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Hi Paizo CS, I placed an order earlier today (3076904) with the intention of taking advantage of the May 2014 10% discount, but did not receive the order confirmation e-mail I normally receive from Paizo. Can you please confirm that the order has been registered in your system? Also, can you please explain why that lonely spectre miniature needs to be shipped separately from the rest of the order? Is there anyway you can ensure that it is shipped with the other items in the order (the miniature does not seem to add any weight/space to the order), and save me the added shipping expense? Thanks in advance for your time and assistance!
Curious… how can the protagonist be an atheist if he serves the goddess of the dead???? How can he not believe that deities are real???
Is $19.99 really the correct price for this PDF??? The other PDF products in the line are no more than $9.99, which leads me to think the price might be an error?
If you're a player in my real life game, please stay out of this thread. For everyone else... Spoiler:
In Classic Monsters Revisited, it is written that one pastime that ogres like to indulge in is a good game of "man-swords" -- where each ogre grabs a man (or other humanoid) that they then utilize as a "sword." The two "swords" are whacked against one another until they are reduced to a bloody pulp. Has anyone ever incorporated a game of "man-swords" in their game? If yes, would you be willing to share things such as: a) How much damage each "man-sword" did to its target (i.e., variations by size)? b) How you determined the AC of the man-sword... would it be the character's actual AC (minus penalty for being prone, and/or Dex penalty)? c) How a man-sword could free himself from its wielder's grip (assuming the man-sword is being held by the feet)? Somehow, the grapple rules don't seem adequate to me, but I might be overlooking something... d) How far an ogre might be able to throw various humanoids (range increments), and how much damage the man-sword would take over a given distance, or if it was struck against a hard surface (e.g., rock wall)? The man-swords weight likely would be a factor in throwing... what about in damage? Could they throw further if they had momentum (e.g., spinning in place before letting go)? e) Any other mechanical tips to make the horror of this pastime come to life? Thanks in advance for your tips and suggestions. If these questions have been answered elsewhere, I would be grateful if you would point me to the right thread. Cheers!
Hi Gary, Just a quick note to let you know that I am presently unable to modify my PbP character profile content. I suspect this is a problem at the Paizo end? If it helps, I am using a MacBook Pro with Safari e-mail program, on Mac Snow Leopard version 10.6.4. Anyone else having this problem? 
I am guessing that it is a glitch, but we will not know until Monday when the Paizo staff come back from the weekend.
THE ADVENTURE BEGINS... It is a chilly and overcast spring afternoon in the 99th year of the Last Age. For various reasons, fate has brought you all to the village of Koln on this day. The village lies at the edge of the rocky and sparsely vegetated foothills that border the towering Kaladrun Mountains to the east—and near a trace road that leads into still-disputed realms of mountain fey… The journey to Koln has been a long and hazardous one… Several days walk across the barren plains of central Erenland, at the mercy of wild beasts, Fell and other marauders… and for some, even longer journeys from the heartland along winding rivers… In many ways, Koln is a village typical of central Erenland. Recently tilled corn and potato fields surround the community for hundreds of yards in every direction, and beyond them lie open range boro pastures, where radiant but short-lived crimson, yellow and purple wild flowers are presently in bloom. As a result of its location on the periphery of Shadow-occupied lands, at the junction of the foothills and the barren plains, the four-score or so homes in the village have had to shelter themselves beyond a shallow moat and two-story stone wall. The mostly single story homes and buildings within the settlement are said to be hybrids of the styles favoured by the ancestors of the Erenlanders that dominate central Erenland—a combination of circular, low brick Sarcosan architecture built on stout Dornish quarried limestone foundations, with low-peaked, thatched roofs. And despite the poverty and oppression of the locals, the homes in Koln seem to be reasonably well maintained. Most of the structures are no more than 20 to 30 feet in diameter, and they fan out along meandering, muddy lanes from a crude and equally muddy central square and water well, which are overlooked by one rectangular home on a low knoll that is perhaps twice the size of the other dwellings and which features a shingled roof, while still being far from opulent. A few other squat rectangular buildings line the square. Shops are few and far between—but you may have passed the workshops of a tanner and rope maker along the way to the town square. The scent of boro dung fires wafts from the odd craftsman’s hut and through the air. The drifting smoke, overcast sky, stone buildings and muddy paths cast a gloomy pall over the village. Townsfolk—mainly begrimed Erenlanders and Dorns, by the looks of things, clad in worn woollen garb—went about their business and chatted to one another as you entered the village; children played noisily, and tradesmen laboured in their shops… but with every step you took deeper into Koln, you could not help but feel suspicious eyes falling on you, then quickly looking away. Upon your arrival (or when you stayed in town after the departure of your travelling companions, as the case may have been), a scrawny young lad nervously directed you to go to Sheriff Azahn’s office, on the village square. Thus far, you had seen no signs of orcs, or legates… yes, you had heard that the Shadow presence here was light. It was in the constabulary that your ragtag band first set eyes upon one another: a diminutive gnome, a tall and powerfully built Erenlander with a deep scar across his right cheek, and a pair of Dorns, one a towering young man and the other by many years his senior, both of them with shaved scalps and wooden staves in hand…
Hi folks, Just a quick note to let you know what I received order #1129044 (thank you), but there was one small error in the shipment... instead of sending a copy of Polyhedron #148, you sent a copy of Dungeon #148... would you be so kind as to send the Polyhedron issue? Thanks in advance for your time and assistance. Cheers! -- Xavier
Hi all, Just wondering what everyone thinks of this suggestion... I think that a character's CON bonus should be added to the number of hit points they heal naturally after resting (minimum of 1 hit point per night of full rest, of course). Wouldn't it make sense that someone with a higher CON score would have a stronger immune system, and would heal at a faster rate than someone with a higher CON score? Given that, aside from contributing bonus hit points at first level (or higher initial starting hit points, if you're using that optional rule) and providing a modest bonus to Fortitude saves, CON sees relatively little use in-game except when someone levels up, I think this rule would enhance the importance of CON as an ability (few skill checks are affected by CON). Anyway, it's just an idea... but I hope it makes it into the final version of the PRPG.
Bump... (By the way, my question also applies to the GameMastery module "Crucible of Chaos. Thanks!)
The thread heading says it all... any chance we'll be seeing a reprint of flip-mat "dungeon" in the not too distant future?
Hi Cosmo or Corey, Would you be kind enough to drop the Medieval Player's Manual from order #751231? I wouldn't want to end up losing other items because this one's on back order... Thanks!
And by the way, if anything else is holding up both my orders (the other one is #751232), please let me know. I'll drop/shift to a different order whatever else may be causing "traffic jams"... Thanks again!
Hello fine Paizo people, I am seriously considering purchasing 27 (yes, 27!) of those Green Ronin books you currently have on sale (thank the strong Canadian dollar!). I'm wondering, though... given that I live in Canada, will the customs declaration list the actual (sale) price I paid as the value of the items in the shipment, or will you list the original list price? I am hoping the former... buying this many books would be kind of pointless if Canada Customs decided to impose a massive duty on my purchase! Thanks in advance for your time and assistance!
Hi folks, I'm trying to recruit 1-3 adult players for a D&D 3.5 Greyhawk campaign (set in Gran March). I currently have one newbie and one D&D veteran on board. We would prefer players with a strong role playing orientation, over hack and slash or power gaming. Enthusiasm and willingness to learn are more important than experience and rules knowledge. Please note that the campaign tends to be gritty and "low magic." Currently, the games are played at my home, in Southwood (southwest Calgary). We are trying to get together once a week or once every other week, on a weekday night (typically Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday). Game sessions typically would start around 6:30 or 7:00 p.m. and end between 10:30 and 11:30 p.m. I live walking distance to Anderson station. Drop me a line if you live in the area and are interested!
Hi folks, I'd like to see Paizo publish some high quality tokens representing furniture, etc., that one might find game play. The tokens (designed by the talented Mr. Macourek, of course!) could be used in conjunction with Paizo's other map packs, WotC's Dungeon tiles, or any mapping/encounter system the DM uses, and would be a high quality but more affordable alternative to the lead or resin-based furnishings (or cheap cardboard tokens) that currently are available on the market. Sets could include tokens for: . Basic dungeons
What think ye, fellow Paizonians?
Hi Corey and Co., I just received an e-mail stating that order #751230 is about to ship. But Corey recently confirmed that that order (which only contains Hollow's Last Hope) had been combined with order #406862... and my orders page does indeed confirm that Corey had done so. My concern now is... did someone forget to cancel #751230? Am I about to receive two copies Hollow's Last Hope? My apologies for the caps in the title (I hate caps)... but given the situation, I thought I should draw your attention right away! Thanks!
Just wondering... can we expect to see Flipmats for mountain, hill, prairie, desert and swamp terrain in the near future? Highlands and swamps would be my first priorities...
Just wondering... the beginning of the blurb states that this module is for 8th level characters, but the end of the blurb states that it's an adventure for "low-level characters." Which is it? Silly as this may sound, the answer may influence to subscribe or not to subscribe...
CANCEL THE REQUEST! THANKS!
Hi folks, Given that Core Beliefs has been one of Dragon's most popular features... is there any chance that Paizo will attempt to secure permission from WotC to produce a Core Beliefs Compendium, much like the Monster Ecologies... but longer? Ideally, it would also include material on the faiths that weren't covered before Paizo's license expired. I'm sure this would be a big seller... if only WotC gave their okay. A Demonomicon compendium would also be most welcome... Who else would buy these items?
I know that Hextor is coming up in Dragon #356, but aside from that... any chance the folks at Paizo will give us a Core Beliefs binge for the mag's final issues? I know this is unlikely, but one can hope... For what it's worth, my votes would go to St. Cuthbert, Nerull, Fharlanghn, Obad-Hai, Kord, Erythnul, Ehlonna, Gruumsh, followed by the demi-human deities... in that order. Pleeeeeaaaassse publish as many as you can before the end... and if you require it, then I am glad to grant you my permission (as a subscriber) to fill the last issues with just Core Beliefs articles! ;-)
It may sound dumb, but I honestly find myself wondering... where did "Paizo" get its name from? It certainly doesn't sound like the name of a person, and it doesn't seem like an abreviation or anagram, either...???
Given this topic unintentionally thread-jacked another thread on the absence of Iuz in the AoW, I thought I would continue the discussion about the role of PCs vs. gods and high level NPCs in the AoW… if only to clarify some aspects of the Greyhawk setting, for those who might like that clarification. Takasi in particular had raised some questions in the Iuz thread that I thought worth answering.
Yes, I can agree that the more influence the gods have over preventing an apocalypse, the harder it is to do a 1-20 level “save the world” campaign. We also both agreed in the other thread that “save the world” campaigns are less than ideal. That having been said, the only time I have ever seen a real deus ex machine problem in Greyhawk was in the adventure “Vecna Lives!,” which was written before info concerning the Pact of Non-Intervention was published in the “From the Ashes” boxed set. The Pact of Non-Intervention ensures that there will be no deus ex machina in the Greyhawk Age of Worms—it is entirely up to the heroes to succeed in the quest. Does the existence of this Pact and the fact that the gods are not willing to break it indicate that the AoW is not really bringing about the end of the world? No, I don’t think so. Did we see “God” and “Satan” lead their chosen armies on the battlefield during WWII? No, but I’m sure that many who lived the war must have thought the end of the world was coming. The gods have simply agreed that the fate of the world would be determined by their mortal or otherwise Oerth-bound champions, the PCs being (whether they realize it or not) the champions of the good gods, whether directly or indirectly. While many people on Earth are religious and deeply believe in God and the devil, it seems to me that humans have acted on behalf of (or in the name of) the greater powers they believe in. I’m not a particularly religious person, but my guess is that if God truly were mortified by the existence of homosexuality or “infidels,” then He would smite them himself. Yet He doesn’t—humans oppose them in His name and on His behalf, and they also initiate full-blown wars, supposedly in His name and with His blessings. The same goes for the gods of Greyhawk—their names are invoked, but mortals do the deeds. And like WWII, the events leading up to the AoW were initiated by mortals, and will be resolved by mortals.It seems like a necessity to explain why the gods wouldn't intervene. If Oerth is the primary source for their power (worshippers) then they would have a vested interest in it. If the gods have no interest in the world, and the players eventually wish to become gods or pattern their behavior after the gods, then why should the PCs care? When the incarnate beings of goodness and mercy do nothing to save millions of innocents, is it really that "good" to save them at all? I disagree, I don’t see a need to explain the gods’ lack of intervention at all. I don’t presume to comprehend the thought processes of an immortal being with 30+ Intelligence. Doing so also would remove some of their mystique from the campaign world. Even high level clerics should not be privy to more than the occasional cryptic clue/vision from their god… I don’t think mortals (even high level clerics) are necessarily aware of the pact of non-intervention among the gods. If the PCs think the gods have no interest in the world and they themselves are striving to become gods, then I think that opens up great opportunities to explore moral dilemmas in the game, which could lead to great role playing and character development. I shouldn’t need to provide you with hooks, since I presume that you are a creative fellow, but perhaps the PCs (who might not be aware of the Pact) might want to become gods precisely because they are unsatisfied with the way they perceive the gods have not been doing their duties. The possibilities are limited only by your imagination. The gods of Greyhawk do depend to a certain extent on their followers for their power, but are not completely dependent upon them (see 3e Deities and Demigods, p. 13). As for why beings of “incarnate goodness” do nothing to save millions of innocents, I’ll refer you back to the Pact. Mortals are responsible for their own destiny. Where was God during WWII? Where was God during 9/11? Where is God, considering the range of atrocities we’ve seen on Earth across centuries and millennia? Humans fight the war between good and evil on Earth, as mortals do in Greyhawk (again, keep in mind that I am NOT religious). Yes. If there was only one world then it's much more important to save it then if there are a million of them. The journey in Lord of the Rings would not have been as epic if Frodo and Samwise could just plane shift to another shire if Sauron destroyed Middle Earth. But we live in a world where we can't meet the gods or plane shift to another world. In D&D you can define whether these things exist or not and the characters can KNOW if these things exist or not. Why allow them to exist in the first place? How does it benefit this adventure path? Okay, perhaps it was my mistake to introduce Michael Moorcock’s multiverse into this discussion, it’s only confusing matters and taking us on ever wider tangents. My guess is that in most campaigns (and certainly in my own), the vast majority of the population believes in gods and demons/devils, but very few (save for the rare magic-user, cleric or sage) has any specific knowledge of other planes or alternate worlds. The only world they know is their own, and therefore it is worth saving. Very few people have ever heard of “plane shifting”… and how easy/realistic would it be to plane shift entire villages, countries, continents into an “alternate world”? And doing so would have its own complications (e.g., the folks on the other world might not take too kindly to a sudden invasion of plane shifters). Many (if not most) people on Earth feel deeply rooted in a particular place, and they will do whatever they can to save that place… I don’t think things would be any different for the average person in Greyhawk. And yes, you as a DM determine whether gods exist in your campaign. And many people on Earth are as convinced that God, Allah, or Vishnu exists, as someone in Greyhawk believes that Heironeous exists, and will claim to have seen proof that the higher power they believe in exists. What’s the difference? The presence of religions/gods in the adventure path provide colour, as well as motivation for some characters… much as religions do in the real world. If I knew I could travel to other worlds then there is an element of escape. This decreases the amount of tension and importance in the story. Again, my mistake to have brought in the concept of the multiverse. Let’s leave that aside, shall we? There in only one Oerth and the gods won’t intervene… what will you do? It isn't meta-game, it's the way the world works as defined in the campaign. They will also have doubts for why the gods would abandon them. If the campaign setting actually has multiple worlds then there's no reason why the players couldn't learn about this through planar knowledge checks. Again, let’s get away from the multiverse (my bad). The PCs think the gods have abandoned them? Perfect, let them role play through that… the gods abandoned Dragonlance for a while, and that campaign setting still worked out fine. PCs need not learn the truth about the underlying cosmology behind the world… they might glean aspects of it through exceptionally high Knowledge (the Planes) checks, but they need not know everything… Now you're rewriting the campaign to fit the campaign world. Which is fine, but by default it would be easier to use the campaign as written in a world where the real drama doesn't need to be a super secret that only the players (hopefully) believe. Fair enough… but every DM is expected to tailor published scenarios to the needs of his/her own campaign. According to the core rulebooks, the guidelines for standard D&D demographics includes wizards that can scry and teleport in every large city and metropolis (and in many small cities). Basically, every population of 15K people should have one person that can do this. A metropolis will have many. Actually, according to the rules of Eberron high level wizards are actually more rare. There are adjusted tables that make high level wizards harder to find than in Greyhawk. It is actually much easier to create a network of high level communication in Greyhawk than it is in Eberron. I'm not sure about Forgotten Realms though. What chart are you using to determine the availability of high level wizards in Greyhawk? Please remember that even though the Core rulebooks make frequent use of names from the Greyhawk setting, much that is written in the Core rulebooks is not necessarily consistent with previously published Greyhawk sources. Also, several months ago one of the then head honchos at WotC officially stated that Greyhawk no longer was considered the default world for Core D&D. The last time I saw anything written about NPC classes and levels was in the World of Greyhawk Glossography (part of the original 1983 boxed set), where it stated that “Non-Player Characters of 10th or greater level are quite uncommon except in seats of power.” In “From the Ashes,” one finds that only 7 rulers out of 50 listed are levels 20+ (only three of whom have wizard levels, 9, 13, and 15); 14 are levels 15-19 (one 19th level wizard, the next highest being 15 and 11); the remaining 29 rulers are lower than level 15 and have no arcane spellcasting ability (a few variations may appear in the Living Greyhawk Gazetteer, but it was easier to glean this info from the card in the FtA box). Most of the Circle of Eight are between levels 15 and 20 (exception: Mordenkainen, who is level 26, if I’m not mistaken), and Tenser is level 21. Even if one were to use the calculations proposed in the Core rulebooks, the City of Greyhawk only has a population of 69,000 or so, and many capitals have fewer than 15,000 inhabitants. It doesn’t look like we’ll have many high level arcane spell casters after all. Given the existence of airships and lightning trains (or whatever you call them) in Eberron, I’m inclined to think that communications networks are more efficient in Eberron than in Greyhawk, where a few wizards aside, most people and messages travel by horse. If the matter isn't as important for these NPCs then why it is important to the PCs? They would devote resources to it at the very least. And not all high level NPCs are leaders with responsibilities. Many of them, including Tenser, have the freedom to explore and fight evil, especially when that evil is supposed to supercede the more trivial matters of leadership. Who says the matter isn’t as important to the NPCs? They may need to prepare for it in other ways, such as by preparing the defences of their nation should Kyuss arise and a horde of undead attack their borders. Did Churchill and Eisenhower view WWII as an important event that they had to deal with? Yes. Did either of them rush over to challenge Hitler in person on German soil? Not in person, no (wouldn't they qualify as high level NPCs in our world?), and certainly not in the late '30s when the Nazis had begun to annex their neighbours (think of these pre-WWII events as "the awakening of Kyuss"). Same thing goes with the high level NPCs—they are people with responsibilities and priorities of their own, not walking alignment and stat blocks who “always do the right thing.” The Circle of Eight may be helping prepare defences behind the scenes, just in case the PCs should fail... but nothing guarantees the defences of the Circle of Eight will succeed, either. While not all high level NPCs are leaders, I would estimate that 90% of high level NPCs in Greyhawk are. As for why Tenser might not get involved, you were given plenty of valid reasons why he would not by myself and other posters in the other thread (too old to go on the frontline, has already been killed once and fears being killed permanently, etc., etc.). Why didn’t Yoda go face Vader at the end of Empire Strikes Back? Why did Gandalf send Bilbo along with the dwarves against Smaug the Dragon in The Hobbit? The presence of high level NPCs in the setting does not take away from the players – your repeated inability to explain (or accept) why these NPCs are counting on the PCs to do the job instead of doing it themselves merely reveals your lack of imagination with regards to this particular situation. I can appreciate the meta-game reason for limiting high level NPCs in Eberron. But does it really make sense for the PCs (and every set of PCs thereafter) to become the first wave of high level characters in Eberron? Does it make sense that evil NPCs only reach high levels as the PCs progress in levels? Does Eberron have that short a history? Greyhawk has a long history, it only makes sense that the PCs should not be the first or only high level characters around… why should the PCs be born in a vacuum? Greyhawk’s high level NPCs were affecting the world while the PCs were in their diapers… soon, they will be too old to adventure or rule, and the PCs will be ready to take their place. It’s the DM’s job to make the PC’s centre stage and to explain why the other NPCs are unavailable to help (without needing to resort on “there’s an even bigger apocalypse on the way,” or “the AoW isn’t that big a deal” type excuses). I (and my players) even like the idea that one day, they may fight side by side with Mordenkainen. Bottom line: Greyhawk may not be your cup of tea, Takasi, and that’s fine. I’m not here to convert you or anyone else. I’m sure that Eberron, like Greyhawk and other settings, has its pros and cons. Even though I have no intention of DMing Eberron, I have nothing against that setting. But it would be nice to see you show the same kind of respect towards Greyhawk and its players, instead of relentlessly condemning it as a setting where PCs are inevitably overshadowed by NPCs and have no role of any significance to play in the world. I think a little bit more research, imagination, and open mindedness will go a long way towards addressing your concerns with regards to the setting… should you care to do so. Please note that I have no intention of continuing to debate this “ad nauseum” or “ad infinitum.”
Hi Erik and crew, Just wondering what the fate of the Demonomicon of Iggwilv series in Dragon will be, given the impending release of the Fiendish Codex? It seems that all the demons described in the Demonomicon articles made it into the book... will we be seeing more Demonomicon articles in Dragon? I'm looking forward to the book, and have really enjoyed the article series. Thanks for your time.
Hi folks, Just wondering... if at the end of the duration of a Summon Monster spell, a summoned creature is in a grapple with a character, would that character be dragged back to the creature's home plane? For example, let's say that a fiendish monstrous scorpion has won an opposed grapple check and has a halfing in one of its claws when the spell duration expires... will the halfling automatically be dragged back to the creature's home plane? Would the halfling be entitled some sort of saving throw? Thanks in advance for your suggestions... and if there's an "official ruling" on this question that I missed, I would be grateful if you would point me in the right direction! Cheers!
Hi Erik, James, and crew, I just want to let you know that I'm a huge fan of both the demonomicon and Core Beliefs articles. I was just wondering if you intend to publish a "Core Beliefs: Heironeous" article in the near future... it would be really timely, and would save me a great deal of effort fleshing out the faith for my players (if there are plans for such an article, I hope the author remembers to refer to the outstanding AD&D 2E product "Bastion of Faith," which would provide excellent background info)! And how about Hextor, Pelor, and Vecna -- any chance that they will be covered? They all receive a fair bit of attention in my game. Thanks in advance for your time and reply, and thanks also for the wonderful things you've done with both Dungeon and Dragon over the last year... they've never been better! -- TwiceBorn
Hello, I sent an e-mail to Paizo customer service 8 days ago, indicating that I had not received Dungeon #131 (I am a subscriber), but had received #130 and #132. I received an automatic reply on the day of my request, but nothing since. The automatic reply did say that "it may take a bit" for staff to read my e-mail, but that they will enventually get to it... I'm just wondering how long "a bit" usually is, and whether I should expect some sort of personal acknowledgement when they do get to my e-mail? Aside from that, all I can say is, I'm very pleased with the work Mr. Mona and company have been producing... Dragon and Dungeon have never been as good as they are now! Thanks in advance for your time, and my apologies if this question was previously addressed in another thread... I just don't have time to sift through all of them! Cheers, -- TwiceBorn
Dear Erik and crew, First, I'd like to congratulate you on the fine work you've been doing with both Dragon and (especially!) Dungeon. You actually succeeded in getting me to subscribe to Dungeon (I've never subscribed to a RPG mag before, even though I started playing/DMing almost 20 years ago now), if only for one reason... the rise in Greyhawk content! So far, so good! I sometimes buy Dragon, but haven't gotten around to subscribing... yet... That having been said, I do have a request for an article (or two) that I would like to see appear in Dragon (I actually would prefer to see it come out in Dungeon, but I think that's unlikely to happen). The subject would be secret door mechanisms... how do they work? I often have a hard time describing this in a plausible way to my players. There are plenty of source books on traps, but nothing on secret doors (if there is and I missed it, even within an older issue of Dragon, then please point me in the right direction!). One article could focus on "mundane" (i.e., non-magical) secret door mechanisms, ideally based on real world historical examples. I really like the way recent articles, e.g. "Down the Drain" and "Get Lost!" in Dragon #326, include references to real world history... make sure your authors keep doing that! A second article could focus on magical secret door mechanisms. Erik and crew, thanks in advance for reading this note, and keep up the great work! -- TwiceBorn p.s.: Anyone else interested in the subject of secret door mechanisms? |
