Sigil's page

With St Patricks Day nearly upon us I thought I would share a tradition in my family. If you have kiddos you might find this one fun. The idea originally came years ago from a silly Brian Froud calendar about goblins. He says that while we all know what St Patrick did, we do not recognize the (unsuccessful) efforts of goblins through the ages that have tried to reintroduce snakes to the Emerald Isle.

We ran with this a little and on March 17th our Slitherin' Tide celebration will have a traditional corned beef and cabbage dinner. It will be plated in the kitchen and under each persons portion there will be little rubber snakes. And apart from the meal, there will be snakes everywhere. Hidden of course, but there will not be a pillow that does not have a stuffed or rubber snake under it. They will be in the fridge, and in her purse. They will be in with the silverware, and the towels. Every year it seems to get a little more over the top and so now it is almost a surprise if there is no snake. :) Now that the boys are older, we invite people over for a our silly holiday and they have fun with the planning and hiding.

Have you ever wanted to name a baby cthulhu? Not yours maybe but some else's? Here is your big chance...

Cthulhu

I read Kings The Stand some years ago and loved it. And then to my delight I found Swan Song by McCammon. Another hit with me. Since then I have read The Hot Zone which is non-fiction by still deals with the effect of an epidemic of Ebola and a near miss for the U.S. As weird as it sounds I have realized that I enjoy reading this sort of thing and wondered if the fine folks here had any other suggestions for great books about virulent epidemics, fiction or non.

I am was looking through my bestiary and it suddenly hit me that everything that looks like a attractive human female had a role of seduction and betrayal. Why would any demon lord or arch devil let one of these creatures anywhere near him?

Is this an indication that Paizo is not nearly ready with a VTT? Maybe doing away with that plan altogether?

I wasted lots of my 20's on this game. :) I have had a desire to play again but am confused. Reviews are all over the place on the new versions. Should I give them a shot? When did the franchise jump the shark? I have a fast computer so that will not be a limit, but I want a sound turn based Civ that does not suck. Advice?

I have not had a chance to read it yet, and was considering using it for a group of teen/tween players. If it were a motion picture what would it be rated?

Is there a way to link multiple game play threads to a single campaign? The PC's have split into 2 separate teams and I would love to be able to track the action for each separately, but in the same campaign.

Welcome to the discussion thread.

Sunshine is a good portent for your journey. Ready to depart, you look to your companions, and reflectively look within yourself. This will be a test of them as much as of you.

Welcome to the discussion thread.

So here it is, the night of the meeting with Ilyssia, the fabled Lady in the Tower. With dark as your shroud all you need to do is arrive without attracting the attention of Maralictor Orms and his men. Or Enzo Garrick and his Rough Bloods. Or the town watch, such as it is. Actually this may be far easier than you thought... Each of the aforementioned groups seem intent on enforcing the curfew on each other, though so far there does not seem to be any blood spilt because of it.

With caution each of you makes your way to tower, close calls, alley cats and at one point an inebriated prostitute have your nerves jangled by the time you even get to the 5ft wall that surrounds the tower.

What an odd thing... Better at home in Egorian, or maybe better still in an age ago in Oppara the tower stands here as a thing of beauty, defiant in this place of mud and dust and rock and toil.

The gate stands open, as do the doors to the tower, though the later are manned by two armed men. They do not stop you, or even question you. Once inside, you are struck for a second time at the wealth that built and furnished this place. Here and again are cushioned seats, and bright lamps, and this is the entry room. Upon entering a man and woman stand ready to assist you in removing any cloak or covering that protected you from the chill spring air. As they complete their task They motion you into a large room that is furnished much as the ante-chamber was. Opposite your entrance is another set of closed double doors. There is stained glass in the windows of this room, though it is not currently easy to discern what it depicts.

Moving through the room are several young women, sisters perhaps though separated by a handful of years. They bring plates of food, offering it to you and the other guests. Here a platter of cheese, blue and pungent, there dried apples, or figs, or skewers of chicken and bacon, or fresh rolls. They also offer water, but curiously, there is no alcohol offered.

A lack of stout seems to be agitating Darian Vysni, a tall broad chested man of perhaps 27. His hair is already thinning and his build, though impressive is not well cared for and you can see the fat starting to overtake the muscle. He is pushing one of the girls to bring something stronger than water.

Also in attendance is Orim Causen, a thin and serious minded young man whose greatest pleasure seems to be the discussion of why Iomedae is to be worshiped and calling all to her banner.

Hirm and Tirm are 2 dwarven brothers that are newer to Haugin's Ear. They have largely kept to themselves, though have hired themselves out as day laborers and none dispute their ability to work. They have been here for a couple months at most.

The esteemed Pathfinder Society also has representative in attendance. Sem Dumas is wiry and quick witted. His shoulder bag is full of maps and drawing and and notes and he has been in Haugin's Ear for several weeks with regards to the supposed petrified giants head that gives the town it's name.

Last but certainly not least, at least in the order that you notice them is Mirian Espitz. A red headed beauty just barely 21. Men 3 years her senior try to find occasion to converse with her. She flirts and flits, but as of now seems unattached despite the trail of broken hearts she seems to leave everywhere she goes. The truth is she is past beautiful and simply radiantly captivating!

Please feel free to describe your arrival, and any precautions taken and your initial interactions with each other, or with the other guests. Jagger and the Lady have yet to be seen.

Isger has never really known peace. Taken from barbarians by Taldor, and then by Cheliax it now serves as a vassal for the House of Thrune. These are the facts of the generations past, but yet still the ground is wet with blood.

Fourteen years past saw the Goblinblood wars. There is none now alive who does not know someone, and likely someone close to them that was killed in that dark time.

And here is the present day, orphans abound, though many of them are taken in by the church of Asmodeus. The country side is rife with bandits. Though the Chitterwood was burned back in the Goblinblood wars, it is regrowing and sightings of goblins and hobgoblins are increasingly frequent.

The small village of Haugin's Ear hears rumors that its closest neighbor, Gillamoor has fallen to a plague of undeath, its own streets are not safe at night with several teen girls being abducted recently, and just yesterday, a company of Hellknights arrived from Citadel Dinyar and set up camp.

It is under these clouds that Ilyssia The Lady of the Tower, summons you. You are to arrive tomorrow night and are to keep your errand secret.

_____________________________

What I am looking for:

4-6 players to help determine what is wrong in Haugin's Ear. If you have the Inner Sea World Guide, the Isger entry has lots of information that may help you flavor your character. Characters should be 1st level, 15 point build, with 2 traits. Max hitpoints, and average wealth. All things Paizo are okay, with a preference toward the core rulebook. My preference is STRONGLY against evil characters, but I am not saying no. I am generally against gonzo for the sake of gonzo, but I am a sucker for an interesting character with a background that makes it work in the setting. Please choose characters that fit with the setting, and have a background. I am hoping to find players that wish to co-operatively tell a story in this expositive form. Ideally, you will post at least once a weekday , with weekends being optional.

I know no one likes to do a full build only to find that someone else was selected. Please feel free to limit your initial post to class/race and back story, and something about you, including your experience with Pathfinder and PbP games (All experience levels will be considered, but a game full of people new to the game will do without certain assumptions I would make about a more experienced group). Final selection will be made in one week (Feb 13, at 2:00pm EST) Please be comfortable sharing your email with the group. My experience with these things is that they were better when there is a way to chatter OOC. Please also be aware that I have extended invitations to several friends and that thier acceptance will limit the number of open places.

___________________________

About me:

I have been playing some form of this game for more years in my life than I have not. I have never been a GM for either a Pathfinder game or a PbP game, but I do have significant experience DM'ing previous editions. My influences are HP Lovecraft, Robert McCammon, Brian Lumley, and the television show Millennium. I like ethnic food and cooking. I keep tropical fish. I am very excited about this game and am looking forward to what sort of characters are submitted.

Here is what I recall... It is an arcade game. It is a one or 2 person fighting game. My guess is that it was around in the late 80's early 90's. The one thing that distinguished it in my mind was one of the characters looked alot like the "Predator". Does anyone have any idea what I am talking about? :D

I know a youngster that is interested in playing the game. When I asked him what sort of character he would like he was very detailed!

I explained the basic classes and he liked the idea of a character "with magic in his blood". When we started talking bloodlines he rejected everything in the core manual, and asked if he could be an "ooze sorcerer". He likes comic books and I think he is seeing a cross between Venom and the Sandman, only a hero.

Any suggestions on where to go with this? I would love him to have a character he is excited about, and even more so because he is interested in story (and backstory) more than "winning".

Does anyone remember the Odic, from the Dungeon and Dragon boxed sets? I think it was the Black "Masters" set. It was sort of an undead tree that had animate leaves.... My memory is a little foggy on it. Does anyone have a copy of either the original or a conversion to 3., 3.5 or Pathfinder?

I know this in part because I over heard my 10yo this evening at play, proclaiming, "He came back to life because of Cthulhu, with some help from Anubis! Duh!"

:D It really made me chuckle.

My sons and I love Dungeon... Or maybe I should say we have loved it... We have about played it to death and are looking for something new, and maybe a bit more challenging. I remembered hero quest from when I was younger, but at the prices they are getting on Amazon and eBay, I think I will go a different route. :)

Here are my preferences:

It is appropriate for prettenn and young teen players.

It is made for at least 5 players.

The players work together.

It is a fantasy game.

It wraps up in a few hours.

It has high replayability.

It is visually appealing.

I am hoping those with some more experience might be able to tell me if you know of one that meets these parameters. Ravenloft? Descent? Runebound?

A tough month for the Band of Brothers. Another great man is off to his eternal reward. May his family be comforted.

My experience has shown me that there are usually 3 dimensions to RP world design. To some degree or another these are all pushed and the results are mixed.

As a world ages it can become more wide. That is that the core areas of the world are explored in greater detail that there is then a push to find new vistas. Be these Spelljammer (or Spelljammeresq) or hidden dimensions, or new continents that have just been discovered, or additional planes/realities there is some need to have a new area to explore. The goal is freshness, but the end result can often be a fracture of the original market, and this leads to a lack of profitability.

A game world can increase height. That is to say that there are ever greater powers and levels and challenges for the players possibly including immortality and beyond. This eventually leads to a near rewrite of earlier material (ie x monster was supposed to be one of the toughest things on the planet with a CR of 27, but now players can be level 30 and there are hosts of dragons, demons and undead that are routinely in the CR 35 range, so this monster either needs to be retrofitted or it is obsolete.)

The third dimension is depth. Stick with the same power scale and the same areas to explore but provide more details. The bloat here is prestige classes that no one really needs or wants and spells and weapons that one has to logically ask where they came from and why they were not in earlier material.

The only other way I have seen this done was in Forgotten Realms were they attempted to move the time line forward, but those I have talked to about that said it was a disaster. (I think to a lesser degree this was tried with Ravenloft and Dragonlance as well). I am guessing the "reboot" model requiring so many new books be bought leads to a certain fatigue. This said, I think this last approach is the only possible way to keep a setting fresh, but care would have to be taken to make sure that the auidience was not fractured etc.

Golorian is a healthy young adult now. Gone are the days when whatever was posible. Limits are there and this is a good thing. The world is grounded and while the sky is no longer the limit there are still wonderful possibilities ahead. That said, one day this world will start to show it's age and I wonder if the designers here have thought of how to keep the setting young? Or designers of other worlds/even home brewed perhaps have suggestions to retain the vibrance of this setting.

I read a book several years ago by Thomas Moore called Meditations in which he offers short devotionals. I found it fairly enjoyable. One of the messages has simply eluded me though and because he was at least raised with a Catholic perspective (I am not sure if he still practices) I wondered if you might help me understand what he meant. If you have the book it is on page 70.

The story in brief is this. There is a church with a rose colored window that the light penetrates but once a year. If this light touches you, it will heal you.

One day the sacristan brought some cleaning supplies to clean the place where the light fell. He was very reverent and did this piously. Yet when he was done he saw his arm had a sheen and he felt a tingle. Then his forearm withered.

It was determined not to be a miracle because it caused harm not healing and from then on the place where the light fell was allowed to get dirty.

Any insights?

Are there any other monsters that are "officially" in Golarion than those expressly published by Paizo or the OGL monsters?

For example, officially, is it assumed that creatures from the Tome of Horrors are there? Or any other sources?

Does anyone have any advice on writing an adventure path? The things that sme as difficult is 1.) Not railroading the players while all at once making sure they get the plot points that lead them to the next months adventure, and 2.) Making sure that they do the things they need to be an appropriate level when they get there.

How do the pros do it? How do you do it? How should I do it?

In my campaign there is an order of monks that has taken a vow of silence. This is strict to the point that some of the more zealous monks have actually removed their own tongues. Other forms of communication are possible though. If you were making this variant, what ability(s), if any, would you give the character as compensation.

With the great sale I am considering getting Year 0. Tghat said, before i do, I am wondering what exactly I am getting.

How many pages?

New monsters/prestige classes/spells/magic items?

And has there ever been talk of binding all of these together into a dead tree form?

Thanks for your insights.

I like ordering my Pathfinder from Paizo. The shipping fees kill me. I am way behind on running adventures and so if I get my stuff as soon as it is released or 4 months later, it makes no difference to me.

Any chance of adding a "Hold until x dollar value is ready to ship" option?

Which era do you like better?

For MillenniuM fans and Chris Carter fans this is huge... Investors have approached Lance Henriksen about doing a MillenniuM movie. Source: Lance Henriksen himself details at this link.

MillenniuM movie news!

If you are a fan, you might really enjoy this forum...

With reflection, I have realized that most of my favorite times playing, either side of the screen have been in the level 3-5 range.

It suddenly occured to me that I could make my own xp advancement chart for levels 1-8? and thus prolong my players time in this range. I would think that level 10 might be considered extremely rare, nearly unique in such a setting.

Has anyone else ever tried such a thing? What are some of the logical differences in such a world?

I have Arcana Unearthed and am wondering if there is so much new material that tracking down Arcana Evolved for near a hundred dollars is worth it. Any opinions?

So I am reading a financial website, watching the markets close, and scanning the headlines, when my eyes catch on this gem...

"Bonded to reality
Mutual-fund managers who want to buy corporate debt are having a hard time doing so amid a new, illiquid environment."

It took me 3 read throughs to realize the word was illiquid not illithid.

I would like to join an established group in Central RI for some version of third edition, though Pathfinder is my easy first pick. Failing this, I would be pleased to play any D20 game.

I am mid 30's and looking for a more "mature" group, but one that does not take itself too seriously.

Thanks

Benjamin

I am searching for a model of the USS Forrestal to give my oldest boy for Christmas. I have been searching for a bit now and am starting to get a bit desperate. My budget is about 30.00 USD and the few that i have found online are either well more than that, or cannot gaurantee shipping in time for the holiday. :(

Failing to find the model, I would love advice if anyone has ever made custom decals for a model. I can find the USS Saratoga (which is the *exact* same carrier with insignia differences only) locally, but the number decals are not going to be right.

I know this is long shot but...

Thanks in advance...

I just bumped into this last night at my local "Borders". They must have a deal with WotC, because the artwork in more than one place is not similar to the monster manual, it is *exactly* the same.

In any case, it is all fluff about monsters, but the fluff all corresponds to 3.5 canon so it seemed a great way to get a hobby related thing to my young sons.

The price at Amazon cannot be beat either, for a hardcover...

Monster Book.

Not sure how I missed this one, but a friend thought I might enjoy it, so I gave it a try.

Might enjoy was quite the understatement!

So here we have a film that is unclassifiable. There is definitely a zombie survival horror theme. But this is backed with really wonderful cinamatography, and a stunning score. This film works on so many levels.

I had to throw this up here for anyone who may have not seen it yet.

One of the best films I have ever seen.

Hello Cosmo and Allison and the rest of the crew,

Order #987878 confirmation arrived in my email tonight. The shipping method is wrong though... I would prefer my orders go through the non brutal UPS. :) Last months did and I made no change so I am not sure what happened... Could you please make this correct?

Also... I am considering a rather large order, in excess of 200 dollars and as i put it together i realized the shipping discount happens at 100. I think I would be better off sending 2 separate orders, but that does not seem like the most cost efficient way for you to receive them. Is there any way to address this?

Thanks,

Benjamin Billings

I am completely overwhelmed right now and did not sleep last night so if this seems inappropriate ignore or delete with no hard feelings from me...

Last night I got home from work to be told that my wife of 11 years has filed for divorce. She is asking for everything, the house all the assets and worst of all full custody of my children.

We were going through a rough patch but I guess it is one she does not intend to see through to the end.

Anyway, I have been in tears or near tears since I got the news and am reaching out here because my RL friends and family did not even know we were having bumps. If there is anyone out there with similar experience I would love to hear your perspective. For the record I am in Rhode Island. I cannot stand the thought of loosing my boys and feel paralyzed.

Sebastian? Anyone?

Now that we know it is a boy it is time to start submitting entries.

My suggestion is "Cosmo Ackerman"

So as I type this, I am eating a frozen pizza. I did not buy the pizza. It was in the freezer in the company refridgerator and I have had my eye on it for more than a month.

As I eat I am slightly troubled by my actions. I mean, it is not mine so I technically stole it. Except!! I work in a place with about 1.5k people. There are 2 refridgerators in this particular break room. About 5 weeks back the smell from said appliances was so terrible I spent a bit of the afternoon removing spoiled things. I mean take out that was not longer recognizable. Cream that was hard as butter. Baggies full of rot. I mean brown liquid, whatever vegetable or fruit it was rot. I filled a garbage can between the 2 refridgerators (no wonder I could never find a place for my lunch!!). So I *know* that food is abandoned, and in some ways it seems of dubious morality to simply allow it to grow fallow.

So here is the question... Did I do a wrong thing? And how long must food be there unil it is considered "abandoned"?

How hard would it be to add a spell check button to this forum, so users can proof posts?

I just stumbled over this campaign setting, and thought it looked good... but to be honest, in some ways it looked too good. My impression was that it might be one of the best things ever made, or a really bad setting hidden by a pretty cover written for and by emo teens.

Before I sink money into it I am wondering if anyone can tell me what thier experience with it has been, both players and DM's.

Also telling me which support books were better than others would be great.

Thanks!

I made the Chick Pea stew recipe as detailed in Edge of Anarchy. Surprisingly good!

May I make the following comments?

Spices were too dilute. I reccommend doubling them.

The recipe calls for kale or other leafy green. I think Kale was perfect. I would consider cabbage in a pinch, but spinach or mustard greens or bok choy are not going to have the "crunch" of the kale.

The recipe says to serve it over rice or pasta. IMO culturally it would make more sense to serve it with crusty bread. The pasta or rice requires a second cooking pot while the bread could be bought or made every few days.

Overall, I thought it was really good (we served over rice) and my children also ate it nicely!

I just found a post by a newer player on Amazon, inquiring about which edition of the game he should start with. I directed him here of course and told him about Pathfinder, but I thought it might strengthen my message if a few others went and invited him this way as well.

The conversation is civil and i think we have a good shot at being heard. It is a great chance to promote this edition of the game.

Thanks for the backup! :)

Amazon Discussion

It has happened again... My PF has arrived destroyed. As there have only been 9 of this printed so far and this is my second total loss (spine ruined to the point of being nearly unreadable... same injury both times...) I am wondering if anyone else has had a similar problem.

I ask because I am considering changing my shipping method, but I already selected what I thought was the better option...

So here is the question... If you have had a shipment damaged please indicate here what method of shipment you used. It will help me decide which way I should go in the future.