Sir Terramor the Blue Knight's page

Here it is!

Tarondor's 2025 Guide to the Pathfinder Adventure Paths

Please enjoy.

I hope this is an okay place to put this request.

I'm running a PF2e campaign loosely based on Ruins of the Grendleroot and I have some an issue that's bothering me and I wonder if you'd mind helping act as my brain trust.

Here's the issue, with as few spoilers as I can manage:

It's an Underdark campaign wherein the ultimate bad guys are

What I want help with is why she doesn't take a more active part in the story? Why isn't she blasting minions and giving the heroes gigantic buffs?

I think part of the reason is that if the bad guys know she's around, they'd pay much closer attention and join up to stomp her. But there has to be more. She's not off doing something altruistic, that's for sure. So what's stopping her from being more active (and ruining the game by taking over for the PC's)?

Hey nerds!

I'm working on a revision of Tarondor’s Guide to Pathfinder Adventure Paths and I have created a poll where you can give me your opinions of the various Adventure Paths. Please give it a look:

Tarondor's Second Pathfinder Adventure Path Poll

Hey nerds!

I've redone my guide to rogues for the Remastered rules. You can find it here:

Tarondor's Guide to the Pathfinder Second Edition (Remastered) Rogue

I don't often GM PFS, so I need a little direction.

When a scenario calls for a skill check (say Athletics or Diplomacy) but doesn't list a DC, am I expected to use the Average DC for the party's level?

What if it does list a DC? Should I raise or lower that based on the party playing up or down? I assume static DCs are static, but I'd love some confirmation.

Hey folks!

I've edited my guide to the Pathfinder Second Edition fighter. Here it is:

Tarondor's Guide to the Pathfinder Second Edition (Remastered) Fighter

Welcome Aboard. Please dot and delete and I'll have some more information up soon.

Discuss!

Be sure to complete the RPG Chronicle Sign-Up Sheet.

Welcome to my run of PFS2 #3-08 "Foundation's Price" for Gameday XIII, an adventure for Pathfinders of levels 1-4. You may sign up >here< and complete the >Sign-In Sheet< beginning on August 15, 2024.

Hey folks:

I've updated my guide to PF2e wizards. It's at the same address as always:

Tarondor’s Guide to the Pathfinder Second Edition (REMASTERED) Wizard

Hey folks. I've written a guide to clerics. YOU CAN FIND IT HERE..

As always, comments are welcome.

My group of Pathfinder 2e players meets online. We have members all over the US and the world, but over time our membership has dropped and we'd really like to bring in more players!

We're currently playing in an Underdark/Darklands campaign I call "Thunder in the Deep".

We meet every other Sunday from Noon-6:00(ish) p.m., Eastern time. We don't use any fancy VTT's because I find that the tech distracts from the actual game. All you need is Discord and a Google account (our maps are on Google slides).

Let me know if you're interested.

Hey folks. I've written a guide to the Pathfinder Second Edition Bard. HERE IT IS.

Comments are welcome.

And yes, I know the Remaster is coming out soon. :-)

Have you seen the feat "Rivethun Disciple"?

You gain a +1 circumstance bonus to Crafting, Deception, Intimidation, and Medicine as long as you have the clumsy, drained, or enfeebled conditions. You also gain a +1 circumstance bonus to Athletics, Stealth, and Thievery checks as long as you have the immobilized, slowed, or stupefied conditions.

What is going on? What is this grab-bag of elements intended to simulate?

I'm sure this has been addressed, but I haven't found it.

What effect will the material in the Remaster have on existing PF2e options? That is to say, if I choose to GM a game with the Remastered rules, will my players be able to use material from the many PF2e books I own (e.g., the Character Guide or Secrets of Magic or Treasure Vault)? Or will those become obsolete?

If I as a player work out a strategy for my bard or my cleric now, how likely am I to have to completely rework that strategy after the Remaster comes out?

The PF2e version of Gust of Wind has a line area of effect. So when that line contacts a Stinking Cloud with a 40' diameter, does it disperse the whole cloud or merely punch a 5' wide hole in it?

I've been considering my next campaign, which I've decided will not be an AP but instead a game set in my homebrew world.

Two things I don't care for in modern PF2e are Medicine and Crafting. Specifically, I don't care for how easy it is to heal up without a cleric and (far more importantly) how easy it is to craft magic items. In the old days, getting a +1 sword was a big deal. Getting a +3 flametongue was amazing. These days, it feels like it's just "$19.99 at Sears". No big deal. No questing involved. I have two PCs in my current home game who each hand out 16-17 healing potions per day.

I mean, Frodo doesn't craft the Phial of Galadriel and Merry doesn't craft the sword that he stabs the Witch King with. Sure, there are plenty of modern fantasy tales (and some classic ones - The Dying Earth, for instance)(but even there the wizards had to go to the heart of a dead sun for their ioun stones...) where crafting is common. But why must we assume that crafting is common in all PF2e games? What if I want that gift from the elves to feel special and not like "do we have someone who wants to use this?"

So, my question is: If I simply rule out the various versions of Treat Wound and limit crafting to consumables, how badly does that shift game balance? Sure, we go back to the 10-minute adventuring day, but maybe that's worth the thrill of finding a legendary suit of armor you couldn't craft for yourself.

PLAY IN TARONDOR’S HOME GAME!

This message is going out to everyone I play with. Or really, anyone who happens to see it. Don’t be shy.

I’m a long (really long) time GM and my home game has been online since 2020. But it has also dwindled in size and I’d really like to have more great players! So, since we play online that means anyone could potentially play with us. Interested? Just drop me a Private Message!

DETAILS
My players and I are in the last book of an Adventure Path (Age of Ashes) and we’ll be wrapping it up in the next 2-3 months. When that’s over, we’d really like to have more players. 6 to 7 players would be ideal. Right now we are 3 players plus me.

We play every other Sunday from 12-6 Eastern time. We -don’t- use any VTT’s (your GM finds them distracting). We just talk over Discord and use Google slides for images and maps. Works great and there’s zero learning curve.

PLAYER’S CHOICE
One thing I’ll be doing differently this time is that instead of me telling the players what we’re going to play, I’m going to offer the players a choice of 5 or 6 potential campaigns I’d be willing to run (including a few different game systems) and let the players tell me what they want to play. I expect we’ll be playing Pathfinder 2e, but if the players prefer sci-fi or superheroes we might be using a different system.

So anyway, if you’d like to join us and want to have some input in what we play, now’s your chance to get involved!

WHO I AM
I’m Tarondor. My real name is Scott Nolan and I’m a lawyer, a dad, a husband and a big ol’ nerd whose RPG credentials go back to the 1970's. I love pretty much every style of gaming from “kick in the door” to deep roleplaying. I don’t care if you’ve got forty years of experience or if you’ve never played the game, so long as you’re good at getting along with others and don’t think that “what? It’s what my character would do!” is an excuse for screwing your party.

My own style leans towards epic quests. You can get an idea of my GMing style from the many games I run here on the Paizo boards. You can also check out my various guides to character classes and whatnot by clicking on my Profile.

Ooh. Everyone is welcome, but leave your baggage and agendas at the door. We’re just here to sling dice and have fun.

If you’re interested, let me know!

I need some players for my ongoing Ptolus game (in Pathfinder 2e). Unfortunately, the recruitment thread says "closed" and I can't undo that, so it looks as though I don't want anyone to sign up!

If you're interested, please go HERE.

Recruiting 1-2 new players for my Traveller game. It's a science fiction game of spaceships and lasers, but also discovery of ancient secrets and cosmic danger.

No need to know the rules.

Hi! My Emerald Spire game (played in Pathfinder 2e) is in need of some players! We need 6th level PC's for a game that will go through 12th level (or so).

Current PCs are a wizard, druid and paladin.

Please respond HERE.

Okay, very minor, but I just started two Traveller games as "GM Tarondor" and meant to start them as "Traveller Referee Tarondor" (another alias). Is there any way for a moderator to fix that? To be clear, I'm not talking bout changing the title; I want to change the alias which made the first few posts.

As I say, trivial, but I like neatness! If there is anything to be done, I would appreciate it!

GM Tarondor's Secrets of the Ancients - Traveller

and

GM Tarondor's Skandersvik - Traveller

FORMAT FOR TRAVELLER CHARACTERS

NAME - UPP (e.g., Callie Dashulli - 697A56)
Summary (e.g.: Clever Engineer or Ace Negotiator or Deadly Sniper or whatever)
Age:
Species:
Homeworld: (correct format: Regina (Spinward Marches 1910) )

STR: (correct format: 9 (+1))
DEX:
CON:
INT:
EDU:
SOC:
PSI: (include only if you have psionics)

SKILLS: (correct format: Admin 2, Carouse 0, Gun Combat (Energy) 2, Pilot (Small Craft) 1, Pilot (Spacecraft) 2)
(don’t list skills you don’t have, and if there is a subskill, list it. If you have two different subskills, list them separately)

ARMOR: (correct format: Cloth +8 / TL10 / 3kg)

WEAPONS: (correct format: Snub Pistol / TL 8 / 5m / 3D-3 / 6mag / Zero-G)

AUGMENTS: (correct format: Cognitive Augment / INT +1 / TL 12 )

EQUIPMENT: (correct format: Grav Belt / TL 12 / 3kg )

ALLIES, CONTACTS, ENEMIES & RIVALS:

FINANCES:
PENSION: (correct format: Cr5,000/mo.)
DEBT:
CASH ON HAND:
MONTHLY SHIP PAYMENTS:
LIVING COST:

STUDY PERIODS:
Training in Skill:
Weeks: (correct format: 5 out of 8)
Study Periods Complete:
Bonuses:
________________________________________________________________________

CAREER HISTORY:
First Term: (correct format: Military Academy (Marines) / Basic Training / Event: Gained 2 allies / Graduated (+1 EDU, Athletics 1, Gun Combat (Energy) 1, Tactics (Military) 1)

Second Term:

Third Term:

Fourth Term:

Fifth Term:

Aging Crisis:

From Connections:

From Skill Package:

Tarondor Bonus:

Mustering Out Benefits:

NOTES:

FORMAT FOR TRAVELLER CHARACTERS

NAME - UPP (e.g., Callie Dashulli - 697A56)
Summary (e.g.: Clever Engineer or Ace Negotiator or Deadly Sniper or whatever)
Species:
Homeworld: (correct format: Regina (Spinward Marches 1910) )

STR: (correct format: 9 (+1))
DEX:
CON:
INT:
EDU:
SOC:

SKILLS: (correct format: Admin 2, Carouse 0, Gun Combat (Energy) 2, Pilot (Small Craft) 1, Pilot (Spacecraft) 2)
(don’t list skills you don’t have, and if there is a subskill, list it. If you have two different subskills, list them separately)

ARMOR: (correct format: Cloth +8 / TL10 / 3kg)

WEAPONS: (correct format: Snub Pistol / TL 8 / 5m / 3D-3 / 6mag / Zero-G)

AUGMENTS: (correct format: Cognitive Augment / INT +1 / TL 12 )

EQUIPMENT: (correct format: Grav Belt / TL 12 / 3kg )

ALLIES, CONTACTS, ENEMIES & RIVALS:

FINANCES:
PENSION: (correct format: Cr5,000/mo.)
DEBT:
CASH ON HAND:
MONTHLY SHIP PAYMENTS:
LIVING COST:

STUDY PERIODS:
Training in Skill:
Weeks: (correct format: 5 out of 8)
Study Periods Complete:
Bonuses:
________________________________________________________________________

CAREER HISTORY:
First Term: (correct format: Military Academy (Marines) / Basic Training / Event: Gained 2 allies / Graduated (+1 EDU, Athletics 1, Gun Combat (Energy) 1, Tactics (Military) 1)

Second Term:

Third Term:

Fourth Term:

Fifth Term:

Aging Crisis:

From Connections:

From Skill Package:

Tarondor Bonus:

Mustering Out Benefits:

NOTES:

Welcome to GM Tarondor's Skandersvik, a Traveller campaign using the Mongoose 2nd Edition rules.

Welcome to GM Tarondor's Secrets of the Ancients, a Traveller campaign using the Mongoose 2nd Edition rules.

Who would be interested in either of these campaigns?

Skandersvik - A complete campaign for Sword Worlds Travellers as crewmembers aboard the merchant cruiser Skander. They will voyage through Darrian and Five Sisters subsectors, into District 268 and finally home again. There is money to be made and glory to be earned on such an expedition, but it is not without its hazards.

Secrets of the Ancients - Secrets of the Ancients will start your Travellers off within the familiar Spinward Marches, but quickly escalates to take them into times, places and dimensions they barely dreamed of. Traveller at its very best.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I want to stress that this is NOT a recruitment thread. I just want to know how much interest there would be. I will -LIKELY- run one or both of these, but only if there is enough interest. Knowledge of the Traveller game is not necessary, as it's easy to learn. We'd be using Mongoose Traveller, 2nd Edition.

If you want to know what I'm like as a GM, check my profile. I have seven campaigns currently running, including one campaigns of Pathfinder, Traveller, Pulp Cthulhu and The One Ring.

1) Can you really not cast Prismatic Wall if you don't have 60' of length and 30' of height available? Or could you cast it in a smaller space (like a 10' wide hallway)?

2) How thick is it? The spell doesn't seem to say and I can't find a rule about default wall thicknesses. In D&D, it was 1 inch thick, which seems reasonable, but I don't know what Pathfinder's intent is for this spell.

I have lots of games going. All of them are going fine except one. THIS ONE.. Ever since the system hiccup last week, everything we type is in italics whether we want it to or not.

Can someone help, please?

I made a guide to the Pathfinder Adventure Paths. You can find it HERE.

I'm considering ways to run an Arthurian fantasy using Pathfinder 2e. Yes, I could (and might still) use Chaosium's excellent "King Arthur Pendragon" system, but my players are all familiar with PF2e, so I'm considering ways to adapt that.

My first thought is that all the players would be knights, and would therefore take some form of a martial class (fighters, barbarians, rogues and champions, mostly) and that I'd keep a close watch on any supernatural abilities. Magic items would be strictly limited and would take the form of either holy relics or artifacts of faerie. In this system, spellcasters would be very few and always NPCs (Merlin, Vivian, Nimue, Morgana, the Fisher King, various mysterious damosels waiting in forests). Magical classes and archetypes would be right out.

There will be no orcs or demons, no archmages or gnolls. Foes will mostly be knights, faeries and the occasional giant or troll.

I'd like to reinforce the basic cultural assumptions of the Arthurian myth while sanding off its worst excesses. And for the hobbyists, my basic text would be Mallory and the French Vulgate (because people are familiar with it), but trying to tie in older Welsh legends, with a healthy dose of the Chaosium RPG and a patina of Boorman's Excalibur. Chivalry, loyalty, kingship, sacrifice and Christianity would be the central themes.

I envision the story unfolding in three chapters with the knights as squires during Arthur's Boy King days, as knights errant during the apogee and as quest knights (possibly the sons of their previous characters?) during the Quest for the Grail and finishing up at the Battle of Camlann.

I've thought a lot of this through, but I want to avail myself of the experience collected here. So. With all that, what house rules would you suggest?

Not trying to double-post.

I just want to let you know that I've set up a questionnaire over HERE. If you haven't voted, please do so!

I thought it might be fun and useful to know which games people have played, which they recommend and which they'd like to play:

Slightly Longer Adventure Path Questionnaire

I'll let you know when I know more about this game!

Dot in here so we can await the start of the adventure (October 29, 2021).

Hey folks!

I created a little compendium of new troop types. HERE IT IS.

I've been running RPG's for many decades now and I've always told myself I would write the big one. Not for sale, but just for me and and my friends. A multi-chapter Adventure Path-style campaign (probably in five acts) that would take the PCs from 1st through 20th level and tell a significant story in my home game world.

I've been collecting bits and pieces, scenes and villains, situations and monster for awhile. I even have a multiple tentative plots to choose from.

What I'm wondering is, what are some things you always wished for in a campaign, but rarely saw? Could be a situation that you wished had come up, a location rarely used, a rule that could see more use, or just a well-loved trope you'd like to continue seeing.

For me, it's airships. I want a portion of that adventure to be on airships. And since my setting is firmly medieval, it'll have to be on another plane. That sounds like fun, too. I also love desperate must-win fights in precarious terrain.

Conversely, what is something you either see too much of?

Yeah. I'm trying to recruit for my 2e Ptolus campaign, but the campaign thread says "Closed" for some reason. Well, it's not! I'd like to recruit two new players for this long-running campaign!

The recruitment thread (and actual campaign) is HERE

RECRUITMENT OPEN

I am looking for ONE or TWO players to join our Traveller game. We're playing the epic "Pirates of Drinax" campaign and its early on in the campaign. Let me know if you're interested. Traveller experience not required.

I've converted Monte Cook's The Banewarrens and Night of Dissolution to Pathfinder Second Edition.

You can find the conversion here:

Tarondor's Pathfinder 2e Conversion of Monte Cook’s The Banewarrens and Night of Dissolution

My group is about halfway through Age of Ashes.

We started off as a face-to-face group in Northern Virginia, but during the pandemic we all went online, and we have had players from all over the U.S. and the world. Over time our membership has gone up and down and we'd really like to recruit a few more players.

We meet every other Sunday from Noon-6:00(ish) p.m., Eastern time. We don't use any fancy VTT's because I find that the tech distracts from the actual game. All you need is Discord and a Google account (our maps are on Google slides).

Let me know if you're interested.

I've done a conversion of The Emerald Spire to PF2e. HERE IT IS.

I love the tab function of the online games, separating discussion and gameplay and recruitment. But you know what's missing? A GM-only tab accessible only by that game's GM. I'd love to shove notes and reminders in a place like that where my player's can't see them.

I've been thinking a lot about the differences the two systems impose on loot. Specifically I've been thinking about how I need to alter loot from 1e adventures (as well as older D&D 3.0 and 3.5e adventures) to suit 2e PC's. I'm running many older adventures but using PF2e, you see.

The most obvious change is to reduce gold by 90%. But it's not that obvious because the expected wealth by level amounts are different. So a good GM (not me, but a good one) would total all the loot in any given part of an adventure, compare it to the expected loot from that level range and adjust. That's a bit of a pain in the behind, so I'm trying to work out a quick rule-of-thumb sort of thing.

The other consideration is that weapon runes (and later, armor runes) and magic items in general are hard-wired into the math of 2e, so those need to be available. 2e GMs using older adventures need to make sure that a reasonable amount of these are in the adventure.

So... anyone have any rule-of-thumb advice for this sort of thing?

I went looking for a Ranger Snare Specialist build and couldn't find one, so I made one.

I made the choice to downplay DPS choices in favor of the Snares line of feats and the Monster Hunter line of feats. What do you think?

________________________________________________________________

[color=red]RANGER SNARE SPECIALIST[/color]

Ancestry: Kobold (Venomtail Kobold)
Ancestry Feat: Snare Setter
Background: Tinker
Class: Ranger (Dexterity-based)
Hunter’s Edge: Precision
Initial Class Feat: Monster Hunter
Initial Ability Scores: STR: 14; DEX:18 ; CON:8 ; INT:14 ; WIS:14 ; CHA:12
Initial Skills: Trained in Acrobatics, Arcana, Crafting, Engineering Lore, Intimidation, Nature, Religion, Stealth, Survival, Thievery

2nd: Skill Feat: Terrain Stalker (Rubble); Class Feat: Hunter’s Aim
3rd: General Feat: Fleet; Expert in Crafting
4th: Skill Feat: Terrain Stalker (Underbrush); Class Feat: Snare Specialist
.....Snare Specialist Formulas: Biting Snare, Hobbling Snare, Trip Snare
5th: Ability Boosts: STR, DEX, CON, INT; Ancestry Feat: Snare Genius; Expert in Nature; Trained in Society
6th: Skill Feat: Magical Crafting; Class Feat: Quick Snares
.....Snare Specialist Formulas: Nauseating Snare, Signalling Snare, Warning Snare
7th: General Feat: Untrained Improvisation; Master in Crafting
8th: Skill Feat: Inventor; Class Feat: Powerful Snares
9th: Ancestry Feat: Dracomancer; Master in Nature
.....Dracomancer Spells: true strike, see invisibility
10th: Ability Boosts: STR, DEX, INT, WIS; Skill Feat: Trick Magic Item; Class Feat: Monster Warden; Trained in Athletics
11th: General Feat: Incredible Scout; Expert in Survival
12th: Skill Feat: Impeccable Crafting; Class Feat: Lightning Snares
13th: Ancestry Feat: Elite Dracomancer; Master in Survival
.....Dracomancer Spells: locate, dimension door
14th: Skill Feat: Planar Survival; Class Feat: Master Monster Hunter
15th: Ability Boosts: STR, DEX, INT, WIS; General Feat: Craft Anything; Legendary in Crafting
.....Snare Specialist Formulas: Grasping Snare, Scything Blade Snare, Stunning Snare
16th: Skill Feat: Influence Nature; Class Feat: Ubiquitous Snares
17th: Ancestry Feat:Kobold Breath ; Legendary in Nature
18th: Skill Feat: Skill Training (Diplomacy); Class Feat: Legendary Monster Hunter
19th: General Feat: True Perception; Legendary in Survival
20th: Ability Boosts: STR, DEX, INT, WIS; Class Feat: Impossible Snares; Skill Feat: Legendary Survivalist; Trained in Medicine
.....Note: Honestly, I think I’d rather have Perfect Shot or Ultimate Skirmisher than Impossible Snares, but this -is- a snare-crafting build, so it stays.

Final Hit Points: 206
Final Unarmored AC: 42
Final Ability Scores: STR:20; DEX: 22; CON: 10; INT: 20; WIS: 18; CHA: 12

Is it possible yet to play a kobold in PFS? I've been thinking about a kobold ranger specializing in snares.

My players are in Book 3 and have decided they want to re-consecrate the Dreamgate waystation to Desna. I'm of a mind to let them.

What do you think would be an appropriate method of doing so?

Players can "ninja dot": Dot in and then delete the post. This will allow you to see the game in your campaigns, but will keep the start line clean.

Welcome to the Two-Headed Serpent!

Please take a few minutes to look over the materials I've posted in the header, then go look at the Campaign Tab where I've posted the rules and format for character creation.

Finally, come back here and post your ideas - NOT YOUR CHARACTER YET. I really want this team to be an organic whole. I'd like some connecting backgrounds between the five of you and some discussion of archetypes, occupations and traits so that you work well together as a team. Your -characters- might not know what they're in for, but you do.

Discuss!