Kennethray's page

I agree with the whole, allow take backs only if the event was very recent, rounds to minutes. To be fair though, the person who forgot they had feather fall is less likely to forget it next time (or atleast actually check if they could save the pc right when they die) if there are actual consequences.

Twilight knight made a point that struck home with me. I forget things for the creatures they are fighting all the time. I hold the same standards for myself. It is very unlikely that a dragon wouldn't know when its breath weapon has recharged but it has happened. Even cool abilities I reminded myself to use the round before.

The ways that i handle this issue is established and consistent, and everyone still enjoys the games and comes back time after time. I guess that's all that matters.

Call it a rules oversight.

Skeletons and Ghosts are also not immune to Bleed effects by RAW, even though neither of them have blood, or require blood to function or stay alive.

Ghost do have the incorporeal tag. It states that they typically are immune to things that requires a physical body.

Under consumables in core rulebook. Activated ammunition: you use an action to "launch" it and additional actions to activate it. It all happens when you fire it. So no casting and storing.

If I am reading it right, the argument is the number of items that can be retrieved with a single interact action is equal to the number of limbs/arms/hands?? This is one of those arguments I can not even sorta see as being possibly correct.

Yeah I think its a legacy thing and some people just don't want to use it. I don't think a reason should be demanded to explain someone else's fun.

Similar to the spell phantasmal killer only has one part that is subject to incapacitation and not the whole spell/ability there is just the text and not the tag.

Unless there is something like fatal involved which changes the original roll.

Given that Secret Checks are now explicitly a thing...then all non-Secret checks should be non-secret by default, right?

I'm not sure the logic applies. The secret tag means the gm can choose to roll for the pc then inform them of what happens however they deem appropriate. They already do that for all npc's by default.

I agree with mrspaghetti.

#5 x a Million.

The best run scenarios feel like the whole thing goes off super smoothly and with great pacing. There is no single or multiple 30 minute delays while the GM catches up (i.e., drawing maps, reading monster abilities, figuring out scenario mechanics, etc.), the GM has an answer to most questions or can re-direct to keep things moving, and ultimately the session carries its momentum throughout. A combination of just enough prep AND good improv to adjust when PCs do something unscripted/unexpected.

The worst run scenarios have frequent pauses, fights over mechanics/rules, multiple GM ret-cons because they don't actually know how the scenario ends and the story/mechanical continuity gets broken by one of their decisions earlier on in the session. These are more often then not the GMs who didn't even read it once or 'lightly skimmed it' and rely on improving their way through 4-5 hours. Unless your the GM equivalent of a "Who's Line is it Anyways" improv actor with a correct encyclopedic knowledge of bestiary, you shouldn't be relying on just improving through 4+ hours of GMing.

The 'bare-scrape-the-bottom-of-the-barrel-minimum' prep as a GM is to:
1.) Read the whole PFS scenario, module, or AP ONCE.

A good level of prep is:
1.) Read the whole PFS scenario, module, or AP TWICE (once before and once for the section you're going to run the day of or day before so it is fresh in your mind)

2.) Think about the parts of the scenario that will be awkward, less engaging, bog down play/lose momentum,etc. and prep something to make it go faster.

[e.g. 1] example, if there is a race mechanic think of some descriptions of what successful checks do, create an excel table to add up the 6 teams race progress BEFORE the session so you aren't spending 30 mins calculating it at the end and ret-con your PC's team losing (though knowing their position during the race might have made them take different actions).

[e.g. 2] highlight or make a 1 pager of weird in...

Wayyyyyy to much. Both as a post and the point.

I find it works great as is.

Inspire Courage is only a harmful action if casting Heroism is.

Or casting/sustaining bless

In pfs games even my high int characters forgo the crappy income from earn income to do the one from Grand Archive that allows me to learn new languages and lores.

I should also add, fall of plaguestone has an example of using attack bonus for earn income.

I have ran fall of plaguestone, up to book 4 of AoA, played in every pfs scenario that came out before June. I have only seen one player death and that was due to persistent damage and being separated from the party by a wall of force.

If the shield is broken, you could make the case that it cannot perform its function to strap on anymore. Thus, you should be able to drop it for free. Is there language that says otherwise?

I would say it does. A broken item still imposes penalties and limitations normally incurred by carrying, holding, or wearing it. For example, broken armor would still impose its Dexterity modifier cap, check penalty, and so forth.

Meaning it can still be strapped. Destroyed however I would say falls apart.

Just to throw in my worthless 2 cents. I also read the 3 action version changes the targets and removes the willingness part by replacing the word willing with the word all.

There is no way to bank actions to the next turn. Not sure where that came from.

Both. Use cantrip till reaction is used. Pull out physical shield, cause crap I'm getting targeted. Unless you are able to get the shield block reaction.

It throws me off when people relate legal and evil. Some places it is illegal to free slaves. Does doing so make you evil?

A straight roll with no bonus for an aoe demoralize on a -1 creature is not bad. Not sure if that was intended but that is how i ran it.

So far our champion is using shifting runes on the special material weapons. I'm a bit confused after reading all this. If a creature is weak to slashing and cold iron, a slashing cold iron weapon would only apply one of those weaknesses?

Kennethray wrote:

Moppy wrote:

In PF2, Paladins are also necromancers. You should get along just fine. The next time they do lay on hands, ask them what school of magic healing effects are. Necromancy covers all life magics. PF2 necromancy is not inherently good or evil and is just a tool.

Except for that pesky evil tag that means it is inherently evil.

And that "common sense" thing that also means it is inherently evil.

You would think that. But I remember before 5 e a player at my table was arguing the whole it's what you do with it that determines if its evil argument. I could just not get past a npc seeing their dead family and friends being used in that way.

In PF2, Paladins are also necromancers. You should get along just fine. The next time they do lay on hands, ask them what school of magic healing effects are. Necromancy covers all life magics. PF2 necromancy is not inherently good or evil and is just a tool.

Except for that pesky evil tag that means it is inherently evil.

Wow, I had just went by the whomever delayed first would be the first to be allowed to come out of delay. Basically keeping the original initiative order.

In our group the alchemist shines. They have soloed golems.

Seek vs. Searching

Searching is an exploration tactic. Those are a subset of all the activities with the exploration trait. Specifically, they describe what you're doing while you're moving. So if you're using Searching as your tactic, you're examining everything before you step into it. By using the Seek action.

Searching the room for X time, or an Y Perception check
I think here the idea is that if you're just passing through the room Searching, there's a chance that you'll find the hidden thing. To see if that chance event happens, you roll Perception. But if you take long enough searching, you'll find it for sure, so no Perception roll is required.

The age of ashes book 1 says they need to spend the time and succeed at the check. Some rooms have separate times and checks for different treasures.

I for one appreciate niche protection.

They are simple weapons instead of martial.

Same as asking, why use a staff when a bo staff is much better.

I have to agree with Tender. It is constantly called an item. Its never given any creature type.

I know this is off topic, but does this mean that any future homebrew games that are based around a plague should stress the lack of available toilet paper?

Based on gameplay, the couple of deaths my party has had is due to persistent damage. Nothing to do with the GM trying to kill them. If they drop due to a critical and end up with persistent damage, the likely hood of them dying has greatly increased.

It seems like flavor, like you are casting it to hit all your enemies. But even worded as it is, it doesn't say only enemies and even goes on to say all creatures. I dont even see wiggle room on this one. You could rule that it only affects enemies but that would be a house rule.

Its similar to how my party tried to argue that they could heal through a wall of force since positive energy is not physical. And one line of text in wall of force says it stops all physical. That's ignoring the text as a whole by focusing on a single line, just to get the outcome they want.

Zioalca wrote:

I'd vote no on Guidance. It only last for 6 seconds. He would also need to meet the performer in or near their circle since it only has a 30ft range. I'd say a similar thing for inspire competence. In my mind, the act last for at least a full minute to entertain the crowd. Also, unless the bard knows the trick perfectly, he wouldn't know when to cast either of these spells to fully benefit the performer.

Any chance you kept track of the circus and wouldn't mind sharing the outcomes? I ran my first session recently and my group actually almost ran over the 15 anticipation mark with the excitement they generated.

They are both cantrips though so as long as the bard is within 30 ft. he can keep casting it. Right now I'm leaning towards making it a non-performer role as background musician or something, so they wouldn't be able to perform their signature trick themselves but they would be able to aid everyone else with their cantrips.

I don't have the sheet with me but I know they lost 2 excitement from attacking the drunken brawlers with a wolf. They only crit succeeded once, and most performers came out with a net 1 or 2 excitement each round.

I let my party use inspire in a similar way. Guidance has the issue of the being immune for 1 hour so it wouldn't work.

Opinions have been stated above by a few people. Only thing I would note is the higher off the ground the spell is the less squares it could effect. Having it at 30 feet would only effect 2 squares straight below it that is ground level. Pulling them into clusters, or to a pc, or to a trap seems to be what it is designed for. As far as pulling up?? I'm not sure. I suppose if that is the case you could also use it to get party members into higher locations with it, dependent on the grab the edge reaction, or even across a pit or something.

My thing is that the goblins were talking. Maybe he kills the leader before he realizes this, goes to the secret entrance and gets killed by some birds. They could find the open secret entrance and his body. Goblins are a wreck and warbles doesn't like the party anymore. It also decreases their reward.

My party had ignored the sounds of aleck fighting and the next day found him dying from the spear trap.

What???? 2 Vrocks?

Plus those pesky creatures resistant/immune to your dieties favorite weapon damage type.

And those dang warpreist always starting wars. They are the evil ones I say.

May want to move to the age of ashes forum to avoid spoilers.

I had one player "scout" through the way station while the rest stayed in the keep. I had the rest of the players leave the room. When he got to the end of the tunnel Dahka formed and started to ise the breath weapon. The pc jumped through the gate into the mawangi expanse.

When the rest of the party went through some time later they were spread out when it formed. I told the table straight up that this was an hazard, similar to what quicksand or a haunting would be. This was because it was one of the first times they had one like this in game. After 2 or 3 more where I give this warning when we roll initiatives I will stop saying that. It should start to become obvious with the fact that hazards act before initiatives are rolled.

The sorcerer was able to dispel it on the first round so there was only the first breath weapon and not knowledge checks made.

But on the flip side they would become useless, anyone could break out of them and that kinda defeats the purpose of manacles. I do not think the 8 strength wizard should have a shot at breaking them, but I do think the 18 strength Barbarian should have a chance.

Except chirgurgion specifically says that the crafting can be used for the untrained or trained uses. And requires you have at least trained in medicine. So expert wouldn't matter in crafting. He would have to use medicine to do the expert or master options of treat wounds.

I'm not sure if this helps but I noticed that every big encounter in AoA the creatures have cool non damaging or less damaging abilities. With the exception of the golem I have not had any bad guys do more then 2 attacks. They always do one of their cool things, be it a drake flying 50 feet up with a pc, or a nook just shoving a pc into the reach of a bigger creatures AoO. The Barghest I had cast a spell every round, even if it was invisibility just to give it better defense or flat footed to its target. Not the best tactic but he was insane and it took 2 attacks that would surely hit each round. Moving and buffing/debuffs are more interesting then slugging away every round. The Barghest has been the only encounter where hero points were needed.

They are closed tomorrow for New Year's, per RAW.

It was mention on one of their twitch streams. It is intentional and is 100% supposed to be harder for classes that do not get heavy armor.

So before we had officially moved on to book two the party had went to kill a couple of trolls near the town, and ended up fighting a shambler at the same time. Before the fight they had left the two warg pups in their wagon, despite them showing signs of distress before the party left. After they returned about 8 hours later, they found a dead horse and one on the loose. There were signs the pups ate some of the horse, as well as a much larger warg.

They tracked it through the night and managed to corner all 3 in a cave. There was a discussion between mama warg and the pc that was trying to make them good. The pc kept trying to make the mom warg seem like a liar. Completely out matched the mom had an idea. I told the pc that they notice an evil intent in the eyes of the warg "roll initiative " as it attempts to RIP your throat out.

On the PCs turn, he swiped at the mom and she bared her throat to him, critical hit, instant kill. The pc wanted to heal the downed warg but had to wait till his next initiative. He told all the other players to let him be the one to heal her. I told him that she was dying and as long as it received healing in the next 2 rounds, could be revived, barring any more damage.

On the pups turns I rolled to see how they would react. The Male "bacon" attacked the pc but missed all 3 attacks. The female "eggs" ripped into her mother's throat, Finnishing her off, then looked up to the pc as if to say "I did good?".

These events proceeded with a very long conversation between the players. For now the pups are safe. One is leaning towards good and is very emotional, the other is leaning towards evil and is just looking for approval from the pc.

The party just hired a ranger to care for the pups while they explore beyond the gate. Poor ranger.

K-ray

Since I added that much, I might as well tell how I run it. I require the healers tools. I also encouraged the bandolier. 1 action and 1 hand, but with the tools in a bandolier.

882 does seem like a lot, but I'm not sure what that would be comparable to. Like is a stone house less then that? Is it in the range of a castle? Keeping in mind bulk is more then just weight but how easy it is to handle.

I had the "remember to give out" issue with inspiration. My fix for that was just give the group a pile of advantages equal to the party size, and they could be used anytime for any d20 roll. For hero points, I have given them all 1 each as a get out of death free card only. I may make it a pool once they pass level 5. When I first started 5e I thought inspiration was cool, but it ended up being a headache. So I am pre-avoiding it now.

So far this has been my only house rule i have implemented. We will see how things change after age of ashes.

K-ray