Petronius's page

I suspect the community can come up with replacements for the useful parts of scenario tags. One way might be to add, say, the equivalent of the Metaplot tag to pages on the Starfinder Wiki. Just saying.

I think we already lay out the metaplot scenarios on the page for each season. (If I’m misremembering, we should definitely do that.)

(Full disclosure: we formed a nonprofit recently to formalize the structure behind the running of the PF and SF wikis. I am the president of the nonprofit. But I would make this suggestion anyway.)

A new version of the Guide to Organized Play: Pathfinder Society (v6.04) was just published!

Changes:
Player Options > Spellcasting Service Costs: Corrected prices and added explanation of calculations

Links:

A new version of the Guide to Organized Play: Pathfinder Society (v6.03) was just published!

Changes were relatively minor, including updated tenses re: deity deaths, expiration of the Remaster Rebuild, etc. Other changes include:

I see nothing but positive changes.

And I was not prepared for Chk-Chk in those sunglasses.

For real! All three of them are total BAMFs in this art!

These revisions have been published as part of v6.02 of the Guide to Organized Play: Pathfinder Society.

"Run as Written" has been replaced with "Run Prudently" and is now a summary of the player-facing rulings only.

The revised list OPC Alex started the thread with has been moved to just before "GM Discretion" and both are under the new heading "Permitted Table Adjustments" so that all the rulings on potential GM adjustments are in one place in the Guide.

A new version of the Guide to Organized Play: Pathfinder Society (v6.02) was just published!

Major changes:

I’ll add that creative uses of skills have been allowed since long before this draft language, though maybe not quite as explicitly as some might like.

GM Discretion currently says GMs can allow:

Alternate or creative skills used to bypass or overcome traps and skill checks.

But naturally, in the next line it immediately runs into the issue you mentioned about alternative skills potentially being at a higher DC:

DCs and results of a check are part of the mechanics and cannot be changed.

So we may need to clarify that a bit. But alternative skills are for sure allowed.

I like the new changes, and agree with the replacing of "may" to "can" or "should". Also, pedantic me would like a consistency with the use of commas; the third bullet in the "GMs must" section does not include the (proper) Oxford comma, while the first bullet in the "GMs must not" section does include the Oxford comma.

As the guy who will be doing the final copy-paste and integration into the Guides, I can assure you that the Oxford comma would only be omitted if I didn't notice it was missing. Because I agree that it belongs there & everywhere. But I appreciate the heads up!

(I will leave responding to the call for additional guidelines to the OPC.)

I'm glad to see this happening. The only "mechanical" change I would recommend is changing "may" to "can" since that's what "may" means in this context.

As you know*, 'don't use "may"' is in the Guides' style guide. The only place "may" occurs in the Guides now is in policies directly copy-pasted from paizo.com. It's also on our recurring tasks list to search & destroy every so often in case one sneaks in.

* For observers who might not know: I'm the volunteers (VO) Guide Team Lead, and the person I'm replying to is a major contributor who iirc put this rule into the style guide personally. "As you know" is meant to be overly formal, with a nudge and a wink.

Petronius wrote:

Darrell Impey UK wrote:

Petronius wrote:

Added multiple references & links to new PFS adventure errata forum

Is it worth mentioning this, potentially important, forum somewhere publicly?

It's not a Guide project; we're just linking to it. That said, where did you have in mind?

PFS Blog or its own thread?

Blog is a Paizo staff thing. I wouldn't be surprised if it shows up there, but [a] I have no knowledge whether it will and [b] I don't know how quick the turnaround time on blog posts is.

OPC Alex announced it on its own thread, in General Discussion (the subforum where the discussion took place which led to the new errata forum).

* Announcement (stickied post in Org Play > General)

* Foundry Errata Forum

Is it possible for the single-page layout to default to showing full tables rather than tabbed for convenient PDF printing?

"Get better PDFs" is pretty high on the tech wish list. I don't think there's a switch to flip to default to full tables for printing, though. At least not with the basic printing that's currently what we have.

The mildly good news is at least toggling to 'no tabs' works when you do it on the regular page (before clicking print) or on the print version page. That's annoying to have to do it at all, I 100% agree.

All I can say is I agree and there are some things (which I don't fully know) behind the scenes tech-wise that need to happen first. Thanks!

Cyrad wrote:

The remastered draconic and demonic bloodlines for the sorcerer completely replace their focus spells with new ones that have different names. Would the team consider making a ruling that draconic/demonic sorcerers can choose whether to gain the Core 2 focus spell or the CRB focus spell? The old spells grant unarmed attacks, which are desirable for players with melee combat sorcerers. Removing them would also be incredibly disruptive for PC concepts that rely on them.

I will ask about that ruling, but it's up to staff.

Thanks!

I have asked, and the answer is no for that exception.

Links:

Guide: bit.ly/PFS2_Guide

Change log: bit.ly/PFS2_changelog

Single page layout: bit.ly/PFS2_onepage

Sorry, old link to the Guide itself. (Goes to the manual redirect page now, so it will still get you there eventually, but not ideal.)

Correct link to the Guide: bit.ly/GuidetoPFS2

A new version of the Guide to Organized Play: Pathfinder Society (v6.01) was just published!

Major changes:

Could the duration of the Flash of Grandeur reaction for the Grandeur cause be clarified for PFS? I'm interested in playing a Grandeur Champion, but I really want to avoid having to discuss the duration of that effect between GM's. There has been some discussion about it on Reddit already, but nothing official.

Discussion 1

Discussion 2

For the record, clarifications at this granular a level are not found in the Guide. Not a critique at all, just this isn't the most directly related thread. This question is most likely to be handled by errata; there's also a chance it could be handled just for Org Play on the Character Options page.

That said, I will pass along to the volunteers (VOs) who look into this sort of question. Thanks!

Link to the current Rubric

The current home of organized play is lorespire.paizo.com

I did include the links to both Guides with the rubric in context but I could have made them clearer.

We on the Guide Team generally want to nudge folks to link to subsections within the larger page rather than separate pages; context is useful, plus breadcrumbs / backlinks are not available on most sub-pages. (I would like to change that, but it's not the only thing on the wishlist.)

Also, Lorespire is just the SFS1 and PFS2 Guides plus the Venture-Officer handbook; it is not the new home of the OPF. Not trying to be a jerk about it, but I am told the distinction is important.

In fact, I'm pretty sure the text was originally added specifically with conventions in mind. It's not very fun to show up for a day of gaming only to be told "Surprise! Hot fix to the rules of the road, your PC is now invalid" after all.

A gaming event is meant to refer to an active adventure and does not refer to a convention or other gameday, correct?

It's intended to cover both cons and individual tables. More specifically:

[1] Any stand-alone game that's started before a rule change effective date does not have to use the updated rules.

This includes games at regular gamedays, but for those, treat each run of an adventure as a separate thing. (That is, the part 2 rule for cons doesn't mean if your gameday goes on forever, you never need to change.)

[2] When a change is effective during a convention, all games at the whole convention do not have to use the updated rules. (The idea is it's not great to make people scramble to rebuild their character in the middle of a con, especially if it's a rules change that takes effect immediately.)

But again, I'm just giving a heads up. The final published Guide text is the rule.

This might be too specialized of a question, but do we have an idea on how this will affect PbP games? Would a character be able to keep their spells and abilities if the game started before August 1st but then continued past that date? Or should we recomend any Gorumites looking at a game that looks like it will run over that date to rebuild first?

Short answer: yes. That is, if the game starts before August 1, Gorum is treated as alive until the game ends.

I'm the Guides to Org Play lead VO. We were just discussing this sort of question and clarifications to the language in the Guides.

Disclaimer: per the Guide text, only specific Paizo staff can make official rulings. So my word is not law, but this is my understanding of the intention and I've been drafting the revisions.

The current language (here):

Timing: To reduce confusion and chaos, rule changes announced during a gaming event do not take effect until after the event ends.

We are looking to make some clarifications, although I don't have a timeframe. I'm hoping it won't be long, though. (As part of the process, I am looping in some of the PbP venture officers to verify the new language fits PbP needs.)

Just don't fire off the moowhip from below the belt. If you do, of course, you'd look like you had a bad case of...

Laclale♪ wrote:

Pathfinder Provision providing oil of unlife is for void healing character, but why section name for it is unchanged, and no scroll of harm in said Provision?

Hi, I am the Guide lead. If you mean the "Negative Healing" section, the update to "Void Energy Healing" is already drafted and will be published during the next update (hopefully this week).

Whether there should be a scroll of harm in the Provisions is a question for Alex / Paizo Org Play staff. I will make a note to ask, but Alex will probably see it here.

I talked with OPC Alex and he confirmed that the scroll of harm is not missing from the Pathfinder Provisions list, but left off on purpose. I have no more information than that, so I can't help with any follow-up questions.

Pathfinder Provision providing oil of unlife is for void healing character, but why section name for it is unchanged, and no scroll of harm in said Provision?

Hi, I am the Guide lead. If you mean the "Negative Healing" section, the update to "Void Energy Healing" is already drafted and will be published during the next update (hopefully this week).

Whether there should be a scroll of harm in the Provisions is a question for Alex / Paizo Org Play staff. I will make a note to ask, but Alex will probably see it here.

Alex Speidel wrote:

Dubious Scholar wrote:

Is the Tiefling's Fiendish Strikes feat subject to the same change as Aasimar Celestial Strikes?

Huh, yeah, definitely should be. Dunno why I didn't check to see if there was a tiefling equivalent.

Lorespire Remaster page wrote:

The aasimar feat Celestial Strikes and the tiefling feat Fiendish Strikes are no longer legal for play. Nephilim characters with either feat must retrain it for another ancestry feat at 13th level or lower.

The word Nephilim in that sentence feels confusing as that new ancestry could never actually take any of those feats, suggesting the removal of the first word in that second sentence.

Done!

Question...from Space!

(Not to clog up your landlubber thread, only I just followed the link from Alex's post, and I didn't see a corresponding thread for Starfinder questions in the Starfinder Society sub-forum...)

Sorry if I've missed this already being brought up, but - the Starfinder Guide no longer seems to have tables showing ACP Boons by faction and required reputation tier; nor can I find the section where the individual boons are described.
Are those bits gone now, or am I just blind? If the former, is the idea that people can just look at the boons for purchase under the Boons tab in My Org Play?

TL;dr: AcP boon tables & full texts were removed from the Starfinder Guide, but you are correct that we ought to be able to (easily) see that info. I will work on that, but it might take a minute.

Fuller version: You're not missing it, the list of Starfinder AcP boons was removed.

Ideally, neither Guide would post copies of the full text of AcP boons, since that's an excellent way to introduce errors, text that is not synchronized, etc. (which is not ideal). But also, it's obviously good to have the info available.

The last time we talked in detail about it, the plan was for the AcP boon store to be the home of the full text of the boons. If nothing else, that's going to take some reworking on the tech side (which is the extent of my knowledge of it). I do not have any info about how that interacts with the bigger project of transitioning the whole of paizo.com to a new system (as others announced), but I can only imagine it's a complicating factor, on top of where things are prioritized to begin with (which I likewise have no info on).

But [1] that may have changed since one or two websites have gone away things have changed since the last time we talked about it; and [2] "ideally" & "in the long run" do not change the need for some easier reference now & in the meantime.

Full disclosure: there's a bunch of work yet to do incorporating the PFS2 Remaster into the Guide. That, plus needing to have the conversations, plus the holiday season means it does not seem likely to happen in the next few weeks. Definitely something I will keep working on, though. And you never know; it could end up being easier than I fear to make it happen.

Perhaps an older but not too old version of the SF Guide would be an ok Supplemental stand-in for the time being? Not a perfect solution and not 100% guaranteed to match up, but I think those Materials are out there.

The religion section still talks about deities that require Evil followers.

Sure does! FYI, the glyph icon next to the Religion header means 'the Guide Team knows this section still needs more attention post-Remaster.'

If you hover over the icon, there's a short explanation, and it's also a link to the Remaster page "Work in Progress" section with a bit fuller discussion.

It doesn't hurt to remind us, though! Just wanted to be sure folks are aware of what the icon means. Thanks!

everyone, I get that old characters are not going to be effected. My problem is this, I have people that will bring new characters built to the 2.0 rules and not the 2.1 or re-master rules. They do NOT look at NETHYS for character build rules. They do not care what NETHYS says. How do I get this understood? PEOPLE DO NOT LOOK AT NETHYS!

Please I am trying to get a point across here and I have to get this understood. The remaster rules need to be an ADDITION instead of the default. I will have people that will look at me and say no and they do not care.

I understand the Paizo will not send out the Pinkerton's to get anyone's books. But I have to point out that many people like myself will not bother to buy the new books, or care if they ever get printed. I may only purchase the mini rule books when they hit my store, but not before that.

Others will never purchase the new books and just run under the older rules. This is a problem for Society play, and stating that these characters need to be built under one set of rules that they may never even look at is not going to work.

This is the first time in the thread you've clearly said that you don't think your players will look at Nethys. [Which makes the "force to buy books" comment make more sense--you just had not let us know your local community doesn't like using online tools until now.]

This is the first time in the thread you've clearly said "Hey, I think the Remaster should be an option, not a requirement." That made it much easier for the rest of us to see it as a heated request for clarity rather than the heated protest you intended.

I get that you're upset. I (now) get that you don't think this is workable for your local community. It's just very hard to receive a message that isn't being clearly sent.

Neither demanding that rules be changed at the eleventh hour nor taking a tone that suggests it's obvious and anyone who doesn't agree with you is a fool or worse is likely to be a winning choice. You're doing both.

(Maybe it's not intentional--and believe me, I'm very aware of how hard it is to get tone right over text--but you are doing both.)

All that said, I hope you don't end up with the problems or the player exodus you are dreading. Be well & good luck!

As I have games on Friday I needed a clarification of which rules we need to build characters under. What should have been posted is the rules for monsters, no need for alignment, the new rules for recall knowledge, and IF you had the new books this is how to build or re-build your character. This just created confusion where none is needed or wanted.

TL;dr: Yes, if something is republished in the Remaster books, you have to use the new version starting on the 15th. No, you do not have to buy the Remaster books.

If you have a character with a reported game on or before Nov 14th, they can use existing rules.

If you have a character that does not have a reported game on or before Nov 14th, they must be built using the Remaster rules--IF and only if their class has been reprinted in Player Core or GM Core.

If you have a character whose class has not (yet) been reprinted, they continue using the existing class regardless of games reported.

No one is required to go buy Player Core or GM Core, as Paizo have consistently said since Remaster was announced. That's what Alex is saying with reference to the Core Assumption.

The change from 1e to 2e is not comparable to the Remaster. The first is putting a whole different engine in the car; the Remaster is giving the car a tune-up and a paint job.

I have some preferences, but I am so excited because any one of these four would be a lot of fun as First Seeker. It's great that even whoever ends up last on my ballot would still be awesome!

And that art is fan-freaking-tastic. Yay!

Exciting news!

John, you should fill out the survey. I don't care that you're not officially a GM in Organized Play. You have thought more deeply about the lore and story of Starfinder Society than many of the casual players who have also been asked to fill this survey out.

FILL IT OUT!

+1 for input from folks who love lore!

Also, when HMM says do it for SF stuff, ya do it. ;)

(which I’m sure goes off without a hitch)

mal-tries-to-speak.gif

I mean, I love it, but ya know...

Terraforming Mars is a truly great game & probably my current favorite as well. Congrats to you both!

So if none of our old sessions have transferred over we need to mail you at orgplayreportingerrors@paizo.com ?

If you mean you're not seeing the AcP grant from games before this summer, make sure you click the refresh button. Can confirm I had to do that myself about 12 hours ago to be able to see mine, and at least one other person did so about 8 hours ago.

Can confirm that messages sent there will work and be read by the OPC; he also asked us VOs to spread the word / remind everyone about refreshing so as many people as possible can have it fixed instantly instead of waiting on an email conversation.

(If you mean something else by 'transfer,' tell us more, please.)

Thank you for the message and the plan going forward. Intentions were good and I think many of us could have made a similar mistake. And many of us appreciate the opportunity to learn from what happened and take your advice for future events.

I can't speak for attendees since I wasn't one. But I'm glad to see this and hopeful for the future.

Thanks!

Several folks have mentioned the Year of Scoured Stars boon which requires spending Fame but has no AcP version at the moment.

There are by my count 16 other boons which exist in the current Guide but have no AcP equivalent. (All boons in the Guide note their cost in Fame & AcP or note they are not currently purchasable with AcP.)

Some of those seem likely destined for retirement. There are a few that it would be good to hear official word on, though:

* a way to remove Infamy with AcP (Basic Purchasing Plan and Untarnished Reputation allow this with Fame, but there is no AcP version)

* Team Spirit (discounts Raise Dead; the service is available in AcP but only at full price)

It is still banned. If AoN lists it as allowed, that is an error in AoN.

Yeah, we ran out of time in the last guide and hadn't managed to get a response. It is still on the list to be fixed.

Just checked, and both reincarnate and animate dead are listed in AoN incorrectly as legal for SFS play. I pointed it out to the AoN team in one of the feedback channels just now.

That is an amazing story. Thank you!

A sprawling bush with 150 foot reach?

Think of all the crops you could have without a single scarecrow!

Looking forward to this campaign.

Plot twist: there are creatures called fluttercutters on this planet which dive from a great height, gathering speed enough to slice off a tendril quickly enough not to get caught by this plant. ;)

Dustin Knight wrote:

Knowing who you are and feeling safe to express your love is so important and I'm overjoyed that Paizo not only recognizes but celebrates its diverse staff and freelancers all year long.

I'm so proud to have the opportunity to write in this post, as Alexander Augunas' post from the Paizo Pride 2019 and our subsequent talks for the past two years were instrumental in helping me understand myself and build up the courage to come out. My only regret is not having met you a decade sooner.

Paizo has fostered an anti-toxic community that makes me feel safe and accepted being who I am, and I can't thank our community leaders enough for giving us this space.

D'aw, silly foxtato. You didn't have to thank me publicly like this. Being friends with you is more than enough.

This content is W H O L E S O M E. Love to see folks being genuine friends and helping each other become their more authentic selves. Happy Pride!

Shahreena, as a fellow Ohioan, I have to ask if you've had Handel's ice cream.

Don't get me wrong, Jeni's is very good. But I couldn't pass up the chance to rep my hometown brand. It's more down-to-earth than Jeni's, but holy cow is it good!

The butter pecan is probably right up your alley (and is a personal favorite), but I also love banana. I don't even like peaches, but for the couple of weeks when they're fresh mid-August and Handel's makes peach ice cream...forget it. So good!

There's one near the Columbus Zoo...

For non-Ohioans: as my wife says, we take our ice cream seriously here. And if you're ever in Columbus for Origins, definitely walk over to North Market for some Jeni's!

Everyone who has commented above this: if Alex or Jared did not already address your questions, I have added your items to the same tracking spreadsheet (with the same caveats about no promises).

Specifically, I've give us reminders to:

* Clarify/add language re: the Ryphorian access boon from the Alien Archive release

* Look into xenodruid mystics' level 10 connection spell, reincarnate, which is not SFS-legal

* Look for and modify references to Fame as appropriate

(It may turn out that some of those belong other places, like the FAQ. We'll pass them along if so!)

Cheers!

Disappointed that Shadowtongue is still not a legal language. Nor any other languages that are from adventure paths.

I just added it to the Guide Task Force's requests tracking spreadsheet. Can't guarantee any particular outcome or timeframe (as those are both beyond my power/pay grade), but it's on the list!

Org Play Con is this coming weekend!

May 7-9 we’re playing Pathfinder 2e, Starfinder, and Pathfinder 1e, from demos to high-level play. Come play!

Authors/Paizo staff GMing:
Dennis Muldoon -- Dustin Knight -- Joshua Hennington -- Scott D. Young -- Elizabeth V Nold -- Ivis K. Flanagan -- Alex Speidel

May 8-10 we’re streaming Pathfinder 2e & Starfinder, with special guests from Paizo, The Glass Cannon Network, & more, hosted by Hearthsinger Games. Hang out and give a little extra luck to Matthew Lillard, Erik Mona, Jason Bulmahn, and more!

Streaming schedule:
Paizo blog

Player signups & event schedule: Tabletop.events

Voice/text chat: JGD Presents Paizo Org Play Con! Discord

VTTs: GM choice; see game signups for details

The third annual Jasper's Game Week is a convention to benefit Jasper's Game Day -- this year featuring Pathfinder and Starfinder Organized Play for the first time!

May 7-9 we’re playing Pathfinder 2e, Starfinder, and Pathfinder 1e, from demos to high-level play. Come play and help us raise funds for suicide prevention and awareness!

Authors/Paizo staff GMing:
Dennis Muldoon -- Dustin Knight -- Joshua Hennington -- Scott D. Young -- Elizabeth V Nold -- Ivis K. Flanagan -- Alex Speidel

Seats at Author/Staff tables still available for:
PFS2: 2-01, 2-06, 2-14, 2-17, Quest 13, and Bounties 7 & 8
SFS: 3-10 and 3-11

May 8-10 we’re streaming Pathfinder 2e & Starfinder, with special guests from Paizo, The Glass Cannon Network, & more, hosted by Hearthsinger Games. Hang out and give a little extra luck to Matthew Lillard, Erik Mona, Jason Bulmahn, and more!

Streaming schedule: Paizo blog

Player signups & event schedule: Tabletop.events

Voice/text chat: JGD Presents Paizo Org Play Con! Discord

VTTs: GM choice; see game signups for details

---
If you need help or someone to talk to about your mental health please call the suicide hotline (USA) at 1-800-273-8255 or visit IASP.info to find your local crisis resources (worldwide).

Jasper’s Game Week is adding Paizo Organized Play! We’re looking for GMs to help us raise funds for suicide prevention and awareness.

GM CON SUPPORT: If you would like a free copy of the scenarios you’re running, please respond by Sunday, April 11.

We’re planning a wide range of tables, from demos of Starfinder & Pathfinder 2e to high-level PFS1 scenarios, running around the clock, including almost all of Starfinder Society Year 3. Use the virtual tabletop of your choice to help us make it awesome for players old & new!

Player signups open April 11. Join us!

POPCon Schedule: Tabletop.events

GM signup: Google Form

Paizo forums: Main announcement

---

If you need help or someone to talk to about your mental health please call the suicide hotline (USA) at 1-800-273-8255 or visit IASP.info to find your local crisis resources (worldwide).

This is the first time I've ever written something that got art and the bar has been set extremely high! I love it!!!!!!!

I love it too!

...and I never want to hear you complain about a pun again.

GM signups are now open for Jasper's Game Day presents POPCon -- click here!

Check out the entire POPCon schedule. Player signups open April 11.

For more information, see my forum post with more links. Hope to see you there!

I'm on the committee. I can't make any promises -- just confirming at least one of us has read and made notes of this thread.

In the event of 'fight to the death' I make darn sure to highlight that the differences in opinion are irreconcilable and no amount of Diplomacy is going to change that.

Now, if *despite* that the party attempts to take them alive, I'm not going to punish the party for being moral *if* they don't make the mistake of securing their new prisoners.

Having recently GMd for you in one of those SFS scenarios, I think there’s a “not” missing in there — as in “...the mistake of NOT securing their new prisoners...”

Interestingly (and I believe as I said at the time), I don’t think the scenario specifies whether that particular baddie fights to the death (or morale at all). But it implies she’s very annoyed with you and plus I got to use a fun ability, so I figured your saying ‘now behave’ not actually stopping her (even after the courtesy heal) was fair.

I’m glad it didn’t end up killing any PCs, but that extra spice of worrying about that was :chef’s kiss:

Also can confirm the character flavor was a hilariously perfect fit for the scenario, and even made a bit where you can (RAW) avoid a combat seem more concretely logical. A delight!

Can I just say how much I love the this blog post? Brilliant and touching short story with a surprise gift after for the reader.

So good!