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I understand the story arc aspect of Stamina Points (SP) but I am not seeing the game value. While you can easily recover them with a short rest, and some other means, in the end they appear to make most players treat 12 HP + 10 SP as 22 HP. This can't be the intention, so what are we missing? How does an 8th level Vesk Soldier with nearly 132 HP+SP combined not create a very long and drawn out combat scenario of grinding through SP into HP? We've once played a different game where your first level HP (ex 12) is all you get, and you only gain +1 HP as you level. So at 8, you'd have 19. The weapons don't level, so a 1d4+STR knife is the same at 1 or 8. But... your Stamina does level and it is used for special actions, soaking up HP loss, recovering HP loss, pushing your limits, etc. So while it might be 10 and level 1 and 80 at level 8, its used in chunks to provide more benefit, and less as HP padding. When I saw some into on Starfinder I thought this might work the same, but clearly not.
Am I understanding correct. Operative gets 8+INT for Skill Ranks. If I were to have a 16 INT, that makes 8+3 = 11 Skill Ranks at level 1. If I were to take Hacker, it grants not only Skill Focus (+3) to both Computers & Engineering, but also a free +1 skill rank at each level. Is this correct? This effectively gives them 13/11 skill ranks at first level to spend at each level? Also, Operatives get +1 skill check (globally) per the Operative's Edge ability? Granted I don't think these stack, so its still +3 to Computers & Engineering not +4?
Am I missing something in the fact that is appears the Exocortex as written in the HH gives you EITHER combat bonus or a knowledge/skill bonus. "Choose whether the artificial intelligence in your exocortex enhances your combat effectiveness or your knowledge and skills." This does not seem to even appear in the Core book. I understand HH is a simplified version or the rules, but this seems to be completely different. Am I missing something?
Does the Beginner Box GM Guide include anything that teaches you how to play, or anything in addition to what the Core Rules provides? I have the Core, but its big and while its full of rules, it doesn't seem to give you any "so this is how you play" type guide. I'd love a quick and dirty, here are the basic rules and items needed to start and play a game, here are more complex things you can add later. Suggestions?
The Mindbreaker connection on Mystic states: Spells: 1st—6th mind thrust; replaced by 1st—lesser confusion,
Forgive, but we don't seem to understand this. Do they not get Mind Thrust, or can they optionally use the other spells instead when desired?
So, let me be open. I LOVE Iron Kingdoms. D&D + Steampunk But, my players want to try Starfinder... but they still want their warjacks. I assumed this might be easy to do, but I have tried to find (we don't own books yet) info on if there are robots/droids that can be used as a similar item, and cannot find it. Quick summary, a Warjack is a player controlled semi-sentient war machine that operates on steam, mechanika and arcana. Often controlled by a Arcane Mechanik, Jack Marshal or Warcaster. Example: https://ironkingdoms.fandom.com/wiki/Charger When I think of this in "space" I immediately think of K-2SO as a smaller, but decent example. Anything?
We just finished House of the Beast, and while fighting the Kracken the player with the moldspeaker died. I have time till the next session to consider this, but do I allow it to move to a new player, as a sentient force? Apart from the magic power it gives, if they do not have it will it affect the game?
We're playing the Skull & Shackles path, my PCs are after a few islands. I'd like to populate a few side adventures with specific avian-humanoids and primate humanoids. I have Bestiary 1-3, but nothing is sticking out when I Google, to go find in the books. Party is lvl 5 but I can adjust monsters as needed. They plan to search for the "Lost Messenger" treasure first, so bird-like is most important. I know the Kenku, but was hoping for something else. Suggestions?
My first time having one in a group and really even reading it. It is a replacement 5th level character. They can summon their eidolon as a spell-like ability(ritual). He can also summon a different creature with a spell-like summon monster I, but NOT at the same time. He wants to also take SM I and SM II as actual spells, and summon swarm. He even took summon eidolon. My question is, is there a limit to the number of summons you can have as a summoner? I know my necromancer has limits, but I see none for this. Good or bad, this can lead to a LOT of creatures, so I need to prepare and know the rules! Thanks!
I'm not sure if this is a "rules" question but... We don't play with any option rules that indicate a critical severs limbs, so we assume that a critical is just a really bad cut. So, when a player asked to have his party sever his wrist, to remove a cursed gauntlet, I was unsure how to handle this. Lucky for me, I have time. So, thoughts? First, will severing the wrist, remove the cursed gauntlet? I'd assume so. Second, what type of damage are we looking at. Clearly to me, this is more than a critical hit. Could it kill him from shock? They have a Cleric handy, and a pool of lava is need be. Suggestions?
Crazy as it may seem, first time DMing when a player (Cleric 5) wants to use this spell. I'm a little fuzzy on what he can actually animate, and how many. The wording says create no more than 2x his caster level (5*2=10)
It also lists skeletons and zombies. Is this RAW skeletons and zombies, from the book using their respective HD, or can he create a (as he said) "megaskeleton"? Finally, DMs advice on dealing with a Cleric and his possible 10 minions?
I have a subscription question on the Skull & Shackles Adventure Path. I see this month July 13 I am getting 2 books together (Skull & Shackles 4 and 5). Why? I'd pretend I'm thrilled (which I am to get them) but I'd prefer them once a month for financial reasons like I thought I was agreeing to when I subscribed. I added a side cart item to this month, not expecting to see 3 items. In August I see you have also added Pathfinder Adventure Path #61: Shards of Sin (Shattered Star 1 of 6) (PFRPG), to my last Skull & Shackles book, making this a double order. How do I cancel my subscription after Skull & Shackles (6 of 6) but BEFORE(Shattered Star 1 of 6). How do I do this without jeopardizing my last book in the Skull & Shackles series? Thank you
I know, the answer is 21 days... what I'm asking is, the first part of Wormwood has you at sea for 21 days, how did most people play this out? It didn't take long before I could tell my players really did not want 21 days of this. Rolling for work duty, picking ship activity, role playing, checking success, taking consequences, picking night activity, role playing, checking success, etc. I'm looking for some ideas. We started last night, player introductions: 1. Thanor - Thanor is a shifter (we pulled in the race from Eberron). Thanor is the great great grandson of notorious Captain Grimclaw, a feared and hated pirate that commanded a crew of lycanthropes. Story says his ship was eventually caught by the navy and blown to hell, all survivors killed. Truth is, a fishing boat picked up the only survivor, a young girl, daughter of Grimclaw, lost at sea. She carried the gene of lycanthropy and passed in on to her son, and her son's son. Thanor is the direct and only descendent of this line, and he carries with him the key to a locker holding claims to his origins and his inheritance. 2. Max and Roki - two separate characters but a pair in the adventure. Max is a halfling alchemist and engineer, Roki is a golem-esq dock worker (read worforged from Eberron). Roki was built to work the docs loading and unloading. Max found him interesting and in his spare time studied the golem. Using his skills and fate, Max tinkered with Roki in the late evening hours often altering his design and improving on the golem's construction. Roki spoke for the first time a month ago, "why am I here?" the golem said, "who am I?" Since then the two have been inseparable. Roki, working late on the docs, attempted to stop the pirates from taking Max, an action that resulted in his own capture. 3. Wolfgar - Wolfgar is a gunslinger, waiting in Port Peril. Wolfgar is a professional sailor, and works the boats up and down the coast. His last big assignment was aboard the Merry Weather, a merchant vessel from the orient. It was here he met Gin Mor. She was not only a beautiful women, but an expert in a rare substance called black powder and gunsmithing. The two became close friends, perhaps more. During their time together, Wolfgar learned the art of black powder and gunsmithing. One night, the Merry Weather docked in Port Peril on her way South to Sargava. Wolfgar woke the next morning after a night of celebration to find the ship, her crew and Gin Mor gone. He's spent the last 6 months looking for the ship. No one has heard from, or seen the ship since. It has never docked since. We've made it 5 days into the journey so far. On the flip side, my story details have already got the players hating Plugg and Scourge, and speaking of mutiny. Heck, even the consideration of an assassination and frame of an NPC.
I am allowing a player to be a gunslinger in our Skull & Shackles adventure, or so I initially have agreed. For this specific adventure, I am allowing guns. My initial though was, in the end it generally a Ranger-esq class, and not too much more to worry about. My concern came at the cost of the bullets and powder. Am I right to understand a single bullet is 1g? How do normal players afford this? I started him off with 20 bullets (knowing he will lose them when captured, but anticipating he can get them back later) For as much as I don't want guns to be rampid, I also see no reason why rarity can't compensate for cost. Any thoughts from others who allow them?
I didn't see it in my current books, but I may not have looked int he right ones or may not own it. Is there an easy/quick chart to help with cost of living? I did see the notes for 3/10/100/1000 on owning a house, but this seems high for a small town. My party has been given a mansion for their work. They have paid for restoration, and now have a year off to live and earn money. Two of them have professions, one has a craft skill, the other plans to start a small temple and sell potions. The town is small, but on a trade route, average of 200gp (with chance for more). Suggestions or advice?
So, I think this is a potential interesting situation. My party (bard 3, fighter 3, cleric 3, monk 3 and rogue 3) just killed Old Bonegrinder. The fight got the attention of the Schir, who came upon them just as the bore was killed. The fighter is at 2 hp, the monk down 8, the rogue down 9, but otherwise the party is intact. The party is higher than I think they might be normally since they explored a lot before entering the village, but I left the Schir alone because the 4 Gnolls arrive 2 rounds later. Our cleric rolled a 26 on Knowledge and identified the Schir and its abilities. He plans to cast align weapon good on the rogue. Here is why this is interesting... (my opinion perhaps) Our rogue is cursed. He has the potential to turn at any time. He foolishly equipped En-Nebi without checking the weapon. He wields the vicious punch dagger, plus has sneak attack. With a well placed hit, and the good alignment, he ignores the DR5. He could do: 1d4+1 + 2d6(vicious) + 2d6(sneak) = 29 maximum (higher with a crit), taking 1d6 himself. Using the dagger, and assuming the Schir gets at least one good hit on him, he's got maybe 3 attacks in him max before he's unconscious. The party rescued Oxvard and just reached Felliped. Both were told to hide in a ruined building 10 feet away when Bonegrinder charged out. If I need to, they will rush out when the Gnolls enter, and make their stand with the party.
My group started this on Monday, we played a 5 hr session, and they have cleared the boat of goods, set up a base camp, and began building a series of cargo rafts. Ranger - Human, profession soldier
They do not plan to get to shore, instead their general view of the island from the map, and observation, they scored a 26 on their knowledge check for Shiv information, they have decided to cross the bay to the silent island. Their logic is sound, it puts them far closer to the rumored lighthouse. They do not even plan to stop on the silent island, unless they have to. I plan to have a storm kick up and force them ashore, or I'm thinking of it, I've also considered something in the water, but the trip itself is barely 2 miles from beach to island. I don't want to stand in the way of logic and planning, but I'm not sure I should let them get too far inland at first level... Thoughts?
So were playing Legacy of Fire, our rogue hastily put on En-Nebi. He is now cursed with lycanthrope. No one in the party has a way to cure him. He is aware of the potential implications of changing. I know I can add some extra adventure by having them look for a cure, or a task from a priest who can cure him, in payment. I know in good time, he will have enough cash, and can make it to a city where someone could cure him. But until then, I need to creatively deal with this. I am not sure where to find any rules on this for pathfinder, so maybe there is already a system in place? So I had some creative thoughts: His CON is 12 (+2 Fort)
I set a DC at 20 (high for a reason) If he gets hit by a critical and fails his Fort Save, (+2 Fort plus 1/2 level) his body cannot resist the change and it happens...he turns uncontrollably. He then becomes an enemy of everything on the battle field. For sake of ease, he attacks the nearest "creature" to him. If that creature is a former ally, he gets a Will Save (+2 Will, plus 1/2 level). If he beats the DC he "pulls" his attack, knowing he shouldn't be doing this, but unable to stop. He deals half damage to his "ally". If he beats the save by 5 or more (impossible at this early stage) he resists the urge to attack, seeing something in himself that identifies the enemy as an ally. if he fails, he attacks outright. So anyway, why am I considering this? I don't want the character to be hindered too much while we play.
So, open to opinions?
I understand the logistics of combat experience. 4 players, defeat a CR1 monster, 400xp/4 = 100xp each. But what about things like traps? If the trap is a CR2 trap 600xp, do you hand out exp if they avoid it, disable it, trigger it? I have always handed it out of the avoid or disable. For me, avoiding a trap, even by dumb luck is worth the reward. If you trigger it, not so much. I have some statues that trigger a burst 1 fire explosion of they are defiled. My priest, in opposition to the religion of the statues, deemed them to be destroyed and triggered them. I see full justification in awarding xp for his actions. Is this just a personal preference to most?
So, as fate has it, I am presented with a chance to DM for a new player to D&D. My kids have been D&Ding for years. Many of my son's friends have come and gone playing with us, my daughter jumps at the chance to play. Suddenly, my son's girlfriend wishes to sit in. Before you go "ut oh", she asked him. She claims it was based on, "all the cool stories he tells". I run three groups, he's in two of them. Apparently Thursday AM and Monday AM conversations must include what he did the night before. We gave her the 5 min run down on races and classes, and she wishes to be a female half-orc fighter, abandoned at birth and raised by a woodcutter. I don't know if she will play after this, or wish to adventure or not, but my son wants a fun, action packed adventure. He's OK with role-play, some traps or puzzles, but nothing that runs the risk of a lot of free form, "what do you want to do" style play. I.E. No long complicated story. We gathered some friendly and experienced players to sit in with her. So far, our party will be: Half-orc 3 Fighter (*girlfriend)
I have no idea why I have so many half-orcs! I have a ton of Pathfinder Modules, but most are longer story driven adventures. I can trim them, make up my own story, but thought I'd ask first... any pre-designed adventure out there that will fit the bill before I do?
So I have used a "tool" for character generation for years, way too many in fact. I still use one, but I really want to get a better handle on the math on my own so I can do it by hand. Thee should be no reason I can't easily add a magic weapon to my sheet without bad math. So, as an example: I have a mace 1d6, my BAB is +2, my STR gives me +3, so my atk is +5 and my dmg 1d6+3, correct? I get a masterwork mace, 1d6, BAB +2, STR +3, my atk remains +5, but my dmg is now 1d6+4 correct? Magic bonus usually apply to atk and dmg correct? All magic weapons are also masterwork, so a +1 masterwork mace 1d6, BAB +2, STR +3, my atk is +6, and my dmg is 1d6+5? Does the +1 masterwork bonus and the +1 magic bonus stack, or does the +1 magic only bring the atk up?
First, does anyone have a map of The Ruins of Kelmarane without building indicators? We play tonight and I may be able to Photoshop them out, but I'm not positive on my time. Second, as I read the whole 6 days exploring section, I'm not 100% sure, are the PCs suppose to go into Kelmarane? The 6 day "guide" doesn't really give the impression the PCs are exploring anything, more just watching and wandering the outskirts. I am assuming they are, and that each daytime, they hit the outer buildings looking for clues and thus, encounters. Or, if I am wrong, then all this takes place when they try to move into the ruins and get to the Battle Market. Any help is appreciated!
While I assume the answer may very well be memorize them or look them up as you go, just wondering what tricks other DMs use when running adventures and the monsters have spells. For example, ran one last night, I'd read it a few times through. Had notes and what not ready, but I had not read and memorized every monster stat only to hit one with a handful of druid spells... crud. What a great time for a drink refresh, bathroom break... lookup read read. Others?
Looking to make sure I understand the ways, and can clarify for my players, how a rogue can get sneak attack damage. If I understand it: Moving into flanking grants SA? This in general is easy enough with proper positioning. Having concealment, achieving stealth, then grants SA? This one in my mind is tricky, is this solely based on a stealth vs perception check, plus or minus environment adjustments (bright light, plenty of obstacles to move behind, etc) or is there more to this?
Looking for a little help on steering our party for the first few levels (1-5) to get a good handle on their characters. I am DMing Legacy of Fire, they are new to Pathfinder and many new to D&D 3.x at all. We used this as our point build:
We have Core Rules and the players guide for LoF only. This is how the party ended up: Half-orc Monk (2)
Half-elf Cleric (2)
Elf Bard/Ranger (1/1)
Elf Ranger/Warrior (1/1)
Halfling Rogue(2)
The Cleric and Monk appear to be the front line in most cases. The Ranger/Warrior comes up as needed but normally he and the Bard/Ranger remain second line. The Rogue does what he does best and simply deals damage both ranged and melee.
Two things I think I read, but cannot find any more. The first is simply how many players is LoF designed for? I am use to adventures designed for 5, and I have 5. They have moved into the ruined monastery. So far they have moved into the kitchen, killed the chefs, then took on the spider before the baboons came rushing in. They are in no danger, a well placed critical nearly killed the spider in one s~&@, but had these encounters not mixed, this would be very easy. The second, more important is, I swear I read a note saying NOT to let the PCs enter the monastery crypts till a higher level, now I can find no reference. Did I read this, or was it referencing something else? They are about to find the stairs. Thanks!
I know Bards are not new, but I've never played on nor had a player play one till now. If a Bard uses a power (ghost image) that has no time limit, it is concentration based, can he effectively keep it going all day? Would this require a quick action each round to confirm concentration (when it applies)? Can he maintain concentration and still cast or perform? I'd think not, but maybe... Just looking to understand how this works.
I guess question one is, do most people just use one? If people do not, how do you deal with not seeing figures or indicators for things like charging, spells, etc? I don't mind using them, but I'd like to think that most battles simply do not need them, but maybe I'm wrong. I grew up without them, and it worked just fine, so clearly in the age of dinosaurs, it works, but maybe that's the past.
Not positive this is a rule or an option question. Necromancy spells for Clerics, usable if good alignment? They appear to be. But some say Necromancy [Evil], is that an indicator that these are usable only by evil alignments or something else? I have a Cleric Lawful Neutral, deity Irori, healing and strength domain that wishes to pick up Necromancy spells (create undead, etc) as they level.
I am only asking to understand, not start a debate. I did some searching but didn't find any thing specific to what I was seeking. Is Monte still with Paizo and now also with Wizard's as well, or has he left here and gone there? I'm a recent convert from 4E to Pathfinder, and was a 3.5E before that, so I'm only asking to understand. I still read a lot of the talk on 5E, which to me seems so much like a move back towards 3.x, but regardless, just asking.
I am starting two separate Pathfinder groups, one is playing Legacy of Fire, the other Second Darkness. Both groups new to Pathfinder, not to D&D as a whole. I did some DMing back in 3.5 but most of my DM experience came in 4E. So, as a DM, I have often found my adventures were laid out for me in straight lines. Wizard's adventures seem to follow a flow, you do a then b, then c and so on. Nothing wrong with this, and often because I get maybe 30 minutes to read before we play and if lucky 2 hrs during the week to prepare, this type of adventure works well. The Adventure paths I am starting to find are more story driven, less a, b, c, d driven and clearly not (for me at least) easy to grab skim and play. Advice on how best to prepare knowing my time limits and your familiarity of the Adventure Path format? Will it kill me to sometimes skim material when we play, wing it so to speak, or do I run danger of really messing up a story line this way? Open to all suggestions!
While reading this adventure path, which my players picked as their first in Pathfinder, I see it says this was the last 3.5 AP, before moving to Pathfinder rules. New to Pathfinder, I'm not 100% sure what this means for me as the DM. Is there anything specific that is going to throw me trouble running this? I have 5 new players to Pathfinder, and I'm a new (Pathfinder) DM. We are coming from 4E, but long long ago we were heavy in 3.5E Eberron. This Wednesday were doing character finalization and I hope to start us off on the into caravan fire scene, maybe into the Pugwampi Hunt Half-Orc Monk
In Pathfinder (coming from 4e, and too far away from 3.5 to recall) do we need an upfront melee? Our new 5 person party, is throwing out class ideas and this is the list: cleric
The last guy has always played casters, we are expecting to hear wizard. How doomed are they, do I need to push for a solid melee? We will be doing an adventure path (for the story source with my "adjustments" to suit the play style, and they have suggested Legacy of Fire.
Where can I find the best understanding of how this works in Pathfinder? Can you freely level up 2 classes, i.e. level 1 bard, level 2 rogue, level 3 bard, level 4 rogue (total level 4, cl 2 bard, cl 2 rogue) or Once you pick a new class can you not return to the previous to advance it further? For some reason I keep thinking the later was the rule...
I'm struggling with the math of monster advancement, I'm looking for some examples. I'm coming from 4e. I was a player in 3.5 so this was never my area to worry about. I now DM in 4, and were moving to pathfinder. So, as an example, we aren't making anything new, but I need an easy way to say my level 2 Orc is level 4, or my Goblins are level 8 Clearly the whole how to build an encounter is different than I am use to, so that's part of it I fear but still. I see the chart Table: Monster Advancement, but I'm not sure how I read it. Do I pick my current monster level on the chart orc (2) and then move up to my new level orc (4), or do I simply use it to determine how many levels I am moving up or down, so in my case I'd look at (2), and add those new values to my existing orc? Do I add the HP changes together? Current orc hp 10, now 20 (5+5) or 15 Am I just that lost?
I'm spoiled. Using the tools for the past years for 4E has made DMing easier when you need to do things like raise and lower monsters. Now that I am moving back to Pathfinder, are there any known tools for similar tasks? I'm the kind of DM that likes to theme adventures and encounters where you can face orcs at level one and see them again at any point in your career, higher and more geared for your later levels. I see the rules for doing them by hand, but I'm also looking for anything out there to speed the process up.
I'm looking to see if anyone converted either the original 3.5 or the newer 4e classes and races, paragons of Eberron to Pathfinder? I was digging about on the Lone Wolf forums, but looks like no one publicly has that I am finding, and those that did, took them to d20. I don't want to buy the software if I have to do them by hand. I'm really liking the Pathfinder changes, but I cannot ask my players to move to Pathfinder and abandon their Eberron characters. It's a long heart wrenching story of moving from 3.5e to 4e and almost losing them all when I discovered how much they loved them, it would be the end to move them here without a conversion. So, has anyone done this?
OK, so long time gone, back now playing beginner box. Love the adventure format, very informative, easy to follow and understand. Granted its the beginner box so it's likely over simplified, but I recall adventure of old that were often a wall of text that had to be read, highlighted and reread multiple times before game time. So, I'm asking, how are recent adventures compared to the layout and clarity of the beginner box?
I am a long time player of general D&D, since about 78 through every version. I played a lot of 3.5 and subscribed to many Paizo adventures. I went to 4E when it came out, still played 3.5, but in this area, it faded. When I became DM of 4E, I just kept everyone there.
So, I dusted off my old account and peeked my head in. I picked up the 4 mini set online, then grabbed a handful of figures at my LFGS (which by the way knew nothing of the Paizo miniatures till I mentioned them, and yea me... he carries them 1 week later!) So, long and short to my question. Back when there were a lot of character builders for 3.5, have any migrated to Pathfinder, and does the community recommend any specific?
As a basic, what books are required to play and dm, and do you have a suggested character building tool? I was 1x, 2x and 3x, went to 4x. I don't dislike it any, but I can't figure out where the heck they are going with the game and this new line coming out. Plus, and maybe this hit you all as well, but there have been so many errata changes to the core books, they really are "virtually" worthless now. So, I'm just looking...again. Thanks
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