PunkPrincess's page

Chalk that up to the fact that we were writing the adventure and developing it at the same time we were learning the rules. From an RP standpoint, some of Dahak's spells can be interpeted as being things he uses against lesser foes, though.

My take is that it's not an error, and that it's one of the benefits the PCs have for being 20th level when they confront him that he can't cast massacre on them as effectively. This helps to justify why the PCs are the ones taking him on and not, say, a less powerful group.

And of course, the avatar has PLENTY of other options available to use against the PCs. He won't be able to use all of his abilities in the course of a battle, after all, and the players will never notice that he didn't use a 9th level spell on them when he instead breath weapons and bites and thrashes and casts other things.

For being written in tandem with the rules is astonishing to me that everything is as functional as it is with only a few hiccups here and there. Thanks for the reply, that makes a lot of sense!

First of all, this is such a good g#! d%%n AP. This game absolutely stands alongside Return of the Runelords, Curse of the Crimson Throne, and Hell's Rebels as my picks for the best APs ever penned by Paizo. So, many hundreds of kudos!

My question is about the spell selection for Dahak's Manifestation at the end of the campaign. One of his 9th level spells is Massacre, which is definitely among the most badass spells in the game, no doubt. My question though, is that the text of the spell says it can only affect creatures up to level 17 when the PCs will certainly be level 20 at this point. Was there another rationale towards giving him this spell, or am I missing something in the spell's text that still lets it damage higher level characters. I know that there's the bit about dealing 30 negative energy damage to everything in the line if nobody dies, but it still seems underwhelming.

I'd love to know if I'm missing something here. If not I'll probably just switch out the spell for another damage dealing spell like Meteor Swarm or Storm of Vengeance, but conjuring a Dragonstorm instead.

Thanks!

Just wanted to pop in and say that the big spread art pieces here are f&&!ing incredible. Well done.

Always enjoyed the Forewords. The contextualized the adventure from a designer's standpoint really well, and gave me a sense of what to expect. I'm a GM that likes to change and play around with adventure paths, and I felt like they helped me do that, while staying true to what the designers liked about it.

I love more content though, very much support that.

I had Meyanda show up almost immediately in the Adventure Path, running into the PCs as they were leaving Silverdisk Hall. One of my PCs was playing an Android, and the two of them got to talking. She would show up every once in a while, and eventually it had become clear that her and the PCs were on opposing sides, a fact neither her nor the PC particularly liked. A minor romance ended up forming between them, which culminated in her turning to their side at the final encounter of the module.

She accompanied them to Scrapwall, but unfortinately the campaign ended up falling apart. It made for a very dramatic climax to book 1 though. I played up her desire for true independence and almost built her as this Android saviour type. The PCs all really ended up liking her, which added a huge emotional weight to the last encounter.

Unspaceman wrote:

The versatility in combat you get with the Brawler is kind of unparalleled, as long as you build your core feats properly

Not to derail the main conversation too much (but i will anyway) what would you consider building the core feats for maximum versatility? Ive only played brawler once so i doubt i got it right.

My personal go-to's are the following

Power Attack
Combat Expertise/Dirty Fighting
Dodge and Mobility
Weapon Focus
Combat Reflexes

6 feats spent, and you don't have to go in on them all the way. Those feats branch off into 90% of the martial feat trees in the entire game. For maximum combat versatility I like high Str and Dex builds, and don't forget that Brawlers can use a shield to bump up their AC, unlike Monks. Mithral Armor too, eventually, Kikko for the best Dex use, Breastplate for everything else.

In my opinion the two most versatile Martial Classes are Brawler, and Lore Warden/Martial Master Fighter multi-archetype. The versatility in combat you get with the Brawler is kind of unparalleled, as long as you build your core feats properly, you can extend outwards into many different builds on the fly, without sacrificing raw power. Access to Combat Maneuvers when you need them, picking up Dedicated Adversary (PC: DTT) to bump up effectiveness against specific creatures, and let's not forget that Ghostslayer (PC: HHH) even lets you target Incorporeal Creatures!

But if you want more feats in your life, as well as a bit of knowledge, Lore Warden/Martial Master Fighter gives the eventual versatility of Martial Flexibility at level 5, but also a bevvy of new class skills to work with, the ability to focus down specific creatures with Know Thy Enemy, and the ability to negate critical hits at 11th.

Unspaceman wrote:

I'm sorry Xanaver, but nowhere does it say "The GM must be fair."

Core Rulebook, Chapter 1, Common Terms wrote:

Game Master (GM): A Game Master is the person who adjudicates the rules and controls all of the elements of the story and world that the players explore. A GM's duty is to provide a fair and fun game.

Come again?

Well ya got me there, m8. I suppose my only counterpoint is "Fair is Subjective."

It just appears that the item provided a benefit, and as far as our info goes, it doesn't appear to have hinted at this. The GM is being a dick, because the GM shouldn't decide how the players build their characters.

I understand that optimizing is an issue to some GMs, but this guy doesn't sound like a powergamer to me, so I see no reason for the GM to force him to take levels he doesn't want to. Is everyone else in the party being told to take levels in classes they don't want to?

Player's builds aren't sacrosanct. If they're in the world, they're subject to the same rules as the rest of the things in the world, and can be f*@*ed with by the GM. To defend the anonymous GM here, it sounds like something being done for the sake of the story, and GM expects OP to roll with the punches, just like the character is going to need to roll with the punches. I'm sorry Xanaver, but nowhere does it say "The GM must be fair."

OP, unfortunately, Sorcerer/Monk is just not a super effective combination, even if you're using Wis as your Spellcasting modifier. But, there are a couple of things you might be able to pull. First, I would argue with your GM that if you take Stormborn as your Bloodline, it should stack with Eldritch Heritage for the purposes of that feat, to make Thunderstaff function at 1/2 your character level. You now have "Mad Shocks yo". Use your Sorcerer spells early on to focus on the good utility, I'm talkin Mage Armor, True Strike, Expeditious Retreat, Shield. You thought your AC was boss BEFORE? Oh buddy, the GM is gonna regret that extra +8 he just stacked onto your head. Wanna keep up with the Storm/Flying theme you've got going? Alter Winds. You now have a 10-ft radius Aura of Anime Powerup.

Additional Traits! Magical Knack! Practically mandatory to make this anything other than a sadness generator. You're essentially going to become very very good at touching things with Shocking Grasp at this point, as well as flying around and basically being a badass with your Chakra unlocking. If you embrace the change, and do your best to add to the story, your GM WILL work with you (if he's a GM worth his salt) to make the transition as painless as possible. You're gonna fall off for a couple levels, but you're clearly not thinking on optimizing. The more levels you get in Sorcerer, the easier your life is gonna be. If you want, dip a level in a class that gives you All Martial Weapons known, (I'd recommend Magus. Your BAB will suffer, but Spell Combat is really nice) and when you hit Sorcerer level 5, start going Eldritch Knight.

If I knew more context about the build, feat selection, Ability Scores, etc, I could provide more insight, but that's good in a pinch.

If you want to get the PCs clawing at each other's hackles, and looking over their shoulders constantly, here's my suggestion...

The first time a PC experiences a Nightmare within the walls of the Briarstone Asylum, add the following to the list of visions.

"The PC selected awakens in an unfamiliar area of the Asylum, in the middle of violent struggle. Just as the combat begins to feel won, the PCs feel a sharp, burning pain piercing through their back, into their lung, forcing them to gasp as they choke for air through their own blood, seeping into their lungs. They slump to the cold stone floor, and the last thing they see is a randomly generated PC standing over them, rapier in hand, dripping blood, eyes glowing a sickly yellow..."

If you wanna make it super fun, give every PC the exact same vision with the same PC acting as the betrayer. Then, when it comes for that PC to take their sleep... They're still the betrayer! Keep notes, so you can keep details of this fantasy combat consistent along each vision. For best effects, pick a major combat you plan on running later in the module, or later on in the AP. As soon as the PCs begin to recognize the environment, and their enemies, you know they'll be flipping their lids.

Hey everybody. I've been playing with a specific Pathfinder group for about... going on two years now, spread out all across Canada and the United States, and since we have an excess of Cthulhu fans in the group, I got together 4 people from said group, and began running Strange Aeons.

There's only one homebrew element in this campaign... First off, I've started the PCs with an alignment of "???". As soon as the first module concludes, we'll be talking about our characters and decide as a group which alignment fits who. Also, our Alchemist possess a custom Archetype. It may not be immediately apparent his abilities, but I hope you'll enjoy it as it goes.

THE PARTY

Nik - Playing Ken, Alchemist (???), Tiefling
Steph - Playing Azuma, Unchained Rogue (Knife Master), Kitsune
Derek - Playing Nevaeh, Time Oracle, Aasimar
Scott - Playing Renza, Alchemist (Eldritch Font), Fetchling

Part 1

If anyone has questions, or thoughts, please, I love hearing conversation about my games, and I know the players will enjoy it as well!

And obviously, SPOILERS AHEAD!

Name of PC: J.D
Class/Level: Human Sorcerer 7
Adventure: Shadows of Time
Catalyst: "Lovely" Xanesha
Story: We ascended to the top of the Shadow Clock, ready to confront the leader. Of course, Xanesha was waiting for us, invisible. Surprise round, crit with the spear, dealt enough damage to kill J.D outright. The rest of the fight was... brutal. Incredibly brutal.