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So, let me know if I'm reading this right, or if I'm getting some details wrong here, please? The target for this spell is another creature of up to 8th level who is a worshipper of the same deity or philosophy as you, and it can be heightened by 2 levels, for a maximum level of 10. That being the case, what is a, say, 11th level Champion supposed to do if she commits a deed that is anathema to her chosen deity?

Thank you.

I have already floated that despite being "Core" in 2E that Goblins would not be playable from the start

....

I tried to explain without spoilers why it didn't make sense and was met with "people will be annoyed if you ban something that is a major core option" and "if one of the core options from 2E is allowed then perhaps we shouldn't play using the 2E rules"

Maybe you could switch the low-level enemies from goblins to kobolds? I realize that the stats are significantly different, but if you use the name and description of kobolds but apply goblin stats and behaviors, it sidesteps the goblin issue.

"Kobold Squash Stables" and a collection of kobold scales would be easy enough to have the townsfolk biased against the little reptilians.

Just an option, of course. Its your table, run it however you choose to. :)

Its been a while since it happened, but my PCs managed to pull it off. One of them, Tordek (paladin of Abadar), his player had approached me early on and said that he wanted to attempt redeeming Nualia. So, over the first few sessions, I had Abadar give him visions of young Nualia in his dreams, so that Tordek would be able to understand her trauma and prejudice against the people of Sandpoint. Tordek enlisted Willo, a cleric of Serenrae, to help him with talking to Nualia when the time came. Through some spectacular RP and a few amazing dice rolls, they pulled it off. Nualia submitted herself to arrest and was taken by Sheriff Hemlock and the PCs to be tried in Magnimar, because the people of Sandpoint were too biased for her to get a fair trial there.

Things did not work out as they had hoped, but that's the basic version of how they were able to get her to see the error of her ways.

Just build natural connections in the world as you play it. Books four and five are a long way off. The best way to alleviate concerns about late game play is to read all six adventures before you start. This gives you a better idea of the characters, organizations and locations that will be in play throughout the adventure path. Then you, the GM, can sit back and help build the relationships needed to keep your players engaged until the end.

This. Help the PCs build connections early on, and provided that those NPCs survive long enough, they'll have plenty of opportunities to role-play later in the game.

One of my PCs, a paladin of Abadar named Tordek, paid a druid in Magnimar to cast resurrection on Katrine Vinder. She came back a bit changed, but he then hired her to be the nanny to the two children he had adopted after their parents were killed in the goblin attack during the Swallowtail Festival. This, of course, leads him to want to talk to different NPCs for different reasons, leading to new and interesting RP opportunities as the story progresses.

Adding to what Phntm888 has said, and as an alternative to what Jhaeman suggested, I wouldn't abandon the AP entirely. I would keep it running in the background, and let the PCs follow their own course, and bring them back into the AP at a dramatically appropriate point before too much time passes. For instance, while avoiding the Magnimarian authorities, maybe they hear about this really cool gambling boat near Turtleback Ferry and go to try their hand at a few games. Or maybe have them come across the invasionary force in Book 4, which they are definitely not ready for if they haven't been paying attention to the story and just going around causing random mayhem.... but it might almost be enough to snap them back into being heroes.

I would recommend the Pathfinder Pawns: Rise of the Runelords Collection. I've found it to be incredibly helpful for my group. We started RotRL two years ago (we only play once a month), and having these pawns has made my life a LOT easier when running combats.

Personally, I prefer allowing just the core rulebook and the Advanced Player's Guide, because too many books seems to slow things down. But then, I consider playing a Fighter for 20 levels to be an accomplishment.

EDIT: What happened to your other party so that they didn't make it past Book 4? Was it a TPK?

Teleport is a pretty basic spell, right? And its only component is verbal. So, what is to prevent an imprisoned wizard or sorcerer from simply saying the word and teleporting out of their cell and back to their lair or some other familiar location?

I'm pondering this, largely, because I'm not sure what keeps the magic-using inmates of the The Hells in Magnimar (the prison, not the lower planes) from just teleporting out on a whim.

My first thought is to say that Forbiddance is in effect. But would it remain in effect if the inmates (or some silly adventurers) destroyed part of the perimeter of the area it was cast upon? Perhaps by digging beyond it or managing to somehow disintegrate part of the wall or floor?

Also, is there anything in RAW that describes lead having the same effect on teleportation as it does on scrying?

I have a paladin player using the Holy Gun archetype. He has also chosen to take the Justicar prestige class. He wants to apply the Sure Shot ability that states it is for crossbows to firearms, and has asked if I would allow that. I'm torn, because I like his character concept and don't want to squash it, but don't want him to become OP.

What are your thoughts or experiences in this area?

Right, sorry. I presumed that people would know I was referring to the prison structure under the Pediment Building. That's entirely my fault for not being more clear. Even so, those are some delightful ideas for later, potentially.

I am considering combining Meirril's suggestion with having some manner of alarm go off, bringing the city guard and as many paladins and clerics are available to contain the breach. I'm pretty sure that will result in massive loss of life, though, the responsibility for which will rest squarely on the shoulders of my PCs.

Is it wrong to saddle the PCs with enormous guilt for wanting destruction and escaped evil? If it is, I don't want to be right. I will let the dice decide who lives and who dies.

An interesting thing happened last week. My players, bound and determined to follow a red herring in spite of multiple NPCs trying to send them back onto the actual storyline, decided to open up the lower levels of The Hells.

I've tried to find information beyond what is in "City of Monuments," but there doesn't seem to be much. So, any ideas on what I might consider throwing at them in The Hells, or what consequences they might suffer if they make it out?

Initially, I had them encounter a necromancer, wight, a few skeletons, and a couple of CR 3 zombie servants (I'm at work and don't have my notes with me). The necromancer cast black tentacles, which kept the paladin tied up for the first several rounds, and the wight gave their arcanist a negative level over the course of combat.

So, whether the players decide advance or retreat, do you have any suggestions for what I could have around the next corner?

Yes, spoilers.... dreaded things.

I've already asked if there was a version of the legal code that I could rely on in another thread here.

(Bonus spoiler: there doesn't seem to be one.)

My question is for GMs who have specifically run RotRL and dealt with a "redeemed" Nualia. What were the ramifications of her having done pretty much everything that she did in service to Lamashtu? I think that list can safely include murder, arson, and criminal conspiracy.... probably more charges, if I really put my mind to it.

I think you may be confusing Justice (the Magnimarian position of office) and Justicar (the Abadarian prestige class).

You are absolutely correct. Thank you for pointing that out.

Was the Justicar appointed by a religious or secular authority. If it is the former, Paladins of Abadar are known for acting as Judge/Jury/Executioner on occasion. And the Paladin’s code of Abadar IS well defined.

Interestingly, my player is a paladin of Abadar. Also, I'm exactly not sure about the justicar's appointment, unless there's some background on Ironbriar that I haven't seen yet. For the purposes of my game, I'm going to say that he was appointed politically to protect the interests of the religious organization that he is a member of, somewhat conveniently.

Ah, okay. Perhaps I should provide a bit more detail. This PC wants to help defend a "redeemed" evil NPC against charges of arson, murder and criminal conspiracy commited in Sandpoint before the Justice Court in Magnimar. She's being sent to Magnimar because there was no way Sandpoint would have given her a legally fair trail.

The NPC did actually commit these crimes, having personally burned down a small temple while the priest slept inside and being the head of a group of Lamashtu worshippers who attacked Sandpoint, even though she didn't directly participate in the attack. The paladin/justicar is trying to provide the defense of her being abused, neglected, and under the influence of an evil deity.... I'm not so sure such a defense should hold up, though.

I'm thinking that, based on the charges, the NPC could end up with a sentence of 25 years to life in The Hells.

Does that seem reasonable? Or excessively harsh?

In my current campaign, one of my players has decided that he wants to take the Justicar prestige class to accent his paladin's ability to uphold the law. Personally, I love the idea. However, I have one minor issue: if a justiciar’s knowledge of her code is magically flawless, what is the actual law code of Varisia?

Is there a written document for this somewhere? Or has anyone used something as a reasonable basis when their player decided to invoke this ability? I don't want to get into endless legal debates with a player at the table, because that could become very tedious very quickly. So, having something of a documented legal code - or at least a logical basis for one - would be tremendously helpful.

If all else fails, I can spend the next few weeks putting something together.

We just finished "Burnt Offerings." The party consists of:

Tordek Hammerfist - a paladin.... male Drow paladin, raised by dwarves after they discovered him as an infant in their tunnels. (If I read the timeline correctly, Drow don't surface in Golarion until sometime after RotR begins, so I allowed him as an experiment in nature vs nurture.)

Willo Featherbottom - a female elven cleric of Desna. She was instrumental in

Carl Jenkins - male human magus, of Thassalonian descent. His father raised him to work with his hands so that he wouldn't be tempted to dabble in magic and follow the ancient family traditions. His grandfather had other ideas, and secretly trained him to use magic.

Ninotchka - female half-elf ranger. Formerly involved in an opium smuggling ring, she joined the party as part of her personal quest to locate her missing significant other, Dmitri, and seek revenge on an old enemy named Fenrir.

Ganame Ganomerson - gnomish barbarian/rogue - possibly one of the least optimized characters ever, who fits the campaign perfectly. She's a mistress of the gnomish hook hammer, and her bonuses against goblins and giants are excellent for this campaign.

Izaak - a dwarven druid, who wandered off with a barmaid after a long night of drinking and eating mushrooms. He'll be back, after his player gets married and comes back from their honeymoon.

I'm hoping that some other GMs can provide their input on my current situation, and offer suggestions as to how to go about things (or if you think I'm doing okay with this).

Due to our game being just a once-a-month thing (some of my players drive for close to three hours to join us, or we use Google Hangouts if they can't make it), I try to give each session a sense of closure and progress, so that they're satisfied with what has happened, and leave them wanting more next time.

One of my players, playing Tordek Hammerfist, an elven Paladin of Abadar, was interested in redeeming Nualia. We discussed it at length, and these forums became incredibly helpful in creating that part of the story. However, he only had about an hour and a half left before he had to leave for his long drive home, so I decided to let Abadar give him a couple of hints as to where to go. This required Wisdom checks with DCs of 20 for Tordek to get the hint of left, right or straight at certain points.

So, they reached Nualia pretty quickly and easily, and then the party's diplomat, Willo (half-elf cleric of Desna), rolled a natural 20 on her Diplomacy check to talk to Nualia.... and I rolled a 1 in front of the players. Yes, I know that a 1 on a skill check isn't an automatic failure, but they had been working towards this for months, quite literally, so I gave it to them. Nualia broke down into tears, and surrendered herself peacefully.

Carl Jenkins (human magus) claimed the Sihedron medallion when Nualia surrendered herself, because his family can be traced back to ancient Thassilonia. His father strongly discouraged the use of magic, while his grandfather secretly trained him in the arcane arts and told him legends of the ancient times. I'm looking forward to his face-heel turn later....

Anyway, the result of this is that Bruthazmus, Orik and Lyrie were never encountered by the players. They want to come back to Thistletop next session and finish clearing it out, while Sheriff Hemlock has Nualia transported to Magnimar for trial.

Here is what I'm thinking: Orik has cut and run. I'll use him later in the story as a somewhat helpful NPC, possibly as a blacksmith or farmer, but he's done with adventuring. Bruthazmus, having no major competitor, is going to presume that he's the new "ruler" of the goblin tribes based out of Thistletop. He'll be there when the PCs return, so that they have him to face before possibly finding their way to Malfeshnekor. But Lyrie....

Two of the other PCs, Nina (human rogue/ranger) and Ganome (gnome barbarian/rogue) were a little rough on Tsuto. They actually tortured him for information, until Tordek interrupted them and forced them to stop.... and then, they "accidentally" killed him.

And burned his body.

And scattered his ashes into the bay, to make sure he wasn't revived.

Lyrie, sometime after fleeing Thistletop, will have learned of their mistreatment of her love, and wants revenge. My plan is to have her be in Magnimar when the PCs go there - I'm allowing them to testify at Nualia's trial before Justice Ironbriar, which will be timed for roughly when they'll be there anyway for the Skinsaw Murders - so that she can, with the help of some Skinsaw cultists and a few hired goons, attack the party and attempt to assassinate Nualia.

One of those goons in particular is tied in with Nina's backstory, but that doesn't really apply to much of what I'm discussing here.

Ultimately.... does all of that seem plausible? Do you think it works, or are there points of the larger story I'm missing?

I have a player who wants to play a paraplegic sorcerer. At first, he would be riding around on another PC's back, until he had the ability to create a chair to walk him around on its own. My question becomes: is it better to create such a device using Craft Wondrous Item or using Craft Construct, animate object and permanency?

I really want the character concept to succeed, I'm just not entirely sure about which method will be best for him.

Thanks.

So, I've got this player.... I love him, partially because he spends so much time in the rule books that he comes up with some really awesome ideas. Here's his latest pitch:

He wants to build a wizard, with the exploiter archetyle, so that he can take arcane knacks to then access the Occultist archetype of Arcanist, so that he can have Conjurer's Focus for spontaneous summoning while maintaining his Wizard spell progression.

Now, this guy is either brilliant and has found an awesome loophole in the rules.... or I'm missing something very, very important here.

I've started mapping out a side quest for the knowledge the player needs. Its going to involve a lot of twists and turns, dead ends and red herrings, but some genuine leads. Also, I've found some nifty ways of tying in the other players' stories and backstories into this mad wizard's quest for power. But it won't resolve until after they've completed Rise of the Runelords, so I've got months to tease this player.

Cue the maniacal GM laughter....

Thank you all for your help, advice and suggestions.

Eh, its a public forum. We had been going around about this topic OOC anyway, and its only fair to let him have access to the same base information that I have. How I choose to use that information in game is a different matter, of course.

This is one stupid and unlearned Wizard.

So he's going to cheat as well, to prove that he can? There is nothing infallible about gods, this is a known fact and is claimed about every deity by entire nations and other deities. And many gods have never been mortal, even those who where didn't all rise to goodhood through the starstone.

As a side note: someone with this attitude will have a hard time ascending, the real gods will have an issue with it and probably stop him in his tracks. Assassins will be hired to kill the false deity, by mortals and gods.

I don't think I'd go so far as to say the wizard is stupid or unlearned. Maybe she just has much to learn about how the cosmos actually work, which can happen in character. And having talked to the player a bit more, the goal isn't just personal deification, but discovering a replicable method of ascension that can then be handed out to the "worthy" so that they can ascend as well, without having to jump through the hoops that the gods have set up.

The wizard's main issue with the gods is that they aren't fixing things and they aren't sharing power with those who will do something to fix the world. I can kind of see the character's perspective, but at the same time, that's probably all the more reason for the gods to dislike her and send trials and difficulties her way.

So what I'm thinking is, of course, to allow the PC her goal. And allow her to attempt different experiments to see if she can achieve her goal. However, in the end, she should come to realize that there are only specific methods of ascension by the will of the gods, and if she truly wants to have that power, she has to play by their rules.

Of course, that doesn't mean she can't pull a Razmir and set up a cult of worshipers just for the ego boost.

Does that sound about right?

Hello. Medium-time reader, first time poster here.

I'm GMing Rise of the Runelords, Burnt Offerings, and my players are currently in the Catacombs of Wrath. One of my players messaged me last night with his idea for having his wizard become a deity. Yes, he's an ambitious one.

"How would you feel about/ what would be an appropriate sacrifice for a version of Greater Create Demiplane that keeps growing?

"Via an incredibly convoluted series of steps, it's possible to make objectively 6.6 square miles of 8-foot tall demiplane over the course of a month.

"But I'd rather do one big, self-fueling ritual that'd get a decent amount of space. So is it possible for a 20th-level wizard to pull off a self-growing demiplane? Else I'll basically be trying to shove 300,000 people into 6 square miles and get them to worship so hard I sprout godhood, which seems a tad cruel."

Essentially, he's trying to create worshipers to power his way into godhood without having to deal with the Starstone ritual.

In-character, his thinking is that he knows just as well as the gods how to run things, but that they cheated to get their divinity. So he's going to engineer his own path to godhood that doesn't involved the Starstone to prove that he can, and to dispel the aura of infallibility around the gods. Part of the wizard's reasoning is that the gods die, and that those who have become gods are the pinnacle of man, but they are still men.

So, mechanically, I realize that its probably possible to create the pocket dimension using a version of Greater Create Demiplane; and to create the beings that inhabit it using Stone Shape, Fabricate, Stone To Flesh and Awaken Construct. However, I'm thinking that if something like this were possible from a mechanical standpoint (and, please, feel free to point out any flaws in that design), I seriously doubt that the gods would let him get away with his attempt at undermining their sovreignty.

So, my good and noble fellow GMs, do you have any advice for me?