paizo.com Recent Posts by MagicJMS
paizo.com Recent Posts by MagicJMS
2024-03-28T02:34:40Z
2024-03-28T02:34:40Z
Re: Forums: Age of Ashes: An Age of Ashes novelization: My first foray into Pathfinder Infinite
MagicJMS
https://paizo.com/threads/rzs43uc6?An-Age-of-Ashes-novelization-My-first-foray#4
2024-03-28T02:40:49Z
2024-03-28T02:34:40Z
<p>And here is Volume 2, which details the PCs adventures through Level 2 of the AP:
<br />
<a href="https://www.pathfinderinfinite.com/product/475702/Age-of-Ashes-Vol2—The-Citadel-Below" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">The Citadel Below</a></p>
And here is Volume 2, which details the PCs adventures through Level 2 of the AP:
The Citadel Below
MagicJMS
2024-03-28T02:34:40Z
Re: Forums: Age of Ashes: An Age of Ashes novelization: My first foray into Pathfinder Infinite
MagicJMS
https://paizo.com/threads/rzs43uc6?An-Age-of-Ashes-novelization-My-first-foray#3
2023-07-07T22:24:30Z
2023-07-07T22:24:30Z
<div class="messageboard-quotee">Fumarole wrote:</div><blockquote> Is it correct that each volume will cover one character level, for twenty volumes ultimately? Will each be roughly the same length (107 pages)? </blockquote><p>The idea is, yes, each volume will be one level for the PCs. I don't know that I'll make it through 20 volumes... In my head, I'm committing to Hellknight Hill for sure and then I'll pause for breath and see. I MAAAAYYYY make it through 2000 pages of writing, though (he says, nervously laughing).
Fumarole wrote:Is it correct that each volume will cover one character level, for twenty volumes ultimately? Will each be roughly the same length (107 pages)?
The idea is, yes, each volume will be one level for the PCs. I don't know that I'll make it through 20 volumes... In my head, I'm committing to Hellknight Hill for sure and then I'll pause for breath and see. I MAAAAYYYY make it through 2000 pages of writing, though (he says, nervously laughing).
MagicJMS
2023-07-07T22:24:30Z
Forums: Age of Ashes: An Age of Ashes novelization: My first foray into Pathfinder Infinite
MagicJMS
https://paizo.com/threads/rzs43uc6?An-Age-of-Ashes-novelization-My-first-foray#1
2023-07-07T16:31:49Z
2023-07-07T15:57:26Z
<p>Hi everyone!</p>
<p>I posted in these forums years ago when I was GMing an Age of Ashes campaign from 1-20 with my IRL gaming group. I've also done some short-form fiction publishing for Paizo in the past few years.</p>
<p>Combine those two interests and it's been niggling in the back of mind to write some Paizo fiction of my own for Pathfinder Infinite. I talked to Mark Moreland about my idea, and he was very encouraging (thank you Mark!) to pursue of a novelization of Age of Ashes. </p>
<p>I just dropped Volume 1, which essentially details Level 1 of the AP:
<br />
<a href="https://www.pathfinderinfinite.com/product/444610/Age-of-Ashes-Vol1—The-Councils-Chosen?affiliate_id=1607929" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">The Council's Chosen</a>.</p>
<p>Here's hoping some of you enjoy it, and (gentle) feedback always welcome :)</p>
Hi everyone!
I posted in these forums years ago when I was GMing an Age of Ashes campaign from 1-20 with my IRL gaming group. I've also done some short-form fiction publishing for Paizo in the past few years.
Combine those two interests and it's been niggling in the back of mind to write some Paizo fiction of my own for Pathfinder Infinite. I talked to Mark Moreland about my idea, and he was very encouraging (thank you Mark!) to pursue of a novelization of Age of Ashes.
I just dropped...
MagicJMS
2023-07-07T15:57:26Z
Re: Forums/Organized Play: General Discussion: Paizo Blog: Spooky Adventures for 2021
MagicJMS
https://paizo.com/community/blog/v5748dyo6shv0?Spooky-Adventures-for-2021#8
2021-10-30T00:18:54Z
2021-10-29T19:55:19Z
<p>I have a group starting Malevolence tonight. I highly recommend it for spooky awesomeness!</p>
I have a group starting Malevolence tonight. I highly recommend it for spooky awesomeness!
MagicJMS
2021-10-29T19:55:19Z
Re: Forums: Age of Ashes: 5 - Against the Scarlet Triad (GM Reference)
MagicJMS
https://paizo.com/threads/rzs42nar&page=2?5-Against-the-Scarlet-Triad#91
2021-04-26T17:27:33Z
2021-04-23T20:25:40Z
<p>Hey everyone! My party is finishing up Finderplain and about to head to Katapesh. Despite some of the dialogue above, my players have really enjoyed the AP overall, are invested in both the Dahak and Scarlet Triad plots (and keep speculating about what, if any, the connection points are), and feel immersed in the style/feel for this different setting in Book 5. I would totally run this AP again for another group.</p>
<p>Others have asked, but I haven't seen any clear answers: Has anyone run through the heist and all of its crunchy mechanics as written? How did it go? Any advice on running it?</p>
Hey everyone! My party is finishing up Finderplain and about to head to Katapesh. Despite some of the dialogue above, my players have really enjoyed the AP overall, are invested in both the Dahak and Scarlet Triad plots (and keep speculating about what, if any, the connection points are), and feel immersed in the style/feel for this different setting in Book 5. I would totally run this AP again for another group.
Others have asked, but I haven't seen any clear answers: Has anyone run through...
MagicJMS
2021-04-23T20:25:40Z
Re: Forums: Customer Service: So frustrated.
MagicJMS
https://paizo.com/threads/rzs43ahb?So-frustrated#4
2021-02-25T06:19:09Z
2021-02-25T06:19:09Z
<p>Hi Customer Service!</p>
<p>Now I'm paranoid... I am seeing many people post in various places about receiving their Lost Omens Ancestry Guide but mine is still sitting in my Sidecart. Should I have heard about a ship date yet?</p>
Hi Customer Service!
Now I'm paranoid... I am seeing many people post in various places about receiving their Lost Omens Ancestry Guide but mine is still sitting in my Sidecart. Should I have heard about a ship date yet?
MagicJMS
2021-02-25T06:19:09Z
Re: Forums/Pathfinder Second Edition: General Discussion: Paizo Blog: Tales Of Lost Omens: Clues In The Moonlight
MagicJMS
https://paizo.com/community/blog/v5748dyo6shkl?Tales-Of-Lost-Omens-Clues-In-The-Moonlight#8
2021-10-29T13:44:04Z
2021-02-10T22:35:19Z
<p>Thank you for the feedback, all! This was a fun one to write.</p>
<div class="messageboard-quotee">Shisumo wrote:</div><blockquote> <div class="messageboard-quotee">Ly'ualdre wrote:</div><blockquote>EDIT: Now they just need a Swashbuckling Dhampir to solidify their merry crew. </blockquote>Isn't Goria a swashbuckler? I think it's a witch they're missing... </blockquote><p>I had planned her as a ruffian rogue, but honestly swashbuckler works just as well. She definitely has the most wiggle room on class, from my perspective.
Thank you for the feedback, all! This was a fun one to write.
Shisumo wrote:Ly'ualdre wrote:EDIT: Now they just need a Swashbuckling Dhampir to solidify their merry crew.
Isn't Goria a swashbuckler? I think it's a witch they're missing... I had planned her as a ruffian rogue, but honestly swashbuckler works just as well. She definitely has the most wiggle room on class, from my perspective.
MagicJMS
2021-02-10T22:35:19Z
Re: Forums/Pathfinder Second Edition: General Discussion: Accessibility and the problems with AP difficulty
MagicJMS
https://paizo.com/threads/rzs43az4&page=2?Accessibility-and-the-problems-with-AP#59
2021-02-05T01:28:09Z
2021-02-04T23:43:17Z
<div class="messageboard-quotee">dmerceless wrote:</div><blockquote> I guess it really depends on the kind of players you play with in the end. People are people, and they're all different. Most of the friends I've played with actually prefer character death to be something remote that almost never happens, especially in a game that sells itself as an "epic hero adventure" like Pathfinder. </blockquote><p>Yeah, not so much with my friends. We just want PC death to be cinematic and to matter to the story. And to be clear: the danger in encounters doesn't take away from the "epic hero"-ness of the game for us... the current characters at 14th level feel like superheroes that can do truly amazing things. It's just that there are opponents who are just as impressive.
dmerceless wrote:I guess it really depends on the kind of players you play with in the end. People are people, and they're all different. Most of the friends I've played with actually prefer character death to be something remote that almost never happens, especially in a game that sells itself as an "epic hero adventure" like Pathfinder.
Yeah, not so much with my friends. We just want PC death to be cinematic and to matter to the story. And to be clear: the danger in encounters doesn't take...
MagicJMS
2021-02-04T23:43:17Z
Re: Forums/Pathfinder Second Edition: General Discussion: Accessibility and the problems with AP difficulty
MagicJMS
https://paizo.com/threads/rzs43az4&page=2?Accessibility-and-the-problems-with-AP#53
2021-02-04T23:10:15Z
2021-02-04T22:31:49Z
<p>I guess that I'm in the minority here, but my players love PF2E precisely because of the difficulty (we all came over from 5E). They want tactics to matter, for combats to be dangerous, and to be thoughtful about resources (including Hero Points). Same goes for social encounters. They want creative PC solutions to hard situations and for the story beats to be dramatic. We're at the end of Book 4 of Age of Ashes (plus have done Plaguestone and 4-5 PFS scenarios) and I've generally been moving to fewer, deadlier combats based on their feedback. </p>
<p>I'm about to introduce some new players via the Beginner's Box, so will soon have an opinion about both the Menace Under Otari adventure and how a different set of players respond to the system. But I'm generally finding the complaints about danger in PF2E to be hard to comprehend, especially coming from 5E where character death felt extremely remote.</p>
I guess that I'm in the minority here, but my players love PF2E precisely because of the difficulty (we all came over from 5E). They want tactics to matter, for combats to be dangerous, and to be thoughtful about resources (including Hero Points). Same goes for social encounters. They want creative PC solutions to hard situations and for the story beats to be dramatic. We're at the end of Book 4 of Age of Ashes (plus have done Plaguestone and 4-5 PFS scenarios) and I've generally been moving...
MagicJMS
2021-02-04T22:31:49Z
Re: Forums: Customer Service: So frustrated.
MagicJMS
https://paizo.com/threads/rzs43ahb?So-frustrated#3
2021-01-20T20:45:34Z
2021-01-20T20:45:34Z
<p>Thank youuuuu! I really appreciate it Logan.</p>
Thank youuuuu! I really appreciate it Logan.
MagicJMS
2021-01-20T20:45:34Z
Forums: Customer Service: So frustrated.
MagicJMS
https://paizo.com/threads/rzs43ahb?So-frustrated#1
2021-01-21T16:07:47Z
2021-01-20T19:15:55Z
<p>Hi Paizo Customer Service! I know that you have an email backlog and that it's impossible to reach out via telephone. </p>
<p>I've now sent four emails on two separate orders (#31292628 and #26185714) — one of them preorders for products released in November that still show as not shipped. It's so frustrating to not know why my products haven't shipped, when they will, or to receive any sort of communication from Paizo about both. My Sidecart just sits there and taunts me, and doesn't even include all of the products I'm waiting for.</p>
<p>I don't know if this post will help bump me in any sort of queue since it sounds like you're backlogged months, but I would really, really love to know what's going on before I try ordering any physical product again.</p>
Hi Paizo Customer Service! I know that you have an email backlog and that it's impossible to reach out via telephone.
I've now sent four emails on two separate orders (#31292628 and #26185714) -- one of them preorders for products released in November that still show as not shipped. It's so frustrating to not know why my products haven't shipped, when they will, or to receive any sort of communication from Paizo about both. My Sidecart just sits there and taunts me, and doesn't even include...
MagicJMS
2021-01-20T19:15:55Z
Re: Forums/Pathfinder Adventure Path: General Discussion: Anyone Else Not Like the AP Format?
MagicJMS
https://paizo.com/threads/rzs439an?Anyone-Else-Not-Like-the-AP-Format#20
2021-04-03T07:57:33Z
2020-12-17T20:46:54Z
<p>I love the AP format. Maybe my group is just really role-play and narrative focused, but I've used more of the "extra" content than not in my campaigns, either tying it to character backstory, generating new NPCs, providing depth to Lore checks, or whatever. I can't think of a section of the Age of Ashes books that I didn't dip into heavily at some point, actually.</p>
<p>And even if I didn't use it for our games, I totally resonate with the Dungeon Magazine comment above. After we ran Book 2 of Age of Ashes, I made an Ekujae PFS character using the extra content in that book. I made a one-shot side-quest based on the Droskar info in Book 4. I love the care and depth of the AP books.</p>
<p>As others have said, probably individual adventure modules are going to be your thing. Or maybe PF2E conversion of other system's dungeons. But at least for me, I hope they don't veer too far off their current Adventure Path format.</p>
I love the AP format. Maybe my group is just really role-play and narrative focused, but I've used more of the "extra" content than not in my campaigns, either tying it to character backstory, generating new NPCs, providing depth to Lore checks, or whatever. I can't think of a section of the Age of Ashes books that I didn't dip into heavily at some point, actually.
And even if I didn't use it for our games, I totally resonate with the Dungeon Magazine comment above. After we ran Book 2 of...
MagicJMS
2020-12-17T20:46:54Z
Re: Forums/Pathfinder Second Edition: General Discussion: GM Burden in PF2e - the secret checks
MagicJMS
https://paizo.com/threads/rzs439d6?GM-Burden-in-PF2e-the-secret-checks#19
2020-12-17T23:13:05Z
2020-12-15T20:43:46Z
<div class="messageboard-quotee">NielsenE wrote:</div><blockquote><p> I mainly run on Fantasy Grounds, which makes it trivial to have the PC roll a secret check that only the GM can see (there's a dice tower on screen they can drop their virtual dice into). As a result when running there I tend to use secret checks extensively — the player still feels like they're doing something even if they can't see the result.</p>
<p>When I run on roll20, however, and don't have that easy option/players don't have gmrolls set up, I tend to let the players roll ~70-80% of the secret checks. Normally I'll ask for a modifier for checks where players are bad about meta knowledge — stealth checks (especially out of combat ones), perception checks (if the party doesn't use them often .... if they roll one in every room/area there's enough true negatives that I feel the don't metagame), in a PFS setting any of the during briefing checks. </blockquote><p>I did secret checks less than I should because it slowed everything down with me having to track/find their modifiers. Then we switched from Roll20 to Foundry and among the MANY things I love about the VTT is that it makes secret rolls a) super easy & fast, and b) something the player does rather than me. Now I use secret checks a lot, and my whole group agrees that it adds a lot of fun to the game. When we're back in person, I like Fumarole's system (though we may also stay with Foundry even in person... it's that good).
NielsenE wrote:I mainly run on Fantasy Grounds, which makes it trivial to have the PC roll a secret check that only the GM can see (there's a dice tower on screen they can drop their virtual dice into). As a result when running there I tend to use secret checks extensively -- the player still feels like they're doing something even if they can't see the result.
When I run on roll20, however, and don't have that easy option/players don't have gmrolls set up, I tend to let the players roll...
MagicJMS
2020-12-15T20:43:46Z
Re: Forums: Age of Ashes: 4 - Fires of the Haunted City (GM Reference)
MagicJMS
https://paizo.com/threads/rzs42nap&page=3?4-Fires-of-the-Haunted-City#115
2020-11-11T16:03:35Z
2020-11-11T16:03:35Z
<div class="messageboard-quotee">Silvative wrote:</div><blockquote><p> Tempted to swap the two Elite Stone Golems to two Weak Iron Golems or one Elite iron golem (Either way it's a Low encounter)</p>
<p>I've not used the Weak tag as much as the Elite one but I imagine that it's roughly balanced. Is there any reason not to do this? </blockquote><p>I'm a couple of sessions from this encounter but like the idea! It's the Hidden Forge in a temple to Droskar, so to me having Iron Golems makes sense. Also note that there is a Stone Golem encounter right at the beginning of Book 5, so all the more reason to put some variety in here.
Silvative wrote:Tempted to swap the two Elite Stone Golems to two Weak Iron Golems or one Elite iron golem (Either way it's a Low encounter)
I've not used the Weak tag as much as the Elite one but I imagine that it's roughly balanced. Is there any reason not to do this?
I'm a couple of sessions from this encounter but like the idea! It's the Hidden Forge in a temple to Droskar, so to me having Iron Golems makes sense. Also note that there is a Stone Golem encounter right at the beginning of...
MagicJMS
2020-11-11T16:03:35Z
Re: Forums: Age of Ashes: 4 - Fires of the Haunted City (GM Reference)
MagicJMS
https://paizo.com/threads/rzs42nap&page=3?4-Fires-of-the-Haunted-City#112
2020-11-10T19:40:50Z
2020-11-08T17:05:45Z
<div class="messageboard-quotee">Sporkedup wrote:</div><blockquote> I cut out the grikkitog and plan to add it in soon (the party just reached Kovlar). I didn't like how it was shoehorned into somewhere it didn't belong at all... </blockquote><p>Oh, I don't know. Though it felt like a TPK-potential, I liked its placement, and my players commented how much they enjoyed the general dungeon overall. To me, the entire Hall of the Devouring Giants is meant to introduce the idea that Saggorak is a place overrun by horrors. The gugs have a bit of a gang stronghold there, and you can STILL find monstrosities like the Deculi or Grikkitog around any corner.
<p>Also, there's this "What IS this place?!" question throughout the encounters as they progress through the ruins. I played up the Deception of the Grikkitog, and convinced them that an ancient dwarven spirit was trapped in the hearth and needed them to place a hand upon it and pray to their gods. If they were pure of heart, it said, he would be free and find peace (I also had a fun voice modulator which made it particularly fun). There were no evidence of gug activity in the room, which the spirit explained that only those with a noble purpose could enter. Once they killed the Grikkitog, I had a thin veneer of stone slide off the entire room, revealing gug bones and bloodstains, showing that the creature had actually fed on the gugs and they'd learned to avoid the room.</p>
Sporkedup wrote:I cut out the grikkitog and plan to add it in soon (the party just reached Kovlar). I didn't like how it was shoehorned into somewhere it didn't belong at all...
Oh, I don't know. Though it felt like a TPK-potential, I liked its placement, and my players commented how much they enjoyed the general dungeon overall. To me, the entire Hall of the Devouring Giants is meant to introduce the idea that Saggorak is a place overrun by horrors. The gugs have a bit of a gang stronghold...
MagicJMS
2020-11-08T17:05:45Z
Re: Forums: Age of Ashes: 4 - Fires of the Haunted City (GM Reference)
MagicJMS
https://paizo.com/threads/rzs42nap&page=3?4-Fires-of-the-Haunted-City#110
2020-11-08T03:32:11Z
2020-11-08T03:30:04Z
<p>Yep, there are at least two forum threads dedicated to running a Grikkitog and I recommend checking them out.
<br />
<a href="https://paizo.com/threads/rzs437k8?Grikkitog-How-do-you-run-this-monster#1" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Here's the main one</a></p>
<p>I agree with Silvative that one solve it restrict it to the kitchen, which is also what I did. </p>
<p>Even just in the room, it's a killer encounter. One of my characters made her knowledge check once it had lured multiple people into the room and attacked, and then another player cast True Seeing to find the core (which I ruled worked as a way of lowering the difficulty, and because it was a cool idea). Once he'd found the core, he used actions to point it out to the party and then they were able to have a chance. Without the knowledge check, spell, and pointing out, I'm pretty sure at least two of them would have died before they had even figured out they needed to flee. I'm totally fine with character death (we've lost 5 characters total in Books 1-3), but if I ran it as-is it didn't feel balanced.</p>
Yep, there are at least two forum threads dedicated to running a Grikkitog and I recommend checking them out.
Here's the main one
I agree with Silvative that one solve it restrict it to the kitchen, which is also what I did.
Even just in the room, it's a killer encounter. One of my characters made her knowledge check once it had lured multiple people into the room and attacked, and then another player cast True Seeing to find the core (which I ruled worked as a way of lowering the...
MagicJMS
2020-11-08T03:30:04Z
Re: Forums: Age of Ashes: 4 - Fires of the Haunted City (GM Reference)
MagicJMS
https://paizo.com/threads/rzs42nap&page=2?4-Fires-of-the-Haunted-City#100
2020-10-12T14:18:14Z
2020-10-12T14:18:14Z
<p>What were people's hooks for getting the party into Jewelgate? My party is talking about going overland to Katapesh, where they know the Scarlet Triad is, rather than plunge into the unknown of an aiudara (although most mistakenly believe that the gate leads to Katapesh). They know from Laslunn's notes that Illsrah is planning somehow to assault an elf gate from the other side, but that's not enough of a reason.</p>
<p>My worry is that they'll scout into Jewelgate, realize it doesn't go to Katapesh, and then turn back to Breachill. How did you all get them all the way through Xevalorg? I'm confident that once they meet Parjil they'll be committed, so it's just a matter of getting them to her.</p>
What were people's hooks for getting the party into Jewelgate? My party is talking about going overland to Katapesh, where they know the Scarlet Triad is, rather than plunge into the unknown of an aiudara (although most mistakenly believe that the gate leads to Katapesh). They know from Laslunn's notes that Illsrah is planning somehow to assault an elf gate from the other side, but that's not enough of a reason.
My worry is that they'll scout into Jewelgate, realize it doesn't go to...
MagicJMS
2020-10-12T14:18:14Z
Re: Forums: Age of Ashes: 3 - Tomorrow Must Burn (GM Reference)
MagicJMS
https://paizo.com/threads/rzs42nao&page=4?3-Tomorrow-Must-Burn#197
2020-10-04T04:58:11Z
2020-10-04T04:58:11Z
<p>Whew. It took us 38 3-hour sessions to finish the first two books. It took us 40 sessions to finish Book 3. Part of this is just natural slowing down, doing more role-playing and getting deeper into characters (and side plots), and some of it is that we went pretty off-script on this one. In hope that it might be useful to others, here are the key departures:</p>
<p>- Voz Lirayne got away in Book 1. She returned at the beginning of Book 3, working with Heuberk Thropp to lay a trap for the party (which for a variety of reasons took place in the Pickled Ear, not the Wainright's Shop). </p>
<p>- Heuberk had Eclipse (which I think I outlined somewhere else in this thread), given to him by Laslunn to investigate Breachill and the party. This forced me to make the rule that the waystations only work on the way out from Breachill and don't exist on the way back (the elves wanted waiting rooms for new lands, but coming back was quicker). This let the party know that the Scarlet Triad was locking onto their town, which was the incentive to go through Dreamgate to get them.</p>
<p>- We hadn't played Hell's Rebels, so I dialed down some of the Barzillai Thrune stuff (which seemed mostly there for nostalgia purposes) and focused more on the general framing of Nidal and attempts to screw up their diplomatic negotiations with the Silver Council in this new nation.</p>
<p>- Tanessen Tower turned into a total mess of an encounter, pulling all floors into one giant combat. Barushak got away, along with a handful of poisoners. Barushak made his way to the quarry. The party tracked the poisoners to an inn in Kintargo and finished the battle there.</p>
<p>- After the tower and inn, they were arrested by the City Watch for going outside of the law. This had me introduce Vors Eivensor as the Captain of the City Watch and he became a pretty constant point of contact and character. I ended up learning (and adding) a lot about Kintargo.</p>
<p>- Three characters died to Jaggaki (and Barushak, who showed up in a pincer move at the end), so killing the lich became a major part of the quarry — one of the new characters was a necromancer hunter, for example. This came to head at their campsite after two strikes on the quarry, where Jaggaki followed them.</p>
<p>- Laslunn, the interlocutor, Vaklish, four poisoners, and an alchemical golem got away, fleeing to Whiterock. There they killed Canton Jhaltero and his staff, taking over his mansion as a base of operations while they arranged transport back to Katapesh. So all of the final climactic scenes happened on maps outside of the AP.</p>
<p>Those are the big ones, but there were a lot of little changes along the way too. We had a great time and are all excited to get the heck out of Ravounel and back to Breachill for some downtime and then Jewelgate. Whew.</p>
Whew. It took us 38 3-hour sessions to finish the first two books. It took us 40 sessions to finish Book 3. Part of this is just natural slowing down, doing more role-playing and getting deeper into characters (and side plots), and some of it is that we went pretty off-script on this one. In hope that it might be useful to others, here are the key departures:
- Voz Lirayne got away in Book 1. She returned at the beginning of Book 3, working with Heuberk Thropp to lay a trap for the party...
MagicJMS
2020-10-04T04:58:11Z
Re: Forums: Age of Ashes: 3 - Tomorrow Must Burn (GM Reference)
MagicJMS
https://paizo.com/threads/rzs42nao&page=4?3-Tomorrow-Must-Burn#193
2020-09-07T06:38:03Z
2020-09-06T18:17:34Z
<div class="messageboard-quotee">Olivier RayƩ-Lalonde wrote:</div><blockquote> What are the choices that Barushak the infernal summoner can offer to the PCs on p.43? </blockquote><p>We'll never know. Seems like it was an editing mistake, and whatever was there to explain that sentence was taken out :(
Olivier RayƩ-Lalonde wrote:What are the choices that Barushak the infernal summoner can offer to the PCs on p.43?
We'll never know. Seems like it was an editing mistake, and whatever was there to explain that sentence was taken out :(
MagicJMS
2020-09-06T18:17:34Z
Re: Forums/Pathfinder Second Edition: General Discussion: Paizo Blog: Tales of Lost Omens: The Jungle Claims Everything
MagicJMS
https://paizo.com/community/blog/v5748dyo6shcz?Tales-of-Lost-Omens-The-Jungle-Claims-Everything#13
2020-09-07T17:01:30Z
2020-09-03T19:51:33Z
<p>I'm glad you all liked it! That was a fun one to write, and am really looking forward to the Pathfinder Society Guide coming out this month.</p>
I'm glad you all liked it! That was a fun one to write, and am really looking forward to the Pathfinder Society Guide coming out this month.
MagicJMS
2020-09-03T19:51:33Z
Re: Forums: Age of Ashes: 3 - Tomorrow Must Burn (GM Reference)
MagicJMS
https://paizo.com/threads/rzs42nao&page=4?3-Tomorrow-Must-Burn#189
2020-09-01T15:54:23Z
2020-09-01T15:54:23Z
<div class="messageboard-quotee">Animayor wrote:</div><blockquote> I'm curious how other groups did against the ice devil. Looking at the stats for it compared to my group's I didn't think they could take it and skipped it (I just said that they saw it fly away after causing some mayhem and praising Nidal). The ice devil seems pretty brutal and unless I'm missing something most martial characters have less than 50% chance to hit it on their first strike (10 for level + 4 for proficiency + 4 or +5 for stats + 1 or +2 from runes = +19 to +21 vs 34 AC). </blockquote><p>The ice devil is indeed rough, but my party's five players plus Nolly were able to drop it without a death. What I liked about it as an encounter was: a) the ice devil killed bystanders indiscriminately (especially with its cone of cold), creating a clear and undeniable tragedy atop Kite Hill that hooked the players in — after the torture of Hundy, Kite Hill, and later the massacre at Long Roads, it's an impossible threat to ignore, and b) it establishes the power of the Scarlet Triad generally but Barushak the summoner specifically.
<p>In general, my players have asked me to keep the challenge level high. They like the drama of nailbiter encounters and the possibility of character death. The ice devil is one of a handful of encounters in the AP that I haven't had to tweak to make more difficult. What your own party prefers is obviously going to vary, but I would say don't shy away from encounters that are going to push them to the max, and possibly have them retreat and/or devise new tactics.</p>
Animayor wrote:I'm curious how other groups did against the ice devil. Looking at the stats for it compared to my group's I didn't think they could take it and skipped it (I just said that they saw it fly away after causing some mayhem and praising Nidal). The ice devil seems pretty brutal and unless I'm missing something most martial characters have less than 50% chance to hit it on their first strike (10 for level + 4 for proficiency + 4 or +5 for stats + 1 or +2 from runes = +19 to +21 vs...
MagicJMS
2020-09-01T15:54:23Z
Forums: Rules Discussion: Casting Spells Through Familiars & Invisibility
MagicJMS
https://paizo.com/threads/rzs435n0?Casting-Spells-Through-Familiars-Invisibility#1
2020-08-27T04:43:38Z
2020-08-27T04:43:38Z
<p>One of players has an Oracle with the Familiar Master archetype, including the Familiar Conduit feat.</p>
<p>If both Oracle and familiar have a non-Heightened Invisibility cast on them and the Oracle uses an offensive spell through the familiar on an opponent — who becomes revealed? Is it...</p>
<p>a) The familiar, which the offensive spell is originating from against the opponent?</p>
<p>b) The Oracle, because she is using her actions to cast the spell, not the familiar.</p>
<p>c) Both.</p>
<p>From Invisibility: "If the target uses a hostile action, the spell ends after that hostile action is completed."</p>
<p>From Familiar Conduit: "Under your tutelage, your familiar has grown attuned to the hidden currents of the world and can serve as a conduit for your magic. If the next action you use is to Cast a Spell that has a range, the spell uses the familiar as its origin point."</p>
<p>I'm interested in both RAW and RAI, if you see them as different.</p>
One of players has an Oracle with the Familiar Master archetype, including the Familiar Conduit feat.
If both Oracle and familiar have a non-Heightened Invisibility cast on them and the Oracle uses an offensive spell through the familiar on an opponent -- who becomes revealed? Is it...
a) The familiar, which the offensive spell is originating from against the opponent?
b) The Oracle, because she is using her actions to cast the spell, not the familiar.
c) Both.
From Invisibility: "If the...
MagicJMS
2020-08-27T04:43:38Z
Re: Forums: Age of Ashes: 3 - Tomorrow Must Burn (GM Reference)
MagicJMS
https://paizo.com/threads/rzs42nao&page=4?3-Tomorrow-Must-Burn#176
2020-08-24T18:01:18Z
2020-08-24T18:01:18Z
<p>Alas, as of last night's session three of the five party members have died in the Summershade Granite Quarry. The party infiltrated the quarry pretty well and took care of the southernmost chambers (J3 & J4) easily. But then the problems started...</p>
<p>They pushed into the stone giant area without really trying to keep the rooms contained. So one giant left to go get Jaggaki and another fled to tell the Scarlet Triad. Pretty soon they were fighting the stone giants, the ghastly bears, AND the lich all at once. The party's cleric went down, triggering a full retreat (and the cleric to die as he was too deep for them to attempt a rescue).</p>
<p>Then, instead of just fleeing, they lingered too long trying to take shots down the corridor. This allowed Barushak—who survived Tanessen Tower and had reunited with Laslunn—to Dimension Door across the quarry with a summoned devil. Now they were trapped in a pincer, and the fighter and druid dropped as well. </p>
<p>The survivors (rogue and bard/fighter) have gone back to Kintargo to form a new party and take revenge. The good news story-wise is that they have a LOT of incentive to keep going after the Triad post-Book 3, which sets up the next two books nicely. But it was cuh-RAZY.</p>
Alas, as of last night's session three of the five party members have died in the Summershade Granite Quarry. The party infiltrated the quarry pretty well and took care of the southernmost chambers (J3 & J4) easily. But then the problems started...
They pushed into the stone giant area without really trying to keep the rooms contained. So one giant left to go get Jaggaki and another fled to tell the Scarlet Triad. Pretty soon they were fighting the stone giants, the ghastly bears, AND the...
MagicJMS
2020-08-24T18:01:18Z
Re: Forums: Age of Ashes: 3 - Tomorrow Must Burn (GM Reference)
MagicJMS
https://paizo.com/threads/rzs42nao&page=4?3-Tomorrow-Must-Burn#159
2020-07-14T16:20:50Z
2020-07-14T16:20:50Z
<p>Heya! Did anyone write up some of the notes found in Barushak Il-Varashma's notes in Tanessen Tower? I like leaving immersive bits of flavor for my players where possible rather than exposition. But I'm feeling a creative lull so thought I would gleefully borrow someone else's if they wrote something :)</p>
Heya! Did anyone write up some of the notes found in Barushak Il-Varashma's notes in Tanessen Tower? I like leaving immersive bits of flavor for my players where possible rather than exposition. But I'm feeling a creative lull so thought I would gleefully borrow someone else's if they wrote something :)
MagicJMS
2020-07-14T16:20:50Z
Re: Forums: Age of Ashes: 3 - Tomorrow Must Burn (GM Reference)
MagicJMS
https://paizo.com/threads/rzs42nao&page=4?3-Tomorrow-Must-Burn#154
2020-07-04T17:06:30Z
2020-07-04T17:06:30Z
<div class="messageboard-quotee">dharkus wrote:</div><blockquote><p> in pg 43 it says this, "If survivors of a fight on a lower floor have fled here to raise an alarm, they and the thugs and the velstracs confront the PCs in area H3a after Barushak gives the PCs a choice (see below)."
</p>
I can't find anything about this choice anywhere! </blockquote><p>Nope. I'm about to hit that scene with my group as well and found that super frustrating. I'm assuming it was part of the final edits to get the book length down and the editors just didn't catch it.
dharkus wrote:in pg 43 it says this, "If survivors of a fight on a lower floor have fled here to raise an alarm, they and the thugs and the velstracs confront the PCs in area H3a after Barushak gives the PCs a choice (see below)."
I can't find anything about this choice anywhere!
Nope. I'm about to hit that scene with my group as well and found that super frustrating. I'm assuming it was part of the final edits to get the book length down and the editors just didn't catch it.
MagicJMS
2020-07-04T17:06:30Z
Re: Forums: Age of Ashes: 3 - Tomorrow Must Burn (GM Reference)
MagicJMS
https://paizo.com/threads/rzs42nao&page=3?3-Tomorrow-Must-Burn#145
2021-05-18T15:14:12Z
2020-06-13T15:20:03Z
<p>I've gotten in the habit to see if I can add the extra monsters in the back of each book into the adventure without it feeling forced. </p>
<p>Book 3's only "extra" is the rusalka, which seems like it's there to emphasize the wilds of the Ravounel countryside. So last night my group had a session that started with the 3-day ride from Cypress Point to Kintargo with Halleka. Great, role-play heavy session that helped deal with some tensions in the party and interact with Halleka (I made Nidalese folks have German accents, which was also fun for me). </p>
<p>At one point the cleric wants to cast Detect Alignment on Halleka to find out if he's evil, but doesn't want him to notice. So he says he's waiting until Halleka needs to pee and gets off the wagon with his back turned. Served up perfectly, the rusalka beckons Halleka into the woods from a nearby river, and its call ends up snaring two other party members. The rusalka ended up realizing it was overmatched and the fighter had a cold-iron bastard sword, so it dove into the river and disappeared.</p>
<p>Super fun, flavorful encounter that really hit home the setting.</p>
I've gotten in the habit to see if I can add the extra monsters in the back of each book into the adventure without it feeling forced.
Book 3's only "extra" is the rusalka, which seems like it's there to emphasize the wilds of the Ravounel countryside. So last night my group had a session that started with the 3-day ride from Cypress Point to Kintargo with Halleka. Great, role-play heavy session that helped deal with some tensions in the party and interact with Halleka (I made Nidalese folks...
MagicJMS
2020-06-13T15:20:03Z
Re: Forums: GM Discussion: 1-01 Absalom Initiation
MagicJMS
https://paizo.com/threads/rzs42o9r&page=2?101-Absalom-Initiation#84
2020-08-09T23:17:14Z
2020-06-06T04:53:48Z
<div class="messageboard-quotee">Robert Hetherington wrote:</div><blockquote> MagicJMS I've GMed this one... 7 times. I've got some thoughts and feedback based on your descriptions that may help your next game be even more awesome: </blockquote><p>Really helpful PFS guideposts, Pirate Rob. Thank you!
<p>As for the 9 hours, yeah... Like I said, veteran role-players. The gala took 2 hours. After the third mission there was a 45 minute tavern conversation. The carriage ride back to the Lodge one time turned into a character convinced the carriage driver was fey. It's quite intimidating as a GM to know how deep they want the setting to go (and hooray for Absalom where I can use any accent I want from character to character!), but the group does usually end up telling a compelling story.</p>
Robert Hetherington wrote:MagicJMS I've GMed this one... 7 times. I've got some thoughts and feedback based on your descriptions that may help your next game be even more awesome:
Really helpful PFS guideposts, Pirate Rob. Thank you! As for the 9 hours, yeah... Like I said, veteran role-players. The gala took 2 hours. After the third mission there was a 45 minute tavern conversation. The carriage ride back to the Lodge one time turned into a character convinced the carriage driver was fey....
MagicJMS
2020-06-06T04:53:48Z
Re: Forums: GM Discussion: 1-01 Absalom Initiation
MagicJMS
https://paizo.com/threads/rzs42o9r&page=2?101-Absalom-Initiation#82
2020-07-28T20:29:47Z
2020-06-05T18:51:00Z
<p>One of our Age of Ashes players needed surgery and was out a week, so we decided to play our first PFS module with the remaining 4 players, me as GM. It wasn't officially sanctioned — just making a bunch of level 1 newly-minted Pathfinders and following the story through the gala to the four quests.</p>
<p>The gala was fun but took a LOT of work for me as the GM to get up to speed on the PFS and Absalom as a setting. For a group new to Pathfinder (AoA is our first foray), this feels like a brutally difficult entry point. As others have noted, there are few handholds for each conversation. I also didn't get any real sense of this being the Faction leaders' first event as Faction leaders or the rebirth of the PFS after turmoil, so I tried to work all of these elements into the setting. I gave their "additional rewards" as rewards upon the completion of each mini-quest, since they reported back to the Grand Lodge after each mission and it felt weird to just say "thank you."</p>
<p>On the missions:
<br />
- The Flotsam Graveyard one was a fun setting but boring as a quest. One of the characters had Underworld Lore and was able to identify the smugglers' efforts. On the spot I let him name the organization, and now the "Winking Eye" is operating in Absalom and a fun spot for future adventures.
<br />
- The haunted house was great fun and almost resulted in a TPK as the zombies pulled themselves free of the floorboards and attacked after several Hazards. Also, I used the "crime lords" backstory to further solidify the Winking Eye as a thing.
<br />
- The Blakdos Museum was my favorite mission and the ritual hazard was both compelling and fun for everyone with lots of drama.
<br />
- The mechanics of the Statue Street mob/mob bosses were a little clunky, but thankfully I have a veteran group of roleplayers and we had a lot of fun with it. The goblins attacked at the end, resulting in another fun thread to pick up later (the whistleblower's threat to the city).</p>
<p>Both players and characters were astonished that there was no gold reward at the end, and instead they got engraved wayfinders. It made for a PERFECT closing to this ragtag group that think the PFS are now a bunch of loonies, though.</p>
<p>My general feedback is that the scenario is poorly organized (I had to keep flipping from the quest in the module to the back sections outlining how each hazard worked, for example) in an effort to be replayable. I appreciate the complexity of replayability, but I wish it was a tighter story and better introduction both to the Pathfinder Society and Absalom. </p>
<p>Also, how on earth do you do this scenario in 4 hours?! It took us around 9 hours start to finish. We're admittedly a role-playing heavy group who gets deep into character and enjoys a good XP-less side quest, but it's difficult to imagine how you'd navigate through a heavy RP heavy gala with 4 missions so quickly without making the whole thing perfunctory. </p>
<p>All of that said, we're excited to jump back into PFS scenarios when another member needs to be gone for a bit. I've read through The Mosquito Witch, which seems excellent.</p>
One of our Age of Ashes players needed surgery and was out a week, so we decided to play our first PFS module with the remaining 4 players, me as GM. It wasn't officially sanctioned -- just making a bunch of level 1 newly-minted Pathfinders and following the story through the gala to the four quests.
The gala was fun but took a LOT of work for me as the GM to get up to speed on the PFS and Absalom as a setting. For a group new to Pathfinder (AoA is our first foray), this feels like a...
MagicJMS
2020-06-05T18:51:00Z
Re: Forums: Age of Ashes: 3 - Tomorrow Must Burn (GM Reference)
MagicJMS
https://paizo.com/threads/rzs42nao&page=3?3-Tomorrow-Must-Burn#139
2021-05-17T16:46:26Z
2020-05-09T16:40:57Z
<p>We kicked off Book 3 last night! I already posted this in the "Cult of Cinders" thread, but for our game it didn't make sense to me that the Ekujae were withholding Eclipse the whole time. In addition, Voz got away in Book 1 and I had been looking for a way to bring her back in. So here is how I kicked off the book...</p>
<p>Heuberk Thropp was in Cypress Point and used Eclipse to transport to Breachill with a couple of Sneaks days before the PCs arrive from the Mwangi Expanse. I had the waystations only work to the destinations, not back (my thinking here is that the elves were creating "waiting rooms" to get you ready for the new location only — also explains why Renali, Malarunk, etc. didn't encounter the vision of Dahak coming through Huntergate), so he has no idea about the night hags. He spent his days taking stock of the situation in Breachill, including liaising with Voz, killing Calmont in his cell, and capturing the haberdasher Winthrop Finney (the NPC my players have a stronger relationship with over the wainwright). </p>
<p>Thropp lures the PCs to the Pickled Ear (the PCs have a tense relationship with Roxie, so she's easily paid off to go on a holiday in the country), where he questions them about what happened to Voz, what they know about Alseta's Ring, if they've found any other keys, who they've told, etc. Once he has this info, he invites Voz (now 9th level) from the back room in to spring his trap. It's Thropp, both Sneaks, Voz, and 3 custom undead minions (7th level) in a big barfight free-for-all. </p>
<p>After the battle, the PCs now have Eclipse (the Ekujae told them what the keys were for each elf gate) and know the Scarlet Triad are on the other side of Dreamgate. This also helps me with why they're hanging out in and terrorizing Cypress Point, which others on this thread have wondered about. They also know that the Triad is a threat to Breachill, so there is even more incentive to get off into Dreamgate.</p>
<p>Anyway, super fun intro to the book and am excited to see how the rest of Book 3 goes!</p>
We kicked off Book 3 last night! I already posted this in the "Cult of Cinders" thread, but for our game it didn't make sense to me that the Ekujae were withholding Eclipse the whole time. In addition, Voz got away in Book 1 and I had been looking for a way to bring her back in. So here is how I kicked off the book...
Heuberk Thropp was in Cypress Point and used Eclipse to transport to Breachill with a couple of Sneaks days before the PCs arrive from the Mwangi Expanse. I had the waystations...
MagicJMS
2020-05-09T16:40:57Z
Re: Forums: Age of Ashes: 2 - Cult of Cinders (GM Reference)
MagicJMS
https://paizo.com/threads/rzs42nan&page=8?2-Cult-of-Cinders#371
2020-05-06T14:21:13Z
2020-05-06T14:21:13Z
<p>I should also say that Voz got away in Book 1. So Thropp has kidnapped the haberdasher (an NPC with whom the party has a closer relationship than the wainwright) only to find out what they know about Voz's plans and who they've told. Once he has this info, Voz and he are going to spring their trap to kill the PCs — no hazard, just a brawl with a now 10th-level necromancer (plus some undead thugs) & Thropp. Which is to say that in my campaign Thropp is significantly more informed than in the AP as written, so it makes more sense to have him come through Dreamgate.</p>
<p>[slinking over to the "Tomorrow Must Burn" threads now...]</p>
I should also say that Voz got away in Book 1. So Thropp has kidnapped the haberdasher (an NPC with whom the party has a closer relationship than the wainwright) only to find out what they know about Voz's plans and who they've told. Once he has this info, Voz and he are going to spring their trap to kill the PCs -- no hazard, just a brawl with a now 10th-level necromancer (plus some undead thugs) & Thropp. Which is to say that in my campaign Thropp is significantly more informed than in the...
MagicJMS
2020-05-06T14:21:13Z
Re: Forums: Age of Ashes: 2 - Cult of Cinders (GM Reference)
MagicJMS
https://paizo.com/threads/rzs42nan&page=8?2-Cult-of-Cinders#370
2022-09-25T00:01:00Z
2020-05-06T14:16:06Z
<div class="messageboard-quotee">Fumarole wrote:</div><blockquote> How are you going to reconcile Thropp using Eclipse with the hags residing in Dreamgate Way Station? </blockquote><p>I have the waystations only work on the way out, not on the way to Breachill. I figured the elves wanted to create "waiting rooms" with the auidara to prepare travelers for the location, but they didn't give the same consideration on the way back. It's the same reason Renali, Malarunk, and the rest were able to get through Huntergate and not have to mess with the avatar of Dahak.
<p>So on the way from Ravounnel to Breachill, you just appear in the citadel; on the way to Ravounnel, on the other hand, hello night hags.</p>
Fumarole wrote:How are you going to reconcile Thropp using Eclipse with the hags residing in Dreamgate Way Station?
I have the waystations only work on the way out, not on the way to Breachill. I figured the elves wanted to create "waiting rooms" with the auidara to prepare travelers for the location, but they didn't give the same consideration on the way back. It's the same reason Renali, Malarunk, and the rest were able to get through Huntergate and not have to mess with the avatar of...
MagicJMS
2020-05-06T14:16:06Z
Re: Forums: Age of Ashes: 2 - Cult of Cinders (GM Reference)
MagicJMS
https://paizo.com/threads/rzs42nan&page=8?2-Cult-of-Cinders#367
2021-08-18T07:58:07Z
2020-05-05T15:52:09Z
<p>My group finished the Fortress of Sorrow last night, and the last fight was pretty epic. Because the party was making noise and fighting their way through the temple, I had Belmazog pull the chimera into the final room, so it was her, two priests, two chimera, and the skull. So many breath weapons! In order to survive, they pulled the foes into Kyrion's room and shut the door to avoid the skull. When the dust settled, only the elven ranger and goblin rogue (monk dedication) were standing, with the other three (cleric, champion, druid) all down. Very tense and worthy climax, and once the healing was done they had a back-and-forth/fun conversation with Kyrion and decided to set him free instead of kill him. The party still needs to wrap up some loose threads—which they'll do next session—and then head back through Huntergate. </p>
<p>It didn't make sense to me that the Ekujae were withholding Eclipse, so instead I'm going to have Heuberk Thropp have it on him at the start of Book 3. This accomplishes two things: 1) it answers the question why the Scarlet Triad are conveniently on the other side of Dreamgate, because Heuberk used it to come through while the party was away, 2) there is now a more compelling reason than curiosity to actually go through Dreamgate, because now they will be pursuing the Scarlet Triad.</p>
<p>All in all, I really enjoyed Book 2 and so did the players. Fun fun!</p>
My group finished the Fortress of Sorrow last night, and the last fight was pretty epic. Because the party was making noise and fighting their way through the temple, I had Belmazog pull the chimera into the final room, so it was her, two priests, two chimera, and the skull. So many breath weapons! In order to survive, they pulled the foes into Kyrion's room and shut the door to avoid the skull. When the dust settled, only the elven ranger and goblin rogue (monk dedication) were standing,...
MagicJMS
2020-05-05T15:52:09Z
Re: Forums: Age of Ashes: 2 - Cult of Cinders (GM Reference)
MagicJMS
https://paizo.com/threads/rzs42nan&page=8?2-Cult-of-Cinders#355
2020-04-25T15:18:15Z
2020-04-25T15:18:15Z
<div class="messageboard-quotee">Demonknight wrote:</div><blockquote> On another note, i am not a fan of critical hits and misses decks, they hurt much more the PCs than the monsters, and in PF2 i think they hurt even more!!! </blockquote><p>My players loves them. Some of our most memorable combat moments are triggered by the flavor of either the critical hit or fumble decks. In our game, it's only "named" characters that get access to the decks, so they end up being relevant only for the PCs or important villains. But yes... the effects definitely swing the battle in both direction.
Demonknight wrote:On another note, i am not a fan of critical hits and misses decks, they hurt much more the PCs than the monsters, and in PF2 i think they hurt even more!!!
My players loves them. Some of our most memorable combat moments are triggered by the flavor of either the critical hit or fumble decks. In our game, it's only "named" characters that get access to the decks, so they end up being relevant only for the PCs or important villains. But yes... the effects definitely swing the...
MagicJMS
2020-04-25T15:18:15Z
Re: Forums: Age of Ashes: 2 - Cult of Cinders (GM Reference)
MagicJMS
https://paizo.com/threads/rzs42nan&page=7?2-Cult-of-Cinders#343
2020-04-19T02:36:40Z
2020-04-19T02:36:40Z
<p>My group almost had a TPK last night. We play 3-hour sessions and this was their FOURTH session at the mine. In the first one they killed the vrock and scouted the mine. In the second one they parlayed with Hezle, convinced her to leave and reunite with the Thornscales, released the mokele-mbembe, and in the aftermath cleaned up the remaining butchers, boggard swampseers, and low-level cannon fodder. In the third, the cultists from the mine itself charged the weakened party and the players finished them off. The third session ended with the ranger elf sharpshooter climbing to the top of the dinosaur's cage and loosing an arrow at the dragon pillar. The naunets, protective of the pillar, erupted from the water and flew at the depleted party members...</p>
<p>Those naunets are freaky, freaky creatures. I think the players were startled that they were in such a serious encounter when they thought they were doing clean-up duty and disposing of the pillar, so they were far more disorganized and had worse tactics than usual. Mid-combat they decide to retreat, and head straight through a corner of the mudpile, rousing the mud spiders. And suddenly it's a two-front battle. When the dust settled, an animal companion was dead, and everyone else was either Wounded 2 or down. Whew.</p>
<p>I really can't envision the mine being anything else but a war of attrition and eventually a big, chaotic scrum. Has anyone's party done more ninja-like hit-and-run tactics the whole time?</p>
<p>(Oh, and I should note that we have 5 players who are quite experienced role-players, so I tend to use Elite templates for almost all creatures and often even then beef up the number of opponents. It's something they specifically requested — challenging, life-or-death fights where the outcome isn't always certain)</p>
My group almost had a TPK last night. We play 3-hour sessions and this was their FOURTH session at the mine. In the first one they killed the vrock and scouted the mine. In the second one they parlayed with Hezle, convinced her to leave and reunite with the Thornscales, released the mokele-mbembe, and in the aftermath cleaned up the remaining butchers, boggard swampseers, and low-level cannon fodder. In the third, the cultists from the mine itself charged the weakened party and the players...
MagicJMS
2020-04-19T02:36:40Z
Re: Forums: Age of Ashes: 2 - Cult of Cinders (GM Reference)
MagicJMS
https://paizo.com/threads/rzs42nan&page=7?2-Cult-of-Cinders#336
2020-04-13T15:23:52Z
2020-04-13T15:23:52Z
<div class="messageboard-quotee">TheWanderingM wrote:</div><blockquote><p> I couldn't find this question so here goes. Do the dragon pillars have a 360 degree of sight, or can the head turn? Or could PCs approach from the backside?</p>
<p>Thanks! </blockquote><p>In my game, the heads can turn 360 degrees. It makes for a fun moment when they know they've been seen and need to roll for initiative when the dragon head slowly rotates to face the players and blasts off an eye beam.
TheWanderingM wrote:I couldn't find this question so here goes. Do the dragon pillars have a 360 degree of sight, or can the head turn? Or could PCs approach from the backside?
Thanks!
In my game, the heads can turn 360 degrees. It makes for a fun moment when they know they've been seen and need to roll for initiative when the dragon head slowly rotates to face the players and blasts off an eye beam.
MagicJMS
2020-04-13T15:23:52Z
Re: Forums: Age of Ashes: Community Created Content (spoilers)
MagicJMS
https://paizo.com/threads/rzs42n7o&page=4?Community-Created-Content#163
2020-04-13T15:22:16Z
2020-04-13T15:22:16Z
<div class="messageboard-quotee">Jorsalheim wrote:</div><blockquote> <div class="messageboard-quotee">MagicJMS wrote:</div><blockquote> It looks like for some reason Paizo didn't include the three levels of the Tanessen Tower maps in their "Tomorrow Must Burn" PDFs. Has anyone made these on their own? </blockquote><p>I see that they're not in the interactive maps, but they are in the adventure.
</p>
The first floor (or sixth floor) is on page 41 and the other two floors on page 43.
<br />
</blockquote><p>For sure, but I'm looking for ones that don't have location tags on them. I suppose it's not the end of the world to have map tags, but one of the things I like about the interactive maps is the option to turn those off so you can get a "clean" player version. I can't for the life of me figure out why they left the tower out of the interactive maps since it's such an important part of Book 3.
Jorsalheim wrote:MagicJMS wrote: It looks like for some reason Paizo didn't include the three levels of the Tanessen Tower maps in their "Tomorrow Must Burn" PDFs. Has anyone made these on their own?
I see that they're not in the interactive maps, but they are in the adventure.
The first floor (or sixth floor) is on page 41 and the other two floors on page 43.
For sure, but I'm looking for ones that don't have location tags on them. I suppose it's not the end of the world to have map tags,...
MagicJMS
2020-04-13T15:22:16Z
Re: Forums: Age of Ashes: Community Created Content (spoilers)
MagicJMS
https://paizo.com/threads/rzs42n7o&page=4?Community-Created-Content#161
2020-04-13T01:47:18Z
2020-04-13T01:47:18Z
<p>It looks like for some reason Paizo didn't include the three levels of the Tanessen Tower maps in their "Tomorrow Must Burn" PDFs. Has anyone made these on their own?</p>
It looks like for some reason Paizo didn't include the three levels of the Tanessen Tower maps in their "Tomorrow Must Burn" PDFs. Has anyone made these on their own?
MagicJMS
2020-04-13T01:47:18Z
Re: Forums: Age of Ashes: 2 - Cult of Cinders (GM Reference)
MagicJMS
https://paizo.com/threads/rzs42nan&page=6?2-Cult-of-Cinders#295
2020-02-23T16:59:54Z
2020-02-23T16:51:43Z
<p>Hi all! Friday night my group did "Session 0 of Book 2" — two months of downtime to repair the castle, earn income, befriend some NPCs, gather info, and buy/sell/craft stuff. They were interestingly into all of the basic castle repairs and there were some nice story moments even in a downtime-only session. </p>
<p>In reading over Book 2 again in detail, it is true that neither the Asanbosam (p.80) nor Living Sap (p.89) show up in the adventure as written? I can't tell if I'm just glossing over something obvious. Are they there simply for possible random jungle encounters?</p>
Hi all! Friday night my group did "Session 0 of Book 2" -- two months of downtime to repair the castle, earn income, befriend some NPCs, gather info, and buy/sell/craft stuff. They were interestingly into all of the basic castle repairs and there were some nice story moments even in a downtime-only session.
In reading over Book 2 again in detail, it is true that neither the Asanbosam (p.80) nor Living Sap (p.89) show up in the adventure as written? I can't tell if I'm just glossing over...
MagicJMS
2020-02-23T16:51:43Z
Re: Forums: Age of Ashes: Community Created Content (spoilers)
MagicJMS
https://paizo.com/threads/rzs42n7o&page=3?Community-Created-Content#133
2020-02-20T05:12:25Z
2020-02-03T15:17:15Z
<div class="messageboard-quotee">Fumarole wrote:</div><blockquote><p> I sure did.</p>
<p>Cult of Cinders
<br />
<b><a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=1qpGZz7EJDCL3sd2pl57dhNMcwdr8Lmz_" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Lava Tube</b></a> </blockquote><p>Yaaaaaas. Thanks Fumarole!
Fumarole wrote:I sure did.
Cult of Cinders
Lava Tube
Yaaaaaas. Thanks Fumarole!
MagicJMS
2020-02-03T15:17:15Z
Re: Forums: Age of Ashes: 1 - Hellknight Hill (GM Reference)
MagicJMS
https://paizo.com/threads/rzs42nam&page=10?1-Hellknight-Hill#453
2020-02-02T18:03:54Z
2020-02-02T18:03:54Z
<div class="messageboard-quotee">Githzilla wrote:</div><blockquote> For those of you that have completed this book - how was the pace of leveling up? It looks pretty quick between Chapter 3 and 4 to go from 2nd to 5th. </blockquote><p>I'm using milestone leveling since the AP makes it so convenient on the first page of each book. But since Age of Ashes is also a chance for me and the players to learn PF2, I've been tracking experience points in the background. Here is what I've found so far:
</p>
- The party hit level 2 right on pace, 1070 XP after the town hall, battlements (including Calmont) and the northern half of the first citadel level
<br />
- They hit level 3 after finishing the southern half of the first level and northern wing (Cinderclaws) of the vaults, 1040 XP.
<br />
- Level 4 was a bit off pace. I leveled them after Guardian's Way (including the initial caves & Voz) even though they were at only 840 XP, and as a result added a beefy tunnel encounter before they hit the last Goblinblood Caves map. Technically they should have hit level 4 after the encounter, but this is where milestone is nice because it felt more cinematic to do it after the Voz fight.
<br />
- Totaling up the possible XP for what's left (they are currently in the spider cave and should encounter Ralldar next session), they should hit level 5 right at the end.</p>
<p>Which is a long way of saying... it's been pretty smooth and well paced!</p>
<p>Now the major caveat here is that I've been adjusting encounters all along since we have a 5-person party and they're experienced tabletop roleplayers. They were breezing through early encounters, so I've been using Elite templates almost as a default and adding numbers (for example, 8 elite hunting spiders instead of 6 normal ones). The players say they have all really enjoyed the added challenge, even when two of them died fighting Voz (to be fair, Dmiri had fled into the caves so this made the encounter much more deadly).</p>
Githzilla wrote:For those of you that have completed this book - how was the pace of leveling up? It looks pretty quick between Chapter 3 and 4 to go from 2nd to 5th.
I'm using milestone leveling since the AP makes it so convenient on the first page of each book. But since Age of Ashes is also a chance for me and the players to learn PF2, I've been tracking experience points in the background. Here is what I've found so far:
- The party hit level 2 right on pace, 1070 XP after the town...
MagicJMS
2020-02-02T18:03:54Z
Re: Forums: Age of Ashes: Community Created Content (spoilers)
MagicJMS
https://paizo.com/threads/rzs42n7o&page=3?Community-Created-Content#131
2020-02-02T17:39:02Z
2020-02-02T17:39:02Z
<p>I know the Hunter's Gate tunnel at the beginning of Book 2 is just a 100' x 20' long tube, but has anyone made a cool, molten version?</p>
I know the Hunter's Gate tunnel at the beginning of Book 2 is just a 100' x 20' long tube, but has anyone made a cool, molten version?
MagicJMS
2020-02-02T17:39:02Z
Re: Forums: Age of Ashes: 1 - Hellknight Hill (GM Reference)
MagicJMS
https://paizo.com/threads/rzs42nam&page=9?1-Hellknight-Hill#430
2020-01-11T01:10:23Z
2020-01-11T01:10:23Z
<div class="messageboard-quotee">Saldiven wrote:</div><blockquote> I'm curious for the other DM's, how many of you had a player walk into the Gelatinous Cube on the second section? </blockquote><p>We played through this encounter (and the kobolds) last night and it was a lot more interesting than I thought it would be. For context, I almost always use the Elite mod for single creatures since I've got a 5-person party, so they were facing an Elite Gelatinous Cube with higher DCs at Level 3.
<p>Miraculously, they all rolled low when searching the room and none of them made the Perception DC to see the Cube, so it auto-Engulfed the Champion, and he failed the Fort save so was paralyzed. Round 1, it Engulfed the Bard, and she also became paralyzed. The other three are wailing on it, but the Rogue can't do precision damage and the Cleric was mostly out of offensive spells so the only one really doing damage (albeit a lot of it) was the Barbarian. </p>
<p>Welp, Round 2 the Cube Engulfs the Barbarian, but he makes his Fortitude save. The Champion goes to Dying 1 and immediately begins suffocating, with the Bard at 3 hit points. On the Barbarian's turn he's able to do lethal damage from within the Cube so everyone survives. </p>
<p>The Champion still had a Hero Point, so we all agree that death was unlikely. But if the Barbarian had become paralyzed it might very well have been a character death—or even two—in there.</p>
Saldiven wrote:I'm curious for the other DM's, how many of you had a player walk into the Gelatinous Cube on the second section?
We played through this encounter (and the kobolds) last night and it was a lot more interesting than I thought it would be. For context, I almost always use the Elite mod for single creatures since I've got a 5-person party, so they were facing an Elite Gelatinous Cube with higher DCs at Level 3. Miraculously, they all rolled low when searching the room and none of...
MagicJMS
2020-01-11T01:10:23Z
Re: Forums: Age of Ashes: Community Created Content (spoilers)
MagicJMS
https://paizo.com/threads/rzs42n7o&page=3?Community-Created-Content#109
2019-12-27T23:53:52Z
2019-12-27T16:32:02Z
<div class="messageboard-quotee">Ruzza wrote:</div><blockquote><p> I made some notes, but the ones I did are <i>slightly</i> embarassing. My group got a kick out of them, though. Maybe they'll be useful for you.</p>
<p><a href="https://imgur.com/a/wkWIJhx" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Notes on Breachill</a>
<br />
<a href="https://imgur.com/a/L8r0hhj" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Notes on Breachton</a></p>
<p>I copy+pasted the information from the book, printed it out and jotted down the notes in the margins. I passed it out to my players as Voz's scribblings within the book.</p>
<p>Also, my Voz was working a little more closely with the Triad than she is written. </blockquote><p>These are AMAZING and just what I'd hoped to see for inspiration. Thank you!
Ruzza wrote:I made some notes, but the ones I did are slightly embarassing. My group got a kick out of them, though. Maybe they'll be useful for you.
Notes on Breachill
Notes on Breachton
I copy+pasted the information from the book, printed it out and jotted down the notes in the margins. I passed it out to my players as Voz's scribblings within the book.
Also, my Voz was working a little more closely with the Triad than she is written.
These are AMAZING and just what I'd hoped to see for...
MagicJMS
2019-12-27T16:32:02Z
Re: Forums: Age of Ashes: Community Created Content (spoilers)
MagicJMS
https://paizo.com/threads/rzs42n7o&page=3?Community-Created-Content#107
2019-12-27T01:21:20Z
2019-12-27T01:21:20Z
<p>Has anyone written up Voz's various journal entries from Book 1? If so, I'd love to see them.</p>
Has anyone written up Voz's various journal entries from Book 1? If so, I'd love to see them.
MagicJMS
2019-12-27T01:21:20Z
Re: Forums: Age of Ashes: 1 - Hellknight Hill (GM Reference)
MagicJMS
https://paizo.com/threads/rzs42nam&page=9?1-Hellknight-Hill#410
2021-02-17T16:24:04Z
2019-12-21T19:12:24Z
<p>Hey everyone! My playgroup recently ported over from 5E to PF2, and I'm GMing us through Age of Ashes as our first foray. I've really been enjoying and appreciating this thread and all of the ideas therein. We are loving the system and story, though I generally agree with others that Book 1 is the weakest of the 6 books having read all of them. </p>
<p>We have 5 players: 1) Human/Haunting Visions/Cleric of Sarenrae (the leader & healer), 2) Human/Bounty Hunter/Champion of Sarenrae (his sidekick & muscle), 3) Human-Half-Orc/Emancipated/Barbarian (the raging brute), 4) Goblin/Entertainer/Bard (banjo-playing!), and 5) Goblin/Martial Disciple/Rogue w/ Monk Archetype (basically a gentrified goblin raised by humans). </p>
<p>We're through 7 sessions and the party is currently in the citadel vaults (Chapter 3 of Book 1). We're going slowly to learn the rules, and we also do a fair amount of role-playing. Here's a summary of the changes I've made so far:
<br />
- In the town hall fire, the group had a bucket brigade going but were still basically only able to keep the fire at a standstill, so after a bit I had the town guard rush in to help and put out the fire. Tactically, they played this encounter perfectly and had no casualties.
<br />
- As with seemingly everyone else here, the party went first to Voz's bookshop to investigate Calmont before heading to Hellknight Hill. We roleplayed the encounter, and she rolled a 30 on Deception, so they left feeling convinced Calmont was a rogue agent that had been fired days before. (she then hurriedly fled for Guardian's Way once they'd left)
<br />
- Because two of the party are Goblins, the Bumblebrashers and Helba specifically turned out to be more significant NPCs (I also enjoy doing goblin voices, so this has been a lot of fun). I'm doing milestone leveling, and the party made a beeline for ramparts after entering through the Giant Rats room of the citadel, so had encountered very little by the time they took Calmont captive (just the Rats and Grauladon). I needed them to get more XP, so Helba said she would only give them the location of the secret entrance if the party cleared out the first level of the citadel so they would have a place to live in case they didn't survive the cultists. This turned out to work great, and gave them a solid reason to explore the rest of Chapter 2.
<br />
- Thanks to the Haunting Visions background, I'm slowly and steadily feeding the group cut-scenes that portend of Chapter 1 of Book 6. A long way away, yes, but it's definitely painting a picture of "doom coming to Breachill" and a sense of unease about what's happening.
<br />
- I made Roxie have two unruly kids, who first appear in one of the above cut-scenes. These kids (Anso & Erika) are who the party has taking care of the warg puppies while they're away, all of which has been great comic relief. But when they find their way back to the Pickled Ear through the tunnel later, they'll have an established relationship with Roxie.
<br />
- It's my full intention to bring the warg mother back later—possibly much later—sometime when the group has fully bonded with the pups.
<br />
- The skeletons in Chapter 2 felt out of place to me, so I made them part of the necromantic ward triggering below. I gave them each a flail instead of normal weapons, and flavor-wise this was the manacles and chains from their imprisonment. Every undead creature animated by the ward has glowing purple eyes, and I have a cut-scene ready which will make this link clear. (they were all also exploding skeletons, which made for a great fight in the small space)
<br />
- The biggest change so far has been to Alak. The party had been crushing combats (it didn't take me long to start making Elite versions of enemies or sprinkling in higher numbers to each encounter), and I was genuinely worried about adding another front-line fighter to the mix. Thankfully, they a) met him at the very end of clearing out the first level, and b) didn't like him much, creating tension between Alak and the group. So while they all went back to Breachill to rest for the vaults, Alak stayed behind, got the location of the secret entrance himself from Helba, and proceeded ahead into the vaults. They party waited around the next morning and he never showed. By the time they went to the crypts, Alak will have been killed and raised as a second undead Hellknight to fight. I added a third Emperor Bird, dead by slashing wounds, into B1 as a clue.
<br />
- My sense of Level 1 of the citadel is that it's a bunch of small ecosystems without a lot of interesting movement potential. The cultists are different. The first time the party takes 20 minutes to heal and rest in the vaults, the cultists have gotten organized and have made for a very scary/dangerous encounter ready for the next session. Assuming they survive, I am expecting this to be a lesson of the trade-off of spending time resting in a dungeon while critters roam and have been alerted to their presence. </p>
<p>Whew. Sorry for the long post. Reading what I wrote, it occurs to me that I haven't structurally had to change much of Book 1 yet. If I end up doing so, I'll circle back here and post the changes.</p>
Hey everyone! My playgroup recently ported over from 5E to PF2, and I'm GMing us through Age of Ashes as our first foray. I've really been enjoying and appreciating this thread and all of the ideas therein. We are loving the system and story, though I generally agree with others that Book 1 is the weakest of the 6 books having read all of them.
We have 5 players: 1) Human/Haunting Visions/Cleric of Sarenrae (the leader & healer), 2) Human/Bounty Hunter/Champion of Sarenrae (his sidekick &...
MagicJMS
2019-12-21T19:12:24Z
Re: Forums: Age of Ashes: Community Created Content (spoilers)
MagicJMS
https://paizo.com/threads/rzs42n7o&page=2?Community-Created-Content#78
2019-11-30T02:57:44Z
2019-11-30T02:57:44Z
<p>I looooooove your maps, Fumarole. They really enhance my group's play experience. Thank you for doing them. Did you end up making one for the Goblinblood Caves in Hellknight Hill?</p>
I looooooove your maps, Fumarole. They really enhance my group's play experience. Thank you for doing them. Did you end up making one for the Goblinblood Caves in Hellknight Hill?
MagicJMS
2019-11-30T02:57:44Z