I just started running the Ironfang Invasion on FG and the druid announced that he would like to craft magic items but with a wilderness feel. Ex: Instead of a pearl of power he would like to enchant something nature oriented like an acorn and use it in the same manner.
Now personally, I like the idea. If a nature druid is making a wondrous item, I don't see him in a stuffy laboratory hunched over a forge trying to make whatever.
The problem is, what to do with the magic item creation rules... specifically the monetary requirements. If he is enchanting an acorn, there is no cost associated with that. a pearl of power requires a pearl...
just curious how others would approach this. he has several items that he wants to create with outside-the-box thinking...
So.. I have a player who decided he wanted to get into mounted combat. We were in an encounter and he was getting his clock cleaned so on his turn he says, "My horse attacks with his hooves, then we move away, and then I take my action to drink a potion of healing."
This seems like too much to me but I am not that familiar with the 'ride' skill. It seems like he is double dipping.. using the horses standard action AND move action then getting his own move action (pull out the potion) and his own standard action (drink it) but his contention is that he pulls the potion as they are moving away (simultaneously) and then he gets his own standard action because his and the horse's are separate.
Seems like he is being kind of skeezy about this but I wanted to ask the community.
maybe if you did away with multiclassing per se but rather gave more feats (like 1 or even 2 per level) and opened up other classes traits as feats. so, rather than my fighter wasting a whole level on becoming a cleric for one level just so he can channel energy in combat, i burn a feat to buy just the channeling ability and everything else stays the same.
that way he is not quite as powerful as a pure fighter but he doesn't have to cough up a whole level of advancement to get there.
So, I am just starting this book and while the party is escorting Trinia out of the city they decide that if sneaking out is good then stashing Trinia in a fake coffin and trying to smuggle her out in a mock funeral must be awesome.
Then they rolled a one for their bluff check to get past the guards at the gate, the wizard panics and attacks the city guard, mayhem ensues as they slay 4 city guards before fleeing the city as more guards come running from all directions.
I am kind of stuck what to do with them... their dumbness should merit some sort of reaction but is it too early to set the resources of the city against them at only 4th level? I debated having them wanted by the city guard upon return from escort duty but if I make it too hard, they could conceivably say, 'meh.. why bother' and decide to explore the world leaving Korvosa to its fate.
i am toying with the idea of a contingent of guards tasked with chasing them down since they do not have horses and maybe throwing them into the dungeon with Blackjack coming to the rescue to get them out somehow.. which would entail a lot of creative editing on my part to keep the story moving.
How would any of you handle this? just whack the group and start fresh?
i'm sure this has been asked before but i don't see it so i will ask again.
one of my players is playing a witch. he puts up his hexes and then uses cackle to keep them up, which is fine.
but, then, he wants to use his move action to keep up the cackle and then his standard action to move. so, in effect, all of the hexes he has buffing the party stay up at all times. once they get into combat, he moves to a common point where everyone is covered and then stays there keeping up the buff.
i did not think you could substitute a move action for a standard action like that but i don't know for sure and the rules don't specifically prohibit it.
My first inclination is to not allow it but i wanted to find out if this is common before i rule.
There is almost too much stuff available as they convert every single paragraph into the online modules. you have to spend quite a bit of time reading ahead and making sure you know where everything is and how FG works. If you don't you will spend a lot of time clicking around trying to find stuff.
This is a fascinating read.. and at first I was hesitant to post something because this is one of those subjects where if you aren't careful, you can get in a situation where there is no right answer and pretty quickly you are being shunned for saying something stupid. That being said, after I thought about it I felt compelled to post something because these are important subjects and gaming definitely can definitely play a role in how we perceive them. I hope I do not overstep my bounds. If so, my apologies.
I think that while diversity is something that may very well be a noble thing to strive for, in the case of Pathfinder and by extension, Starfinder, just having diversity should not be, IMO, the end all of the game; that is to say, when designing an adventure or a campaign, the concept of diversity should add something to the story arc not just be something you plop into the adventure like a tapestry that the players act out the adventure in front of.
I don't think it's enough just to have proper ratios of humans to non-humans and be able to point at it as an accomplishment. The story should support the racial makeup of the setting. If there are large numbers of non-humans.. why? Is there a reason? Were they brought there at one time? Is the racial makeup of the city the result of various invasions and conquering actions over the centuries? i don't think you would have a tremendous amount of diversity in a drow city deep under the ground unless you counted those enslaved and/or held prisoner.
Also, I get the impression that diversity is seen through the prism as something that human cities would tend to reflect whereas other races not so much. Would you expect a large contingent of elves living deep underground with the Dwarves? Each city/area of the campaign should have a background that establishes why each race is present in whatever quantities. There are some great potential adventure hooks there I think for a gm brave enough to exploit them for material.
If Paizo was feeling really frisky they might consider an Adventure Path or some other large story arc that maybe introduces some of these contemporary issues and see where their customers land. I think most would be very open to the idea as long as the basis of the adventure still remains just that, an adventure and not a 6 month long lecture on the sins of our fathers. It is a delicate subject to say the least.
One other note. While it is fascinating to contemplate the exploration of some of these themes through gaming (especially for maybe some of the younger gamers who have not witnessed what us older gamers have), I would tend to avoid politics. The world is a complete Sh!t Show right now for a variety of reasons. Everyone has strong feelings and, for me personally, I tend to play games to get away from the constant bombardment of hate that is pushed at us every single day from a variety of sources. Be mindful of your audience as it were so that your efforts do not have the opposite of your intended effect. In my 35 years of playing, games have always brought people together to have fun and escape for a few hours. It would be tragic if they were ever to be used to divide people further.
if you want to go reeeeally old school.. graph paper. plain ol' graph paper. it worked for literally decades before some of these whipersnappers and their fancy virtual tabletops showed up. draw everything out as they explore and when you do encounters, use the battlemat to draw out just the areas involved for miniatures.
if i am into fantasy grounds (i am) and i want to publish a module in the smiteworks store (i do) based on the pathfinder game how does the ogl apply to the artwork in the bestiaries?
part of the vtt experience is the tokens that you use to play. since some of us (me) are horrid artists (and i mean friggin HORRID) how do we use the pictures in the bestiary to create the tokens or are we simply not allowed to at all or ???
if it is a pay thing where we send money to paizo and they let us use this type of content, what is the mechanism for that? is there a set percentage? do i just tape a ten spot to a brick and heave it through their window? do they review the content then charge accordingly?
i'm not talking crazy here.. i'm talking about small one shot modules for a couple of bucks for people who are looking for something to do on a saturday.
i am always looking for game guides to help GM's flesh out and add flavor to their campaigns. Often when running games you get called on to make up things on the fly, which usually isn't a problem. But, sometimes, it is nice to be able to go to a reference and pull out elements quickly without breaking gameplay. Also, game references like this are, I think, tremendously helpful for some GM's more than others in terms of experience. Plus, personally, I read books like this to glean ideas for my games. Sometimes I see ways of approaching game elements that I might not normally have considered.
As far as the book itself goes, I don't know what their thumb rules are regarding content and type of book but any time a book runs over a couple of hundred pages, I assume you would either break it down into smaller books or make it hardcover. I just threw that out there as an idea.
i think there is a little more to it.. a guild is an organization of like minded businesses (merchants guild) or individuals (thieves guild) with common interests. i think there is a lot of roleplaying that can be mined out of guilds. in some settings they wield tremendous power and influence like a center of trading where the merchants guilds routinely overrule the rulers of the city. they can be a resource for the party, like when the party's rogue goes to the thieves guild looking for information or to fence treasure.. they can be a one-time or recurring foe like if the assassins guild has been hired to knock off the party..
i see them more like a blue-collar union.. like from the 60's and 70's when unions wielded power disproportionately relative to the status of their individual members, often due to relationships with organized crime of the era.
If you treat a guild as an entity, you can give it attributes that contribute to the game. For instance, you could make the merchants guild corrupt or generous or whatever.. That would dictate how the guild influences your game by defining how the characters interact with the guild. I don't know if I would go so far as to assign the guild an alignment but the principle is similar.
What about a hardcover book about guilds? guild structure... a bunch of different types of guilds and how they fit into your game? a dozen different examples... merchant guilds.. thieves guilds.. assassins guilds.. mariner guilds.. adventurer guilds.. etc. adventure hooks... some info about guild resources ie if your character is a member of a guild what does that do for them? does it help or can it hinder? that sort of thing.
how hard would it be, in the adventure paths, to have a little annotation next to each creature indicating whether or not there was a pathfinder pawn associated with it and, if so, which set that pawn would be in?
I have quite a few pawns and, currently, when setting up for a game i have to dig through all of my pawns for each monster to see if it is available in pawn form or not.
it would be very handy if next to 'crocodile' in the AP, there was a little notation that said PPB1 for pathfinder pawn, beastiary 1, similar to the notations you have under skills, and feats, and equipment for the different books (UM, UE, UC, etc). it would make my life a little easier.. just sayin'
Has Paizo ever considered an "Ultimate Urban" book? There really isn't that much out there about how to properly design a city top to bottom and then run a campaign in it. you could include things like a comprehensive list of the different shops and how to run them.. some advice on how to roleplay the blacksmith or the local magic shop beyond just stopping in, coughing up your 50 gp, and slogging back out to the dungeon/tomb/fortress to kick butt. I'd like to see a guide on things like how to properly design a tavern beyond just a common room and some bedrooms. expanded lists of equipment for procurement. some new subclasses based on an urban environment... really dig deep into city design.. how to lay out a city... what about the terrain it is built on? where does it get its water? is there a waterfall in the middle of the city with a hidden cavern complex behind it? what about how to lay out the different buildings... you could have a section of premade NPC's that could be dropped into a players city campaign. what about all of the different guilds? how do the religions play out in the city? do the evil cults slink around in the dark alleys to avoid the city or are they right out in the open?
for follow up you could do a set of pathfinder pawns for city adventures. miniatures. 3D terrain?
I think properly done you could easily get a 400-500 page tome out of the deal and I, for one, would gladly purchase it because the cities that are available for purchase are, in my humble opinion, not that well done. Typically, you get a map, that is of such high level it is virtually useless, a list of some NPC's of note.. a few adventure hooks.. and then they wish you luck. Not exactly awe-inspiring.
What else would people like to see in an Urban design book for Pathfinder? I'm sure I am missing a ton of stuff.
Just the other day I was musing over the prospect of a slaver ring that was operating under a city. Slaves being brought in from outside of the city with the help of corrupt guards... held underneath the sewers in a makeshift prison.. finally, being shipped overseas in the dead of night to an island where they are put on the block and shipped the world over. My campaign arc had an orc stronghold in the wilderness where the slavers operated from. You can never go wrong with a nice Orc stronghold... just sayin.
Elements of dungeon crawl, urban adventure, corrupt government officials, pirates, and an isle of dread sort of thing to travel to and subdue.
so, out of curiosity, why can't this be punted to the pathfinder community in some form? I could be wrong, but if I remember correctly, one of the strengths of roll20 is its robust system for allowing users to develop improvements; working with advanced users to program modules for use during the game. They not only contribute, they pay extra each month for the honor. Couldn't you roll out a basic system and then let it become something that the community works to improve? They would still pay monthly subscription fees so there is monetization there and you would still control content in regards to how AP's and modules are presented and obtained (more monetization) but the burden of development might be more spread out.
Never underestimate the sheer overwhelming power of a large group of nerds on a mission.
History is replete with products that were shelved for so long that eventually, when it was time to develop, the ship had sailed.
Greetings. I was just wondering about this very subject. I just finished converting Giant Slayer AP #91 into Fantasy Grounds so that I can run it online and I was wondering what the rules are around sharing. I know the OGL does not allow for me to sell material pertaining to story lines etc, and I am not looking to gank Paizo out of money.. but, at the same time, FG is set up so that once content is created, it is very easy to export for use.
The main reason I want to share is that I know there are other much more advanced users that would be able to vastly improve on what I have done. Would love to see what someone who really knows their way around the VTT could do with it.
Maybe a surcharge or some sort of exchange that Paizo could set up so that users could provide content like this to each other while ensuring they still get compensated. Maybe I could send the module to them for evaluation/editing and then they could offer it to their regular subscribers for some small fee like 5 bucks on a per/purchase basis.
I am not looking to make money or be compensated and I don't mind spending the time doing the conversion (It takes me about 2-3 weeks per AP to convert the pdf for online use).
I just think that Paizo's AP's are friggin amazing and FG is an awesome VTT (I used to use Roll20 but FG is much, much better IMO) and I think there is a (small) market for this sort of thing.
Any guidance in this area would be appreciated. I do not want to just dump their proprietary property onto the internet for anyone to steal. But at the same time, I hate to see people have to entirely reinvent the wheel from scratch.
Thanks.
The Steff, the most electrifying game nerd in professional nerd entertainment.
STATISTICS
Str 18, Dex 8, Con 14, Int 0, Wis 0, Cha 0
Base Atk +4; CMB +10; CMD 20 (22 vs. trip)
Feats Cleave (melee weapon only), Power Attack (melee weapon only), Toughness
Skills: None
Languages: None
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Spawn
Each round there is a 40% chance that the undead spawn will generate at least one lesser undead from the bits and pieces of flesh that make up the pile. D10: 1-4 (d4 skeletons), 5-7 (d3 zombies), 8-9 (d2 ghouls), 10 (1 ghast)
Vile Aura
The undead spawn is so revolting that all within 10’ must make a DC 13 Fortitude save each round or be nauseated for d4 rounds. If they fail the save, and after they are no longer nauseated, they are immune to further effect unless they leave the area while sick and then returning to rejoin the combat at which point they must start attempting to make saving throws again and the cycle repeats.
Regenerate
Upon reaching 0 hit points, an undead spawn “dies” when its bits and pieces are essentially broken apart. After 6 hours, however, it will start to reform, achieving full strength after another 24 hours. Only by being broken apart and subjected to a bless or consecrate spell can the undead spawn be truly and completely destroyed.
I have a new monster that I am trying to create and am a little lost.
The party has come across the scene of a large ancient battle.. the combatants are still tangled up like when they died - swords still stuck in their craw, still clutching arrows protruding from their ribs, etc. etc. I want the mass of dead combatants to animate as a creature I call undead spawn. Each round it attacks with a random number of claws, bites, and melee weapons. It's special ability is that every round there is a 40% chance that some of the bits and pieces will combine to spawn a random undead. skeletons or zomebies or.. you get the picture.
The problem I am having is trying to figure out some of the other "attributes".. should I just ignore them (I doubt the party will try to grapple it) or...
also.. how would i CR something like this? The party is fairly low level (5) so I may have to save this for another time but I like the concept enough that I either want to develop it in a smaller size they can handle or make it larger and save it for when they won't get wiped out *quite* so easily.
Have never actually tried to create a monster before. It is proving to be a bigger pain in the patukas than I had anticipated. Any advice is, as always, appreciated.
so.. i have written up the basic rules and created some of the cards... it is obviously a work in progress but I am looking for some feedback from seasoned players. i want to know what works.. what looks good.. what looks stupid. how can i improve this?
I have not loaded all of the files.. but quite a few of them. One of those is the rules.. such as they are.
Anyway.. lemme know what you think. Have many more cards to make and then play testing and yada yada yada but I wanted to get some feedback.. thanks for the time.
for those interested.. here are a few of the concept cards i came up with.. just used some art that came up on the internet so the cards don't suck.. did them in photoshop..
keeping it simple for now.. based each cards stats on the average class level so that the encounters stay roughly consistent as the characters go up in level.
once the trigger is pulled, each side draws the next d6 cards and that determines who is in the combat.. ideally for the pc's it would be a mix of pc's and ships crew.. for the other side.. a mix of officers and ship's crew..
since the cards are being played in a round based format, the mass combat keeps going simultaneously.. in theory, you could have 2 or even 3 pc encounters going at once, in different areas of the ship, while the mass combat rages around them.
another thought i had was that i start with the cards and then have a "trigger" card randomly in the deck that designates the start of the pc battle... so they get to do mass combat with everyone else for some random length of time before their cards get pulled for the separate battle with the "heroes" of the other ship. do that as a side effort while still using the decks of cards for the mass combat..
Right. I was thinking about how Richard the Lionheart was felled by a crossbow bolt from some castle defender. the problem I guess I have with how it is set up is that in reality, during a large combat, the characters won't always have their choice of opponents. If they and their 30 crew members come upon a galley with a crew of 50, it seems like they would have to fight their way through at least a few layers of opponents before they get to the ship champions as it were.. and then it would be hard to structure the encounter so that it was evenly matched. You want the characters to ultimately prevail but they should have to work for it.
What I was really trying to do was to find a more efficient way for the characters to gain infamy and plunder without me having to constantly gin up fresh encounters. After a while they all start to feel the same and they take up so much time. I thought that a randomly drawn opponent matched up against their "built" character decks would be the ticket.
Thanks for the input. I'll keep plugging away at it.
So I have kind of struggled with the mass combat on-board ship or in the town pillage section of skull and shackles last time and I was trying to figure out a better way to do it. I read online in these forums where someone thought a card game would work and I liked the idea but I have not found anything concrete so far. if this already exists, can someone enlighten me so i don't have to reinvent the wheel?
the party:
each character has a character card for the encounter deck as well as a personal deck of cards based on his class. fighters have weapon and armor cards. magic users have spell cards. clerics have spells, armor, and weapons. rogues have weapons, armor, and 'special' to reflect backstab. other classes have cards that make sense for them. etc etc etc.
then there are the crew cards. Each crew member of the party deck gets one card. Each card has a strength, a defense, and any special effects reflected.
lastly, shipboard weapon cards. Any weapon that can be used when grappled with another ship that can do damage to personnel ie balista.
the encounter:
there is a captain card and associated weapon/armor/spell cards depending on how he is set up.
there are various officer cards, each with his armor/weapon cards.
there are crew cards. Each crew card reflects from 1-10 crew members and does damage accordingly. This is to reflect that the ships you fight often have a larger number of crew members who are not as proficient with weapons.. ie they have no individual weapon or armor cards. (for example. it might say 6 crew members - roll d20. 1-2, ineffective this turn, move to discard pile. 3-10 - move d3 party cards to discard pile (wounded), 11-15 - move d2 party cards to void (killed), 16-18 - move d4 party cards to discard and d2 party cards to void, 19-20, move d4 party cards to void and draw another card... something along those lines)
they also have shipboard weapons cards.
There is the play pile, the discard pile and the void pile in front of each player.
you put the individual cards in front of each player. the character cards, crew cards, ships weapons cards, etc. are all shuffled into one pile. the GM shuffles all of the cards together on his side and you are ready to rock.
determine initiative and that person gets to go first. ships captain gets his initiative mod. party chooses their highest.. both roll.
you pull the first card. if it is a crew member it will have a d20 table on it. low roll (1-2) indicates something negative. for an individual crew member, they may have knocked themselves out. move that card to the discard pile. for a spell, it may have gone funky, like webbing your own people, move d3 of your cards to discard pile. or it might be something worse, like some of your people get caught in a fireball, move d4 to the void - dead. healing spells retrieve cards. so, if the cleric gets pulled, he can choose to either cast a spell or use a weapon. if he casts a spell, and it is cure light wounds, then he gets to retrieve d4 cards from the void and the spell goes to the void. If the fighter is pulled, he gets to use a weapon card which will allow him to roll to remove a random number of opponent cards to the void. etc. etc. etc.
For characters with armor cards, if their card is pulled to go to the void or discard pile, they can play an armor card to get shuffled back into the active deck instead. out of armor cards? out of luck.
on the other side, same thing. captain is pulled, pull a weapons card, remove random number of cards from players hand to either the void or the discard pile. if a player is one of those pulled for the void, they are placed there temporarily. they can be pulled out by healing as a direct action when the cleric is pulled ie, the cleric could burn a spell and immediately place that players card back into play. if, however, at the end of the combat, the player is still in the void and the cleric is out of spells, then surviving players could check for items (potions, scrolls, etc) that they could spend to "buy" back that character. no items? no spells? start rolling a new character.
At the end of the combat, the party can randomly pick like 2d4 items from the ships discard pile. that includes any special items or crew members to recruit to be pirates. keep the ones they like. ransom those that they don't. the rest are assumed lost.
that is what i have so far. What do you think? I think it would be a pretty simple way to do mass combat. You could definitely scale it up to any large scale combat, including land combat, simply by how you structure the leaders (general versus a captain) and the troops.
I was thinking the ships crew would be a number of cards equal to the number of players cards but with randomly more people on them so that the turns would be even. The larger ship would hit more often (it has more people) but would not do as much damage (not as well trained) and any discrepancies would be compensated for by the party's ability to influence the combat (spells and armor).
Any suggestions? What sounds stupid? What sounds cool? What am I missing?
Spell Combat (Ex): At 1st level, a magus learns to cast spells and wield his weapons at the same time. This functions much like two-weapon fighting, but the off-hand weapon is a spell that is being cast. To use this ability, the magus must have one hand free (even if the spell being cast does not have somatic components), while wielding a light or one-handed melee weapon in the other hand. As a full-round action, he can make all of his attacks with his melee weapon at a –2 penalty and can also cast any spell from the magus spell list with a casting time of 1 standard action (any attack roll made as part of this spell also takes this penalty). ...
Spellstrike (Su): At 2nd level, whenever a magus casts a spell with a range of “touch” from the magus spell list, he can deliver the spell through any weapon he is wielding as part of a melee attack. Instead of the free melee touch attack normally allowed to deliver the spell, a magus can make one free melee attack with his weapon (at his highest base attack bonus) as part of casting this spell. If successful, this melee attack deals its normal damage as well as the effects of the spell.
Spell Combat allows me to do a melee attack AND cast a spell as a full round action. Spellstrike lets me deliver my touch spells using my weapon INSTEAD OF my hand (the FREE MELEE ATTACK referenced above). So, it seems to say, that as a 2nd level Magus I can deliver a normal melee attack using my weapon AND a touch spell attack using my weapon as one full round action. CORRECT? (I do take a -2 penalty on each attack however as part of spell combat and would still have to take a defensive concentration check on the spellstrike or be subject to attack of opportunity... but that is how I read these abilities.) OR I can just do the one melee attack at normal attack bonus with the added bonus that I can cast a touch attack spell through the weapon..
Am I reading this wrong? Is it now that I have a choice on how to apply the penalty depending on how I choose to cast the spell?
Hey.. I'm thinking about starting a city campaign.. lots of crawling around in sewers and fighting the forces of evil that have gripped the denizens in claws of fear.. that sort of thing.
My question is.. In Golarion.. what would be a good city to detail out for my campaign? Any suggestions? I have plenty of adventure ideas.. just have to put together the city.. maps, npcs, details, etc. etc. I guess I could just pick one at random but any of these cities stick out in your guys's mind as unique enough to build a whole campaign around it?
I haven't read this whole thread but I remember after the movie The Matrix came out with Keanu Reeves (Reaves?), I started to run a city campaign which I got into for about 1 adventure and my job moved.. sadly the game group was unwilling to take the bullet and come live in my garage.
The premise was that the city the characters were in was overrun with them in it and they were unable to get out in time. They were forced underground to hide from the occupation where they became entangled in a large number of factions from helping to set up an underground railroad to smuggle people out of the city while smuggling important supplies and people back in to conducting guerilla operations against the occupying forces while attempting to keep away from the executioners axe. I had elements such as corruption among the city guards and their leaders, traitors that needed to be sniffed out amongst the rebels, excursions to various locations within the city to obtain supplies or get information to other "cells" in the city.
It just seemed like there were sooooo many adventure hooks and I was ready for months of quality gaming and then my stupid job had to drag me away. Apparently the wife and kids expect a place to sleep AND food every day.. whatever.
I think something like that as an AP would rock!
Just my 2 cents. Paizo? Lemme know if you need me to quit my job and come work on this for a couple of years :)
I am running the Reign of Winter in roll20 and I had thought that as I created the tokens, it might be nice to share them with others that are running the game in a virtual environment (no reason to reinvent the wheel). Also the jpegs of the maps if someone wants those.. but I don't see an area to post attachments. Is it not allowed or is it in a separate area or what.. or am I just being extra dumb..
I have all of the maps in jpeg for snows of summer as well as all of the tokens for SoS and TSH. Working on TSH maps now.
oh.. follow up.. when I said make smaller batches of pawns available with the adventure path, I meant that as an option.. many people will not need them or want them and may be turned off by the increase in price.
I assumed it was a combination of factors and I totally understand the logic.. it is just frustrating sometimes. there are a couple of ways you could go with this, IMO. one is, split up the pawn sets into smaller sets and issue at the same time as each adventure path.. as the artwork comes in for the adventure path, set up the pawns so you don't get a tremendous lag in production.. charge an extra 2.50 or 3.00 for a two sheet set of pawns unique to that adventure path that ships at the same time.. even 5 bucks I would gladly pay.. 5 x 6 = 30 so I am thinking you would recoup the extra investment involved in setting these things up repeatedly.. Also, that way you don't have to wait until the end of the adventure path to get to the pawns.. by the end of the AP, I am already halfway through the first module so could definitely have used those pawns right away. I would love to do miniatures but some of us old gamers just don't have the time we used to for painting :)
Another thing to consider is in addition to telling us on the box what is in there, put out a list of what is in there along with where we can find the pawns. "This box does not contain creature X which IS however available in pawn box blah blah blah available on the paizo website.
DO NOT MISUNDERSTAND ME.. I absolutely love Pathfinder.. I gleefully threw all my AD&D crap away a couple of years ago and will keep playing as long as you keep publishing.. tremendous product line and can't say enough good things about it.. just trying to get the artwork for VTT is proving to be.. uh.. problematic..
I could be wrong here but by my count, just from Snows of Summer, the following were not in the pack...
Arctic Tatzlwyrm
Stag (Elk)
Rohkar's Raiders (Human Warriors)
Frost Skeletons
Giant Weasel
Air Elemental
Teb Knotten the Moss Troll
Advanced Giant Mantis
Emil Goltiaevna
Katrina Goltiaevna
Lytil the Witchcrow
Bordegga the Ice Troll
Animated Ice Dragon
Water Elemental
Yana Dultsev
Spriggen
Doppleganger
Animated Ice Nymph
Mandragora
Some of these you may not really need (like Emil and Katrina if they don't wind up fighting them) but, I bought the pdf so I could use the images to create tokens for a VTT game I am running in roll20.net. But, so many are missing, I am having to get creative (rooting around on internet... using photoshop... etc) Not really mad about it so much as just wondering why they don't include all of the pawns in the set..
OK.. I have to vent.. this is very frustrating... I buy these pawn boxes for the adventure paths and there are missing pawns! I can see them not including pawns that are included in other sets.. for instance, if the creature in the adventure path is available in the bestiary pawn set.. smart marketing there. But, when I buy the pawn set for Reign of Winter, some creatures are not represented and they are not available in other sets... ??? That doesn't make sense. Can anyone tell me why they don't give a complete set of pawns when you buy these things?
I've always had a soft spot for the Grippli race, and I am happy they are in Pathfinder. Their latest incarnation has this feat called Agile Tongue, which allows them to use Sleight of Hand, Steal, and Disarm maneuvers at a range of 10ft, and deliver touch attacks with it. This struck me as particularly amusing.
So what do Grippli have going for them? +2 Dex and +2 Wis, -2 Str. Small size, 30ft speed and a 20ft Climb speed, +4 to Stealth in Forest or Swamp terrain, Swamp Stride - ignore difficult terrain in Swamps, proficiency with nets, Darkvision.
Now I'm not keen on the stealth bonus or the Swamp Stride, but luckily there are some alternate racial traits. Glider (you can glide) replaces Swamp Stride, Jumper (always considered to have a running start when jumping) replaces the Stealth bonus. Toxic Skin (1/day Dex-based poison) replaces both. Princely (+2 Intimidate and Diplomacy, gain Rapier proficiency) replaces Swamp Stride and the Net proficiency.
The first thing that came to mind was a Maneuver Master Monk called Master Frog that focussed on Disarm and Steal, and to a lesser extent Sleight of Hand (using a trait to gain it as a class skill). Now this is not particularly powerful, but is funny. The Glider and Jumper traits seem good choices, though the Princely one can help make him a Face character. Agile Tongue is the level 1 feat, and Improved Disarm the Monk Bonus. Stats something like: S 12, D 16, Co 13, I 12, W 16, Ch 10. Agile Maneuvers is something to pick soon as his CMB is not going to be good. Damage is going to be quite weak, but Stunning Fist may be decent. AC will be okay, and mobility is excellent with the Climb speed. Going with some sort of ranged Monk may be best.
The next thing that occurs to me is a touch spell focused mage, which sounds weird when you consider he's delivering it at 10ft range - with his tongue. While on a wall or ceiling.
Any other Grippli fans out there with thoughts on these concepts or other fun Grippli builds?
With a thump, Venture-Captain Brackett sets a rounded granite stone on his desk. The stone is polished smooth and veined with shallow carvings reminiscent of constellations. "This is a lorestone, from the depths of the Verduran Forest. It’s rumored to hold all of the secrets of the druids of that ancient wood. Just over two years ago, a group of Pathfinders recovered this stone for us. We’re not much closer to cracking its secrets than we were on the day those agents put it into our hands, but we have gleaned one interesting bit of knowledge."
"The lorestone tells of a lengthy ritual using an artifact called the Atavistic Splinter, a piece of charred bark touched by Gozreh himself. The ritual transforms humanoids into bestial creatures with preternatural resilience. We could use something with this kind of power for the upcoming Ruby Phoenix Tournament in Goka, so we need you to recover the Atavistic Splinter for us."
"We believe the artifact is near the gnome town of Wispil, deep in the Verduran Forest. A Pathfinder operative there—a gnome herbalist named Falbin—was investigating increased lycanthrope activity south of Wispil. Falbin discovered that a sinister cabal of druids in a compound called Briar Henge is using the Atavistic Splinter to perform the ritual, probably to drive out the local loggers, but he couldn’t recover the Atavistic Splinter from the druids by himself."
"Go to Wispil and contact Falbin there. He will provide you with directions to Briar Henge and recent intelligence regarding the situation around Wispil. Then use this information to infiltrate Briar Henge and acquire the Atavistic Splinter."
DC 15 Knowledge: History:
Taldor has been at peace with the druids of the Verduran Forest for hundreds of years, since the Treaty of Wildwood in 3841 ar.
DC 20 Knowledge: History:
Some druid cabals in the Verduran Forest take a dim view of civilized settlement in the forest, even though settlements are protected by the Treaty of Wildwood.
DC 25 Knowledge: History:
Taldor so values its lumber trade that even sinister druid cabals are left unchecked by the authorities, so long as the cabals’ depredations are fairly limited.
DC 15 Knowledge: Nature:
Small groups of druids often occupy sites where the border to the First World is thin. In these wild places, druids often ally with fey creatures.
DC 20 Knowledge: Nature:
Lycanthropes are a dangerous menace in the Verduran Forest. As a result, lycanthrope hunters often compete to earn lucrative bounties. Upon rumors of a lycanthrope uprising, opportunistic hunters quickly descend on the area.
DC 25 Knowledge: Nature:
Briar Henge is constructed with living walls of spiky briars. If the druids have allied with fey, they might have good relations with twig jacks, malicious fey creatures made of thorns.
I'm getting a Race boon for PFS for the Ifrit race, and after going over my options I'm considering an Ifrit Oracle, Dual Cursed (Blackened and Tongues, with Tongues being the one that doesn't improve), Flame Mystery. I'm going for a fairly blasty build with some battlefield control on top of that and some summoning once I have access to Summon Monster II to take advantage of the Fire Insight alternate racial trait.
S 8
D 16
Co 12
I 10
W 10
Ch 19
Alternate Racial Traits: Wildfire Heart (+4 Init), Efreeti Magic (Enlarge Person or Reduce Person 1/day), Fire Insight (+2 rounds duration on Summons of Fire-type creatures)
Improved Initiative for first level feat.
Misfortune (From the Dual-Cursed archetype) for first level Revelation.
But what about spells? I'll have Burning Hands at first level for the Blackened curse. I'm considering Obscuring Mist and Command for the other two.
What about traits? Reactionary seems like a good place to start. The character's Initiative will be +13 at first level.
Is dual-cursed horrible? The Misfortune Revelation looks awesome. I'm also taking that so that I don't end up with overlap in bonus spells known for the Blackened curse and Flame Mystery.
How about Feat progression? Extra Mysteries? Spell Focus Evocation?
Anyone with experience with this sort of build? Suggestions or advice?
“Close the door,” Ambrus Valsin murmurs as the team gathers in his office. “Let me start by saying, this mission is not for dissemination among other members of the Society.” The chamberlain of the Grand Lodge gives everyone a serious look in turn before continuing. “This mission is not an investigation, just a simple, straightforward assignment, but that makes it no less important.”
“I need you to book passage to the Lands of the Linnorm Kings, and cross over into Irrisen. You’re to head north and rendezvous with another team who have captured some—” Valsin pauses for a heartbeat before continuing. “—persons of interest. We have reason to believe that these individuals have information on the Shadow Lodge cells that are refusing to reconcile with the Society under Grandmaster Torch’s leadership.” Valsin’s expression becomes particularly grim at that point. “If these rogue cells are outright refusing amnesty, then they represent a clear threat to all of us. I need you to take charge of these captives and get them out of Irrisen safely and quietly. Once you’re clear of Irrisen, a larger extraction team will take custody of them and bring them in for questioning. Of course, we will cover the expense of your travel in full, and provide maps to lead you to the meeting point in Irrisen. Because of the nature of the mission and Irrisen itself, you’ll be meeting the other team in the field, away from what passes for civilization up there. The team you’ll be getting the prisoners from will show you the best route out of Irrisen, and the castellan of Trollheim has agreed to grant you passage through his lands. You are responsible for avoiding unexpected trouble between the handoff and Trollheim.”
Valsin gestures for the team to depart, but pauses, staring at his fireplace for a moment before adding, “Wait. You need to know this. Your prisoners will be goblins. The Shadow Lodge separatists made extensive use of the sadistic creatures as soldiers and servants, and as much as you may want to throttle them, please remember that we need them alive.” He asks if you have any questions, and if not, then with a final nod for luck, the venture-captain will dismiss the group.
Knowledge: Local DC 15:
Goblins are insane and sadistic. They have a strong hatred of dogs and a fear of horses, both rivaled only by their unnatural love of fire and destruction.
Knowledge: Local DC 20:
Making the journey in 3-1/2 days doesn’t allow for much time for hunting, unless the party uses the extra day allowed by the extraction team. Provisions for the journey goblins will be provided, but they’ll need supervision. Goblins have fast metabolisms and find hunger painful. If they’re not watched, they’ll eat their rations all at once.
Knowledge: Local DC 25:
Tying the goblins up and forcing them to march will be problematic. They’ll continually complain, and will stumble and fall on purpose, slowing the rate of travel.
Knowledge: Geography DC 15:
The party will be crossing a disputed border between two warring countries—Irrisen and the Lands of the Linnorm Kings. Getting too close to the actual border before you’re ready to cross will invite trouble. There is no easy way to cross the Iceflow River, which forms the border between the nations north of the mighty Rimeflow River, without attracting unwanted attention from Ulfen defenders who may not look kindly on goblins passing through their lands.
Knowledge: Geography DC 20:
It is eternally winter in Irrisen, and a lot of food is imported. There are no crops or easily obtained foodstuffs except those gained through fishing and some hunting of migratory animals.
Knowledge: Geography DC 25:
Snow goblins are citizens in Irrisen. This is definitely true in Whitethrone, but one might expect them to have some degree of social rank everywhere else.
Drandle Dreng’s entrance is as understated as always at the meeting with him this morning. He carries stacks of papers and tomes, and hedding stray pages as he makes his way toward a large, cushioned chair; once seated, he greets you warmly.
“Welcome, welcome, glad to see you’ve made yourself at home. No point in beating around the bush, since I’m sure you’re all very curious why I called you here today, hm?
“As you may or may not know, the Society has been bolstering its influence with the esteemed Blakros family for some time now, and have assisted them and their famous museum with various incidents over the past few years—discovering several new levels of catacombs in the process.
“Just recently, the Blakros Museum’s curator, Nigel Aldain, informed us that he’d discovered a mysterious portal within the building’s vast catacombs, and sought information regarding how to open it. We sent one of our agents, a man by the name of Anumet Akrostera, to help research the matter further, which involved delving into the various attics and crawlspaces of the Blakros Museum in search of clues that might lead to the whereabouts of the portal’s key.
“Earlier today, Nigel showed up here, claiming that something was wrong with Anumet. It seems that the Pathfinder set off some sort of curse or trap while poking around in the place’s attics and was acting strangely, and now he can’t be found at all. I need you to head to Blakros Museum and get to the bottom of this. Find Anumet, and if he has gotten himself into irreparable trouble, you’ll also need to take up where he left off and find that key.”
Knowledge: History DC 10:
In the early days of Absalom, the Blakros Museum was the stronghold of an eccentric wizard. After being abandoned for centuries, it was bought by the Blakros family, who turned it into a museum for their vast collection of curios.
Knowledge: History DC 15:
The mad astrologer Ralzeros the Overwatched built what is now the Blakros Museum thousands of years ago as an observatory to study distant worlds (and some say, to be studied by them). He later disappeared following a mage-duel with another of Absalom’s early wizards.
Knowledge: History DC 20:
Ralzeros carved his stronghold from a single block of volcanic stone with the help of fell powers granted to him by otherworldly patrons, supposedly to hide the powerful artifacts secreted in the catacombs beneath the keep. In addition, some tales hint that Ralzeros was actually abducted by alien monsters from the worlds he had studied so obsessively.
Knowledge: Local or Diplomacy to Gather Information DC 10:
Blakros Museum is owned by the esteemed House Blakros, an extensive clan whose family members have made their fortune by trading odd antiquities across the border of Taldor and Qadira, as well as by marrying off their beautiful daughters to wealthy nobles all around the world. They store many of their curious gifts and the findings of their more adventurous daughters in exhibits in the Blakros Museum, which they purchased for just this purpose.
Knowledge: Local or Diplomacy to Gather Information DC 15:
The Pathfinder Society is interested in forming an alliance with the Blakros family to gain access to their extensive collection of historical and arcane treasures.
Knowledge: Local or Diplomacy to Gather Information DC 20:
Many pieces in the Blakros’s collection are connected to the Dark Tapestry or other otherworldly horrors studied by Ralzeros.
Looking for 3-6 players to play this Scenario. This is for Pathfinder Society credit, so all characters must be PFS legal. If you are new to PFS, you can download the Guide to Organized Play at the link for free.
Characters of levels 1, 2 or 3 please.
I want to get this started and underway as soon as I have enough players. I hope to run quickly, so if you are unable to post at least once a day, please let me know.
This is not my first PBP as DM, but it is my second. Be kind. ;)
Awaiting each of you at your places of lodging are scrolls of parchment tied with red silk string. Inside is a hand-addressed invitation to a party being held at the Lantern Lodge, the beautiful and exotic estate of the Tian Venture Captain, Amara Li, in Absalom's Petal District. Tonight, the invitation informs you, is the Snapdragon Festival, a traditional Gokan holiday featuring fireworks and rich plum wine. You are encouraged to dress to impress if you are able, and to seek out the hostess and head of the Lantern Lodge, Amara Li upon your arrival.
You may spend the day making any preparations you wish.
At the party that evening;
Only the luckiest or most influential Pathfinders receive invitations to Amara Li’s annual Snapdragon Festival celebration, and wise recipients take advantage of them. The aroma of blooming orchids and flowing wine mixes with the acrid tang of recently exploded fireworks, and the sound of strangely discordant music comes from a duo of Tian women playing an unusual stringed instrument and a reed flute. The crowd mingles calmly, most guests clearly hoping to be seen more than actually paying attention to those with whom they converse, though the plum wine seems to have affected many who now move about the lodge’s grounds waving sparkling wands of fire and shooting whirring, whizzing fireworks into the sky above the koi pond.
Well, seeing as I've just been laid off, I think this is a good time to put my toes into the realm of PBP DMing. I'm new to PBP DMing, but am an experienced DM otherwise, and have run First Steps a couple times before.
I'm looking for 5-6 players. This is a PFS scenario and will be run for credit, so only characters created under Pathfinder Society rules will be considered. Check out this link if you are unfamiliar with the Pathfinder Society.
I want to try to get this done fairly quickly, and if I can get a group that wants to stay together to do Parts 2 and 3, that is ideal. I expect 1 post a day if possible, and will bot people if there is no post in a couple days.
Good luck all! I will hold open recruitment until Sunday the 9th, but will start sooner if I get enough people.
If you have any questions, please feel free to post them in a spoiler.
In the case of a monster with multiple spell-like abilities, it is listed like so:
3/day, Speak With Molluscs, Ray of Tickling, Fog of Sparkles
My question is this: does that mean the monster can use EACH of its spell-like abilities 3/day? Or is it like a Sorceror in that they have 3 spell-like ability slots per day such that this monster could use Speak With Mollusks twice and Fog of Sparkles once and that's it for the day?
Hello everyone. My friends and I are starting a game where all the PCs are Sorcerors. Are we insane? Well, I won't rule that out. But I think it's possible to make a pretty awesome party with only Sorcerors.
Benefits: So much Charisma (Diplomacy, Bluff, Intimidate, Use Magic Device all over the place)! Knowing we're all Sorcerors we can choose our spells to not have much overlap and therefore increase our overall utility as a group. There are enough different builds to make this diverse enough to be viable.
Drawbacks: Looooooow HP. No Int or Wis-based skills.
My thoughts on party makeup: We have four players, and I plan to suggest that we have 1 Blasty type (Half-Orc Draconic/Primal Crossblooded? ALL THE FIRE!), 1 Enchantment-focused (Kitsune Fey (Sylvan), with animal companion for added awesome), 1 Summoning-focused (Abyssal. Pitblooded Tiefling?), and 1 Melee (??? Bloodline with Claws plus Toothy Half-Orc? 2-Handed Weapons (Half-Orc again)? Race with a Natural weapon (Changeling? Tiefling?))
Can four Sorcerors make a go of it in this crazy world... and then dominate it?
Questions I hope to have answered: Does anyone have any information on good builds along the lines of the ones I mentioned above? Any other builds I should consider? Is it worth it to have someone go Sage for Int-based skills, and/or 1 go Empyreal for Wis-based skills?
Edit: No multiclassing (Prestige Classes are okay), and we're starting at Level 4
I'm going over a section of an AP for my session tonight, and when I come to the (CR 11) villain's spellbook, I see that (as usual) I have to add up the value of it myself. A time-consuming task, to say the least. (I wish Paizo had time to add this up so we DMs don't have to.) Now I'm all done, and a little alarmed at the value of the thing. Please tell me I did this wrong... or right... maybe it won't matter.
I had to split it into two books, as the page count went well over the 100 pages a Spellbook holds. In the rulebook it says a spellbook has a value of 1/2 the cost to buy and scribe all the spells in the book. Is this the cost to buy the scrolls (cost of the scroll plus the scribing cost divided by two), or simply the fee to borrow from another Wizard's spellbook (1/2 the scribing cost plus the scribing cost divided by two)?
If it's the former:
Book 1: Level 0-3. (15 L0, 11 L1, 9 L2, 7 L3) A total cost of 5612gp for a sell value of 2806gp
Book 2: Level 4-6. (11 L4, 7 L5, 3 L6) A total cost of... 25115gp... for a sell value of 12557gp.
That's 15363gp for JUST THE SPELLBOOKS. This value will change depending on what you roll on the +1d6 spells of random levels 1-5... wait, is that 1d6 spells total, or 1d6 spells per level? I calculated this with the latter.
Now this is about three times the expected wealth gain for an encounter of its CR (11) for a APL 8 party, not counting his other gear. I haven't added up what the rest of the adventure gives, so it may be intentional to make up for deficiencies in other areas. We don't have a Wizard or Alchemist in our party either, so it will not get scribed. Of course, where are they going to sell it? There is a large city later in the AP and that seems like the only place, so maybe it won't matter until later, if ever - finding a Wizard who will pay 15000gp for two spellbooks is probably unlikely.
Aaaaaaaanyway... wacky. Am I doing this right? How do others handle this issue?
I am considering taking the plunge and using my chronicle sheet for a Wayang Shadowcaster Illusionist Wizard. I started out just working on the mechanics, but the concept has been percolating in my mind and he's starting to develop in an interesting, if odd way. Details in spoiler.
Choices:
For stats, I'm looking at S 8, D 14, Co 12, I 20, W 8, Ch 11. (The Cha is so I get access to the Wayang spell-like abilities, but I am considering upping it a bit.)
For Specialization: Illusion. Shadow spells are Illusion, and I can boost save DCs pretty high this way. The Illusion school abilities are decent for this.
Prohibited schools: Evocation and... Can't decide on this. Necromancy is the leading contender, but I like the idea of Necromancy spells for this character.
Archetype:Shadowcaster. Flavourful! Plus I love having lots of spells per day, and the Shadowcaster Shadow Casting is nice that way. I don't like having to waste the Darkvision the archetype gets at 5th level, since Wayangs get it anyway, but I'll have to deal with it.
Traits: (here's where it gets a bit odd) Uskwood Hunter (Nidal Regional Trait, +1 Stealth and Stealth becomes a class skill. Take advantage of Wayang's small size and racial bonus to Stealth), and Adopted (By Goblins, to gain Ugly Swine, +2 to Disguise checks, Disguise becomes a Class Skill). When I was building the character I knew I wanted Stealth, and then left the second trait choice blank as I went on to select spells and other things. Then the image came to mind of a Wayang kidnapped and taken to Nidal as a child, who escapes and then is adopted by Goblins and raised in a community of various small Monstrous races hiding from the Umbral Court. They take in a Pathfinder who is hiding from the authorities and he helps them in return and exposes my character to the Society. He later runs away to join the Society. The Disguise reflects the paranoia and layers of defenses he sets up around himself. He often disguises himself as a Tengu, or a Gnome, afraid to be identified as a Wayang.
Skills: Some knowledges, a Craft skill (Puppets!), Disguise, Stealth, Spellcraft. I may grab a point in Perform: Puppetry. Because Flavour. And the Shadow Stencils item from the Advanced Race Guide.
Spells: Color Spray, Comprehend Languages, Disguise Self, Illusion of Calm, Mage Armor, Minor Image, Shield, Vanish
I wanted to try to fit in Shadow Weapon. Because Flavour. Not sure what to drop for it though or buy a scroll or wait until level 2 and pick it up.
I have acquired a chronicle giving me access to a Kitsune, Nagaji, or Wayang character. What to make? I find myself a little overwhelmed by the... Responsibility? Of choosing one. I only get the one shot at it up until level 2. I am considering the following so far:
1. Nagaji Saurian Shaman Druid, melee variety with animal companion. Seems pretty good. I don't see many Druids in Pathfinder Society though. Are there pitfalls that I'm not seeing? Also, what companion to take? I'm considering Allosaurus, Giant Gecko, Stegosaurus, or Spinosaurus.
2. Wayang Wildblooded (Sage) Sorceror. Going for Illusion and Shadow spells to take advantage of the Wayang racial bonus to Shadow spells. Sage bloodline to best utilize the Wayang racial bonus to Int. Am I better off with straight Wizard? Or even Bard?
3. Kitsune? Are these the most overdone of the races opened up by this chronicle? I wanted to do something a little more original.
A mid to high level villain must have lived that long for a reason, and reached their exalted status on the graves of rivals and would-be heroes. They must have encountered many strategies and heard about others, and seeing as they aren't fools, they prepare for future enemies. What if they therefore assembled a kit of needed items and consumables for the purpose of confronting dangers? What, in your experience, would a villain with wit, intellect, or even just experience, include in such a kit, knowing the tactics and strategies employed in a world like Golarion where divination, flying, invisibility and teleportation are common enough at the levels of power that they have achieved?
What potions, wondrous items, or other items mundane or magical, might a non-spellcaster keep in their kit?
What scrolls, wands or other item types above might a spellcaster keep close at hand?
A character wishes to use an arrow or bolt as an improvised weapon. The CRB says this is treated as an improvised weapon with the damage of a dagger of its size. It is also ammunition. Does that mean it will be broken if used in such a way? Or can one continue to attack with one arrow round after round?
A friend of mine wants to start running Jade Regent, but his house rules and tendency to buff encounters have been frustrating to me in the past, and I'm not sure how to cope with them without making the game unfun.
The main thing is that he gives everyone Step Up. The reason for this is that he feels spellcasters are overpowered and he dislikes that they can 5 foot step away and cast spells. Apart from always taking Combat Casting, how do I cope with this if I want to play a (Witch or Wizard) spellcaster? Especially at low levels when I don't have flight or other evasion abilities?
The (perhaps) unintended consequence of this is that all ranged characters are also penalized by this. If you're going to be provoking attacks of opportunity every time you try to shoot when in cramped quarters, your life just got a lot worse.
He also likes to buff encounters and (frequently) overdoes it to the point that a fight takes most of a session and we've expended so many resources by the end we have to rest or retreat. I am by no means an expert player, and a couple of the others playing with us are less so than I. While I know there are tactical ways to mitigate these issues, many of us are not 'built that way' in our gaming.
Do I talk to him and try to convince him to stick with the rules as written? Or can you help me build a character (preferably a full caster) that will survive his caprice?
An Alchemist is described as being able to draw the components of, create and throw a bomb as a standard action that provokes attacks of opportunity.
Does this action require two hands? By the description, it does indeed suggest this to my mind, but it does not state it explicitly. I want this to not be the case, naturally, but has there ever been a ruling on it?
For example; I have 6 Fame. (allowing me to buy items of 500gp or less) I want to buy a Potion of Lesser Restoration (300gp). Can I buy it if I don't have one on a Chronicle Sheet?
If not; If I have a 2nd level potion on a Chronicle sheet, am I unable to buy it until I have at least 5 Fame?
I'm playing in a Skull and Shackles campaign, and I have been considering multiclassing into Alchemist of some variety. It seems to fit thematically, as I'll be making my own powder and cartridges and eventually will be the gunnery master of our crew, and hope to build cannons for our ship. Has anyone ever multiclassed a gunslinger, and is this worth doing?
On the face of it, I like the combination of themes. A gunsmith with an expansive knowledge of alchemy. A Dex Mutagen might be useful for shooting, and bombs are a nice supplement. My character already has a high Int. Extracts might be pretty useful as well, even if I don't get all that high in Alchemist levels.
Thoughts on the viability of this? Experiences? Archetypes?
There is a discrepancy in some items' costs and abilities between the Advanced Player's Guide and the Adventurer's Armory. Which one is more current? (Both have 2010 listed on their Credits page)
For example, the Compass is 1gp in the Armory (which may actually just be a typo now that I think about it) and 10gp in the APG.
I am looking at building an Eidolon, specifically to be for grappling. The Grab ability seems like a no-brainer. But I'm trying to decide on the Eidolon's base form. Serpentine seems appropriate, partly because you can get constrict, but upon review, Aquatic looks good because of the higher strength. I was also looking at the Final Embrace feats from Ultimate Combat, but it looks to be less than optimal due to the fact that the Eidolon's Constrict evolution only works with the Eidolon's Grab, so the only benefit from taking Final Embrace is the ability to constrict creatures up to its own size.
At first level I am considering taking the Extra Evolution feat for my Human Summoner, having the Increased Ability Score Evolution (Str) and the Grab Evolution. This will give the Eidolon a +9 to Grapple at first level. The Eidolon's feat at first level is a bit of a poser. Is it worth getting Improved Unarmed Strike in order to access Improved Grapple at 3rd level for the +2 to Grapple? Or am I better off with Power Attack, Toughness, Improved Natural Armor or something else? I will also be saving up Evolution Points until 8th Level for the Large Evolution, so no more evolutions until then unless I take more Extra Evolution feats.
Hello, first time requesting advice on these boards.
I'm playing in a Kingmaker campaign shortly, and am considering a Half-Orc, using the "Toothy" alternate racial trait to get the bite attack. He will be a Ranger, taking the Aspect of the Beast feat as his first combat style feat, getting the two claw attacks.
Here are his stats I am considering. 20 point buy.
S 18
D 14
Co 14
I 11
W 13
Ch 7
I am thinking of taking Keen Scent at first level, Aspect of the Beast at 2nd, and after that? Improvet Nat Attack? Weapon Focus? Power Attack? Rending Claws?
The character concept is of a feral, savage man who has spent his whole life in the wilderness. Only recently he has come in conflict with a community in Southern Brevoy, which was the home of one of the other PCs. As a way to bring him into the campaign, this PC has managed somehow to gain the Half-Orc's trust, and is bringing him along into the Stolen Lands to help establish a new community. My character will be quiet, wild, unaccustomed to civilized behavior. He fights with tooth and claw (when he gets them), but also has an axe for backup. He wears hide armor and generally primitive gear, except for some trinkets he's picked up. As a character, how he develops will depend on the other characters. Can they teach him? Civilize him? Socialize him?
My requests for advice are:
1. Is the Natural Weapon style as terrible mechanically as I think it is? Note that this will not necessarily stop me from playing him. :)
2. When he gets all his attacks, will they all be, by virtue of them all being primary natural attacks, at full base attack bonus and strength bonus? For example, at level 2 when he gets his claws, will his attack routine on a full attack be: 2 Claws +6 (1d4+4) and 1 Bite +6 (1d4+4)?
3. What feats will help this?
L1 Keen Scent
L2 Aspect of the Beast (claws)
L3 Power Attack/Rending Claws/Improved Natural Attack (claws)/Ironhide?
4. What sort of Archetype might help this? I have considered both the Shapeshifter and Infiltrator archetypes. Mainly for Natural Armor bonuses. Is Favored Terrain just too good to give up (especially in Kingmaker)?
4a. When using adaptations in the Infiltrator archetype, can one use multiple ones at once? Or can one only activate them one at a time? If it is the latter, do multiple Natural Armor adaptations stack?
5. What favored enemies to choose?
6. Do natural armor bonuses stack? Taking Ironhide, for example, for +1 Natural Armor, and then taking an Adaptation from the Infiltrator for +2, does my natural armor bonus become +3 or +2?
