Shelby Babcock's page

Sweetness! Seems like we're getting a lot of interest from new players! Yay!

Hey. Well, I had an idea with a friend who plays PFS with me and we had a good laugh over it. See, we both like anime and TV shows and we thought "hey, wouldn't Pathfinder scenarios be cool as TV show or anime episodes?" And we got to talking and it actually all fell into place rather quickly. Mind you, it'll likely never happen. If fans were to try and make a Pathfinder show, it would have copyright issues from Paizo and then that's a whole mess right there.
But there were some cool ideas there. Of course, we both wanted our own PCs to be in the show, but we realized that everyone has their favorite character and it wouldn't be fair to just have a set cast. Then we thought, everyone hates "filler episodes", right? Why? Because they take away from the main storyline and focus on ancillary or tertiary characters. But what if there were no "main" characters, so to speak? What if each scenario or arc featured a new cast of characters, with only NPCs reappearing regularly, and maybe a cameo here and there. Popular characters could come back for big events (I can already imagine a whole arc based on Siege of Serpents) and this way you could pick the best group for the job.
Course, I'm essentially describing the Pathfinder novel series. Silly me. Still, my friend and I had a good time coming up with ideas. Using scenarios would make them hard to play in PFS since you'd know what to expect, so it would mean writing all new scenarios just for the show...but think about it. This way you could create a single meta-story, set in stone, for PFS fans to follow. You could use the results of games to help determine future episodes. The ideas just keep flowing.
I'm not really expecting anyone to comment on this post. Really, I just put it here since I have a terrible memory and I didn't want to forget the idea because it was memorable and fun.

I appreciate all the advice you guys have posted here. In the end, I think I'll go with the Bloodrager idea suggested by Ventnor. Perhaps when I become more experienced in Pathfinder and understand more about multiclassing and prestige classes, I'll return to this idea. But for now I think I'll give the bloodrager a try, especially since I've never been that good with magic-using classes.

Kudos on even taking this archetype. It's the only time I delved into Gunslinger because at 1shot/round very few Players/DMs can complain about guns in their campaign versus the archer who can contrive to somehow deliver six or more arrows in six seconds.

I went with Goblin Gunslinger as it allowed me to use a full-weapon. The defining image being a Goblin wielding a five-foot shoulder-fired muzzleloader and being to speed load it once a round with a ramming rod taller than him.

Any inspiration on your PC from Evangelion or Tekken?

Honestly, no. I've never seen Evangelion or Tekken (I know. I'm a terrible nerd). I just saw that the stats bonuses were good for a gunslinger and I thought it'd be cool. I'd do a goblin but I'm using this character in PFS play and Goblins aren't a PFS legal race yet (at least, not without a boon or something).

+1 on GM Bold Strider's post.

I believe those stats are pretty close to my human musket master. He also started with a haramaki, eventually upgrading to darkleaf studded leather and endless bandolier once he had the cash. He carries a rapier and his bag of skittles (silver, cold-iron, adamantine bullets/cartridges). He keeps the musket pre-loaded with a bullet and powder to ease costs and misfire chance then switches to cartridges for any remaining attacks.

Once you get rolling on dex to damage and/or rapid shot, it should be pretty easy to keep your grit pool full from kills.

If you're interested in gaining stealth as a class skill, you could take the Bitter Nobleman (campaign trait) or Highlander (regional trait). The latter could be especially thematic for a tengu and helpful for a sniper.

Early feat pick-ups to consider (after Point Blank/Precise): Deadly Aim, Rapid Shot, Clustered Shots (for DR)

As far as builds, I had planned on taking the Targeting Shot Signature Deed and the snap shot feat chain but this was pre-errata which nerfed both as well as the abundant ammunition option. One opinion mentioned on the forums several times in response to the errata is that multi-classing after level 5 (musket training for dex to damage) may be the better option now. Just some things to consider.

First of all...holy crap. I thought starting gold was 500! Holy crap! Now I have to go back and adjust ALL my PFS characters! (well, okay, it's really just the last few I made, I think. The gunslinger's the only one who went really overboard when it comes to cost, so the rest can probably just be adjusted easily). Oh crap! Thank you so much for realizing that!

Firstly, I would like to ask how you are taking precise shot without the point blank shot per-requisite.

Secondly, keep in mind that a gunslinger is expensive in upkeep, especially if the gun breaks or you need more bullets. They are hard to come across normally and crafting rules in pathfinder are silly to say the least.

I played a gunslinger, musket master as well, however I never intended his primary weapon to be the musket for some time. When starting off at low levels, the gun is a fancy ornament that occasionally goes boom. I would stick with crossbows for the early levels until you fix your starter gun and only bring out the musket when you really need to. Boss fights or in a pinch. The expense of firing that thing every round adds up quickly. Mind you, I was playing Reign of Winter and bullets and places to make them were rather scarce. This is why I say use a crossbow. It's cheaper for repeated use at early levels.

Often times it was the case that I would fire a shot and then stow the gun for the rest of the combat, or pull it out at the end of the combat and take one, maybe two shots to kill an escaping boss. Hitting touch AC is a nice feature that way, but it also makes you the center of attention very, very quickly.

First of all, thank you for catching the Precise Shot thing. My original gunslinger idea used a human for the race and I forgot that Tengu don't get two feats at level 1. I must have forgotten to get rid of Precise Shot when I made the new sheet. I've changed it to Point Blank Shot and will take Precise Shot at my next level (as I will probably be firing into melee a lot). As for your advice on how to use my musket at early levels, I see what you mean about becoming a target quickly. Though I'm playing in PFS scenarios and am thus not solely dependent on the GM's whims, a lot of tactics for enemies say they focus on the character who deals the most damage to them...which could probably be me given how guns use touch AC. I will keep that in mind for the early levels. The crossbow is a nice idea, but since I'm doing PFS, there's never an issue with finding ammunition, since it's assumed I can buy it anywhere between scenarios. Though you're right and ammunition is very expensive and it will likely be an issue once I start playing.

Okay, so I thought it'd be cool and kinda flavorful to have a Nagaji built up into a Dragon Disciple, but, while there is a pretty awesome guide on making a DD, I'm still really new to idea of prestige classes. Other members of the local lodge have said they think DD isn't worth pursuing or very good at all, so I'm hesitant to start down the long road to building one without any sort of advice.
My current plan is to mix sorcerer with paladin, so I get both divine and arcane spells, and then go for a golden dragon when I hit the appropriate level for the prestige class, as that kinda matches the paladin flavor, but, once again, I'm not sure how viable or wise that is. At this point, it's just an idea, so I have no tentative stats or feats selected. Heck, I haven't even named the character yet.
Anyway, if you have advice either on the prestige class, my current plan, or maybe a better option for my Nagaji, please post it here.

Okay...so this is my first time posting on Paizo's messageboards...ever...so please be gentle (I mean, I know this place is typically friendly and open, but I just...you know how it can be on other sites...and I just want some constructive help or criticism).
This is my very first time building a gunslinger ever, and I decided on a Tengu. I know the bonus feat for being human is nice, but Tengu have good stat bonuses for a gunslinger. Plus, after Paizo made tiefling and aasimar boon-only races recently, I decided to try and make a character in every new race and try to level them up to level 2 before next GenCon, in case they do something similar in the near future. Yeah...I'm a little weird.
Anyway, her name is Asuka Sanzuwu, a Tengu from Tian Xia, and these are her stats (I've already factored in the racial boosts)(using a 20-point buy for PFS):
STR: 7
DEX: 18
CON: 10
INT: 12
WIS: 18
CHA: 10

She's a musket master archetype (not a mysterious stranger, so that's why her charisma is normal). She has the Glide alternate racial trait (I figured, if she went to a high place to get a better view of the area, she'd want an easy way to get down). For feats, she has Rapid Reload (free with archetype), Gunsmithing (bonus feat for her archetype/class), and Precise Shot (to get started on that feat tree early). She also has the natural weapons trait, which is a bite attack (I figured it'd be good to have in emergencies while still leaving her hands free to reload, in theory).
For equipment, she wears a Haramaki (I know it kinda sucks for now, but I only get 500 starting gold in PFS and still need money for bullets and stuff). Her weapon is musket (broken because it's the one you get for free at the start) and I have her carrying paper cartridges, but also packing regular bullets and silver bullets (because sometimes, when the dice are cursed, you want to keep your misfires to a minimum. And they were cheap).

And that's a lot of information. I put her skill points into perception, knowledge (engineering and local), craft (alchemy), and acrobatics. I think I'll get her some stealth next level, so she can maybe get a surprise round to set up, but that's not a class skill for her, so it would be a bit of work.

Well, what do you think? Any advice? I feel the STR score is a bit lower than I'd like, but I'm not sure what I should lower to bump it up. And her AC is still rather low. For reference, I only have about 79 gp left at this point and she's still level 1, so I can completely tear this stuff apart and rebuild her if I need to.

Hey all.

So, I never really did a blow-by-blow GM thing like I intended to do here on the boards, but I thought I'd note it down here somewhere 'official.' The SCAP game I ran for the last year and a half or so ended at the end of May. It's uhhh, kind of a popular game. I'm proud to say that the Wiki we've maintained for the game has sat at number three for the phrase "Shackled City" on Google for most of our run. We usualy beat out Wikipedia. :)

The (now complete) adventures of Tarik's Company can be viewed here:

http://www.fief.org/cgi-bin/moin.cgi

I have to say ... it was quite a ride. This is probably the most amazing campaign I've ever had the pleasure of running, and my players were genuinely sad when the game closed down. I think it's rare when a D&D game reflects your life as much as this one did for me; it took what I laughingly call my spare time for most of that year and a half. When things were going well in game, my life was generally pretty great. At their lowest (around the start of chapter 7) things were pretty crappy.

I'd just like to take this opportunity to thank Jesse Decker , James Jacobs , Tito Leati , David Noonan , Christopher Perkins , Chris Thomasson , Attila Adorjany , Tom Baxa , Peter Bergting , Matt Cavotta , Jeff Carlisle , Christine Choi , Stephen Daniele , Omar Dogon , Tom Fowler , Andrew Hou , Ben Huen , Eric Kim , Chuck Lukacs , and Val Mayerick for the opportunity to run the SCAP. I completely stepped on, squished, and mangled your baby, but I never would have had that play-dough to work with if not for your hard work. Thank you folks so very much.

Thanks, too, to you board-monkeys, without whom I never would have gotten past the "Wand of Control Water" spreadsheet in Chapter 3. :)

I've had a number of inquiries about the game in the last few months, and I wanted to point out to you folks, too: feel free to toss em' at me. The game's still fresh in my head and I'm loaded with opinions.

Otherwise, keep on keeping on, you crazy Shackled City board you.

My players are math nerds.

This has presented a problem, as they're academically suspicious of the whole "use the wands to lower the waters" schtick. They've spent the last few sessions wondering why they don't build a system to deal with overflow, instead of spending hundreds of thousands of gold pieces on wands.

So, my question is thus:
I have a feel for the size of Cauldron's lake as it exists in the magazines, but in the book version of Cauldron (which I'm running) Cauldron is a good deal larger. How large is Cauldron lake, in the version of Cauldron presented in the hardcover?

Tonight, I ran the first session of "Flood Season". It went tremendously, and I'm completely looking forward to this campaign. My players are crazy loons, and have created a Wiki to keep their (studious) notes about the campaign.

The wiki can be found here:
http://www.fief.org/cgi-bin/moin.cgi

I'm going to try to provide a sort of "behind the scenese GM commentary" on their actions and my decisions, to give their actions as recorded on the wiki another dimension. We're going to run (pretty much) every Sunday, and I'll do my best to post about every session.

First, a note about introducing the characters to each other. I decided I want to give them a little more involvement than "you hear scuffles in the alleyway", so I modified and fleshed out the acolyte character that gets jumped in the first encounter. That character became Adrian, a crazed father looking for his son, Deven. Deven's kidnapping was moved up to just 10 days ago. That act snapped the poor acolyte's mind and basically made him go nutters. After harassing Skellerang endlessly, he stole a bunch of gold from the Cuthbert coffers, he headed to Redgorge to hire some adventurers.

In Redgorge he meets up with the PCs while appealing to a crowd of market-day shoppers. They agree to take him to Cauldron and talk to the guard with him. He tells them he just wants them to talk to Skellerang, but his intent is to get them hooked into the case by getting them to form an adventuring company with the city. Thankfully, my PCs are all relatively goody goody, and after speaking to the Captain of the guard formalize their relationship between themselves and the city. The next day, the city broadsheet is screaming out the news that kids have been taken from the city Orphanage.

The PCs check out the Orphanage. They don't catch Patch's connection to the Last Laugh, even though one of the kids (who informs the PCs that the half-orc tells stories) mentions a sad story about a little man turning to crime to get some money. I think they might get back to this plot thread later. They pick up Ghelve's name right away, and set out for Adrian's home to make sure he has a Ghelve lock too.

On the way, the have the alleyway encounter. My PCs are locked and loaded for combat, with a buzz-saw of a gnomish barbarian in their midst, and take out the poor guardsmen in two rounds. Jil leans over the edge of the roof to gloat, and one of my players interrupts me. "So, there's another one?" "Uhh...yeah..?" "It's my turn next in initiative, right?" "Um, yes...but we were going to be out of init..." "Magic Missle!" He's a warmage, and does 7 points of damage with one Magic Missle. There is one more player before Jil can flee, and it's the fighter with Quick Draw. He drops his sword, grabs his short sword, and fires off an arrow at Jil. It's a possible crit. That confirms. I ruled that he manages to take out one of Jil's eyes, but doesn't kill her. (True. She was down to 2 hp, but she was up.) Her init. comes up and she flees over the rooftops, one of the PCs hearing her use the command work for the wand as she does. I think a one-eyed Jil, and the Last Laugh, is going to be a sore spot for the PCs in this campaign. :)

They take Adrian to the Cuthbert temple, where they meet Jenya. She explains that Adrian is basically off his rocker, but now that they're here and kids are missing she's stepping up. They dissect the divination in about five seconds, happy to see their suspicions about the locksmith confirmed.

They go to confront Keygan. The leader plays it slow, with the rest of the party fanning out in the shop, before he hits him with a "Why were your locks at every crime scene?". Keygan uses some head nodding and (thanks to some good Sense Motive) they realize he's trying to warn them. The skulk jumps down to the floor....and is promptly cut in twain by a crit from the barbarian.

They head down to Jzadirune, and very specifically don't go into the propped open "A" room. They're taking the divination a little literally. The elven rogue misses her secret door rolls as they move around, so they haven't found any yet. They head down the hall and around the corner, checking out the doors. The rogue trips the tilt-a-trap at the south end of J14, and takes one round of damage before her companions gets the pit door open and help her climb out. The skulks back in the "A" room are going to move up on them pretty quick because of the noise...unfortunately for them the barbarian is watching their backs. End of session.

Go check out the player notes, they're highly entertaining.