the heart of the entire station aching to see you succeed! The entire station is rooting for you. You're the stars of Absolom! Dust Runner out.
You decide to leave the door unopened and head back to the ship. Carefully bringing the bodies back with you, you head down the dark hallways, camera drone in tow. You look past the one tunnel you skipped, an eerie feeling that something is watching you from the darkness. Finishing the short journey, you find yourself at the edge of the tunnel, with nothing but space beyond. The Hippocampus is not there.
Biggs' shot digs into the heart of the Driftdead, and it dissipates into nothingness. The cavern is calm, and the only sounds you hear are your own heavy breathing, the blood pumping through your veins, and the crackle of the comms. You start to explore the surrounding areas. The passage to the north leads in about 60 feet before it ends in a cave-in. Going back to D3, the passage north leads about 100' and ends at the end of the edge of the drift rock itself. There's nothing there but open space. You're standing on the edge of a precipice with literally nothing beyond but the light of the stars. You make your way "south" and quickly realise that both southern passages from the two rooms lead to the same location. A larger cavern with a single metal door on its southern wall. What's a modern door doing in the middle of this rock? The door looks like it could be opened through a key swipe, or by forcing it open manually. There are two bodies in this room. One looks like he was killed by a void zombie. The other has sections missing from him, as if he were killed by the driftdead's ability to pull matter out of living tissue. They both wear the uniform of the Acreon crew. With these two, you've now accounted for the entire crew of the Acreon.
The driftdead looks at The goblin and pulls at the molecular bins within its body.
Biggs fires his laser cannon
Wedge throws a grenade.
DM Notes: 19
Kass fires his laser gun
Kryten falls back to the back of the group, readying himself to help an ally if they need it.
Hal singes the driftdead. DM Notes: 13
Information that Hal has, which he shares with the group: Drift dead NE Medium undead (extraplanar) Init +4; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +7 Aura confusion (30 feet, DC 11) DEFENSE
Spatial Incorporeality (Ex):
Within the Drift, a driftdead has a physical body, but if removed from that plane, its physical body phases out of normal reality. On the Material Plane or otherwise outside the Drift, a driftdead becomes incorporeal. This does not change any of the driftdead’s statistics, but it gains all of the other benefits of the incorporeal special ability (see page 264 of the Starfinder Core Rulebook). If returned to the Drift, a driftdead immediately loses the incorporeal special ability as its physical body returns. Incorporeal:
An incorporeal creature doesn’t have a physical body. It is immune to all nonmagical kinetic attacks. All energy attacks and magical kinetic attacks deal half damage (50%) to it. An incorporeal creature takes full damage from other incorporeal creatures and effects, as well as from all force effects. Corporeal spells and effects that do not cause damage have only a 50% chance of affecting an incorporeal creature. An incorporeal creature is immune to critical hits. Incorporeal creatures’ attacks always target their enemies’ Energy Armor Class.
Incorporeal creatures cannot take any physical actions that would move or manipulate an opponent or its equipment, including combat maneuvers, nor are they subject to any such actions. An incorporeal creature can enter or pass through solid objects but must remain adjacent to such an object’s exterior, and so it cannot pass through the center of an object whose space is larger than its own. It can sense the presence of creatures or objects within squares adjacent to its current location (see page 260), but enemies have total concealment (50% miss chance; see Concealment on page 253) from an incorporeal creature that is inside an object. An incorporeal creature inside an object has total cover, but when it attacks a creature outside the object it has only cover (see Cover starting on page 253). An incorporeal creature cannot pass through a force effect. Incorporeal creatures pass through and operate in vacuum, water, and zero gravity as easily as they do in air. Incorporeal creatures cannot fall or take falling damage. They have no weight and do not set off traps that are triggered only by weight. Incorporeal creatures move silently and cannot be heard with Perception checks unless they wish to be. Any sense (including blindsense or blindsight) based on scent, sound, or touch is ineffective at perceiving incorporeal creatures. These creatures have an innate sense of direction and can move at full speed even when they cannot see.
When a mortal humanoid dies within the Drift while consumed with a strong negative emotion, it can become a driftdead, a restless undead spirit bound to that plane, unable to escape the confines of the Drift and reach its final judgment. What’s left of a driftdead’s warped mind is filled with insanity, rage, and a hatred for the living. So overwhelming is this flux of emotions that a driftdead psychically broadcasts its confusion, affecting all who venture too close. A driftdead leaves its mortal remains behind and forms a new undead body out of the mingled planar energies of the Drift— just as the Drift contains material snatched from countless planes. This physical body, however, is inextricably linked to the Drift. If a driftdead ever travels to the Material Plane (or any other plane), its planar body remains within the Drift, and the driftdead becomes an incorporeal spirit. The driftdead recreates its corporeal form as soon as it returns to the Drift.
Incendiary Grenade DC 14 or take
Kryten stands around in a panic. Hal energises Kass' gun, who blasts the undead something fierce. The goblins both hit true. Biggs fires into it, while Wedge throws a grenade. Everyone jumps back as the grenade spews fire in a small radius. The Driftdead is injured from it, but she avoids the additional burn. The Driftdead states into the eyes of [G1,G2,H,Ka,Kr,W] Kryten, and waves her hand, pulling molecular bonds apart and ripping material out of him.
DM Notes: 12
DM Notes: 10
Kass fires his Lazer pistol.
One goblin hits with his Lazer pistol, barely scorching the incorporeal creature. The other goblin misses. Kass fires wildly into the cavern wall. Bits of rock particulate escape off the wall and flow through the room. Hal's shot adds to the dust in the room as he hits the cavern wall, as well. Biggs and Wedge both fire. Biggs just *barely* misses. Wedge fires true. He knows he did. But the bullet passed through the creature as if it wasn't there. Kryten does the same as Wedge. His shot lands true. Perfect aim. And nothing. Absolutely nothing. The shot fires through the creature as if it wasn't there. The creature looks at you all with malevolent eyes, and then targets the one who hurt it. He looks at the goblin and rips at the air with his hand. Even from a distance, bits of material rip away from the goblin.
Kryten:
The entire phenomenon reminds you of how the drift pulls material away from other planes and into the drift itself. It's like this creature is harnessing that drift power to pull material away from the goblin.
You head straight, towards the hallway with lined metallic walls, ceiling, and floor. The metal lining quickly ends, however, and the room which follows is the same "natural" rock you've seen so far. To the north is another metal lined passage. To the south is the rock passage. The room seems empty. Seems. Out of the rock comes a humanoid figure wearing a space suit uniform you've never seen. The clothing is shredded. The glass playing on the helmet long ago shattered. The face behind is is more than dead, yet the creature... walks? floats? glides across the floor. It's malevolent eyes peering at you as it strikes.
Your goblin buddies open fire; one hits, the other sizzles some rock beyond the creature.
Hal's round fires into the zombie, blasting out blue gore and splattering it on the wall. The rest of the blood and guts forms globules which float outward.
I did Level 2 right after the fight with the Necroglider, and Level 3 just before the fight with the Garaggakal.
You leave the body behind you; it stays floating in the zero gravity, gently rotating from your touch. It's soon completely out of sight as the lights from your suit focus on other areas of the cavern, particularly the passageway you're headed down. You move on, the silence broken only by your own breathing and the gentle crackle of the comms. The passageway continues for a short bit before opening back up. The room has four tunnels leading off, one of which you're standing in. Your suit lights pan over the passage to your right, and it quickly turns a different direction. It's made of the same tough hewn rock you've been traveling through. But the other two passages are odd. They're both lines with a polished metallic plating on the walls, floor, and ceiling. It's as if this entire rock was connected to a professionally constructed building. The metallic passage right across from you continues straight and leads to some other room. The metallic passage to your left (north on the map) extends straight for a distance beyond your flashlight's range. Out of the darkness towards the north, a humanoid come flying at you, its clawed hands reaching. It's wearing the estex suit with the Acreon label, but the face plate is cracked open. The skin is a decrepit grey, and its lower jaw is missing. Hanging out of it's mouth is a long blue tongue, the same sleekness as the skin of the Akata. (Who happens to be near the north passage when the void zombie attacks? Void Zombie gets a -2 Hit and -2 AC for charging)
The void zombie slams into Wedge, taking both of them across the room and slamming into the wall on the other side.
Ailabiens (eye-LAY-be-ens) Twenty-One Two That's exactly how I had it in my head.
You make your way into the left tunnel, and quickly find yourself into a small expanded cavern. A dead humanoid body floats in this cavern. The body is wearing an Estex Suit with a patch that reads, "ACREON" on it. DC 14 Medicine or Detect Affliction spell:
The man was not infected with the akatas’ void death. In fact, this crew member was lucky—he died of his wounds shortly after the crew retreated here, and so avoided a horrifying transformation into a void zombie. Searching the body:
If you search the body, you find one Estex I Suit with a backup generator upgrade. He is holding an empty flare gun. Your options are to continue forward or go back to the right tunnel at the beginning.
Inspecting the cave Wedge found, it does indeed lead to the interior of the drift rock. Tunnels bore inwards, although it's difficult to see to far in, even with ships lights. The caverns all turn fairly quickly. Docking the ship and extending the umbilical tube to the cave, you make your way in. For the most part, it looks like a natural cave. DC 5 Physical Science:
The cavern (and the surrounding tunnels) is not a natural formation, but was excavated from the rock of the asteroid. The tunnel quickly forms a Y intersection, and you must choose to go left or right.
I'm also not a fan of the "NPC is dead at 0 unless the GM wants them to be alive" rule.This I can agree with though. It makes the whole system feel inorganic when whether or not an NPC lives or dies is essentially just fiat and since the players know the rule is fiat that also has a tendency to engender false expectations because of it. I prefer it that way. If it's one or the other, then there arises issues when it doesn't work the other way. For example, if it's "always dead at 0," then we have the same issues as presented above - that last piece of damage is an insta-kill, not ifs ands or buts about it. If it's "all enemies have resolve and die when they run out," then that's a shit ton for me to keep track of everything single battle and can end up dragging battles out. But letting me pick and choose? Now mooks and unimportant NPCs can be quickly cleared away without me having to track five to fifteen different resolve tracks every battle, while important NPCs have staying power. And if my Players are aiming to knock an opponent out, I don't have to say, "Whelp! He was an NPC, so that last bit of damage killed him. Oh well! ¯\_(ツ)_/¯"
You load up the Hippocampus with the Box from Eox and disengage from the Acreon, with intentions of heading towards the Drift Rock. While on the Hippocampus, Hal and Kass share what they learned on the bridge: Recap:
The logs detail the discovery of the Drift Rock, the crew’s initial exploration of the asteroid’s surface and the strange “geodes” they found there. The captain then states that the crew was under attack from monsters that “hatched” from the geodes they brought back to the ship.
The next entry is more hurried, and the sounds of combat are audible in the background. “There’s something else — it came from the rock!” the captain reports with more than a trace of panic in his voice. “We’re getting overwhelmed! I’m going to open the ship to vacuum—maybe that’ll slow them down!” The log’s final entry was recorded in engineering (area C4) and shows the captain in his space suit. “Purging the air didn’t work. I’ve set the autopilot to continue on to Absalom Station, but we’re abandoning ship. We’ll fall back to the rock and try to regroup there. Acreon out.” There are no further entries. DC 10 Physical Science:
Inspection of the outside of the rock, you see:
One side of the Drift Rock seems to have been sheared cleanly off, as if it was once part of a larger planetoid or celestial body. DC 15 Physical Science:
Unlike on most asteroids, no impact craters mar the Drift Rock’s surface, as if it had been somehow protected from the ravages of space for millions of years. DC 14 Perception: You find a rocky overhang concealing a cave entrance that seems to lead inside the asteroid.
She refuses to answer any more questions. Ceasing your line of questioning, you reseal the box with the Eoxian inside. This time, however, it's obvious it's been opened before. After transporting the box to the Hippocampus, you're ready to make your way to the Drift Rock. How are you going about this? Space walk, fly by, something else?
Her facial expressions reveal no sign of betraying her, as they match her words. The crew was killed? By who? Why? She seems to have genuine surprise. Bah. Nevermind this. It matters not. What matters is that I make it to the embassy. Please reseal me in the box and close it back up. I thank you for checking on me, and I understand the situation you were put in. When I make it back to the embassy, I'll put in a good word for you with Ambassador Nor. She paused with the mention of an Eoxian ship attacking you. They must have known I was here. Reseal me now. Take me back as soon as you can. I need to reach the embassy.
Anything you can get me? she says, irately. Yes, you can get me to Absolom Station, to the Eoxian Embassy. She sighs. I'm sorry. This is not your fault. I'm just... My name is Hebiza Eskolar. I'm a military attaché assigned to the embassy, and I need to get there in secret. That's why I'm in the box. I'm an Eoxian; I can survive long term storage. As for why I am on a slaughterhouse, I do not know what you are speaking of. I was in this sealed container in the Near Space of an Eoxian colony, scheduled to be picked up by the Acreon and delivered to the Eoxian Embassy. That is, until you opened my crate. May I inquire as to why? Who are you? Why did you open my crate? What happened to the crew of the Acreon?
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