Search Posts
Don't Open Until We Start: All around is a wall of sickly yellow fog, tumbling through the alley’s canyon of crumbling, gray brick walls like some jaundiced flash flood. Ahead, the unfamiliar alley splits, curving to the left and right. Behind, from the silent swell of mist, emanates the sound of footsteps—slow, but somehow keeping pace with the careening, hungry wave. Five unknown people stand around you.
Hi everyone! I’ve had a request to run Strange Aeons, which I’ve decided to go ahead with now that I’ve had a chance to read the majority of the AP. For those who haven’t played with me before, I’ve been playing and running PBP on the forums for quite a while. My Iron Gods campaign has been going for almost a year, and a pretty consistent group of Core PFS players have been going even longer. I’ll be looking for six players. I often give priority to people who have played with me before (if you have, send me a little reminder as I probably remember the character name better than the player). Newcomers are also welcome to apply. To be honest, I wasn’t all that interested in this AP at first, but I’ve really enjoyed reading through it, and now I’m definitely interested. My intention is to be permissive and let you do some interesting things, though I naturally reserve the right to veto anything that isn’t quite appropriate. If there’s an issue that’s subject to table variation involving your proposal, please let me know so that we can make sure we’re on the same page before we get too far into things. I’m not opposed to making house rulings, so I encourage you to ask if there’s something you’d like to do. You might want to run your character concept by me before getting too invested and spending a lot of time creating a character I end up rejecting. Feel free to develop multiple concepts, but I’ll ultimately only consider one per person. Broad note on gear You’ll begin with 150 gp worth of gear. However, you may not have access to all of that equipment as the AP begins. Later on, shopping opportunities may be limited. You won’t necessarily have a friendly shop down the street with access to everything in Ultimate Equipment. That doesn’t mean you won’t find some cool things, but it does mean you might not want to go for a build that relies on access to very specific gear.
This does have an appropriately strange kick-off. As the Player’s Guide mentions, your characters begin the AP in a fugue state, with a significant amount of their experiences completely forgotten. You’ll still know who you are, how to use all your abilities, and such, but a good chunk of time is gone. You won’t get an in- or out-of-character explanation for why that is for a long time (especially considering the pace of PBP). Stealing a bit of Starfinder lingo, I’ll be referring to to the missing time as The Gap for now. You’re missing at least a year of time, possibly as much as six years. It’s also worth noting you don’t have any memories that would give you a hint as to the cause of this. As far as you can tell, your last memories were of a relatively unexciting, “typical” day. During the Gap, you worked with the other party members, but have no recollection of them when you begin. You’ll have a lot of control over your backstory before the gap, but little to none over what happened during that period. A few suggestions to help you embrace the weird setup are below. You don’t need to answer any of these, but at least thinking about the questions might help shape your character.
This is supposed to be a challenging AP. Below is a comment from the developer, Adam Daigle, on the author of the first book, F. Wesley Schneider.
My biggest concern was that some of his encounters would prove too hard if a group of PCs just threw itself at them as if they were simply gangs of goblins, but I figured that such encounters would help highlight the need for caution throughout this Adventure Path. Clever groups that wish to survive will quickly adopt methods of careful exploration, employ hit-and-run tactics and learn to prudently run away from fights that threaten to overwhelm them. I’m not going to pull punches, and will be scaling up from the encounters as written more often than not, as you’ll have six players, probably with an above-average level of system mastery. It is easy to get into fights well above your pay grade if you aren’t careful. I’m not going to stop that from happening, but I will remind you that you don’t need to fight everything, and probably shouldn’t. If you do happen to die, though, what kills you will probably make you stranger.
Both of these areas can be tricky to navigate, especially in an environment like this. If there are specific topics, themes, or plot devices that you’re really not comfortable with, I’d appreciate knowing as much as possible in advance. As a published adventure, the AP has certain intrinsic aspects that are hard to remove, so it may not be appropriate for everyone. The more advance warning I have, the easier it will be to make adjustments to make sure everyone’s enjoying themselves. While my actual implementation may differ, The X Card policy, is worth looking over. Sending me a PM is the best way to fill that role here. I’d recommend giving that a read-through, as well as the “Running Horror Adventures” chapter of Horror Adventures, if you have access to it.
I plan on offering PFS credit if/when that becomes possible. I’m sure there are other obvious things I’m overlooking. Just ask!
Your journey back to Nantambu from Azlant Ridge goes without incident, and Aya is thrilled to hear about your containing of the fiendish threat and successful rescue of Juliet and her team. After giving you a chance to recover and shop, she calls you back into Sharrowsmith's Exports for a briefing. The sun bears down oppressively through the jungle’s humidity, causing the air to shimmer and lending an even greater feeling of otherworldliness to the Mwangi city of Nantambu. Aya Allahe enters the sweltering room in the local Path nder Lodge with a worn and harried look in her eyes. “Thank you for continuing to help me,” she begins. “As you know, the venture-captain of this lodge, Nieford Sharrowsmith, perished while heading an expedition into the interior of the expanse. A week ago, I received a letter addressed to Sharrowsmith from our agent working in the Aspis Consortium-controlled city of Bloodcove, Malika Fenn. The letter appeared to be a routine report, though I recognized that it hid an encoded message that describes an impending Consortium expedition up the Vanji River, planned to depart within the week. “Malika additionally informed us that this expedition’s aims are of great concern to the Pathfinder Society. She has collected substantial intelligence to this effect but is unable to get the information out of the city for fear that the Consortium will detect and intercept it. I ask that you travel into the lion’s den to retrieve the information that Malika has gathered on this expedition so that we can find out what it might be connected to. Malika has indicated that she left a message for us in the Witchlight Inn that will help us find her information, so head there first. "“Though these are grim circumstances, they also present us with an opportunity. Once you have infiltrated the city, try to sabotage the Consortium’s preparations for the expedition. You won’t be able to stop it completely, but you can at least buy us some time to determine its nature and formulate a response." I also want you to make some inroads for the Society in the city. Gaining the
"Finally, gather some intelligence of your own. Talk to the people of Bloodcove and see how complete the Aspis’s control over the populace is. Report to me any groups or people of influence who may be sympathetic to our cause and support us in future moves against the Consortium. Once you’re done, get out of the city. Leaving in a different way than you arrived tends to be best.”." She provides you with several forged bounty postings, providing one option for a cover story explaining your presence in the city. She also gives you the name of one of her business contacts, Novaria. She serves House Cartagehn, one of the smaller trade houses in the city, and has worked with the Society in the past. Using Aya's name should help make her likely to meet you. Though Fola Barun is not present, having returned to the Ekujae in Jalunth, she has left you packages of supplies for your journey.
Feel free to dot in here. Your characters don't need to be ready right this second, but I'd like to get moving this week. When you're ready, post in the gameplay thread. I expect you can keep each other busy with introductions for a little while. In the meantime, please also post all the usual bookkeeping stuff (PFS #, etc.) here. In addition, I'd appreciate you providing a little bit of background on your characters, including religious affiliation (if any).
Your orders have sent you to Vellumis, the largest city and most important port in the crusader nation of Lastwall, on the shores of Lake Encarthan. The waterfront and city center boast impressive architecture, with many buildings marble- clad, domed, and colonnaded in the once-popular Chelish Old White style, characterized by whitewashed walls, ornately decorated eaves, and massive arched windows. Though there are an exceptionally large number of soldiers, most wearing Iomedaean iconography, roaming the streets, most are civilians. Flags of a dozen nations, and churches of at least as many faiths, can be seen as you navigate the city streets, leaving the elegant city center and heading into a seedier neighborhood that greatly resembles the dockside areas of Absalom. When you arrive at the address you were provided, you discover a busy gambling hall. Raucous conversation fills the room, as men and women gather around a number of tables, playing various card and dice games. One of the bartenders notices you enter. ”Here for the Venture-Captain? He’s running a little bit late, but you can go ahead and wait in the office. Just through the door in the back.” As you weave through the crowd, you catch glimpses of some of the players in action. A pink-haired gnome woman commands the attention of many players gathered around a green-felted table. Standing on a stool to gain a proper vantage point, she seems more fixated on the faces of the spectators than the game itself as she places her bets, before rolling a handful of dice across the table. She rolls a handful of dice across the felted table.
The crowd cheers, and a stack of chips slides her way. The door at the back leads to an office. Though the room is decently sized, a broad mahogany desk, piled high with books and papers, commands much of the far side of the room. The majority of the open space has been claimed by a hodgepodge of mismatched yet comfortable chairs, all positioned to face the desk. Over the next few minutes, several others arrive in the office as well.
Feel free to dot in here. Your characters don't need to be ready right this second, but I'd like to get moving this week. When you're ready, post in the gameplay thread. I expect you can keep each other busy with introductions for a little while. In the meantime, please also post all the usual bookkeeping stuff (PFS #, etc.) here. In addition, I'd appreciate you providing a little bit of background on your characters, including religious affiliation (if any).
Your orders have sent you to Vellumis, the largest city and most important port in the crusader nation of Lastwall, on the shores of Lake Encarthan. The waterfront and city center boast impressive architecture, with many buildings marble- clad, domed, and colonnaded in the once-popular Chelish Old White style, characterized by whitewashed walls, ornately decorated eaves, and massive arched windows. Though there are an exceptionally large number of soldiers, most wearing Iomedaean iconography, roaming the streets, most are civilians. Flags of a dozen nations, and churches of at least as many faiths, can be seen as you navigate the city streets, leaving the elegant city center and heading into a seedier neighborhood that greatly resembles the dockside areas of Absalom. When you arrive at the address you were provided, you discover a busy gambling hall. Raucous conversation fills the room, as men and women gather around a number of tables, playing various card and dice games. One of the bartenders notices you enter. ”Here for the Venture-Captain? He’s running a little bit late, but you can go ahead and wait in the office. Just through the door in the back.” As you weave through the crowd, you catch glimpses of some of the players in action. A crowd has gathered around one table, where a tall woman, whose fine features indicate both elven and Garundi heritage, commands their attention. Her finely made grey silk robes are embroidered with silver spiral patterns, standing out against the simpler, warmer outfits favored by most patrons. She rolls a handful of dice across the felted table.
The crowd cheers, and a stack of chips slides her way. The door at the back leads to an office. Though the room is decently sized, a broad mahogany desk, piled high with books and papers, commands much of the far side of the room. The majority of the open space has been claimed by a hodgepodge of mismatched yet comfortable chairs, all positioned to face the desk. Over the next few minutes, several others arrive in the office as well.
Hi everyone, I've got a couple tables wrapping up, and after reading through this recently released scenario I can't wait to take it for a spin. This is an experimental 3-7 evergreen. This is not a Gameday table, as it is extremely unlikely we'd be able to finish in time unless you TPK right out the gate. I can offer two tables, either one high tier and one low tier, or one Core and one Standard. Much more than any of the past evergreens, each table of this will be different from the others. That said, if you do play this in person or online before we start, please PM me with some details about how your table went. If you're interested in joining in, please let me know what your first choice mode of play (Core or Standard) and first choice tier (3-4 or 6-7) would be. I'm going to start by offering spaces to people I've played with before, and open it up to the general community if there are spaces left after that. Hopefully we can get rolling next week.
The journey from Jalunth back to Nantambu is uneventful, though Fola quickly runs low on edible fauna to distract Imrana with. When you return to Nantambu, it is late in the evening. While Aya Allahe is thrilled to hear about the improved relations with the Ekujae, she encourages you to get plenty of rest, as she'll have an urgent mission for you the next day. When you arrive in her office the next morning, Aya Allahe gestures to a sideboard of iced drinks and jungle fruits as she settles in behind her tidy desk. “Please, refresh yourselves, for I’m about to ask you to journey far from the comforts of civilization. I’m sorry it must come so quickly on the heels of your last expedition.” Fola stands behind a massive oak table, meticulously adding details to a half-finished map. Allahe’s brow wrinkles over her golden eyes, hinting at her worry. “North of Bloodcove is the mountainous Terwa Uplands and a scarp called Azlant Ridge. For more than six years, Pathfinder archeologists at Azlant Ridge have been excavating an Azlanti outpost of vital historical significance; it’s perhaps the only Azlanti outpost on the Mwangi coast.” Allahe pauses. “Fola, you mentioned to me earlier that you wanted to learn how Pathfinder agents begin a mission. Why don’t you hold off on that map for a few minutes and listen?” The half-elf carefully sets her cartography aside and strides over behind the desk. Allahe nods approvingly and continues, “My good friend, Juliet Dias, leads the expedition at Azlant Ridge. During their first year, the expedition was beset by a horde of ape-men, but was saved by the timely intervention of a group of Pathfinder agents. The site has been mostly quiet ever since—Juliet provides monthly reports. Archeology is a slow and careful science, as Juliet is keen to remind me. Not all Pathfinders are reckless thrill-seekers.” Allahe flashes a conspiratorial smile. Fola Barun speaks up. “Juliet Dias’s monthly correspondence is a week overdue. Her last missive described a strange light emanating from somewhere deeper in the Terwa Uplands, and her intense curiosity about it.” She slides a folded letter across the desk. Aya adds, “I fear for my friend. Go to Azlant Ridge and seek out Juliet Dias. If she has met danger, please assist her. If my fears prove true, and Juliet is injured or worse, please ensure that the Pathfinder archeologists under her supervision are safe and continuing their valuable work, and then bring Juliet back to me. I have a riverboat to Bloodcove ready to depart, and I’ll provide you directions from Bloodcove to Azlant Ridge. Although I ask that you hurry, it is important that you ask whatever questions you may have before departing.”
Julet Dias’ Last Missive: Good Friend, Our work proceeds well, and my cleverest linguists are working to decipher the runes uncovered in the cliff’s deepest room. They seem to confirm that this site was no mere Azlanti outpost, but a weapons repository to aid the cyclopes of the declining Ghol-Gan empire against the serpentfolk and their fiendish allies. I’ll send a full translation and rubbing once we’re complete. One other item of note: we’ve recently spotted a pale, steady light deeper in the Terwa Uplands, about a day away. It’s persisted for two nights. I’d like to investigate, in case it’s a temporary phenomenon, but we have our ongoing work for the Society to consider. The journey should not take too long. I’ll update you next month. -Juliet Dias
Sacrifices to the Dice Gods:
Miteke
You should receive a PM with a link to your character's sheet within 24 hours.
Hi everyone! We still have about a week to go before we can start, but now that we have six I'll start determining who's playing which characters. I'll get character sheets to you over the course of the week. Deraev has requested a simple character. I'll be randomly selecting between the three less complicated options for him, then determining the rest by rolling a dX, and selecting the player alphabetically in that spot. Capricornus
That gives us the following cast of characters.
Hi everyone, There are a number of people looking to run Serpent's Ire, the new pregen special. I wanted to provide people the opportunity to play its predecessor, Serpent's Rise, if they missed it the first time around, or wanted to give it another shot in Core. This uses level 7 pregens, and the chronicle sheet is tier 6-8. If you'd be interested in joining please post with the following: If there's enough interest for both Standard and Core tables, I'll run both, but only an individual player at one of the two tables. The game will technically begin with the rest of the gameday on 8/27, but my first post will likely be on the 29th or 30th due to travel. If you have any questions, let me know. Otherwise, let's be some bad guys!
Hi everyone! Last gameday, I ended up running First Steps and the Wounded Wisp for a group of newcomers to PBP, some new to PFS in general, others long term. It was a lot of fun, and some of those players are now PBP GMs themselves. This year, I wanted to repeat the process, with another old standby, The Confirmation. While I'd prefer new to new-ish PBP players, if there are openings by the time the Gameday starts I'll take others. Posting at least 1/day is the goal. I might delay or bot people if they're holding up combat. This will technically start with the rest of the slot 1 games on 8/27. However, I will be traveling that weekend, so the game won't really get moving until a couple days later. If you're interested, post below, and hopefully we'll get your character fulling Confirmed in the Pathfinder Society!
Hi there, Inspired by Path of the Hellknight, I was considering making my PFS Psychic into a Hellknight Signifer. Looking at how to practically do so has yielded some problematic results. One of two feats is required to qualify: Arcane Armor Training or Warrior Priest. Psychics technically qualify for Arcane armor training but get no benefit from it. Warrior Priest does provide mechanical benefit, but requires a dip to qualify. I know this is an unintended consequence of expanding rules, and that the week of Gencon is probably the worst time to ask this, but I don't suppose there's any plans for a way to provide a more appropriate way for occult classes (or classes not covered by the existing options) to qualify for the prestige class?
Venture-Captain Benarry departs the Gloomspires as quickly as the winds will carry the Grinning Pixie. While you were investigating, she received a message from the Decemvirate, requesting that some of the agents aboard the lodge be sent to Nantambu. Off the coast of the Mwangi Expanse, not far from Bloodcove, you rendezvous with a small Mwangi fishing vessel, which will smuggle you past the Aspis controlled port city, deeper into the Expanse. Jaohd remains on the Pixie, and shortly after passing through Bloodcove, Jair and Ragnar depart, with a sealed envelope of orders. As the rest of you continue to head upriver, your captain announces that your destination is the Mwangi city of Nantambu, and that you will meet the rest of your team there.
I'll be recruiting on Flaxseed for the next day or so, with the intention to get rolling soon thereafter. If anyone needs more time to level, etc. before we start let me know and I'll hold off until we're all ready.
Hello everyone, I think it’d be best for everyone to be able to coordinate character ideas and such. As the player’s guide states, you’re arriving in the town of Torch as an already extant group. Before people get too far building characters, it might be good to figure out how you’re connected. I’d strongly prefer that you’re newcomers to Torch, and less strongly prefer that you’re new to Numeria in general. Torch can serve as a draw for any number of reasons. Let me know if you need some ideas to get things rolling. General Character Creation Generally, we’ll stick to PFS rules and allowed material. The big exceptions will be below. Technology
Race Selection
Alien races (including Androids) are a better fit here than in most campaigns. I’d rather not have you start out as one right away, but there may be opportunities to introduce characters of those races later (potentially as early as level 2). Background/class options may be restricted, so PM me if that’s something you’re interested in. Advancement, Gold, Loot, Crafting, and Difficulty
Loot, however, I’ll be doing more by the book. I may adjust some of the rewards (as well as increase them for a party of six), but you’ll be relying on what you find, as well as what you can buy and sell in various communities across Numeria. Treasure encumbrance will be ignored (though personal encumbrance still matters). If there are specific things you’re interested in finding, I may make them available. Because of that limitation, I’m open to allowing some crafting, on a trial basis. It’s admittedly an area I’m unfamiliar with in practice, as I mostly do PFS. You may not have the free time for long term projects, but short term ones (like scrolls and potions), could be viable. For classes where PFS gives alternatives to crafting (such as Wizard giving up Scribe Scroll for Spell Focus), I’ll allow either the original or the PFS option. PFS Credit The first book is sanctioned for levels 2-4, covering the later portions of the book, so it’ll be a while before you get a chronicle. The other tiers are 5-7, 8-10, 11-13, 13-15, and 15-17. There are some incentives to awarding them to the same character (including a very interesting one for giving all six to the same), but it isn’t required. I'm sure I've forgot something, or left something unclear, so definitely ask! Once those of you from Trouble in Tamran have checked in, I'll start reaching out to some other players/GMs of mine.
Hi everyone, I just had a situation come up that I haven't seen before, so I wanted to see what the proper way to handle it is. It basically boils down to this: When casting a spell with a casting time greater than a standard action (like Summon Monster or Sleep), do characters who begin to threaten the character while the spell is being cast get an AOO? The particular situation involved a character summoning from a position of relative safety. An enemy approached by double moving, and was able to threaten the target. Giving them an AOO seems to be legal, though it also seemed strange to basically get a double move and an attack. Just wanted to double check that letting the AOO happen is the best way to rule.
Hi all, I noticed a couple of conflicts with the Additional Resources that seemed beyond the scope of the Additional Resources Update thread.
Trouble in Tamran
When you return to Absalom, she comes ashore as well, hoping to consult with some Society scholars about the Orb of Stars. Once you've had the opportunity to rest and resupply, Ambrus Valsin calls you all into his office. A Varisian man is with him, leaning idly against the wall. “Pathfinders, I’m sure you know our associate, Guaril Karela, if not personally then by reputation,” says Ambrus Valsin while gesturing to the Varisian man seated across from him. “We’ve had reports from a confidential informant in the Aspis Consortium that trouble is brewing in Tamran. Probably not coincidentally, several of Karela’s shipments bound for Tamran have gone missing.” Guaril adds, “You see, the Molthuni navy maintains a rather tyrannical blockade around the city—a blockade past which my associates and I have helped Ambrus move numerous items. It’s not so difficult; the Molthuni are not the brightest stars in the sky. Or at least it wasn’t difficult until recently. An unknown party has intercepted my last dozen shipments, and I doubt Molthune is responsible. When I lose shipments—” “—Our lodge in Tamran loses much needed supplies,” finishes Ambrus. “Not to mention the fact that Guaril provides many important goods to the people of Tamran, such as food and medicine. Your mission is to accompany Guaril to Tamran and investigate the disappearances and thefts. Hopefully Oraiah Tolal, our venture-captain in Tamran, will have more leads. “You depart with Karela in two hours. If you have any questions, or any supplies to purchase, I advise you do so now.” "Oh, yes, I almost forgot. Venture-Captains Yuul and Benarry had nothing but praise for your work. That said, I feel you'd benefit from a bit of assistance on a mission which requires this degree of discretion. As such, I've assigned another agent to your team. I'll allow him to introduce himself, and you'll have plenty of time to get better acquainted on the way to Nirmathas.", he gestures to the new face in the group.
The Grinning Pixie, the ship that serves as the home of the Arcadian Mariner's Lodge, docks in Katapesh, picking you all up, along with a variety of supplies. Venture-Captain Calisro Benarry, a tall, muscular half-orc woman, off From Katapesh, the ship makes good time to Absalom, where Feighllaro departs, and the Venture-Captain obtains advanced navigational equipment, including magically enhanced sextants and astrolabes, though she refuses to discuss their purpose until you make it safely to your destination. The Pixie hugs the Thuvian coast for much of the journey to the open Arcadian Ocean, and passes under the Arch of Aroden with surprisingly little trouble. One final layover is made in the Shackles city of Drenchport, to take on more food and water. Calisro mentions that you'll be doing a bit of archeology in the region once you arrive at your final destination, but won't explain further. After this, the Venture-Captain spends less and less time interacting with the crew, and more time consulting her instruments. After an additional week at sea, conditions begin to get rougher, as the ship is buffeted by strong winds and surging waves. The horizon is dominated by dark stormclouds, rising to the stratosphere and punctuated by intermittent lightning. As the Grinning Pixie lurches and sways, the Venture-Captain calls you in to her office. She slides a clay jug of Sargavan rum across the table to you. Though broad-shouldered and half a head taller than most humans, the intimidating half-orc speaks with an almost childlike excitement in her husky voice. “My apologies for all the secrecy,” she says. “I had to make sure some pirate rascal didn’t catch wind of our mission. Now that Drenchport’s a week behind us and we’re hugging the Eye of Abendego, it’s time to give you lubbers the full run-down.” Benarry waits for the jug to make its way back to her, then takes a long swig. “I mentioned in Drenchport that the Society wants you to explore a recently discovered ruin somewhere north of the Shackles. Well, that was partly true, but it wasn’t exactly the whole story.” Benarry’s eyes narrow and her grin becomes unsettlingly sharklike. “We’re actually sending you to the Gloomspires, to Old Sevenfingers’s tomb.” Chuckling softly, she slides the jug back across the table. “Here, have another nip. Looks like you need it.”
Welcome aboard everyone. If you could check in here, that'd be great. As soon as we get six (which I should be able to wrangle soon), we'll be able to get going. Once we begin the scenario, your opportunities to buy things will be limited. However, you have the opportunity to make purchases in Katapesh and Absalom before then. Did anyone level up as a result of the last scenario? I believe we currently have:
Luke, if you wanted to play your actual level 2 character, we'd just need to make sure we get a 4 or 5 to balance out if we stay high with 4 player adjustment.
After an Andoren village is razed by the Hydra's Fang, a renegade Chelish slaver-ship, outrage threatens the stability of both nations. You and your fellow Pathfinders are sent to capture the Fang before the Inner Sea is pitched into political frenzy. If you could check in here that'd be great. I'll try to fill any vacancies from my other threads, and do public recruitment if need be. We can start as soon as we have six, so either late this week or early next.
Hi, Apparently I'm supposed to poke you if I haven't received a shipping confirmation yet? This order includes my August and September subscriptions (Sharaya helpfully consolidated them while fixing a billing address issue). If there's any particular object(s) causing problems, I'd appreciate them being sidecarted or cancelled. Thanks!
Hi Everyone, Welcome aboard! A few points of business: We don't technically start until 9/19, but you can dot into this thread and the gameplay thread, and introduce yourselves IC if you like. These Quests are six linked "mini-adventures," that can be completed in any order you like. If you played The Silverhex Chronicles, these use basically the same structure. The link above contains six notes, detailing the quests. As mentioned above, you may complete them in any order you wish. I recommend beginning with Harrow, and Epicenter is intended to be the finale, but ultimately the choice is up to you. It'd be good if you could start talking about that now. Special Bonus Trivia Time!
As always, please let me know if you have any questions!
You have been sent by the Society to the county of Versex in Ustalav. Doctor Quolorum, a scholar at the Sincomakti School of Sciences in Thrushmoor and longstanding friend of Kreighton Shaine, has requested assistance in investigating a series of strange events in the region. As you prepare to depart from the nearest Pathinder Lodge, Caliphas' Miregrold Manor, you receive a sheaf of letters detailing these events.
While some OOC comments make sense in the gameplay thread, feel free to use this for notice of expected absence, "cross-talk," or other posts not directly relevant to the IC thread. Any questions not directly related to scenario content should go here as well. The "How to format your text" section below explains all the various forum tags. Bold is commonly used for speech.
First Steps Part 1: In Service to Lore Fresh off your induction into the Society, and the completion of your basic training within the organization, you find yourselves in the office of Ambrus Valsin, the Venture-Captain in charge of daily operations in and around Absaolm's Grand Lodge. A number of other agents are seated in the office with you, waiting for Valsin to arrive.
Hi everyone, As it seems like there's quite a few new folks interested in giving the PBP experience a try, I wanted to provide an opportunity for you all. I'm a two star GM, getting close to my third, mostly playing locally. I'm just getting started in the PBP world myself, so I'm well acquainted with the questions you might have getting started. I'll be going with the classic replayable, First Steps Part 1: In Service to Lore. Everyone's able to play it, and it's fairly simple to GM, which is nice as I'm running a couple other scenarios as well. If it goes well, and there's continued interest, I'm happy to follow up with the Wounded Wisp (or something else, we can talk about that when we get that far). I sincerely apologize for the wall of text that follows. It isn't as intimidating as it may look. I promise. A couple essential notes:
Time Frame: Scenarios tend to take 3-5 weeks to play out, depending on activity. If you get very into party banter, roleplaying with NPCs, and such it can take longer, but I'd say that's a good thing. On the other hand, if inactivity slows down combat, that will also make things take longer, in a bad way. This scenario is pretty short, so the length is largely up to you. Ideally, being able to post once per day (at least once per weekend) is ideal, even if it's brief. In order to keep things going, especially in combat, I may put your character on autopilot if necessary. Obviously, people have lots of stuff going on, so if there's a period where you know you won't be posting much, please let me know, and we'll accommodate that. Much like when you're playing a module in person, your character is effectively "locked in," and is not supposed to be played in other scenarios. If you have a lot of characters like I do, that's not a big deal. Otherwise, you might consider creating a new one so that you don't lose other opportunities to play. Applying: You should have a first level PFS character to play. This will be run as part of the Classic (non-Core) campaign. Eventually, you'll need to set up a character sheet and such, but in the meantime, for now I'd need a post with the following bare bones:
Brand new players will be given priority, followed by relative newbies. Veterans will be welcomed if there's still space left. It'll be more or less first come first serve, but some people who expressed interest in the PFS blog post will get top priority. On September 20th I'll take stock of how much interest we have. If we have a mostly complete table, we can get things moving, Otherwise, I'll start looking to fill some seats. Again, let me know if you have any questions, and welcome to Play by Post!
Rival explorers have beaten the Pathfinders to a valuable site in Katapesh, but fortunately most of the riches—including the obscure text the Society sought in the first place—have ended up in the capitol’s extensive bazaars. What is at first a routine shopping trip spirals out of control as the PCs uncovers the writing’s secret past—and secret messages. Written by Sean McGowan. Hi everyone, I'm going to offer a Core table of the first scenario of Season 7. This is a tier 1-5 scenario. I'd slightly prefer to run the high tier for a bit of variety versus how I ran in person, though I'm open to either. This scenario would begin September 19. Please let me know if there are any other questions. Thanks!
Hi everyone, I'm biting the bullet and going in for a Core table of the special. As far as I'm aware, there's only one Core table of the special so far, run by GM Crucible at tier 1-2. It is currently full. I'm open to running a table at tier 1-2 or tier 3-4, depending on what interest we have. Due to the increased complexity of high-level combat, I'd rather not go any higher than that. If you have a strong preference for one tier or the other, please post here. Once I get some responses, I'll make my decision and let you all know. The first six in-tier Core characters will be taken, with a waitlist welcomed/encouraged. Let me know if you have any questions.
Bizarre phenomena have tormented the people of southeastern Ustalav for decades, and these events become stronger and more dangerous every year. Hoping to uncover the origins of these flashes of red lightning and spectral hauntings, Dr. Quolorum from the Sincomakti School of Sciences has set out with a team of able-bodied assistants. Can the PCs help the professor unlock the secret that dwells above Lantern Lake? Phantom Phenomena includes six adventures that take the PCs to a superstitious village, a lightning-scarred woodland, an ancient Kellid monolith, a haunted manor, an occult university, and finally into the storm-choked mountains. Experience the adventures in any order to create a unique story. Hi everyone, I'm still pretty new to PBP (though not playing/GMing PFS), but trying to get more involved. I'll be running the six recently released Phantom Phenomena Quests. If you've played Silverhex Chronicles, these are structured very similarly. Important Note: While you'll receive a chronicle sheet that can be applied to any first level PFS character, you must play one of the 1st level pregenerated characters downloadable HERE. That's how the quests are designed. Players earn rewards that increase depending on the number of quests completed, and receive a chronicle sheet to give to a first level PFS character. Unless there's strong demand for CORE, this will be a Classic table, open to all the pregens linked above. A CORE table would be limited to pregens of the CRB classes. A few notes:
Quest 1: Harrow My esteemed assistants, I’m told there is a small village called Dunhob only a few miles from Illirigarde Manor that could have useful information. No doubt the villagers have many stories about the phenomena affecting the region. Additionally, before her disappearance Lady Illirigarde visited the locals occasionally to perform harrow readings and seances. Perhaps we could learn more about her research and disappearance as well. My contacts informed me the villagers of Dunhob are a particularly close-lipped and superstitious lot, so diplomatic finesse may be necessary. There are also legends of a haunted tavern called The Lucky Lantern in Dunhob that I would like you to investigate. Your mission is to see what secrets the tavern may hold and interview one or two of the local villagers. Happy adventuring! Dr. Quolorum
Hi everyone, Welcome aboard! First, some OOC business:
Prenne etiquette seems to vary across the PFS community. For purposes of these quests, I will allow prepared spell casters (it looks like just Oloch currently) to swap out their spells. The Occultist may re-allocate its focus points, assuming you have Occult Adventures, and spell out how the character changes as a result. Any other features decided on a daily basis may also be replaced. Any permanent features (feats, domains, etc.) must remain unchanged. Combat
I will generally allow you to roll your own saves, though exceptions may be made in the interests of combat flow. Reporting
Overview Your characters have all been hired by Dr. Quolorum of the Sincomakti School of Sciences in Ustalav, to assist him in an ongoing investigation into unusual phenomena in the area. For purposes of integrating this into the in-character Society, you have been sent by Master of Spells Aram Zey, a longtime associate of the Doctor. He has six tasks for you, detailed in the notes in the following post. You can complete them in whatever order you wish, though I strongly recommend that Epicenter is the final task you attempt. Each task will take place on a different IC day, so you’ll begin each quest fully replenished in terms of health, spells, etc. As mentioned in the recruitment thread, you are also welcome to switch to a different pregen between quests. Please take a moment to read through these and let me know which one you’d prefer to complete first. As soon as there’s at least three votes for a task, and our undecideds select their pregens, I’ll open up the IC thread and we can get going. Let me know if there are any other questions I can answer before we get started.
Bizarre phenomena have tormented the people of southeastern Ustalav for decades, and these events become stronger and more dangerous every year. Hoping to uncover the origins of these flashes of red lightning and spectral hauntings, Dr. Quolorum from the Sincomakti School of Sciences has set out with a team of able-bodied assistants. Can the PCs help the professor unlock the secret that dwells above Lantern Lake? Phantom Phenomena includes six, Hi everyone, I'm still pretty new to PBP (though not playing/GMing PFS). The upcoming game day has got me thinking about getting more involved in this side of things, though. I thought the recently released Phantom Phenomena quests might be a good way to try my hand at the PBP GM experience before committing to something for the actual game day. For those who might not be familiar, the Quests are a series of 6 related mini-adventures, designed for the 1st level pregenerated characters downloadable HERE. Players earn rewards that increase depending on the number of quests completed, and receive a chronicle sheet to give to a first level PFS character. Unless there's strong demand for CORE, this will be a Classic table, open to all the pregens linked above. A CORE table would be limited to pregens of the CRB classes. A few notes:
If this sounds interesting to you, please sign up, or let me know if you have questions.
Hi, I have a couple questions about how Grab works in some uncommon situations. These are pretty much immediately about to become relevant to a game occurring this evening. My search-fu may be weak here, but I didn’t immediately sea a clear answer. For these purposes, let’s consider a Gargantuan creature with 20 ft. reach, and a Medium Cavalier (Large Mount), wielding a lance. Question 1: If the Cavalier charges, the movement provokes, but does it only provoke from the horse or from both? Question 2: If the AOO grabs the horse, and it is moved into base contact with the monster, what happens to the rider’s charge attack? The mount’s? Question 3: If the rider is grabbed while not in base contact with the monster, is he automatically dismounted? Is there some sort of check? Is he prone or standing? Thanks!
Hi all, I had a question about Holy Smite and the other alignment spells in the family (Unholy Blight, Chaos Hammer, Order's Wrath): The text of Holy Smite is: Spoiler:
You draw down holy power to smite your enemies. Only evil and neutral creatures are harmed by the spell; good creatures are unaffected. The spell deals 1d8 points of damage per two caster levels (maximum 5d8) to each evil creature in the area (or 1d6 points of damage per caster level, maximum 10d6, to an evil outsider) and causes it to become blinded for 1 round. A successful Will saving throw reduces damage to half and negates the blinded effect. The others all have almost identical texts. I have questions about the part I bolded. Searching the forum, I found a number of old threads (circa 2010) that disagree about whether evil outsider means: A) Outsider with the evil subtype (Ranger favored enemy seems to provide a precedent)
I expect this to become relevant for a game I'm running very soon, so I was wondering if a consensus had been reached. My initial reading was B, though I can see the argument for both. |
