Tirion Jörðhár's page

I rarely post on these forums because I really do not have the time, but more importantly because invariably the discussion goes from sort of on topic to off topic to completely unrelated to the topic.

This discussion should be focussing on four items from what I can see. I may have missed something, but discussions about "Paizo not listening" or "You are a troll" do not belong here:

The issue I see are:

1) Switching APs from monthly to 4x/year hardcovers.
- I really don't have an opinion, hard covers are harder to open and lay out on a table, but will be less expensive to print and purchase, so probably a wash - and for people who run off of PDFs, probably no effect.

2) Elimination of Stat Blocs from the end of PFS Scenarios
- My opinion is above, I think that the monetary argument is limited at best since I do not believe these are even available in paper (so no less cost for printing), and if Paizo has a standard format for stat blocs (one of the goals of 2ed to the best of my knowledge), then this should simply be a cut-and-paste. In addition, many GMs (raises hand) use these extensively and removing is going to create quite a bit more work.

3) 2 Level Tiers
- Again, my opinion is posted above. While I suppose it will occasionally happen, rarely do I see the same 4-6 players at the same time at the same table every game with all characters in the same tight level range (people miss games), thus the probabilities are that there will be a range of levels and by reducing the span (tiers) for each scenario from 4 to 2, Paizo is making it much more difficult to accommodate all players.

- From a business point, this seems like deciding to open a restaurant and deciding not to have anything vegetarian (since only 5% order vegetarian) the end result is the any group with a vegetarian in their group will likely go elsewhere (thus losing far more than 5% of the business).

- I run a business and we accept some referral programs which pay well less than our regular rate. We keep these programs because we like to help people, but more importantly, if the person is happy, they will refer their friends and family, far surpassing any loss from that one discount client.

- The same holds here. If there is a Tier 5-6 being run and 2 friends have a 5, but the other is at level 4 because they were out last week, there is a good change that all 3 will not come to the game. Which could easily result in a table not firing.

4) 3 hour Scenarios
- It is hard to tell a good story in 4 hours. Making it 3 makes this way harder. It will take the same time to get everyone seated and introduced as a 4 hour session, and the same time for set-up and clean up. Thus, really it is closer to cutting the game from 3.5 hours of playing time to 2.5 hours. At higher levels, a single fight can take an hour or more (way more if a party makes foolish decisions), which means the non-combat part of a scenario will need to be very short if there is more than one fight (which is typical). If the decision is to design scenarios for 3 hours and eliminate the challenge point system, then it should be for a 5 person table (many do not have 6 people, even at GenCon, Paizo only schedules 5 person tables (most end up being 6, but 5 are scheduled as a base)). With 5 as a base, the "easy" would frequently be 4 people, and the "hard" would be 6 players (with the ability to adjust if everyone were at the high/low level end.

- In addition, as someone referenced above, if the goal is a 3 hour session, then every scenario should have an optional encounter/chase/influence section that can be added when games are scheduled for 4 hours to allow the party to have a more complete experience.

I have not had the chance to read all the above comments, but have scrolled through them. When I see these changes, all that I can think of is that Paizo has decided to hire some type of a management consultant who does not understand gaming in any way (or at least I hope so since the PFS change to a 2 tier system is going to really mess up gaming and only makes sense to me from a consultant who has decided that it will save a few hours having 2 levels instead of 4).

I have run a few scenarios, I am at about 210 games of PFS2 run at this point. We have a game at a local store which started with 3-4 players about 2 years ago. I ran every session for well over a year. We now finally have 3-5 GMs that run intermittently, which is a relief as running every week is tiring to say the least, and frequently have 2 and sometimes 3 tables.

The new 2 level scenarios create a system which makes it much more difficult to allow infrequent players to be able to play. At the store, we are usually running 2 and sometimes 3 tables once a week. With a 4 level/scenario range, we can have a 1-4 and a 3-6, or a 1-4 and a 5-8 or even 7-10. The 1-4 allows anyone newer to play, and also allows those infrequent players who have not leveled up a lot to play. It also allows anyone who does not have a character in another level range to be able to create a new level 1.

With the new ranges, we will either be running a 1-2 or a 3-4. For the high table, it will be a 5-6, or a 7-8, or a 9-10. So, if I want to run a high game, say a 9-10, then everyone who does not have a very high level character exactly in that level range is pretty much hosed, and either does not play that week, or has to play a 1-2, if one is running. This also has the effect of rather than 2 tables with 6 players in the high tier (say 2x7, 8, 2x9 and a 10), now you are either running a 9-10 with 3 players, or a 7-8 with 3 players (both hard core), but more importantly, if the 3 players want to play hard core, you have the additional problem of now having 9 players in the 1-2 table. Thus, unless a store is lucky enough to have extra GMs around, you are going to end up with 3 people not being able to play.

Regarding the removal of the stats blocks, which is a terrible idea (and really sounds like it came from a management consultant). If Paizo does not want to pay to print them on paper, that is their choice, but including them on a PDF, or as a separate PDF is a minimal cost since it should just be cut and paste from the monster core. When I run, I print all the monster stat blocks on paper so that I can have them in front of me. With rare occasions, most fights are at most 2 pages (if it is 3, then usually his is high points, so one page is not used), which are easy to flip through. If we don't have them at the end then, either I am flipping through 5 different pages on Archives of Nethys (for each fight which REALLY slows things down), or am scrolling through multiple pages (and books) of the bestiaries, NPC Core, etc, each time, or I have to spend extensive time prepping them (which probably adds 20-30 minutes to my prep time) by printing each monster from each encounter (which also is going to waste tons of paper since currently there are 2-4 monsters on each page).

In the end, if one of the "goals" of these changes is to shorten the playing time, by removing the stat blocks from the end is going to INCREASE the amount of time I take to run a scenario, and the extra time is not going to be fun role playing, but instead, it is going to be re-pulling up a webpage or PDF that I accidentally closed.

Unlike some people above, I do not plan on stopping playing or running, however, I may well cut back on how often I do run. The AP stuff is irrelevant to me, but the changes to the scenarios (both the 2 level range and the elimination of the stat blocks) is a terrible idea.

Hey all - sorry I went missing. I also got kicked off, and did not know how to get back on until a friend told me this evening. Will try to read up on the 40 missed posts before I go to bed tonight.

Lysander Volpe wrote:

May all your rolls be better in this new year.

By the gods, I hope so!

Thus the reason I play casters - so far fewer rolls to screw up.

I liked the resealable sister parts, made for a whole different kind of inappropriate capitalism.

Xia chuckles to herself:
Maybe get giant squirrel, squirrel good with nuts.

Hey all - posting here just in case. Trying to decide whether I have time for a pbp campaign. Had a great time playing with Tilnar in multiple games a long time ago. I have not played 1ed in almost a year - although with 5GM stars, I played enough that I can probably remember. (Yeh, I actually have 5 stars, Paizo does not appear to know how to check the box to have the 5th star show up on my avatar). If I play, it will probably be something simple. I have had a lot of fun playing oracles in recent times, so that is an option. Will have to see what else people are considering.

I too am quite disappointed that there is no PFS on Saturday evening. I am GMing 8 sessions, and Saturday afternoon (completely sold out), and Saturday evening (only SFS) are my only free slots. Looks like I will save 10-12 dollars and find a pick up PFS game somewhere. I have played SFS once with a pre-gen, and while I could do it again it was not that much fun, especially not knowing the rules and abilities, makes the game less interesting for me, and personally, I think that it would be quite annoying for other players at the table if I was continuously asking questions about the pre-gen.

Ooh, Ooh, Admin changes. Can you change Kithian and Vidar into goblins in heat? That is what they act like most of the time.

You and Kithian are pretty mellow. I GMed for a pair of Ulfens at a Con about a month ago who had Craft(orphan) as their day job.

Yeh, get better and take care. Kobolds don't have the constitution that duegar do.

Arlok wants to kill them because he wants to pretend he is vegetarian for a few minutes.

DMDM is more subtle.

I'm just waiting for a huge Indiana Jones type ball to come rolling shortly.

DMDM would never send boulders after characters. <-- WARNING, DO NOT READ IF YOU LOVE PONIES

I much prefer wandering monsters to Wandering Damage.

Retcon: - hope this works better

Drathi calls out:
Let the b!tch and her bastard play. I see her every day, she is lonely. Go back inside and guard the factory while they finish their business.

She will use Suggestion as referenced in the prior post, with DC16. I hope that this suggestion is more acceptable.

Varg grunts:
We were given feet to walk. If we were to be steeds, we would have four legs.

He then looks over at the goblins.
You like horses right?

The sarcasm is unmistakable in this last question.

I have Craft Head Into Stone, that is sort of like alchemy isn't it?

No I was not. Now get back in your coffin and play with your creepy shadow you unholy abomination.

Stupid phone keeps trying to autocorrect "Drathi" to "Death"

That's her middle name.

Not positive, but I think that Lorick is not really into that whole necro-girlfriend thing.

Varg looks over at Malzii: I'm not going to sew them back on.

Read up on what everyone else is doing. Xenia will return to her home. Not sure what else is going on that she could do. Don't have time to read way back at this point. Will be mostly out for the weekend at a Con as mentioned before.

Just think of it this way, if the elections in the US go as unexpectedly as the one in the UK, both countries will look like the Talingarde we are attempting to create.The we will be able to live out WotW for real.

Got it. One Tatybot.

This is a shocking turn of events. . . at least for those who can enter the room.

Dinetta watches with interest as the carvers fashion the bone into the likeness of what she supposes this jawbone is supposed to look like. She does not know what the true bone is supposed to be, but the end result is a good likeness.

She is suddenly shocked out of watching the carvers and examining their end result by Astrianna's inquiry.
Join your crew? What would you want with a librarian?

She pauses for a moment before continuing:
I tried the pirating way once. The captain turned coat on us, tried to shanghai the crew and then sought to give us to some strange alien creature that wished to slice open our heads so that it could incorporate our brains into its disgusting body.

She then looks over at Seagan, who is now stretching and talking to his dragon familiar.
However, you don't seem to be the type to be eating brains.

She pauses again:
And, if there are more who are afflicted as was Seagan, then I have no doubt that there will be a lot of blood shed.

She looks back to Astri:
Which, I suppose, brings us back to the first question. While I am honored, what need would you have of a librarian on this ship? Do you plan on raiding old tombs full of ancient texts? Perhaps unearthing long lost tomes?

Dinetta listens to the half-elf and frowns:
You have a friend who might be infected?

She looks about the library.
I could probably leave these all and come back in a week, and most of the the same people here would be in the same place. The piles of scrolls would be deeper, and a few of these researchers might have forgotten to eat so that they are lying comatose on the floor, but my absence would probably not be a big problem.

She wipes her hands on the apron she is wearing and then looks to Astrianna.
We have some small rooms we could talk in. Or, we can go to a tavern or some other place. I should grab the stuff I have gathered first.

Dinetta narrows her eyes, suspicious of the openness of these, adventurers? In Port Shaw everyone should be viewed with suspicion. Ever since being waylaid by the captain who attempted to feed her and her former companions to a bizarre alien, she has been less than trustful of all. However, she knows of Milliauka, and is concerned about what the Blood Moon might bring.

Looking up at Astrianna:
I am Dinetta. And, yes, I have worked with Milliauka. Not sure I would call it studying under him, but I learned a few tricks and have gathered certain roots and herbs that are supposed to help suppress, or even cure those inflicted with the shark disease.

More importantly, why are you interested? Why track down me, a librarian when you could simply find the shaman?

No, you were correct, Brok used his magic to scan the area and detected no magic auras, the exact same as every other time he has scanned for magic in his short fire obsessed life.

Tkaara Fiakben wrote:

Here is Talgar the arcanist I submitted earlier. Might tweak him some, but will use the background. Might switch feats/exploits, but that is about it. Need to level him up if we are level 2.

Oooh, a healer and an arcane caster. I like it!

I like to think of him as a blast, with a bandaid.

It has been a blast, especially when the bad guys missed their saving throws against my fireballs.

I will never forget Bofus and Tirion sneaking into the main dragonspawn camp, stealing the plans, and then lighting the wyrmlord's tent on fire. And, Thordak hanging from a rope and trying to knock down the bridge while being attacked by a dragon was pretty fun as well.

Varg takes the tooth and turns toward Keil holding it up.
Looks better than you yellow ones. Want me and Arlok to see if we can swap it out?

Tkaara does not like positive feedback, it really burns.

Dinetta looks at the strange items.
Any idea what they are? Whatever they are, they seem to be partially broken, at least some of them. Dinetta carefully takes one out and sniffs it. She then turns it over examining both sides to see if there is any indication of what it is - a weapon? some magic item? perhaps an alien child egg?

Perception: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (18) + 12 = 30
Survival: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (18) + 2 = 20 <-- to realize that these deadly items are salty and highly addictive, much worse than any actual weapon

Surprised I have no ranks in Linguistics, I almost always take some.

Wis: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (17) + 1 = 18

Fortunately the goblins lack of (wis/int/civility/sanity) is not yet wearing off on the ratkin.

Narissth also examines the door, ignoring the insane goblin next to him smashing his head against the unweilding stone.

Perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (7) + 8 = 15
Disable Device: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (4) + 9 = 13 <-- if necessary

Dinetta points up at the ceiling:
The voice seems to be from that grate. Strange, I have never seen anything like it.

No Knowledge(Engineering), which I assume is the necessary skill.

in Black!!

Dinetta groans:
Damn, figured it would be a few, not this many.

With that, she reaches into her pouch and pulls out a small flask of pink flecked liquid. Without a pause, she tosses the flask into the closest swarm of rats where it bursts into an inferno which quickly lights a number of the rats aflame.

Move: Draw Alchemist Fire
Standard: Attack with Alchemist Fire: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (16) + 9 = 25
Damage: 1d6 ⇒ 6 + burn <-- I think it is 1.5 damage against a swarm

Reflex: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (18) + 9 = 27

With great ease, Dinetta does what appears to be a leap to the side, perhaps she learned this avoiding thrown books in the library, and avoids the rocks and urchins at the bottom.

Looking up, she calls.
Watch out for that second step. It is a little unstable.

Kabal - if you want to hit the one I just poked, you get a free confirmed crit. Whoever the next person to attack Orange is, gets a free crit, anyone with an x3 or x4 weapon would be my choice.

I think that it is 40' to the bad guy. With the Freedom of Motion, I do not think the difficult terrain should slow Kabal, so he should be able to charge/attack Orange with haste and his barbarian speed.

Narissth is about to warn the goblin of the rather overly aggressive nature of the tree, but decides that the goblin will not listen and that learning from his own mistake is probably the best option. Nonetheless, the ratfolk winces inwardly expecting the goblin, and his goblin-parts to be in different places before long.

Fort: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (20) + 4 = 24

Heh, nice start to rolling. Narissth reaches into his imaginary pocket and tosses the Dicebot a few imaginary platinum coins.

Gives a whole new meaning to the eating crow.

LE mindset:

Yours is not to question, yours is to follow the orders of your superiors.

Actually, they have Kzrira doing the talking. This is sort of like hiring an ex-NFL player with several concussions to do your taxes, or hiring a blind person as your driver.

Chill, Inquisitor - Asmodeus is with you!

The dicebot doesn't hate Felrin today. WooHoo!!!!

Yeh, but sometimes being immune to fear is a bad thing.

Run Karlan Run.

Ailetha, who does sense a tie to these horrid creatures and knows that her true mother was a hag, simply crosses her arms and waits for the hags to respond to Karlan's request.

Tirion walks into the room and looks at the dead dragons.
Nice work. I still have a fair amount of spells left, but probably less than half.

I am lost as to what spells were cast. I cast Haste, Fly and Fireball, but am unsure what else was cast. I had proposed casting a pile of spells, including several Enlarge Persons, several Invisibility, and several Protection from Energy spells. We suddenly proceeded into the combat, and I am unsure whether all the referenced spells were cast. Pretty sure that the Enlarge Persons were not. Not sure about the others.