rknop wrote:
I want to give a shot at explaining it, or at least my memory of it at our table (when used). First, the lower the better. An initiative of 1 was a god send. All modifiers added (basically) to your roll until you reached the number in initial order. (Excuse my iPad typing)
The troll rolls a 3 and had three attacks (claw,claw,bite) so its initial that round was 9,15, and 21 So... Init in order was
This is an example and it is SUPER clunky based on modern styles but sometimes I miss it. Every round of every combat was so dynamic and yet in my experience on both sides of the screen, was faster. We did it so often it didn't SEEM as complicated as it was. To conclude, the value of a dagger with multiple attacks was great because it was possible to get in many attacks before the claymore wielder even got off a swing, even if you both rolled the same number. Ps- I still catch myself grabbing my 10 sided when it is initiative time
I greatly miss weapon speeds personally.
Pax Veritas wrote:
I want this as my signature line in every forum or email ever.
Borrow some ideas from the Pathfinder Society forums.
Just an idea.
GeraintElberion wrote:
I don't recognize the others but spoiler:
Aliver "Pillbug" Podiker is the local apothecary and owner of The Pillbug’s Pantry in Sandpoint As to the remainder of the cards, good job. My favorite new art is Erylium. And Tsuto I like more than the original art. The only card I immediately changed was Aldern Foxglove. I will reuse that card as a different NPC.
Core is the same game, albeit with more options though. Additional rules as well. I have seen success first hand by having the player create a new character using information from the existing PFBB character as reference and just following the leveling steps in Core. For semi-new players, Core can be very intimidating. Just have them go slow.
glio wrote: I'd just get the character sheet for the full game and start transcribing the info from the BB sheet. Once you've filled in all that you have, see what is missing and go from there. Agreed. Another option is to take the BB character sheet, and transpose it by just opening Core and following the character creation steps, using your existing information, reading as you go. This greatly shrinks the Core into easily (or easier) digested chunks of only what is pertinent to that character.spoiler: Hero Lab helps too
blackbloodtroll wrote:
OP specifically said no undead. To the OP- Unless your writing it to be published, it doesn't matter. You say it is from an animated painting and whenever the "creature" walks out of frame it spawns, Or... a soul driven rune on the floor. Any creature which dies within 30 feet of the runes causes a permanent summon spell to activate,
The OP does have a valid point in that the BB does include Dwarves, but not as a pregen. The racial choices are Dwarf, Human, and Elf. While I understand the use of iconics, it would have made sense to include a dwarf option. It would have been better than a dual-wielding Valeros who in BB doesn't dual wield. Even one of my players who had zero prior rpg experience asked why all the art shows two weapons but she can't use two weapons. The iconics aren't really all that Iconic if you are new and don't know their history.
agentJay wrote:
Everyone on this board draws inspiration from some form or another. Just do what is comfortable to you and do not fret too much about doing it 'right' when you are new. This is because you can't really do it wrong. You just become more efficient and entertaining as time goes by and with practice. I will give two outlandish examples as, well... examples: Die Hard (the original)
A commute to work.
Three: whatever you want. A dungeon is just a flowchart with decorations. Start small. the rest will come. Have fun.
jdrakeh wrote: Would the Pathfinder Beginner Box work well as an E6-type Pathfinder variant? I ask, ..... How 'bout it? Will it work like that? Absolutely. I brought my players to Pathfinder using the Beginners Box and they said that was good for them with no additional Core+ so I am in a way running an E5/6 campaign already, and other than less 'stuff' I don't see the difference. I plan to expand EdoWars template even more than I already have to make it go to sixth level with far reaching feats allowing limited 4th level spells. Like a total a 6 overall. All weapons are capped at a max of +4 in any combination, and those are VERY rare. BUT(I love starting statements with BUT, it makes grammar ppl twitch)... The BB is a great stand alone product. You do not need to change anything to have a wondrous time, as many threads in this area have shown.
A runelord simulacrum has already risen, but is frozen behind magical barriers and trapped in a form of elemental ice deep in the Sea of Fallen Stars in a partial Dead Magic/Wild Magic area 1,000 feet below the surface. I started with the Beginners Box, Blackfang to start the story with pregens, followed by Crypt of the Everflame set in a large moor. The 'sister' held prisoner at the end was Nualia as a child. I used her torment received as the impetus for the beginning of her fall. Father Tobyn moved her to Dawnpoint shortly thereafter to oversee the cathedral construction. He was secretly a Runelord cultist and tortured Nualia for years. She finally snapped and events happen much as the RotRL backstory. My kick started campaign takes place 12 years later. It started with an attack upon the ship the PCs were on escorting a noble named Aldern Foxcloven to (a CITY)when they were attacked by Sahuagin and a Kraken (all toned down for BB characters) and were saved by another ship but were forced to dock in Dawnpoint for repairs. While in town the cathedral was attacked by Nualia's Goblins. Next a brief wilderness encounter series then Glassworks and Catacombs of the Hidden. Followed by Thistletop as a submerged coral complex against Sahuagin (Goblin stats) blah blah blah leading to a race against pirates, Thayvian Cultists and the Pathfinder Society throughout the Fallen Sea before eventually going aquadic for the BBEG events. That's the shortest version I can give. Thanks for asking. ps- For clarity my campaign world is a cut/paste hodgepodge of Golarion/Forgotten Realms Heartlands and my own politic notes from an old homebrew campaign setting from the 90s I made. Spoiler: And yes you are correct. The new cathedral is indeed similar to Notre Dame except the "unusual and unique glasswork" of the mostly glass cathedral is actually a form of the same "Elemtental Ice" entrapping the Runelord BBEG for the campaign. Of course the local Glassworks received all credit for their wondrous work over the last 5 years. The L'Kos family patriarch was corrupted at the same time Chopper was etc) NPC names and history were changed from RotRL
A chain of islands, atolls, sandbars, and coral formations with a form of surf/atmosphere that makes air or water-travel impossible or too hazardous. Combine this with some of the above mentioned ideas of vegetation mazes, an abandoned, partially flooded ruins of a city and odd tiered ruins in a valley and you can simulate a "megadungeon" without ever leaving the surface. A classic dungeon is, after all, just a flowchart with stone walls. Change the walls.
For my campaign I needed to make some changes to Sandpoint. They are going to be extensive enough to warrant a name change so I chose Dawnpoint. My campaign is 1/3 swashbuckling naval adventure(later), 1/3 a very edited RotRL, and 2/3 custom. Yeah I suck at math. What I have started to do is rework Sandpoint into Dawnpoint in map form. I moved Chopper's Isle northwest, expanded the coastline to include a high bluff and cliffs upon which a naval fortress has recently been constructed. I changed (and will continue to rework) the river and have started to grow the town on the eastern and southern shores. The biggest change, besides redoing every building, but keeping the same feel, is I remodeled and moved the cathedral. I have posted a demo image on my blog and would like feedback on what you would change if this were your 'mostly blank' town. The cathedral move was integral to the change and will not change based on feedback. For fun on a Friday, bonus points to anyone who recognizes the cathedral. In my opinion it is the most stunning building in the world.
For an encounter coming up I have a need of a powder or ground crystal or similar which can reconstitute or restore something to its previous condition. Is there such a thing already? If there is not, what spells can I apply to the creation of a new magic item to simulate this? This needs to be something beyond "Mending". Campaign Info not needed to answer question: In this particular instance, it is going to be a very rare, recently rediscovered (powdered crystal) from a rogue fey society which was active during the time of the Runelords based in Thassilon. The Pathfinder Society lost it transporting it back to Absalom.
This is a plot device in a massively reworked mix of RotRL /Jade Regent campaign. The 'bad guy' wants this powder to reconstitute the obelisks in the Sandpoint Cathedral, which will cause the "Lighthouse" to return from its protective pocket dimension where it has been hidden since the fall of the Runelords. It is fully operational of course. Ideas?
JohnF wrote:
My group hasn't gotten that far yet but they will. I have no doubt which of my players is going to try their best to burn the entire coastline. I can't wait.
I portray my Goblins as pyromaniacs to the point of fanaticism. One encounter I described how they got their hands on a lit torch and were jumping around like "Gollum whom just recovered his precious". One gobo set three others on fire and they died with faces of glee saying thank you as they burned to death. The one with the torch ran off laughing like a maniac while the other gobos became so infuriated at the PCs that THEY didn't get the torch they went into a beserker frenzy (barbarian rage). Now where my players have caught me off guard: My wife wants a goblin "pet" or sidekick and every time her party attacks (unprovoked) goblins, she defends them and uses her Channel on them and not the party.
This has become my "amusing read while bored at work" thread. I really do not get it. Those who agree with the "You took craft X so make me X and I will be drinking a beer and don't you dare charge me a dime more than half of what I would have to pay had you not learned something you did when I was around." are never going to be in agreement with the "You want me to spend my Saturday working on your computer, sorry digressed... making you a toy.. for free?" Crowd. Fee-Haters- Yes, because you can make it you should.
That's all there is to it. I am in a goofy mood and decided to fan the flames a little but the point is the same. I hope none of you fee-haters are lawyers, doctors, dentists etc because your friends are going to expect you to give them fillings and checkups at cost, because you can. It helps your "group" of friends.
Gorbacz wrote:
This!
Wow this thread has gotten long. I skipped many pages I admit but... Bob Sue Kathy and Bill. Your average party. Bill receives some training and can make a flashlight for $20 after a stop at Johns Light shop for parts. Bob Sue and Kathy can either buy the flashlight from Bill for $22 ($20 + 10% or $2 for his time) or go to the local adventure-mart and buy it for $40. What is the discussion? That Bill should sell it to them for $20 because he made it himself? You still saved $18 why are you complaining? And what do you say to John? He is an even bigger jerk because he must have read some rulebook to a GAME that said he had to sell at fixed price even if he was "some kind of special" who could blow on dust-bunnies and make batteries at no cost. Bill still has to pay full battery price? Wow that John is sure a jerk. That would be my response to what I read skipping pages.
I noticed the map for the first goblin attack is a dead link and I needed a map for an upcoming game so I made one. This is not a true "Sandpoint" map but it may help fill the gap for anyone needing one. I am far from perfect at map making but I enjoy it. You can view and download it on my blog.
I created a map for use in a modified Goblin attack on a cathedral during its opening celebration ala RotRL. Am I allowed to post it here or post a link to my blog where it is posted? It is NOT Sandpoint but was inspired by Sandpoint. I wanted to make that very clear for copyright reasons. I just did not know where to ask.
Follow up note. I handed them the Beginner Box heroes book and that is about it. I however on the back end behind the screen use all my resources and just reword or rework things to summarize in simple one or two statements blurbs. I was trying to keep my recaps to a minimum. The rogue already has UMD. We had to make that change before it sunk in that Bow vs Skeleton = not a good option. I allowed the rogue to use a Wand of Magic Missiles found in their last adventure buy introducing UMD (not in BB)
ZugZug- We did this intermittently for the BlackFang run as well as Crypt of the Everflame. We would rotate who played Ezren. This would be our last resort. Kolo- I am very much not new to Pathfinder. I have been playing it since Beta but I relocated away from my old group. My current players were completely new when BB came out. None have shown interest in Core. The book is too daunting for them and our profession lives dictate our time (average age of the group is 41). I am the RPG addict. They agreed to play Pathfinder as a break from Catan and are having fun so I do my best to retain interest between my corporate travel, photography shoots, legal briefings and general commuting (a recap of my group's weekly activities) LazarX - A possibility, I will think on it. Although new, they are all exceptionally intelligent people, and tactics they handle very well. It sometimes feels like playing chess. Maybe I don't have to worry but there is a third of the game they cannot tap without me making modifications. I was just hoping for help with those points. Since we are running BB, making the Cleric as Gestalt Sorceror/Cleric was my first thought but that seems overkill. Thanks for the advice though. It gives me a different avenue of thought
My players finally settled on classes our new run. We have an Elven Cleric of (God of Magic), Human 2h Axe Fighter, and a Half Elven Rogue. This is based upon the Beginner Box with EdoWars Half Elf from his blog. I am debating allowing the Cleric to use arcane items. How much would this disrupt things? Wands, Staves, etc. I do not want a DMPC so that is not an option. We only have the three PCs. What can be done to lend the balance and help access to arcane magic would allow?
I made this sheet at the request of my players who were constantly having to search for information. I wanted to share it with the community. It can be found on my my fledgling Blog.
This week (or next week) will see the start of our new Beginner Box campaign. The players specifically requested they not start in a cliche' fashion, so the campaign intro is them surviving the campaign 'Final Boss'. Kind of. It is more along the lines of the villains 'pet'. The game starts with the PCs asleep in the crew bunks on a merchant ship bound for Magnimar. They awake to wood splintering around them and water rushing in, while the first mate is yelling at the "lubbers" to get on deck and earn their pay. The first few rounds is them making it through now difficult terrain to get on deck. Once on deck, they are greeted by Sahuagin boarding the ship during a storm. "Something" is attacking the ship from below. Goal= Scare the crap out of them!
details:
While the minis are Sahuagin, and the descriptions are of such, the stats I am using are for seven skeletons. The crew will be assisting in narrative fighting additional boarders, but the fight is just skels without DR. Once they repel the initial wave of baddies, the boss makes his presence known. Goal= Survive 7 rounds!
Boss Attack:
Using the 3 section caravel, the ship travels 4 squares per round across my chessex game mat. On the third round the ship slows to three squares per round. When the tip of the ship reaches the edge of the mat, they escape. Narrative- The sister ship which has made the journey with you is racing to your aid. You have to do your best to survive until they can come along side you and you escape to their ship. The seventh round see's them rescued by the sister vessel traveling with them. How I am pulling this off is with the Ships Map pack found HERE glued to some foamcore so it moves as one piece. The sister ship is the large 4 section ship. There is a possibility they only need to last 6 rounds. I have a random event chart I made where one option is a sudden wave which shifts them a few squares sideways and two ahead. If this happens the two ships meet in six rounds. The 'boss' stays underwater, but its tentacles erupt through the waves to attack the crew and ship. I am using these as miniatures for the Kraken for this attack. They can engage the tentacles or avoid them. Mainly they need to stay on deck until they are rescued. I am using Reefclaw's as the tentacles. Verdict- The surviving ship limps away for an unplanned stop in Sandpoint, right before a ceremony to open the new Cathedral*Grin* CR1 hazardous terrain encounter.
The characters are built pretty well using higher than normal scores. I will adjust threat levels as needed if they become overwhelmed or just have a moment of bad luck. So, what interesting ways have you started your campaigns? Previous Campaigns
|