Michael Suzio's page

I asked about this before but the order is still listed as pending. I DO NOT want the beginner box - one more for you to get to the back-ordered folks. Shipping costs make this a net loss for me.

Sorry... I've been informed that a Beginners Box has already been purchased for the household I planned on gifting it to. No refund expected, just don't want to pay $13 more for shipping an item I don't have a home for :-(

please cancel all subscriptions for this account

I just received the print copy of my first volume of the tales sub line (Winter Witch.) as part of this order I deliberately started with the older volume so I'd get the PDF too -- but I don't see that available for me in my downloads. The book seems to have shipped as part of my sub, so I expected the ebook download to be included. Am I misunderstanding how this sub should work?

I just re-upped my ap subscription and rpg sub. however, on this order, I don't appear to have gotten the 15% deal on some of the items ( condition cards?). is that because those items had been in my cart prior to me adding the subs? just curious, and of course the 15% wouldn't hurt as a bonus!

This is a really dumb set of questions for me to ask, but...

- If you have Vital Strike, and used it that round, does it mean that provoked AoO's also use the Vital Strike damage? I'm very much figuring that is "no", but players argue "Well, but Power Attack carries over!!!"

- If you have TWF, and are using it, can you use both of those attacks on an AoO? Again, I say "no".

Anyone who can give my arguments weight by citing specific legalities of the rules would be appreciated. The ambiguous wording of several pieces of things is hurting my ability to explain these things, and I'm surprised these aren't in the FAQ yet.

I'm about to run a fairly extensive arc using Intellect Devourers. I have some questions about how the body thief power works.

So, clearly, they inhabit dead bodies, not live targets -- their body thief attack kills the target even if it was alive when they started. However, the PRD also says:

The intellect devourer has full access to all of the host's defensive and offensive abilities save for spellcasting and spell-like abilities (although the intellect devourer can still use its own spell-like abilities).
...
Damage done to a host body does not harm the intellect devourer, and if the host body is slain, the intellect devourer emerges and is dazed for 1 round.

So, to model a devourer + host, would you stat up the host body as it was when alive (at full hit points, even though the devourer killed it)? I'm strangely assuming that somehow the cure moderate wounds ability might facilitate this, even though CMW doesn't work that way. They should at least have mend to stitch up the corpse and help the facade work. Or... could you assume (in the case where the devourer wants to masquerade as the target as best it can) that they have full hit points minus the damage the body thief attack might have done? So, maximum, the devourer host body has Full HP - 19 (the minimum the coup de grace attack could have done)?

Then... if the devourer + host is attacked, does damage first come off the host body, then the devourer emerges and can attack at full HP?

A most confusing monster, but so wonderfully scary I just have to use it. I've used it once before, but just winged it on how this all should work. Now that the party might face several in a row, I have to figure out some consistent method for adjudicating this.

I'm in a position right now where money is tight. Please suspend all my subscriptions and ship any remaining items in my sidecart as soon as possible.

One of the bad guys in my game has gotten driven a bit... paranoid by my players, who have certainly done a great job of screwing up his plans at every turn and thumbing their nose in his face. Through a series of elaborate (and well-played) deceptions and misdirections, they've made him question the loyalty of his minions and allies.

So... he's decided the only person he can trust is himself. Or close copies thereof. He's high enough level to have access to Simulacrum.

So... what are the limits of this? Unlike Clone, there seem to be no inherent limits other than the GP cost and time. Given 6-12 months of the party not screwing with him (and it looks like there is a definite detente coming, where both sides lick their wounds and figure out what to do), I don't see why this guy couldn't have a palace full of illusionary "hims" running around. At the very least, paranoid as he is getting, he's going to send these dupes off as decoys or have them run all errands he doesn't have to personally oversee, giving the impression to the lower ranks that he's on top of everything while he lurks behind a locked door warded with everything he can think of to protect him.

Besides just testing the general limits here (both rules-wise and "what makes sense"-wise), a few questions. Many of them hinge on the fact that Simulacrum is an Illusion (shadow) spell. All I can find so far about that is this bit in the "Magic" section about this subset of illusion effects:

Shadow: A shadow spell creates something that is partially real from extradimensional energy. Such illusions can have real effects. Damage dealt by a shadow illusion is real.

1) Can a simulacrum be destroyed via Dispel Magic? I think it seems overwhelmingly that the answer is no, because the spell is instantaneous and Dispel Magic clarifies:

"The effect of a spell with an instantaneous duration can't be dispelled, because the magical effect is already over before the dispel magic can take effect."

Still, if a magic item can be suppressed, can a magic creature? The fact that it is an Illusion spell really gets me hung up, because it suggests that without ongoing magic, the simulacrum couldn't exist at all.

2) Going with the above, what, if anything happens inside an Antimagic Field? This particular bit sticks out as saying "AM Fields can do weird stuff":

incorporeal undead wink out if they enter an antimagic field.

3) Would Detect Magic detect them as magic creatures?

4) What would True Seeing do? My inclination is that True Seeing and similar effects would show an animated figure of snow and ice standing there (Frosty the Anti-Paladin?), since they see through the illusion to show what is really there.

Anyone have thoughts or advice? I realize a Simulacrum isn't very powerful, but their combat effectiveness isn't what would make them useful. Just setting the party off-balance by them having to ponder which of the Big Bad sightings is the real one to follow up on might be worth it to me plot-wise.

For instance, all those miniatures... feel free to move them to another order, to be sent (whenever). I'm visualizing you guys searching through the warehouse for a bajillion little pieces of plastic and then saying "Ah, forget this... where's an order that requires less *walking*???". :-D

My order last month got a bit messed with because of discontinued / pending items from KenzerCo, and it looks like maybe that might happen again this month?

I see this order also has some Bundles of Trouble and KoDT issues; the BoT's are listed as discontinued. If this is holding up the order, I'd prefer to put those off to the side (if they will eventually be in stock) or just cancel them entirely. To be clear, I really do want these items (I love me some KoDT!), but I just also want to make sure I'm not getting my order put on some dusty shelf in the warehouse and insuring that I get my AP volume sometime in December.

I for sure don't want to bungle up my APG shipment through something like this, so whatever helps smooth the process, let me know my options.

Everyone has heard the story of the blues player who met the devil at the crossroads and sold his soul for supernatural skills at his art, or The Devil who challenged Johnny to a fiddlin' contest.

Being that one of the main PCs in my current campaign is a bard, I'd love to set up a rival/threat to him by having an infernal bard of legendary skills.

Possible ideas:

1) Make him an actual fiend, with bard levels. This is more of the "Devil Went Down to Georgia" variation.

2) Somehow mold an infernal bloodline onto the bard? I'm wondering if there is some reasonable trade-off of abilities that could be dropped to acquire a bloodline.

3) Multi-classed bard/sorcerer? Interestingly enough, the PC in question actually is one of these. It's an interesting build... seemingly quite non-optimal, but he does OK at it.

I mostly want to figure this out for the Rule of Cool factor to it. Confronting such an adversary could make an interesting side-quest in between larger plot arcs, or maybe develop into a plot arc of its own.

Lisa said to post a message if anyone's subscription orders hadn't shipped yet with the GMG. Mine has not, to my enormous sorrows. I can be patient with the physical materials, but I really want my PDF :-).

Order 1426755 has my subscription items for June; I'm sure it's gone to the bottom of the stack because it also has some unusual items combined with it for shipping. I just want to be sure it didn't get entirely missed.

I just looked at the details for "The Walrus and the Warwolf", and saw that there had been a printing error. I'm not trying to be picky, but... yeah, I'm picky. A book with a missing page is just going to really bug me. :-(

Could you delete that item from the order? I'm hoping a later printing will correct the error, and I certainly would order it then, or if you already have some fulfillment mechanism in place for fixed copies, I don't mind keeping the order on order for fulfillment later.

Again, sorry to mess with things (especially on an order I know you're about ready to send), but I'm sure you understand.

(EDIT -- Fixed book title)

I'm a bit astonished that the entire concept of cavalier oaths got removed (rather than revised). I thought that was one of the key components of the class. Drawing on real playtest feedback, I've played my cavalier through 4 PFS scenarios, and have been setting up a couple cavalier NPCs as guards for a wizard in my home game -- the oaths have always been a central part of play and planning to me.

I thought the mechanics of oaths were off, to be sure -- the requirement to do something proactively and then get a bonus didn't play out well, something many other posters noted. However, I thought the answer to that was simply to flip it around -- have an oath start working when you swear it, and stop whenever you break the standards of the oath (and then require time to pass before you can swear another oath).

Looking at things, the teamwork feats option adds more crunch back into the class, but I think that doesn't balance out the loss of flavor and crunch from removal of oaths. I guess I'm curious why this was abandoned entirely.

Here are the threads I think accurately discuss the topic:

Playtest in PFS (this was my character and my experiences)

Discussion of a new oath mechanic, observations on why the past mechanic didn't work well

Advocating more Oaths for the class

Replying to myself, I see that Jason has clarified that the cavalier mount is already assumed to be combat-trained:

clarification here

Ah, now it's moved into "shipping"! No worries then, thanks!

I'm about to revise my 3rd level barbarian from Season 0 for organized play, and traits are a new thing for me. I also own a couple of the Pathfinder Companion and AP player guides that are legal for play.

My character (Elmoptah) is a fairly typical barbarian -- see stuff, charge it, kill it. Under 3.5/Season 0, I had Iron Will and Improved Bull Rush. I'm pretty sure I want to keep those feats, but I'm open to changes. I'm a bit different in that I'm from Osirion, which I guess is an unusual choice for a barbarian -- my interpretation is that I'm a fanatical Osirion faction member, devoted to defending those in my charge even to the point of foolishly risking my life, and those opposing me are subject to whatever measures are needed in order to do that.

So -- any suggestions for good feats or traits for barbarians that are not in the core? I'm open to buying books I don't own if they give me access to the needed trait or feat. I'm waiting for the Osirion Pathfinder Companion to show up, so anything from there is definitely or interest.

I seem to have the same problem as this poster:

http://paizo.com/paizo/messageboards/paizo/customerService/pathfinder24Wait ingWithPFRPGForPathfinder25

I haven't gotten an indication of Pathfinder #24 shipping to me (haven't seen the PDF for it in my downloads section either). Am I just being impatient, or is there a problem?

Ideally, I'd like everything in my sidecart that can ship right now, to ship. I expected it to all come with Pathfinder #24, setting me up for the Advantage discount on the PFRPG volume.

I subscribed right after the sub was announced, and at the time it showed the PFRPG book in my subscriptions. Then I added a Pathfinder AP subscription, as well as a massive order during the warehouse sale.

I configured it so that the first AP volume and my big sale order would ship together. That was fine.

Now... when I look at my "My Subscriptions" page, I just see the Bestiary and other items showing up. I don't know if I accidentally did something to remove the PFRPG, but.. I did want it! Free PDF, after all!

Oh, also - will I be getting the AP Subscribers discount on the RPG once it ships? I assumed so.

My PCs are closing in on a confrontation with some adventurers who are exploring a tower once owned by an elven PCs idol and mentor. The tower got buried under the desert sands long ago, and now the looters (a typical sort of D&D party!) have rounded up a slave labor crew to clear the sands and they're going to be doing what adventurers do best - loot stuff!

The idol has been MIA for some time (hundreds of years, in fact). The PC very much wants to prevent the looting and perhaps himself preserve the items within the abandoned tower.

With that premise in mind, anyone know any good "loot the tower" sort of modules? I perused my Dungeon collection and nothing jumps out at me, but my collection is fairly scattered. I'm just looking for enough of a structure that I can adapt the maps and get some ideas of good traps and curios a powerful wizard might have laying around if he went missing without time to properly lock the place down. I'm really liking the idea of having my PCs following in the tracks of another adventuring group -- so that group can spring traps ahead of them, loot items to use against the PCs once the two groups converge, etc.

A friend is restarting an old campaign, initially using 3.5 rules and perhaps eventually moving to Pathfinder. The campaign world is very much a Dark Ages / low magic setting, and he has specific rules in place restricting casters. I believe sorcerers are only available to specific non-core races, and the standard wizard, druid, and cleric are replaced entirely by setting-specific classes he's tuned to his liking.

He also has variant ranger and paladins, neither of which get spells as part of their class progression. I believe these are taken from some OGL product or article; I know he didn't come up with them whole-cloth.

I very much want to play a bard. However, I seem to have found a gap in his background materials -- he admitted to me that he doesn't have a variant bard progression, and he's just winged it on the subject so far.

Does anyone know of existing variants for this class or have suggestions? I believe he's fine with the bard having magic abilities (he didn't rule out the bard Perform abilities at all), but for several reasons wants to severely limit spell casters and wants the casting abilities pruned and replaced with something more restricted. That could be a set of totally non-magic abilities, a substituted set of specific spell-like abilities, whatever.

Any ideas?

So, as I envisioned a playtest to see just how many 2nd level orcs a 20th level fighter could take, completely naked at the start of the fight, a couple questions arose in my mind:

1) Does armor training work only when wearing armor? More directly, what if you have a shield, but no armor? A shield is, essentially, a mobile piece of armor on your arm that you put more deliberately into the path of incoming blows. I'd argue that Armor Training somewhat overlaps into that, and you should get the bonus to AC anytime you are armored or carrying a shield. I'm not saying the bonus applies to both (so, no, you don't get +4 AC for the armor and +4 more AC for the shield), but I'd think any sort of piece of armor, no matter how small, lets the fighter apply his knowledge and maximize usages of it

2) Would people agree that if said 20th level fighter can reduce an orc to say... more than -20 hp, he could claim he picks up a severed limb from the foe and count that as a buckler? I'm trying to apply every bit of cheese possible to increase the body count for this playtest, just to satisfy myself that clever play might help the poor fighter get the most out of his abilities.

I've been reading the threads about "what's wrong with fighters", and I sympathize. You can make a fighter that competes fine in the damage arena (giving it out and taking it), but has issues with anything that interferes with that straight-forward "I hit them really hard" ability.

One area I see discussed a lot is battlefield control -- intercepting enemies before they spike the spell-casters, denying enemies their actions, etc. I think this is a very valid area to focus on, and hopefully doing that will bring out a couple ideas for improving upon this.

I'm not a big fan of 4E attempts to better this (as I understand them; I'll admit to only skimming the rules, because I'm not interested in changing my games to that large an extent -- this is why 3P appeals to me), but I think they are dead on in noticing that fighters need more options.

One class that catches my eye is the Knight from PHBII -- the knight has abilities that let her force enemies to treat her threatened squares as rough terrain, which is a simple enough ability that can make some differences in a battle -- you break charges, deny 5-foot steps, make people pay double movement, etc. They also have the ability to absorb blows that would have struck allies (the Devoted Defender PrC from 3.0 also did these sorts of things).

I propose making feat chains along these lines. One simple enough feat might be:

Intercepting Movement
---------------------
As an immediate action, take a 5 foot step that places you either in the path or adjacent to a moving enemy. If the enemy does not avoid you and continues to move, you make take an AoO even if you have no AoO's left for this turn.

This lets the fighter at least have an option to engage the enemy rather than be run around. He's going to force the enemy to stop in a square of his choice, and probably be able to also place himself near allies in order to use a second feat like this:

Protect Ally
------------
As an immediate action, place yourself in the path of harm for any single ally adjacent to you. You declare this intent anytime the ally is the target of a successful attack, but before damage is determined. This protection extends to all weapon attacks, as well as weapon-like spells such as rays that require a target roll. By taking this action, you received the damage in place of the ally

I think these sorts of ideas, developed into a chain of 2-3 feats each, could give a reasonable fighter some extra options for dealing with "weird stuff". If you have a mage casting spells but surrounded by summomned flying demons, you need some option that lets you affect them, and deduce their air superiorty

I dislike "super-natural" ability justifications for why tough guys attack fighters first (which is what 4E uses) -- an essential magic ability lets your fighter taunt enemies into battle so he can be the tanker. I'd like to see less of that and more or "I'm the commander, I know the field of battle, I will force you to fight on my terms.

In looking at 3P, pondering a 5 lvl fighter, I see that he has 7 feats;
he can easily take a killer package of Power Attack, Cleave, Great Cleave, One of the +2 to saves bonus sfeat, Skill Focus: Diplomacy (so he can keep him men in order. With Toughness a nice choice too, he'll take that an leave himself with one feat choice. Taking something like Intercepting Movement at last give a chance for the fighter to be a movin nerfer in the combat, bolluxing up their lines and setting up th rogues and spellcasters to pick apart the less focus enemy ranks

Just from these basic ideas, could something come out? I think being oble to more swiftly and the battlefield and to take control of foes and friends is how a fighter does battlefield control in the large.

I'd be most interested in a couple simple feats and feat chains that give the fighter a chance to pursue some options that might better his enjoying in playing.