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Checking through the archives, I couldn't find any overviews of the campaign from DMs that had finished the path? Has anyone out there run it to completion? What were your favorite parts? What were your PCs favorites? There's been some talk of skipping number 5 entirely, how do you feel about that? My group and I are about to finish up Hook Mountain and they have enjoyed it so far but seem to respond better to the sprawling movement of the campaign or the social interactions. I am worried about sending them into the dungeon at Runeforge. Any thoughts?
Ah yes, another question about readied actions. I searched the archives and couldn't find the specific answer I was looking for so hopefully, the fine Paizo community can help me. When a foe readies an action, say an archer readies to fire an arrow at a PC mage if she casts a spell, can the PC observe the archer as "Readied"? Is his bow drawn, his beady eyes focused intently on the mage? I have some initial thoughts. The RAW say that readying lets you take a standard action when the particular trigger occurs, casting the spell for instance. I take this to mean that the bow wouldn't be drawn. If the archer gets a FULL standard action, that would include drawing, aiming, and firing the bow. So PC doesn't know archer is gunning for her. Also, allowing the PC to effectively understand that an archer is "waiting and intently observing her actions" would allow for PC to easily change tactics. What do you all think? Thanks for your advice.
I bought some plexiglass at home depot and custom cut it to the perfect size of our table. Under this we can put any map at all. Wet or dry erase markers work great and never leave a footprint. It has been a fantastic and easy fix. It's so big I can put a full size map, smaller maps, and pics of npcs under it at the same time without any fear of everything getting blown away.
To increased the PCs desire, I had them attend a dinner party in Sandpoint that happened to be attended by a noble from turtleback ferry. He had one of the Sihedron Runes tatooed on his forearm from Lucrecia's riverboat. The PC knew Lucrecia's name from some evidence in Xanesha's treasure. Now they don't know exactly what's going on but they know there's a Lamia around and the rune. When they got the letter from Grobraras, their interest was already high for a trip to Turtleback.
I agree with some of the OPs thoughts. Lots of mooks made it really easy for my party, even after the numbers were increased by me. But, I think thats fine, there should be some easy fights for the PCs. Treasure could be a bit low, especially if your party doesn't kill Xanesha and get her mask, tunic, spear. But, as far as the other ideas, I think your group as a whole needs to work better together. My group found Ironbriar's journal and read up on Xanesha, performed knowledge checks on Lamia Matriarchs and went to the School of the Seers in Magnimar to find out more. They knew she'd be tough and prepared for it. It was still close, but close in a good, dramatic way. Aldern....they kicked his butt hard. Even with added ghouls and another level in Rogue added to him. If your group doesn't run well as a group, either tacticly or preemptively, you may need to level them up another level each and run it like that for a while, give them more gold, etc. I have found, in my very limited experience, that it is always easier to make an encounter harder than scale it back. Just my thoughts. Good Luck. Cheers!
I am curious about this too. One thing to consider is the time of concentration on the spell. First round, you only detect the presence of magical auras. Second, how many and what strength. Third, where. So, three rounds for an invisible foe to realize some mage is trying to detect magic auras should be enough for said foe to react, move out of range of spell, attack, whatever. I am curious to hear what others think on the subject. Also, I am not sure exactly what order the above determinations are as I am away from my books at the moment.
We are just starting HMM and I am very excited about the PCs taking over the fort. However, I have changed the previous adventures quite a bit. First, I am using a different town as Sandpoint that sits at the base of the Malgorian mountains, much closer to Turtleback Ferry and Hook Mountain. That may be hard for some of you to change, I understand. Maybe using some quick, magically powered riverboat would give the PCs quicker access to Sandpoint and Magnimar from the Fort, just thinking out loud. Secondly, I had Scarnetti murdered by the Skinsaw Man during TSM. His very greedy offspring then came into "My Sandpoint" and laid off all the workers in both of the Scarnetti Mills, replacing them with malnourished, overworked, and much cheaper Duerger. The town is now feeling the economic crunch of huge layoffs and Duerger that have no money to spend at their taverns and stores. My PCs, one of whom has his eyes set on gaining nobility, are talking about starting a rival mill to employ the townspeople again. They will find that lumber will be hard to come by as the Scarnetti's own most of the surrounding woodlands. Now, what I am planning is for the deed to Fort Rannick to include 200 acres of well forested, old growth forest around it as well. There's their lumber and reason for keeping the fort. Also, as the cliffhanger for this week's session, one of my PCs proposed to another. She'll more than likely say yes and they will need a home. By the way, she was pregnant with Valdemar's baby...she used to be a prostitute in Magnimar(my player's backstory) and when she met Valdemar, I told her that she recognized him as one of her old and very kinky regulars. He propositioned her for old time's sake and she obliged, which surprised me quite a bit. Anyways, I don't know if all of this will be much help but it has been my experience so far. I have been pleasantly surprised at how everything has been coming together. I think that if you throw enough other PC subplots out there and see which ones your players latch on to, there you will find your answer. Cheers
Atruen stops to gaze at the well made paintings. The composition on this one is nice but the artist's use of chiaroscuro seems contrived. Oh, what a wonderful palette on "The Golem Smasher", very unusual for a traditional portrait. He takes care to note the names of each artist.
"And a fine 'Good Mornin' to you as well, sir. This is a lovely place, but a touch slow at the moment, " Atruen says as he walks to the bar, his right hand outstretched to the bartendar. "I don't mean to interrupt you but I was wondering if youcould assist me for just a moment. My name is Atruen Roualt and I was hoping to find a woman that goes by the name 'Bareena'. She was referred to me as an excellent guide. Do you have any idea where she may be?" As Atruen inquires, he watches the bartendars eyes carefully.
I boosted quite a few of the encounters for my group as they are all quite optimized. At the Hambley farm, I added some class levels to the main ghoul and increased their numbers a bit. I also felt that they were going to roll over Ironbriar and the Skinsaw cultists so I grouped most of them together on the fourth level and added two cultists with fighter levels and feats from the Art of the Duel PDF, which I was extremely excited to try out. I thought it fit into the setting as I described Magnimar as a bustling port city, so pirate-like duelists would seem appropriate. My PCs however, beat the pants off them due to some super rolling. Xanesha is next....should be exciting. My suggestion would be to do the above, add some creepies to Foxglove Manor, or have a nice side battle always ready, maybe on their travels from Sandpoint to Kingsholm. One of my PCs was an orphan with an unknown background and I am using the Reth Dekala from ToB to "hunt" her. She has some inate fire abilities and I am tying it into the Reth's history and bloodline. It has really come in handy when things get slow or they need to get caught up level wise. Plus, she has no idea why they are seeking her out. Perhaps one of your many PCs has a piece of background info that could be very helpful...plus PCs love to have their characters be the center of attention for a night. Maybe the player who's least involved out of the six you have could be the focus.
When they go to the authorities, have a local magistrate decipher Ironbriar's journal. That will prove their innocence as well as get them back on track. My group wanted to tell the Lord Mayor as well and went to his home as it was later in the evening. I made him "Unavailable" but his guard came out to harass the PCs. Who's going to believe a story about masked Jesters and dread ghasts when it comes from some unknown PC. Good luck
How about halfling cavemen? As a plot point, I want the laborers to leave the shantytown and mosey into the taverns in town to cause some trouble. I just dont see goblins or kobolds gettin' served at the local watering hole. Good suggestions, keep em comin'. I like the duerger idea a lot. Like a bunch of old, squinty, grizzled miners.
I look to the fine Paizo community for a suggestion on a race to use for cheap laborers. In my campaign, nobles are setting up a shantytown, displacing all the local workers, replacing them with cheap laborers. I need something dirty, but not straight out monstrous. I was thinking mongrelfolk but would love to hear other thoughts. The town is fairly generic in its makeup, nothing too out of the ordinary. I have some ideas on where this will go but would love to hear suggestions on possible plot ideas as well. Thanks in advance.
I have nothing to add to the impressive list of adventures suggested above but theres a great podcast dealing with desert campaigns from the Dragon's Landing podcast HERE.
I am running Xanesha in all her glory next week. I think my group can at least make it interesting. I have given them lots of info on her through Ironbriar's Journal and through a knowledge check in the 40's for Lamia Matriarchs. They know they are in for a hellish fight and are taking the appropriate measures to strengthen themselves for it. I am really looking forward to it. The cliffhanger we ended on last night last occurred as they climbed the stairs directly above the bronze bells to find the faceless stalkers there disguised as Lord Mayor Grobraras and another Chief Justice of my own design. They completely bought it, even after facing the other two stalkers in the forms of Aldern and Iesha. I left as they were arguing about which one of them figured out first that the Lord Mayor and his Justices were behind all of the murders all along. I can't wait to see their faces when an elastic arm from a stalker, disguised as the fat arm of Grobraras, reaches out 10' and slashes them. Thank you, Mr. Pett for a wonderful adventure. My players and I have really enjoyed it. They have commented that they really feel caught up in a tense story of intrigue and mystery.
My group is fantastic. They are all excellent roleplayers and we have wonderful time when PCs are investigating, carousing, etc. Then combat comes and any RPing goes out the window as players count squares, ask about AoO, and add up their die rolls. I would love to increase the in character RPing through combats. I have houseruled that "Trash Talking" an enemy doesn't count as an action of any sort and can take as long as the PC would like, but other than that, any suggestions? Thanks,
Here's the situation. The cleric in our group is a fantastic turner. She has wiped the floor with the Ghouls at the Hambley Farm and now, she will, most likely, do the same with the ghouls underneath Foxglove Manor. I have a couple of questions for you and would appreciate any advice as I am a newbie DM. 1. Does the command Ghoul power of the Dread Ghouls work to counter already turned ghouls? I don't own the advanced beastiary and have yet to find that answer in the stat blocks. 2. Is there another undead creature that would make a good fit to add to these encounters? I would like to avoid merely adding a class level or three to the ghouls and I don't want to resort to adding numbers. They just moved to sixth level and are fairly adept players so the range is open as far as CRs go. Thanks for your help in advance. I am sure that I will use any assistance given in our next session. We are playtesting the new turning rules in the PRPG and I am sure my cleric is itching to try it out. Magnus
Compatability above all other things. I want to use all 40 books I have already purchased, not rewrite them. I don't want to put any more work in than I already do. Simple rule exchanges is what my group and I are looking for. We like the turning=healing, +2 ability scores, etc. Changing the skills list and distribution method is a no go as we would have to CONVERT all modules we own now to new system. Compatability, in our eyes, means no conversion just exchanging. What scares me is that if the PRPG turns into a system that is not truly compatable, I will have to convert all upcoming Pathfinder APs back into 3.5 before running them. I was very excited, ecstatic even, when Paizo announced sticking with 3.5, but some of the changes in the PRPG seem to run contrary to that stated goal.
Backwards compatability is going to the key aspect of PRPG for me and my group. Drastic changes that require major reworking to be so will not be implemented...it's that simple. I am all for consolidating a COUPLE of skills to streamline a bit but anymore than a couple effectively breaks backward compatability. One of the problems I think that is occurring with this conversation is the intent of designers and regular, everyday DMs. If I am statting up an NPC for an encounter, I will estimate his/ her skills, i.e. Class level+3 ranks in maxed out skills, level only for ranks in other class skills, etc. Simple and quick. I would never make a full stat block for a one encounter NPC. Now, Jason and the other designers don't have that luxury when putting out modules or Pathfinder books. I can see how statting up every NPC would be a huge pain, but most DMs don't have to. Now, when I am a player, I love the ability to customize my PC using skill points. It helps me build story for character in very detailed terms. Each of the three gamers mentioned above, regular DMs, publishers, and players have very different outlooks and very different needs. That being said, I think an elegant solution would be stick with OGL skill system with some consolidation and the publication of a table with basic skill progressions for each class as other posters have suggested. And remember, above all else, backwards compatibility should be the main goal of any and all changes. I am DMing RoTR now and instituting some of these Pathfinder RPG changes would add to my prep considerably, which seems to be an insult considering that I am running a Pathfinder AP.
Thanks for the good advice. I will definitely think about this some more considering what you both have said. I am sure once we reach a certain level, magic will be able to counteract some of his attempts, detect thoughts, detect good, etc. It just seems that some foes, the really evil ones, would be impossible to turn into friendly or even indifferent in the face of good adventurers and there is no mechanic for that in the RAW.
I am a relatively new player and a brand new DM and I have a question about using diplomacy. One of my PCs in RoTR has a PC with an enormous bonus to diplomacy, he often rolls in the forties after all bonuses. Are there limits to the usefulness of diplomacy in a conflict? If he rolls a 45, even with a -10 due to rushing the attempt, could he effectively change any NPCs attitude to friendly, even a BBEG? What happens if he just changes a hostile foe to indifferent, one that would normally attack on sight? His PC can't rush a roll now and get a 45 but will be able to in the future and I would like to be prepared. Thanks in advance for your responses.
I am quite looking forward to the release of 4.0 for exactly the reason the OP cited, I won't have to buy any more damn expensive books. I agree that it is relatively inexpensive compared to other hobbies but it does seem to add up quite quickly. I have had many an $80 month buying RP stuff. Minis, mags(alsa, no more), books, dice, terrain,etc. Add a string of months together like that and my wife begins to look at me in an less and less approving way. I will, most likely, not switch to 4.0 and sit on my large pile of 3.5 materials for the rest of my days. There are plenty of adventures to still be run and characters to still develop. I feel pretty well set. I will also keep subscribing to Pathfinder unless they make the switch, at which point, I will have to seriously reconsider my commitment. One other tidbit that floats around my brain, there are vast amounts of other games that I long to play. Scion looks wonderful (3 books total), Agon (1 book), Spirit of the Century, the list goes on and on. I think limiting my large collection to only 1 edition of each game is pretty damn reasonable. Especially when I sneek a gander at the 20 or so 3.5 books on my shelf. (Thinking to myself......twenty times $30 is how much?!?!).
Me too... Seeing as Christine and Boomer are more than likely going on into the finals, I placed my votes for Nelson's Vale and McCreary's Monkeys. Loved the visuals in the Vale quite a bit and, looking back, have voted for his work every round. If I had voted without considering who was already a lock for the finals, I would have voted for Boomer and the Vale. I am secretly hoping that Nelson can blow our socks off in the finals and get an underdog win.
This is my first DMing job. I am finishing an adventure with my group then planning on switching into Skinsaw without having run Burnt Offerings. My plan is to have the conquering heroes return to Sandpointe where the nobles will throw them a feast in their honor. Mostly, the dinner serves as an event at which the PCs will meet Aldern and other NPCs of the town. Any thoughts on who else they should meet, foreshadowing of future events, etc. They will have conquered Nualia who I placed into the previous adventure. Any thoughts and advice are met with my sincerest gratitude.
I am planning on taking my PCs from another module into Skinsaw without taking them through Burnt Offerings. Anything from the first adventure that I absolutely need? I still have a couple of sessions before beginning Skinsaw so I have some opportunity to introduce things like the Sihedron Rune.... Thanks in advance for your suggestions.
Homebrewin'
We have used them in our group fairly often and they are not any more difficult in play than any other abilities. In fact, they seem to be of a fairly limited use. I like them quite a bit, however, because they are quite flavorful if the skill trick fits your character. My very athletic Goliath barbarian can turn once during a charge or move up a hill at normal speed. It fits well with the feel of the character without becoming overpowered. Most of the tricks will come into play rarely, anyway. Check out the complete scoundrel for a full list. Any rule that gives an easy mechanic for allowing a PC to do a unique, creative move in the midst of battle gets my vote. Cheers!! |
