My name is Nathan King and I am the author of #8-11 and I wanted to pop on the forums to answer some of the questions people had the adventure and see what I could do to clear up any small questions about the scenario. Any development side questions, I'll have to defer to John and/or Linda for direction.
I would like to preface my answers/suggestions by saying that when writing #8-11, John and I made sure to build in choices for the players to deal with. We wanted the players actions to mean something. It's not every day you get to travel to the City of Brass. However, each choice does come with it's own set of consequences. I will say, there is a win-win, but the players will need to think on their toes to figure it out.
On to the questions.
Sebastian Hirsch wrote:
The Exchange players might reasonably come to the assumption, that they really need Qualkami for their faction boon. While we are at it, as written, it seems like Guaril does not actually tell the mission unless you are actually willing to talk to him about the mission (some players might be very unwilling to interact with the guy, even with Exchanges players).
It is quite possible for Exchange players to want to ally with Qalkami and that's OK. After all, she does have some pretty sweet connections that players can see in #8-09. Granted, if the Exchange players want to do this, they will have to "play by the rules" sort to speak to get the job done. Think of it kind of like "I scratch your back, you scratch mine"...Qalkami will help, but only after she gets what she wants.
Regarding the intro-box text, yes, you are correct. If the players don't want to tell Guaril the mission, then no, the players won't know what Guaril wants them to do. Personally, however, in my 200+ tables that I have ran for Pathfinder, I have yet to come across a player who doesn't want to talk to or even give the time of day to their faction leader(s). If a PC truly doesn't want to tell Guaril anything, you can go right into the 2nd piece of boxed text without giving up anything and then skip the 3rd. But I'd caution the players that by not interacting with their faction leader, they are at risk of losing a prestige point.
Sebastian Hirsch wrote:
There is a way for everyone to get 2 PP and their faction boon, but it's a bit obscure and players could easily miss it, and likely will cause drama during the scenario.
Hmm, could you elaborate a bit on why you feel the ways to get the 2nd PP are a bit obscure? Forgive me if I sound a little blunt here, I don't mean to be, but as long as the PCs aren't "murderhobo'ing" the scenario and act like true Pathfinders, the PCs can easily complete 2 of the 3 requirements.
That's all I have time to answer right now, but I'll answer the rest this evening.
With your knowledge and teachings, you've helped me grow as a writer and helped me look at things from all angles with each and every writing opportunity. I greatly appreciate everything you do and hope that today, you take a moment to relax and look back at everything you have accomplished so far and relish in all of the happiness and delight that you have brought to many RPG fans out there.
Hey there Ferious Thune! My name is Nathan King and I am the author of 7-15. Hopefully, I'll be able to answer your question about the item in question below. (I am going to spoiler my comments as I feel it could be a spoiler to some players who qualify to unlock this.)
Weapon Question:
Ferious Thune wrote:
"The Lesser Sword of Subtlety is very confusing. First, if I read the item correctly, it's a +1 shortsword that becomes a +2 when sneak attacking. But it costs 9,310gp...."
This is not actually true. The lesser sword of subtley is a +1 short sword that grants a +2 bonus to attack and damage rolls while sneak attacking that stacks with the sword's enhancement modifier. An example would be if a PC (who had the sneak attack class ability) had a +3 to hit without this weapon, would now have a +4 to hit when they acquire this weapon (+6 to hit if sneak attacking, not counting flanking or any other modifiers that the PC might have had at that moment).
Ferious Thune wrote:
"...The construction cost is also listed at 13,500...."
This is because the construction cost is for the standard version of this weapon.
I hope I answered your question!
Nathan
(P.S - My comments are not the end-all-be-all. This is just my interpretation of the item in question and you would want to refer to John or Linda for any final thoughts on your question.
Second, it is only mentioned briefly, but the scenario references Tseka's body double, but seems to behave as if you actually are fighting Tseka. Does anybody have any ideas there?
Good evening Andrew!
My name is Nathan King and I'm the author of 7-15. I wanted to pop in and see if I could offer some insight in your second question regarding Tseka's body double.
(I would like to preface my comments with the statement that my comments are just my opinion and are not the end-all-be-all; any offical ruling would need to come from John or Linda. As well, I will be spoiler tagging my comments as I feel it is pretty revealing of the last encounter.
Tseka's War Room:
With that out of the way, I'm confused about your comment regarding Tseka's body double. On page 21 of the scenario, under the bolded "Creatures" section, it begins talking about the tactics of the body double as well as Tseka.
7-15, pg. 21, "Creatures" section, first paragraph wrote:
... Trusting in the fact that few have seen her true face, she [Tseka] hides in the shadows and orders one of her subordinates to pretend to be her. In Subtier 3–4, the fake Tseka is a ratfolk scoundrel, and in Subtier 6 –7, she is a ratfolk sentinel.
7-15, pg. 21, "Creatures" section, second paragraph wrote:
As the PCs enter the chamber, the false Tseka addresses the PCs from atop the stage in the southeast corner of the room. Meanwhile, the real Tseka hides in the shadows behind one of the room’s pillars (in Subtier 6 –7, her shadow Despair lurks in the square just below her).
7-15, pg. 22, "Creatures" section, after box text wrote:
The false Tseka proposes a trade: their traitor Makino for her freedom. The real Tseka has no intention of giving Makino to the PCs, but she wishes to gauge the PC’s interest in their former comrade, so she told her body double that she plans to make this trade.
7-15, pg. 22, "Creatures" section, a little further down wrote:
...With her bargaining chip gone, the fake Tseka chuckles and tells the PCs she’ll kill them like her agents did the PCs’ fellows at the Grand Lodge.
I have quoted the bulk of the tactics that the body double should use before combat erupts. Regarding the in-combat tactics, each of the creatures have their tactics listed in their statblocks, including what Tseka will be doing in combat.
If I have missed answering your question, please let me know as I am available to answer any questions you might have as best I can. I want to make sure that you are able to provide the best experience for your players!
Now, which of my ifrit twins will be the one to take on this mission?
Why not both? ;-)
I, too, am looking forward to all the new content coming soon. I'm very interested in checking out Tom's new invention, sounds very ominous! Tomorrow evening can not come soon enough! :-)
Regarding this month's scenarios, once you play them and are so kind, take a moment and leave a review. Paizo, Tom and I would love to hear your thoughts and feedback about the adventures. Bad feedback, good feedback, it doesn't matter, it all helps!
Sounds like it has definite connections to Murder on the Silken Caravan and possible connections to Citadel of Flame(?).
Without spoiling anything, I can say that this has connections to Murder on the Silken Caravan but not Citadel of Flame , however, the latter and this scenario are in fairly close proximity to each other.
For non-spoiler'ed season summaries, Pathfindersociety.net has been putting out great work on describing the actions of the Pathfinders throughout each season. I think they just finished Season 3.
If you are looking for a more spoiler'ed version, Pathfinderwiki.com (Look them up as each year) has each season's summary with references to each individual scenario. Season 0 & 1 aren't done yet, but Year of the Shadow Lodge (Season 2), Ruby Phoenix (Season 3), and Risen Rune (Season 4) are done. Season 5 is just now going up as it has recently ended as of GenCon 2014.
Sorry I didn't linkify anything, I'm on my iPad and it's a little bit harder to do.
Let me know if you see any issues as I am always updating this guy. This has all of the newest scenarios announced and projected AP sanctioned content as it is announced. As you can see, Emerald Spire and the rest of The Mummy's Mask isn't on there as those haven't been released yet.
1st Table: May 22nd, 2012 - #3-01: Frostfur Captives at GameNite here in St. Louis
150th Table: July 5th, 2013 - #5-SP: Siege of the Diamond City (Playtest) at PaizoCon.
Yep that's right, for the math geeks out there, that's roughly GM'ing a game every 2-3 days.
If you have a knack for noting details, you'll notice that there isn't any art in 5-23 aside from the maps. If I had to guess, they are going tweak all of them and you should see some differences between the "beta" copies that were released last Friday, and the final releases on the 4th.
well Last year, they did do the warhorn signup, as that was how I was able to get into Games I was interested in. I if they are not doing that this year(which that could be the case), I may not get into any of the Games that I have eligible Characters for.
Interesting. I did not attend last year so was not aware they used Warhorn. I guess we'll just have to keep an eye on it since the con is only two and a half weeks away. Thanks for the information.
Please let me know if there is a particular scenario or module you would like to see on the schedule and Brett Sweeney (VC of St. Louis) and I will see what we can do about accommodating that request. I do, however, want to mention one thing. This Warhorn site is only for tracking for the games of Pathfinder Society and the Adventure Card Game at the convention. If you are planning on attending the convention, you will still need to work with the convention to get a ticket. To answer a few questions people might have:
-PFS Open Library: This is just a generic table to host any players that can't play the scenarios that are currently scheduled. If there are no games available for you to play, sign up for this and we will have a GM assigned to run whatever game the players, collectively, can play.
-Pathfinder Adventure Card Game Open Library: This is just a generic table to host any players that would like to play the Adventure Card Game. We have created this to work with players to figure out which adventure deck can be played or which deck has the most interest.
As I am only one man, please spread the word of the Warhorn site so we can have as many people who are looking to play either Pathfinder Society or the card game, signed up and get seats for the scenarios they want to play.
We were wondering if children count as level zero neutral characters, as as far as we can tell, every level zero neutral creature in a one mile radius died at the end of our mission, which is going to have rather devastating effect on whatever was left of the ecosystem, as well as there was some mention of berzerker tribes?
My personal impression, as someone who has run multiple tables of this particular (really fun to run) adventure, is that the Tower is in an isolated enough place that there are no inhabited places within that one mile area. The village you start at is implied to be one of the closest (not directly said, but implied by being where they are staging into the Worldwound in that area of it) and it is a lot farther than a mile away.
Answer about the nearby Inhabitants:
Weapon in the Rift, Pg. 5 wrote:
Where is Ghalcor’s Tower?
“It’s approximately 20 miles north of here. Once you are fully prepared, I have an ally who can provide you swift and reliable transportation.”
Once the tower is activated, you shouldn't have to worry about any civilians getting in the way of the blast. I mean it might affect some outlying creatures in the Forest of Embers, but I would imagine only on the southernmost tip, if any at all.
Dear god, I hope there aren't any level zero children nearby a locked, semi-abandoned tower out in the middle of Golarion's most vile, horrific locale. ;-P
You guys are correct, there are no reporting boxes for this scenario. It was mentioned during development, but the conclusion fit better with Ollysta congratulating the Pathfinders on their actions and allowing not only the Silver Crusade aligned Pathfinders, but all of the Pathfinders, more face-time with a faction leader.
Has there been any official word on the Tier ranges for the remainder of Season 5 and those new Season 6 scenarios? Just trying to get my characters set up for them. I tried a search and couldn't find anything.
This is what I've put together based on GMs posting their schedules:
5-18: The Stranger Within (5–9)
5-19: The Horn of Aroden (1–5)
5-20: The Sealed Gate (unknown)
5-21: The Merchant's Wake (1–5)
5-22: Scars of the Third Crusade (1–5)
5-23: Cairn of Shadows (5–9)
5-24: Assault on the Wound (3–7)
5-25: Vengeance at Sundered Crag (7–11)
Season 6
6-01: Trial by Machine (1–5)
6-02: The Silver Mount Collection (3–7)
6-03: The Technic Siege (5–9)
Combined with this The Sealed Gate should be 7-11.
I can now take over the title of World's Greatest Detective from Batman.
*whispers*
This was on the Pathfinder Wiki a month ago. It even details the factions with each scenario. It's dangerous to go alone! Take this: Link of a Thousand Truths
Mark, you not only are welcome to put up that summary, but feel free to host the scenario connections flowchart as well (it's here on Google Drive). Linda and I created both resources after talking to Mike and John at the Paizocon PFS panel about resources they thought would be useful to have perhaps in a blog post or something. They are for the moment not up to date with all of Season 5 yet, but that would be simple to add if people wanted it.
Hey there Mark, it seems our paths are crossing more and more. ;-) I have been working with Mark and the editing team on the Pathfinder Wiki to expand more on the Pathfinder Society articles in general. Along with the different factions of PFS, this is a GREAT resource, not only for the Wiki, but for people are interested in learning the story of the society. As I add this to the Wiki, I'll make sure to keep it up-to-date as much as I can. Since the Pathfinder Wiki is free, we encourage people who would like to add to the resource, to do so. Thanks again for your time and effort in this invaluable resource.
Regarding the Flowchart, do you have an edit-able one available by chance? That way, people could add to it.
Nathan,
I dont know how spoiler-filled you guys want the info about the seasons to be, but there was an article on Season 2 that went pretty in depth in Issue 21 of Kobold Quarterly a couple years back. It's pretty thorough. Might be handy for the wiki.
Seth,
Good point. I've talked to Mark Moreland about plots in different season scenarios briefly, and he mentioned that as long as the information doesn't have any in-world canon implications and don't blatantly say, "Hey, here's what happens in this scenario and this scenario and scenario..." we are OK under the Wiki's "Be Bold" policy. Looking at Mark's run-down of each season, I think it does a good job of explaining a high-level summary without giving away what events happen when (read: Naming the scenario that ties to each plot point). I'll ping Mark to have him look at the new articles I've posted on the Wiki (with credits given to Mark S. for his post) and see if he wants me to cut pieces out of it.
As for the Kobold Quarterly Article, I'll check and see if the Wiki covers that article. If not, I'll pick it up and see what information I can glean from it. Thanks for heads up! :)
That's a really helpful resource, Mark. Any chance members of the PathfinderWiki editing team could use your work on the site? I've been wanting to increase the wiki's usefulness regarding the Pathfinder Society metaplot and faction evolutions for a long time, and this sort of overview is immensely helpful. Your original post would be included as a reference on the wiki so you receive proper credit.
Mark, you not only are welcome to put up that summary, but feel free to host the scenario connections flowchart as well (it's here on Google Drive). Linda and I created both resources after talking to Mike and John at the Paizocon PFS panel about resources they thought would be useful to have perhaps in a blog post or something. They are for the moment not up to date with all of Season 5 yet, but that would be simple to add if people wanted it.
Hey there Mark, it seems our paths are crossing more and more. ;-) I have been working with Mark and the editing team on the Pathfinder Wiki to expand more on the Pathfinder Society articles in general. Along with the different factions of PFS, this is a GREAT resource, not only for the Wiki, but for people are interested in learning the story of the society. As I add this to the Wiki, I'll make sure to keep it up-to-date as much as I can. Since the Pathfinder Wiki is free, we encourage people who would like to add to the resource, to do so. Thanks again for your time and effort in this invaluable resource.
Regarding the Flowchart, do you have an edit-able one available by chance? That way, people could add to it.
Congrats John! It's been a pleasure working with you! All of your projects and ideas are fantastic and have helped PFS grow in tremendous ways. Now, if you would be so kind to go grapple a faction leader. ;-P
I appreciate all the feedback and I'm glad you guys are enjoying it as much as I did, writing it!
The puzzle was a difficult one to come up with because it was something that John and I wanted to create that was unique, but yet still able to be completed by the players. However, I'm sorry it has given people so much trouble. Going forward, I'm sure John will make sure to keep a puzzle's complexity in mind for future.
With all of the feedback in this thread, if I may request, please put your thoughts (bad or good) as a review for the scenario. This is what John and the others go by in determining if authors like myself are able to write for Paizo again!
I for one am very glad Bonekeep Part 1 is the 5-EX and I hope part two next year is the 6-EX. We didn't get to run this scenario in my area while I was VC and I don't think as of today the Current VC's have had the chance either.
I don't get to play much PFS as of late and when the opprotunity arrives I like to play the hard / challenging games and this one from what I have read fits that billing.
I look forward to dying in this one.
Thank you Mike & John.
Mike said up thread that there were no current plans to make Bonekeep II the season 6 exclusive.
So, just to be clear, I can put one of these (my choice) on a character. As the character levels--assuming my star count matches--he unlocks each of these boons in turn, yes?
Then for every 50 tables after 150, I can do it again?
The soul prisms are a great magic item. Because of the divine/mystic battery and the nature of the "Ultimate Weapon", this adventure had a great steampunk vibe to it. I think the complaint about not knowing how many charges are needed to activate the weapon is valid, my group knew everything about the prisms. They knew how to charge them, and what their powers were. Also, a party can succeed with out charging any of the empty prisms, even if they fail the door test (I think, going on memory here). You only need to charge the empty prisms if the demons damage the weapon, possible, or you used the prisms early in the scenario.
Again, this these are all "suggestions" and I do not have the final say, but here are a couple suggestions that I think would fit in well:
Sacred Prism Charges:
1.) If the PCs ask Ghalcor, "What does the weapon do?", maybe have him provide a tidbit of information about the tower (That the weapon requires a certain number of charges to fire properly, but nothing else.)
2.) When the PCs arrive at the control panel and are examining it/attempting to use it, give them a free Knowledge (Engineering, Religion), UMD or Intelligence check (DC 18) to determine the amount of charges the weapon needs. HOWEVER, I would NOT tell them how the damage (throughout the fight) the demons have done to the control panel and how it is affecting the final result. I would describe their actions to the players and keep a hidden total of how much destruction the weapon has taken when the PCs attempt to fire it. This way, it still leaves a bit of mystery to the weapon, but still gives the PCs a better fighting chance on firing the weapon.
jon dehning wrote:
One last thing...
** spoiler omitted **
Spoiler:
The logic behind the traps is that the PCs are supposed to disable/disengage the traps in order for Ollysta to make her to the PCs unharmed. My opinion, is that if the PCs successfully disable the trap, describe the faith orb making noise across the hall as it becomes disengaged from the wall and falls to the ground. That should grab the PC's curiosity, allowing you to ask for a quick perception check. After dropping those hints and the PCs still don't want to look, maybe give them a secondary check on their way out of the tower after the last encounter? After that, that's about all I got. Perception carries over from character to player, right? ;)
Silbeg wrote:
One last thing...
** spoiler omitted **
Puzzle tips:
If they fail, what about giving them a Intelligence check or Knowledge (History or Religion) and maybe point out 1 act they misplaced. Again, if they are having a large amount of trouble with it, refer to my earlier post. We don't want the puzzle to eat up the entire scenario. We all like Iomedae, but we have to figure what that weapon does too! :)
The puzzle went through a few iterations before it reached the final product you see today. It's a tough puzzle and really draws upon the knowledge of lore of Iomedae. When I ran this through playtest, the players enjoyed the puzzle, thought it was a difficult yet manageable puzzle.
Though I don't want to stray from the "Run as Written" rule, but if you notice your players struggling with the puzzle, I'm sure John wouldn't mind the players making intelligence or Knowledge (Religion, or History) checks (DC 13 for Subtier 5-6, DC 16 for Subtier 8-9) to provide them with general hints without giving away the entire puzzle.
The timer after the PCs conversation with Ghalcor is brisk. However, as a GM, you want to make sure your PCs have a engaging and fun time. Remember that it calls out in the scenario that the answers Ghalcor provides are "typical" which doesn't mean it is everything he will provide the PCs. If the PCs ask a question to Ghalcor that is not in the provided answers, yet still something he would know (without giving away critical information), maybe Ghalcor could be persuaded to answer to a helpful PC. ;)
John is of course the final call on all of my suggestions, however, I'm just the author ;)
Don't forget to give a review, good or bad. It helps John and Paizo determine if more scenarios like this get released! :)
Low tier Abrikandilu Berserkers - rage power (1)? Should we be using one of the high tier rage powers here?
If a table of 4 players has elected to do hard mode, what do you have the shemhazian do on round 2? (I'm guessing the hard mode over telekinesis, since they elected for hard mode, but this is big enough that I want to ask first.)
Good questions James. John can provide the final ruling, but I can at least provide you what powers I suggested to john at final turnover for the low tier abrakandilu demons.
rage powers:
Guarded stance and surprise accuracy
As for the hard mode, If the 4 PCs elected to do hard mode, then give them hard mode. ;-)
I have to say, I haven't looked forward to GMing a given scenario more than this after a quick readthrough. Loving it!
** spoiler omitted **
I'm glad you are enjoying the scenario. Once you run it, let me know what you think! John and I worked pretty hard to make sure the "Hard Mode" was do-able, yet still challenging to the players. Make sure to give the last encounter a good, solid read-through. There are a lot of moving parts and will definitely keep a GM on their toes.
Is this post intended for next month's Adventure Path by chance? The product page for City of Locusts says it comes out at the end of February. I got an email from Paizo that Wrath of the Righteous 5 of 6 just shipped. Are you guys planning doing two shipments this month to have the 6th book ship out this month too? Just checking! :-)
+1 to John's idea of going to the shackles, though with there already an Adventure Path about Pirates, 1 or 2 scenarios would suffice for me.
Mwangi Expanse: This place is a treasure trove of artifacts, ancient ruins, and unique indigenous creatures. Hell, the Pathfinders already have a lodge there! With a gauntlet maze! ;-) Would love to see some gorilla warfare-esque scenarios with the aspis (who have a base nearby), the pathfinders and the creatures of the expanse!
Brevoy: This area is CRAWLING with political intrigue and problems. There are so many different areas the Pathfinders could explore and relationships the society could use to bolster their pocketbooks.
I'd like to chime in and add my support for ** spoiler omitted ** as a recurring villain. I think he ties in *very* nicely to the current season!
I second this as well. It would be cool to see him come back, though it's gotta be pretty cool! With a ending like that, anything less would be a letdown ;)
actually has a "if you leave this villain alive then..." in the Chronicle sheet. It might be interesting to see something come of it after all these years.
It would be cool to see this used, especially with the circumstances that have recently come up.
Spoiler:
0-14: The Many Fortunes of Grand Master Torch
There is a line on the chronicle sheet that states:
"You owe Grandmaster Torch a favor—one he plans to redeem in the future. When he calls in this favor, you are obligated to fulfill his request so long as it doesn't violate any morale restrictions of your race, class, or alignment."
And to tie into that...
Spoiler:
2-26: The Mantis's Prey
The Check boxes regarding Irskin Jayorass. It would be interesting to see where he went and what he is doing. Is he helping Torch out or is he helping the society? If he is helping the society, is he close to Torch where the society can use him as leverage?
What about this?
Spoiler:
3-10: The Immortal Conundrum
All the different guests at the dinner party? Would be interesting to see some of them again. We've already seen Desimire once after the party.
Another good idea, though it might take a bit to see this come to fruition
Spoiler:
3-17: Red Harvest
Depending on who the Pathfinder Society sided with, would cause the other side to be upset and try to cause problems in the future.
Would it be acceptable to have two 1–5 scenarios in one month and none in the month that follows?
I could see that helping the issue at hand. It would be interesting to see how that would pan out.
John Compton wrote:
Are evergreen Tier 1 scenarios useful? Are they only appreciated when they are published as bonus scenarios? Taking into account their replayability, are they generally more or less useful than a Tier 1–5 scenario?
I'm going to agree with a few of the posters above me. I believe that Tier 1 evergreen scenarios are useful. They are scenarios that you can always have prepped and have ready for the new players that happen to come out and want to check out Pathfinder as well as players who want to level up some new characters.
Though I know that all of the scenarios you guys produce are appreciated, when the Tier 1 scenarios were released for the first time in Season 3, I think it gave the PFS community the presumption that all Tier 1 scenarios were going to be bonus scenarios on top of the regular season. Now, when it's being released in a regular season's lineup, that is why Paizo is getting the, "Wait?...What?...Why?...NOOO!!" response.
Are they more or less useful than Tier 1-5's? Really depends on who you talk to, in my opinion. I think Tier 1-5's are better because you can still have level 1's at those scenarios. Hell, if you had at least 3 level 1's, you could have an entire table of them. But, that same scenario can also have levels 2-5 in it to encompass more players. However, with a tier 1 scenario, it's replayable. So those players out there that are running out of scenarios, they can replay the tier 1 evergreen scenario and with it being everchanging, that makes it even better.
How many of you would pay $8.00 a scenario in order to get three released a month instead of two?
$8 a scenario? Ehh, that math doesn't add up for me. However, if you upped it to $6 per scenario, Done! I would easily pay six dollars per scenario, if we could get three a month. I think that would be a reasonable uptick in costs, that follows the same line of thinking that Paizo did with the Modules line. You pay a little big more, but you get a larger, module. Same principle could definitely apply here. Pay a little bit more , get a little bit more.
Regarding the choice between 7–11's or 1–5's and the seeker arc: though I love the story in the seeker arc, I do think that newer spells, feats and items are coming out to make it show it's age. I think if a new seeker arc was to be released, do one this season and 2 next season. OR have it be a exclusive/special thing like Bonekeep is, without the convention requirement. Don't get me wrong, Bonekeep is awesome and I appreciate all that Paizo has done and has planned for it, but I think that really ate into development time for the special and the first three season 5 scenarios. Again, please don't take that as a shot as Paizo for stepping out on a limb for trying something new (Because i loved Jason's idea), but if we are putting everything on the table, that means we have to talk about that elephant in the room too.
So now what happens to boons that would let you get back a lost prestige point from a failed faction mission ?
Mornin' BigNorseWolf (or at least it is here, anyway),
I don't think these would be any different than before the secondary success conditions were released. If there would be a scenario where you were to fail to receive both prestige points (or in the case of modules, 4 prestige points), your boons would still work the same way. Show your GM that you would like to use your boon to gain that lost prestige point, and if everything checks out, they will mark it as used and change your prestige points earned total on your chronicle sheet.
Kind I just clarify the intent is no primary goal achieved is no prestige even if the players or a player meets a secondary goal. That seems to be the implication of additional prestige on the secondary but someone is going to argue 'you can add to zero' and I want this to be clearly consistent.
I hope its not even be possible but with 126 examples the likely hood of a corner case cropping up is good and for something as important as prestige a clear ruling would be helpful.
Hey there Merisal,
First off, thanks for interest in looking to better understand how the new secondary success missions will work for players as well as GM's. For these corner cases where the PC's would achieve a secondary mission but NOT the primary mission, I "believe" they would still get 1 prestige point.
Here is my logic behind this, using John's example above:
John Compton wrote:
#4–117: All the Doors are Trapped
Primary: The PCs successfully escape the dungeon.
Secondary: The PCs trigger and are damaged by no more than two of the traps in the scenario.
Let's say the PC's enter into the dungeon and trigger the first trap, a scythe trap, that was installed on one of the doors. The party is pretty beat up, but continue to trudge through the dungeon unknowingly to their deaths. However, when they encounter the second trap, a reaper door trap, the party doesn't fare too well and the party is killed.
In this case, the Venture-Captain is going to need to re-evaluate their standards on the quality of Pathfinders they send into a known trapped dungeon, but more importantly, the PC's would NOT gain the primary success condition because they did not "successfully escape the dungeon". However, I would award the PC's a single prestige point because they did meet the secondary goal; Only triggering 2 or less traps in the dungeon.
These are only my thoughts on the matter, I could be completely wrong and spewing nonsense, but I thought I would share my logic.
I'd like to direct everybody's attention to a new star in the PFS firmament - my partner-in-crime, Venture Captain Rob Silk has been awarded his 5th star.
This will come as no surprise to anybody who has met him. Rob is an excellent GM and a tireless champion of Pathfinder Society, making sure that PaizoCon UK and our website run smoothly and always being there to help. This is very well-deserved.
Thank you Rob!
As a recent inductee into this illustrious group, Welcome aboard!
To me, Pre-gens are a GREAT roleplaying tool! Though each Pre-gen has their own story that the PC's can use a basis for their roleplaying, I like how players pick a character they think is cool and give it this unique, engaging personality. To name a few that i've experienced in my time as a GM:
Kyra-7: As the reverend, Al Sharpton
Valeros-7: Generic, stereotypical frat boy
Amiri-1: Always complaining because her sword is "SOOO heavy" and kept trying to have her party members carry it for her.
Ezren-7: Complaining that it's so hard to walk at his old age.
Lini-4: Oblivious to the fact that her animal companion, DrooGami, is following her and has the attention span of a goldfish.
I keep imagining how 4th- and 7th- level Kyra drops another bag full of gold at the local wand merchant to buy a new wand of cure light wounds; surely this one she will be able to keep fully charged for a whole day.
Pathfinder Jim: Kyra! Kyyyyyyyyyraaaaaa! We need your class abil– erm...We miss having you along yesterday. You missed out on awesome lootz.
Kyra: Sarenrae does not approve of purposeful misspelling, for it is a sign of growing corruption. Also, I know full well that you only wish me to accompany you so that I might use all of my expendable items in lieu of you ever using yours.
Pathfinder Sally: clearly flustered at having been called out so quickly What? No! That's not it at all! We really like how you memorize...cleric spells, and, uh...
Pathfinder Bob: ...cure light wounds...
Pathfinder Jim: And there was that time that you cast, err...
Pathfinder Bob: ...cure moderate wounds. On a good day sometimes she can cast cure critical wounds.
Pathfinder Jim: Haha, yeah! See, Kyra, we totally understand and appreciate you! Lolz :-)
Kyra: Shorthand emotional abbreviations are the language of The Rough Beast. Begone! You simply wish to drain yet another one of my wands of all of its charges, provide me none of the scenario rewards, and then complain when dungeon denizens continue to punish you for poor tactical choices. Kyra leaves. Pathfinder Sally: Well, I guess we could always bug Lini and make her...
I like how in your world of Pathfinder, John, that everyone but clerics use shorthand "text" speech. Haha
I can just imagine Pathfinders walking around Absalom and any time they hear a funny joke, they don't laugh, they just say, "Lolz".
But I digress. Any time that I have to run a table of three, I almost ALWAYS let the PC's pick who the Pre-gen will be. It's more fair, in my opinion. I've only had one case where the players were "playing the system" and I had to step in and change who they picked. It was a 1-5 scenario and they were level 1,1, and 2. Fighter, Rogue, Cleric I believe. They wanted to pick the 4th level Cleric so that way they could just have her heal with her wand and call it a day. I explained that, doing that was not in the spirit of the game and could pick the first level version instead and still have her heal the party. So...They went with Lem (First level bard) instead and the PC cleric healed.
Its not that you cant play it, you merely cannot play it for PFS credit but if you want to run a module and have enough people interested just roll up some characters and play it as a home game for no credit (not everything has to be about getting a chronicle sheet).
Actually, good news! You can play The Harrowing as a module for PFS credit. You will need to bring a legal PFS character that is either level 8,9, or 10. Once you complete the module, they have the chronicle sheet for it listed in the Additional resources page.
I wanted to make this thread, to the same format as the "Level 12 Seeker" thread, to list all of the players that have completed "The Waking Rune" on Hard Mode on tier 7-8 or 10-11. (Just like the "Level 12 Seeker" thread, please no spoilers)
This scenario brings not only a sense of closure to heroes and adventurers that have fought the Lissalan cultists for so long, but bears a new beginning. These elite few answered the call to arms and through their physical prowess, magical expertise, and mental stamina were able to defeat a terrible power that threatened not only Varisia but Golarion as a whole.
Please list your character (full name if you like), character and class, and tier you played at. Though Hard Mode does not give any rewards, it does give bragging rights, so lets see it Pathfinders!
You are correct. Mark has stated that these scenarios will release sometime to the public during or at PaizoCon. I bet that information just hasn't made it to IT quite yet. :)
There are a few options for your players that are running out of scenarios to play.
Thornkeep: Thornkeep is a 5 level mega dungeon that, if slimmed down, can be ran in 1 sitting. These offer 1 PC level per level of the dungeon.
Modules: Paizo has been releasing more and more modules that range from level 1 through level 14. These modules span from as short as 1 night to spanning over 3 nights (as you get into the higher levels).
Adventure Path - Module "Chunk": Recently Paizo has been picking out sections of Adventure Paths that can be used and played modules. These pieces usually don't have a lot of the AP's storyline in them so they can be played without the PC actually being in the Adventure Path.
Here in St. Louis, we have a mix of scenarios and modules. This month, we are offered Thornkeep Levels 1, 2, and 3 and then a fellow GM will be running "Cult of the Ebon Destoryer" next week, which is a module for players between the levels 7-9. We also have a lot of players that are running out of scenarios to play. However, with mixing in modules, those players are able to play modules and our new players can still play the older scenarios!
0 acid splash, arcane mark, bleed, dancing lights, daze, detect magic, detect poison, disrupt undead, drench, flare, ghost sound, jolt, light, mage hand, mending, message, open/close
1 air bubble, alter winds, burning hands, color spray, crafter's fortune, depilate, endure elements, enlarge person, feather fall, floating disk, grease, heightened awareness, hypnotism, mage armor, magic missile, monkey fish, protection from evil, ray of enfeeblement, shield, shocking grasp, silent image, sleep, touch of the sea, ventriloquism, waterproof, windy escape
2 aggressive thundercloud, alter self, blur, burning arc, detect thoughts, dust of twlight, false life, fog cloud, invisibility, knock, levitate, locate object, masterwork transformation, minor image, mirror image, rope trick, scare, scorching ray, see invisibility, spider climb, touch of idiocy
3 ablative barrier, daylight, deep slumber, dispel magic, fireball, fly, haste, invisibility sphere, lightning bolt, major image, ray of exhausion, slow, stinking cloud, vampiric touch, water breathing
4 absorbing barrier, arcane eye, ball lightning, bestow curse, black tentacles, controlled fireball, dimension door, enervation, fear, hallucinatory terrain, phantasmal killer, protection from energy (communal), rainbow pattern, ride the waves, secure shelter, shadow conjuration, wall of fire
5 curse of disgust, dismissal, echolocation, feeblemind, lightning arc, mirage arcana, nightmare, overland flight, shadow evocation, suffocation, teleport, walk the plank, wall of force
6 chain lightning, disintegrate, freezing sphere, permanent image, planar binding, true seeing
7 mass fly, greater teleport, teleport trap
Polli Andalasia Bog IV
Female sylph wizard 13 (Pathfinder RPG Advanced Player's Guide 142, Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 2 258)
NG Medium outsider (native)
Init 3; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +0 (-2 to sight-based checks)
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Defense
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AC 13, touch 13, flat-footed 10 (+3 Dex)
hp 67 (13d6+13)
Fort 8, Ref 10, Will 13
Resist electricity 5
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Offense
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Speed 30 ft.
Melee cold iron dagger +6/+1 (1d4 P or S/19+)
Special Attacks lightning flash
Arcane School Spell-Like Abilities (CL 13th; concentration +20)
. . At will—feather fall, fly, levitate Wizard Spells Prepared (CL 13th; concentration +20)
. . 7th—mass fly[APG] (DC 24), teleport trap[ISWG], greater teleport
. . 6th—chain lightning (DC 25), disintegrate (2, DC 23), freezing sphere (DC 25)
. . 5th—feeblemind (DC 22), lightning arc[UM] (DC 24), lightning arc[UM] (DC 24), suffocation[APG] (DC 22), teleport
. . 4th—absorbing barrier, ball lightning[APG] (DC 23), controlled fireball[UI] (2, DC 23), dimension door, fear (DC 21)
. . 3rd—dispel magic, fireball (3, DC 22), haste, lightning bolt (DC 22), lightning bolt (DC 22)
. . 2nd—burning arc (2, DC 21), levitate, protection from arrows (3), see invisibility
. . 1st—endure elements, mage armor, magic missile (4), windy escape[ARG]
. . 0 (at will)—detect magic, light, prestidigitation, spark[APG] (DC 19)
. . Opposition Schools Earth
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Statistics
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Str 10, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 25, Wis 10, Cha 10
Base Atk +6.5; CMB 13; CMD 26
Feats Combat Advice, Craft Magic Arms & Armor, Craft Wondrous Item, Forge Ring, Greater Spell Focus (evocation), Iron Will, Knowledge Is Power, Scribe Scroll, Spell Focus (evocation), Spell Penetration
Traits bruising intellect, precise treatment, ship's surgeon
Skills Appraise +11, Craft (alchemy) +11, Craft (carpentry) +19, Fly +23, Heal +20 (+21 circumstance to treat wounds or deadly wounds), Intimidate +28, Knowledge (arcana) +23, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +15, Knowledge (engineering) +12, Knowledge (geography) +11, Knowledge (history) +11, Knowledge (local) +18, Knowledge (nature) +23, Knowledge (planes) +23, Knowledge (religion) +16, Linguistics +23 (+28 to Linguistics checks to identify forgeries), Perception +0 (-2 to sight-based checks), Sense Motive -2, Spellcraft +23, Swim +13
Languages Abyssal, Aquan, Auran, Azlanti, Celestial, Common, Cyclops, Draconic, Dwarven, Elven, Giant, Gnome, Halfling, Infernal, Kelish, Osiriani, Polyglot, Sylvan, Tien, Undercommon, Vudrani
SQ arcane bond (communique ring), breeze-kissed[ARG], cyclone, mostly human, oblivious, weather savvy[ARG]
Combat Gear lesser toppling metamagic rod[UE], maiden's helm, pearl of power (1st level) (2), scroll of drench (x2), scroll of invisibility, scroll of knock, scroll of levitate, scroll of protection from evil (x2), scroll of wall of force, scroll of water breathing; Other Gear cold iron dagger, cloak of resistance +3, communique ring[UI], communique ring[UI], headband of vast intelligence +4, impossible bottle, lesser talisman of warrior's courage[OA], spectacles of understanding[UE], traveler's any-tool[UE], dungheaps and dunderheads, eyeglasses, ground coffee (worth 1 gp), hat[UE], jewelry[UE], masterwork backpack[APG], mess kit[UE], my thoughts on the nature of man (spellbook), my thoughts on the nature of woman, paper (5), scroll box[UE], scroll case, spell component pouch, spellbook, wyvern’s race(pieces finely crafted from citrine and bloodstone) (worth 175 gp), 3,574 gp, 4 sp, 6 cp
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Special Abilities
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Arcane Bond (Communique ring) (1/day) (Sp) Use object to cast any spell in your spellbook. Without it, Concentration required to cast spells (DC20 + spell level).
Breeze-Kissed (1/day) +2 AC versus nonmagical ranged attacks. Bull rush/trip with air 1/day within 30 ft.
Combat Advice As mv act, designate enemy, ally gains +2 comp bonus on next atk vs. target.
Cyclone (13 rounds/day, DC 23) (Su) Vortex causes all ranged attacks passing through it to miss, and creatures flying through it must make a Fly skill check or fall.
Darkvision (60 feet) You can see in the dark (black and white only).
Earth You must spend 2 slots to cast spells from the Earth school.
Energy Resistance, Electricity (5) You have the specified Energy Resistance against Electricity attacks.
Greater Spell Focus (Evocation) +1 to the Save DC of spells from one school.
Knowledge Is Power (Ex) Add intelligence bonus to CMB, CMD, and to Strength checks to break or lift objects.
Lightning Flash (1d6+6 electricity damage, 10/day, DC 23) (Su) 5 ft burst deals electricity dam and dazzles for 1d4 rds (Ref part).
Mostly Human Appear mostly human, count as humanoid (human) for all purposes, as well as outsider (native).
Oblivious -2 to sight-based Perception checks.
Spell Focus (Evocation) Spells from one school of magic have +1 to their save DC.
Weather Savvy You can predict the weather for the next 24 hours.
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Polli Andalasia Bog IV is a mountain of grumpy frustration stuffed in a small willowy frame. Why? Because people insist on talking! All The Time! Even when she's lancing one of their boils, or prying out whatever happened to get stuck in Pick-A-Hole. They TALK... and worse they expect her to talk back.
Not about nice things, like books or storms or rolling waves on an empty ocean. No, almost always about sex, the wants or wishes, the failures that are never their fault, or Hey Do you want to--- NO!
She's a ship's surgeon, why? Cause it got her away from her family, all two hundred and thirty one of them. Bogs are flipping everywhere where she's from, and most are dumb as a post. Can't fit two hundred and thirty one Bogs on a boat, now can you? Nope. So ship's surgeon she is, (as well as a passable carpenrer and a reader of weather). which makes her a lovely addition to any crew. If you can get past her winning personality.
Her dad is a perfect example of a typical Bog. Nice man, really he is, kind of handsome, dumb as a post. He even got a small bookish blue girl to fall for him long enough to pop out a kid (Polli specifically). Not long enough for the blue girl (her mother) to stay around. Simple was charming, but Simple got old quick.
The numeric behind the names was a great grandfather's idea, by the way, believing it would elevate his kin into greatness. It didn't.
Though there was one side effect worth noting. People around those parts thought it was cool. So there was lot of sex over those generations and now you have the great hordes of Bogs... sadly.
Polli is smart spectral wearing wizard who is prone to fits of aggravated tempers, not typically displayed with violence, instead with words. Snapping, insulting, even YELLING them. In the end she's loyal and kind, or at least she thinks she is. She hopes to find a family of her own (no not by having sex to poop out kids) but friends you'd destroy the world for.
Bikendi's spellbook
3rd level: deep slumber, dispel magic, silent dust of twilight, ray of exhaustion, vampiric touch
4th level: arcane eye, bestow curse, enervation, rainbow pattern, silent major image, shadow conjuration
5th level: curse of disgust, feeblemind, nightmare, silent phantasmal killer, shadow evocation, suffocation
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