Rakshasa

Matthew Pemrich's page

163 posts. Alias of Digitalsabre.



Sczarni 3/5

Please welcome New Mexico's first Venture-Lieutenant, C. Jonah Nelson.

Jonah will be helping me cover Albuquerque, specifically Albuquerque's East Side, and has a lot of experience that will be of great benefit to us here in The Land of Enchantment. I'll let him tell you a little bit more about himself.

Sczarni 3/5

A while back, here in the PFS messageboards somewhere, there was a link to an external blog post regarding haunts. I remember it being a list of quotes from famous persons, both factual and fictitious, describing hauntings and giving examples of how to deal with them.

I really wanted this list this past weekend, so I could hand it to a new player at Battle in the Bosque. I tried to find it, but my Search-fu is weak. Could someone help me out?

Sczarni 3/5

Battle in the Bosque will take place on November 2nd through 4th at the Albuquerque Garden Center.

While we are as yet working out the details of our involvement at the event, we already know what the schedule will be for tables. We are always looking for more GMs and we know there will already be Paizo support for the event.

In addition to the scenarios listed below, we are going to attempt to run Ambush under Absalom roughly on-demand for new players who maybe don't have time during the convention to devote more than an hour.

Pathfinder Society will run in five slots, each slot housing three tables.

(For a list of scenarios being run and their schedule, please see the event listing for this event)

There will also be an HQ table where GMs can return reporting sheets and players can ask questions and get pregenerated characters. Pregenerated characters will be available for most of the scenarios so players who do not have their own at the start of the convention will have something to use.

Active Imagination Family & Arena and Twin Suns Comic Books & Games, two local game stores, are supporting this convention, and there will be a rather large Magic tournament on Saturday, as well as numerous war games and other board games, drawing in players from all over.

More on this as it develops.

Sczarni 3/5

A while back I read that rebuilding the Advanced Player's Guide pregens was on the todo list and they were probably going to be ready at or just before GenCon. Is this still true?

Sczarni 3/5

I previously mentioned this event here, but got no response. I'm going ahead with it despite that.

Fifteen tables, (potential) prize support.

http://paizo.com/pathfinderSociety/events/v5748mkg0a5iy

Sczarni 3/5

Pathfinder Society's going strong in Albuquerque.

Come play with us at Active Imagination Family and Arena! We play twice a week (Tuesdays at 7:00pm and Fridays at 6:30pm).

We regularly have two tables running two different scenarios.

For more information about Active Imagination, including driving directions, you can reach the store at (505) 299-2019. You can reach me (Matthew) at (816) 200-1334 for more information about Pathfinder Society in Albuquerque.

Here is the event listing on Paizo's website: Pathfinder Society at Active Imagination

Sczarni 3/5

No, no, it wasn't mine. I'm too much of a marshmallow, it seems, to TPK. Or even bring about a single character death. However, my friend and erstwhile GM is not. He followed tactics and several things happened that weren't in the party's favor. Very strongly not in the party's favor.

It all happened aboard the Prancing Prince, you see:
  1. First of all, the characters were all bunched together, and the zombies didn't help them unbunch. They hadn't approached the combat very carefully.
  2. And Luscilia's a cleric. Her channel energy was essentially what took them all down. She was rolling 10s, 11s and 12s, and even with them making their saves, it wasn't long before all but one of them died this way, what with the party's cleric being afraid to channel positive energy for fear of healing her.
  3. The last, who was out of range of her channelling due to being on another deck—a bard I believe—died under her flail.

This GM felt pretty bad about it all, but interestingly nobody else at the table did. Many of them saw it as a chance to make new characters, but overall the reason was that they had fun, and that's really what I want to happen at my events. I shook his hand, congratulated him on being the first GM at my event to be at the helm when a character died, and called for a round of applause. He got a standing ovation from his table.

Sczarni 3/5

Being held this year at the Albuquerque Marriott Uptown, Bubonicon #44 features guests such as Author GOH Brandon Sanderson (The Alloy of Law, Wheel of Time, Mistborn, Elantris, The Way of Kings), Artist GOH Ursula Vernon of Digger, and Science Historian Loretta Hall.

These on top of a number of other guests:
Daniel Abraham, Mario Acevedo, Rose Beetem, Richard Berthold, David Boop, Stephen Boucher, Adam Jarmon Brown, Craig A. Butler, Aaron Campbell, Peri Charlifu, Doranna Durgin, Gordon Garb, Janice Gelb, Steven Gould, Sally Gwylan, Warren Hammond, Betsy James, Darynda Jones, Susan Krinard, Andy Kuhn, Jane Lindskold, George RR Martin, Victor Milan, John Jos. Miller, Laura J. Mixon, Pati Nagle, Charles & Tauni Orndorff, Scott Phillips, John Maddox Roberts, Joan Saberhagen, Tim Simpson, Melinda Snodgrass, Caroline Spector, Gabi Stevens, S.M. Stirling, David Lee Summers, Ian Tregillis, Robert Vardeman, Carrie Vaughn, Dennis Virzi, Walter Jon Williams and Connie Willis.

This year, I live in Albuquerque. I adore Ursula Vernon's art, so when I heard she was coming to Bubonicon, I was thrilled.

So while I couldn't do anything huge for Albuquerque Comic Expo, I'm looking at the daunting task of setting up and coordinating at least fifteen slots of Pathfinder Society Organized Play for Bubonicon. I have at least one other person to help back me up, and I've yet to contact a couple others, including Active Imagination (PFS Headquarters for Albuquerque).

What kind of interest is out there for this?

Sczarni 3/5

My first GM star I got a few weeks ago!

Sczarni 3/5

I have an interesting dilemma, it seems. A player of mine is asking whether or not his Alchemist character can purchase Masterwork Artisan's Tools in order to receive a +2 circumstance bonus to Craft (alchemy) checks.

This should be an easy question, except that I'm a Pathfinder Society GM and this is a Pathfinder Society Organized Play character. I say that it should be an easy question, because were I to follow my gut, I'd have to say no.

The Breakdown:
How could I say no to this request? The RAW has a lot of things to say about crafting tools, and none of them specifically limits Masterwork Artisan's Tools from being used for Craft (alchemy) checks.

In the description of the Craft skill, under Special, it specifically states, "To make an item using Craft (alchemy), you must have alchemical equipment." It then goes on to say, "If you are working in a city, you can buy what you need as part of the raw materials cost to make the item, but alchemical equipment is difficult or impossible to come by in some places. Purchasing and maintaining an alchemist's lab grants a +2 circumstance bonus on Craft (alchemy) checks because you have the perfect tools for the job..." This is a little ambiguous. However, an Alchemist's Lab will not assist my player's character in the field any more than it would help any other character using Craft (alchemy) in the field. Less so because PFS Alchemists can only use Craft (alchemy) in the field for identifying potions. The lab won't help identify potions, either, since the class feature involved, Alchemy (Su), doesn't even require unstoppering the potion.

Continuing to the item descriptions, a Masterwork Tool—or Masterwork Artisan's Tools—grants +2 to any related skill check (does not stack with other tools). Masterwork Artisan's Tools serve the purpose of Artisan's Tools ("These special tools include the items needed to pursue any craft."), excepting that they provide a +2 circumstance bonus in addition to negating a -2 penalty for using improvised tools.

However... the line just above Masterwork Artisan's Tools, in the Alchemist's Lab entry specifically states, "Without this lab, a character with the Craft (alchemy) skill is assumed to have enough tools to use the skill but not enough to get the +2 bonus that the lab provides." This, to me, means that a lab provides stuff that's just too difficult to carry around (i.e. bunsen burner, tons of glass pipettes, graduated cylinders, stable work surface).

Craft (anything) has a -2 penalty to all rolls for those who do not have Artisan's Tools... with the strict exception of Craft (alchemy), which does not provide a penalty without the tools, as mentioned above. So Artisan's Tools would be completely unnecessary, but Masterwork Artisan's Tools (alchemy) on the other hand would confer a circumstance bonus of +2 (where applicable) to Craft (alchemy) checks. Note that I have defined them with the (alchemy) descriptor because if bought for this purpose they can't be used them for other purpose.

Where it Gets Sticky:
Because of this +2 circumstance bonus and the fact that they don't stack with the bonus conferred by an Alchemist's Lab, the use of the Masterwork Artisan's Tools in the lab's place would obsolete the use of an Alchemist's Lab of any kind—portable or otherwise.

To sum up:

Question: Can a character purchase Masterwork Artisan's Tools (or Masterwork Tool) to confer a +2 circumstance bonus to Craft (alchemy) checks?

Rules as Written: Yes. If you purchase Masterwork Artisan's Tools or Masterwork Tool, the tools must be used only for this purpose and the bonus does not stack with any other bonus conferred by tools designed for this purpose, including Alchemist's Lab and Portable Alchemist's Lab .

Rules as Intended (to my reading): No, because there is a specific kit (Alchemist's Lab, Portable Alchemist's Lab) designed for this purpose. Doing so would obsolete the need for an Alchemist's Lab and by conferring the same +2 circumstance bonus as an Alchemist's Lab for 55gp (the cost of the Masterwork Artisan's Tools), 145gp less than that required to purchase a Lab, and grant the benefit of allowing it to be used anywhere.

Grand Lodge 3/5

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How is it that I can possibly recruit a new Pathfinder Society player half the planet away, but I have trouble garnering interest from players who live within 50 miles of me?

By the way, Callum? You should be receiving an email from a friend of mine soon.

Edit begin:

Okay, that's not completely true. I had nearly a full table last night and it was really fun. Last night being the fourth week, the second scenario and the third table I've run here in Albuquerque. This beats the largest table I've run by 50%, and the largest number of potential players by 75%. I didn't turn down that other player... he didn't have his character and opted to play a board game with some other friends rather than create a new one. Interestingly enough, I might have too many players for one table at the next session, this coming Friday. The dreaded 8 player situation scares me. If that ever happens I might need to call James Kirk for advice, 'cause what I see has Kobayahsi Maru written all over it.

Honestly, it's a pretty awesome feeling to start building a new region atop the charred remains of previous attempts, but I honestly think Greater Albuquerque is going to work out with me behind it.

:Edit end.

Grand Lodge 3/5

I'd like to announce a new (resurrected?) Pathfinder Society Venue in Albuquerque.

This is our third week, and we will be playing roughly every Friday.

I GM at Active Imagination on Juan Tabo. Google Maps

This week we I will be running #3-11: The Quest for Perfection—Part II: On Hostile Waters. The past two weeks I've run #3-09: The Quest for Perfection—Part I: The Edge of Heaven, and Master of the Fallen Fortress.

All new and veteran Pathfinder players are welcome to join us. My contact information is in the Event listing, which can be found here.

If you are a GM and would be willing to forgo playing to run if we get a larger turnout, please let me know!

Grand Lodge 3/5

Do these modules and quests actually fit into a 4-5 hour time slot like the scenarios do? That is to say, can they be fully completed within five hours without skipping stuff?

If so, I may treat my players in a couple weeks.

Grand Lodge

It seems like nobody wants to answer this question. There was a wand thread a month or so ago, and the OP's questions were answered, but mine was the final post in the thread asking questions about wands. It finally slipped into the Archive recently. That said, I'll repeat the question:

Quote:
The question I have is whether or not wands of touch spells (such as a wand of cure light wounds) require melee touch attacks. The PCRB (Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook) basically describes wands as point and shoot the only place it mentions them. Ranged touch attack. Am I correct in my deduction that targeted spells (in wand form) that require a melee touch attack as described in the spell list no longer require physical contact?

Grand Lodge 3/5

I'm currently running a Pathfinder Society game online. We play about three times a week, lately. Actually, we just finished our first scenario (#3, and let me tell you, the reviews don't mislead).

I'm actually psyched. The game was fun for all involved.

The reason we play so often, however, is that what takes several hours in person took approximately 24 in text. Part of it might be that I wasn't completely prepared (I hadn't read the scenario all the way through, though I did play through it once before at the local game store -- Shout-out to XMax Games in Dallas).

So, I have some advice to anyone who's taking this route.

1). MapTool or another online-based mapping tool.
This is an absolute must. Players, and you, need to be able to see where they are and where the monsters are, and this is an excellent resource for allowing that. Most non-combat scenes, and especially those which are almost completely roleplay, will not need any sort of a mapping tool, but those combat scenes absolutely do.

2). Use voice chat if you can.
Skype, Ventrilo, whatever. Host the game with voice enabled so that you and your players don't have to go through typing everything out by hand. Believe it or not, I've heard that text RP online takes approximately three times as long as in person. It took us twice that.

3). Notepad is your friend.
Well, notepad or any other program in which you can edit text. Type up all of your pre-gen text for easy pasting. For strictly text-based stuff, notepad (or TextEdit for Mac) will work quite well. Among things that are useful to type up in advance are those pre-gen text and your faction handouts. This is especially true if you can't use advice #2 -- I can't (only one of my players has a working mic, and of the three, only two have any sort of listening device).

4). Read the material!
As noted above, I think that part of the extra time involved in our game was that I wasn't ready. I hadn't read the scenario all the way through, so I often didn't know what I was supposed to do next. Read the Scenario and take notes where you need to about what things are/do. If you can, print the scenario and make notes in the margins... or even sticky note the edges of the pages with notes so you won't have to skim through during play.

5). All Text: Expect it to take longer than one session.
Unless you have all the maps created ahead of time and can use straight voice to run your scenario, you will, without a doubt, go over the average 3-4 hour time slot. Not saying a scenario can't be completed in a single day, but it's not likely to happen unless you're very prepared and can run continuously for twelve straight hours.

6). Know your tools.
If you use MapTool and a text-based program like a MUCK, know well how to use them before you start. And make sure your players are aware of how they should be using them as well. These things have intricacies you should explore before starting.

7). Expect technical difficulties.
Even the most prepared online RP game can go awry if you or one of your players get cut off from the Internet in the middle of the session. Don't fret about it. The game can go on as soon as everyone's up and running again. If you end up disconnected for a long period, just pick up where you left off.

8). Keep logs if you can.
Tagging on the heels of #7 is an important bit of advice for GMs who want to run using text+mapping. Keep logs. These will be essential resources for when you pick up the scenario again during the next session. Especially if you ended (we do this sometimes and nobody likes it) in the middle of combat.

If anyone else has any words of wisdom, I'd love to hear it.

And Josh and sundry, keep up the excellent work. Pathfinder and the Pathfinder Society is where it's at these days for me.