Sean Cannon 565's page

This quest is provided to the character with the Lesser Scion (Noble) background. Mayor Targen Fulst mentions that he and the player character may be related and that they could find something at Bolmere Estate. The players can find a leather-bound book with their name inside of it in the Estate, but they also find a unique magic item that allows them to summon a mysterious creature that serves the family. This creature can serve the PC and provide it additional information on the family.

Problem is, this requires a planar ally ritual, which the PCs seemingly have no access to until 9th level, well beyond the scope of this adventure. While this is fine, I was wondering if I was missing something. It seems a shame to have such a cool item with unique background-related effects to be in the grasps of the PC but without any use whatsoever. Thoughts?

The bard is a good pick in shoring up the 3/4 bab heavy classes you have. Additionally, the nice array of skills that this team can bring and it's sneaky nature can play well into this campaign. Not having Teleport and Teleport-like spells for books 4 and 5 is not a huge deal, just a note. You have some great options for the role of Blackjack. Not having a full 9 lvl Divine caster (esp. a cleric)can make book 5 a little more difficult, but that may be a good thing to try and push the players into multiple forays of the haunted castle instead of finishing it in 2 days like my group did. They also have the tools between the classes to come up with clever solutions.

Is the Shaman going for any Str? If so, hes gonna have a lot of fun early in book 4. Otherwise....Eats-What-He-Kills may enjoy his torment of the party ;)

As far as I know, Racial and Planar Heritage are the only two methods for doing so, and they are both locked to creatures with the Human subtype. I wasn't able to find anything else either while looking.

meyerwilliam wrote:

I'm running this build through Rise of the Rune Lords and just hit level3

Party includes (five other PCs)
(...)
Starting Stats (25pt buy)

Rise of the Runelords was created with 4 players in mind, using 15-point buy and just the Core Rulebook (respective its D&D 3.5 counterpart).

So unless the GM is really infamous for increasing difficulty, you can relax.

^^^ This. As a GM of multiple games of Rise of the Runelords, you guys are so overtuned that any GM NOT increasing difficulty is asking for a boring game. Simply having access to anything beyond the Core Rulebook makes this campaign a breeze on it's own.

That being said, I see the appeal of min/maxing. There is a lot of RP issues with this build, but from a theoretical standpoint. Secondly, carry capacity makes this build buckle and will likely need increased.

Taking Noble Scion for Scion of War's "Use your charisma modifier to adjust initiative checks instead of your Dexterity modifier" could be a good addition to the build in place of the obvious conflict of being a paladin of Desna + taking her divine fighting technique.

The action you are indicating is not specifically written, which means it is subject to GM interpretation. Here's a few ways this could be ruled by a gm, in my opinion:

1. Deception
Because you are attempting to deceive someone into believing information contrary to truth, you could use the rules "lie". While your words are not lies persay, what you are portraying (through intonation, feigned over-excitement, or whatever else you could use) is intended to create a lie. This would likely come at a penalty since it is Elaborate (as per Deception rules).

2. Sow Rumor Feat
Due to the complexity required to pull this off, and the desire to spread information in a specific way, this could technically require the "Sow Rumor" feat. What you are basically doing is disseminating interest, belief, etc over a particular bit of knowledge. That sounds like a rumor to me.

3. Perform (Oratory)
If the above two doesn't make sense, then this is likely the next best option. However, I don't think this perfectly encapsulates the situation. It could be argued that the previous mentioned notes of intonation and feigned over-excitement is akin to acting, and they wouldn't be wrong. Acting, especially in shows or while doing voice acting, involves immersing your character into the show by making it believable. And hundreds of people would try to convince you that Grey's Anatomy is a textbook example of how hospitals work despite its over dramatization. One could come to the conclusion that such deception falls under this category because of the dramatization likely involved.

It is not the most effective method of playing, no. He has plenty of additional actions to provide effects and spells that would be helpful, and that only scratches the surface.

However, I do question the full need to bring it up.

These actions seem deliberate. While I don't know the reasoning behind them, I'd wager that you do not either as you are questioning us about the efficiency. Is this person a problem player at the table? Spending his time not paying attention, deep in his phone, etc? Does he participate out of combat? It's definitely important to note that a 6 person party does also make it hard to involve every single player in a roleplay.

If he's not causing a disturbance in the group, then I say let it be. He might have a concept in mind and while it may not seem the most exciting, fun or interactive to you, he could be enjoying it. If in character, you guys are frustrated over his antics, nudge him a bit

"hey buddy, I notice you tend to stay in the other room when danger is afoot. I'm a little worried about you. Are you feeling comfortable as an adventurer? Is there something I can do to help? It'd be nice to have you a little farther forward so we can keep an eye on you and so you can provide useful combat insight or provide a little firepower or something. Just a thought, though."

This turns what may be a frustrating situation for you into an opportunity for roleplay, character building and dynamic personality shifts in the group. It could also give you a clearer picture into his reasoning and mindset behind his actions.

"Perfumes" that provide the buffs of powerful spells but are short term. Could have a Perfume of Righteous Might that smells like lilacs, or a Perfume of Freedom of Movement that smells like daffodils. Obviously Righteous Might cannot be made into a potion by raw so this would be homebrew, but that makes it a little more special, adding mechanic-based uniqueness to an already theatrical and thematic item.

Curse of the Crimson Throne was my first completed AP with a group, but also one of my most memorable. Of course, the party broke the crap out of the combat, but that was besides the point.

The campaign has a wonderful balance between combat and RP that simultaneously let my Abadarian Cleric and Charismatic young Sorcerer shine in social situations while the Eldritch Archer and Rogue shined on missions. The entire Shoanti arch was especially memorable and provide insight to a culture that I, as a GM, had not thoroughly explored. It kick started my investigation into the different human cultures across Golarion, further enhancing my gm knowledge-base and my PC creation/background skills.

How do folks handle social situations the other way? Like, several of you have talked about the person at the table who likes to dialogue in character and has a decent wit in real life playing the Cha 7 fighter or whatever, and no rolls in social situations because roleplay.

What do you do with the awkward, social loner at your table that for whatever reason chose a halfling bard with a 20 Cha and a Diplomacy +9 at level 1? If you favor RP over rolls, this player has just had their entire build dismissed.

This isn't an indictment of anyone's gaming style. I'm honestly asking because my own balance between the two is just to default to RAW and use dice rolls as the equalizer. If folks have a better method or other advice, I'm open to it.

I have a player in my group who isn't a very talkative person. Sometimes he'll play things a lil more charismatic, and other times he will not. He usually has minimal input, short answers and/or stays quiet in social interactions. We tried as a group to get him to speak up a bit in the beginning but this isn't something we do so often any more.

And when I asked him if he was enjoying himself? His warm voice betrayed a smile and he thoroughly thanked me for having him in the group and assured me he was having fun.

A lot of the time, we put stipulations on how certain characters should be played; The bard has to be the party face, the Barbarian has to be stupid, the fighter has to be quiet. When a player comes in and breaks that mold, it can make us a little uncomfortable as a GM or player (like this player did to me), but you should always remember one thing: Your player knows best how to derive enjoyment from the game.

If your player is happy playing a bard with 20 Charisma but minimal roleplay, let him. Obviously, if you want to encourage discussion before social roles then discuss this with him but also be lenient, or at least make it clear your stance so he can have the choice to change character build. Some players, like the player I mentioned above, simply like sitting in, listening, laughing and hearing a great story that they can take part in when they feel motivated to do so. As a GM, my number one priority is building the game my players want to play, and with leniency from me, it's usually not difficult to let one person in my 5 man group enjoy the quiet side of the campaign, even as a charismatic character.

Note: High charisma (just as low charisma) does come in many different shapes and sizes. Maybe he is simply a beautiful man, or a kind quiet soul that everyone who probes his mind comes to love. Maybe you know someone in real life like that you can use as your concept for his char (if that is his style).

I remember trying to get 4th edition going with some buddies of mine in my teen years, but no one was never interested enough. I had one buddy who I knew from school and we sometimes played around with the concept of DND online (there was a DND mmorpg that was popular at the time) before finally finding Roll20. I immediately searched for a group, finding one that played alternating weeks of Pathfinder and DnD 3.5. DND felt too clunky and prone to power-gaming for me (likely the fault of the 3.5 fanatic in our group), but Pathfinder seemed perfect!

That was 8 years ago, and I have now GMed dozens of online games, finished multiple of the official adventures and created hundreds of chars. I am now a forever GM and happy with it lol.

For anyone curious, my first character with a Druid. The game was set in the 1970s during the "devil scare" craze that gave DnD a "bad reputation". We were all kids in a mundane world who had power thrusted upon us and we had to secretly protect the world from invading Golarion creatures like goblins and lizardfolk. Had my trust dog sidekick with me and enjoyed myself, thoroughly.

I've been working ona document I am not ready to release yet, but one I feel a lot of people should consider (that is to say, if it's right for their group) is adding 4+int skill ranks to any class that is not int based and has lower.

Are you a GM? If so, intelligent items could help. It's near impossible to get your hands on a specific custom one as a player though as GMs tend to keep intelligent items for important plot points. Otherwise, You could give the cape.

Alternatively, the animate object spell along with permanency could also achieve the attack effect, althought it specifically states "This spell cannot affect objects carried or worn by a creature", but you can always animate it then put it on. As far as the spirit's torrent thing, Channel to harm living, maybe?

It depends on what your going for and what you want out of the tournament.

1 on 1 wizard duels are fun and thematic for a tournament....until all of them bring save or lose. A game of gnome ball is great...until someone casts invisibility. Fighting competitions are staple...then you get the munchkin who pre-buffs enlarge person and contingency. Each competition is going to have scenarios that are completely okay (a wizard in wizard duels casting invisibility is cool) and are completely unfair (as above).

What do I suggest? Use the following guidelines when creating rules:

1. Extend competitions. Remember, these are spectator sports. There shouldn't be a way to win a competition in 6 seconds, otherwise you get a lot of bored crowds who spend 10 minutes waiting between rounds just for a single spell to be cast. EX: Forcing damage spells only in a wizard duel.

2. Create flare and drama. In a melee tournament, requiring the players to pick from a specific list of weapons can help you both extend the game and create a unique experience. If you can't think of any flare, point-based systems that require people to go out of their way to score could help. EX: Can only use light melee weapons and light armor in a gladiator duel

3. Discourage cheating, but do not make it impossible. The party is being watched the entire time by hundreds if not thousands of people included referees; cheating should require difficult checks. However, if you make cheating impossible, then you limit creativity. Allow players to explore opportunities to cheat and weigh the benefits for themselves. This is especially true if the competition is forced on the party; No party of casters likes being told they now have to play football. EX: If magic is banned, maybe someone could sleight of hand potions in or lie about their magical aptitude and sneak off to the bathroom in between rounds.

4. Know the reason why you want this competition in the game. Is it a side quest or optional content in a big city? Keep it short. Having a simple combat that's rules light is perfectly fine and give the party what they were looking for. Are you adding it in for cultural significance? Give it some solid, simple rules and focus on the contestants, the area, and it's citizens. The only time you should create a massive rules system and spend countless hours balancing the rules and encounters and giving such massive thought to make it go seamless is if it's major and important to your plot. And if it is major to you? Give it tension, use stereotyping for the contestants a little bit, or do whatever else you are looking to do for this game. Honestly, if this is the reason, then you should have a great idea of what to do with this guideline.

Sorry if this doesn't properly answer the question, but just about anything can be made into a competition so it is impossible to create universal rules.

ALL the time. Like, seriously.

The best thing to do is familiarize yourself with the party and it's players. Some groups would rather stick to the standard rules, WBL, power level etc. while others like variance. My groups tend to like higher-than-average power and sometimes it can be a challenge for me to balance around it.

Most importantly, note the increase in power that such boons and buffs do. I am frequently guilty of 20+ PB (AFAIK the books are written for 15 PB, correct me if I am wrong), Max starting cash, increased wealth in game, special powers, and other misc. boons like deals with trapped devils/demons. Currently, my group is in book 5 in Rise and I have created a custom magic item that provides significant boosts on the party based on their personality. My goal is to provide tailor made effects for each member that finalizes the builds they emulated. By increasing the accessible wealth, their starting PB, their access to 1pp material and providing them custom items, I made the book Trivial, so I've adjusted encounters as required to keep the struggle real.

Just be ready to increase the power of encounters if/when needed if your party gets to strong and subsequently bored of the ease of combat.

I think what you have created is great! Your party seemingly enjoys the rules-light atmosphere you have created and it's enhanced the story telling aspect of the game for you and them. Great!

To answer the question, I tend to let the players decide the fluff of the interaction within the rules of the system. I encourage creative solutions like running on the wall or front flipping over a dude through the use of the acrobatics' "move through threatened squares" rules. Still need to roll acrobatics, but I'm not going to penalize you for living your vision.

That isn't to say they get to do things for free within the system. If you want to jump a 20 foot gap with a wall on your left, you cannot run along the wall for free. You can try your DC 20 Acrobatics check and then describe the way you ran across that wall.

As far social encounters, I do enjoy giving my players the freedom to interact without dice rolling. Even with 7 Charisma, your char has survived in civilization (or not, you do you) thus far without pissing off every person they met, why is this any different? However, Convincing that guard to abandon his post for whatever reason in my opinion should still have requirements. I do tend to give my players bonuses for discovering weaknesses, like knowing that guard has a sick son or knowing that a change of duty is coming. I always encourage my players, regardless of their Charisma, to speak up in ANY situation, and still strive to keep social rolls to the minimum.

Many years ago (I have ran Rise too many times to count...), I had found a collection of maps, tokens, handouts and additional information all in a single concise location that was easy to navigate. It was a google drive that I had bookmarked for use. I recently upgraded my computer, which included reformatting and updating, and somehow lost those bookmarks on my computer. Now, I am on the search for it again. You guys have so much of the material that is in that google drive, do any of you happen to have the link to the actual google drive itself? If so, you guys are amazing!