Murph.'s page

It's probably best to either assume prior PCs go into retirement, head off into the Great Beyond for off-world adventures, or maybe just "reset" the world after each Adventure Path so that the prior AP you ran never took place—in this way, you would have numerous side-by-side stories with their own continuities, in much the same way you can have multiple stories like "Pet Semetary" and "Crimson Tide" and "To Kill a Mockingbird" and "Jurassic Park" and "Catch 22" and "Insert Novel Here" all take place on Earth but not have to interact with each other.

Yes, my campaigns tend to the parallel realities approach, with overlap only in exceptional cases -- and I'm also prone to borrowing/remixing individual AP volumes or subplots into homebrew campaigns -- so I'm less interested in "continuity" info that assumes a prior group of PCs have succeeded or failed an AP.

Perhaps this section could be more of a butterfly effect of spinoff adventure hooks -- not just "what happens after this AP if the PCs fail," but "what happens if the PCs let the underboss from Book 2 go, or never encountered them? what happens if this NPC wasn't rescued / helped in Book 3? what if that macguffin was actually significant in its own right?"

I don't envision this as side quests written for a group that is playing through the whole adventure, so much as a collection of single-paragraph ideas supporting other ways of using the AP content: if Council of Thieves isn't your group's cup of tea, but the Sixfold Trial is, what else could have happened as a result of that module?

I've run extended PF1 campaigns in the Forgotten Realms with virtually no conversion beyond re-skinning deities, and wouldn't expect much more work than that for 2e.

I find the two campaign settings to be pretty interchangeable kitchen sink fantasy Earths, so there's not as much to be added or removed rules-wise when applying Pathfinder to the Realms as there would be when doing Dark Sun or Dragonlance. More a matter of picking which lore you like best and then saying, "oh yeah, that thing comes from this place instead of that place."

(And now that I've mortally offended two large fandoms, I'll see myself out...)

I'll be curious to see how modular the new CRPG subplots and companion quests will be in the expanded AP.

One of the appeals of the original version was the very sandboxy nature with lots of optional side plots (a fact I know paizo is aware of, and don't have any expectation they'll radically depart from). I'm glad to have more quest options to plug in -- but I expect I'll also want to quietly omit certain parts.

Yaaaaaaaaaay!

Kingmaker is my favorite AP, though I've never played it all the way through - happy to see the updated version will not just be a retread of the version I already own, especially since my crew is probably done with PF1 and will likely head over to either PF2 or D&D5e.

And, getting my hands on the new version will allow me to sell the 1e Kingmaker soft covers I already own, so that'll free up at least one copy for those of you who haven'tbeen able to get it. ;)

ONE WEEK AGO

Callinda's eyes skim over the display cases as Morvius talks, noting with silent satisfaction that Sir Joseph has already mounted the scarlet swallowtailed moth she brought back as a souvenir from her last mission.

"How long has it been since Grone's last report?" she adds, picking up on the ominous finality of Sir Joseph's words. "Do you anticipate this is a scouting mission, or an extraction?"

NOW

"Agreed, let's get off the water straightaway. Joyriding around would just ensure we're seen--and we're not going to be swimming in unless our spiritual advisor here--" the young woman quirks an eyebrow at Brother Attero's heavily armored bulk, "plans to walk along the bottom."

She leans over the bow, her dark hood up to cut out the sun's glare as she scans the route ahead for hazards either in the water or along the climb, in order to guide Morivus in. Percep +7, Prof(Sailor) +5, if needed

Gorbacz wrote:

Adventure/AP/setting support. I was, and still am, willing to put up with the clunky, unbalanced, unwieldy and newbie-hostile platform of 3.5 so that I can run Paizo's excellent adventures in their stellar setting without having to convert stuff.

Paizo creativity is what brought me here, their staff involvement/communication with the customers is what got me to stay.

I have played a lot of systems, and none of them are perfect, but Pathfinder has a good chunk of what my group enjoys and needs.

Similar to these. I like the adventures, and I like/respect/trust the people behind them.

Now, I don't play them as-written, necessarily -- I've been playing various forms of D&D since the late '80s, so I've weathered a few major game changes over time and learned to pick and choose what I like. On the rules side, PF was an improvement on 3.x, but more crunchy/complex than much of my gaming group generally likes; on the setting side, Golarion has never really grabbed me.

So I've done things like playing Pathfinder modules with 5e rules in the (AD&D2e version of) Forgotten Realms.

And then there's the mechanics itself. In P1 a player would tell me something like, "I'll run here and tumble past the ogre to get at its back." and from the simulations I got mostly "First action I'll Stride here, second action I Strike this guy and third action I'll Stride away from him again". Which feels somewhat less organic, like programming a machine, rather than...

Sincere question: is this an issue of having internalized the old mechanics vs explicitly working through new/unfamiliar ones?

It seems you could phrase the first example, from PF1, as "I use my Move Action to make an Acrobatics Check to move through the orge's threatened squares, then make a Standard Action Attack"

And the second, using the new mechanics, as, "I spring at the orc, slashing at him with my longsword before ducking back behind the cover of the column."

Do you think practice and familiarity with the new mechanics will allow them to fade into the background, or is there something about them that you expect will keep them in the forefront?

Personally, I think (or at least hope!) the new action system will make it *easier* to background the mechanics, since I won't have to remind my players that they can't 5-foot-step because they already moved, or that both those things they want to do are standard actions.

Lack of universal AoO is something that pleasantly surprised me in my group's first playtest session -- both sides were a lot more mobile when not having to fear getting whacked for it. (Especially the monsters with few enough hp that a successful AoO = likely insta-death.)

I do like the overall system of gaining Ancestry feats over time, and think it makes total sense.

As folks have said, there's a difference between "I grew up around this and am familiar with it," and "I have intentionally practiced this and am currently skilled in it."

An IRL example, my mother and grandmother were musicians, and I took piano lessons as a kid and played cello in school. I haven't played either of these to speak of in 20 years, and I assure you, I do not presently count as "trained" in musical performance!

However, I can read musical staff and find notes and chords (slowly) on a piano, and can muddle through fingerings on a mandolin or banjo or bass guitar. If I dedicated some time to any of these instruments, I'd be able to pick up proficiency pretty quickly, tapping into that familiarity and initial training from my Ancestry.

Seriously, it has happened several times during my adult life that I think I've "discovered" some new hobby, or my professional life has gone in a new direction "randomly"...and my parents will quietly produce some artifact from my childhood demonstrating that this activity actually has precedent from 30 years ago that I'd totally forgotten about.

.
.
.
(That said, it might be nice to allow two picks at 1st level? Just 1 feels super limiting even if I agree with the overall design. I wouldn't go all the way to "you get all the Heritage feats at first level", though -- there's a difference between "let dwarves be more dwarfy!" and "every dwarf is super-dwarfy in pretty much the same way!")

I note that all Backgrounds published so far include a "free" / unspecified ability boost. Unless the intent is to save space for future Backgrounds that might specify both boosts and have none free, this seems unnecessarily repetitive.

Would it make sense to instead just add a fifth free ability boost during the "four free ability boosts" step of character creation and save space in the Backgrounds?

(I note that the optional "rolling ability scores" rule on page 21 specifies that you omit the free boost from your background -- which suggests future backgrounds couldn't have two specified boosts without breaking this, and seems another point in favor of moving the free boost out of the background so that it doesn't have to be negated here?)

Vic Wertz wrote:

The product image is a mockup using existing art, since the all-new maps are not ready yet.

And I can guarantee you that we're not going to change the game in a way that makes you buy all new maps and minis. Flip-Mats will continue to be 1":5' scale.

I'll boycott if my Lego and Starburst minis are no longer usable in PF2.

Protip: if you use skittles minis instead of starburst, you can transition between grid and hex systems with ease!

(You also don't have to unwrap them, so "you eat what you kill" brings that much more instant gratification!)

For me, "Pathfinder" is a member of the category "D&D" (as are 13th Age and other games). It's the one my group plays most, because of familiarity and adventure support.

What "makes Pathfinder" for me is, on the positive side --

* A recognizably D&D-type rules chassis (race/class/level/roll-for-initiative)
* Art & graphic design -- Wayne Reynolds, the bestiaries, etc.
* Modules/APs with good story and NPCs -- whether we're using an AP as-is or pulling out chunks to plug into homebrew campaigns.
* A brand/company I generally respect and trust.

And, on the negative side --

* The "magic item christmas tree" effect, and mind-numbing optimization shopping trips
* The number of fiddly bits that several of my players have no interest in -- half my group relies on the other half to level up their characters because they don't really care about most of the numbers; they want to pick cool class abilities and feats and not worry about skill points, etc, let alone remember what type of action it is to pick an item up off the floor and whether that provokes AoO.

I could take or leave --
* Golarian (I've run AP chapters in the Forgotten Realms, with some name changes.)

As far as I can tell, Pathfinder 2e looks like it'll keep all the stuff I like, improve on the bits I don't like, and still have me filing serial numbers off published modules when I want to run them in a different setting. So, I'm generally looking forward to seeing the revised rules.

Were it not for a 2e, I'd probably be running my next Paizo-published AP in 5e, once I wrap up the current one: easier for me to incur the headache of converting on the GM side than continue to inflict on my party our pain points of Pathfinder's rules. But I recognize other folks like what I don't, and vice versa.

"I...hmmm...bloody druids, where's th' stash?!" mutters Morti, looking about at the unexpected jungle.

percept: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (17) + 9 = 26
init: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (9) + 4 = 13

And "lookout" feat; in general I try to stand next to squishy wizard Elisen -- Whenever you are adjacent to an ally who also has this feat [= all allies for Inquisitor], you may act in the surprise round as long as your ally would normally be able to act in the surprise round. If you would normally be denied the ability to act in the surprise round, your initiative is equal to your initiative roll or the roll of your ally –1, whichever is lower. If both you and your ally would be able to act in the surprise round without the aid of this feat, you may take both a standard and a move action (or a full-round action) during the surprise round.

I'm a fan of the existing Bestiary 1 size, both for physical ease of use vs cumbersomeness and for price point. I think Paizo did a pretty good job of picking a slice of monsters for that book that covered a lot of ground, and it's still my most-used Bestiary by a bunch. (And appears to be the most used for published adventures as well?)

For long-time players, we know there's a limit to what can be put out on Day 1 - I've played 6 versions of this or a related game in 30 years, and by this point expect to have to wing it on some monsters when I try out a new version; it's just a matter of which ones.

For newer players - and especially younger players - the basic buy-in cost is a consideration, and throwing around numbers like $70 gives me a lot of concern there. The comparison to D&D 5e was made: if PF2's basic 2-book buy-in is notably cheaper than 5e's 3-book buy-in, that's an advantage to protect, not a reason to boost the cost.

"These mus' be the standin' stones tha' Silvermane told us wou' lead t' th' Vault o' Thorns." <- questgiver link

Morti nods at Bar. "Ye're right, i' feels too easy, jus' sittin' 'ere. But, if there's a supply o' weapons waitin' tha' we can use t' fight off the giants, let's get tha' portal open!"

Mine just arrived. It appears to be approximately the size of the monolith from 2001, and every bit as ominous.

RL obviously comes first, and even when an interuption is temporary such as an extended vacation or moving home, it can derail things massively because I feel like you get into a 'groove' in the most successful games.

Yeah, some games just don't find that groove, and I've seen players drop out in the first 100 posts in a number of games.

And, once the flow is going well, if somebody -- esp the GM -- drops out for a while for extenuating circumstances, it takes a while to get back into it -- another chance to fail to find that flow. (Protracted loot selling / shopping between books seems to be another opportunity to lose flow, and takes some work to recover from.)

If the game pauses for a week, and people don't have other games they're checking into daily, they may get out of the habit of checking (or forget how long the hiatus was supposed to be) and miss the fact that this one has started again.

If the absence is unexpected, it's worse, because then people get frustrated, and if the GM's already feeling burnt out or is stressed from whatever IRL distraction pulled them away, coming back to players acting cranky at them can cause them to just walk away because they don't have the mental energy to deal with it. (I've never PbP GMed before, but I know in my table top group, if we miss a couple sessions, I can get surly about my players not replying to scheduling attempts, or backing out of a game once we finally do have it scheduled.

CLIFFHANGER.

If there's a conflict over "it's what my character would do," pull back a level from the action for a minute and talk about the meta-narrative. Remember, The Hobbit is the story of what happened when Bilbo said "yes" to the dwarves. In the alternative universe where he said, "no thanks", and stayed home, because it's what the character would do, well, nobody wrote a book about that, because it wasn't interesting.

"In tonight's game, we'll run the adventure, 'how our party fell apart and we all went home unsatisfied and crabby,'" is rarely what people come to the table for. (If you do want to game a story of people falling apart, try Fiasco, where that story is the goal, and is fun!)

Is that player RPing an un-fun character because he expects that his character will come to triumph over these annoying traits? (Is he expecting his barbarian to charge in and get thumped a few times, and come to learn in-character that working with the rest of the party leads to moar satisfying smashies!! In which case, ladle on the in-game consequences, because it's part of his character's story.) Or is he playing an un-fun character because he didn't think about the fact that this play style wouldn't work out well for the group? In which case...play a different character.

I recall a 3-player game when my character and one other were bleeding out in a dungeon, and the third character had about 4hp left, with enemies a few rounds away. We said, "we've both got healing potions, and you were there when we got them, so you know where they are -- dump the potions down our throats and get us back up!" He was like, "I dunno. My character kinda just met your characters, and he's a free spirit, so I don't know if he has much of a reason to help. He might just decide you're a lost cause, take the potions, and skedaddle."

This went on for a bit before the GM pointed out that the game would basically end if one character ran off to let the other two die, and that wouldn't be much fun. The one player said, "Yeah, okay, that makes sense. I'm gonna have to tweak my character idea a bit before next session, though, to make him the kind of person who would stick around to help some relative strangers in a dungeon."

Okey-doke, here's the google doc what I see working back through this night's adventuring (4.5 real-time months and nearly 400 posts!)

I tried to group by encounter and link to the post the loot appeared in, leaving out anything that it appeared folks picked up. Since it's been a while, please double-check -- esp with some of the potions / scrolls, somebody may have picked up things and I didn't catch it.

There's an "unclaimed / undecided" column of stuff I thought there was a decent chance we'd want to keep, so also look at that and weigh in.

I have not looked at our individual inventories, but as mentioned, if I'm going to carry Agrimmosh around (a minor artifact? or at least a +4 equiv weapon) I'll certainly forego any share of the money from this haul, and prob for a little while to come. (Should we think about selling it? GM, is that even an option?)

The total in yellow in the far-right column is the total of cash and things I think we clearly sell, 13,884gp.

Split 4 ways, that's 3,471gp for each of y'all, without considering anything else we might want to sell.

I think I mentioned upthread, but Asha would be the first character I've ever played in a PFS game. (I believe one of my FLGS has games, but the schedule has never worked for me.)

Ha, okay - that should work then!

I make a behind the screen judgement as to whether the party achieved a lasting triumph over the enemy/situation, or merely a temporary one, and award either full or partial xp accordingly. If an enemy is simply making a tactical retreat and will rally and attack (or wait in ambush), then the challenge they represent has not truly been dealt with until that latter confrontation, so only partial xp for now. If they are routed and not to return, then full xp.

Exception for recurring adversaries who are bested for now, but return to pose a new and different challenge in a later episode. Then full xp available each time the party defeats then

Man, orcs are an actual threat in pathfinder, aren't they?

Apparently some dwarven full plate needs to be on our shopping list...

Hey all -- check out the Lost Lands / Richard Pett's The Blight kickstarter!

Sorry to spam, but without this game giving me my first taste of the lost lands, this kickstarter might not have registered with me. Maybe some of you are in the same boat, and I'm really hoping they hit the stretch goal to do a 5e print version!

HUh. Considering his work, I guess I'm really not that surprised that Richard Pett appears in a thread if you say his name three times.

Thanks, Richard! :) And I just noticed the 5e stretch goals, making me that much more interested! (inner turmoil intensifies!)

That does look amazing, and my IRL group has always loved Pett. At my current pace of game-running, though, I think I've got enough setting and campaign material to last a decade, though. Hard to justify picking up another. :(

That was my thinking -- Tight Bonds for the twins makes sense even if they have been separated for years.

Watching his companions take gracefully to the water, Criek decides to try braving the passage himself rather than relying on Valia for a tow:

swim: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (1) + 0 = 1
swim: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (9) + 0 = 9
swim: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (5) + 0 = 5
swim: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (6) + 0 = 6
swim: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (17) + 0 = 17
dog paddle: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (14) + 0 = 14
forget which way is forward momentarily: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (7) + 0 = 7
give up and try walking along the bottom: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (8) + 0 = 8
nearly drown despite water breathing: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (2) + 0 = 2
contemplate just staying here: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (10) + 0 = 10

...finally emerging at the other end, well behind the others, gasping and sputtering and taking a moment to lay out flat on the rock floor and drip miserably for a while before collecting himself.

[dice=Merlin, Berlin, and the Scarlet Wizard]3d20

GM: tehehehehe

You're good with the sinister dice rolling that may or may not mean anything, you know that?

"[smaller]Actually, what caught my attention is how confrontational your manner is. "

though, to be sure, tha' in itself is somethin' of a bona fide for bein' an associate of the baron's! grumbles morti good-naturedly, relieved at the letter. aye, caramir will return when he's got somethin' on the monster's whereabouts to return with. We jus' need to know what to do with it when he does.

ye understand tensions are high, an' we must be careful in acceptin' any we don' ourselves know, offers morti quietly to eliseera. we should appreciate and aid or information you can offer to Levoca, but with montpierre not 'ere 'isself, we've only your word t' take you at.

Attempting to take advantage of the new face and regain lost ground, Morti offers, "You see, we are not th' Baron's only allies--'e had a'ready sent word to...Eliseera 'ere of th' plight. With 'is family's couriers whiskin' 'im away to Endhome, we can expect more 'elp to arrive in a few days."

He nods hopefully at Eliseera. "You came by land, and 'e left by air; you must 'ave crossed paths without seeing." She seems to know Monti; please let her be the asset we need, and not one of his more questionable associates.

Okrin ...also notices that there is a young man present who seems excited to speak, but nervous.

nudge @ Okrin

He wags a thick, rough-hewn finger at you. "The rate I agreed upon with your Endhome Baron was most generous."

Did this ever happen on-screen? I recall the Baron mentioning a contract (while we were chasing wolves, it looks like), but no details.

Kaerl gestures out the kirk and to the north. "Since we've come here, he's the only real enemy I've known."

I know Mother Molver gave us the old folk / new folk rundown, and there was mention of the hamlet's buildings pre-dating many of the residents. But did we ever get a when/why they came and settled here?

a woman takes the staff from Morti, and says, "You may be willing to die, dwarf, but we are not warriors. Damned if I will throw my life away!"

Swallowing his frustration and trying for a more conciliatory tone, Morti addresses first the woman, "O'course not -- you do what you must to keep you and yours safe. If yer thinkin' that's leaving or sendin' word to Bard's Gate, b'all means do. In th' meanwhile, we will keep up our work to stop th' demon."

Turning to Aldan, he continues, "Our plan? Th' elf Caramir is our best tracker an' is on th' Hollow Man's path as we speak -- but we beg ye, by Muir's own truth, to tell us what you might taht we may face 'im. Who wishes Levoca harm?"

At Anody's words, Criek looks up from staring at Khonnir. "And Val? Does she know yet that Khonnir is safe? We should find her as soon as we can."

Taking a moment to review the others' conversations in his head, he looks to Genni, "Transferring power? To somewhere...'here'? In town? Can you determine where?"

"Bard's Gate!" exclaims Morti in frustration. "Help wouldn't arrive for a week!"

Realizing he has spoken out of turn, he clamps his mouth shut until the staff passes his way once more, then offers more calmly, "By all means, send for aid an' do what you must to feel safe. But tell 'em to bring shovels, for if the Hollow Man still haunts this place when they arrive, they'll have my fallen body to bury."

I'll be out of town and possibly beyond even decent mobile reception for next three days. Bot as necessary.

As everyone gathers in the chapel, Morti nods and mumbles a "good morrow" to various villagers, trying to keep an eye out for anyone giving him a harsh look in return, as well as determine whether anyone is conspicuously absent. ...besides Baca--the whose absence is more conspicuous now than the same time yesterday, when he and his were only gone from town.

sense motive: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (14) + 2 = 16
percept: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (19) + 4 = 23

"The monster went after the male head of the house we threw the corpse in. Were all the victims male? Be interesting to check if any other houses were marked with animal corpses -- perhaps buried or otherwise hidden?"

Morti frowns, "So far I think it's been Baca last night and Kostya the night before -- but yes, Kostya was cut down while 'is wife looked on an' she not elsewise harmed. Okrin, you said two men were mendin' the door yesterday morning when you an' Caramir went by; maybe they noticed a dead thing nailed up?"

"What's! Your! Plan! Elf!" Morti barks as he runs, trying to keep Caramir and the Hollow Man in sight. "It's! Done! 'e's! Got! 'is! Head!"

Point: Montepierre stated that heads are a source of power, dark power.

Morti nearly face-plants in the underbrush as the memory of Montepierre's musings strike him, distracting from his focus on the chase. Catching himself, he calls, "--Can ya grab the head?!"

"Oh, fer the love--" Morti grunts before pulling himself together enough to chase after Caramir. "You'll get yerself killed!"
dex: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (19) + 2 = 21

Morti starts awake at Okrin's cry, scrabbling at the ground next to him for a moment before finding his hammer and creaking to his feet. "Baca? Here? But 'e left?"

Spotting the head in the monster's hands, he halts in surprise, his weapon drooping. It hunted him down. An'...we told it to. An' it came back here to show us we couldn't outwit it so--not such a dim puppet as we'd thought.

"Caramir," he calls sadly, holding his ground, "He's showin' us that 'e's won tonight's fight, and 'e knows it. Naught we can do the now."

is the Hollow Man going back the way he came, or is he striking out on some new path?

I'm all in favor of not gettin' killed needlessly, agrees Morti. He holds on his charge, but continues to eye the wood wards cautiously.

Karl, I was simply thinkin' of hitting 'im from behind, and trying to push 'im into the hut--seems like several ways it could go wrong, tryin' to disarm and wrestle him? Either way, you, me and Caramir will need to give me a hand, th' thing's pretty solid.

I'd understood the kiln was in too much need of repair and preparation to be usable, back here? jan 12, 2015 But if it still works as a decent sized hole in the ground that we can trap him in and dump things on top of, cool.

We did already discuss luring it into Anna's barn (the only and only in Levoca?) and torching the place. This was met with......no enthusiasm from Anna, who saw destroying her home and livelihood as a slower but no less certain death than scythe-decapitation.

Morti looks up, having cuaght his breath a little, Trap it, p'raps, but was clear we'd be doing folk no favors by burnin' down the barn.

Scanning across the village, his eyes stop on another building, What about that Baca's hut, there? Man took 'is family and left, seemed clear 'e had no more use for this place. Can we nail up a new path leadin' the Hollow Man in there, then bar th' door?