ShadowDenizen's page

Our party is prepping for the games soon, and our name is "The ORder of the Ass."

(Our shape-shifter once scared a band of orcs with tales of a ramapging, donkeylike monster that breathes fire... We've been the "ORder of the Ass" ever since.)

But, if you knew our party, you'd realize that it also works on multiple levels.

Thanks; much appreciated!

As an aside, I love what you guys are doing, and certainly I hope to pick the subscription back up when finances allow!! :)

Hi, guys!

Could you please cancel my Pathfinder Adventure PAth subscription?

THanks in advance,

RIch
(AKA ShadowDenizen)

Just a bump-up, since there's been no response yet!

Thanks again!

Hey, guys!

First, let me say I love what you're doing with the Pathfinder setting,and the Pathfinder RPG and am enjoying the monthly magazines.

UNfortunately, due to a financial crunch, I have to end my suscription for the time being.

THanks in advance,
Rich

Well put, Paris Crenshaw.

I think there's more of us who feel that way out there than you might think!

And that's why I love Paizo/Pathfinder so much. Sure they're going by a (realtively) rules-heavy system, but they still have no problem inspiring my creativity to run a FUN game, one where you can abide by the RAW and still create epic, memorable, character-driven moments.

We just started RotRL, and I'm really hamming it up with Aldern Foxgolove, trying to make him memorable, but in a "He's not really important" kinda way. Wait until they hit "Skinsaw Murders..." 8)

Be warned; spoilers peppered throughout this review!! 8)

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So, I thought this film was rather underwhelming.

There were some elements I really liked (especially the elements
that harkened back to the earlier films.)

But other stuff just didn't seem to fit within the canon they
established for the universe. (I can deal with the supernatural in my pulp fiction; that's a standard trope, but [IMO] science-fiction doesn't really have a place in the Indy franchise.

They advanced the timeline about 20 years, so it's now 1957, and
Russians are the new Germans. Unfortuatnely, the film was too
scattered and jumbled to capitalize on this element; there's brief
references to the McCarthy hearings and the "Red Scare", which might
have made for an interesting backdrop, if they pursued it at all.

BUT they opted to go with a South American locale and legend for the
main story (the "Crystal Skull"), which doesn't connect well to the
Russian elements of the story. Why not simply use a Russian legend?
You had TWENTY years! Do a little research!

Further, there's little to no explanation or exposition on who the
villains are or why they're doing what they're doing. And some
scenes just felt tacked on.. (Why is the FBI interested in Indy so
much? And why do they suddenly just drop that subplot? What happened
10 years before the film started that is continually referenced but
never explained? Why are they detonating nuclear bombs [in a city
made of wax mannequins, no less!] in the middle of Nevada?)

And there's little to no development of characters; I thought Cate
Blanchett was totally wasted in this role. And Shia Lebouef was also
wasted; if they want him to take the mantle of the series, they
really missed the mark; we learn next to nothing about him, other
than what we already saw in the trailers. And Marion? Went from a ballsy, bad-ass broad to a simpering, love-struck old woman in one film!

As an aside, what it with Lucas' fascination with woodland creatures in his films???

Sadly, overall, I feel like the stuff they they hinted at was way more
interesting than the actual film.

To add my $.02 into the discussion..

You really can't go wrong with any of these paths. They're all excellent, though the focal points of each path are different.

IMO, I rank the adventure paths thusly:

1) Savage Tide: The pinnacle of the AP's. There's a strong arc present throughout the path, linking all the modules together, yet there's still enough room to insert stuff specific to each campaign. Additionally, the NPC's are truly standout (even more so than in Shackled City!!.

My few qualms?
As mentioned, Lawful and/or Good characters may have a rough go of it as the campaign progresses; there are a few "Damned if you do/ Damned if you don't" moments.

Also, I don't feel they played up the threat of the Shadow Pearls.. They're the main threat the players are trying to combat, but they really only play a role in 2 of the 12 modules.

2 Age of Worms: As close to "Classic" D+D as you can get, this path really shines. A heavy focus on combat (especially with the Undead), but you still have the RP'ing elements, too. And, (as mentioned) one of the best 1st level modules I've ever read.

Qualms?
The early modules only loosely tie toghether, and seem to vary in power levels. ("Blackwall Keep" seems [IMHO] somewhat underpowered for characters of that level. And "THree Facesof Evil" has receveied MORE than it's share of criticism, so I would be prepared to make some changes based on your group.

3. Rise of the Runlords; Definteily a learning curve, as Paizo launhes the Pathfinder line. The modules each have a distinct feel to them, which is good, though they sometimes link together only tenously. There's ALOT of interesting RP'ing elements in each, though (it's WELL worth your time to flesh out Sandpoint and it's NPC's!!!), so if your group is into real RP'ing this may be the path for you.

4.Shackled CIty: Both the best and worst of the AP's. The enthusiasm present in creating this path really shines through and covers up some of the weaker points in the path.

Again,worth your time to flesh out the NPC's and locations, as most of the campaign takes place in the city of Cauldron. (The HC does a reasonable job of indexing NPC's and sites, but you may want to check the boards for additional thoughts.)

There's lots more to say about each, but my fingers are getting tired. :)

Let us know what you decide on!!

Really I would expect to learn that 95% of all events are masterminded by the secret cabal of gnomes. Why even the Runelord's rising was actually a plot by gnomes. The last 5% of course being manipulated by kobolds.

I approve of your ideas, and would like to subscribe to your journal. :)

Overall, the conscensus on "Age of Worms" is mostly positive.

We have a blast with it; I'm lucky to have this group to play with; the core four of us have been together 5 years, and we have a pretty liberal policy on new people,which has worked in our favor.

Minor spoilers for "AoW"/TFoE:

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That said, most of our group was pretty "Meh" (if not "Boooo!") on "Three Faces of Evil". Poorly organized, and a bit of a meatgrinder, we even left out the Ebon Aspect, since the party had just had enough by that point,and were ready to move on.

Honestly, Grallak Kur provided the most intriguing challenge, since we made some challeneges to him as written. THe final confrontation came about as a result of a drug-induced dream (hard to describe via message board.)

Interstingly, the same group of players is also running through "Savage Tide" simeltaneously, and, where we're average-paced on "AoW" we're FLYING through "Savage Tide" for some reason. Four sessions,and we're finishing the first adventure. :)

Link to our AoW wiki. We've been playing since September '06, and are about to start Blackwall Keep.

We try to play weekly (we play on Thursdays, so it's shorter sessions[3 hours or so]), but we've had some hiatuses during that time,as well.

YAY! for Pathfinder halflings. Loving the art for Lem!

While I throughly enjoyed "Runelords",I'm practically salivating over "Crimson Throne." (Halflings? Paladins? AND unrban adventuring?AWESOME!!)

My friend dragged me to see this. (I wanted to see "The Orphanage", but that was a no-go.) :(

I think that both of these guys have done some good work in the past, but in a fantasy movie, you need to have just a little bit of "period piece credibility" to pull it off. These guys have none.

I agree 100%.

Making a good film is like trying to catch lightning in a bottle. It takes a great script, a talented group of actors, director, and behind-the-scenes people.

It's funny how easy it is to have one of these elements ruin what should be an excellent film.

...

Not that "Dungeon Sige" qualfies in any way as even a "mediocre" film.
So, who's with me on taking up a "Stop Uwe Boll" fund?

I understand the OP's point, and he stated it extremely well.
And it's unfortunate that "Dungeon" was canceled, needless to say. :(

But there's also a lot of readers who never run any of the campaigns too... they just read them for the pleasure of reading adventures.

Personally, that's where I'm at. I'm the type of player who will almst always pick up adventures and/or settings before rulebooks.

That said, I'm enjoying reading "Runelords", and looking forward to "Crimson Throne". But, beyond that, I'll have to see what the future brings.

I know little has been disclosed about the 3rd AP, but (IIRC) it's mentioned to focus heavily on Drow; I'll have to see the Pathfinder take on them.

And, of course, 4E will also factor in, whether I upgrade, and whether Paizo does, as well. (I'm still on the fence, but am leaning towards sticking with 3.x.)

Given that my group is barely into "Age of Worms" and "Savage Tide" I see no reason for us to upgrade in the near future.

Realistically, between 1E/2E/3E/OGL,Pathfinder, and Dungeon, I have more adventures than I could ever hope to run in this lifetime.

But I still buy new modules, magazines and settings.

Even if I don't get to play them,they're still worth my time and money as an entertaining read!

So,as long as that is the case, I'll stick with "Pathfinder". (Though I prefer to see it stay 3.x, if it goes 4E, I can easily "backwards convert".)

While I'm loving RotRL ths far, I'm salivating over the new path.
Urban adventures have long been a favorite of mine.

We're glad you're looking forward to it. Also, I love your icon. Yay for Shelyn! ^_^

What can I say?

And yes, the cover kicks ass in general; the WAR covers were a LARGE part of what first attracted me to "Eberron". His doing the covers for Pathfinder is just the icing-on-the-cake for me.

See?
THIS is why we love you guys! :)

Many thanks!

Our iconics for path 2 will be a dwarf ranger, human wizard, female paladin and a bard.

A female paladin?

Awesome! ;)

Alright, I've been trying to hold off...
But add me to the list, too, please.

Email is RGentile(at)rcn.com.

Thanks in advance! :)

Thanks; I appreciate the quick response!
TOgether is fine; no need to go to extra trouble! :)

Hey.

Just a quick question: I signed up for the Pathfinder subscription with Issue 2, and I'm loving it thus far. :)

But, on to the problem-

I received Issue 2 in good order (and in good time), but there's no indication that Issue 3 is being shipped to me; in the "My Subscription" page, it shows Issue 2 was shipped, and Issue 4 is due in December, but no mention of issue 3.

Any chance that you could look into this for me? (If you have any questions,feel free to call/EMail me, or reply here.)

THanks a bunch, and have a great holiday season!

Rich
(AKA ShadowDenizen)

But my question to the rest of the Paizonians is how much is too much? When the 15th AP is coming out, do you think you'll still be here buying it? Or will you stop after the third comes out and you're not anywhere close to finishing the first?

Speaking for myself, I don't think there is such a thing as "too much".

And I buy them as much for the readability factor as the playablility factor. If I enjoy reading a module, even if I never play it, I consider it money well-spent.

The three AP's (and Pathfinder thus far) have kept me consistently engrossed every month, and that is high praise indeed, and all I can ask for.

To keep this thread still semi on-track, I'm [still] in favor of keeping Pathfinder 3.5 9or perhaps a 3.75, if Paizo pushes that directon.)

Heh.

Our group almost went with the "All-Cleric" group, which would have been REALLY interesting. :)

I certainly picked up on that from the first adventure onward, though it really was evident when

I'm pleasantly surprised to hear you acknowledge that, James, knowing that you'll likely get some negative comments about it. (It is a sensitive subject, and certainly not appropriate for all groups.)

And I'm also glad you made it relatively subtle, so people can use it or not, as they see fit.

But I think that it definitely serves to heighten the enmithy towards Vanthus, which certainly pays off in the end.

And if you would like a good comparison of what Paizo writers can offer against other WoTC writers, then hold Fiendish Codex I up to Fiendish Codex II. No contest - the Abyss wins everytime!

Indeed.

But I did indeed also find Fiedish Codex I far outshone it's counterpart.

I've been playing D&D, in one form or another, since 1979. That's 28 fantastic years that the game has given me. I have learned several different rule systems, and have enjoyed them all (but some more than others.) However, I'm getting older, and more set in my ways. Learning yet another rule system when the old one seems to work just fine seems to be more work than I want to put into my hobby. I am currently part of an outstanding gaming group, and they seem to like 3.5 just fine. Unless 4th ed is the coolest thing since sliced bread and warm puppies, we don't plan to convert.

I think we were sperated at birth. :)

That pretty much sums up my story, too. (Though it's SLIGHTLY less than 28 years, in my case.) ;)

So were the Pathfinder products to remain 3.5, would I still buy them? Hell yes, presuming the content remained as good... if I still buy 2e (and even 1e!) pdfs to use in my 3.5 campaigns, why wouldn't I do the same for Pathfinder?

Yeah, I have an appreciation for older editions, as well, though that doesn't stop me from buying newadventures and campaign settings!

I'm still buying the older PDF's (just finished my Planescape collection, and picked up "Isle of Dread" in preparation for runnning "Savage Tide". (I think the meeting place for the allies in "Enemy of my Enemy" will be in Sigil, given the vast amounts of stuff I have for the line!!) :)

Hey, Erik & Co!

First, thanks for being so honest, and for taking our opinions into account. It's nice to know that we're appreciated. :)

FWIW, as someone who's relatively neutral about 4E at this point, what Paizo (and Green Ronin, and Necormancer, etc.) decide to do will certainly lend weight as to whether I (and by extension, my group) upgrade or not. (At this point, I put more stock in the "Paizo" name [and all the people that go with it], than I do in the "WotC" name.)

We're currently running "Age of Worms", and are just finishing "Three Faces of Evil"; that means by the time 4E sees the light of day, we'll STILL be playing in the campaign. And, there's rumblings about someone running "Savage Tide" after that. And there's still Pathfinder, too....

Plus, our group is older (mid-30's to 40's), most of us have been playing since 1E, and the prospect of learning a new set of rules (not to mention splurging for another set of "Core Books") is not sitting especially well with us, since we've mostly mastered the 3.5 rules by this point.

So, I am hoping that Paizo DOESN'T convert (assuming that is a feasible alternative, of course; I'd rather you see you upgrade than fold up shop, needless to say), and that "Pathfinder" continues it's stellar run under the 3.5/OGL auspices. But if you do upgrade, I'd be more likely to invest in at least the 4E Core Books…

PC Name: Siberys

PC Race/Class: Dragonwrought Kobold Ninja 4
Adventure: Three Faces of Evil
Location of Death: Grallak Kur's chamber
Catalyst: Criticaled by Great-Axe (coupled with low HP.)

Other Party Members:
Sealamin Bachnar, Dwarf Cleric 3/Fighter 1/ aspiring Hammer of Moradin
Berek Darkmountain, Half-Elf Barbarian 4 (Player not present)
Drenn, Gnome Wizard
Proteus, Psionicist 4/ aspiring Master of Many Forms
Ailur, Human Druid 4/ aspiring Catlord (Player not present)

Wiki for the game here: ageofworms.wikispaces.com

First actual death in the campaign. :(

The party had gone into Erythnuls caverns, led by Proteus and Siberys.
WHile Proteus made a distarction, Siberys maneuvered to sneak-attack the Grimlock leader.

Unfortunately, his sneak-attack didn't kill the leader, and the leader won initative, who managed to critical with his great-axe for 25 points! (Siberys was already wounded and down 5 HP, from his max of 19.)

We are taking a while, too.
Started in Sept. '06, we're just finishing "TFoE".

Since we're all adults, we have had a few mini-hiatuses for RL, but we TRY to stick to a once-a-week session, for 3-5 hours per session.

I like this thread: it's nice to know that there are other DM's out there with the same problems as me!

Intersting: seems like your complaints seem to mirror alot of mine, Dee, up to and including their hatred of Fario and Fellian. (And more, I have a rogue character who INSISTS on sneaking about, doing his own thing, seperating himself from the group, you get the idea..)

I've tried to explain that A) I don'tknow all the rules by heart, and B) "You many know the rules better than me, but unless one of you wants to step up and DM, I'm making the calls."

That said, I do try to obey the rules as much as possible, but if I deem a rule needs changing, or am just unaware of a paticular shading, we address it afterwards, so the story keeps flowing.)

A bit harsh, I know, but it seems to be working OK: we're midway through "Flood Season" right now, and the game flows more smoothly, and if anyone has any issues, they know they can address me between sessions.

I think Tongue-Eater was, so far, the toughest challenge my PC's have had to date.

It could easily have been a TPK, but the party lucked out in the layout of the encoutner.

The PC swashbuckler was the first in the door to the kitchen, so TOngue-Eater concetrated on him for the whole fight (He -is- a barbarian, and enraged after all!)

Of course, this worked out OK, because he ended up by the door to the other room, with the Cleric inside, who was able to heal (almost) as quickly as TOngue-Eater could damage him!

Of course, the Hill Baboons helped keep the party at bay, especially because one of the PC's also approached through the courtyard, activiating the encoutner in there, too!

On another note, how do you deal with someone inflicted wiht Lycantrhpy from a Wererat AND a were-baboon? :)

Personally, I'd like to see Dungeon Compendium, Vol 1 first, collecting and updating the best and/or most popular adventures published in Dungeon to date, along with any supplemental material needed to run those modules (i.e., any as-yet-unpublished-for-3.5 monsters, traps, equipment, spells, etc).

I actually agree with this.

Future volumes, if there are any, will focus largely upon older material. I am optimistic given the sales, but we have not yet heard back from Wizards of the Coast.

Pleased to hear that. I have the "Dragon" CD Rom archive, and there's a goldmine of untapped stuff that would really add to the 3.5 culture.

And congrats to you, Erik, for making Dragon and Dungeon "must-reads" once more. (I really haven't paid much attention to "Dungeon" and "Dragon" since 2nd Edition, but lately, I've been finding things in "Dragon" that really interest me, and I -love- the "Adventure Path" series.)

I like this idea: probably more than I should. :)

If you haven't yet, try looking at the "Midnight" setting from Fantasy Flight for inspiration.

This of course sets up an interesting conflict for him with the PCs later in the game. But I tried to address that too.

Because the problem is that as a low level priest of Wee Jas he must obey his superiors without question. BUT I need him to not just do what Embril and Ike say, and I want to help him lead the "underground" movement so to speak.

Interesting.

Most of the party hails from Cauldron, but we opted to make Niokolai (the cleric) hail from a large city nearby, and he was assigned to monitor the goings-on of the Cauldron branch of the Temple.

This worked well right away, but is REALLY beginning to pay off in spades (we're beginning "Flood Season" now) as the Wee Jas temple effectivly blows off the Flood Festival. This means the PC's are forced to ally wiht the Jenya and the Cuthbert-ites (the party and the church have been surprisingly neutral to each other up until now.)

Nikolai actually offered to use one of the wands in the ceremony, if needed! (I tink the flooding of the city is a secondary motivation: he primarily wants to show up the Caldron priests!!)

And, some (Semi-"In Character") notes from Party Members:

Something that I've been thinking about, if the priests of Wee Jas aren't going to be participating in the Flood Season ritual then what will they be doing?

Think about it: everyone in town will be focusing on the festival. All of the other churches (that we know of) will be participating. The town guard are useless. If I were up to no good, as I believe the Wee Jas temple is (sorry Chris), now would be a time I might choose to pull something. I'd like to know what it might be. Is there anyone else among us who shares this opinion?

I don't know what shape I'll be in when we return from our upcoming jaunt outside of the Cauldron. However, assuming I make it back alive, I'd really like to find out what's going on inside that temple. I know that it's dangerous and likely protected by all sorts of wards and other shenanigans. If Chris's character could provide us with any reasonable intelligence on the defenses and layout of the temple I'm seriously suggesting that we take a look in there.

I realise that in addition to the potential threats from within the building, there are potential threats within the party itself. Chris, I know that this will challenge your loyalty to your faith. John, I'd prefer not to cross your character either.

Generally speaking, Farwall has been content to live on the sidelines and go unnoticed his entire life. He had never found a home or a purpose until he came to the Lantern Street Orphanage. He doesn't believe in anything other than no one should be subjected to having to live the life of day to day terror and uncertainty that he had to when he was young living on the streets. It would seem that someone feels that the entire population of Cauldron should live in such fear and terror and Farwall does not want to go back.

Farwall is starting to feel more motivated than ever before to act on behalf of the preservation of the Cauldron. We have currently suffered plagues of child kidnappings, murders, larceny, and now we're squaring off against the elements themselves. Farwall believes that there is a singular evil cooridnating all of these occurances. He does not fully trust any official of the town or of any of its churches. Which brings us back to the aforementioned suspicions of the Wee Jas temple.

The church of Wee Jas apparently has something to gain by the rising waters of the Cauldron in addition to whatever happenstance fatalities the floods may cause. Why do they want/need the waters to rise?

Something stinks worse than death itself here and it's coming from the Wee Jas temple...

And the response from Nikolai?

I concur that my colleaugues in the Cauldron branch of the church of Wee Jas may have other ambitions than serving the most revered Goddess. I would be remiss in my clerical duties if I was not to investigate their current actions further. However I would caution not to condemn them unless evidence against them is uncovered.

Furthermore Wee Jas does not always care for mortal matters. While I can sympathize with some of your concerns for the residents of Cauldron, demanding that she compensate them for a poor choice in where to settle is naive, and ultimately futile.

While some may see this as an abandonment from the gods, instead look to it as a test. Wee Jas helps those who prove themselves worthy. It may be that Cauldron has grown lazy and complacent. Strengthen your hearts and we may yet prove worthy of divine favor. The gods do not abandon us, rather mortals abandon the gods.

We face a great challenge. I look forward to it. We go to face a threat that challenges both our skills and our faith. If we stay true to the Goddess then victory will be ours. She has shown us what we must do, but the action must be ours. Constantly proving ourselves is the only way to her blessing.

The current church of Wee Jas in Cauldron leaves me with questions. I am not sure if they walk in Wee Jas' shadow. They may, but so far the shadows surrounding them are too deep for me to pierce. After the immediate threat of the rising waters is conquered I suggest we begin a thorough investigation. However once again I *strongly* warn that conclusions drawn without evidence are worthless, and will be dealt with accordingly.

-Nikolai Kiovu

From the first chapter I found Keygan Gelve's whole involvement in the kidnappings a bit of a loose end. In the HC James mentions he may be arrested. My party were not particularly taken with the deceitful gnome and found his familiar ransome excuse pitiful.

Yep, my PC's felt the same.

This allowed the Stormblades to buy the vacant property out from under the PC's noses while they were in Drakthars' Way. it has worked out well, so far.

Tied up the Ghelve problem, added in a new thread to hook the PC's. Problem solved! :)

And the biggest hassle hasn't been Kazmojen's Bazaar - they just offered cash for the remaining three kids.

Interesting. My party hit on the exact same solution. :)

We are just starting Flood Season, and we have:

1) Captain Eron: Level 4 Human Pirate (working towards the "Leviathan Hunter" PrC.) Native to Cauldron.
2) Farwall: Level 4 Halfling Rogue. (Working towards Thief Acrobat PrC.) Native to Cauldron, linked to Lantern Street Orphange.
3) Rutger: Level 4 Swashbuckler. Native to Cauldron, extremely antagonistic to the Stormblades/
4) Nitrea: Level 3 Sorcer (specializes in summoning.) Not native to Cauldron.
5) Slash: Level 4 human fighter, standard "tank" composition. Not native to Cauldron.
6) Saracen: Level 3 Cleric of Wee Jas. Not native to Cauldron, sent to monitor the activities of the temple in Cauldron.
7) Hantu: Level 3 human Druid. Native to Cauldron region, but not Cauldron proper.

Needless to say, with a Cleric of Wee Jas in the party, things have been.. intersting... to say the least. And more so now, given the temple's involvement (or lack thereod) during the upcoming Flood Festival.