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So, we have a 5th level Slayer in our Ironfang Invasion AP game. The studied target ability says this:

At 5th, 10th, 15th, and 20th levels, the bonuses on weapon attack and damage rolls, as well as the bonus to slayer ability DCs against a studied target increase by 1. In addition, at each such interval, the slayer is able to maintain these bonuses against an additional studied target at the same time. The slayer may discard this connection to a studied target as a free action, allowing him to study another target in its place.

I read it as the slayer can use his move action to study 2 targets at once. The GM read it as a move action to study one target, then a 2nd move action to study the 2nd target, still able to maintain both targets.

Any hive mind guidance on the correct read?

Myself and my players like to toss in 3PP spells to liven up the game with fresh spells and challenges. Too many times the players know the limits and in/outs of the standard stuff and 'meta' it accordingly.

Today one player's Arcanist cast Force Spikes from Rite Publishing. This is was a new spell for us, never having been used before in one of our games. While overall a straight forward spell, with a lot of stuff going on with it, we probably started overthinking one aspect of it:

Does it require a 'to hit' roll or is it an automatic hit similar to magic missile? If it required a 'to hit' roll, was it supposed to be Touch AC or Standard AC?
Was an automatic hit too powerful for the spell level? Was Touch AC a reasonable option or requirement? Part of the description said the caster 'hurls' the spikes. This verbiage made me lean towards a roll requirement, but the player suggested this is just part of the somatic requirement, also a sound interpretation.

One argument, with sound premises, compared the scaling to fireball, which is 3rd level also.

Boiled down simply, does the spell automatically hit, or need some 'to hit' roll?

Howdy,

I'm trying to develop a side-bar quest from the main AP. The heroes are 8th level and one has 2 negative levels. He has found an alchemist of high enough level to remove the levels but it will go sideways and the other heroes (paladin, warpriest, summoner) will need to rescue him.
I have a good map to use: a two level manor house with three basement levels.
The main villain would be a 12th level alchemist (minimum to cast Restoration).
What other challenges could I plug in to make this a fun side-bar encounter? Traps? Out of control experiments? Something else? Any advise/help is welcome.

My players and I were having a discussion regarding this ruling about leaving spell slots open. The rule is clear, assuming a PC/NPC deliberately leaves slots open after a rest period. It came up when they leveled up to 7th level and the divine caster wanted to step aside to take an hour to learn his new gained spells from leveling up without taking an 8 hour rest period. The discussion was whether this was possible or not. As the GM I was leaning away from it, but I could see where one might read into it that a divine caster could do this as there were now open slots with no intention of immediately taking a long rest period to recover spells, etc. Thoughts or Opinions?

Spell Selection and Preparation: A divine spellcaster selects and prepares spells ahead of time through prayer and meditation at a particular time of day. The time required to prepare spells is the same as it is for a wizard (1 hour), as is the requirement for a relatively peaceful environment. When preparing spells for the day, a cleric can leave some of her spell slots open. Later during that day, she can repeat the preparation process as often as she likes. During these extra sessions of preparation, she can fill these unused spell slots. She cannot, however, abandon a previously prepared spell to replace it with another one or fill a slot that is empty because she has cast a spell in the meantime. Like the first session of the day, this preparation takes at least 15 minutes, and it takes longer if she prepares more than one-quarter of his spells.

This came up in conversation during our game today. When a paladin gains his Aura of Courage ability does it make him immune to the Shaken condition (and the frightened and panicked conditions)?
"Shaken is a less severe state of fear than frightened or panicked."

I found an old thread from like ten years ago and it was more focused on Intimidation so was not clear and there were a host of opinions on the topic.

From a simplistic viewpoint, it would appear they are immune to those conditions but I could be wrong.

Howdy, we are gearing up to play Hell's Vengeance soon. My player is going to be a human wizard necromancer and wants an undead familiar at 1st level. Which sounds like a ton of fun.

I was looking to see if there was an undead template to use for something like this but currently not seeing one.

Another option I had was for her to have her PC take Improved Familiar, hand-wave the prerequisites, and give her a Beheaded.

But, she did favor the cat familiar, a family pet, that is now 'undead'. I guess we could do some customization for it but if there was a template out there, can someone point me to it?

I saw in the new campaign book that there is a new lord-mayor of Magnimar. How did that come about?

So, I have a player wanting to play a druid for this AP. Great! I love druids. She wants to have an orca as a companion. Again, great! A water based animal companion should go well with the aquatic nature of this AP.

Then I got to thinking. A fair amount of this campaign is submerged. Will an animal companion that needs to breathe air still flow well for this AP?

Are there better choices or suggestions?

Howdy,
My players are a few months away from starting a Skulls & Shackles game. In the beginning of that game there is some time where the PCs are not trusted and limited on access of the ship, etc.
One of my PCs is an oracle and I was wondering how one would suppress the divine magic an oracle has access to. I.e. an item (or spell) that limits spell abilities or spell casting?
Is there something like that already in the Pathfinder system?

So, a technical question arose from our last game session. Our heroes were confronted by a lich who cast Chain Lightning at them. One of our heroes is a wizard with Spell Turning cast upon himself. The wizard was third out of four struck by the chain lightning.
The question arose whether the spell turning would turn back the chain lightning upon the caster when the wizard was a secondary target and not the primary target of the spell.

Any help is appreciated.

So, I'm looking at the Anchoring ability of magical weapons. Rules for it seem straight forward enough until I get to wrapping my mind around how someone 'anchored' would try to escape the ability.

Scenario: fighter goes up against the BBEG and gets struck with a shortsword. BBEG activates the anchoring ability of the shortsword upon striking the fighter. Now he's stuck in one spot unless he can pass a DC 30 strength check. This allows the BBEG to leave the fighter in one spot while he mops up the cleric and wizard.

Couldn't the fighter just un-impale himself from the blade? Or could he take control of the shortsword and deactivate it somehow? Would that require a Use Magic Device check? Immovable Rods have a button. Would the shortsword have such a button?

The rules seem to imply the anchoring is controlled by the wielder, but if he lets go of it to leave the fighter anchored, is he still the wielder? If the anchored fighter takes ahold of the shortsword is he now the wielder?

Any suggestions or rules clarifications are appreciated!

I was wondering on the thoughts of others regarding the use of spells in public and its social acceptance.
More specifically, I have some players that want to cast 'detect evil' on a noble woman and then 'discern lies' while dining with her at a public restaurant.
Since I'm the GM, I have to take into consideration the NPCs possible reaction. These spells require verbal and physical gesturing to cast so casting them on the sly seems unlikely.
My first thoughts are a noble/aristocrat type NPC would probably find such an action as rude and presumptuous. Maybe the NPC would terminate the conversation immediately and leave the area: whether good or evil or indifferent of align or honest intentions...

It would compare to wanting to talk to a person but hooking them up to a lie detector machine first. Or doing a background check on someone while you're speaking to them at a social event and they are fully aware of your actions.

My other thought would be the person may not know the spell being cast and react with preventive hostility.

I am curious to see if others have dealt with this type scenario before and how it was handled.

So, probably right after finishing Runelords (almost done with book 4) my players plan on generating PCs and starting Shattered Star with me as the GM.
To add some juice to the AP, I thought I would add a rival adventuring party that are also attempting to recovered the Sihedron Shards.
I'm thinking of the leader of this group to be a cleric of Lissala (LN, domains Runes and Knowledge) of the original Lissala concepts before corruption to the Runelords version.
While not an evil group they are determined to recovered the shards for religious reasons and this alone would be enough to make for some hard choices and decisions that may cause serious conflicts with the PCs.
My thoughts are that the Runelords AP caused a minor resurgence in interest in Lissala and things related to Thassilon.
While I'm solid on the cleric of Lissala, my other NPCs in that rival group are less so. I'm considering a five person group, probably a Wizard of the Thassilonian Schools, a Tattooed Sorcerer (unknown bloodline right now), a Slayer and a Rogue.
I plan on having the NPCs as non-threatening contacts in Book 1, perhaps a love interest, a research partner, childhood friend, or family member, etc. I'm striving to create a situation where the parties are at odds with each other but not so much they'll just kill each other on sight.

What I'm looking for are suggestions or related experiences others might have had for including Lissala in the AP and suggestions on properly themed archetypes or bloodlines or classes or other ideas for the rival party.

I was reviewing this spell and think very highly of it. Is there a magic item incorporating elements of this spell into its design? Ring of Grace, etc?

So, we're looking at starting the Ironfang Invasion in a few months. Tentatively, the other PC choices are Hunter, Psychic, and Warpriest.

I was saying I'd like to play a Slayer but have never done so before. I noticed they didn't get Disable Device as a class skill but I found a trait (criminal) that would make up for it.

Big question is what type of melee build should this type of class be? I've seen a mix of opinions on it. It 'seems' that it should be a two-weapon fighting build, but what about sword & board?

And archetypes: is there one in particular that I should consider or just straight slayer?

Feats: are there any must haves starting out? (PC would be human)

So, my investigator just leveled up to 3rd. She is now eligible for a talent selection and I was strongly considering the alchemical discovery Mutagen.
What threw me off was if the Investigator has to use this DC check as she is not a full blown Alchemist:

A non-alchemist who drinks a mutagen must make a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 the alchemist’s level + the alchemist’s Intelligence modifier) or become nauseated for 1 hour—a non-alchemist can never gain the benefit of a mutagen, but an alchemist can gain the effects of another alchemist’s mutagen if he drinks it. (Although if the other alchemist creates a different mutagen, the effects of the “stolen” mutagen immediately cease.) The effects of a mutagen do not stack. Whenever an alchemist drinks a mutagen, the effects of any previous mutagen immediately end.

So, does she need to make a DC check or would she be using this mutagen as if she was an alchemist?

Howdy,

Gearing up to start the Strange Aeons AP soon and was wondering if there were any 3PP products specifically supporting this AP yet.

I am seeking input and guidance pointing me in a certain direction. I am looking for modules or an AP that would be suitable for 1 or 2 vigilante class PCs.
It's a small group, not the normal 4, as most APs and modules are designed around but I figured there'd be something out there that would work well. I am part of a group of 3 that play regularly and we were looking for something outside the normal.
And direction is appreciated.

Howdy,
My players have a family of characters that have a lot of backstory involving their taint with the Horsemen. This has developed into several sorcerer PCs with the Daemon Bloodline.
Now, one wants to generate a Bloodrager. While I have no issues with that, I realized the bloodline list for bloodragers does not include Daemon. My question is this: what other bloodlines would fit for a PC bloodrager touched by the Horsemen? Aberrant or Black Blood?

Or is there something else we're missing? Never realized the bloodrager bloodline list was so short,compared to the sorcerer, until now.

Howdy,
I'm getting ready to start GMing the Mummy's Mask AP with some friends. I am going to probably use the Legendary Games plug-ins for this AP but I was wondering if there were any other 3rd party plug-ins that would work also.

So, we're gaming this morning and ran across an issue we were not familiar with. Opposing spellcaster was using Mage Armor to buff AC. Our spellcaster cast a spell with a ranged touch attack. Does the mage armor add to the enemies touch AC? We did some searching and never found anything definitive.

So, I've been reading the Ultimate Intrigue book and I love the vigilante concept. But, it seems (to me at least) not that compatible with the current APs out there. There are some exceptions, like Hells Rebels and Council of Thieves, but for the most part probably not suitable.
I'm looking for suggestions for Paizo modules or APs that would work well with this new class that are already out there. I am also interested in third-party modules that would work with the Vigilante. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Looking to build a (most likely human) cavalier who follows Gorum. Any suggestions on what order would fit best with Gorum?
Also are there any character traits that fit well with Gorum?

Going to be stationed at 29 Palms for most of a year. Are there any Pathfinder gaming groups in this area? Game stores?

I grew up cutting my RPG teeth on AD&D. One of the iconic weapons from those days was the sword Blackrazor from White Plume Mountain. And there were plenty more...Wave is one I remember also.
Have these legendary magic items carried over to Pathfinder in some form or fashion? If so, where would they be stat-ed out?

We're gearing up to play this AP in the next few months. We're already tossing ideas around on what classes and races would be optimal for this game.
I'm stepping way out of my comfort zone and want to play a dwarf druid (mountain type). I'm not sure on if the character would have an animal companion (wolverine) or domain (mountain) yet. I'm not sure whether he'd follow the dwarven pantheon or the green faith.
One other player is wanting to be a ranger, but hasn't elaborated on any specifics yet.
We're still undecided about the other two characters. Suggestions or ideas?
I was sort of thinking a sorcerer would be ideal. Maybe a monk for the fourth?

New cleric PC has domains of Animal and Good (Erastil). Wisdom of 18.
By my calculations and interpretation of the text from the Core Rules Book, this cleric should have

7 0-level osirons
5 1-level spells
two domains spells but only one usable per day.

Is this correct or does the bonus spell rule for high ability score factor in differently?

My new player in my game is a rogue and is looking for languages for his character. He was asking about a thieves tongue for the local guild. I'd didn't see any references in the books about secret languages except the Druids.
Has this ever been addressed? Is there a thieves tongue/cant per the rule books or maybe just 'house rules'?

Okay, had a new player to the game ask me why Wizards don't get Use Magic Device as a class skill.
I didn't have a good answer for him.
Anyone else explain why an arcane caster wouldn't have this as a class skill?

Howdy, one of my PCs is running a fighter, human, and likes two-handed weapons. We'er getting ready to start Rise of the Runelords game and he's using a great axe and an earth breaker. He picked Weapon Focus and Power Attack as his feats along with Toughness.
Are there any specific two-handed weapon feats he should be working towards? I already told him he's gonna want to get Cleave. I'm not familiar with all the feats offered in other books. My Unchained book is in shipment right now.

Howdy,
I'm split between running Rise of the Runelords or the Dragon's Demand for a group of novice players. Three have not played Pathfinder before and the other has played only a handful of gaming sessions in Mummy's Mask.
I was looking for advise on what would be the best character class options for these two adventures, factoring in the novice players. And to keep it well rounded with four characters.
Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!

So, we're starting the Mummy's Path adventures. The first book involves raiding tombs in Wati's necropolis. One of the player's is a lawful good dwarven cleric of Torag.
How would a character of this alignment and deity justify pillaging ancient tombs for profit and gain?

Okay, after a long absence from RPGs, I'm back in it. My friends and I used to play on the line in chat rooms years ago. We're trying to get that up and going again but as there are new and better ways of playing on the line I thought I'd ask folks here what might be the best methods. I've heard suggestions on using Skipe (sp?), as there is a no-fee version. One of the stumbling blocks would be passing on map information to the other players. I'm looking into buying PDF versions of an adventure path to see how I might cut/past map portions to give to players on the line.
Any suggestions/advice on what the best on the line ways there are to play Pathfinder?
Are there Pathfinder game rooms I'm just not familiar with?

Was wondering if there were official rules, guidelines for half-ogres as a PC?
Was perusing around and couldn't find any references to it.
Any help pointing me in the right direction is appreciated.

I'm hoping I can post regularly but we'll see what actually happens...
this is a game we are playing when time allows...

Mummy’s Mask Adventure Path:
Character backgrounds and game introduction:

CYPHER
Her name was Cypher but at one time it was not. Her first name was a distant memory and if spoken out loud one she would not readily recognize as her own. Her original name was only something that she sometimes thought about as sleep overtook her in the evenings. Her past was another life but one irrevocably intertwined with her current one. Even though the memories of her past seldom came to the surface, buried deep through suffering and hardship, her past continued to influence her present and future. Once, deep in her cups while with her current companions, she spoke of her past…
Daughter of a Chelaxian scholar, she was doted on by her father. He was a specialist in Osirionalogy, the study of the ancient histories of Osirion. Despite her youth, she was quick of wit and intelligence, and spent hours a day with him in his study, poring over dusty scrolls and maps. She quickly picked up Ancient Osirion, a dead language of hieroglyphs. Her father and mother were amazed that a child of six years could learn something that easily. A man of modest means, her father often was called upon by nobles and other scholars to assist in deciphering ancient tomes and manuscripts written in the desert language. Then, one day, he was offered a position on an expedition to the land of the pharaohs itself. Taking out loans to finance his needs he kissed his wife and hugged his daughter goodbye. A year passed without word. Cypher’s mother was desperate as money was running out quickly and the debt collectors were wanting the debts settled.
In Cheliax slavery was not only legal but a thriving business. It was not unusual for persons defaulting on loans to be sold into slavery to settle the debts. So it was, two years after her father disappeared into the sands of Osirion, Cypher and her mother had their house confiscated and sold with its contents and they walked across the auction block. She last saw her mother being led away, collared and chained. Cypher, being a not unattractive child of eight years, was sold for a handful of coins to a brothel specializing in child prostitution. The next seven years Cypher was a slave in the capital city of Egorian, serving the perverse pleasures of men and women at an establishment called Angel Eyes.
Cypher became cold and distant, learning to hide her emotions. She became hardened to cruelty and the darker side of people. She learned not to become attached to anyone and expect the worst in people. The moment she showed a concern or care for something or someone it was snatched from her causing her to become cynical and apathetic. To survive in the present she buried her past life deep within and rarely thought about it. She soon did not even think about her father and mother, only concerned with making it through the day. Her only escape was the stories she had memorized of Osirion; the blowing sands, the dry heat, ancient empires, powerful pharaohs, and desert heroes.
Fire. Fire was the cause of major changes in Cypher’s life when she was fifteen years of age. Fire raged through the city one night, jumping from wooden house to the next, whipped to an inferno by high winds. Chaos ran amuck in the city that night with people burning alive in their homes and other dying in the streets as mobs of refugees attempted to escape the flames. Cypher found herself in a position where escape was possible. And she grabbed that possibility by the throat and ran with it.
But, she was a young woman of no means in the streets with no income and no contacts. Hellknights from the Order of the Chain were scouring the city and surrounding countryside for escaped slaves. Fortune shined on her when she was caught stealing dates from a merchant’s store front. Sefu was a merchant in the capital city specializing in importing goods and produce from his home country of Osirion. Quickly recognizing her as an escaped slave he pondered turning her in for a reward. It was when she spoke to him in the modern Osirion tongue that the dark-skinned Garundi took pity on her and allowed her into his home. Sefu quickly discovered Cypher to be very intelligent but also swift and sure of hand and limb. He found the withdrawn young lady intriguing and began teaching her the basics of the arcane arts but also the joys of swordplay. Sefu was a student of the Way of the Magi. A blending of spell casting and swordsmanship it was an uncommon and almost lost teaching. Cypher took to the teaching with a fanatical attitude and soon was very adept in the scimitar and spear but also with offensive spell casting.
Cypher spent five years with Sefu. She assisted him with his imports and learned his merchant contacts in Osirion. When Sefu had customers or acquaintances in his shop Cypher only spoke Osirion and Sefu passed her off as a fellow merchant’s daughter from Osirion who’d sent the girl to him for training and experience.
Then misfortune stuck again. A former patron of Angel Eyes came into the merchant shop and recognized Cypher as an escaped slave. Cypher and the patron knew each other at first sight. The old nobleman had often requested Cypher when she’d been at Angel Eyes. He left without causing a scene but the damage was done. She knew the Order of the Chain would be coming soon. Sefu also recognized the threat and had her quickly pack her few belongings and walked her to the river docks. He booked her passage on the first ship sailing downriver to the ocean.
Sefu knew he was doomed for harboring an escaped slave and Cypher’s last view showed him drawing a scimitar with his right hand and his left glowing with arcane power as he squared off with the Hellknights thundering onto the docks.
Cypher didn’t even know where the ship was bound and when she asked she was delighted to hear it was headed to Sothis, capital city of Osirion. She wasn’t the only passenger on board. There was a Halfling named Ebon, a dwarf named Dane, and a young man named Bendigo. They all had to share a cabin for the six week journey. Ebon, Bendigo, and Dane were very friendly and entertaining to be around. Ebon especially was intriguing to her and she found that he was able to bring out the good in her. He often made her smile and on occasion laugh which is something she had not done in a long time. He specialized in alchemy and was always causing the cabin to reek from the fumes of his last combination of elixirs. She realized upon reaching Sothis that she’d actually made friends and wanted to stay with them on the journey up the River Sphinx. They were bound for Wati to explore the necropolis in the city. It was about to be opened up for exploration by the Ruby Prince, Pharaoh Khemet III.

EBON & BENDIGO

Deep in the Mindspin Mountains, the border between Nidal and Nirmathas, is a vale far from the common paths. In this vale is a walled compound and fortress. It is called Quicksilver. Its remoteness is such that common travelers are infrequent.
Founded almost 100 years ago, the original settlers were refugees from a far land on the continent of Garund. That land is now called the Mana Wastes. Rebellion and civil strife caused the settlers of Quicksilver to leave the Mana Wastes and find a new home far from the politics and dangers of the homeland. A place far enough away that they’d be forgotten.
Quicksilver is unique. Housing only a few hundred people, they are a mix of halflings, humans, dwarves, and several gnomes. They do not readily welcome visitors and outsiders are not normally allowed into the granite walls. A person viewing the fortress and compound would see unique cut-outs in the walls with great bronze tubes protruding.
What is known about Quicksilver is very little. Merchants know most if not all of the alchemical products sold in cities in Nidal and Nirmathas come from here. Tindertwigs, smokesticks, sunrods, and alchemical fire are just a small portion of the mundane products that come out twice a year. There is also an excellent glassworks and metalworking. But its most precious product is one that is not sold and exported. Quicksilver’s founders brought with them the secret of black powder. Whispered about in taverns and docksides, black powder is said by some to be a new type of arcana. Others say it is not magical at all and part of something called ‘science’. A third group says this science is only another type of magic. What is known is that the denizens of Quicksilver seem to have mastered this black powder and harness it into weapons called thunder sticks or muskets, bombards and cannons. It is said some are small enough for use in one hand and others need teams of mules to move and position them. They belch an acrid smoke and push out anything from lead pellets to large stone boulders. The rumors say that the giants in the mountains avoid Quicksilver due to the devastating effects of the weapons on the walls.
Bendigo and Ebon were born and raised in Quicksilver. Bendigo was a young human man serving in the permanent militia that manned the walls of the fortress. A large man, solid built, he regularly used black powder weapons and was very good with them. He commonly had a worn musket and two flintlock pistols with him at all times. But he also carried a long sword as he knew there were limitations on the powerful weapons he used. Quicksilver was a rigid society and as with most youth Bendigo chaffed under it. Law and Order were strong in Quicksilver. He longed to leave and explore the world. He and Ebon would read in the library of far and distant lands and exotic places. For some reason they fixated on the desert countries of northern Garund: Osirion, Rahadoum, Thuvia, and Katapesh. Perhaps because it was so far away. Either way they both longed to visit places like Shiman-Sekh and Eto, and see places like the carved Cliffs of Kusha-ta-Pahk and the Valley of Shards.
It didn’t help that his father and mother were making arrangements for a marriage between him and the Oakley family’s oldest daughter, Annie. This was the last thing Bendigo wanted but his father said it was a good match despite protests from Bendigo. Annie had an acidic personality and was very obese. The mole on her chin didn’t help either. Every time Bendigo looked at Annie all he could see were the three dark hairs growing out of that mole. Ebon teased him mercilessly about the pending marriage. Bendigo knew if he got married his life was done. A future with children, a fat dull wife and constantly walking the walls of Quicksilver was not what he wanted for himself.
Fortunately for him, his best friend Ebon also wanted to leave. And Ebon knew how to make black powder.
The best qualities about Ebon were that he was curious and clever. The worst qualities about Ebon were that he was curious and clever. Ebon worked in the one of the alchemy labs making smokesticks. He’d started working in the lab making alchemical fire but there’d been an ‘accident’ and he was transferred to a lab with less likelihood for him to blow it up or burn it down. But his cleverness paid off and the smokesticks he made burned almost twice as long as others.
For him, it was boring and mundane work and when he was done for the day he would retire to his small house and do his own experiments. Experimenting in the home was against the rules but Ebon was not one to always obey the rules. If he didn’t experiment in his home he would never be able to expand his skills. Ebon had already made several discoveries and kept them bottled up in vials. Ebon felt the rules of Quicksilver were overbearing and restrictive. He knew he would never achieve his maximum potential unless he left.
He knew life was tough for a Halfling out in the world. Halflings were often kept as slaves in some societies and countries. He needed Bendigo with him; not only as a friend but as protection. Bendigo was normally a calm and reasonable person but Ebon knew Bendigo was ferocious when his blood was up. Plus he was proficient with the musket and pistol.
For the past six months Ebon and Bendigo had been stashing supplies away. Ebon had squirrelled away some old laboratory equipment and Bendigo had found an old cart that he began storing small quantities of gunpowder in. Just recently they’d decided they had everything they needed to survive on the road. They both knew they would not be allowed to leave without a search. Attempting to leave with gunpowder and weapons and the laboratory equipment would not be allowed and to attempt to would get them arrested and put in the stockade. They were both at a loss on how to manage an exit unobserved.
Recently, a dwarven priest of Torag had arrived at the gate. He’d requested admittance but had been denied and was staying in one of the merchant huts that were outside the walls. The community had little to talk about and the arrival had set tongues to wagging.
While the dwarf had been denied admittance there was no rule about going outside the walls to visit or socialize with a visitor. Ebon and Bendigo drifted out one afternoon and met Dane. They found him pleasant and like them, very curious about the world. He’d heard about Quicksilver and wanted to find out more about it. He was also a craftsman and blacksmith and enjoyed building things. Ebon, Bendigo and Dane quickly became friends and they confided in Dane their desire to leave the community and explore the world seeking fame, fortune and glory. Dane agreed to travel with them.
Two nights later a furious storm came through the mountains and lightning bounced among the peaks and rain pelted the vale. High winds ripped at the walls and people shuttered windows and bolted doors.
Bendigo managed to steal a mule and hooked it up to the old cart. Ebon used an elixir and tricked a guard at a side sally port. The slumbering guard wasn’t found until the next morning after the storm passed. By then Ebon, Dane and Bendigo were far down the trails headed to Korvosa.
In Korvosa they booked passage on a merchant ship owned by the Bale merchant family that was headed to Sothis with trade goods. Ebon picked Sothis as a destination as rumors abounded in the dock taverns that the Ruby Prince was opening up another region to explorers near Wati.
The ship put in at ports along the way and in Egorian they added another passenger, a tall willowy young woman with a long brown braid. She carried a scimitar and spear and seemed to know them well. They had to share a cabin with her and at first they were put off by her aloofness and air of disdain. But, Ebon, sensing more to her slowly drew her out of her shell and made friends with Cypher. He was delighted to hear she spoke both Ancient Osirion and modern Osirion.
Ebon, the eternal optimist, sensed greatness ahead.

DANE

There was unrest in the temples dedicated to Torag, Father of Creation. Bishops and deacons argued in closed door meetings and brothers spent long hours in supplicant prayer asking for guidance. Priests for the god of the forge, protection and strategy spent their days mediating using hammer and tongs on the anvils hoping for enlightenment while crafting and blacksmithing.
Then the archbishop’s ruling came down and the edict was dispersed. Torag’s followers would have no acceptance or interaction with black powder and the weapons associated with it. All contact with such banned contraband was to be reported and passed up the ranks of the church for evaluation and judgment.
The technology was not new but whispers of it were becoming more common and sightings seemed to be cropping up more as the decades passed. Prior reports of the black powder had placed it all on the continent of Garund but now there were rumors it was here on Avistan in the Mindspin Mountains. Other reports indicated the black powder weapons were being used in Magnimar and Absalom.
It was a faith divided.
One half of the faith had determined it was a destructive creation and against the main tenets of the teaching of Torag. The opposing view was that Torag was the Father of Creation and would not have brought if forth into mortal hands without purpose. The first half was for rooting out the sources and users of this technology and erasing it from the lands whilst the other side was wanting to learn more about it and embrace this new technology.
The edict itself was a compromise. Whilst the church would not accept black powder and the weapons associated with them; it also would not actively destroy them when found. It would only track the usage and spread and monitor its impact on the societies of the two continents. Of course, dissenters of the edict were many with some saying it was not strict enough and others believing it was not a necessary ruling at all. It was an issue that could easily destroy an established church hierarchy leading to a church permanently divided.
Dane was born and raised in Highhelm, the capital of Five Kings Mountains, the stronghold of the dwarves. One of many children, Dane was taught at an early age the skills of metalworking. Not only did he learn the anvil and tongs of blacksmithing but also the delicate skills for making clockworks and other devices. The ring of hammer on steel and the shower of sparks from red hot iron were his life and he loved the feel of creating with his tools and hands. But as a young man he answered Torag’s call when it appeared on the wall of the smithy. He went to Larrad and was taught the teachings of the Father of Creation. A dedicated worshipper, he was quick to learn and grasp the tenets.
In the caverns of Larrad he was taught another use for the hammer and he soon found joy in sparring and combat.
Black powder and guns fascinated Dane. Whilst he’d never seen it he read everything he could on it. More than anything he wanted to get his hands on a weapon and break it down and rebuild it and learn how it worked. He wanted to be taught how black powder functioned as it did and what else could be done with it.
The church edict was not one he agreed with but he was only a journeyman priest and his input was insignificant. Many a tankard of ale was draught in the ale houses as adepts and journeymen argued over the ruling.
Dane’s mentor, Deacon Roldur, thought as he did and believed it best to learn more. He came to Dane asking if he’d like to seek out black powder and report back to Larrad with his findings. Dane was overcome pride at the request and overjoyed at the opportunity. While it could be interpreted as violating the edict, Dane thought the risk worthy. He was to send his reports directly to Deacon Roldur and not discuss his mission with anyone else.
Dane gathered supplies and bought a mule which he named Bobo. He journeyed from Larrad down into Druma to Kerse and booked passage across Lake Encarthan to Tamran in Nirmathas. He was headed to the Mindspin Mountains seeking a community called Quicksilver. Reports indicated this secluded enclave had what he was seeking. Several months after his departure from Larrad he arrived. Much to his consternation he was not allowed into the walls and encamped in the primitive shacks outside the walls.
This was when he met Ebon and Bendigo. They expressed a desire to leave Quicksilver and Dane befriended them and said he’d journey with them. What better way to learn of black powder than to travel with two persons intimately familiar with it. And one would actually have some of the guns he was so fascinated by!
In middle of a storm the three left the mountains and travelled to Korvosa. They were headed to Osirion. Dane himself was not particular on where they were going so long as he was able to research Bendigo’s guns and the black powder in the cart. In Korvosa he penned a letter to his mentor and sent it off.
Dane got on well with Bendigo and Ebon. In Egorian their ship took on a fourth passenger named Cypher. She unsettled Dane with her aura of bitterness but Ebon and Bendigo liked her well enough. He could tell she had a hard and difficult past but nothing in his life experience could prepare him when she was full of wine and related her experiences. He openly wept during her account of the atrocities she went through.
Dane had never thought much of Osirion. In Five Kings Mountains it was a far land and little was known about it. But speaking with Ebon and Bendigo and Cypher he found a new fascination: Pahmet dwarves. He’d never heard of them before and was desirous to learn more on why they were called sand dwarves. They were said to be most common in the Brazen Frontier area of Osirion and maybe he’d be able to learn more.

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The four travelers debarked the ship in Sothis. Cypher was able to find a barge reasonably quick that was headed up the River Sphinx to Wati. The heat was a shock to all of them and they were quick to follow local custom and wear pale robes to reflect the heat and retain body moisture. Dust and sand were always in the wind and Bendigo was constantly griping about the conditions.
They were headed to Wati, the Half City. One half was a living city but other half was a walled off necropolis. A plague had ravaged the city hundreds of years ago with over half the population dying. The city had been abandoned entirely but was later reclaimed by the Church of Pharasma. Pharasma priests walled off the abandoned city and put the dead inhabitants to rest. A new city sprung up around the necropolis, soon eclipsing the vast cemetery.
Seven years ago, Pharaoh Khemet III, the Ruby Prince, formally opened Osirion’s ancient tombs and burial sites to foreign explorers. Khemet III understood that adventurers who’ve traveled great distances in search of treasure typically do not return from whence they came to sell their discoveries. Instead, they typically sell or trade what they do not keep as quickly as possible. The Ruby Prince’s policy has attracted not only explorers to the desert nation but also countless scholars, private collectors, special interest groups such as the Pathfinder Society, and financial interests from all across the Inner Sea.
When Ebon and his companions arrived in Wati they found lodging in a dark and cool inn called the Tooth and Hookah. Several other adventuring bands were there also. The Church of Pharasma was responsible for opening the city’s necropolis to adventurers but was keeping a firm hand on the procedure. Groups had to register with the church at the Grand Mausoleum and a lottery system was being used to determine what areas were to be explored by each adventuring band.
Ebon, Cypher, Dane and Bendigo went to the Grand Mausoleum and were awed by the sweeping arches of the cathedral. A church clerk took them to a side room and began registering their names. He asked them what the name of their adventuring band was and he got blank looks in return. The man sighed and informed them the church required a group name for the lottery. The four huddled and mulled over some names. Most shook their heads at the suggestions. Ebon turned to the clerk with a clever grin on his face, “Fools’ Errand”. The others exchanged glances and ruefully shook their heads in agreement.

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The bustling desert city of Wati was near bursting with excitement. Adventurers from every corner of the Inner Sea region were assembled beneath the hot Osirion sun to explore the tombs of the city’s necropolis, waiting only to be assigned their first sites for exploration. Surrounding the participants, the public had gathered to observe the ceremony as well. A festival-like quality was in the air, and numerous street vendors were hawking goods and refreshments to participants and spectators alike. Bendigo and Dane took advantage and were eating some meat-like substance from a stick sold nearby. Merchants were going around pitching that they’d be more than willing to purchase any recovered treasures and antiquities at their establishments.
In front of the imposing edifice of the Grand Mausoleum, an immense awning had been erected between decorated pillars in the market to provide shade for the priests of Pharasma overseeing the lottery. Beneath the awning, two urns sat atop a table elevated a few feet above the ground on a wooden stage constructed for the event. The high priestess of the church, Sebti the Crocodile, sat behind the table, while two acolytes conferred with her at either side.
Sebti rose to her feet and a silence fell over the crowd. She began with an invocation to the Lady of Graves, followed by a brief history of the necropolis.
“Let the lottery begin! Although many of you have requested specific sites to explore, we must leave these matters to fate. The Lady of Graves is a far better judge of destiny than we of this mortal sphere. The gates of the necropolis will open at sunrise tomorrow. Use this evening to prepare yourselves for the task ahead. Let these rules guide you in your endeavors in this holy place: remember how this came to pass, every slave’s hut is a memorial, and honor the departed. May you go with the Lady’s blessing.”
The acolytes begin drawing tokens from one urn with the names of the adventuring bands and matching them to tokens drawn from the other urn.
Fools’ Errand’s token was matched up with the token for the Tomb of Akhentepi.

I'm getting ready to run the Mummy's Mask adventure path. PCs wanted to take a different route on the character classes and chose:
Halfling alchemist
human magus (dervish build)
human gunslinger
dwarven cleric of Torag
We've never used the magus and alchemist and gunslinger before and I just introduced hints of black powder being in the campaign setting we use.
Any folks out there already running this game running into issued with particular character classes working or not working too well?

My fighter just attained 3rd level. He started using a magical ranseur and I'm looking for suggestions on the best choice in combat feats that would work best for a polearm type weapon.

I must be missing it somewhere...I'm new to Pathfinder but have lots of gaming experience.
In the character generation each class is given class skills.
My question is...when gaining levels where is it notated where a character can gain NEW skills and by what method?
I know each level gives you a certain amount of skill ranks to apply to existing skills.

Just got back into the gaming scene again when my son expressed an interest after finding my boxes and boxes of RPGs from other publishers. We started exploring the game stores and were really drawn to Pathfinder. We've been playing the first module of the Shattered Star adventure path. I'm looking for a digital version of the character sheet and thought someone out there would have a something useful. The free download character sheet is okay, but I'm sure someone has something better. Maybe class specific character sheets?

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