Sect's page

So, I was looking at the eligibility rules and noticed this:

The contest is open to the general public, with the following exceptions: Employees of Paizo,... Anyone with a cover credit on a hardcover RPG book is ineligible.

So, uh. My item from the 2011 RPG Superstar was published in Ultimate Equipment, and on the front cover it says under Authors "... and numerous RPG Superstar contributors (see page 387)".

Does that count as a cover credit, which would disqualify me?

So, I've been gone from PFS for two years (last game played was early November 2012 and ran a game a few weeks later) for various reasons, and I decided I wanted to get back in. Glancing at the forums, I was surprised to see a subforum for "Retired Factions", and even more surprised to see that my main faction, Qadira, as well as pretty much all of the factions I knew of, were retired.

So, I've looked through the current guide for the Pathfinder Society, so I'm familiar with the current factions (and that my main character and secondary are now part of the same faction), but can someone give me a brief on what changes have been made that would affect an older character, what I should look out for this year, and other tidbits that would be good for someone that hasn't been around for two years to know?

We have come across a complication in the Armor as DR rules, when it comes to whether or not DR still applies to the Critical Defense roll if the DR is bypassed by the attack. One example is a person using a magic longsword criticals against a man wearing regular armor: the armor DR is bypassed by the magic sword, so does the man still add that DR to his roll to prevent the critical hit?

SOrry if this has came up: didn't see any posts talking about the issue.

Dreamer (Summoner)
Scholars and mystics claim that the strangest and most fantastical experiences can be found in one’s dreams. No one knows this better than the dreamer, whose guardian eidolon walks the earth while its master slumbers.
Eidolon: The dreamer’s eidolon functions as the summoner’s eidolon, except that it may only be summoned if the dreamer is asleep or unconscious; after the dreamer is asleep or unconscious for one minute, the eidolon may be summoned as a free action. If the dreamer wakes up or is killed, his eidolon is immediately banished.
Wandering Dream (Su): At 4th level, the distance an eidolon may move away from its master extends to 500 feet. It may also move up to 5,000 feet at a cost of 50% of its current and maximum hit points, and 5 miles at a cost of 75% of its current and maximum hit points. As the dreamer gains levels, these distances continue to increase: at 8th level, the distances increase to 10,000 feet, 5 miles, and 20 miles, at 12th level to 5 miles, 20 miles, and 100 miles, and at 16th level to 20 miles, 100 miles, and 500 miles.
This is not without its cost: as a result of the dreamer’s losing himself to the dreaming world, he begins to accrue a penalty to Perception checks to awaken equal to ½ of his summoner level. This ability replaces transposition and merge forms.
Master’s Visage (Su): At 12th level, as a full round action, the dreamer can project his consciousness as a shadow conjuration of himself next to his eidolon for 10 minutes per summoner level. This projection is destroyed if it moves beyond 30 feet from the eidolon, and any creature that interacts with the image can make a Will save of DC 10 + ½ his summoner level + his Charisma modifier to recognize its true nature. The projection wears all items that the dreamer is wearing except for items with an extradimensional storage space, and is capable of using the dreamer’s feats, racial, and class abilities. Any consumable item used by the image is destroyed. The dreamer may use this ability once per day, plus an additional time per day at 18th level. This ability replaces aspect and greater aspect.
Eternal Dream (Su): At 20th level, dream becomes reality for the dreamer. The eidolon has no limit to how far away it can move away from its master, as long as it remains on the same plane as its master, and is unaffected by spells such as banishment. If it is sent back to its home plane due to death, it may be summoned back after twelve hours. This ability replaces twin eidolon.

The Smuggler's Collapsible Robe
Aura Moderate conjuration, illusion, and divination; CL 9th
Slot body; Price 48000 gp; Weight 1 lbs.
Description

Although appearing to be nothing more than a ratty wool robe with a hood, this garment is invaluable to spies, thieves, and smugglers. On command, the wearer and non-living objects up to the wearer's maximum load are sucked into an extradimensional space within the robe, leaving the robe to collapse where the wearer was standing. The robe appears to be, at a casual glance, merely a pile of discarded clothes, and does not detect as magical or function so long as the wearer is within the extradimensional space.

While inside the extradimensional space, the wearer cannot take any actions, but can breathe comfortably for up to twenty-four hours. If capable of normal sight, the wearer can see the area around the robe, though special senses such as darkvision or blindsense do not function. The wearer may leave the extradimensional space with a thought as a free action, reappearing in the same position he had entered the dimensional space (though, not necessarily the same place, if the robe was moved), wearing the robe once more. However, if there is not enough room for the wearer to reappear (for example, if the robe was placed inside a small box) then the wearer cannot leave the dimensional space until there is enough room to reappear.

If the robe is destroyed or its magic suppressed while the wearer is within the extradimensional space, he and all of the objects brought with him inside the extradimensional space reappear instantaneously in the same location the robe was destroyed or suppressed and the wearer is dazed for one round.

Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, secret chest, magic aura, arcane eye; Cost 24000

So, in my Kingmaker game, one of the PCs, peeved at another PC for their bloodlust, asked the druid of the party to offer to enchant the other PC's weapon, but add the merciful quality to it. Naturally, when the PC found out what they did to his weapon, he was pissed.

Now, the druid had lead that PC into believing that the merciful quality can only be deactivated through a ritual (instead of a simple command). Out of character, the question of whether or not someone could coup de grace with an activated merciful weapon came up: the druid's player reasoned that, since it was a Fort save and not damage, you could make a coup de grace with the quality still active.

So, opinions? I'm inclined to either way, and it's not like the PC doesn't have backup weapons in case he REALLY wanted to murder someone.

I'm going to start with an example: in the last session of Kingmaker that I ran, the party began recruiting NPCs to temporarily fill slots for their fledgling kingdom's leadership until they could either find someone better suited, more willing, or until they decide that they want to keep them. For the treasurer position, they asked a travelling merchant who was a cousin of one of the PCs, who agreed to do so for a short while.

After the game, though, the players came back to me and said that they wanted to replace him with the PC played by a guest player, a witch who, after the first two sessions, stayed near Oleg's creating and selling alchemical items. From a roleplay perspective, this is, frankly, illogical, but the fact of the matter is is that the PC grants a higher modifier than the merchant.

So, what can I do to encourage players to build their kingdom less around optimization, and more around roleplay, aside from not giving them the rules in the first place (which I already have)? Can I grant bonuses if a leader is well suited in their position, or penalties if that leader knows jack all about what he's doing?

This is kind of an open, informal survey that I was curious about. What does everybody think of the Factions that Pathfinder Society has? Do you like them or dislike them? Have you seen any Factions that draw people, or Factions that are nearly uninhabited? What about the Faction missives and the missions inside?

I really like the Factions and the rivalries between the groups, but I don't so much like the missions. Nearly all the games I've ran or played in, the missions were pretty much "Okay, go on the mission, and you'll stumble across the MacGuffin your leader wants, or dump MacGuffin in certain place", which is pretty boring; I'd rather see something where you actually have to actively accomplish the goals, or go out of your way to do them. Plus, it'd be interesting to see missions that run contrary to another faction's mission (I can see why that'd be a bit rarer, considering that we're trying to keep PvP hostilities at a minimum). The point is, more interesting Faction missions, where some deviousness or creative thinking is necessary.

As for the Factions themselves, I see a slight imbalance in the numbers; most of the people I've seen play go for Cheliax or Qadira, and very few go to Osirion (Taldor and Andoran seem to be in the middleground). To anybody who can actually see these numbers, are my thoughts correct on that matter?

As to how to fix that (if I'm correct)... I have no bloody clue.

Anyways, those are my thoughts.

I'm not sure if this has been asked yet, so I'll go ahead and do it now.

For the arcane schools special powers, are they dependent on character level or caster level? I've gotten the impression that you get the abilities based on how many levels of wizard you have, but the explanation in the Spells section of the book is a little bit unclear; it lists the abilities being gained by caster level (for instance, for conjuration you get Acid Dart at first, Dimensional Steps at eighth, and Summoning Master at twentieth).

Sorry for asking a silly question, but I wanted to make sure.

I'm starting up a Savage Tide campaign in the Pathfinder setting, and one of my players has an interesting concept in mind. But, I need a few questions answered.

First, I'm renaming Sasserine Ilizmagorti, which is a freecity on a large island right next to the Eye of Abendego. I figure it would be suitable for a port city shaking off the shackles of Chelish neglect, with conflicts with pirates. Is there anything I need to know before I inadvertantly ruin my game?

Second, I was wondering how the Sea Elves and Sahuagin are in this setting. Is it possible for them to have settlements in the area of the Eye? Do they still have that malenti thing going on? Any other information that could help me?

As for the Isle, I was thinking about placing it about two hundred, three hundred miles west of Senghor in the Kaava Lands. How does that sound?

Yesterday, I FINALLLY discovered that I had gotten the Green Ronin discount, so, I decided to get a few books. However, I want to try some new games. So, here's the thing:

Give me some recommendations as to what games I should buy. I'm looking for some good (or at least interesting) NON d20 games. Right now, the only non d20 games I have are BESM, Exalted, Old WoD, and Killer. I usually prefer fantasy genre, though I would like to have a wide selection for my library.

So far, I've seen pictures of Karzoug (scattered all over the first AP) and Alaznist (in the Magic article of PF 5). Will we see pictures of the other five Runelords any time soon, or only when it becomes relevant?

And as a side note, am I the only one who imagined Hugh Laurie voicing Karzoug? I know it makes no sense, considering that House's sin is Pride, but still...

As some of you know, I had went to Japan over the Christmas and New Year's holiday, on vacation from my "job" (remember, It's an Adventure!). Most of the time, I hopped from city to city, checking out the culture and "culture". It was one chilly day before New Year's when I stumbled across this gem of a store.

This is the Akihabara ward of Tokyo, alias "Electric Town". This is the center of the electronics craze in Japan, where you can't walk a block without hitting a place to shop for games, CDs, and porn. In this crazy part of town, I caught a glimpse of a sign for a store called the "Yellow Submarine", and dragged my protesting friend with me.

(Unfortunately, I did not think to get a picture of the sign, or a good one of the interior, for that matter.)

This is what greeted me upon entering this top story shop! At first, I was shocked, then giddy! So Paizo managed to make it across the Pacific to the Land of the Rising Fun! What else could I find?

Glee! A whole bookcase of 3.5 material, in both English and Japanese! Excited by the realization that, yes, Japanese people do in fact play D&D (I had my suspicions when I saw Record of Lodoss War, but this cinched it!), I took a picture of a Japanese copy of the PHB.

Oh, but what's this? What's this...? If your name begins with a "J" and ends with a "acobs", then you'll be very pleased to see this! Just to prove it, here's your name in Katakana (one of the alphabets of Japanese).

And, to our pleasure, here is a copy of one of Pett's works. However, take a look at that price tag! The conversion rate, when I was there, was 111 yen to a dollar, which give you an idea of how much that book had cost. Whew, now I'm glad I get my Pathfinder in America!

Well, that's all from me. I enjoyed my time in Japan, though I wish I had thought to interview some gamers over there. Oh well! From your intrepid gamer, Sect.

As some of you know, I had went to Japan over the Christmas and New Year's holiday, on vacation from my "job" (remember, It's an Adventure!). Most of the time, I hopped from city to city, checking out the culture and "culture". It was one chilly day before New Year's when I stumbled across this gem of a store.

This is the Akihabara ward of Tokyo, alias "Electric Town". This is the center of the electronics craze in Japan, where you can't walk a block without hitting a place to shop for games, CDs, and porn. In this crazy part of town, I caught a glimpse of a sign for a store called the "Yellow Submarine", and dragged my protesting friend with me.

(Unfortunately, I did not think to get a picture of the sign, or a good one of the interior, for that matter.)

This is what greeted me upon entering this top story shop! At first, I was shocked, then giddy! So Paizo managed to make it across the Pacific to the Land of the Rising Fun! What else could I find?

Glee! A whole bookcase of 3.5 material, in both English and Japanese! Excited by the realization that, yes, Japanese people do in fact play D&D (I had my suspicions when I saw Record of Lodoss War, but this cinched it!), I took a picture of a Japanese copy of the PHB.

Oh, but what's this? What's this...? If your name begins with a "J" and ends with a "acobs", then you'll be very pleased to see this! Just to prove it, here's your name in Katakana (one of the alphabets of Japanese).

And, to our pleasure, here is a copy of one of Pett's works. However, take a look at that price tag! The conversion rate, when I was there, was 111 yen to a dollar, which give you an idea of how much that book had cost. Whew, now I'm glad I get my Pathfinder in America!

Well, that's all from me. I enjoyed my time in Japan, though I wish I had thought to interview some gamers over there. Oh well! From your intrepid gamer, Sect.

The Product Discussion board is a bit jacked up. If you're looking at all of the message boards, the Product Discussion area shows a bunch of threads as opposed to the last three or four.

These CDs sound like an interesting idea. Anybody try this yet?

The sun hasn't been illuminating Sandpoint for long, and already the town is bustling with activity and excitement.
Five years previous, a tremendous fire had taken the small town, killing many and destroying much of the settlement, including the church which venerated the six main deities of Varisia. Before that, terror had wracked the town when the infamous Cutter had gone on his murder spree. Now, with the building of the Sandpoint Cathedral, the town can leave behind Unpleasantness.

The streets bustle with activity of native and visitor alike, and the square in front of the cathedral is ringed by craftsmen, hawkers, and merchants, waiting to ply their trade with the excited folk. A group of children dart amongst the crowd, laughing as they nearly knock over a bread-laden girl, and ignore the shouts of her twin as they
scamper away. A burly Shoanti man stands away from the crowd, speaking to another man who, amazingly, is even more dour looking than he, and generally staying apart from the fun. Several ladies dressed in scandalous clothing approach out-of-towners, much to the discontent of their fellow native Sandpointers. In the alley mouths and the
crowd itself, shifty men and women flicker in and out, likely up to dastardly things. On the steps of the yet to be dedicated place of worship, four people speak easily with one another, or, rather, three do, and one just looks glum and concerned.

The bell of the cathedral suddenly rings out, and activity in the square slows as the masses approach the temple. The four already in front of the temple face the crowd, and one, a middle-aged woman with short, auburn hair, steps forward. She raises a hand for silence, and the throng of people before her slowly complies. Once she ascertains that the crowd is as silent as they are about to get, she begins to speak.

"Welcome! As many of you know, I am Kendra Deverin, and I am proud to serve as mayor of this fine town. It's wonderful to see so many of you here to join us on this proud day, and I'd like to extend my welcome to the many new faces I see in the crowd. I hope you all are enjoying your stay here in Sandpoint and, especially if it is your first visit here, I sincerely hope that you're having a wonderful time. To all of those old faces I see today, thank you for coming and thank you for everything that each of you has done to keep this town strong in recent years. I see that even Larz Rovanky has torn himself away from work to join us today! It is truly a miracle from Desna herself!" With this, laughter breaks out from the townsmen and visitors who know of Larz, and Larz, looking on from the back of the crowd beside the now softly chuckling Shoanti, manages to deepen his scowl even more. Kendra, grinning wickedly, waves to him in apology, and continues, "Without further ado, let me introduce your Sheriff, Belor Hemlock!"

A dour looking man, clearly of Shoanti descent, armored and armed, walks to the center of the stage, scanning the crowd seriously. He shakes the Mayor's hand and begins to speak in a deep, quiet voice.

"Thank you, Mayor. Even in the heat of celebration, let us not forget the sad events that brought us to this day. Also, let us not forget the souls that were lost five years ago. I would like you to all join me in a moment of silence to remember the lives that were lost in the fire that claimed our previous chapel on that fateful night." With that, the Sheriff lowers his head in remembrance, most of the crowd following suit awkwardly. After several long, uncomfortable moments, the guardsman lifts his head up again. "In remembering let us also not allow these events to repeat themselves. I am of the understanding that a bonfire is planned for tonight. I urge you all to observe caution during this event." For several moments, he seems to be lost for words. "... Enjoy yourselves. Let me introduce the next speaker; give your attention to Cyrdak Drokkus, proprietor of the local theatre."

He nods to the crowd and walks back to the mayor, passing the next speaker who is already on his way up to the front of the crowd. This man is quite a contrast to the Sheriff; he is brightly dressed, sports a well-groomed goatee, and seems to be thoroughly enjoying the day. As he reaches the center stage he loosens his collar a bit, winks into the crowd and begins his speech.

"Well, thank you, Sheriff, for that uplifting oratory! Now I know this town has been through some hard times, but look at what we've accomplished!" he exclaims, gesturing to the grandiose cathedral. "And I'm telling you, they spared no expense with this place. Father Zantus' chamber pot? Solid gold." He pauses for the laughter that sporadically erupted. "I kid you not, our generous nobles put a pretty copper into the construction of this joint. I even think the Churches chipped in a silver or two! I even heard a rumor that all of the Gods got together and scrounged up four gold pieces to help get this thing built! But don't take it from me, the good Father over here," he gestures toward the young priest behind him, who is laughing along with the crowd at the actor's antics, "is the one with the direct line, he's the one you want to hear from! But," he winks in conspiracy at the crowd, "before I let him get things going I'd like to take this opportunity to extend my personal invitation to each and every one of you to the new production of The Harpy's Curse starring, none other than, the world-famous Magnimarian diva, Allishanda, as Avisera the harpy queen!" He comically takes a step back in feigned surprise at the crowds' sudden eruption of applause and cheers. "It's all premiering tomorrow evening at the Sandpoint Theatre and it is going to be fab-u-lous! And now join me in a bit of applause for his holiness himself, Father Zantus!"

The crowd cheers as Cyrdak motions Zantus to the center stage. The young priest looks abashed at the reception set up for him. He wears the traditional ceremonial robes of a priest of Desna and a shiny silver holy symbol about his neck. He smiles and tries to calm the crowd down, eventually speaking when the applause has subsided.

"Ahem, thank you. Thank you, Cyrdak, for your enthusiastic report on the construction of the Cathedral. And, thank all of you for coming to join us on this most Holy day. Today is a day of new beginnings so, without boring you with long speeches, I declare the Swallowtail Festival officially underway!"

Elegost

Sorion

Zakok

Jallia

Farevon

And so it begins. Roleplay, if you wish, and my next post will be at noontime of the festival.

Okay boys and girls, here it is.

First off, the list of potential players I have right now are Chimp, Talion, Keno, Dreamweaver, Kahoolin, and Valegrim. (Dreamweaver and Kahoolin, I got your names from Aubrey. If you don't want to be in, that's fine.) So far, Keno has said that he's interested.

Basically, PHB races and classes, unless you can come up with something fun and interesting. I will probably allow WotC splat book PrCs, though that's a non issue right now. If you have Pathfinder #1 or the Player's Guide, feel free to use anything out of those.

Character creation will use elite array plus three. Max gold as per class. You can also choose one background feat for free.

Any questions? Comments? Concerns? The game will start when everyone is ready and comfortable, so take your time. I'll help you in any way I can.

Well, I'd like to try my hand at playing one of these games...

I'm moderately experienced at playing D&D (really started playing when 3.5 started up), but never tried PbP before. And, due to my new... job... I suddenly have a bunch of dead time on my hands.

So, please give me a holler if you need a spare corpse!

* Edit * Ah, right. Forgot to mention: I can only play in PbP games on this site; limitations involving my "job". Whoops.