Stabatha's page

check out the Goliaths from 3.5 they have some good jump off points

How about they can share hp , like the corsican brothers / make it like the summoners life link

Even though I have strong political views , I don't feel this is the right place to discuss politics. don't forget it's a big political season here in the states, and it looks like a firestorm is on the horizon.
I come here to get away from that stuff, and escape for a few hours.

I vote No < if i get a vote > and if it we get a forum I will not be visiting it

there's my 2 cents :)

Thanks all , I will totally take this advice to heart. I was playing with the idea to make their skills and powers a central piece of upcoming challenges . also i just started putting them against multiple large sources of danger.
these suggestions have gotten me thinking outside the box.

Hello all , long time no post :)

Here is my problem , my players ( of which there are 7 +1 my npc ) are hitting the mid levels 10-15 and I am having trouble with my challenges.
I run a home brew of very experienced players. Each player has about 15 -20 years of gaming under the belt.
My history is more spotty but i am a very accomplished story teller. Allays leaving them wanting more.

My question is , because of increased power level and abilities, how do my challenges keep pace with the party's ever growing power.
The campaign is a bit epic, but there are still plenty of plot related character issues to resolve. It kinda difficult to set up a dungeon or event when the players have such high skill focuses , and with such a large group every major class is represented. Cleric wizard , monk ect .

for instants , there is a massive lock that needs picking, I have a thief in the party who can basically roll any lock with a dc 30 or less , just because of skill focus and character set up. and if that doesn't work they can just crush the door or teleport around it ...whats a gm to do ?

I agree with you that every party founding is a forced affair. but it is a necessary part of the "Game"
Getting the band together is always a pain , because Why would such a eclectic group even be together ( shared goals , long lost family...) besides we all know they have to hook up or there will be no story.

Just relax and let go ... have all the players tossed together in a prison or village raid aftermath . They can all be in the paddy wagon or dungeon cell. Right after the players get caught up in the "raid" they have time to get to know each other. Some can have previous history ( why the wizard and the cleric may know each other from some past event ) and the others will typically latch on( hey that guy is trying to pick the lock . is he a rouge ?). Then when it gets all quite have the holding cell / or whatever get counter raided the chaos ensues ( a paladin ordered to guard prisoners and " do not allow harm to come to them! " ) can be thrown in the mix. The party escapes with plenty of opportunity for combat, thievery or a larger plot hook And the adventure begins.
post civil war can create all sorts of story hooks because of unrest , marauders or left over military units stalking the land.
The players have to come together because there is no story without them. It does not matter how ridiculous the circumstances. I always think of movies and tv where their are countless examples of "how did you guys get together anyway " beginnings.

btw I am part of a noob campaign with my kids, being run by my brother in law, so far it is one of the most rewarding games i have ever been a part of. All the old stuff is new again. you may be very surprised at some of the stuff you can pull off that he players just are not suspecting.
Room full of statues and hidden golems , NO way ! what a ambush out here in the woods , Whoa !! the town cleric is the were-bear !! I didn't see that coming !!

As the Gm your word is law !! but clearing up rule questions before a tense moment always helps.
know the rules , but don't get married to them. I run a Home brew game and can make rulings on the fly .The trick is to be consistent. if the gm can do it so can the players.

try to care about the story! Keep players involved as much as u can. Even in slow times i go around my table and get some feedback constantly.

Don't split up the party for more than a hour.
Don't railroad players with only a rigid plot structure.
Don't award extra xp for running ahead and sneak slaying monsters solo ( unless that is what the players and you want)
Do Pace your story and game for the amount of time you have . ( My group meets once a week for 4 hours , because we have children and such )
Do let the group come up with unconventional solutions
Do let the group make mistakes hahahahaha! it's the only way you and them will learn.
Do run the game the way u want , after all it's your game.

Xyr wrote:

The cavern chamber is very large and the door on the far side is locked in addition to being a huge rolling disk that will take us several attempts (or taking 20) to move.

Depending on how long the combination of crossing the chamber, checking the door for extra traps, picking the lock and moving the door will take, the "soak up some damage" or "weaken the party" aspect may not be a reasonable option.

Searching the door for more traps and picking its lock without light or Darkvision is probably going to be prohibitively hard too, so crossing the room under the cover of darkness might have to wait for a spell refresh at least.

How long does the party have to "do" this dungeon? Is the adventure pressed for time, or is it just a static location you could come back to without expecting the residents to go "Tucker's Kobolds" on you when you return?

You are correct , but playing that way IMHO is "dumb"...I understand that all sorts of people play the game all sorts of ways, but I never felt right about making it a numbers game. This is a challenge because it draws the players in to the game and come up with a creative way.

There is a d20 book of Grimtooth's traps. The book has gotten good reviews as a "best of" the old traps set for a d20 world. I think it also has optional rules for new trap features.
Got it on my wish list...

I think the difficulty of the trap shows more the party weakness and lack of creativity IMHO. If the group is small but optimized for dps and not well rounded this could easily be a game stopping encounter.
I do have to agree that it sounds like a "demoralizing" encounter to weaken the party before a bigger fight.

lastly I love the concept and will be using it in my own game :)

treasure or npc generator

Not sure about the rules right now but , could you counter-spell the trap ? You mentioned the path across the room slowing you down, why exactly?also how many are in the party ?

thanks for the help , & the advice. I am running a small side game that everyone in our group gets a chance to gm a piece of.
The players are going to have to uncover the S.O.A , but its a flawed model that know one is going to have a chance to use. tee-hee

really ... no one knows ..little help

I will be using a S.O.A. in a up coming game session and did my required reading. Each round the user needs to make a control roll for the S.O.A, but is there any attack roll or reflex save, when it gets used ?
How does it work ?
Do you just move the black hole of doom and where it stops " PooF!!" or am I missing something?

adrem wrote:

ZomB wrote:

Protection from evil only works against evil in the first place - you can't get a discount for then saying it doesn't work against other types. Protection from good/chaotic/lawful are separate spells.

In any case the only RAW reductions allowed are for if the item requires skill use (10%) or if it only works for a specific class or alignment (30%).

ok, in this point of view, protection vs evil is only a first level spell,

and cost

1x1x2000x2= 4000. craft it cost 2000. whit 30% discount cost 1400

I think ZomB is missing part of the point: The OP wants a magic item that duplicates most of the abilities of the protection from evil spell as a continuous effect.

The continuous bonuses on Table 15-29 used to calculate the market price of magic items do not have restrictions built in. By my estimate:

(+2 deflection bonus vs. evil) 2 x 2 x 2,000 gp x .7 = 5,600 gp x 1.5 = 8,400 gp
(+2 resistance bonus vs. evil) 2 x 2 x 1,000 gp x .7 = 2,800 gp x 1.5 = 4,200 gp
(immune to evil possession/mental control*) 40,000 gp x .7 = 28,000 gp
Total Market Price = 8,400 gp + 4,200 gp + 28,000 gp = 40,600 gp

Note that a GM may wish to provide a larger cost savings for only working against evil opponents. 50% instead of 30% seems reasonable, because any alignment can use the item and evil opponents are pretty common. The lower-priced version would be 29,000 gp.

*-based on comparison to ring of freedom of movement; mental control vs. physical control

why should u get a cost savings ? the item only works Vs. the evil alignment , which is the point of making it .

hey it's me again

I need to know if the divine focus needs a hand to be held in.

reasons for
1 almost every picture of the pathfinder cleric has the HS in hand
2 feats and abilities that allow weapons and shields to be crafted as HS
3 traits that allow divine "birthmarks " so you are never without

reasons against
1 traits that allow divine "birthmarks " so you are never without
2 like a components pouch , have it on you and your good
3 I can't find any rule reference to validate the use of a hand for a HS

just for the record , I am of the school where the item must be a DF not just a picture or replica of faith.

I mean its a "focus " right ?

I know that CR rating should equal the ACL of a party, but I am little confused about it in some respect.

My plan is to have an opposing party fight the PCs through out a campaign always running from them as they stay one step ahead of the PCs.

Normally I would have the Levels be below that of the PCs in order to make it a fairer fight.

But I am a little confused to how CR is calculated after reading some of pre-made adventures. For instance in Curse of the Crimson Throne - Crown of Fangs - Encounter - A38 - PCs are faced against 4 gray maidens (CR 8 each), but the ECL for the entire encounter is EL 12.....

How does this work?

Keep reading , on page 398 of the core rule book , chart 12-3 presents a quick chart for adding multiple creatures . 4 creatures of the same cr add a +4 to the CR.

I have been playing pathfinder for a short time, and I am still trying to grasp some of the subtle nuances of the game.
My primary concern for today has to deal with a clerics use of a holy symbol or HS( divine focus ) during the heat of battle.

I used the search function but the most recent response to my question was over a year old.

To cast a spell with a somatic components and a divine focus, how many hands do I need free?
Bucklers and light shields allow for the use of 1 hand. But if I have a weapon in my other hand can I still cast the spell ? The confusing part to me is where does the holy symbol go ? Some threads have indicated the HS may be anywhere it can be seen. However I can't seem to find any reference to support this ( or I just haven't found it yet ). Plus the visual of a cleric Not grasping there HS and trying to invoke the power of their god seems a little ..well...lame ( think about a vampire hunter wielding a glowing cross in one hand for instance)
Given the concept of just having a HS on my person , and being a heavily armored cleric. I have realized I can't use my heavy shield and a weapon while I cast ( as I need 1 free hand for the somatic part )logic says hide behind the shield but keep that hand free for casting unless you have quick draw and a bunch of weapons to drop at a moments notice.

Any help would be appreciated

Freedom of Movement seems to quite a powerful spell, but does it have any usefulness when facing traps?

Does anyone have an experiences using this spell against traps?

How do you mean ? Freedom of movement is used to negate movement penalties and the like. I would think it doesn't help avoid traps Via a saving throw bonus , but may help deal with the after effects ( like getting out of webs ) .

The story made me smile. Thanks for sharing. Sadly it makes me wish my children were not 4000+ miles away.

I can feel your pain. I have very limited time with my own and try to find ways to make the most of it. so far its been Muchkin, heroquest and talisman .

goblins = bad , is it a evil act to kill evil creatures...hmmm
Paladins have it so easy , for the most part.
I came into a situation where my party was hammered by goblins ... violence ensued and the last 2 green skins surrender. I was playing a LG cleric and wanted to bind the baddies up and take them with us. I was out voted by the NG and CG members , so the goblins were interrogated and put to the knife.
This led to a fist fight and me being the butt of several in game jokes.
Whats a LG player to do ? killing is bad , but killing a monster ?
I side with intent, a monster gets slain in the heat of battle before/during / after doing evil is fine.
what's a LG player to do with CE monsters when they surrender ?

BTW when will we get a update to the summoners handbook that reflects the xtra stuff from the UMG??

As a summoner who loves his kitty eidolon , Why take hooves over claws ? Is there a chain of abilities I don't know about.
I will admit I only skimmed the UM book ...

I want to have a Beholder Construct for my home brew game . What are some of the best ways to go about making one? I noticed there are no beholders in the bestiary.

That is exactly my point. I love the utilitarian nature of diviner spells and the bow would be for general defense later on with the creation of arrows of slaying . unless I get distracted by something shiny on the way. In a large group I don't feel like I have to maximize myself for a combat role. I do like the idea of casting true strike and taking aim with a massive death dealing arrow , and Ka-pow ...

I have a interesting concept for a diviner specialized wizard for a large group of pc's ( we have a total of 7 players) I was going to be a background info gatherer and soothsayer with a big old bow. the plan is to get to 10th level-ish and start getting ready to make arrows of slaying. in higher levels I thought it would be cool to lob these deadly missiles into combat.I could be a party buffer or controller in the meantime.

I thought the diviner route could make for a fun time knowing everything and magically scouting for trouble , or even ticking off the dm.

My brother in law called me a idiot after hearing this. Basically saying I would do better served as a arcane archer.
So the question is " is the diviner a workable concept to explore in a home-brew game or would i be better served as a arcane archer with some diviner background and items ?" ....I could just be a Idiot though

love the app .
started a thread elsewhere but it made me look like a idiot.

1st thanks for making this app
2nd i like the interface so far but would like to see a " monsters in play " list for having many summons at once.

thats all I have to add , btw i went to your web site and saw the video of the DM's tool . do you have a video in english or with subtitles ?

aww geez I feel like a racist Idiot :( That totally is not what I meant.
I apologize in advance for anyone who is offended, i will fix as soon as i figure out how

Anyone who is looking for a Summon monster App has got to check out "summoner" by Lanza Giuseppe :)

I play a summoner and am so sick of having reference sheets out or extra pages on my computer open to pfrpg wikkis to stay on top of my monster swamping awesomeness.
pro's : quick access to all summon monster and summon nature ally of every level
con's : no quick toggle for summoner feats. does not have a "in play " section, cannot have more than one spell selected at a time. the app also seems to crash a little to often

over all it is the first of this type of app I have seen, and I am looking forward to more, Now if i could only play a map while face timing my whole crew ;)hmmmm...

I am sorry if this is a inappropriate post , but i just wanted to spread the word a good OGL app .

if you know a lowly code monkey who has created a great app or program aid for all of us, then let me know :)

Tinkering with the cosmology can be a pain when it comes to how these things interact with spells.
In a homebrew system you really can do anything " the sky the limit"
I never liked the traditional layout of the universe and have altered a few basics in my home campaign.
I am a fan of the dark tower series by steve king , and have always loved the concept that portals to other realms lye just below the surface of our own world. because of the bronze age nature of my game I don't feel the need to go into any great detail about the inhabitants of these strange lands.
all the elemental planes can be accessed from the prime material, while the aligned planes are all interior accessed through the dream plane ( the opposite of the material plane) . most of the planes are found in out of the way portals and hidden paths.
best advice with additional realities is " keep it vague"

http://www.feudz.com/ best dice roller app "EVER!".

oh yeah , the numbers definitely help. even if you use figs

Ok , I will put it down as Dm rule. Thanks gang

Summoner cast a full round spell , eidolon runs defense and gets beat hard . Summoner uses life link to keep her pet from evaporating.
Does the hp transfer/loss cause the summoner to take a concentration check for the spell she is currently in the process of casting ??

are we talking ff 1 american release ?? if so i will take the black shirt. :)

I am a long time mini collector , but then the recession beat me down. I tried buying WOC plastic mini packs , but got real sick of high prices and random figures that never got used.

Nowadays my group uses coins, chess pieces and glass beads. I save my money for the big minis ( like my blue dragon ) and we have enough old figs to rep our characters for the time being.

As for the battle map we swapped it out for illustrated battle tiles.

Large scale combats take some planning , but the smaller fights are easy to set up.
Ahh minis and combats , if only there were a app for that :)

I would say 6 0f one and a half dozen of the other.
I have learned that less can be more. get your outline and basic notes, set some loot that makes sense and be ready for the players to throw a right hook that changes everything.
Fast and loose but with a nod to the overall plot

Giving the rise of computer game aids, rather than a video game in the mode of other past glories. I would be all for the expansion of more useful apps and programs that help manage the table top experience.
Virtual map-packs, monster trackers and loot generators , joy :)

lastly with the price of gas , how about a way to meet up with my friends and play from my own table and have the full table top experience.

Cagesplinter, sounds very cool. your right it's not flashy but the concept is pretty wicked.

I agree that artifact weapons need to be very thought out. That is why I prefer more utilitarian items.

My game takes place very early in my campaign world where artifacts have yet to be created or discovered.

I will be adding a sort of super weapon to my list that will be "death incarnate " but it's a fluff item that will kill it's wielder in short order after it's use . Haven't got a name for it yet , but it needs to be something primal and utterly evil sounding. I also have a very good story reason for such a weapon.

The scenario is like this , ( please pardon the epicness of what is to follow, but i am in the process of creating my future campaign world )

The "sword of ending " ( working tittle...Lame!!)
Created from the Nephalim , a block of the purest Abyssium alloy, made from the melted souls of a entire pantheon of gods. The sword is so black that the eye almost cannot even focus on it. light flees from it's surface and a effect similar to darkness is created by it's presence.

when the wielder beholds the weapon for the first time they are asked to "choose my shape " and the weapon becomes fixed in what ever weapon type the wielder chose. Missile weapons or bows are always at hand and/or loaded.
regardless of the weapon shape the effect is the same. the wielder must make a touch attack to strike a target , the target must succeed on a dc 30fort save or be slain as their body is converted to abyssium ore. ( a material composed of pure elemental Law ) effects that prevent insta death are eliminated on the first hit but leave the target not dead , if a item prevented the effect then it must make the save or be destroyed.

The nature of the Nephalim effects all creatures equally ( incoperal, constructs undead ect..) any target struck but not destroyed must make a will save dc26 or be panicked, they also take damage as though they were struck by a critical hit for the weapon type selected at a +1 crit multiplier max damage.
the "sword" cannot be enchanted or augmented, any spell used on it is wasted , but the sword will not protect it's wielder from the harmful effects of other spells cast at them.
the wielder of the weapon is poisoned the first time they hold the "sword" and will die a permanent death in ( base con x days ).

This is a story intensive item with 1 use in mind , and I have some additional rules to make sure even if it is abused the item vanishes fairly quickly. other than this I don't think home brew should ever use weapons as artifacts unless there is a good reason.

Hmmm.. not sure I know what you mean by "fit in " , I would think the definition of a home brew campaign would lend itself to any number of odd rule defying objects of mystical power. :)

the book defines artifacts as " the sort of legendary relics that a whole campaign can be based around"

I would think it depends on your own imagination, but I can understand if you are trying to gather some ideas for inspiration.
here is one of mine

The Pointed Silver Hat of Von Vole VacK: Major artifact

This heavy triangle shaped hat looks like a perfect silver cone. weighing 15 lbs it is almost 2 feet long and lined with a thick felt on the interior. Deeper in the hat is a length of chain with a strong metal ring the size of a fist that looks to be attached to the interior apex of the hat. It was crafted by the master diviner Archibald with the help of the his patron god Prometheus.
Aura : Blinding divination
slot : head
The hat may look ridiculous , but many have underestimated it's power
the wearer may cast any divination spell of 5th level or lower at will. The hat grants a +1 enhancement bonus to the caster level of divination spells and adds a +10 competency bns for any divination skill check or knowledge planes check.

Lastly the hat when placed point first into the forehead of the bearer can open a portal into any plane or pocket dimension in existence. This ability functions similar to a gate spell except it only works as a one way portal to that chosen dimension. The wearer of the hat may enter the portal ( feet first ) as a full round action. Once through the portal the wearer automatically pulls on the interior chain to close the portal and return the hat to normal " with a loud popping sound" . this ability may be used 3x a day.

optional : the hat is a great responsibility, granting the bearer the vision of a god and thus has the potential to drive the wearer mad if worn for prolonged periods. As the gods see reality in a fractured pathway of colliding possibilities and unexplored chances racing towards the most apocalyptic of singularities. The bearer of the hat may find there sanity slipping with surprising speed. ( effect is Dm's discretion )

currently the hat is owned by a npc who shows up and pushes my plot along , the players are just starting to discover that the crazy diviner from the hills may have a greater hand in the events of their world.
The Npc Archibald resides in the hills of Von Vole Vack , and typically is not in a lucid state. the hat is a hold over from a much more silly game , but i a have resurrected it for my current campaign.
Archibald was once a powerful wizard with a driving desire to shape and control the future and one of 13 founders of a sacred order of philosophers ( the order of Isosceles ). the order was lead by the great seer Isosceles the first man to teach magic to other men ( created the study of arcane magic for wizards ) eventually Isosceles granted each of his 13 disciples with a "secret " , Archibald wanted to have godly knowledge. Unfortunately it drove him mad.

enjoy :)

Give me your email and I can send you my game world notes. They might help.

You can hit me up at Pennychurch51@yahoo.com any notes will be appreciated.

I am a bit of a history buff , having read about 10-12 books on the time period , not including the Iliad & the Odyssey. Right now I have crafted a home brew with a real mid to early bronze age feel. I have tried to evoke a dawn of civilization feel. So far it's a lot of fun.
The problems I have is the need to remove a number of Items and equipment , or at the very least scale them back.
That being said, it is still a fantasy game and I like mixing in other elements.
As a gm I have only just started to find my voice and play style. There is just so much fun stuff in the core books, I want to tell a engaging story while keeping my players options open. Some of my early ideas have crashed and burned ( eliminating the volume of coin for example )
Plus I don't have the time to rewrite the core books.

sweet stuff , thanks much :)

I run a campaign loosely based on a bronze aged world. There was some decent info on designing campaign worlds in different eras. However I have had to slash and burn lots of armor , weapons and other Items.
The current campaign has spiraled a little out of control, as I tried a little of everything, and ended up with a hodgepodge of anachronistic settings and equipment.
I chalk most of this up to being a new gm with high hopes. However I have learned a vast amount of what not to do next time around. As much as a bronze aged world ( with a Greek theme ) still interests me, I am beginning to wonder if a Roman themed world would make my job as a Gm a little easier.
That way I could incorporate more cultures and equipment to make my players happier.

So does anyone have any good advice on running a homebrew game world? Also is there any good open content out there with a decent bronze age theme to make my life a little easier?

I keep coming across threads like this about how broken or difficult the eidolon is , but really I don't see how anyone who has read the rules more than once can harp on this issue.
I will admit as a player who just gave a cursory look of the class before I started playing it, that there are a few subtly rules to keep track of.Once I actually did the home work on the background rules it really isn't that hard to figure out.
It may be nice to have pre-evolved eidolons , but then they become animal companions or standard summoned monsters.
Since this is a new class there will be problems as crafty players learn to squeeze every advantage they can from the eidolon.
I would also second the summoners hand book as one ( if not the only ) most useful bits of info on this class.

Since there is a self described "software developer" in this chat, How about a summoned monster app ? I need to keep track of multiple summoned monsters , over several rounds of game play and I am just so damn tiered of hauling around a index card box.
It's even worse when I GM.
BTW I will definitely check out your app, and thanks for your hard work:)

nice examples, and fairly dead on.
My group ( and everyone is different ) doesn't treat Chr as a measure of looks but at force of personality. Low Chr characters have a hard time staying out of trouble , obtaining services and being treated seriously.
It really comes down to GM fiat. Most good gamers can role-play a poor Chr , but if you need to there are plenty of fun ways to penalize them. As is mentioned above.

Just when I thought I knew it all, here comes another question...
who's Initiative do you use for the eidolon? I know summoned monsters go on the casters initiative when they arrive, but what about a active Eidolon?

Thanks for the info on grease, Now I understand why every one is so keen on that spell.

I will openly admit that I prefer a more stealthy summoner. I play in a mostly casual group where the party size is 7 PC's. Everyone has brought up some really good points that have helped me consider the long game.
My summoners attributes were not good enough to make a combat orientated character.
straight up dps is not my first priority as our party is very combat heavy. magic items are a little harder for us to come across in the current campaign , it's not like we can just walk into ye olde magic Walmart.
Thats just a difference in game style.
When I am not buffing party members I am using scrolls to help flank the bad guys and do occasionally help aid other players. I just don't have the HP or Ac to go into combat.
Speaking of scrolls why isn't scribe scroll a higher priority ? I also don't see why grease is such a great low level spell. could someone elaborate on that.