But I do want to let Valiant know - if he hasn't figured this out already - that the deck of many things is in the wrong chapter. It should be in Hazards, not Magic Items. Those little imaginary cards have been shattering campaigns, and sometimes breaking up gaming groups, for 40 years now.
Referring to the 10th level version of the ritual (CRB 413), I note that the character is in suspended animation, far beneath the surface of the ground, 'out of tune with reality', and invisible to divination. The character can't act, so the ordinarily-super-awesome "know any answer" ability sadly can't help. The only forms of rescue are (1) finding a way to do the freedom ritual as a 10th-level spell, probably by doing a favor for a high level NPC, or (2) direct divine intervention - I hate even having to recommend it, but owing a huge debt to a deity is not as miserable as having the character indefinitely out of play.
Besmara: I bet I'm not the goddess you expected to save you, eh? I hear twelve is the usual number for divinely ordained labors - shall we get started?
You could also make it a plot point and cannibalize the drive from an old Shory city.
Or something similar.
Used Castle Salesman: Is flying castle. Cheap!
Rich PC: I was thinking something with turrets, not so... pyramidal...
Used Castle Salesman: No, no, is not haunted pyramid! Is castle!
Rich PC: Those aren't even windows! They're... they're stickers!
Used 'Castle' Salesman: Is castle! Not cursed at all! Very cheap.
I feel that if the castle is merely hovering, it's just an unusually placed headquarters and the PCs shouldn't be charged if they have already taken the trouble of clearing out the prior occupants and reassuring any local kings/mayors that they won't be using it as an artillery base.
Whereas if it can move (under PC control, that is, not just drifting with the wind), you'd want to look at the highest flying vehicle price and multiply it generously, based on its speed, amount of storage space, and potential to destroy entire adventures through saturation bombardment. It could become a real pain in the butt to the GM.
Well, the first 10 years of D&D were full of genre-mixing. Attempts to enforce genre only came in the mid-eighties, after ten years of shooting robots* with six-shooters*, using the power armor you found in a wrecked starship* to fight King Kong*, and discovering to your horror that the Mad Hatter and March Hare were 8th-level monks*.
*: Module DA3, City of the Gods
*: 1st Ed DMG appendices discussing crossovers with the BOOT HILL game
*: Module C3, Expedition to the Barrier Peaks
*: Module WG7, Isle of the Ape
*: Module EX1, Dungeonland
...I think I just figured out what inspired 'Samurai Jack'.
...as a cleric you're basically a servant to your deity's edicts, which already kind of sucks but then when you die you go from servant to full on slave, it seems... all your power aside from basic class things like hp actually belongs to someone else. You have power not because you personally are powerful but because your god is powerful... while I get why people in universe would worship then... I don't get why someone would want to make a character who does so.
Starting with your first point: That's a bit reversed. Nobody on Golarion is born a cleric. They accept the edicts of their deity freely, because they believe in them. And then they decide to become a cleric. It only seems 'restricted' because we create characters that have already made all those early choices in life.
I'm not sure what 'you go from servant to full on slave' means at all. As far as I know, a cleric's afterlife works much the same as the afterlife of any other class. So I'll set that one aside.
Your third point is that clerics only have their power 'on loan'. That's valid. But you're only seeing the downside, not the upside. Unless you deliberately set up your PC to fail, your deity's trust is a resource that can never be taken from you. When we GMs deprive the players of all their toys (by robbery, shipwreck, jailing, whatever) we have to plan for the simple fact that the cleric will bounce back up, fast. That 'loaned' power is insurance.
As for why people might want to prefer clerics - it's a combination of elements. Some people enjoy the moral or ethical aspects, some people enjoy the combination of weapons and magic, some are in it for the healing. I've run several because a cleric comes with built-in 'immersion' - you instantly have links to the setting, you're automatically in a cool club, and - unlike RL - you actually like your boss.
We'll get around to guns eventually. They're a part of the setting and have been from the start, even before the Pathfinder rules existed and we were doing stuff with the 3.5 OGL rules. They haven't gone anywhere. We just can't duplicate ten years of rules content in 1 year, so we have to pick and choose what we do.
That said, the goal of the guns will be to make them 1) fun, and then 2) balanced, and then 3) not overly complicated...
Pathfinder 1 treated them as "better crossbows" - and, as Ixal pointed out, made them Exotic in order to impose a feat tax. Historically, a loaded gun was quite a bit simpler to operate than, say, a thrown javelin. (But I'll say this for the javelin - it never accidentally goes off during loading.)
In PF2 you have some game elements that can easily be adapted to include guns. Ammunition is easily classed as an alchemical item: the weapon itself as a simple weapon (but with Uncommon access): and the action economy set to encourage the gun as a once-per-fight weapon. The fighter fires once and then pulls his sword, the rogue reserves it for the perfect sneak attack, etc.
I feel like the dedicated, stick-to-my-gun Musketeer would be best reflected by an archetype rather than feats or the like. Still, I'm sure all this has already been chewed over at the Paizo offices.
...it looks like action economy is set up in a way that four PCs piloting four mechs get roughly the same number of non-trivial actions as four PCs piloting a single mech.
In the (hypothetical) situation where a number of smaller mechs combine to form one mega-mech, the available actions of each mech are pooled and any player can select any action from the pool as their turn. The difference would (hypothetically) be that the crunchy bits, like Shield Points and weapon damage, would be calculated using the tier of the mega-mech...
Sounds promising! If the rules can be finessed that way, we'll hopefully end up with something more like Pacific Rim rather than, say, The Three Stooges. (Although that's really up to the PCs in question, isn't it?)
Players aren't generally interested in rules that give them less agency.
Left Leg Guy: Let's use our full movement speed this turn!
Head Guy: Who gave you a window? I'm in charge here.
Right Leg Guy: I'm with you, brother! RUN FOR IT! Fight the power!
Enemies: Where's he going??
...at least my hypothetical homebrew CS will guarantee some way to achieve true immortality by some way or other...
In that case, make sure your game's cosmology includes an 'eternal realm' so that eternal beings don't have to exist among the depressing proto-corpses (e.g. everybody else.)
I say that because eternal beings who have to exist among mortals usually come off as rude, insane, or both. They have their reasons:
"I was just standing there talking to this mortal, and got distracted for 180,000 years, and when I came back she had not only died, but her whole civilization had been crushed by the coming of the glaciers. Also, nobody spoke my language anymore. So now I don't even try to talk to mortals."
It's really not possible to answer the first question, I think. Remember that on Golarion, "the average person" may tame mammoths for a living, or have an undead overlord, or spend their entire life underground, or whatever. Essentially, it's the GM's decision.
("Crikey, it looks like a were-eagle to me! I'll just wrassle it into submission!")
As for how celestials react to mortals - the odds are that they are OK with this. Jealousy isn't likely to be part of most celestials' thinking: they're immortal and dedicated to good, and each new celestial to join the host is a welcome aid against an eternal and numerically superior enemy.
We definitely have artificial gravity in setting. Aside from published adventures assuming it on ships, the CRB writeup of planets lists Absallom Station's gravity as artificial.
We do not have details on how it is generated.
There are no rules about whether or not it can be adjusted in small areas.
I've had at least one adventure - boarding a ship after the space battle - in which parts of the ship had lost main power, and the compartments on auxiliary power were producing dim light and low gravity. It helped sell the idea that they had really walloped the ship.
Here are a few other notions:
1. Telepathic static - as distracting as blindness for those with telepathy: a mere annoyance to those without. Could be the side effects of a hivemind, or deliberately set up by organizations with secrets to keep.
2. Sudden flares - Erratic blasts of high intensity light. Could be strobe lights deployed by enemies, a side effect of shorting-out wiring, or maybe the party is fighting in a space disco.
3. Hauntings - Pathfinder has dozens of easily adapted ideas for the environmental effects of the unquiet dead. And Starfinder characters are a lot less likely to pack holy water.
4. Flying swarms - Bugs are traditional, but depending on the planet you could have flying frogs, jellyfish clouds, undead ladybugs, microbots, whatever. Even if they're entirely harmless themselves, really big swarms would provide concealment - even some forms of blindsight won't be able to penetrate them.
5. Positive energy fountains - Technically these aren't a hazard at all. They're beneficial... for most PCs. Those who are undead, or have necrografts installed, should probably steer clear.
6. Laser-reflecting slime - Attack your own EAC if you shoot this stuff with a laser. Maybe the slime is nanobotic. Or maybe the Demon Lord of Goop - you know the one, He Who is Copyrighted - came up with this stuff once he realized that sword-eating slime just wasn't challenging enough anymore.
I'm just wondering why Yqatuba was asking about the homeworld's name. Is it simply for reference, or for some in-game lore you're providing to the PCs?
Or are you planning to send your PF group to find this mystery world? If you go with the info provided by Corvusmask, the destination point is likely to be nothing but a debris field... Not that the debris of a pulverized planet is necessarily dull. Just ask Superman.
I like explaining my characters' thought processes aloud... it may be the only way to effectively communicate your motivations to the rest of the table.
Do any of the rest of you guys do anything similar as GMs? As players?...
I've had some characters who would express their views to the other party members out loud, but I've never just volunteered what the character is thinking - how would they know, unless they've got detect thoughts running? I've also run characters who were much more private by nature, to whom it wouldn't ever occur to share their motivations.
I have asked a few such questions as a GM, but only when it was relevant - again, detect thoughts can bring on questions like that. I did once have a brief quiz about the characters' states of mind, when the upcoming adventure was in a dream realm and the characters' personalities were going to physically alter how they appeared there. But I don't ordinarily request that info for no reason.
Obviously, mileage may vary. Some GMs run games driven heavily by the emotions and ambitions of their PCs: others tend toward plots that almost any PC would be motivated by, and simply trust their players to take an interest. ("He can't be allowed to blow up the world. That's where I keep all my stuff!")
A similar argument was put forth during the D&D Satanism scare of the mid-eighties. Church groups who regarded Satan as a real and active threat were worried that their children would embrace demonology because D&D had demons in it.
That 'scare' was largely manufactured outrage so that the religious would keep tuning into The 700 Club. Many devout parents lost a great deal of their concern when they observed a few games in play and realized that the point of putting evil monsters in the game was so that the players could engage in guilt-free simulated violence.
So - to the point - if including the W-----o in an adventure would make anybody at the table uncomfortable, excluding it is a good GM decision. But you probably shouldn't expect the general Paizo community to razor-blade that page out of their Bestiary. Their comfort level is theirs to decide.
In the absence of ship miniatures (and the playability of the game really suffers without them) then printed hex tiles for ships with front facing marked... SF gave us a hex map, but nothing to use on it!
I bought the core pawn collection, which included pawns for the base-book ships. Unfortunately, the pawn manufacturers didn't realize that bigger ships were NOT supposed to use the same relative scale as creatures, so all the ship pawns bigger than Medium didn't actually match the rules of the game.
I agree that a new collection of pawns, with top-down art this time, would be a good product - I'd especially like to see a few extras, like "asteroid", "comet", and "unknown vessel" (useful for vessels outside scanning range, as well as for first contact encounters).
Well, Elder Things (unlike the vast majority of Lovecraft's creations) aren't actually malevolent. So this probably wasn't the moral equivalent of passing a hand grenade to a monkey.
Maybe it's the equivalent of an Elder Thing 'tricorder' - when it detects a creature that it 'remembers' it sends a stream of telepathic information, essentially a free knowledge check about the entity. If you want to beef it up a little more, it might provide translations of writing that it recognizes (usually only those of creatures from space, or certain extraplanar languages), or have useful information on counteracting poisons, infestations, etc. from aberrations.
It doesn't look like there's much consistency in specifying the size of gargantua. The roc (B1 281) is mentioned in the text as having a 30' body and a wingspan upward of 80', but doesn't have any special quality describing the amount of space it takes. While the Mu Spore (B1 238) does have such a quality ('Enormous') and specified space (10x10).
I think you'll have to check the flavor text in the case of each Gargantuan creature. Luckily, they are quite uncommon so it won't be a very time-consuming task.
I'm not aware of any published tech that 'scans' for undead - not even for necrografts, which you'd think would be a concern on the same level as any other potentially-weaponized cyborg.
However, it would be possible to infer an undead civilization pretty easily using normal sensors. No heat sources outside the industrial zones, no food being cultivated or shipped to the population centers, and the only beauty ads being broadcast are for "Vlad's Fang Extensions"? I'd be suspicious.
I noticed the lack myself back when I first got Pact Worlds. It was a bit odd to have to sift through the main text: I'd have thought it would be in the quick-facts sidebar along with gravity, length of year, etc.
It affects night-time adventures on the planet, lycanthropy (if you've ported such monsters over from PF), etc. And as far as space combat, moons are useful for lurking behind (or crash-landing on, PCs being what they are).
Your character captures a criminal, collecting a sizable bounty.
Good: The community is safer because of my actions.
Evil: I have personally profited from this.
Lawful: I have maintained order, and we all benefit from this.
Chaotic: ???
Given the assumption that alignment is how a character explains their actions to themselves, how would would a chaotic neutral character justify their actions in the above example?> Or do you have a different recommended example where each alignment justifies their actions differently?
Most Chaotic Neutrals aren't terribly interested in justifying themselves. At most, you'd get something like:
Chaotic: I was lucky. And he wasn't. That's life!
If your Chaotic had sympathies of some kind for the criminal (as opposed to claiming the bounty on some anonymous mook), then you'd get something more like this:
Ultimate Campaign has rules for research (as part of an adventure). Assuming your GM uses those rules, you could spend your days between ghost attacks trying to scrape together enough Research Points to learn who it is and how they died - that'll usually be a good start.
If your group uses Occult Adventures, you may want to have a look there for spells that affect haunts/ghosts. An NPC spiritualist might be able to make peaceful contact and get some questions answered.
...I'm just not sure if coup de grace is a mechanic I think I need?... so I'm wondering if perhaps I should house rule that there is no death save, or at the very least the death save should be the damage dealt not 10 + Damage dealt?...
I don't think you'll hurt your game by stating that the coup de grace action isn't available. The only ones who use it regularly are spellcasters with sleep and hold spells, and even they'll find that there are other ways to incapacitate their temporarily immobilized foes.
I'd like to see a product describing the religious scene in Starfinder. We tend to see more attention on the tech end, and less on the fantasy end of this space opera.
1. The CRB has a mere short passage about each of the 'surviving' gods. More could be told - to say nothing of explaining which of the missing are really missing, and which are simply reduced to minor faiths, long dead, or in stranger situations.
2. Who heads these churches in the Pact Worlds? How are they organized? Some churches have their own fleets - how do the rest attend to their flocks on many worlds? Which churches are sending out missionaries or armies of zealots?
3. And how have things changed in the Outer Planes? Which of those realms have adopted mortal technology, rejected it, or transformed it to meet their own needs? How are the legions of Nirvana armed now, and are the contracts in Hell kept in digital storage? What changes has the Gap made in their politics and their goals?
Personally I think it'd be hilarious if the Flumph Fleet was not only numerous, but more technically advanced than the other Starfinder races.
Science Officer: Captain, we have four Flumph destroyers materializing behind us.
Captain: Holy-! Okay people, everybody think Lawful Good thoughts. Remember, their sensors can read minds!
I mostly wonder why they don't just fall to the center/bottom of the world? They seem to sit on the ground, but do they not annihilate the ground?
They float. A sphere has no mass and therefore isn't obligated to acknowledge gravity. If you have control of a sphere and force it downward, you basically create a small wellshaft (or, if you angle it, a slide! Wheee!) But it ordinarily just remains wherever it was when the prior user lost interest.
The weird part is that they do retain their position relative to other objects. If they didn't, they'd only be stationary relative to the Prime Plane as a whole - the rotation and revolution of Golarion would essentially yank the whole planet out from around the sphere, like that trick of whisking a tablecloth away without disturbing the dishes on top of it. Except, of course, that in this case a number of those dishes would have big holes punched through them as the tablecloth left.
Yqatuba - Up until AD&D 2nd Edition, the thicknesses of earth/stone/lead was only specified for spells that detected magic - not divination spells in general. Enchanted items had a 'dweomer' - as you said, a field of "radiation" that was ordinarily harmless and imperceptible. So your analogy holds up pretty well with that model.
When 3rd Edition D&D was designed, they decided to extend the 'blocking' qualities of matter so that all divination spells were affected. Since then, I think of the divination spells more like active sonar, not Geiger counters - any divination spell sends out pulses of magic, which only return if they make contact with whatever they're seeking before they reach the range limit (or are blocked by the matter in their way).
Personally I still regard lead's great density as the reason for it being the most effective material at blocking divination. But that's just head-canon: I don't think the rules as written ever gave a reason.
If you want the characters to feel attached to the starting location (wherever you decide it to be), you may want to start the campaign by telling the players that they've inherited shares in a piece of property.
It could be anything from a farm with orchards or pastures, to a storefront. That gives the PCs a reason to gather, and to form a team: it also allows you to develop a few NPCs - neighbors or delivery people that can regularly interact with the players.
Sorry to come in on this late, but I was having trouble determining how fast Starfinder tech could send signals as well. Eventually I found the reference on pg. 234 of the core book: it's possible to rent the use of an interstellar comm for 10 credits a minute. It's apparently instantaneous, no matter where you're calling: there's no mention of a lag time.
...I've owned the rulebook for a couple years but have never opened it. So I'll get on that. Maybe play some intro scenarios at PaizoCon.
Stats for drow PCs are not in the core book: the racial traits for drow PCs are found in the first Alien Archive, page 43. (They can also be found at a couple of online Starfinder support sites). However, since you have the core book, you may want to check pages 458-459 for a description of Apostae, home planetoid of the various drow noble houses.
I agree with several other posters - relics are about thematic powers, and their combat powers needed to be distinct. If the damage is a half-notch behind that done by a spellcaster with a similar cantrip, where's the harm? It keeps your party's Thunder Wizard from feeling like she's being upstaged by your Concertina of Chaos (or whatever).
New relic themes and powers are bound to pop up in future PF2 publications, too, so it may be a bit too early to make a general conclusion based on a specific example.
I'm doing some inference here, with Pact Worlds as my starting reference point. There are several different levels of police before you get to the "unlimited jurisdiction" of the Stewards and the Pact Worlds fleet.
Station security: On most stations these would rate as metro police, mostly concerned with the health and safety of the inhabitants. However, for political powers like Absalom Station and the Idari, these guys would rate as 'federal' instead.
Metro police: Practically every planet (as well as odd cases like the Burning Archipelago and Diaspora colonies) is likely to have local cops with a small jurisdiction. In the cases of the Sun, Liavara, Akiton, Apostae, and the less-habitable moons, they're probably the only cops on the planet (not counting Stewards).
National police: Feds can only really exist on planets where the ecology and society allow cities to clump up into nations - Aballon, Castrovel, Verces, Eox, Triaxus, and a couple of the outer moons like Arkanen and Dykon. They'd coexist with, but rate above, metro police - those worlds are likely to encounter more bureacracy and disputes about jurisdiction.
Planetwide police: It seems unlikely that international-but-not-interplanetary police forces still exist for planets that are Pact World signatories. They'd be redundant since the Stewards could do everything they do. But in cases where there really is a single 'world government' - like Nchak or Bretheda - you'd find a level that ranks above 'national' but is still answerable to its planet's overlord, not the Primex of the Pact Worlds.
Local fleet: The Pact Worlds with enough resources to maintain an independet fleet surely use those ships for orbital law enforcement. The Sun (as seen in the Dawn of Flame AP), Aballon, the Idari, and Eox definitely have local fleets: the others seem to rely on the Pact Worlds fleet (sometimes augmented by the Iomedean church, the Hellknights, and/or the Xenowardens) for orbital defense and enforcement.
Some (not all) males having facial hair was specified in the earliest monster descriptions. However, when the drow were borrowed for the Forgotten Realms (in, what, 1984? I think?) they appear to have lost this amazing superpower. In exchange, they seem to have gained the ability to make a lot of money for their publisher.
Do not be alarmed! Dark elves have a special exemption. Part of the standard boilerplate in every demonic pact is "If male, must grow a goatee, no exceptions."
Here's some gamer trivia for you: the original male drow, back in the days of Descent into the Depths of the Earth / Vault of the Drow, almost always had sideburns and mustaches. We're talking the big, luxuriant kinds of mustaches that you grow when you intend to fight crime, win the disco competition, or co-star in naughty films.
I generally don't use terrain. I'll use wet-erase on a grid to convey just enough detail for the PCs to make tactical decisions (walls, rough terrain, obvious hazards, objects large enough to act as cover, etc.)
3D terrain can be fun to build and really does help set the mood even better than a description. But to me, really unique or remarkable terrain seems to lose its impact when it's reused. Players notice physical models more than even the most vivid description, and get a feeling of being in the same area again. ("That big shrub keeps following us from planet to planet!")
But I do more detailed maps - and do recommend 3D terrain - for areas that you as the GM intend to use over and over again. Your PCs' ship is a good place to start: but anyplace that really would look mass-produced in the Starfinder universe is a good pick - a generic defensive fortification or weapon emplacement, wrecked hovercar, makeshift barricades of barrels/crates/etc, lamp posts, etc.
3D terrain also dominates over simple map-markings when a battle needs that third dimension - if the PCs are fighting in a comm tower, a missile silo or the steps of some ancient monolith, it's a lot easier to determine relative range and falling distances, see where the levels connect, and make the scene more vivid.
I have to say none of the non-capital tracking weapons seem worth it...
Tracking weapons are at their best when fired from far enough away that they stay "incoming" for a round. The enemy really, really doesn't want to be hit by your round 2 beams and your round 1 torpedo at the same time, and has to divert attention between you and the torpedo. Point defense weapons are a big help to the target, but they aren't a cure-all. They're at their most effective when fired by multiple ships, since they double the number of bogeys that the target has to deal with.
Multiple hits in a single gunner's turn are more effective (because of the way shield adjustments and repairs work) than two hits on successive rounds. Admittedly that doesn't happen too often, but tracking weapons are the only way it can happen.
Where tracking weapons could shine, though, and haven't so far, is in areas other than direct damage. Missiles that burst into particle fields - zones that damage shields, baffle sensors, etc. Torpedoes that produce sensor decoys (think mirror image for ships) and so on and so forth. The spore torpedoes from PW and vandal rockets from AA3 are both nasty little surprises like that, but more could be done in that area.
You have a definite point: it doesn't make a lot of sense for Broken Rock to have been 'undiscovered' for 319+ years... but all the text tells us is that 'only Free Captains and those they vouch for know the exact location of Broken Rock.'
The text doesn't mention how this secret is guarded in a world where hackers, telepathy, charm spells and interrogation drugs are all found. Here are some rough stabs at 'how the secret is kept', although I'm sure there are other possibilities:
1. Every time any ship's computer receives a navigation update, the locations of forty asteroids in the Diaspora are entered incorrectly, so that a course set for any of them ends up at an entirely different asteroid. One of these is Broken Rock: the others are chosen at random. This has escaped notice because there are tens of thousands of rocks in the Diaspora and nobody in authority has the spare ships to waste on double-checking that every pebble is still where the computer says it is. (The Free Captains may be using hackers, or simply paying bribes to the right people in the companies that provide navigation software.)
2. Even Free Captains don't get told where Broken Rock is - just to fly to a rendezvous point where a pilot will be transferred to their ship and complete the flight. (Who meets them at the rendezvous, how that pilot determines whether they're faking, and how these pilots' absolute loyalty and silence are ensured are all left up to you.)
3. The goddess Besmara doesn't mention it, but Broken Rock is shrouded by her divine protection. There's some sense to this: Broken Rock is the center of her worship in the Pact Worlds (just as Nchak is for the goddess Hylax). Without a worshipper of Besmara aboard who is actively looking for Broken Rock, a ship would simply fly on by, regarding that large asteroid with all the activity on and around it as 'not interesting'.
If your ship's design has an airlock next to an empty cargo bay, that's an easy call. I would probably also say that the Tech Workshop expansion would come with the option of having garage facilities. Although I don't know of any rule listing the max vehicle size that can be stored in an expansion bay...
On the other hand, groups without such a convenient layout might have to pay freight charges to have their Kaiju Crusher flown in by a freight line. I'd probably use the rates given for buying passenger tickets - in the Armory, I believe - as a baseline, and apply a multiplier based on the size of the vehicle.
(I see on closer examination that you're asking about SFS: I'm not sure vehicles can be carried between scenarios at SFS tables.)
When you mention playing 'from the Azlanti point of view,' I'm reminded of something that came up in my campaign, which may be useful to other GMs who want to use the Star Empire in their games.
We (as players) know that nobody knows why Golarion was "edited out" of the SF universe. But the Azlanti, from their human supremacist point of view, probably regard the removal of Golarion as an attempt by aliens (of some kind) to destroy humanity - basically a second, bigger, more successful Earthfall. From that point of view, it's only a matter of time before these secret enemies try to hit the Azlanti Star Empire too.
If you as a GM go with that, the Azlanti won't just be some threat off in the Vast: they'll have secret agents all over the Pact Worlds, trying to identify the destroyers of Golarion. They'll have spy drones, human agents, carefully 'conditioned' androids, hired guns, etc.
If you decide the Azlanti aren't the main threat in your campaign, they might be red herrings, or allies of convenience. Or they might claim neutrality and wait for the perfect moment to double-cross both sides.
I agree with the suggestion John Mangrum makes - that you could use the Corruption mechanic from part I of Signal of Screams.
It's pretty important to discuss this with your other players, too. Most characters in campaigns are setting up 'the long game' - making contacts and collecting funds for distant goals. A currently-healthy-but-doomed character is going to make very different decisions because survival and long-term prosperity don't matter to her. The other players will have to be willing to support that, and the player of the terminal character will have to remember not to hog more than her share of time.
Anyone put together a boot camp or obstacle course for this AP? I know that Cosmic Crit did one, but I'm hoping for more inspiration.
Here's what I've come up with so far. This is the obstacle course that must be finished at the end of your training.
Athletics- run down the trail to a pit. Must jump over it. DC 10 Athletics check or take D6 damage if fail. Can scramble out.
Strength- flip heavy weights 20 feet. Difficulty depends on the character's size Small DC 8 Medium DC 10 Large DC 12.
Fort Save- belly crawl under barbed wire as live fire shoots above you including smoke grenades. DC 12 Fort or become sickened unless environmental seals are active.
Medicine/Mysticism/Physical Science- Just past the combat area is a triage station where you can create up to three potions. Each potion will return d6 stamina or health, or remove the sickened condition.
Computer- DC 12 Computer to operate a lift to get the team to top of a tall tower.
Life Science- While at the top use scopes to find and identify 3 creatures. Life Science 10 then 12 then 15.
Engineering- Engineering DC 12 to repair lift to get down on other side of tower.
Combat- Ambush! PC's must fight a pair of training bots armed with flash grenades, smoke grenades, training baton and stun gun.
Medicine/Mysticism/Physical Science- Just past the combat area is a triage station where you can create up to three potions. Each potion will return d6 stamina or health, or remove the sickened condition.
Acrobatics- swing across a mud pit with Acrobatics 12 check.
Piloting/Gunnery- Two DC 12 Piloting rolls and one DC 15 roll to maneuver a craft through an obstacle course along a river. Two guns to hit four targets, two at AC 10 and two at AC 13 while maneuvering.
Perception/Survival- DC 12 to pick the correct trail that will lead you to the end of the course.
Greetings! I'm DM Dax Thura (just Dax Thura to my friends) and I've started running Starfinder Society Scenarios over on the Myth-Weavers boards. I'll be starting 1-04 Cries from the Drift on Monday 3/25 and I'm inviting you to come over and play.
Has anyone made a list of the story arcs that exist within the Starfinder Society scenarios? For instance, I know that these all have to do with the Scoured Stars Incident.
1-05 The First Mandate
1-11 In Pursuit of the Scoured Past
1-13 On the Trail of History
1-17 Reclaiming the Time-Lost Tear
1-29 Honorbound Emissaries
1-99 The Scoured Stars Invasion
In my game after Duravoor was killed, the pcs were invited to a dinner with the Starrunners, Duravoor's Starfinder team and another group young Starfinders that Duravoor sponsored. Eventually, talk turned to memories of the dwarf.
The pcs and other team of young Starfinders make it to the Horizon Walker, the Starrunner's ship
Everyone can feel the small bump as the shuttle docks with the Horizon Walker and the hiss as they equalize pressure. The two groups go through the airlock into the larger ship's cargo bay. They are greeted by the sight of six tough looking folk; an elf wearing leather and sporting an impressive mohawk, a heavily armored shirren with a bfg, a well dressed nuar with some impressive jewelry, a human woman in too small shirt and cut off jeans and a long coat etched with arcane symbols, a brethadan, and young Duravoor Kreel sporting a sniper rifle.
They are greeted by one of the Starrunners
Kham: "He did (die). " says a voice. "This is a holo we took a long time ago. " A nuar walks through the holo to stand in front of you. He looks to be the older version of the nuar (think medium sized minotaur) in the holo. "This is Dodger's idea of a 'Welcome'. " He looks back at the holo and lets out a heavy sigh. "Better days. " he says under his breath.
Kham: Smiles. "I'm Kham. Welcome aboard the Horizon Walker." He takes the time to shake each of your hands, saying each of your names as he does so. "Come. I'll take you meet the others." he takes one more look at the holo before shutting it off and leading you further into the ship.
Kham walks them through the ship
Kham: “Since there's so many of us, we'll take the cargo lifter to the third level then make our way to the large hall.” Kham explains. The Horizon Walker is built on as large a frame possible for its class and has three levels. The hallways on the third level have imbeded imaging projectors, so you're not walking down a starship corridor, but across a bridge over a massive chasm underneath a beautiful cloud filled sky. One thing is for sure, these guys have done well for themselves. You soon reach the large hall and its just that, a large hall. The walls and ceiling are transparent allowing full view of the sky, soft music is playing, robot servants are waiting to offer you drinks as soon as you enter. The room is pretty much at capacity with the large table in the middle of it and 15 persons (yourselves, the 4 other Starfinders, plus your hosts, the Star Runners) plus drones and robot servants, but it is luxurious.
There's a round of introductions and time for some conversation before the meal is to be served. You recognize the Star Runners as older versions of the people in the holo that you saw when you first came aboard the Horizon Walker. Kham makes introductions:
* The elf with the mohawk and wearing leathers is Artful Dodger or just Dodger for short. It was his idea to have the holo there to greet you.
* Ghost-Who-Walks-Inside is the armored shirren. He's traded his BFG for a more practical sidearm for this occasion
* Sally Tsung, the human woman is not as provocatively dressed as her youthful holo, but her clothes accentuate her still impressive figure and she still has that same trench coat.
* Tickicic is a barathu soon to grow out of its early phase.
* Then of course there's Kham the nuar diplomat.
In the recruitment threads we often list the submissions and classify them as Arcane, Divine, Martial, and Skilled. I put together one of these lists and I found those four categories insufficient. The Bard, for instance could fit into either the Arcane or Skilled categories. Depending on archetype, they could also possibly fit into the Martial category.
That is why I decided to go include three other categories. I call them Hybrids; Arcane/Martial, Arcane/Skilled, and Divine/Hybrid. I thought about using Divine/Martial and Divine/Skilled, but the divine classes already tend to be martially inclined.
Here's how I see the classes at level 1 being categorized without consideration for archetype or build.
I am constantly annoyed at how basic customer service is dying in america. It is on its last, gasping breaths. You go to a store and the sales staff don't help you, at the checkout counter the cashier doesn't make eye contact and practically throws your change (or credit card) back at you. There's no hello, thank you, or come again. I hate when I get an automated system that says,"in order to serve you better". If they really wanted to serve me better, I would be talking to a person not chosing selection #5.
But Paizo is different. They think of me. I don't mean they think like a gamer (which they do), I don't mean they produce great product (which they do), and I don't mean that they make sure the afformentioned product is affordable (which they do). I mean they think of ME. Dax Thura. They seek my input on product they create based off my suggestions. Sure they have some great ideas on their own, but even in those they ask what I think.
I don't know if its true, but they make me feel like I matter. That is a great philosophy. I wonder if it is their mission statement. In any case, I am loving it. I am loving them.
PS. Do they ever sleep? I've seen posts from them at all hours of the day and night all over these boards.
I'm enjoying how the APs have connections between them. Shalelu for instance and the Vancaskerkin clan. I also noted that some of the treasure in Rise of the Runelords foreshadows some of the locations, events, and villains in Kingmaker. Any one seen any that I've missed? Extra points for anyone who can connect any of the APs connect to Kevin Bacon?
I've been looking over the handbooks by Treantmonk, Rouge Eidolon, and others and have come to really enjoy the build archetypes. So I ask the boards to show me your builds.
I don't mean stats, though its ok if you want to include them, nor do I mean a level by level account, though, again, that would be ok too. I'm asking for good advice on how to put together old standby builds and fun new builds. Even wacky builds are welcome.
Finally the right place for this. I don't know how, or more likely lack the authority to, move a post to this forum so I'll reiterate my post.
- Can't change into a monstrous humanoid. Perhaps an Alter Self II (large humanoid, small and medium monstrous humanoid) and Alter Self III (large monstrous humanoid).
- Can't change into an aberration.
- Can't change into a dragon type that is not metallic or chromatic (ie dragon turtle, faerie dragon). Perhaps a lesser form of Form of Dragon.
Again, I don't think that this is the 'right' place for this, but I can't find a better location, so here goes.
I've recently started a game where we're all high level wizards and as I've looked over the chapter on spells I've noticed a couple of things.
- I can't find the write up for the spell Acid Splash. It's on the spell lists, but not in the spell descriptions. I've looked in both the Beta and Web Enhancement. I assume that this is a simple omission because it really didn't change from 3.5, but it just seemed odd when all of the other cantrips are there, including Ray of Frost.
- In the Beast Shape spells there is no provision if the form you take has a faster speed on land than you do. For example, a wolf, which is a medium animal, has a speed on land of 50', but a dwarf caster changed into one, can only move 20'. I assume that your speed is equal to whatever form you take.
- Under the current rules there's no way to change into a monstrous humanoid. I'm looking into an Alter Self II spell that basically combines Enlarge Person and Alter Self into a 3rd or maybe 4th level spell. I think this will go along with the general theme.
- Also no way to change into an aberration, though I think that this might be intentional. Though I still like the idea of changing into a rust monster to fight that iron golem.
I can't seem to find the chart for creating magic items. Specifically staffs and items that have more than one ability. Would someone please point me in the right direction.
Does anyone have a copy of Lariss V's journal out of Dragon 351? I ask because I have a player who can't see very well and I'd like for him to have a copy of her journal. My current plan is to type it out, but I am a lazy so and so and was hoping not to have to finish typing it. My typing skills leave a lot to be desired. Thanks.
Here are my notes from SWW. It might help you out a bit. There are only minor spoilers:
Spoiler:
Sea Wyvern Passenger list
01 Tristan Lidu *: (PC) Captain and conjuror of the Sea Wyvern. She’s known to mutter to herself and occationally talk in strange tongues. Has a toad familiar that she often talks to.
02 Kale Silverthumb *: (PC) Captain at Arms. Kale seems to revere oriental philosophy, clothing, and swordsmanship . . . even though he doesn’t seem to fully understand them.
03 Kiki *: (PC) Quartermaster. Kiki is quick of mind and body. Unfortunately she doesn’t take the time to think most things through. She is quite rash.
04 Buffy *: (DM PC) Ship medic. Priestess of Pelor. Very agreeable. Always seems to agree with the majority.
05 James Kidd *: (PC) Officer and Pilot. Seems cursed with bad luck. Quite clumsy. Seems to be a natural leader. Extremely good liar.
06 Orlani *: (NPC cohort) leading seaman and boatswain. James’ girlfriend and right hand. Seems far more competent then her boyfriend.
07 Fredrick Norrington *: (PC) Ship navigator and diplomat. Somewhat quite and reserved, only really comes alive during battles and difficult negotiations.
08 Churtle *: (NPC) ship cook. Churtle was rescued from the lotus dragons by the PCs and has agreed to stay on as their cook for the long journey. Churtle is also an expert poison maker. She almost never confuses her two professions.
09 Amella Venkalie *: (NPC) First Mate. Perhaps the most knowledgeable sailor aboard the Sea Wyvern. She is quick to voice her opinion and doesn’t shy away from a fight. She has a quick temper.
10 Father Feres (AKA Conrad Horst)*: (NPC) former priest, now lowly deckhand. Conrad is a con man who pretended to be a priest to escape justice. Claims to be a changed man after a near death experience . . . time will tell if this is true or if it’s another elaborate ruse.
11 Avner Meravanchi: (NPC) Passenger. Avner’s father is funding part of this expedition, claims that he’s sending Avner along to oversee his investment, in actuality he may have funded the expedition as a reason to get rid of Avner for a while. Avner is a clueless, spoiled, liar, and cheat. Is practically expected to throw a tantrum if he doesn’t get his own way.
12 Banaby Chisk: (NPC) Passenger. One of Avner’s valets. Quite, doesn’t socialize.
13 Quenge Asper: (NPC) Passenger. One of Avner’s valets. Quite, doesn’t socialize.
14 Lirith Veldirose *: (NPC) leading seaman. A flamboyant tomboy that loves to be the center of attention (good or bad).
15 Tavey Nesk *: (NPC) cabin boy. Eager to please and a hard worker. Has taken a shine to Kale for some reason.
16 Skald *: (NPC) leading seaman. Quite and mysterious. Skald acts like someone guilty of something. Actually on the run from dangerious individuals in Styes.
17 Urol Forol *: (NPC) ship’s science officer, secondary navigator, and expedition guide at Farshore. Urol loves bugs and nature. He also loves ancient ruins and danger. Quite possibly insane. Always cheerful.
18 Dorent Migter*: (NPC) Artillerist. Dwarven engineer. Clams to be the older brother.
19 Morlond Migter*: (NPC) Artillerist. Dwarven engineer. Clams to be the taller brother.
20 Davey Jones *: (NPC) ordinary seaman and deckhand. Davey can’t swim despite being at sea most of his life. Wants to marry an Olman girl and settle down somewhere.
21 John silver *: (NPC) ordinary seaman and deckhand. Always looking to drink and gamble. Perhaps the most superstitious member of the crew.
22 Rodger Jolly *: (NPC) ordinary seaman and deckhand. Despite his last name Rodger is almost always in a bad mood about something. Often can be found gambling with John.
23 Anne Bonney *: (NPC) ordinary seaman and deckhand. Big and quite, easily as strong as most men aboard ship, is best friends with Mary.
24 Mary Read *: (NPC) ordinary seaman and deckhand. Mary is loud and obnoxious. As bad as anyone for starting fights. She is often the one to throw the first punch.
25 Mitch Tailor: (NPC) passenger. Farmer and father. Enjoys smoking a pipe but can’t bellow deck. Often can be found topside at night smoking.
26 Wynona Tailor: (NPC) passenger. Mother and wife. Actual head of the Tailor family, Mitch quietly looks to his wife before making any decisions. Was a seamstress and weaver before marrying Mitch.
27 Will Tailor: (NPC) passenger. Middle son of the Tailor family. The eldest daughter and youngest son remained behind in Sasserine. Will is hoping to find a wife and help his father build a new farm at Farshore.
28 Mike Carpenter: (NPC) passenger. Mike is actually a carpenter by trade (like his last name suggests) but he’s also good at a large verity of odds and ends including smithy, masonry, and fishing. He hopes that he’ll be able to practice his wide verity of skills in Farshore away from the controlling influence of the trade guilds.
29 Lane Carpenter: (NPC) passenger. Like her husband Lane is also a master of many trades, including weaving, sewing, apothecary, and midwifery. She’d prefer to practice the latter two skills at Farshore so she’ll have something to pass down to her daughter.
30 Merriam Carpenter: (NPC) passenger. Only child of Mike and Lane. Merriam is almost sixteen and not happy about having to leave friends and family to journey to Farshore. Recently she has taken a liking to Will Tailor.
During my group’s last rotation, I started STAP. TINH did not come off as dramatic as I’d hoped, but the group did develop a strong dislike for Vanthus, so all was not lost. This time I’m better prepared. BTW we are playing in Eberron.
Basil – Elan Psion/Ardent
Twiggy – Human Druid with Baby Wolf Companion
Erin – Human Factotum
Colostomy – Human Fighter
Sliver – Warforged Warlock/Wizard
The group, calling themselves The Forsaken, is asked to attend a ball in their honor after their defeat of the Lotus Dragons. While there, they get to hobnob with the rich and powerful of Sassarine (read generally ignored and viewed as a quaint sideshow). Several members of that august group offered membership to various members of the group:
· Worrin Lidu asked all of them membership in the Dawn Council
· Anteki Alresian offered Basil a position within Riedra (sub for Scarlet Brotherhood).
· Zasker offers membership into Zelkarune’s Horns to Colos.
· High Warden Lux Seoni suggests that Sliver offer himself for review by the Witch Warden guild leaders. She tells Erin that if she ever gets serious about the art to come as well.
Heldrath Kellani introduces herself as the mother of the woman they murdered. Lavinia introduces them to Avner Meravanchi and Woodson Bloodwhite, who are potential investers in an upcoming project of her’s. Towards the end of the night, Basil was being led off for a rendevous by Liamae, whom he had befriended, when he noticed another Liamae across the room. Basil did not get to act, however, because Colos called him over due to a failed attempt to poison Colos. He accused Heldrath and struck her when she denied any knowledge of the wrong doing. Due to his newfound celebrity and the Kellani fall from grace, Colos was escorted to his residence and kept under guard to ‘sleep it off’ rather than a more serious punishment.
The next day, The Forsaken went off to Kraken’s Cove to capture Vanthus and put an end to his schemes. They noted a strangeness to the forest and a rising plume of smoke just before a group of disfigured, mutated monkeys attacked them. The monkeys were quickly dispatched, though Colos was struck with an infectious bite before it was over. They make it to the cove and bear witness to the damage wroght by Vanthus’ plans. They enter the cave complex to find him and are attacked by mutated pirates. The Forsaken fight their way through the caves, though they consider withdrawing after encountering Ripclaw, to find a swordswoman fending off more of the mutated pirates. After defeating the pirates, the introductions are made and the swordswoman, Capt. Javell, tells the group that she sent her first mate off to kill Vanthus and his entire family. She then makes her escape. When we left off, the group was heading back to Sassarine in the Sea Wyvern, two of their members infected with a strange disease.
Sometimes the things that may or may not be true are the things a man needs to believe in the most. That people are basically good; that honor, courage, and virtue mean everything; that power and money, money and power mean nothing; that good always triumphs over evil; and I want you to remember this, that love... true love never dies. You remember that, boy. You remember that. Doesn't matter if it's true or not. You see, a man should believe in those things, because those are the things worth believing in. - Hub, Second Hand Lions
First I want to apologize if this isn't the place for this question/request or if it is considered in poor manners.
I'm currently in one group's rotation to run STAP and now I'm looking to do the same in a different group that I'm in. The thing is, the second group has mostly rookie players that seem to really enjoy the White Wolf system. I'd rather just run it using 3.5, but I'm considering attempting to convert it to Exalted (and I admit to being intrigued by the idea). They've never played, but it's a rules set they're more familiar with and I've never run it, but I am rather familiar with the rules.
I think it would be pretty simple up to the Farshore incident. After that, though, I don't know.
The Pathfinder Player's Guide gives information on how the races and classes in the PHB fit into Varisia/Golorian. What I want to know is how do the 'core' classes from the 'Complete' series fit? I am specifically interested in the Warlock (my personal favorite) and Favored Soul.
... but what's your opinion of Pathfinder so far? I've skimmed the boards some and it seems that most like it, but I wanted to know what other's really think. You know, the good, the bad, the munchkin. I am considering a subscription because I enjoyed reading the Adventure Paths (I'm running STAP now) and have high hopes for Pathfinder, but I can't afford to throw my money away on a sub-par product (see the last days of 2nd Edition for example). Let me know what you think.
I first learned of the adventure paths when I bought an edition of Dungeon for an Eberron adventure. I immediatly started to gather the rest of the Savage Tide magazines. Then, in my excitement, I began to prepare to GM the STAP. The problem is that I didn't prepare enough.
I arrived at the game and told them that we would switch games. After the minimum required amount of hassle from the others, they began to make characters. We've played three sessions so far, taking out the Lotus Dragons, and are now switching to a different campaign for a while before getting back to the STAP. The problem is that my games has moved rather slowly so far. I desperatly desire for the game to get better and plan on doing more preparation. I welcome any advice.
