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James Jacobs was my developer and can shine a light on that. I'll say that it spans a few levels but you don't get to 20.
Abomination Vaults - Hands of the Devil... Chapter 2. There are several awesome NPC interactions there. Shadow Malicious!! Outlaws of Alkenstar - Punks in a Powderkeg... Also Chapter 2 because Gattlebee is such a nerd with all these humorous traps, plus the place he insists on taking you. Rusthenge... The first chapter is my fave. Lots of RP and investigation, plus a fortress dungeon you can enter from the front door, secret entrance, or jump deon from a cliff above! Unannounced for 2024: The final chapter. Most memorable thing I've ever written.
Bronzetime and Surgetime don't have an effect on gameplay, but a GM could add it if they wanted to. Because kineticists use a tiny gate to one or more elemental planes for their power, I would think that they'd be affected. This includes adventures in the Mana Wastes that feature later in the adventure. That said, a fire and/or metal kineticist would be on-theme for this adventure.
Yes, you are correct, but we also have humans naming places Hill Hill Hill, so YMMV. Some pirate or merchant sailed by once, made a note of it and said "it's a bunch of rust trees or something, like... like a henge of rust." Another sailor said, "You mean like a Rusthenge?" And on that day, the name was born, never to be changed by the most pedantic of naturalist scholars. However, I will grant you a special boon for pointing this out. When you run or play this, please only refer to it as "Rustmonoliths." Do not correct anyone else nor explain yourself, just keep saying "Rustmonoliths" with a smile on your face and offer no explaination.
The story of Mrs. Rajani is one of my favorites I've heard about people playing this adventure. I hope nothing but the best for you both, and look forward to hearing about how you saved Otari and Absalom, then had a long and glorious marriage.
A complete coincidence, I assure you.
Wow, this is a blast from the past, and also something near and dear to my heart. Love Magic Tricks. Love them! Ok, so many of the Mage Hand magic tricks are intended to add additional functionality to the spell. You point your finger at an object and can lift it and move it at will from a distance. As a move action, you can propel the object as far as 15 feet in any direction, though the spell ends if the distance between you and the object ever exceeds the spell’s range. Things like Dirty Magic Trick would just add text to the end. So you could cast the spell as a standard action and use that magic to... pull their shirt over their face (Dirty Magic Trick) or tug on a jacket, putting them off balance (Ranged Aid) or try and lift the keys from the guard (Subtle Hand), or just slap a ghost in the face (Throw Punch). While the single standard action could let you do any one of these things, you can't slap the guard with a force punch and pull his shirt over his head and tug his jacket to make him off balance and lift his keys... all in one action. HOWEVER, you could take (one, two three...) four standard actions over four turns to do these things, each with a different casting of the spell. But the spell has a duration of concentrate! Can't I just sustain the spell each round and make more force punches or perform more dirty tricks? IMHO, only if it's a continuation of the same action from a previous turn, such as using Subtle Hand to attempt Disable Device on a lock, which would take multiple turns. Therefore, I agree with Melkiador in the following statement, as it applies to most of the Magic Trick uses of mage hand: My original reading was that these abilities were one time effects from one time castings. As far as Throw Punch adding strength? That's a big ol' negatory. I agree with baggageboy's interpretation that the spell "always deals 1d3 points of force damage," and not "... plus your strength modifier" or like... it'd be in the text of the feat. The idea is that you can turn mage hand into a ranged 1d3 force damage cantrip that has the flavor of a magical punch, slap, poke, etc. My disclaimer on this entire post is:
Yeah, if we're doing "books with a theme that might not appeal to everybody" doing either a 1-10 or a 11-20 depending on which fits best is a great idea. The reality is, any given AP might not appeal to everybody. It's just a risk we take when we're dreaming up what adventures to put our efforts into. That said, the push towards three-book APs has successful so far and is likely to continue. They're a more manageable scale for gaming groups to get behind than six-book APs. Sometimes a storyline works better in three books than it does in six. Recently I had a pitch for a six-book AP that, after some discussion, could really do just fine as a three-book AP AND leave more room on the schedule for other, different ideas. (no, I won't tell you what it was, lol) From a personal standpoint, a six-book AP can feel like a slog after a while where you're just trying to get to the end so you can play that other new thing that released that you're excited about. A three-book AP can give you a "long term feel" without a multi-year commitment. I'm a huge fan of them. Although, the six-book format is still one we're familiar with, so don't be surprised if you see them again, especially if a story warrants it. I'm also getting excited for the standalone adventures line and the sorts of stories we get to tell when even a three-book AP is too much, but you need more room than just... say... a one-shot or PFS scenario. Suffice to say the future of Pathfinder adventures is bright, with lots of variety for many different interests.
This is... amazingly accurate. Seriously, working with John is amazing. I come up with a simple and fun idea, and he finds nuance and angles that I never dreamed. Working as part of this team is going to be a BLAST!
Good question! It should be 3d6 of damage. As of writing I thought mixed damage types would be ok just like they function in PF1 and Starfinder, but PF2 doesn't accommodate for that. If I could do it again it'd be 1d6 cold damage, plus 2d6 bludgeoning damage and an additional 1d6 bludgeoning damage per spell level when heightened. Maybe I can do an update to this book soon.
D'ah, thanks! This is such an honor. I can't believe I'm the PaizoCon 2022 Guest of Honor. Just floored. OH! And I forgot another thing I like to do when prepping to write an adventure: I make a list of all existing creatures that could possibly be in the adventure, including weak and elite adjustments. It takes a while, but sometimes I get some interesting ideas from Bestiaries and the kinds of things I could include. Then, when building encounters, I have this sorted-by-level shopping list of critters I can use. It really helps the brainstorm process! I re-create it every time instead of re-using it because it forces me to engage with and think about each monster.
Patrick was an amazing developer to work with on Punks in a Powderkeg! I was going through a really difficult time in my life, and he had the patience and faith in me to let me finish the project, albeit late. His gentle touch and clear vision for the adventure helped me to create the adventure that's in your hands today. Bonus: he's a delightfully kind person
In Manhattan, a borough of New York City, numbered streets generally run EW and numbered avenues generally run NS. There is nevertheless a place where fourth street and tenth street meet. :-) I've you ever driven in Pittsburgh or, gods forbid, Boston then you know exactly what I mean by "you can't get there from here." I realize now, after publication, that people who live in cities with sane city planning have no idea what its like to only have that one bridge that takes you from this neighborhood to that one. If you miss a turn, the alternative is a 20-30 minute detour or an illegal 3 point u-turn.
I think that was a combination of "there are smaller tributaries and canals in the city" and "some east coast US cities have silly lay outs because they were based on foot paths and carts and not cars" and "in those cities the phrase 'you can't get there from here' is common because navigating them can get weird." So figure because of the various roads and such in the city might be a different elevations (it is near a cliff, therefore likely rocky and uneven foundations to build a city around) so there might be only one "good" way to get from point A to point B. It's also entirely possible that they've had a bridge renovation project going on for years, and this little bridge is the only one available. I suppose my biggest recommendation is "just go with it and don't sweat the details too much."
Adventure Author here! I just purchased this and it's absolutely incredible. I feel like I'm walking through a super fancy theme part of the thoughts in my head. Each map I open, each area description, it all is done with such a loving and expert touch. Though I wrote this several months ago, getting to see it in full color, and a fantastic sound design complete with ambient sounds, is bringing it all back to life for me. The locations, the characters, the silliness, and the dark moments... they all live and breathe in this VTT. I'm absolutely flabergasted. My plan wasn't to run this AP, but after seeing the majesty of this product, and how easy it is to just... run a game... I am seriously considering it. If you're running this online, or have access to a digital display for your in-person group, you should ABSOLUTELY consider getting this. Not only is it going to save you dozens of hours of prep time, but the result is what you would get if you spent hundreds of hours crafting this experience.
I now have this visual of the terrain just off to side out of frame with a bunch of spiders just squatting in it and throwing a barbecue.Congratulations Vanessa, to be honest, I was not aware of the staggering volume of products you have already authored - and to start with a standout scenario like "From Under Ice" (I have run this a fair number of times and always enjoyed it). There were a few dead fly husks in there, so you're not too far off. I thought storing it in the garage was a good idea because it's large. It was not a good idea because of bugs.
Congratulations Vanessa, to be honest, I was not aware of the staggering volume of products you have already authored - and to start with a standout scenario like "From Under Ice" (I have run this a fair number of times and always enjoyed it). Oh, thank you so much! Yeah, From Under Ice turned into a bit of a travel log filled with purple prose, but I still love it! Sadly I no longer have the 3D terrain for it; it became infested with giant spiders.
I just started listening to Roll for Combat! Super excited to hear Vanessa speak (hopefully it won't be while I'm GMing). If you're listening to Roll For Combat, you've already heard me speak. :-D Seriously, thank you so much. I'm looking forward to it!
Whether Paizo intended it that way or not, I imagined this as the Law vs Chaos adventure path, where the "Law" were mostly LE folks who were bending the letter of the law for their own gain and the suffering of others. As outlaws, the PCs represent Chaos and the power of freedom where, when wielded with wholesome intentions and not constrained by law, can be a better arbiter of justice than pure Law. Either way, it's a rootin' tootin' good time!
I'm so happy that Paizo accepted the union and is planning on working together in this new era, supporting workers in the RPG industry, and ensuring that working conditions are acceptable for all employees. This is a historic event, and I hope the rest of the TTRPG industry follows.
Thanks Owen! Yeah, the Prologue for Vellum & Lace is only $0.50. We plan on releasing monthly episodes for $2.00 each, and about 3k-5k words each. Expect about 20 episodes in the first big plot arc (about the size of a novel).
I'm really enjoying the new fiction released by Chris A. Jackson, famed Pathfinder Tales novelist. He's got these origins stories posted that are fantastic! For the Love of Calistria - all about Vera The Courtship of Celeste - All about Celeste, the moon naga Mutinous Dogs - The story of Captain Vin! I'm reading through them now, and they're fantastic!
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