Steven Rhodes - UK's page

TL;DR - I am a massive AP fanboy.

I love the APs more or less as they are. There are some hits and misses, but Paizo are putting material out every single month so I can forgive them for that.

I'm currently playing one AP (Rise of the Runelords) and GMing four (Second Darkness, Legacy of Fire, Mummy's Mask and Iron Gods) with different groups. Like a lot of people, I'm a busy adult with a full-time job and various other commitments. I would never be able to play as much, with as many of my friends, if I was having to write whole bunches of stuff for campaigns.

We tend to get through an AP in around two years, so there's always something new to move on to by the time we're done as well.

My only (small) problem with APs has been touched upon already, and I think Paizo are doing a good job of addressing it. The title of the AP can either be a dead giveaway (Rise of the Runelords) even when the actual threat doesn't really get revealed until about halfway through, or complete nonsense (Serpent's Skull) which doesn't mean anything to anyone until part five or six. The more recent ones have had a better balance as a relevant teaser, so even that one gripe is diminishing.

I would have a chuckle at the creativity if I was on the receiving end as GM, but at the end of the day if prestidigitation could protect you from vampires then every adept in Ustalav would have a village's worth of guests every night :P

I'd give a bit of flavour to the encounter (pun 100% intended) because of the effect, but from a mechanical point of view probably rule that the cantrip can't produce a strong enough smell to deter a vampire in any meaningful way.

If I was feeling particularly vindictive, I may even have the vamp in question single out the caster for their insolence :D