Wow. That was fast. I always thought it was pie-zo but my friends all pronounced it pay-zo. Thanks for the quick reply, my curiosity is satisfied!
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I'm not sure where to post this, but I am dying to know. Is it pronounced "pay-zo" or "pie-zo"?
Thank you! I look forward to getting it into my hot little hands!
Also no sign of Pathfinder 4 here. Pathfinder 5 arrived about a week ago.
I haven't received Pathfinder #5 yet but just got the email saying #6 is shipping on Tuesday. I still haven't received #4 yet though. If I haven't got it by Tuesday could you ship a Pathfinder 4 with 6? Order #881319. Thanks!
Thanks a lot James for providing all this info on the deities. One of my players wants to play a cleric of Cayden Cailean. Is there anything you could tell me about him that would help my player get started until the gazetteer comes out in March? Thanks.
Hello, I am a Canadian subscriber and I have yet to receive Pathfinder #4. I received notice on Dec 5 that it was expected to ship by Dec 11. I'm wondering if Christmas/New Years could have caused this delay or if you should send a replacement with #5 when it ships. Normally I receive my issue around the end of the month, so it is about 2 weeks late. Thanks. -Chris
Is there an estimate on how long Pathfinder takes to ship to Canada? I live in Vancouver, BC and my email states it was shipped on Aug 27, 12 business days ago. Should I expect to get it within 18 business days or will international delivery take longer? I am used to getting Dungeon late (#150 just arrived last week) but I thought that was due to it being shipped as a magazine. It is my understanding that Pathfinder is being shipped regular mail.
How is Seoni's name pronounced?
Sean K Reynolds' webpage says that monsters with Improved Grab don't count as grappled. However, the Monster Manual entry for Improved Grab says that they need to take a -20 penalty to grapple checks in order to not be considered grappled. This makes a big difference because if the monster the PCs are fighting is their only opponent, it is almost a disadvantage for it to grapple a PC and lost its Dex bonus to AC and all additional attacks, as all it really gains is the incapacitation of one PC. Anyone know which is correct?
It's worth noting that Soller Vark's tactics have him doing flamboyant but suboptimal combat tactics like disarm and bull rush even if it's not an appropriate moment. I plan to use this to spare my PCs if things go awry. Of more concern, however, is the rhagodessa. 1d8+6 will pretty much lay any 1st level PC flat in one hit, especially if they are wounded from fighting the thugs first. At least it's AC is only 14...
I may have just received a funky issue. The illustrations in my copy for the Savage Tide adventure are so dark much of their content is, I fear, obscured. If everyone else's are better, I'll scoot down to the local gaming shop and grab another copy! The first illustration, opposite the title page, is too dark. The others are a tad dark but still visible.
Hi, I find the "Adventure Hook" section of There Is No Honor a little lacking in inspiration. I'm wondering if any other DMs have come up with a prelude to get the campaign going, a sort of way for the PCs to meet each other/get the adventurer reputation they are supposed to have? I prefer to roleplay this rather than just invent backstory and then start the PCs off at 0 XP :)
My group didn't go through the kitchen/storage area either. They went through the ghoul tunnels, the sewers, and up into the shrine from down there. Oh yes, I forgot about that. How did your PCs navigate the tight submerged passages to get to the refuse pit? Or did they remove the stone plug? My group has been preparing all battle spells for the gladiatorial matches and hasn't bothered with transmute rock to mud or other spells like that that could be used on the stone plug (and it's pretty much impossible to bash open underwater). Instead the druid wildshaped into a crocodile and explored on his own. As soon as he encountered the ghasts he fled and they gave up. I think they're not taking this option too seriously because the entire party can't swim through the submerged tunnels. Tomorrow is the final battle of the Champion's Games, which could prove incredibly nasty if the ulgurstasta is released. Ah well, should be fun. I'm also wondering, I'm confused by how areas 24 and 21 interact. Area 24 talks about a sewer conduit that slopes down to area 21 but on the map it looks like the actual access point up to area 24 is not in 21 nor connected to it. Where did you put the access point, area 21 or at the point indicated on the map? I fully expect my PCs not to explore these caverns anymore but just in case...
Well as I suspect is true for a lot of groups, mine didn't happen to explore the kitchen or whatever the ONLY room is that leads to the Kyuss Shrine in Champion's Belt. So they've explored Raknian's Manor, which I improvised and now they're about to head to the Titan's House. My plan is to leave a blueprint for the Coenoby that shows a middle level (but only rough details) in the chamber with the ghasts...perhaps one of them was an architect who Raknian had killed so as to keep the shrine area secret. However, I would not be surprised if they decide to continue exploring past the areas in the adventure. Has anyone detailed the ghoul tunnels? Any cool ideas other than oodles and oodles of ghouls?
My group has been playing since shortly after the Whispering Cairn came out (~last July). We've played every week except about 3 since then and they just killed Telakin from Hall of Harsh Reflections. Half my group are noobs and we only get about 2 1/2 hours of playing time a session. So the game moves *very* slowly. It takes about 10 sessions to finish an adventure, although HoHR is taking longer. Currently I'm worried their encounter with Zyrxog is going to lead to a TPK. I mean mind blast, SR, minions, levitate. There's not many weaknesses this guy has.
I also ruled that the wand of shatter dealt damage to the wind warriors as if they were crystalline creatures. I felt the encounter was very hard and thought this was a perfect opportunity to reward the PCs for their cleverness by ruling that their idea would work. Not only did the wand save their butts, but I awarded a Hero Point to the wizard for thinking to use it!
IMC, the Free City Adventurers started working for Smenk after the PCs refused to. They were both exploring the cultists lairs until the PCs returned to the surface and apprehended Dourstone. Dourstone made pathetic attempts at bribery, then escape, then pleaded for his life. They turned him in to the Sheriff. Then the Free City Adventurers bribed the Sheriff to "forget" that it was the PCs who dropped Dourstone off. That it was Smenk and his agents who discovered the treachery, and to "consider" this good deed when deciding future ownership of the mine. The PCs don't seem to have realized this has happened--and the evidence against Smenk in the Temple of Vecna has yet to be recovered--so as it stands Smenk will move in and take over the copper mine. However, if the PCs find the evidence against Smenk and bring it forward, he will stand to face a trial and the mine will fall under state ownership after that. If they ignore or miss the evidence, Smenk will grow even more powerful...
I made them proficient in longspear and nonproficient in dagger. According to the DMG, 1st-level commoners are CR 1/2, so increasing them to second level would be a bit overpowering. The clerics' stat blocks are written as if they had flails, including the damage they do. I just assumed "heavy flail" meant "flail". Flail is Hextor's favoured weapon, after all.
To anyone who has issue 128 already: I am considering turning the rival adventurers into serious rivals of the PCs. They are now working for Smenk and the PCs just captured a pleading Dourstone after exploring the temples under his mine. I want the rival adventurers to interfere, claiming they captured Dourstone, exposed the cultists, etc., so the title of the mine can be passed to Smenk as a reward for rooting out evil. However, my party already eyes them suspiciously and this may turn them into outright enemies. Anyone who has read 128, will this negatively affect the events of that adventure? I heard that Auric made an appearance in the Free City Arena.
I live in Vancouver, Canada. Hence the extra week it takes to get here.
I usually receive my issue 3 weeks after ship date. Where do you live? Most US subscribers receive theirs about 2 weeks after ship date.
An ulgurstasta is nasty, yes, but not out of the realm of the capabilities of a ~10th-level party. 5th level spells are brutal. Remember, the thing doesn't use its *devastating* breath weapon unless desperate. By that time the PCs should be close to killing it. The difficulties I can see are swallow whole, DR and SR. The breath weapon will be a bit of a crapshoot (a high roll could kill several PCs at once, a low one could be a pain but ultimately not that dangerous, esp. if they pass saves). However, it only has one attack dealing an average of 23 points of damage per hit. Power Attack is an option, but using too much could result in the thing missing a lot. With "only" 110 hp and AC 17, a focussed party with the right equipment could take it down rather quickly. I've fought creatures with over 100 hp at level 4 and won. It will be a challenge, but an appropriate one. As I don't have the module, I can't comment on the froghemoth other than to say "what the hell is that?"
PC Name: Elzar (CN half-elf druid)
Exactly. Here's what I envision happening: DM (to unwitting PC the next morning): Roll a Fortitude save.
(Cleric prepares and casts remove disease on afflicted PC). Hmmm...wonder where that came from. Oh well. Carry on. (Repeat as PCs consume other infected potions).
Actually, EL for encounters EL 2 or lower works differently. To double the EL, you double the number of creatures. So one orc is EL 1/2. Two orcs are EL 1. Four orcs are EL 2. Eight orcs are EL 4. Sixteen orcs are EL 6.
except for the symbols on the doors--you'd wanna get rid of those. And the tiefling guards banging on the door to the Hextor temple. You'd probably have to leave that as the Hextor one.
What level were your characters? My party of 8 is nearing the Temple of Vecna and most are still 3rd level. I'm fearing a similar TPK in my group, as it looks like you didn't include Melinde in your cast of characters (my party is 7 + Melinde).
Personally, I'm more interested in knowing why the Faceless One has a 21 Intelligence when he's only have one Ability score boost and is allegedly human. Or maybe he is a reincarnated grey elf?
Personally, I'm more interested in knowing why the Faceless One has a 21 Intelligence when he's only have one Ability score boost and is allegedly human. Maybe he read a Tome of Clear Thought (+2)?
The adventure says CR 1/3 The adventure says a lot of things. It's full of typos. I counted them as CR 1/2.
I have 5 pc's in my group. When they encountered the ebon aspect they were all 3rd level. They took it out in 3 rounds and it only hit the rogue once. I think it was right on target. The pc's were out of spells and the fighters were low on hit points. I nearly threw another one at them just because it went so quick. It would be helpful to hear exactly how your PCs achieved this. Especially since for one of those rounds the Aspect could have been invincible using Bloodthirst of Erythnul. At least it doesn't have fast healing. Most of the time, anyway.
Yes, he seems under-CRed. He's fast, has quite a few hit points, 4 attacks, and those special abilities. Plus he's practically immune to magic with all that SR and energy resistance and Blessing of Vecna to boot. Add in Power Attack and Cleave and he'll be slaying multiple characters every turn. I'm hoping my PCs will have some common sense and flee back to town where the numbers of the garrison and power of Allustan can finally kill the Aspect. I'm not sure how Mearls envisioned 4th- to 5th-level characters killing this thing. My party will be encountering it in 2 sessions probably so if anyone could post innovative ways their PCs slew it or warnings of what to watch out for, that would be helpful. That said, if he uses max Power Attack he will miss a lot of the time (+4/+3/+3/+3). You can roleplay his rage by having him always max out his Power Attack, which may not be optimal if the PCs have good ACs. He is also very limited at ranged combat. PCs with Spring Attack or (magical) ranged attacks will do very well against him. Inexperienced PCs or close-combat specialists are venturing close to TPK town.
I think they should be CR 1/2, no? Isn't that the standard CR for 1st-level NPC classes?
According to the calculator an EL 13 encounter is most appropriate. This seems right. EL 16 would wipe out the party.
This link may be helpful to you: http://www.d20srd.org/encounterCalculator.htm
I guess my party got kinda lucky. I rolled fairly low for Hide (7 or something--for a total of 21) and the druid Spotted it. So no surprise. It wasted its first action trying to sleep the half-elf druid. Then the barbarian finished it off. I suppose if 3 of them got surprise on a party it could be trouble. Still, I thought they were over-CRed. CR 2 is quite high for a 2HD creature that doesn't have a damaging attack.
Really? My party's barbarian killed it in one hit. The thing tried a sleep ray on a half-elf and died the following round. With Int 4, I ruled it would not be able to distinguish between elves and non-elves. They are weak with low hp. My party had no trouble with it.
Well, if you liked those, here's some more: Area 8: Keep the Face in Darkness trap the same. It is already CR 4 and if your party is 4th level I wouldn't worry about scaling it up. It's not meant to kill PCs, just warn them that they can't proceed any further without solving the puzzle. Area 9: Change to ungol dust vapour trap, DMG p. 72 (CR increases from 2 to 5) Area 10: Add two more lurking stranglers, increasing EL from 2 to 5. Area 11: I would change this to yellow mould, although at CR 6 that might be a bit harsh. On the other hand, fire, which should be in abundance in a 4th-level party, destroys it. To make it a bit less obvious, you could put the mould in some old sacks so it isn't obvious until the PCs disturb it or examine the sacks closely without touching them. Area 13: Make the earth elemental a Large one (CR increases from 1 to 5--I found the Small earth elemental to be a pushover for my party). Area 16: Advance the bombardier beetle to 6 HD (+2 CR) and add two beetle swarms. This makes it an EL 6 encounter. Area 17: Increase the size of this room and make the animated object Huge (CR 5) or keep it the same and make it a caryatid column (CR 6; Fiend Folio 30). It isn't likely this thing will spring to life anyway given the trigger conditions, so I wouldn't worry too much about scaling it. Advance the bombardier beetle to 6 HD (CR 4). Area 19: Make it a Medium water elemental (CR 3). Given the difficulty of fighting underwater, I wouldn't make it Large, as its powers become much more effective as it increases in size. Area 21: Make Ulavant an advanced, 8 HD ghast (CR 4).
I thought it might be useful to add some specifics to my "scale up the adventure" comment in an earlier post. I stand by my recommendation to run the Whispering Cairn. I will post some example modifications and if you are interested I will continue. S
Since your party is 3 levels higher than the average party, our goal is to increase ELs by 3. I maintain that the larger party size is necessary due to the deadliness of the adventure and won't be scaling for size, only for level. Area 4: Change the wolves to dire wolves. This increases the EL from 3 to 6. Area 7 (Sarcophagus): Change to fireball trap (DMG, p. 72). EL increases from 2 to 5. Area 7 (Green Lantern): Add a second mad slasher and two more beetle swarms. EL increases from 3 to 6. Area 7 (Indigo Lantern): Keep the trap the same, but increase damage to 6d6, Search DC to 20 and Disable Device DC to 25. (See DMG, p. 72: falling block trap). This increases the EL from 2 to 5.
I just want to point out that Boz was merely quoting an Amazon.com poster. It was not his intention to promote the poster's viewpoint. On the contrary, he prefaced his post by saying the following review was one of the least useful.
I too recommend running Whispering Cairn. Aside from the fact that it is a stunning adventure in its own right, it is designed to set up the plot for the entire campaign and allow the PCs time to roleplay their characters and get a feel for them while meeting a lot of NPCs and getting to know Diamond Lake. This is too important to replace with a diary entry. Just scale up the adventure. It's already tough as it is and there are scaling tips in the Online Supplement. As the XP system is self-correcting, soon you won't need to do any scaling.
First off, Blackwall Keep is an adventure designed for 5th-level adventurers, who have spells like dispel magic already. By the end of 3 Faces, PCs who started Whispering Cairn at 1st level might have reached 5th. So your party is not that far away from where it should be. Scale the adventures until they are of the appropriate level, and all will be well. Worry less about challenging your PCs and more about building an involving and entertaining world for them. This is what is truly rewarding about D&D.
Thanks, that description helps. What race is the alter self casting wizard? That's a pretty sneaky use of a 2nd-level spell to mimic the effects of a 3rd level spell. Although I guess the caster did pay the +1 LA to be an aasimar or tiefling, which is the race I am assuming they are playing. And I take it the caster chose earth mephit?
I assume that rod he weilds is in the DM 3.5 (which i dont have) so im hoping someone can give me th "low down" on exactly what it does, as well as the price of it please. http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/rods.htm#metamagicExtend
Tyralandi...the masses clamour for tales of your exploits! i.e., I wanna hear what happens next!
Sounds good to me. Thanks for all y'all's help deciphering the code that is the darkness spell description!
On pg. 40 of Dungeon #124 it states that Merovinn Bask's brooch of shielding has 35 charges. On the DMG pg. 250 it states that brooch has no charges; however, it can absorb up to 101 points of magic missle damage. Shouldn't pg. 40 read that the brooch is capable of absorbing only 35 more points of magic missle damage? That's what I took it to mean.
Read the Special Attacks intro of the ghost template carefully. It says: "The ghost also gains a manifestation ability plus one to three other special attacks as described below." The attacks Alastor has were chosen from the list in the Monster Manual.
It is stated that the observatory is 5 minutes north of Diamond Lake. Is that a misprint? 5 minutes isn't very far. Nope...just look at the Diamond Lake map. It's actually on the map of the town. I explained to my PCs that it was on a hill on the outskirts of town. I didn't bother saying it was "5 minutes north".
Thanks, I do have the Player's Handbook and have read these entries. What's confusing is that both spells seem to "counter or dispel" each other. Is this like a dispel magic targeted dispel or is it automatic? Does this mean that an everburning torch brought within a darkness spell would fizzle AND the darkness spell would be ended? Or do they merely suppress each other for the duration of the darkness spell? (leaving any nonmagical light in the area intact).
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