Llefser's page

I'd probably recommend The Shackles region, perhaps just a little further west of the Shackles so it's in rarely sailed waters.

Seconding this. Minata is also a good area.

On a related note, can this rage power actually be used to gain a second saving throw against fatigue or exhaustion? According to the text, Good For What Ails You must be used "while raging", yet both the fatigued and exhausted conditions prevent the barbarian in question from raging in the first place.

Will True Strike affect attacks made with Spiritual Weapon?

So, how did it go?

This week I'm going to start running a Beginner's Box campaign at a friend's game store. The plan is for it to be open to both regular players and drop-in players. This means that after a month or two, I should expect to have player-characters with a range of levels showing up on a given night.

I have some experience GMing Pathfinder Society games, but have yet to GM a Beginner Box game for any characters other than the pregens. Also, this is my first time designing encounters for Beginner Box. The Challenge Rating system in the GM Guide looks similar to the system in the full game, but it appears that adding monsters to an encounter gives a different CR result in Beginner Box than it would in Pathfinder.

For example, in Beginner Box an encounter with 3 CR 1/2 giant centipedes is considered a CR 2 encounter, while in the full game it would be a CR 3 encounter.

For the first few sessions, I am more concerned about balancing encounters based on party size than level, since everyone will be level 1. My plan is simply to add additional monsters as needed. But, once the regular players hit levels 3-4, adding monsters makes it more likely that any level 1 characters will be killed.

Has anybody run a Beginner Box game with characters of different levels? And if so, how did you go about balancing the encounters?

Llefser wrote:

dnjscott wrote:

7 - Deadly Aim

Deadly Aim does not work with ranged touch attacks, so I don't know how valuable it is for gunslingers.

In the Gunslinger's Handbook, or whatever they call it. Paizo reaffirms us that Deadly Aim is allowable with Firearms.

I stand corrected!

7 - Deadly Aim

Deadly Aim does not work with ranged touch attacks, so I don't know how valuable it is for gunslingers.

I went with a half-elf for my controller bard, so that I could have the net right away. It's effective when I can use it, but so far I have only used it against opponents with blunt weapons because the GM is just itching to destroy my net.

I won't have Improved Feint until 3rd level and that will hurt; not so much at first level since I'll be using Versatile performance for Bluff checks (and therefore am not making feint attacks anyway). I went with 14 STR and 12 DEX, probably would have been better off trading a little CHA for STR. Having a masterwork whip helps a little.

One more thing -- my bard is a Court Bard because I thought that the debuffing nature of most of that archetype's bardic performances would work well with his debuffing attacks. It's led to considerable changes into how to play the character: I have to be in the middle of my enemies so as to affect as many of them as possible with bardic performances, and I can't affect anything that does not speak a language (at least, not until I start satirizing my enemies through mime and interpretive dance).

To help get into the thick of things in the quickest (and most stylish) way possible, I took the Prehensile Whip trait -- also not a bad way of making quick escapes. It's loads of fun to swing around on ceiling beams, and also saved me from going through a rotten stretch of floor. Having to spend a full-round action detatching the whip is a pain, though. The solution I have in mind is to make use of the Solid Note spell in the APG -- at the moment it won't hold my weight (not to mention the weight of my gear) but it should by level 5 or 6. I'm going to try to convince the GM that since it is a concentration-based spell, it should also be dismissible at will. Then rather than spend a round detaching the whip, instead I dismiss the Note as a free action! Regardless of whether he allows that, being able to put an anchor for my whip anywhere that I want it will be all kinds of awesome.

Anyway, I thought it was interesting that you regret giving up CHA while I regret giving up STR and DEX. That grass over on your side sure does look nice and green.

The "Ancestral Arms" alternate racial ability for half-elves would allow you to swap the free Skill Focus feat for Exotic Weapon Proficiency at first level.

Haha I appreciate your courageous attempt to save the net, but its really risky to put that trait on one net, which you could lose really easy, but it would work.

Yes it is risky, but as Admiral Kirk once said, "Fortune favors the foolish." Another concern with my solution is that you can't use more than one net. Regardless, I loved the idea of this bard so much and, being a bit of a risk-taker myself, I'm going to try this build out this weekend.

The effect starts the moment he starts the performance.

Thanks! I've played in both 3.5 and Pathfinder campaigns that rule bardic performance as a full-round action, so the effect wouldn't take place until the following round.

When a bard starts a bardic performance, does the effect manifest in the same round that the bard began performing, or does it take effect just before the bard's action the following round?

I love your class guides treantmonk, and you can see a piece of your guide in every character I make.

That being said the controller bard seems to be a lost cause in it's current state. I cannot see a way to make nets worthwhile.
First and most importantly you cannot take exotic weapons, or weapon focus at first level, which is the killer.

One possible solution to the problem of not being able to take Exotic Weapon Proficiency at 1st level: the "Heirloom Weapon" trait found in the Adventurer's Armory. This would grant your bard proficiency (and a +1 trait bonus to hit) with one specific net, and also treat that net as masterwork quality (hey -- another free +1 bonus to hit)!

The downside to this solution is that you will only be able to use that one net without being hit with the -4 nonproficiency penalty. And, of course, nets are oh so very fragile. The Mending cantrip is an absolute must if you go this route.