To be blunt...anyone complaining about the errata in this game needs to just calm down. 700 some odd cards in the game and 15 of them need some clarification. Mostly because people are trying to think too far outside the box that they have to be reigned in. There is little to nothing wrong with the rules or the cards. What minor issues that have come up are because of nitpicking of rules and people just trying to break the game [that Hard Shell Crab[sp?] thread couldn't have annoyed me more]. Could have the rules been written a little clearer...maybe. Could there have been more examples....maybe. On the whole through once you get the intent of the game, the rest just makes sense.
The base rules state that a combat check can only be done with either a STR or DEX die modified by the Melee or Ranged skill. This reflects everyone's ability to pick up a sword or throw a dagger. You normally can't use your INT, WIS, or CHA for a combat check. The spell changes this and allows you to use your Arcane check for a combat check. You can't specify which ability [INT or DEX] to use because different spell casters use different abilities for their Arcane checks. Ultimately, [no matter how many times you want to ask the question], it comes down to one simple rule, you can only use one card that sets the combat check. You can only state what combat check you are going to do. Say you have a Quarterstaff, a Short Bow, and Force Lightning. One of those is going to dictate what the combat check is going to be. STR/Melee, DEX/Ranged, or Arcane, but once you state that, you can't then use one of the others on that check. So, if you are going to use the quarterstaff, then you have to make a STR/Melee base roll modified with additional dice from the quarterstaff. Now you can use spells on that check, but not spells that then change what ability/skill you are using for the base check. So you can cast Strength to add +3 to the STR check, but not Force Missile....or go ahead and cast Force Missile, but then the base combat check changes from STR/Melee to an Arcane check and you wasted your use of the Quarterstaff because the Quarterstaff only modifies a STR/Melee combat check.
From what I can tell, the game designers are trying to get away from having an order. This is a cooperative card game, not a competitive card game. The only three rules that really matter are: 1 - Each check is separate, 2 - You can only use 1 PC Power/check, 3 - You can only play 1 Card type/check. That's really it. You can add an addendum saying that using a card to activate a PC's power it isn't played, just to stop the confusion on using any powers/abilities that only activate when Played, but that it about it. If you just keep those 3.5 things straight, you should be able to work your way through any situation.
No, you keep all the previous cards in the individual decks. Eventually, after Massacre at Hook Mountain, you will remove all basic Bane cards and have the option to remove basic Boon cards as you play them. You'll do the same thing with the Elite cards after a future pack.
Most of the APs I have read state that the mobs you encounter along the way typically run at some point to fight along side the final boss. I rarely have run one where the BBEG at the end didn't have some lackey with them as a buffer. If your GM is just running static encounters where every mob just fights to the death, they might want to double check the actions of the creature as see what they do when they get down to like 10% of their health.
I would like to point out that I also think that pure roleplayers can be almost as much of a pain at pure rollplayers. They usually going off on some tangent that has nothing to do with the campaign. When it comes down to the nitty gritty of combat or any other stressful situation, they usually have to be walked through the mechanics. In my mind there is a venn diagram of RPG gamers. In one circle there are Roleplayers. In another there are Rollplayers. Somewhere in the middle those two circles overlap and those are the people I like to play with.
The only thing I hate about power gamers as a GM is that you have to gear your adventures around them. For example, if there is an elite player on an opposing football team, you have to change your defense to defend them. I can't just build an adventure for the fun of it. More than likely the power gamer is going to just run through it like the other players aren't even there. So I always have to have that one or two opponents that are built to just deal with that one player. Which typiclally pisses them off because they know I am 'power GMing' against them specifically. I have found it is a just a lose/lose situation.
Wow. After reading through 187 posts I am really really glad I never got into Pathfinder Society play. Last I checked this was a freaking game. Not some facist rule. If someone is doing something hinky....tell them it isn't going to happen. I understand there are rules, but man this is ridiculous.This is also a forum discussion and not an actual Pathfinder Society event. You may want to differentiate between the two before you decide organized play is not for you. This is a forum discussion between what appears to be high level members of the society dictating the rules. I understand that the 'local' level and non-society games aren't probably like this. I also understand with a cannon as large as PF there has to be a little rules on what rules you can use. But if this the the kind of decision making that is being done on the convention level....you can keep it. I mean we aren't talking about National Championship card games and such where the winner makes actual money. We are talking about pen and paper and dice game. Most of which is played in the mind. Yea dealing with rules monkeys can be a hassle, but that is why you got into the convention for free and in some cases got room and board. I've run games, demos, and booths for other companies and I really can't believe the dictatorship role that is being shown on these boards. Personally I think this thread and the actions of some of the GMs on here have hurt the society as a whole more than helped it. Guess I am not glad I never got that second interview for the Venture-Captain position in my town.
1. Okay, I didn't mean DR, I meant energy resistances. 2a. 5d6 because all 1st level spells as they are writen right now max at 5d6. So you are probably looking at something that is 1d6 per 2 levels maxing out at 5d6.2b. the +30....I really can't believe I have to spell this out for you. Then Evoker bonus is 1/2 your level/die in bonus damage. So 12/2 = +6 x 5 = +30. Example: Shocking Grasp at 12th level = 5d6+30 3. So again, you want a spell that has a chance to miss for a 4% [5% x 75%] chance to double damage. Still don't see it. 4. Intensify huh? So how are you going to intensify this spell beyond 5d6? Say you can, you now are casting a 1st lvl spell as a 3rd level spell. WTF would you do that when you can just cast a 3rd lvl spell? 5. How are you going to design this spell? You can baseline it off of Shocking Grasp, but Shocking Grasp is touch spell with 1d6 damage/lvl in damage w/ a max for 5d6. Now you want that in a ranged attack. So how are you going to limit the spell so that it is now ranged? Only way I can see is that you make is 1d6/2 lvls. But what kind of range does that give you. I would make is close at best. This is supported by the fact that we are basically looking at a lvl 1 Scorching Ray and that is close ranged. So how are you going to Intesify this spell when it is already close range? Meanwhile we still have Magic Missile with does more damage, always hits, doesn't have to worry about energy resistances, and has 4x the range.
If you are looking for bases, the big black pincher binder clips you get from an office supply store work great. Just clip it on and then remove the silver wire arms by pinching them together.
The problem with straight 3d6 is the pure randomness of it. Too much of a chance to have a 'still born' character or run the risk of having one character that overpowers the other ones. If I was to go that route I would have to give them a little incentive to not just want to kill their character and reroll at the first opportunity. Once the player rolled the character then I would check to see how many 'points' it would take to make that character: 1. If it was less that 10, forget it. The character would be more of a liability to the party than he is worth and to be honest the other players would probably leave him behind. If they really want to stick with their sub-par roll, maybe start them out at lvl 2 or give them a lvl in an NPC class.
Yea 3d6 is good for role playing but really hurts roll playing.
As a GM, I never tell the party how to split the gold and magic items. They can do what ever they want. I will point out sometimes when someone hasn't gotten their fair share of magic items, or I might point out that the matched set of +1 Elven swords that are balance to alow you to use them as light weapons for TWF would probably be better suited to the elven two handed ranger....but what ever. Couple of suggestions. 1. Recommend that they distribute the gold as if they had another party member. So if there are 4 of them, make 5 shares. The extra share is there for group related expenses [buying a base of operations, raise dead costs, wands, etc]. Really stops a lot of complaints.
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