Joe Dunn's page

Bob's completely correct. Can't believe I overlooked Magic Aura. The character in question is an alchemist who has a dagger in a spring-loaded wrist sheath. Since the character's got a high Int, he liked the thematic concept that the alchemist would have the dagger enchanted, but obscured from Detect Magic.

Since Magic Aura's not on his spell list, I recommended that he pick up a wand of Magic Aura and just use that. This way, flavor-wise, he can claim it's undetectable because of a lead-lined sheath or what have you, but rule-wise, he has an item to back it up.

Thanks a lot to everyone who responded!

P.S. I'm with most people on the helmet issue. I'm thinking the target would have to be completely obscured. Also, a lead lined helmet would be pretty heavy. I'd almost be more tempted to seek out an uber-wizard and have him enchant a helmet with Mind Blank. jk

Detect Magic specifically states that it can't detect through a thin sheet of lead. I had a player wondering if/how you would go about creating a wrist sheath or something similar that would keep a caster from detecting his holdout weapon (a dagger) as magical. Didn't know if I was missing something in a given book. I'm betting that this would not be Society legal (and, let's face it, I can't think of many enemies who use Detect Magic to search for weapons.) If this were for a home game, I'd probably have him masterwork the wrist sheath as a tool.

Just curious,

Joe

Hey guys! Just picked up the First Steps mods to run for some friends who are new to Pathfinder and the Society.

They all registered their characters online, but opted to leave their faction at the default (Grand Lodge), until they've played all the way through and chosen a faction they each like.

How can I, as a GM, make sure that the Prestige earned here goes toward their new factions, in the event that they choose something other than Grand Lodge? We're two mods in, and I want to report things accurately.

I assume that since I've reported the mods already, that I can go back and change their factions to whatever they end up choosing. Thanks for the advice, guys!

Hey guys. Just wanted to get some input on something, I have a PC who's wanting to play a goblin druid with a rat companion. While I'm inclined to let him, as I feel it's a character concept that he's interested in, and it will add an interesting dimension to the party.

The problem I run into, however, is the fact that that I'm considering running the Jade Regent AP, which, in the initial description, essentially throws out the fact that goblins will be the main adversary initially. And we'll be in Sandpoint, no less. Which, I'll likely play as post-RoRL, and pretty anti-goblin.

So, how do I frame it that my player's goblin druid isn't outright killed in the village? Do I align him with the initial group of baddies? Should I have him be from one of the other tribes, who doesn't care much for 'those other green guys'?

Input appreciated. I was well-aware that allowing him to play a goblin would add a bit of a social problem, but this is an entirely new wrinkle I hadn't considered.

Sorcerer can pop claws via Abyssal bloodline as well.

Any half-orc can replace Orc Ferocity with Toothy for a d4 bite.

EDIT: Ninja'd on these last two!

Barbarians can pick up a gore attack a la Lesser Fiend Totem, and claws via Lesser Beast Totem.

Bards are a blast, IMO. They're a pretty flexible build, and you can do a lot of support work. When I played through Legacy of Fire, I got brought in in the middle of the first mod, and was told the group needed a healer. Rather than gen the group another cleric, I picked up a gnome bard. And never got bored.

The bard class, differing builds aside, is a great enabler, and can just as easily attain the ridiculous level of skill-monkey that only rogues can rival. Handing out +1 and +2 fairly early in the game, as well as being able to countersong sonic effects is pretty huge. And these are all features of the base class. The savage skald is a very cool gimmick for a 'barbarian' bard, just to name one of the archetypes.

My newbie group just sat down to their first game with a bard in the party, and after all the facetime and performing the bard put in in the first session, one of my players essentially stated "We need a bard in every party."

Maybe not gospel, but bards are solid all the way around.

Everyone seems to have covered the bases. Hollow's Last Hope and Crown of the Kobold King, as mentioned above, are good lead-ins. If you play through those and are looking for an Adventure Path, my newbie group LOVES Legacy of Fire. Granted, there's a Path that plays to almost everyone. Hope you guys grow to love the game as much as we all do!

I'll probably take your advice on it. I'm one of those people who can't enjoy most movies after I've read the book.

Everyone's got it dead on. Level 0 spells can be used as many times as the player wants or your GM allows. Prepare as many different ones as you're allowed, and fire away.

Currently reading Sandy Mitchell's second Ciaphas Cain omnibus, on the second book, Duty Calls. After I wrap up the omnibus, I have the first Wild Cards anthology, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, R.A. Salvatore's The Highwayman (which I put down earlier for what I felt was a needlessly drawn-out narrative), and Puzo's The Godfather.

Love the Cain books for their deviation from the skulls and somber mood of 40k's 'grimdark' atmosphere. What I've read of Wild Cards seems great, and I'm excited to knock out more.

Picked up Girl with the Dragon Tattoo mostly because of the original film's popularity, and the fact that they're making an English speaking version. I haven't seen the movie yet.

Figured I'd give Salvatore a chance outside of Drizzt, who was slightly interesting in the original, but makes me gnash my teeth now as a player and GM. Any time a player wants to create a drow who has 'turned his back on his dark heritage and work toward redemption,' I just about lose it. However, the first few chapters seemed to be world-building, and then background on the main character's parents. It may flesh out better later, but not exactly enthralling from page 1. Then again, maybe I'm just on Salvatore strike.

And the Godfather. Well, enough said.

It's been said before, but it seems pretty obvious that the feats are intended to be used with the ranger's natural weapons, thus the combat style.

You made the right call. If he wants these feats for his bow, let him take them as they become available that way. But the Natural Weapon path just doesn't mesh with the way he intends to do it.

Honestly, I roll out in the open, save for things my players shouldn't be aware of. (Stealth and Bluff checks, etc.) Not out of any deep belief one way or the other, it was just how my GMs did it as I came up in the game, so I followed suit.

If you as a GM choose to roll behind a screen, power to you. The Pathfinder screen is a great utility with all those tables on the inside. I see nothing wrong with making the game fun and challenging. Still, if you feel as though a fight's going to rapidly one way or another, you can definitely shift the game with things other than dice rolls.

So, I suggest doing what you're comfortable with. If you prefer a screen, by all means, stick with it. Not seeing rolls does not hurt my enjoyment of the game as a player. If nothing else, you can ask the player why they would like you to roll out in the open.

I've been playing Pathfinder for over a year and a half, and really enjoy the game. So much so, in fact, that I've introduced some friends to the game. Rather than write my own game, I picked up the first Rise of the Runelords module and ran it for them.

They've really enjoyed the path and are nearing the end. My LGS doesn't have the other modules on the shelves, and they're out of print online. While I can download the pdf from Paizo, I typically prefer to DM with paper copies rather than using a computer.

I was wondering if there were any plans, or interest, in reprinting some of the earlier adventure paths, perhaps updating the ones that functioned in 3.5 to fit in the current Pathfinder mechanics.

They'd likely come out to somewhere around 600 pages, estimating roughly 100 pages per module. However, you could likely cut the short stories or bestiaries if you were so inclined, since the creatures are now in the Bestiary and Bestiary 2.

While it's just a thought, I know that I'd definitely love to run some of these earlier Pathfinder adventure paths for my groups, and would willingly drop 40 or 50 dollars on a collected edition. Not sure if I'm the only person who prefers paper at the table over a computer, but I just thought I might toss the idea out there, even if it's a bad one.