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Congratulations Mr. Shel, I'll be very excited to be reading Lost Lore. All the best in your foreboding cavernous lair!
A farewell from Wes overlaid with both the cool and classy templates - I am not surprised. All the best! "Seven Days to the Grave" is a legend in adventure design and broke barriers in its day. But I was glad to see "Shut In' also mentioned, because that's always been one of my fav's. Also Wes' map design is stupendous and its specific style has probably influenced Paizo and Golarion over the years in ways many of us don't appreciate. But he's not dying, so maybe now isn't the right time to start flagging favs. I suspect Wes will always be writing something somewhere and I look forward to what comes next. Paizo: give that man an amazing send-off!
Thanks Kimera!
The University of Toronto Roleplaying Club is hosting an RPG convention on March 17-19. It will feature lots of Pathfinder games, both PFS and non-PFS. New players welcome! The venue is top drawer: Hart House, which is an absolutely atmospheric place to game (downtown Toronto at the University). Special guests include Ed Greenwood and Robin Laws.
A great loss to the community. My thoughts go out to his friends and loved ones. Rest in Peace Steve.
This is a great idea, by the perfect teacher. I remember long ago attending my first Gen Con in a pre-Pathfinder era. Completely lost, I asked a veteran by the name of Tim Hitchock what I should be doing. He said (though I paraphrase, it was a long time ago): "...do whatever you have to do to attend a game run by Nick Logue. It'll raise your game." I had read the name Nicolas Logue before and seen him posting, but never met the guy in person. Tim did not steer me wrong. Later at the same con, I attended an event called Iron GM, an entertaining GMing competition. One of the volunteers told me: "The reason they have Nick Logue act as the Master of Ceremonies is so he can't enter. It would be wrong if he won it every year." That later quote was a bit false though. As I dimly understand, Nick Logue, (along with Lou Agresta of course), was actually one of the event's co-creators, so of course he should not enter. But you get the idea. And as I finish my post, I realize technically nothing I said actually speaks to whether the guy has any skill as a designer of gaming material -- meaning, I failed to support my original point which was that this course sounds like an excellent opportunity. So in lieu of actually being persuasive, I will instead refer you to "The Winding Way" (Dungeon #117) a classic adventure by Nicolas Logue which many have been seeking to duplicate ever since.
Zherog had asked me to post this in this thread as well. It's from the duplicate Portalist thread. Reviewed first on endzeitgeist.com, then Nerdtrek and GMS magazine and posted here. Thank you for taking the time to provide a detailed review. It was very much appreciated. I wanted to take a moment to answer the specific questions posed in the review. Mostly because I just love making FAQ's... Does a portalist need a free hand to make a portal? No, a free hand is not required. Only movement, to enter and exit a portal, is needed. A portalist could, for example, wield two-handed weapons or dual weapons and still create and pass through portals. Can you cast a spell through a portal when you have an action readied? No, neither the portalist nor an allied caster can cast a spell through a standard portal. Nor could a missile weapon be fired through a portal. Only the portalist who created the portal can pass through (p.4). An exception is the arch portal ability called the reaching portal (p.7) which enables the portalist to stab a melee weapon through the portal to attack a foe. Is a portal a conjuration [teleportation] effect? If so, what is the caster level? This could be important for situations such as teleport suppression. Yes - an excellent point and one not considered or set out in the text. In my view, the caster level should be equal to the portalist's level. Portals are loud and easy to detect, so is silent infiltration not possible? The base DC for a Perception check to observe an exit portal is zero (p.4). As such, absent special modifiers such as the involvement of significant distance or additional magic, undetected infiltration would be quite difficult with a standard portal. The portal trick stealth portal (p.5), however, facilitates this quite significantly changing the mechanic to an opposed roll of Stealth vs. Perception with a +2 circumstance bonus for the portalist, making infiltration a more realistic tactic. Can multiple portal tricks be applied to the same portal? Could you e.g. combine two tricks? No, normally only one portal trick or arch-portal can be applied to a portal. However, there is a specific portal trick called combination portal (p.6). This portal trick enables a portalist to combine two portal tricks at an enhanced cost. When using the ally portal trick, does an ally have to expend the movement? No, the ally does not have to expend any movement. The portalist on the other hand expends movement as normal as per a standard portal. This may enable the portalist to set up an ally for some impressive tactics. It is somewhat similar to using a push or pull maneuver on an ally, but with a teleportation effect. Note that the ally does have to be adjacent to the portalist for the trick to be performed and so in practical terms there may be circumstances in which the ally may need to first take one or more move actions for the portal trick to work. Does the ally have to take a readied action to move through an ally portal? No, no readied action is required. The ally is pulled through the portal by the portalist on the portalist's action (p.4). I hope this is of some assistance and thank you again for trying out the portalist.
... the reason the number of uses of the portal ability is limited is because the author had the exact opposite reaction as you, it seems, during his playtesting. He found there needed to be a limit or else it was just too much. Maybe he pulled things back too far, of course. Or maybe it's just a factor of his group and yours having vastly differing play styles. Either way, it's more food for thought for me as the developer going forward. And that's always a good thing. In my view, attenuating the exact number of portals the class should have is a tricky thing. Like the reviewer I enjoy the resource management aspect of the game, and I agree it's never fun to completely run out of juice! Here are a few thoughts on how more portals can squeezed out that one might first expect:
Reviewed first on endzeitgeist.com, then Nerdtrek and GMS magazine and posted here. Thank you for taking the time to provide a detailed review. It was very much appreciated. I wanted to take a moment to answer the specific questions posed in the review. Mostly because I just love making FAQ's... Does a portalist need a free hand to make a portal? No, a free hand is not required. Only movement, to enter and exit a portal, is needed. A portalist could, for example, wield two-handed weapons or dual weapons and still create and pass through portals. Can you cast a spell through a portal when you have an action readied? No, neither the portalist nor an allied caster can cast a spell through a standard portal. Nor could a missile weapon be fired through a portal. Only the portalist who created the portal can pass through (p.4). An exception is the arch portal ability called the reaching portal (p.7) which enables the portalist to stab a melee weapon through the portal to attack a foe. Is a portal a conjuration [teleportation] effect? If so, what is the caster level? This could be important for situations such as teleport suppression. Yes - an excellent point and one not considered or set out in the text. In my view, the caster level should be equal to the portalist's level. Portals are loud and easy to detect, so is silent infiltration not possible? The base DC for a Perception check to observe an exit portal is zero (p.4). As such, absent special modifiers such as the involvement of significant distance or additional magic, undetected infiltration would be quite difficult with a standard portal. The portal trick stealth portal (p.5), however, facilitates this quite significantly changing the mechanic to an opposed roll of Stealth vs. Perception with a +2 circumstance bonus for the portalist, making infiltration a more realistic tactic. Can multiple portal tricks be applied to the same portal? Could you e.g. combine two tricks? No, normally only one portal trick or arch-portal can be applied to a portal. However, there is a specific portal trick called combination portal (p.6). This portal trick enables a portalist to combine two portal tricks at an enhanced cost. When using the ally portal trick, does an ally have to expend the movement? No, the ally does not have to expend any movement. The portalist on the other hand expends movement as normal as per a standard portal. This may enable the portalist to set up an ally for some impressive tactics. It is somewhat similar to using a push or pull maneuver on an ally, but with a teleportation effect. Note that the ally does have to be adjacent to the portalist for the trick to be performed and so in practical terms there may be circumstances in which the ally may need to first take one or more move actions for the portal trick to work. Does the ally have to take a readied action to move through an ally portal? No, no readied action is required. The ally is pulled through the portal by the portalist on the portalist's action (p.4). I hope this is of some assistance and thank you again for trying out the portalist.
Happy travels Mike! You've left some great and enduring footprints on our favourite games. It was great to know someone with the awesome template.
Likewise honored to share credits with you Robert! Which monster did you design? Er, maybe that can't come out just yet though. P.S. I need to get me a super-cool set-animal helm just like the one on the cover (Kudos to Rob McCreary for that). I am certain it is on the very cusp of fashion, or will be shortly.
Condolences Louis-- --Peace and recovery to you and your family.
And a thank you to both Liz and Adam for letting me know this thread was here. But now the pressure is on as "Slave Trenches" better turn out to be worthy of your support!
. . . stuff about scorpions and baking products And this from the guy who expertly kicks off the "Mummy's Mask" series and knows more about Osirion than pretty much any other freelancer I know. (Though his ability to recognize chocolate cake was recently called in to question. . .)
Oh so very much count me in. My praise for Kortes is legendary. And this from a Venture Captain with impeccable taste that I send monthly checks to.
Everyone is Hotep when Kortes and Osirion collide! And this from one of the co-authors of "Osirion: Land of Pharaohs" (along with Todd Stewart), which is the first serious treatment of the Slave Trenches dating back to 2009. I hope this AP volume does it justice.
Some kind words. Thanks Wolfgang! That means a lot coming from the author of "Crucible of Chaos" the seminal 3.5 module which introduces us to the Shory and the wonders of Aeromantic Infandibulum. (There's a little bit of an Osirion-Shory cross-over in this volume. Hopefully it translates to be as cool as I think that sounds.)
Well here’s an oldie! Perhaps with the advent of Sharknado, tieflings riding flying sharks will be back in vogue? Yes, the Rider is not much more than a statblock, and far from a properly developed NPC. Thank you for blaming word count instead of neglect. It is possible word count was the reason, I think that adventure came at a time when the lion's share of the magazine was devoted to the adventure path concept. Like a lot of its small companions, it’s a short adventure packed in tight – one of the reasons Dungeon was so awesome in those days, lots of ideas tightly compressed. Course, maybe he just didn’t get the attention he deserved. The Rider strikes me as a never-surrender-type of guy, who would require a lot of skill and perseverance to actually capture. Once captured, he'd likely start out by refusing to speak. But I've seen that PCs will do to their captives (Yikes!). I think he should be a bad-assed, strong silent type on the hunt. He hates humans and he’s drank the fanatic cool aid. That’s how I’d play him. You gotta be pretty grim to ride a fiendish shark through the tunnels of the Underdark. But develop him anyway that works for your campaign. I think giving him proper foreshadowing is awesome, by the way.
Great back story - loved it all. Especially loved the switch to the lighter 'growing up' para where she gets her book signed.
Looking good Angus! Hope you had an awesome con!
So with all that backstory you know about Xaven's journey from this story to EwtP, you've already got the second short story in the works, yes? After that scenario, of course... Love to some day! I think those two characters have much tomb raiding ahead of them. (After that scenario of course. . .)
Oh and thanks guys (especially for the encouragement to write adventures) – and thanks to James Sutter who, for the very few of you who don’t know this secret, is the real mastermind behind the Pathfinder fiction.
So is this supposed to be before or after Entombed with the Pharaohs? - Cool! I didn’t expect people to actually make the connection with Xaven and Rhokon, who first appeared as NPC’s in “Entombed” – I thought it was a pretty obscure reference. But you (and others) spotted it right out of the gate.Yes, this story is about an earlier time in the pair’s history. Xaven’s unusual hobby will further wear away at his personality. He will even change his appearance, shaving off his hair and tattooing his bald head. At some point he will also start collecting souvenirs from the various traps he disables over the years and become the Xaven in “Entombed”. The complex on-and-off partnership between Xaven and Rhokon will develop and they will eventually, for a time, both join up with an outfit called Her Majestrix’s Expeditionary. But none of that has to be known to follow or enjoy this particular tale. I just have a soft spot for these two guys and I was happy for the chance to work them into a short story. Thanks for reading!
I asked Mike to do a Pathfinder Module recently and he turned it down due to some (awesome) real-life happenings that made it impossible. We always keep Mike in mind, however, so when he's ready to write more adventures for us, we'll be here. Mark, I really appreciate that. I hope to try to get in line and scrape my way back into a new project some day and when I do this is the place.
Aw shucks guys! What a kind thread - it is nice to be remembered. Although I have been away and out of the action, writing for Paizo has been awesome. Some of my fondest memories include when Golarion was in its infancy and we were setting adventures in this crazy new campaign setting. I really do hope to get back into adventure writing at some point. Thanks especially to Trinite for the kind words about Harrowstone. The truth about that particular adventure though is that the reason it had the success that it did was due to the work of Wes, Rob and James Jacobs. Those are the guys who really made it shine and unlike me, they’re not permitted to disappear when life gets busy – thank goodness for that, as I am an avid reader of the AP and modules lines. I remain envious of my old con-roommates such as Greg V. and Tim H. who are much more prolific that I am. (Rich too, though he’s never been my roomie.) I will hit Greg up for his one-handed typing technique. I can tell you that guy accomplishes more quality in a day than most city districts. One of my biggest fears is doing a crap job because I don’t have the time to do it right. The bar is too high around here for that. Like many of you, I don’t get to game quite as much as I used to and so when I do, I prefer that it cram in a lot of awesome. Thanks again!
Wait a second, 20 years ago. . . (does the math) - this isn't Sean "Lefty" Walsh is it? Holy crap! Minos?! ZOG!?!?! How you been? How do I get in touch with you? I've put an email address in my profile (to avoid spam bots). If you see this email me man! -MiKe P.S. Slanky/VC Ryan - I think I owe you double for this thread now.
Aww shucks guys! Ryan - very glad the Mantis Prey went well for your group! I really enjoyed putting that one together and was nervous about it. Props to Mark and Paizo for their hard work on it - and to Christopher West for the insanely nice waterfall map. It turned out so well. P.S. Totally missed this thread - thanks for pick-me-up.
Best part: the characters are developing individual grudges against various members of the Expeditionary. @Jezza - One of the many marks of an excellent GM, in my book. I love it when the players want vengeance so bad they can taste it. It's harder and harder to do these days with most every battle to the death it seems. @Mr. Slanky - Thanks man! And definitely congrats on finishing! Love to see that post-up sometime.
Hey! Many thanks MisterSlanky. Those are some kind words indeed. There's nothing better than knowing people are reading your stuff from time to time. (May I say you have exquisite taste in mods.) With your kind support, I will simply have to find a way to dupe the Paizo gods into reviewing another Pathfinder Module manuscript - they do a top rate job of putting them together. As Neil describes, I recently had the pleasure of joining he and others in the land of Adventure Path arcs, which was an amazing collaborative experience. But I also love the beauty of the stand-alone module. For now though I need to get back to the "Michael Kortes Needs More Sleep" thread. -Mike P.S. Thanks GeraintElberion as well! KQ rocks! And thanks Adam - I hope "The Haunting of Harrowstone" will live up!
In the aquarium in Delvehaven, several coins are listed as coming from Ligar but I can't find another reference to this location. The closest I can find among the lost kingdoms is Lirgen. Is this a new place we haven't heard of yet, or is Ligar supposed to be Lirgen? My error Yoda. You are correct. It should read Lirgen. Drat! (It looks like an unconscious jumbling of Lirgen and Isgar two unrelated places I am quite interested in). P.S. Wonko: I do like the idea of working in Spring Attack with the dolls some how. It fits their hit and run style.
Thanks Rich! You are one tough act to follow man. Not looking forward to that. Ah! Thanks for posting the new cover guys! -MiKe
Ah! I didn't recognize you Elora - it's Lady Scatha! Thanks for the link! That is a very cool adaptation.
Cool issue. Here’s my two cents: Spoiler: “Nepheret’s” infiltration isn’t actually required for the mod’s plot so if the player’s are ultra suspicious and she can’t find an angle to get in, so be it – good on the PCs. It’s a pretty open adventure so don’t worry if any given sub-plot takes a beating, there’s still plenty of mischief to be had. If she can’t join, she simply helps out Her Majestrix’s Expeditionary in other ways.
Though I will say that when I’ve ran it as a GM, it has never really been Nepheret’s value as a translator that has gotten her inside the party. Rather it has been the planted mystique which falsely hints that she is somehow connected to the Four Pharaohs of Ascension. For example, the halfling has re-shaped a bogus artefact so that it resembles her and planted it at the auction at the adventure's opening. PCs that connect her to the carving might pursue the lead. She also has a fake birthmark to further play up the destiny angle. If confronted about these clues, Neferet always denies it, deliberately fuelling the PCs' suspicions that there might be something there – she’s read her reverse-psyche 101 text. While fun, none of this solves Elora’s other concern about preserving the mystique of a dead language which is a good point. For that, I love Rob’s idea.
Hi Blackbird, Thanks for taking the time to comment. It's always great to hear people are playing through the mods. You are correct about the sai, there’s no reason a legionnaire cannot stab his opponent with his sai. I suspect the melee stats were edited out for space reasons; it was a tight adventure (my fault). Likely the thinking was as the legionnaires had Weapon Focus (unarmed) they were unlikely to resort to the sai in melee as it would be statistically inferior in both to hit and damage. (At one time the legionnaires had Weapon Focus (sai) but they got a slight tune-up.) In case anyone else encounters this and wants some sai melee action, the melee stats for the sai would simply be: sai +2/+2 (1d4+2) or sai +4 (1d4+2). Lastly, although the sai is a melee weapon, it has a range increment of 10 feet which indicates it may be thrown. I think it makes a cool visual. It's similar to a throwing axe which is also listed as a melee weapon. Anyways, I‘m bumbed the trap in Area 10 went stale on you - it's a favourite of mine. Hopefully you were able to take the adventure up another notch subsequently. Thanks for giving it a shot.
Sure, I’d love to! First off Brainiac, my compliments to your group. In my book, it’s one thing to slay your opponent, but you really take it to a higher level when you use your opponent as a resource. I’d also say that since you’ve no doubt put your own stamp on the game thus far, you alone will best know how to build the Expeditionary back in. Here are the thoughts I wrote on the subject back in the day: Spoiler:
HER MAJESTRIX’ EXPEDITIONARY If the PCs played J1: “Entombed with the Pharaohs” prior to this adventure, they likely tangled with Her Majestrix’s Expeditionary, a band of professional tomb raiders, lead by Paracount Julistar, a lower echelon member of House Thrune, the ruling house of Cheliax. As Julistar’s career was devoted to acquiring relics of the Four Pharaohs of Ascension, if he survived J1, the PCs may wonder where he and his outfit are in all of this. For simplicity’s sake, “The Pact Stone Pyramid” presumes that Julistar and his entire band died, either at the PCs’ hands or from one of the many perils within the Veinstone Pyramid. However, if this was not the case in your campaign, you may consider weaving Her Majestrix’s Expeditionary back into the story. Xavan and Rhokan, for example, remain enthusiastic raiders-for-hire and quickly find themselves under the retainer of Khymrasa, ready to enter Ahn’Selota as soon as her slave army unearths it. Lonicera on the other hand, has had enough of mummies and curses; unless she has joined with the PCs’ party she has relocated to Absalom to find safer ways to con people out of their hard-earned coin. Khymrasa is well aware of Julistar’s reputation as one of Cheliax’s leading Osiriontologists. She stops at nothing to ensure he falls under her employ, retaining him as a consultant alongside the Sand Sage and the Crook Bearer. Although Julistar is loathe to be reduced to a minor minion, he senses opportunity. Unlike Master Soan, Julistar secretly believes that Khymrasa’s plan to become the ‘fourth pharaoh’ is based upon a flawed understanding of pharaonic history; no pharaohs will actually return, regardless of what baubles she unearths. Her expedition will, however, still leave numerous opportunities for Julistar to slide in and acquire genuine relics for his Grand Athenaeum in Egorian. He might also make new contacts within the Shrine of Horns which will serve him well at home. As such, the Paracount keeps Khymrasa enthusiastically fed on a misleading diet of what she wants to hear while he keeps an eye out for items of true value. Better still, the Exemplar’s search for the Pact Stone could uncover more clues to the relationship between the Four Pharaohs of Ascension and Aucturn, the mysterious ringed planet discussed in the Aucturn Lexicon, the tomb penned by Julistar’s predecessor, Imivus, the curator of the Grand Athenaeum – a subject of interest that Julistar shares with the Sand Sage. Finally, If Scepter is alive, Julistar brings the wizard-ranger along, continuing his retainer as his personal evoker-assassin. Scepter’s true agenda, however, will be to choose his moment to eliminate any PCs who may have uncovered his identify in J1, ensuring that no one can report his survival or whereabouts to the Pathfinder Decemvirate. He will use his hat of disguise to assume a completely different appearance for this adventure, though the PCs are likely to identify him should they spot his distinctive wand rifle. If you have the time and inclination, I'd also consider leveling the survivors up a level or two.
I was very pleased when my copy of “Osirion: Land of the Pharaohs” came in the mail as I have been excited for this guy for a while. There is a lot of new cool stuff in here to get the juices flowing: Spoiler:
Good stuff guys – please keep it coming.
Definitely - there should be a point for everyone at the table. I would be most grateful if you could find a way to correct the mass error and alleviate my conscience.
Would it help if I posted here that I remember DMing Gear in Silent Tide at Gen Con quite well? It was an awesome table. I also know that the entire table completed their factions goals, including Gear.
I really enjoyed reading through this module, and can't wait to run it for my group. I love the Egyptian flavor of Osirion - one of my favorite realms in PF. Hey Aberzombie! If you don’t mind, let me know how that game turns out! Especially if your players come up with a cool new way to slow down the dig in the opening chapter. My egomaniacal players claim that even though they ran it first their sabotage stunts were the bomb and cannot be topped. I told them I would keep an eye out to see if there were reports of different or even crazier ideas. Spoiler: In the play test the PCs tried to scare off the slaves by masquerading as undead mummies at night. They used rolls of gauze bandages from a healer’s kit and threw in a few smoke sticks for some drama. Not bad for a low-tech solution, but it lacked poetry.
Later they tried to make a fake plague by using summoned swarm spells. That sent a lot of slaves packing, but we all saw that one coming.
Lastly, for maximum cheese they tried to simulate a giant sandstorm with glowing eyes. They summoned air elementals and used a set everburning torches for the eyes. Lot’s of slaves briefly headed for the hills there until Master Soan shut the PCs down.
Awesome! Good gaming Montalve!!!
Definitely. The release date is tentatively scheduled for Spring 2010. Right now the biggest hurdle is I can’t find a volunteer to accept the multi-million dollar contract to co-star opposite Angela Jolie.
Very dissapointed with this module and how linear it is, with little, if any room for PC choice; it feels as if events happen in a certain manner regardless of what the PCs do. One of my biggest pet peeves as a GM. That’s cool Prashant. Thank you for giving it a shot and sending your thoughts.
Hey thanks DF! It’s always great to hear the adventures are getting read and enjoyed. Glad the math-content resonated. Here’s to the Pharaoh of Numbers: making adventurer’s lives miserable since c. -1527.
Tim's play test for "Pound of Flesh" is responsible for what just might be my favorite quote from Gen Con 08. As Nick Logues' famed barbarian-in-denial suddenly discovers his true self and enters his first and most gruesome of his blackout rages in an alley in the heart of the Great City. . . a voice could be heard to utter:
I'm still traumatized.
So, I'd like some more information on the Risen Guard. Are they guards who have actually been resurected (and taken a level penalty), or mummies or some other undead? I'd say your first guess is closest. The Risen Guard are a unit of elite human warrior-types, all of which have been brought back by the Forthbringer, Prince Khemet or at least by his money. The Ruby Prince is a powerful cleric and thaumaturgist. Of course, then again, the Risen Guard might also be bumbling babysitters as per Skyler and kessukoofah’s take! (I always cheered for that coyote - stupid bird.) Or perhaps the Risen Guard will be future victims of powerful necromantic magics ala Set’s riff, which I thought leads to some very interesting possibilities. . .
There’s some cool takes on Ojan and Jasilia (the Dune Runners) here! I was excited to see this thread as at one time Osirion’s wayward twin heirs had a cameo in J4 “The Pact Stone Pyramid”. The PCs had an opportunity to interact with them – though the PCs may not necessarily have known it right away. However, space restrictions inevitably demanded that it be removed to make room for some of the more directly focussed plot encounters. (That was my early cut, not the editor dieties.) Krome: I think you are quite right. While wanderlust is a big part of Ojan and Jasilia’s unauthorized extracurricular activities, I too believe there is a hidden pattern behind it. Hopefully somebody will further pick that thread up one day. There’s an awful lot at stake in Osirion right now and I am certain these two will have their role in how it unfolds.
Good eye! Spoiler: 56 was originally picked to be a 'sacred number' at random, but I confess that 11 was woven into the module because of that very feature, as well as a couple other properties it shares with 56, if I recall correctly.
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