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*** Pathfinder Society GM. 5 posts. 1 review. No lists. No wishlists. 15 Organized Play characters.


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Proposal: remove trained animals from the list of legal options
Liberty's Edge 3/5

I recently started playing with a local group where one of the players is well-known for purchasing combat-trained tigers for his characters. I played a 1-5 higher tier scenario with his level 2 character. First round of combat, his tiger dealt some 60ish damage to one of the large dire animals, slaying it right then and there. Naturally, this cut the difficulty of the fight, but from then on he had the courtesy of allowing the other players their chance to shine in future fights.

While I don't know if an entire ban is warranted or not, it at least helps to make sure such players are aware of how boring it might be for their ACs to steal all the glory (I'm sure that this player may have been informed about it at some point).
Scenario Additions and Character Death
Liberty's Edge 3/5

Thanks for all the wonderful feedback! I definitely have a few new ideas to use now should something like this happen again, especially as I may have another possible character death coming up in The City of Strangers Part 2...

Spoiler:
One of the PCs has already expressed to the rest of the party his desire to try and worm his way out of repaying the favor he still owes Dakar.
Scenario Additions and Character Death
Liberty's Edge 3/5
Morgen wrote:

Okay, just curious is all. It has come up a few times in the past.

** spoiler omitted **

I can definitely see that. It's one of those things that kind of breaks the experience when you have to be like:

Spoiler:
"Ok, guys, in order to find this person, you need to score 5 DC 20 Diplomacy or Knowledge: Local checks."

This part was meant to be a fun roleplaying section where you meet interesting characters and I tried to treat it as such.
Scenario Additions and Character Death
Liberty's Edge 3/5
Morgen wrote:

I think you'd have to go look and see what they were programmed to do to see if that was appropriate or not. That's really all they've got to go on and without that it's hard to say as an outsider if it were justified. Like if they don't pursue people out of the area, etc.

** spoiler omitted **

Spoiler:
It was mostly just a small blurb noting that the guards wouldn't allow the PC's inside should they investigate, which they are likely to do because of the clues given. They also note that Besel Ardoc has a small bodyguard of three golems as well to discourage PC's from attacking him.

I pretty much read it as a "don't mess with these guys" kind of situation. I just wasn't quite sure if I had added anything that may have lead them astray. Mind you, one of the PC's sat twenty feet away from the guards outside the Kiln until one of the golems chucked him away down the street so he would get lost. I figured that they might have got the hint after that.
Scenario Additions and Character Death
Liberty's Edge 3/5

This is in regards to a scenario I ran yesterday, The City of Strangers Part 1: The Shadow Gambit. One of the players had a rather unfortunate death, but looking back on things I am not entirely sure that it was fully justified or even legal as far as PFS rules go. It's a bit complicated, so let me elaborate:

Spoiler:
There is a portion of the scenario involving the tracking down of a prominent figure, Besel Ardoc. In order to find him, the PC's must track down several clues as to his whereabouts with several Diplomacy or Knowledge: Local checks. The party makeup, a level 1 magus, level 4 witch, and two level 1 fighters, were rather ill-equipped to deal with the necessary skills. When they finally did get a few clues, one of which being Ardoc's workplace The Kiln, they decided to head there to see if they can get a hold of him.

The scenario states that the human entrance guards had the assistance of several CR 13 Iron Golems in order to dissuade the PC's from barging in. Naturally, the PC's tried fitfully to talk and bribe them into allow entrance to see Ardoc. The guards refuse and even get belligerent with the PC's, as was written. They eventually decide to walk away and come up with another plan.

Now, I had originally described The Kiln (as I had not found any other description) as a small factory-like building with 25 foot walls around it to keep out anyone nosey enough to try to get in. This did not discourage the PC's, two of whom decide to scale the wall with a grappling hook and rope. They succeed getting it up there, latch it on, then start to climb up, at which point (because they emphasize that Besel has many guardians to protect him and his interests) they encounter an Iron Golem at the top of the wall. The golem grabs the grappling hook and simply lets go so the pair fall to the ground. I figured that this might be enough to get them looking elsewhere for Ardoc.

That's when the magus decided to fire an Acid Splash at the golem. While not new to Pathfinder, he didn't really understand just how powerful these constructs were. I had the golem leap down to the street and glare menacingly at the pair. The Fighter shot a bow at it and the magus tried another Acid Splash. I figured, after such blatant hostility, that the golem would attack. He smeared the magus with a 33 damage hit. The fighter ran off to tell the rest of the group of the magus' untimely demise.

So I guess the question is, was his death appropriate? While he may have been stupid to attack the golem in the first place, he may not have been put in that situation if I hadn't added the extra stuff involving the Kiln, which was mostly brought on by the PC's idea that this was the right path. Was there another way to handle this without outright telling them out-of-game that they needed to look elsewhere?