Jason Rice's page

I feel for you. The computer-fu side of this round terrified me, as I had NO IDEA how to convert from PDF to JPEG (Short answer: I create my maps in PDF, since I have no access to a scanner), much less size it at the appropriate DPI size.

I eventually figured out how to convert from PDF to JPEG, after a mass-email to everyone I knew, but I can imagine that you might have been in a similar situation, and not known how to scale the map size.

Unfortunately, the map IS hard to read. From what I can see, I feel that the "Ice Fort" should be more than just a wall. Give us rooms, furniture, whatever.

Tough luck.

Already got next year's 'round one' entry lol

Day-glo leggings of choreography
Aura strong embarassment; CL 11th
Slot feet; Price 40000 gp; Weight 0.5 lbs.
Description
When worn, these leggings shed dim light in a pastel color of the user's choice. Three times a day, when any bard within audible range is performing using a musical instrument, the user may activate the leggings as a standard action. In doing so, the user voluntarily falls under the spell irresistible dance but everyone else within a 20 foot radius must save or also fall under the same spell. On each successive turn, anyone remaining within the item's radius must save again.

The user may end the effect at any time as a free action. Doing so releases everyone else.
Construction
Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, Irresistible dance, light ; Cost 20000 gp

Reminds me of this and this.

Back to the original question... I say go for it.

EDIT: I had originally said you should be denied dex until your next turn, and went into the reasoning... However, WRAITHSTRIKE MADE A GREAT ARGUMENT. I am now convinced that a ranged "cure" bomb should not be treated differently than a "touch" cure. If you are not denied dex bonus on one, then you should not be denied dex bonus on the other.

Possibilities: house rules, mounted combat rules (I'm convinced very few people know them), campaign information (who's who of NPCs, city info, calendar, etc), or an artistic rendering of the party's gruesome demise. >:)

Boogie Shoes

Before I saw this, I actually came up with a similar themed item...

Meme Shoes

Aura moderate enchantment; CL 15th
Slot feet; Price Your future embarrassment; Weight 1 lb.

DESCRIPTION
These black leather shoes are nondescript, and their details are easily forgotten.

Meme shoes have a continually changing set of abilities. All save DCs begin at 25, but are reduced by 1d6-1 points annually. When an ability becomes DC 0, it no longer functions, but a new random ability is created. Currently, meme shoes have the following abilities:

Harlem Shake: once per day, the wearer can begin dancing as a full round action. While dancing, when the wearer utilizes the command words “The Harlem Shake”, all creatures within a 30 ft. radius must immediately succeed on a will save (DC25) or begin dancing as if under the effects of irresistible dance. This is an enchantment (mind control) effect that lasts as long as the wearer continues dancing, or the affected creature is no longer within the area of effect.

Opa Gundam Style: once per day, the wearer may dance as a standard action in a quirky and slightly humorous fashion. While dancing, when the wearer utilizes the command words “Hey sexy lady”, all creatures within a 100ft radius must succeed on a DC20 will save, or become fascinated. This is an enchantment (mind control) effect that ends once the wearer stops dancing, or the affected creature is no longer within the area of effect.

YMCA: Once per day, the wearer may shout “Its fun to stay at the YMCA!” as a swift action. All creatures within a 30ft. radius must succeed on a D10 will save, or drop any held items and immediately spell out the letters Y, M, C, and A with their arms. This is an enchantment (mind control) effect that only functions at wedding receptions.

Macarena: This ability no longer functions.

Electric Slide: This ability no longer functions.

Moonwalk: This ability no longer functions.

The Hustle: This ability no longer functions.

The Twist: This ability no longer functions.

CONSTRUCTION
Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, Leadership, Perform (dance) 5 ranks, that is all Cost your kids will think you are a dork

I'm OK with a low stat. In fact, when roleplaying, I actually prefer it. Its FUN to role play a low stat, IMO, especially Wisdom and/or Charisma.

Sheldon (Big Bang Theory), Dr. Perry Cox (Scrubs), and Dr. House (House) are great characters BECAUSE of their low stats.

First, let me say I don't believe ANY class is absolutely necessary. However:

The "classic" setup is cleric (healer), fighter (tank), rogue (trapfinder), wizard (artillery).

In your group, the barbarian fills the traditional fighter role, the oracle fills the traditional cleric role, and the sorcerer fills the traditional wizard role. That leaves rogue...

I think a rogue/fighter would be just fine. That would round out all the traditional roles, particularly if you went rogue early.

However, more important than filling any role is playing a class you would enjoy, because enjoying the game is the most important part. If you WANT to play a fighter/rogue, do that. If not, do something else.

Bjorn Turoque (the "j" is pronounced like a "y")
Malice in Chains (an all-kyton band)
Elvis Priestly
The Saxon 5
Muskets N' Roses
The Brave Matthews Band
Led Zelda (ok, wrong game)
Link Floyd (still wrong game)
.

Plus, these also work without changing them...
.
Nirvana, Queen, Rob Zombie, Iron Maiden

Not really game related, but...

I hate texting. I would much rather call someone and speak directly to them.

Also, the term "hashtag" annoys me.

You should make a Grippli bard.

Why?

Kermit. Nuff said.

I like them for the jokes, which can be udderly amusing. No bull!

But I would steer clear of calling a minotaur cowvalier "Sir Loin". They might look pasture human faults, but most minotaurs will get mad (cow) if they field like you are insulting them. They will have a beef with you till the day you die. It is farm more safe to moove away and hoof these jokes in a place where you can't be herd by the minotaur. As humans, most minotaus can taurus limb from limb. You better bellieve it! I'd steak my reputation on it. But hay, who am I to offer advice? I tend to cattle, er, prattle on.

...Ok, that last one was a stretch. I think I've milked about every pun I could out of this.

Somebody went through the trouble of creating a battlemap for this. They are awesome and much appreciated.

When I ran this, I cut out each room so that the players had a kind of "fog of war". As they progressed, I placed the next "puzzle piece" on the table. I recommend a large supply of paperclips or tape for this approach. Also, from experience, write the room number on the back of each piece.

Does anyone else wish that the sorcerer and wizard had different spell lists, if only to stop this endless debate?

To the OP: For my play style, I prefer sorcerers. Also, my DM loves low-magic, low-money campaigns, so constantly scribing scrolls (or even finding spellbooks to copy) is difficult, making the sorcerer a superior choice for this particular DM.

However, one thing wizards have, which no one has yet mentioned, is the ability to bond with an object, instead of a familiar. I like this option, and it gives wizards some of the flexibility of a sorcerer, maybe more flexibility, depending on the size of your spellbook.

Fantasy: necromancer
Sci-Fi: alien(s)
Western: the "black hat" cowboy
Horror: evil spirit
High School: the "cool" kid

Also,

Disney: witch
Comedy: "the man" (college dean, police captain, high school principal, etc.)
Superhero: evil genius

Aboleth's Lung, a 2nd level spell granted by this archetype at 4th level, also causes creatures to immediately begin suffocating. I think drowning aura is a totally viable ability as the floodwalker gains levels. Cool stuff IMHO.

Heh. I caught that people were missing Suffocation, but I never thought about using Aboleth's Lung offensively. I just read it and mentally categorized it as a water-breathing spell. That's awesome, and I like this archetype even more now.

Diplomacy: I'd go with a letter of introduction from a baron or viscount. Not every noble is rich. Some are in debt due to unwise investments, gambling problems, military losses, or natural disasters, and may be willing to write such a letter for help paying off their debts.

Spellcraft: any number of things could work. A thesis paper from a notable wizard on magic theory, a "field guide" on identifying spells and thier properties, a prism for viewing magic auras, etc.

Use Magic Device: As above, many things could work. A book called "Magic Items for Dummies", a training manual for apprentice wizards, etc.

Image is everything. The Bag of Holding is stylish and elegant.

Only the rif-raf buy Handy Haversacks. I mean really, what wardrobe goes with a Handy Haversack???? Who wears a backpack all the time? Vagabonds, that's who.

I'll admit that I've never played PFS organized play. I've only played Pathfinder in home games and non-PFS convention events.

I mostly GM nowadays, so I fully support your right to decide what can or can't happen at your table. That said, if things are so strict that this style of GMing is not only the norm, but expected, then I'll say that I have no interest in trying PFS.

I'm of the opinion that there would not have been any harm in letting the player ride a pig. Quite the opposite, in fact. As either a player or GM, I would have welcomed that kind of creative thinking. That kind of stuff is what makes roleplaying fun for me, and what turns a so-so adventure into a memorable one.

I'm not saying your approach was wrong. Indeed, it sounds like you actually did the "correct" thing. Its just that this style/rule doesn't appeal to me, and actually discourages me from wanting to play PFS. From that standpoint, being "correct" doesn't make it "right".

On a related note...

However, mounts (of all sorts, from a class ability or simply purchased) need to be at least one size caegory larger than their riders, so that would make it a wild boar (Medium) instead of a domesticated pig (Small). Which is, unfortunately, not available until 4th level.

I'm afraid this isn't true about all pigs, or even most pigs. Swine come in LOTS of different sizes. In all of these links, I think you'll agree that the DOMESTIC pig shown not only isn't small, they are actually LARGE size, in terms of Pathfinder statistics.

As a general rule, domestic livestock will actually be LARGER than their wild cousins. I originally went into a bit about natural selection vs. domestication, but deleted it for brevity. The short-version is that domestic swine sometimes top 1200 pounds (most cows sold at auction are around 1000 lbs.) Conversely, javelina are only around 3 1/2 feet in length and weigh around 60 pounds. Warthogs are only about 4 feet in length and weigh between 110 and 170 pounds. Wild boars are only about 5 feet in length and weigh around 300 pounds.

IMO nearly anytime you aren't in combat you can take 10.

+1

If the PCs say they want to walk through an entire dungeon quietly (and why wouldn't they), the LAST thing I want to do is have every single player rolling a D20 very 30 ft. I also don't want to tell them to suddenly make a stealth check, because that would tip them off that for some reason, it matters in THIS area.

I let everyone take 10, and then find out which of the PCs have the worst stealth (aka, the noisy character). I then use that as the Perception target DC for any monsters or NPCs in the dungeon, to see if they are suprised.

Once we go to initiative, then characters need to roll a stealth check to see if they are stealthy.

Conversely, if someone is "on guard duty", I don't want to make a roll every 6 seconds. I have them take 10 on perception checks until initiative is rolled. Guard duty is monotonous (99.99% of the time, nothing happens), and guards are rarely on heightened alert. Taking the average roll is probably slightly generous to the guards in most situations.

Jason Rice wrote:

Nice ideas

Hadn't thought of this approach. Will pass it by the team.

Thanks,
S.

No problem.

Actually, I just thought of another idea for you. One that you may like better.

In the front of the Advanced Player's Guide, There is a list of "Favored Class Options" for each of the core races. If its your goal to really limit the available classes, then these lists can pull double duty. Use these lists (with or without the alternate options) as your list of available classes. For example: Gnomes can become Alchemists, Bards, Druids, Oracles, Rangers, Rogues, Summoners, and Wizards.

Paizo did the work for you, possibly without even knowing it.

After you've done this a while, come back and post how it went. I'm interested in the outcome.

I just let my mood dictate the weather. That, and monsters. Thunderstoms just happened to pop up when they were fighting undead.

I would see them best as a 8th or 10th character. Other stuff

Wow, that's harsh.

Don't get me wrong, I don't think the monk is all that great. I've put my nerd-glasses on and have done the math to show that a fighter can out-monk a monk in unarmed combat. I used monks of several different levels compared to fighters of equal levels and ability scores, and then generated a spreadsheet simulating 200 attacks (a 10-AC spread against every possible outcome on a D20). The fighter's AVERAGE damage was always higher. The secret to the fighter's unarmed combat success is the fighter-only feats, Weapon Training, and eventually Weapon Mastery. So I'm under no illusion that the monk makes a good primary melee combatant.

HOWEVER, I still don't believe that the monk is that bad that it should only be played in the unlikely event that you have a 10-player group. The last time I was a player (admitedly it was pre-Pathfinder), our monk's increased movement saved the party's collective hiney on many occasions. Our DM had the annoying habit of having 1 or 2 badguys run for help, usually around a corner, so the monk was the only one that was quick enough to chase them down. Also, a monk can be defensive in ways the fighter can't (immunity to disease and poison, etc.), so they make a decent wall for the spellcasters to hide behind.

Once the primary roles are filled (tank, healer, trapfinder, artillery), the party's survival is not in question (at least not more than normal), there is no reason not to have fun with a support class like a monk or bard (yes, I know bards can heal, I still think of them as support). Not everyone needs to be a specialist. Also, if I'm playing a non-standard race, I actually prefer monks, becuase I don't care if the town marshall wants to disarm me before letting me into the city.

I think most people don't know how to conduct mounted combat.

Want to cast a spell while your mount is moving? Concentration Check.

Want to make an attack while mounted on a NON-COMBAT TRAINED mount? it's a Ride Check as a MOVE ACTION.

Want to make an attack with a 2 handed weapon (or use a weapon and shield) while mounted? Ride Check.

Want to make a ranged attack while your mount is moving? -4 to your attack (or -8 if its running).

Took damage while mounted? Ride Check.

The rules for bull rush state "You cannot bull rush a creature into a square that is occupied by a solid object or obstacle."

The question is, what is an "obstacle?"

It seems obvious that a table or pillar counts, but...

Can I push a person into difficult terrain?

Can I push a person into a pit?

Can I push a person off a pirate's plank?

Can I push a person over a low railing?

Can I push a person into a fire?

Can I push a person into a lava square?

Can I push a person into a blade barrier?

Can I push a person into a Gelatenous Cube?

Help.

Pants on Fire: +5 to bluff skill.

stuff about linguistics skill...

[Devil's Advocate]

Zerothbase has a point.

The real world has plenty of examples of supposedly secret languages that were learned by people who were not taught the language. Archaeologists were able to crack ancient Egyptian, Mayan, and dozens of other dead languages that NOBODY spoke. I would think a living language would be easier to learn than a dead one, even if it was a language that nobody was willing to teach you. A living language (especially one spoken world-wide) is far more common than a dead language.

Languages have rules for spelling and grammar, and therefore those rules can be cracked. During WWII the German military code was cracked, and cracked again (and again) every time they changed the code. Ditto for the Japanese diplomatic code. It the time, these codes were living SECRET LANGUAGES.

It's extremely difficult to keep a widely used language secret forever. Especially when a fantasy character can cast tongues or comprehend languages to help him decipher the rules of spelling, grammar, and pronunciation.

Also, if you hear a language spoken long enough, you start to learn words, then phrases, and eventually sentences in that language. Example: infants.

[/Devil's Advocate]

That said, as a DM, I wouldn't allow you to learn Druidic by your suggested method. No way, no how. At best, I would require you to collect books/scrolls/documents written in Druidic, THEN make several successful (and difficult) linguistics checks over the course of a level or two to decode the language structure. All that would be to just to read Druidic.

THEN, after learning written Druidic, you would have to hang out with people speaking Druidic for at least another level before making several more successful linguistics checks. Only after all that could I allow you to write Druidic on your sheet.

After all that, if you didn't also take a level in druid, you had better keep your knowledge a secret, or bad things will be looking for you.