How about this, instead of getting pissed about Custom Chronicles, let's instead brainstorm a solution that helps everyone.
I've thought for a while that PFS needs a "Chronicle Generator." Something where you can input your "signature" into the system and it will throw it on the Chronicle.
Then you just input what chronicle you need to build for, and the players, then it spits out a series of PDFs you can print, or you can recall your old chronicles. That would be nice. Then, we have no reason to generate custom chronicles; the system for it would make the custom chronicles.
While I don't think it should be banned, this brings a lot of light to a few things. So many immediate actions that I've been reading have had "do this if this," its just that EFS doesn't have one. I agree that you can't use it once the attack roll is revealed, but you should be able to do it before the attack roll is revealed.
Also, its not an invulnerable sphere. It only has 10 HP/Level, and it costs a 4th Level spell...which is expensive when you first get it, and since you generally only get to 6th Level in most campaigns (Cap out at 14th-16th Level), its expensive enough. Plus, it takes the Wizard out for at least one action: it can't use swift, it costs a standard to lower the shield, or a teleport spell to get out of it. My wizard is generally out for two rounds when he uses EFS: Greater Invis, DDoor, then he can cast spells the round after.
Helpless means you couldn't do jack squat...this includes Paralysis and Unconscious conditions. Just being tied up doesn't even make you helpless because you can just flounder out of their grip.
In order to be truly helpless, you must have to completely skip your turn with no defenses (stunned/dazed doesn't count either). In all, your AC should be a total of 5 (0 DEX). Even being bound doesn't remove all of your Dexterity (it just prevents you from benefiting from Dexterity bonuses).
Well...I would say that Fireball *would* work, since it considered an "attack." Its a grey area, but I would like to know if it would work. Remember, you need the "good aura" (or good subtype) to benefit from this spell, which Wizards and Sorcerers usually don't have.
Okay, so here's my dilemma. I saw this argument at MegaConvention2013, where someone wanted to use Emergency Force Shield as an immediate action to prevent this massive thing from basically one-shotting him.
Much like a swift action, an immediate action consumes a very small amount of time but represents a larger expenditure of effort and energy than a free action. However, unlike a swift action, an immediate action can be performed at any time—even if it's not your turn. Casting feather fall is an immediate action, since the spell can be cast at any time.
Using an immediate action on your turn is the same as using a swift action and counts as your swift action for that turn. You cannot use another immediate action or a swift action until after your next turn if you have used an immediate action when it is not currently your turn (effectively, using an immediate action before your turn is equivalent to using your swift action for the coming turn). You also cannot use an immediate action if you are flat-footed.
The restriction is that you can't use an immediate action flat-footed. However, there is a little bit of an enumeration problem here: when an immediate action is used, when CAN it be used? It says that it can be done out of order, so it can be used as a reaction, which is specifically listed on some spells:
Paladin's Sacrifice (Paladin 2):
You open up a brief but powerful divine conduit between you and another creature, taking on the damage and any other effects that creature suffers. When a creature in range is hit by an attack or fails a saving throw, you can cast this spell and the wounds and/or effects are magically transmitted to you instead of the target. You are affected as if you were hit by the attack or failed the saving throw, taking all the damage and suffering all of the adverse effects. Any resistances or immunities you have are applied normally, but you cannot otherwise reduce or negate the damage or effects in any way.
If you use this spell against an effect that also targets you or includes you in its area, you suffer the effects for both yourself and the target you spared, potentially taking damage or suffering other consequences twice.
Blaze of Glory (Paladin 4):
You fall unconscious but also unleash a spectacular wave of holy energy that heartens and heals your allies while leaving your opponents daunted and damaged. You can cast this spell as either a standard action on your turn, or as an immediate action when brought to below 0 hit points. If cast as a standard action, you are immediately reduced to -1 hit points, but stable, after casting the spell.
When you cast this spell, any good creature within range is healed for 1d6 points of damage per two caster levels. All evil creatures within range take the same amount as damage instead (a successful Will save halves this damage). In addition, all allies and enemies within range are affected as if by the prayer spell for 1 round per caster level.
Which are two good examples of spells that specifically list when the action can be taken (as a reaction to an action). However, Emergency Force Sphere is another story:
Emergency Force Sphere (Sorcerer/Wizard 4):
As wall of force, except you create a hemispherical dome of force with hardness 20 and a number of hit points equal to 10 per caster level. The bottom edge of the dome forms a relatively watertight space if you are standing on a reasonably flat surface. The dome shape means that falling debris (such as rocks from a collapsing ceiling) tend to tumble to the side and pile up around the base of the dome. If you make a DC 20 Craft (stonemasonry), Knowledge (engineering), or Profession (architect or engineer) check, the debris is stable enough that it retains its dome-like configuration when the spell ends, otherwise it collapses.
Normally this spell is used to buy time for dealing with avalanches, floods, and rock-slides, though it is also handy in dealing with ambushes.
This does not list a specific action when it can and cannot be done. As a GM, I've always listed Immediates as Reactions, which can be done prior to another action if they are not flat-footed against it. However, this GM ruled that it could not be done as a reaction to an attack, and must be done post-turn, which didn't sit right to me. So, I'm bringing it to the Rules Questions boards.
The people who were saying that every CHA-based character should be the "face" were being selfish. Some people don't like to be the face. I understand that, and, unfortunately, it happens that players a like this: they have preconceptions that characters should fit basic roles based on their class decisions; Cleric- Healer, Wizard- Knowledge Monkey/Nuker, Barbarian- Pure Tank, etc. I've seen some very creative builds that completely "break the mold" of their class, and they have awesome characters.
The DM was completely in his authority to call upon the "Don't be a Jerk" rule, allowing for dismissal, or the shutting up of the offenders.
1. Make sure you pack your car before you leave the day before the convention. Make sure you have everything necessary, and, to make sure, try to "run" your first module with imaginary players, so you will have everything in your pack; maps, dice, initiative surfaces, module printouts, figs, and the like.
2. Be calm. People are looking to you for advice, and if you're disjointed, they will be as well. Don't hesitate to say, "Let me find out" instead of mindlessly looking up in the book. Usually in conventions, you will find lots of knowledgable people, so, be sure to make friends and use them as a resource. I've never been to a convention where people won't hesitate to at least point you in the generally correct direction.
3. Bring a bag of throat losenges. Not because of sickness, but simply because it will keep your throat from drying up. I try to pop one at least between slots, and I don't have too much of an issue.
4. Arrive early to draw maps. You generally have four hours, and that's it. Drawing maps early means that you waste a lot less time.
5. Determine where the convention is, any food places around the area, and how parking is determined. If you don't get lost, you have more time for setup and organization.
Well, I'm one of the GMs that went to SwampCon in Gainesville, FL.
Over the 5 slots/2 days of gaming, I got the exhaustion put into me and the energy drained for me, but it was for a great experience!
At SwampCon2013, we must have handed out at least 55 new Pathfinder Society Numbers. We haven't even done that many number handouts for MegaCon (30k+ Total Attendance, 9-15 Tables of PFS Gaming/slot, 10 slots), which is fricken awesome.
Its opened the eyes of all of the PFS GMs that took the trip from their home areas to Gainesville to see that, while there is an extreme amount of interest in a Pathfinder Society setup, no one has offered it for quite some time (hearing stories of what previously transpired, its definitely a "I graduated, now I'm leaving," thing). We planted the seeds of offering people to come to the FloridaPFS boards and chat with other Florida Pathfinders many times. Hopefully it stuck in their minds, but, as 90% of the new players were current college students, I have no idea if college would override it.
Its one of those things you can't believe we did...that is, until you see that we did 3+ tables of just pure walk-ins per slot.
I'm glad I went, and thanks to everyone who joined us. If you're just coming to the boards from Gainesville, shoot over to FloridaPFS, we should be starting a discussion to possibly establish a PFS Presence in or around the UoF campus.
Problem with that is that when they are raised, they'll be at 0 Con. 0 Con = dead, so they never live long enough for the healing to kick in. Once the lesser restoration kicks in, then the natural healing will bring the PC back up to full over time.
I can't remember where, but there's an exception to this rule. It read something like this:
If you raise someone with CON equal to or less than 0, you may immediately cast Lesser Restoration, Restoration or Greater Restoration to remove enough stat damage so that Constitution rises above 0. If you fail to cast both spells, or the result of the spell does not raise the target's CON score above 0, the target remains dead.
Also, you can use Lesser Wish, Miracle and Wish to remove stat damage of a dead body before you do a raise/rez.
You have two options:
1. You can get a 3D Printer (costs lots of money)
2. You can use foam, and "hot piano wire."
Assuming that you use foam, you take hot piano wire (there are foam cutters out there, which are just a wire with an electrical current, which gets really hot), and you shape the terrain to your needs.
The big problem I've found with full-size terrain is it is labor intensive, and bulky.
Which is why my conclusion was (in the final paragraph), I mentioned that I reverse engineered the cost, and, would be PFS Illegal.
If you choose to use my reverse engineered Advanced Pale Green Ioun Stone table in your home game, I cannot stop you.
As for the Advanced Ioun Stones which are generally on the tables (such as a +6 DEX Ioun Stone), its possible it would be legal, depending on how the Paizo guys ruled that the "Advanced Ioun Stone" section would be legal or completely illegal.
Hmm... I'm not too sure that would be PFS Legal, but they have recently ruled that you can upgrade a +2 DEX Belt to +4 DEX Belt for the difference in cost, so these *might* be legal. Thanks for pointing this out, I would look forward to figuring out if Advanced Ioun Stones are actually society legal.
Regardless, just remember that bonuses in the Item Creation are determined based on the type of bonus:
But, that would be me doing reverse engineering on the cost, and, since you can't inject anything into Pathfinder Society, this would be illegal; the highest +"Competence Bonus on Attack Rolls, Saves and Skill Checks" you could get would be +1 using the Pale Green Ioun Stone at 30,000 GP.
And you don't think you could've run a special once and an exclusive 4 times in a year? You said yourself you go to 3 cons a year, that's once per con and once for a home group.
It was indeed possible for me to do it, but it pained me to think that I would only get my fifth star for only a single year simply because I got burnt out (it happens) and decided to take a hiatus for a month or two, or that the yearly Exclusive was already played by everyone possible in Florida at a convention, so it wasn't offered. I'm agreeing with the removal of the maintenance requirements, instead I would like to see different things as a rating system, rather than showing quality based on number of stars.
I know plenty of GMs that don't even have more than two stars, which are supremely better than I am. Hopefully, with the blog post, the new GM Reward system that was talked about will fill that void.
The 5-star maintenance requirements weren't too difficult, but, for someone who only goes to 3 conventions a year, and the fact that I can only run specials only so often (Interactive x1, Special x3), I felt that I was quite in danger of only having my 5th star (when I attained it) for a single year, then I would drop back down to 4th. I actually like it.
Imper1um, the 5-star maintenance requirements didn't have anything to do with running Specials or Exclusives. That's part of the requirements to achieve your fifth star.
The requirements for 5-star maintenance were running at least 12 different current-season scenarios, and running at least 25 tables during the year.
I'm glad I save these old organized play documents:
Quote:
Beginning at the start of the first full Pathfinder Society season after receiving a 5th star, all 5-Star GMs must meet the following annual requirements to maintain their 5th star.
1. Attend at least two conventions (consisting of five sessions or more) as a GM.
2. Run five Special and/or Exclusive scenarios.
3. Run an average of two Pathfinder Society sessions per month plus one scenario (25 total for the season).
4. Run 10 different and newly released (for the current season) Pathfinder Society Scenarios. These 10 scenarios count towards the required 25 total for the season.
Failure to maintain these requirements by the beginning of the next Pathfinder Society season will result in the loss of your 5th star. You will retain your 4th star, but will have to requalify for your 5th star based on the same criteria set forth above.
Lastly, I would change the Prestige/Fame Award to 1XP:2PP (or 0.5:1 for slow). Gaining less prestige for playing a lengthy AP is a turnoff for some. Its been the problem that I've had for Scenarios as well.
Sorry, I didn't follow here... I think the complaint is that APs, like modules, give 3xp and 4pp each? And the complaint is these don't give 6pp, as three scenarios would do for the same 3xp?
If that is the case, remember the leadership doesn't expect you to earn every prestige every scenario. This has been discussed ad-nauseum, and the expected curve IS actually 4 pp/fame per level. GMs (myself included) seem to tend to give more every scenario, but the average is 4.
If that wasn't the case, then could you elaborate?
At the moment, it doesn't...fit well. See, the thing is, that if you miss 1/3 of the module, its a 1:1 Ratio for removal (66%) since its a 3-parter). So, if you play a AP, and miss 1 section, its 2 XP and 3 PP (, then if you miss 2/3, it's 1 XP and 2 PP, which drops down to the 1:2 Ratio (which is the norm in most scenarios).
I kind of don't get how it is 4 PP/L in the first place. That's basically saying that you will fail your faction-specific mission 66% of the time. Also, if we're gearing towards having 4 PP/L, its actually quite underpowered, because I miss my PP once every 10-20 missions (5-10% failure rate). But, I guess its been discussed a lot, so I'll let it go. The big thing is that the removal of points from missing sections brings it down closer to what Society Play actually is (1:2 Ratio 90-95% of the time). The big problem is that I don't know how it could be fixed in the first place, since the PP in the first place is such a low number, and tracking a 1/2 PP is hard enough if you're going slow as it is.
The 5-star maintenance requirements weren't too difficult, but, for someone who only goes to 3 conventions a year, and the fact that I can only run specials only so often (Interactive x1, Special x3), I felt that I was quite in danger of only having my 5th star (when I attained it) for a single year, then I would drop back down to 4th. I actually like it.
Anyways, as for the campaign/adventure path wording...its quite confusing and ambiguous. I would really expand it to explain what a GM really has to do, including making up a PFS Intro, and where the players should start, and where they should end. Also, it should explain about how to deal with the conclusion and other such things.
Lastly, I would change the Prestige/Fame Award to 1XP:2PP (or 0.5:1 for slow). Gaining less prestige for playing a lengthy AP is a turnoff for some. Its been the problem that I've had for Scenarios as well.
Okay, I'm slightly confused on what we're looking at for the Adventure Path and Pathfinder Society:
Do you start at the beginning, but you can only use the resources from the designated part, or do you start at the beginning of the authorized section, and go from there, ending at the specified point?
There's really no...direction on any of the released documention on what (as GMs) we're supposed to do for this...
Whenever you hit 0 in a single stat, you fall unconscious, permanently, unless your stat goes above 0. The exception is Constitution, when you hit 0 CON, you die, permanently. The only way to raise your body is to immediately cast Lesser Restoration, Restoration, or Greater Restoration immediately after casting Raise Dead, Resurrection, or Greater Resurrection. Lesser Wish, Miracle, or Wish also can restore a body to life that is at 0 CON.
I leave it up to PCs to Diplomacy and Bluff IRL help, but I don't discourage it. If the CN Cheliax Rogue borderline CE convinces the NG Andoran Cleric to ask the friendly storekeep to give up one of his precious jewels, I have no qualms against that happening. Its an RP opportunity, TBH.
I'd like to know what the ruling on "destroyed items" is.
See, on one module, a sorcerer had "Detonate." He kind of didn't have anything else to do, and he figured that, at that point in time, he was at full health, and he wanted to get out of the Web he was stuck in. So, he cast it on himself, and started glowing. It sparked every PC to immediately drop him to -8 (Unconscious and dying), which the spell went off on his round. Of course, he just exploded, sending body parts everywhere, so, since all of his items were no longer "held" I rolled a Reflex Save for each item. Two of these things failed their check, and exploded.
Now, my question is, would that have warranted me crossing off the item, or, since they technically "found" the item, was it OK for me to just skip this rule?
How I've come to understand it, there is an unlimited amount of time between one module and another, in respect to conditions, healing and other such things. While this "unlimited time" cannot grant you more money in any way (Profession rolls and such), it just simply means you need to:
1. Resolve all Poisons so that they are recovered from (or the character dies).
2. Resolve all Diseases so that they are recovered from (or the character dies).
3. Resolve all temporary negative levels so that they either become permanent, or disappear.
4. Resolve all other debuffs.
5. Recover any temporary loss of stats to full.
This simply just means that if there is some kind of spell, status effect, poison, or disease on you that will go away from the passage of time, it will go away at the end of the module. If a debuff is permanent (such as someone putting on a Girdle of Gender Change at the end of a module and failing their fortitude save [its happened]), it should be noted on the "Conditions Gained" section of the module.
Notation of Death should also be applied to the "Conditions Gained" section.
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Page 274
The Shackles of Compliance's second paragraph should be changed to the following wording to get rid of the duplicate, correct the grammar and standardize the wording.:
The Shackles of Compliance have hardness 10, with 10 hit points. A DC 30 Disable Device check is required to pick the lock. A manacled creature can attempt to break free with a successful DC 28 Strength Check, or a DC 35 Escape Artist check.
Balance Question! The Shackles of Compliance have a DC 25 Will Save associated with it. With that, it would require a +14 to make these shackles. If I remember correctly, an item should *generally* be around a Will Save appropriate for a minimum required to cast the spell, which is an 11, or +0. At a Level 1 Spell, it should be DC 11, DC 12 or DC 13, don't you think?
On that same page, (274) The Shackles of Durance Vile has no Saving Throw DC.
Lastly, HeroLab pointed something out: The Shackles of Compliance are 2,810 GP in Skull and Shackles. The Shackles of Compliance in Ultimate Equipment are 3,280 GP. Which is it?
The way regeneration works in PF is that if regen is shut down and if the creature is at or below -con in hitpoints they die one round later...period. You no longer have to do 'real' damage with something like fire or acid to a troll. Hack it apart (to say, -50hps for good measure), then drop a single alchemist fire on it and it dies. No extra damage required.
Regeneration does not shut down until the enemy takes at least 1 point of damage in the listed regeneration, even when the enemy is unconscious, or at -CON in HP. Once you deal at least 1 point of the damage type listed, it shuts down. If the enemy reaches -CON in HP and regeneration is off, they die immediately.
1. Don't make PFClass Abstract. Every class conforms to the same rules. some may have requirements (Need to add public List<PFRequirement> to the properties), but hardcoding each class is a no-no.
2. Don't change mReplacementAbilities into a Dictionary<PFAbility, PFAbility>, class PFAbility has the mReplacementAbility property to give when it is replacing another ability.
I'm not talking about people who specifically min/maxers. I guess I should have said "Spotlighters", but that's in the past. I'm talking about players that simply just want the spotlight, and they don't care who they step on at the table to be at the spotlight. The kind of people that if you don't deal with their antics, you end up chasing away some great players.
=/ But, I suppose most people seem to skip over the entire post and just comment on the subject.
The big thing is that I can't "ban" people from PFS. That would be me reciprocating too broadly. I also can't stop players from sitting at my tables. In PFS, I encounter new players all the time, and some come with this specific mindset that they are going to sit down and be the awesome. I don't mind people doing things that make them look awesome, what I do mind is when players do it at the expense of other players.
To be honest, it depends on the party. If I'm a GM for a Lv1 party, I'm not going to kill anyone. In fact, most of my damage will be specifically avoiding damage. However, if I'm dealing with Lv11 Players with oodles of spare PP, and the Morale says "kill", I'll kill them, with no remorse.
I've seen it plenty of times:
- The Gunslinger that touches at +Bajillion (don't roll a 1) with OmgLots HP of damage a round.
- The Mo-ight-eric-iza-uid that seems to have so many class levels, its difficult to tell what he/she is going to throw at me each round.
- The Class that just seems to have so much AC that you can only hit on a Natural 20
- The person who seems to have their primary stats at 20, and their dumps at 5.
- The person who sits there silently through the entire thing, either reading a PF Book for a new thing to exploit, or his/her phone, then immediately jumps up and is the most animate creature you've seen as soon as you hear "Roll for Initiative."
How do you deal with these people? These are the kind of people who would have the best time if, after every combat (and possibly healing), the next words out of your mouth were "Roll for Initiative," instead of "talk to the guy remaining."
I'm not talking about the animate people during combat, more specifically the people that care more about how much damage they did in a module, than if they even accomplished their goal during the module. The person who seem to want to be fully animate in how they are being awesome for the battlefield, and saving the party's collective arse by themselves. These people ruin other people's day, and its annoying to a lot of people.
Personally, I do a few things:
Spoiler:
- I make sure I'm fully aware of how much power someone can have, and make sure that Min-Maxers can justify their position of having each feat/ability.
- I don't announce my results, making boring "I missed you" or "I hit you" remarks, while to the players that are really bringing the table alive outside of battle, providing animate epic moves on what their character or such is doing.
- I limit the amount of time that Min/Maxers can take. If they are looking up their stuff, I give them 30 seconds. I'm unfair at this, giving newer players full explainations, and being very forgiving (are you sure you want to jump around and take all those AoOs) for players being somewhat balanced. I let anything that the Min/Maxer states he is doing as the action, not allowing any RetConning, regardless if they gleam any extra information or not.
- I purposefully withhold information from Min/Maxers (they seem to always be the top of initiative), and make sure the newer players have the ability to know extra information. After all, talking is a free action, not an immediate action.
- I cut off any Min/Maxer that tries to convince his allies as obvious meatshields, to boost his "awesomeness" in combat. Same thing here, talking is a free action, not an immediate action.
- I will moderately maneuver the setup of the encounter so players that look like they have been left out have the chance to be awesome.
I don't like shutting down players, but the annoying ones are the ones I truly don't like at the table. Needless to say, regardless of what I do, it really doesn't harm them (they continue to come game after game), its the other people I'm mainly concerned about. I love it when people get involved into all aspects of the game, not just a single part of it.
Actually, the biggest problem with Pathfinder is its fanbase...
Pot, we meet again! Its your old adversary: THE KETTLE.
XD
But, on a serious note, yeah, with popularity comes the issue that some of us want to ruin it for the rest of us. We've all seen it, one Min/Maxer at a table of RPers, or an extreme RPer at a table of people that wants the experience without all of the stress of saying every little RP word. On the boards, we see people who complain all the time, and we have fanboys (yes, I've been known to keep a stance once or twice, ignoring all others) that refuse to change their stance regardless of what is said.
Its what comes naturally to popularity of a specific thing. It happens everywhere. The key is that you have to realize that with popularity comes the negative consequences, realize they exist, deal with the most extreme cases as they come, and understand you will never be able to "whack-a-mole" all the extremists (one way or another) without being a total arsebag.
Personally, I think that Paizo has done an amazing job at dealing with problems. They understand that developing an RPG isn't an exact science, and that they make mistakes, and so do their players. They have the best staff dealing with problems, and I haven't had any complaints about anyone on the team. I wish more companies would model their strategies after Paizo (*cough*WoTC*cough*).
For some reason, I don't seem to see these same issues. It might be who I'm playing with, but Magic doesn't dominate the game. In fact, I see more fighters being the "bad ass" than Wizards/Sorc/Clerics in 3.5e, specifically because lots of Magic Spells were nerfed, and everyone got nice little boosts in PF to compensate.
In the OvD Feats, it is true that some feats look to be absolutely useless, very situational, or outright badly worded, but that goes without saying that some things in the RPG are terribly worded. However, saying that *every* Offensive feat should be picked *before* a Defensive one seems to be...short sighted. I've seen some pretty beastly Defensive feats used against me at the PFS Table. It can be very nasty.
As for class balance, yes, there have been some issues (see: Summoner Synergist), but for every issue, there are 10 other great things I see in PF and pleasantly surprise me every day.
As a "SQL <-> Programming" Programmer, understand that Objects are the fundamentally same as Tables. They have column headers (property names), column constraints (property types), and foreign keys (property types that are other properties).
I used C# as an example because its the primary programming language I know, but it goes without saying that you *should* be using a Database to access the information. Hard coding is for the lose.
Remember, Programmers: Every time you hard code in a value, one of the Gods of Goloron TPKs a party. Save the parties!
^A primary healing cleric is a waste of space in the party.
Nothing infuriates me more than a cleric that does nothing but heal.
I guess this is a good example where not every party is the same.
With someone who is keeping the entire party alive when a Level 18 Lich throws a Delayed Blast Fireball for 19d6 (he has the +1 CL Ioun Stone) with 6 other minions keeping the party busy, I usually don't hear people getting annoyed at the Cleric throwing out two 10d6 Channels every round to make sure that the squishies don't die before they can even get to the Lich. I have a problem when a cleric refuses to heal, or someone uses cleric to simply gain something alternate from the channeling (they are min/maxing).
My L13 PFS Cleric has a 22 CHA with a 18 WIS. I do other casting, but I'm a primary healer. I can't count the times in which I've saved a party from being dead simply because I keep a Phylactery of Positive Channeling instead of making sure my WIS score is high enough to get the best spells off and make them stick. I get those buffs (Bless/Prayer/Blessing of Fervor), but I'm not really an offensive caster.
I suppose to each his own, and each person has an idea on what is best, and I respect that. I have my own opinions, but saying that a Cleric that just heals is a waste of space is quite arrogant, to be honest. There are plenty of times in which a HealBot is probably the best thing you want in a situation. I know plenty of GMs that would take relish to take advantage at your adversity to have a pure healer in your party. :)
----------------------
Back to the OP:
A cleric has a Medium BAB, which means their primary action is straight up proof they weren't made to be a front-liner. The fact that they don't suffer through any kind of Spell failure allows them to equip Medium Armor and carry a heavy shield so they have much higher AC, but they aren't a tank, specifically because their HP is a d8, and not a d10, and they don't get any niceties for damage dealing. I die a little inside whenever I see someone create a Cleric that has a +0 or +1 CHA score, no ranks in Diplo, 18 STR, carrying a Morningstar and thinking they can be the frontliner to the party. I see Fighters, Paladins, Monks, even Rangers roll next to them with 6 feats over them, the ability to carry the best of weapons, and doing 2-8x damage that any battle cleric "thinks" they can do. Since channeling costs a Standard (with a feat that makes it a Move action, but requires an additional channel expenditure), I just can't see them being up their in the big leagues.
Every time someone considers being a Battle Cleric, I always (politely) ask them to consider looking at a Magus, Paladin, Druid or Ranger since they seem to be considering a caster front-liner. I don't stop them from making it (its their character, I never disrupt their character creation process), its just the cleric just doesn't have the framework for a battle front-liner that can deal damage like other classes have, and I make sure they are aware of other options that would give them more ability to do what they want.
As an aside, I understand you could probably throw some kind of build at me that says "Look at this build, it can do the same amount as any fighter," and I understand builds like that exist, but please look at the build's abilities for its primary Cleric abilities (Primarily its WIS/CHA Scores), and realize you've made a Wanna-be Fighter/Magus/Druid/etc. I have not seen a single build for a battle cleric over the 130 PFS Modules, 18 PFRPG Campaign Books, and 9 other modules I've played/GM'd through that just doesn't look like a gimped cleric for the purposes of damage dealing.
Again, this is just my opinion. You may feel different than me, but that's what this game is all about. We have so many different experiences, and ideas, and this is a great place to converge on our ideas and discuss them. Don't take this post as an attack on any specifically. Thanks.
#1: Paladins are primarily Melee/Ranged DPS as well as casters. As such, they get to use Strength/Dexterity for their primary hitting stat, and then get to use Charisma as their secondary/casting stat. Needless to say they also suffer the "slow" progression with their spells, and most of their spells are buffs, rather than attacks.
#2: Clerics aren't primarily Melee/Ranged. Their primary ability is healing. They use STR/DEX/CON as their Secondary ability draw, and so they have to differentiate between WIS/CHA so that you get to choose between being awesome at their primary healing/ability range, or their primary casting stat.
I'm a programmer in C#, so thinking in code, here's a few things:
public class PFCharacter {
private Dictionary<int, PFClassLevel> mClassLevels;
}
public class PFClass {
private string mName;
private int mMaximumClassLevel = 20;
private List<PFArchetype> mArchetypes;
private List<PFSkill> mClassSkills;
private List<PFAbility> mAbilities;
private int mHitDice;
private int mSkillPointsPerLevel;
}
public class PFArchetype {
private string mName;
private List<PFAbility> mReplacementAbilities;
private List<PFSkill> mAddClassSkills;
private List<PFSkill> mRemoveClassSkills;
}
public abstract class PFAbility {
private string mName;
private int mLevel;
private PFAbility mReplacementAbility;
public abstract void ApplyToCharacter(PFCharacter character) {}
}
public class PFClassLevel {
public int mLevel;
public Dictionary<PFSkill, int> mSkillLevels;
}
You get the point, but, yeah, that's the general concept how I would do it. Needless to say its missing a lot, but I don't have enough energy to iterate all the concepts.
The last 4th Ed. players in Florida have finally converted to PFS (rubs hands together), muahaha. Now Paizo's plan of ruling the world is almost complete. Wait, umm...
But, yeah, we're looking at a 11% constant growth Year over Year at MegaConvention for PFS. I'm looking to get a 10th, maybe even 11th table for PFS Interactive at MegaCon2013.
Yeah, I come up with my own solutions, but it would be nice to see a little grid on the site that lets me know what Paizo knows about so I can nudge my Organizers to report the events. :P
So, I've calculated that at the end of September I have played or GM'd 117 Modules.
At this point in time, at least 75% of the modules are recorded, which is good. However, its becoming quite a hassle. Something for the web team: PFS Module Tracker.
Basically, it would be a grid that would show if you have gotten Player/GM Credit for a module, so it can help you to avoid modules you have played and/or GM'd.
My advice is, if they can befriend them (DC24/25 Diplomacy, plus other modifiers), instead of worrying about the Mutiny, they don't have to worry about that combat, and defeat it as a diplomatic encounter (award XP appropiately). Sandra may not like them afterwards, though.
When you leave the island, then you have Plugg and Scourge on their side instead of against them, which wouldn't really change the events post-crash (it was hinting that they were heading to the dock to retool their ship anyways). It might piss off the cap'n even more, which you could roll with!
Also remember that Plugg and Scourge are good friends of the cap'n and get circumstance modifiers for their Diplomacy DC.
From a GM perspective to a player:
Don't worry about the "little guys" in a large battle. Its generally assumed that enemies are of the appropriate levels and the mass rolls will take care of themselves.
They are "Springboard" ideas in case you want to add things in the middle between modules, like what I'm doing: In between modules, I'm going to be adding in 1 level of stuffs so that they make it to Level 20 by the end of the AP.
It depends on how distracting she is. If she is visiting from overseas, and she wants to sit in, it sounds like she wants attention most of the time. This is a red flag you should discuss with your player. You should ask him if he wants to try to get her into PFS using a pre-gen, or just sit out.
See, the thing is, I've found that non-player significant others cause disruptions at 100% of the tables. People that play understand how much concentration is required, and I don't mind it. When you introduce a non-player to the group (especially if it is of the female kind at an all-male table), it causes disruption, slows down the game, and pisses some people off.
Its better just to ask the non-player to either stay in another room (unless you afford for the distraction time!), sit down and play, or ask the player to sit out the game and spend time with the non-player.
@Matthew: Yes, indeed, in that situation, I would say that is AOK, which is perfectly fine. I'm AOK with that. However, having a GM that is asking for this rule to be followed for everything (requiring proof for every thing that a player has), can slow down the game considerably. For example, the "Manuver Master" Monk Subclass from the Ultimate Combat with "Flurry of Maneuvers." Someone (another player) called me out on that I couldn't do two grapple checks in one round (which you can do), but it took me about 3-5 minutes, holding back the game the entire time, for me to break out the book, even though I was explaining it fully, and knew the full inner-workings of the ability. I make sure I maintain the ability to reference anything within 5-10 minutes of it being called out, but if someone is being a policeman with every little ability they haven't seen (even though it is being explained fully), then it slows down the game.
Ultimately, it comes down to what is really needed by this ruling, and should be handled on a case-by-case basis. A GM should only enforce this if they feel something wonky is going on (doing too much damage, too many actions, etc). A player should discuss this with the GM if they have an issue with another player. Heck, even as a player or GM, I will look up the reference material myself (d20PFSRD.com is the most amazing site for just this purpose), before I call anything out, letting the game continue.
When forcing a 4th player as NPC, I first ask the levels (including the class, and if they are weird...like Fighters that are ranged), and choose the class that they are lacking. No healing? Kyra the Cleric saves the day! No front-liner Tank? Valeros the fighter joins the fight. Missing some arcane? Ezren steps in. If they have all three (healer, front-liner, arcane), I let the players decide.
The thing about the 4th player as NPC is just to round out the party and make sure that a module built for 4 players does not kill the party. I try not to ask the party unless I'm unsure, or it really doesn't matter. It speeds things up (I've seen groups argue over which NPC I should be playing).
It really depends. I give players enough time to talk for about 30 seconds (speaking as a free action), and getting any knowledge (which adds to the time for them to think and talk) as a free action.
Some builds, I seriously reconsider. For example, reloading takes some time, and I try to make it so that other players can get a chance. Its annoying when a 8th Level Gunslinger makes a build that just deals 80 damage a round because it gets 3 shots in a round. I force them to add in a move action to retrieve additional bullets after the second shot.
Really, its all about moderating your players. If someone is being a douche and taking up all of the time at the table due to his/her free+swift+standard+move-action monkey, I try to limit how many "free" actions are actually possible in a 6 second time frame, just so things do not get stuck at the table. But, if someone is just gearing up for a really huge epic, once-in-a-lifetime attack, I let them do what they need to do... inside the rules, of course.
Its also because I'm an evil GM and I live to see when these epic buildups end in a Natural 1 to screw up the entire chain. ;-)
Mike, I'm just generally not understanding the issue here.
See, the thing is, conventions themselves are attracting players. MegaCon is showing a very consistent 10-20% increase in PFS YoY since PFS inception. We're stealing 4th edition members, and with 5th Edition (or DnD NeXT if you call it that) reporting that it is underwhelming for a lot of players, I don't see 5th stealing PFS players.
In general, in the last three years of going to conventions, I have not once heard of someone complaining that there is no reason to go to a convention. Extra races are cool and all, but, ask yourself, is it really worth holding back the Extra races just to give someone an "irresistable" boon that everyone wants? To me, I think it just hurts the sales on the Advanced Race Guide. I keep up with the books, and its not just because of PFS, but simply because I can offer everything to my members of my private groups running private campaigns. However, when it comes to PFS, I really can't upsell other PFS members that strictly play PFS to get the ARG unless they are playing in a private campaign. The entire book is locked except for some racial modifications which aren't very enticing...at least not enough to drop $40 for the hardcover.
See, the thing is, since I offered to allow all Paizo sources in my campaign (in fact, making it as part of character creation), I have enticed 5 people who have never had an interest in the ARG to severely consider opening their wallet to have it on hand.
Going back to conventions, really, Mike, I think if you want to make conventions enticing, simply continue offering the "Interactive/Multi-Table" and "Special" Modules. Those attract a huge amount of attention to PFS Conventions, since they generally can only be ran at conventions (VC and LVCs only really show up to cons). Heck, last year, we had the issue of not having enough GMs for the Midnight Mauler, and we had to turn away a lot of players that wanted to play it. Some even came for just this module.
What I'm eluding to is that holding back the ARG Races with an iron fists by requiring conventions isn't really helping. I feel for those who can't come to conventions that Paizo supports. PFS doesn't cover 100% of the world, and there are PFS players over more of the world than conventions cover. Many of these players like only doing PFS modules because they are cheap ($5 for 5-8 hours of fun), and well layed out, and if one player leaves, it doesn't cause too much of an issue.
To be honest, I would rather allow PFS GMs to get a Boon every time they gain a star. The first star is 10 modules, or $50, and then 30 modules, or $150. That's a lot of money to Paizo. It would give a reason for players to GM, and I wouldn't have an issue as much for that.
