Short Historian's page

Wow! Thanks DeathQuaker, that was exactly the kind of advice I was looking for. I think I will take the plunge. It will be slow going, but I'd like to learn.

Another question for anyone who owns any Bones figures: How hefty are they? Do they stand up ok? I have a few of the Reaper Legendary Encounter prepainted minis and my skeletons and zombies have a habit of lying down on the job.

Not quite. (I think...) Until 6th level, you don't have wild shape at all, unlike regular druids who get it at 4th.

At level 6, if you transform into a dinosaur you are treated as if you were level 8. If you transform into anything else at level 6, you are treated as if you were level 4.

Basically, you are skilled (2 levels better) at transforming into dinos and less skilled (2 levels weaker) at transforming into other animals.

I'm very interested in this project since the minis look great and the deal just gets better and better. However, I'm hesitant because I've never painted minis before. To all the people with experience, is it something beginners can pick up? I'm no artist (as my players have told me time and again).

I see that paint sets are offered as an option. If i picked up the basic set paints along with my minis could I make a go of it? Some of the figures look very complicated, but I guess I could start with the rats.

Thoughts? Experiences?

This is fantastic! I picked up Legacy of Fire parts 5 and 6. Will my group ever get around to finishing? Who knows? Will I be ready? Yes I will!

Also, it is worth noting that while most of the discounted print products are older, some of them have more recent applications. For example, the Caravan Map Pack is quite useful if you are running Jade Regent. (Since I have JR, I ordered a copy just in case.)

If you borrow the pieces from Risk it wouldn't be hard at all to play using the Inner Sea poster map from the Inner Sea World Guide. That is if you have a big enough table...

What we have here is, if I may borrow a phrase from the Doctor, an attack of "timey-wimey stuff." The write-up for the Rusty Dragon in RotRL says Ameiko bought the place 6 years before (4701) but her bio in Jade Regent says she bought the place in late 4706/early 4707. So it would seem that in both APs, she has been doing her thing at the Rusty Dragon for 5/6 years even though they take place 5 years apart (officially).

I would say that the new, more detailed story should supersede the old. (I would change the "six years" in RotRL to "six months" and everything works out fine. But you aren't GMing, so that is an issue.) Maybe we could get the good Mr. Jacobs in here to sort us out.

No offense taken. Perhaps an official Paizo person could explain better than I am. The National Geographic Society is really the best analogue to the Pathfinder Society. Additionally, while the Society governs (or attempts to govern) its members' activities, it seems to me that many expeditions are formed by the members' own volition and funds. As for the number of lodges, we'll never get a solid number because that would be limiting, but Seekers of Secrets describes 13 in detail and individual PFS scenarios are constantly writing more into Golarion canon. (Pathfinder Wiki lists 18 more from various sources.)

As for how they can be so big, well, that has a complex answer in my opinion. First, magical economies are kind of weird (ask anyone who has a beef with magic item rules or craft rules). Second, the Decemvirate and the Grand Lodge have very full coffers. Third, and most important, Golarion is ridiculously adventure-dense. While Earth could only support one or two Indiana Jones types at a time, you can't throw a rock in the Inner Sea region without hitting something quest-worthy or at least worth investigating. Not all of the Pathfinders' missions are Adventure Path epics, a lot of it is more mundane archaeology and exploration.

But, really, if you want to have your players make a check, I see nothing wrong with it. I wouldn't in my game, but that hinges on my perception of the Society in Golarion. If you do ask for one, I'd say a DC 5 or 10 to know the basics about the Pathfinder Society, its goals, etc.

Well, the Pathfinder Society is over 400 years old and the Grand Lodge in Absalom is, well, grand. I think you may be overestimating the secretiveness of the Society. The Inner Sea World Guide describes the Society as having lodges in most major cities around the Inner Sea region. Plus the Society publishes the Pathfinder Chronicles, illegitimate copies of which are prized by the general public. In my mind, most denizens of Golarion have probably met a Pathfinder and may be able to point you in the general direction of the nearest lodge. In the off-chance they don't know any personally, I doubt anyone is unaware of the Society's existence.

So that's my reasoning for no check for basic information. Certainly, more obscure information would warrant a check, using K: Local for local/recent developments and K: History for notable Pathfinders and expeditions of the past.

Depending on the exact information they are trying to find, I'd say either K: History or K: Local. If the information isn't particularly obscure and the character in question isn't some sort of a hermit, it is likely that no check would be needed. The Pathfinders are a huge global organization.

You have a module. You already have notes on every encounter. Just look over the stats from the beastiary to familiarize yourself with the monsters and what they can do. Then read and re-read the module. That's your prep work in a nutshell "Know Thy Module"

The gm's with piles of notes were either writing their own "module" or just writing reminders for themselves. If you want to remember something for later, write it down! if not? Don't!

+1000 to this.

Crypt of the Everflame is a great module to start with because all of the monster statblocks are worked into the adventure right where you need them. Flipping through the book(s) looking for information can slow down a lot of novice (and seasoned) GMs, so this is a great help.

The best advice I can give is to read the module at least 2 or 3 times. When you think you have the whole thing memorized, read it again! As for notetaking, one simple but helpful thing to do is a list of events/scenes in sequential order. (Or sequential order prior to player intervention.) Jot down anything you need to remember as well as the page number that the information for that event is on. Being able to find your place quickly is especially helpful when players don't attack the adventure in the order the module assumes that they will.

Those are some pretty hefty stat blocks. Excuse my ignorance, but what do you use to generate them, Bigkilla?