So...as a group when a new AP is about to start, the players all get together to plan a theme for the party to give the DM fits.
For example: In Shattered Star, we made a party of Vikings. Skald, Fighter (Combat stamina is bloody brutal), Bloodrager, Rogue/Arcanist, and Blight Druid.
Notice no primary healer type.
In this one, I’m the DM.
My evil friends came to plot and plan the following:
Level 1
Half Elf Warpriest of Milani
Half Elf Cleric of Milani
Asimar Cleric of Milani
Human Paladin of Freedom (of Milani)
Elven Cleric of Sarane
Now they are in the forest
Level 2
Warpriest 2
Cleric 2
Cleric/Rogue 1/1
Paladin 2
Cleric/Wizard 1/1...Aiming at Mystic Thurge.
Apparently my warnings on how brutal the campaign is was taken to heart...
The evil grins on their faces..I’m still laughing.
My party is playing a Viking themed party we were all from the same clan.
So I’m playing a fighter in the Shattered Star campaign and I have to make a choice at 5th level if I’m going to take armed bravery or mystic warrior.
The options that my character has currently includes the stamina pool and I am playing a ax and shield style fighter with improve she’ll bash the ass having a great AC and being able to shout modest damage for the next few levels.
The party make up is a skald, a blight druid, a rogue, a bloodrager, and myself.
As you can tell, we are light on divine and arcane power, but very effective in melee.
So what does everyone here suggest I do at fifth level? Do I go for better combat effectiveness in being aggressive or enhance my will savings right to keep me from being taken out in one shot spells?
And yes I am saving my gold to buy duelist gloves as soon as possible.
I don't need optimization, but I am looking at a 20 pt buy for Shattered Star, and my theme is a melee guy that is competent with throwing weapons to soften up the baddies.
I can use all Paizo sources...Core, APG, UC, UM, UR and their splat books for Pathfinder.
My players are struggling with the last bit of RotRL and the issues of the altitude (except for the guy with a Necklace of Adaption).
Elixir of the Peaks is great, but a bit pricey and only last 8 hours.
Are there any spells that can counter this effect? I don't want to drag this out too much. I do like the realism that reminds them they are in dangerous place just due to the altitude, but I would have thought that they could use some spell resources to cover this.
So, our DM has generously given us a 20 pt buy and here is the party break down so far.
Halfling Cavalier (Emissary)
Combat Druid (AC probably a bear)
Paladin (prob Weapon Bond)
Switch hitter Ranger (Witchguard)
Human Witch (me!)
DM suggested as I'm a witch and ranger is taking Witchguard that we ran from Irresen.
So my back story is that I'm a renegade Jadwiga, and as neither of us had the temperament for the brutality expected of us, we ran with some assistance with the more 'liberal' stilyagi. Thus, I'm starting off with more defensive hexes, Ward and Healing, Scribe Scroll (CLW, Hex Ward will be crafted right away) and my character's intent WAS to be a peacenik, but by L2 will pull out Evil Eye and will Extra Hex it at level 3 and 5 to get REALLY into rebuffing mode so I can squeeze in Cackle, Misfortune, and Flight by level 5.
I will be taking the Agility Patron (hello Haste at 6th my party of melee dudes).
Some backstory:
I’ve have a lousy track record with running dragons as a real threat to my players.
The best dragon combat I have run was from Dragon Mountain…and that one WAS very memorable, with 2nd place being the Blue Dragon at the Moathouse in Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil…
Other than that, my dragon encounters have been…blah.
In order to give dragons more flexibility and staying power, I was thinking of the following changes to help my apparent blind side in dragon tactics, make the battles more memorable, and to help them stick it out in combat, and rattle my players expectations on what dragons can do…what would ya’ll say should be the increase in CR?
DR: X/Magic? Blech…by the time you are fighting dragons…that is not an issue…I would make that DR X/-
Too much?
Breath Weapon: Just having one type of effect (line, cone) is BORING, and with Knowledge Scores being easy to reach…then they are also predictable by the party. I would give the dragon the following choices when using its breath weapon.
Line: 5 to 10 feet wide (up to 15’ for colossal) and how long depends upon size or age as well , and I would hash that out later (maybe 20’ per age category)
Cone: 5 wide base but would increase based upon size above and would be much shorter than the line (5’ long per age category?)
Burst: Medium range (100’ + 10’ per age category) with a radius based upon age or size category, like 5’ then 10’, then 15’, then 20’ for the Ancient Wyrm for example…
Cloud: Dragon breaths on itself, causing a cloud area of effect around (and on) itself . The area around could start off at 5’ then get bigger per every few age categories, eventually going to as far as 15 to 20’
I could see these being choices becoming available as the dragon gets older, or get them all at once.
Per the Inner Sea Bestiary they are 16 RP, but I am not coming up with that many spent.
Humanoid/Constructed: 2 (Love this by the way)
Standard Ability Array: 0
Exceptional Senses (DV LLV and +2 Per):4
Emotionless: -1
Nanite Surge: +3
Linguist: +1
I'm coming up with a total of 9. What am I missing?
Okay, I'm going for a weird build, and it is what I am set on, but need some advice on how not to blow the concept.
Background: We are starting Skull & Shackles.
Our DM is gonna be changing up the start, we already have a ship and we each are taking 1 of 6 roles that each award a +2 to an ability score.
We also get to start with 3 times max starting wealth.
I got the Captain, which gets me a +2 to Charisma.
We are starting with a 15 point buy.
I plan on playing a Gunslinger (Mysterious Stranger) at 1st level, then Summoner for the rest. I am toying with Synthesist, but really love a separate eidolon.
Fellow Party Members:
Human Bucaneer
Half Orc Barbarian
Slyph Rogue
Something Inquisitor
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S
EFFECT
Range medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./level)
Targets one creature/level, no two of which may be more than 30 ft. apart
Duration 1 round/level (D)
Saving Throw Will disbelief, then Fortitude partial; see text Spell Resistance yes
DESCRIPTION
You implant within the minds of your targets the illusion that they are engulfed in tangled webs teeming with swarms of tiny spiders. Those who fail to disbelieve the phantasmal web are treated as if in a web spell, but must also make a Fortitude save at the beginning of each turn or become nauseated for that round by the phantasmal spiders.
As the phantasmal web exists only in the minds of the targets, it cannot be burned or destroyed, and it provides no cover (though it does provide concealment) against attacks made by the targets. Targets cannot escape the phantasmal web by moving, even by teleportation. Freedom of movement allows unobstructed movement but does not negate the concealment or nausea effects.
Targets of the spell perceive everyone else around them to be engulfed in webs and swarming spiders, but the spell has no visible effect to other creatures (who may assist allies to disbelieve the effect).
Is there a definitive list of Undead that ARE destroyed by Sunbeam and/or Sunburst if they fail their save?
I was playing in a game last night, and a horde (well, 8) of Greater Shadows led by a Vampire got the jump on us.
I managed to go next..and unleashed a Sunburst...knowing that a few of the party would be caught, but they were casters and getting panged by strength damage would drop them quick.
While the damage (50) was nice...the Vamp made her save (no surprise)but apparently Shadows are not harmed by bright light...(their stealth goes down...woohoo)so they took a the damage and were blinded...but still there.
It was a gamble that did NOT pay off...as the 3 casters ALL failed their saves and were blinded...so I got a few unimpressed looks from my fellow players (deservedly so).
I was just surprised that a SHADOW would not be blasted to oblivion by an 8th level spell geared to trash undead. (As far as I can tell, the DM played it right...there is nothing in the monster description about them getting toasted)
Looking for some tips on running RotRL (updated edition coming out soon) with the following parameters:
6 Players!
25 point buy!!
We have all been playing together for quite some time (3 of us for almost 20 years). 2 of the players are cranked up go getter gamers (playing a wizard and the cleric), the others are good players as well, but a tad more casual in their play. :)
Soooooo, I was wondering, to keep the encounters challenging, increase the baddies’ numbers by 25 to 50%? Max HP’s? Increase important NPC’s to 20 point buy and boost some of their treasure to keep 6 players happy?
All of the above?
Monk Revisions
The description of the monk does not match the current abilities of the class. Below are some suggested changes and additions. The below revisions will be play tested in my group for Rise of the Runelords re-release. What is your take on them?
1. (Change)Gain Ki Pool at first level equal to Wis Modifier +1 per level. (This puts them on par with the bard and barbarian.) This does make me worry that the +4 to AC would make a 1 level dip very desirable.
2. (Change)When using Stunning Fist, a miss just causes the ‘charge’ to be held until landed. The monk can still only deliver 1 Stunning Fist per round. (Unless other feats or abilities allow the monk to do so). (Possibility: Have the Monk choose at first level if this will target Will or Fort, thus giving a stylish point on how they fight )
3. (Addition)Monastic Weapons Training: At Level 2 while wielding monk weapons, they gain a competence bonus of +1 to damage. This bonus increases by +1 at levels 5, 8, 11, 14, 17, and 20.
4. (Addition)Combat Agility: At Level 3 the monk can expend Ki as a free action (once per round) to be able to take additional 5’ Steps up to their Dex Modifier per round. (This allows combat maneuverability and land attacks with flurry of blows) Any steps not taken are lost by the end of the Monk’s turn.
5. (Change)KI Strike: At 4th level the monk’s unarmed strikes are treated as Magic as long as the monk has 1 point in reserve. The monk and augment these strikes be expending additional ki as a swift action as follows: Cold Iron and Silver 1 point, Alignment 2 points, Adamantine 3 points (hard to karate chop and Iron Golem). Additionally, the Monk can expend ki to give an enhancement bonus to hit and damage of +1. They can increase this amount by 1 (by expending an additional amount of ki) every 4th level (8, 12, 16, and 20) to a maximum of +5. This augmentation last for I minute. The monk may also add the above to any weapon they have that has the Ki Focus ability. The monk can also alter his unarmed strikes to bypass B, S, or P once per round as a swift action as well at no cost and for as long as they wish. If I am missing any other type of DR, or we come across a unique DR for some reason than we can use an equivalent.
6. (Change)Wholeness of Body: This changes to a move action to use and heals as lay on hands (but still only heals the monk). The cost remains the same, but by expending an additional point the monk can use this as a swift action.
7. (Change)Abundant Step: Here’s the one that will cause eyebrows to jump of faces. For the normal amount of ki, this is unchanged. By spending an additional 4 Points, this becomes a swift action allowing the monk to play whack a mole on the poor spellcaster her just popped next too, or beat the snot out of something REALLY BIG, not kill it, and then bamph(!) away. Abundant Step may only be used once per round. Also for an additional 2 points above the normal 2 the monk may bring an ally, but then both the monk and the fellow traveler may only use any remaining move actions after transportation. The monk may expend an additional 2 points per additional allies up to the monk’s equivalent CL for Dimension Door. (So, the monk can blow 6 ki to beam next to someone and beat the snot out of them OR spend ki to save himself and the rest of the party…or at least those he likes…)
Thus on the average Pathfinder AP end, a 16th level average monk will have a 22 Wis (still kinda MAD with ability scores and without taking the Extra Ki feat) and 22 points in their ki pool. Builds are still tough, but Treantmonk has really cool suggestions, making Strength the prime stat to come away from a fight beaten and bruised, but the other guy is on the floor.
With everything the monk can use ki for; making ki build from first level seems to be right. Abundant Step upgrade means that the Dimensional Agility feat is almost somewhat duplicated, BUT the cost to the ki pool will eat up over 25% of their reserves, so I can see the feat being taken for when reserves are low. Being able to bypass terrain and/or bodyguards could be a game ender for somewhat squishy BBEG’s, but I think that can be planned for, and dang it, sometimes the monk needs to shine.
A lot of their ki is gonna be expended to bypass DR, increasing AC, or getting the extra attack, and maybe 5’ stepping everywhere, leaving the monk to be somewhat conservative in the BIG stuff: self-healing and bamphing to the BBEG or to safety)
I can see Ki pool going back to 1 per 2 levels, starting with 1 point + Wis at Level One (thus 1,3,5,etc) to tone this down and paring this with the Magus Arcane Pool instead of the Bard/Barbarian Performance/Rage pool. This would mean 14 ki points instead and the Monk will have to be very circumspect in expending ki.
So quick recap:
Monks can now do cool things at 1st level (expend ki to get +4 to AC , +20 to speed, or 1 extra attack for one round). This helps alleviate the MAD. (Helps, not gets rid of). This is the best time to take Extra Ki in my opinion, as both Power Attack and Weapon Focus are not available at this level. Going from an average 4 Ki to 6 Ki at first level is pretty nice!
Stunning fist now acts like a touch spell in regards to hit or lose it…so an improvement. I would think the feat Ability Focus would apply, so there is an extra +2 to DC (average of 13 to 15), and another good feat to take at first level.
The unimpressive monk weapons can now do a bit more damage.
By 3rd level, monks can truly be skirmishers, or be able to bypass front lines to get to choice targets.
By 4th level, monks can still use their attacks to hurt the real monsters PC’s face at this level and beyond…at the cost of ki. This can be expensive for some critters (Silver AND Good = 3 points!) and ignores the bludgeoning only issues.
By 7th level, the monk can survive being the skirmisher. While far away from the healer they can keep themselves going until back up gets there.
And finally, at level 12, they are truly able to ignore battlefield terrain/obstacles, and strike from unexpected directions (as the class description states).
I still don’t see this class being a real melee monster, but a guy that can go after targets of his choosing and hit a lot for moderate damage and do other cool things as well.
Depending upon feat choices and point buy, you can have a 1st level monk with a 16 AC (14 Dex, 16 Wis, Dodge as the bonus feat) and do 1d6+3 with a 16 Str. Combat Expertise (13 Int) is actually a great investment if paired up with the Threatening Defender Trait (+1 to AC with NO penalty to hit until you reach a +4 BAB, then it’s -1/+2) With the Favored class being Hit Point (don’t need ¼ Ki anymore), the Monk can have 10 HP, AC 17, +3 Attack (flurry +2/+2) with 1d6+3 damage with 4 Ki Points.
This is still a tough road for this guy.
Weapon Finesse looks desirable, as this would allow the monk to save a ton of points and shift Str points to Dex, but this can be a trap of hitting a lot but doing icky damage. AC, Init, Reflex, and Dex skills will love it, but Damage output drops.
At 3rd level, the urban Ranger forms a bond with a community. While inside the limits of this community, he gains a +2 bonus on initiative checks and Knowledge (local), Perception, Stealth, and Survival skill checks. An urban Ranger traveling through his favored community leaves no trail and cannot be tracked (although he may leave a trail if he so desires).
At 8th level, and every five levels thereafter, an urban Ranger may select an additional favored community. In addition, at each such interval, the skill bonus and initiative bonus in any one favored community (including the one just selected, if so desired) increases by +2. For the purposes of this ability, a community is any settlement consisting of 100 or more individuals. The community may be larger than this minimum. Outlying farms, fields, and houses are not considered part of a community.
This ability replaces favored terrain.
What actually defines the limits of the community?
In my case, I'm playing an Urban Ranger in CoT, so Westcrown. I'm assuming that includes sewers. Would that mean as soon as I'm outside the city walls?
In September, we are starting the Council of Thieves AP!
My buddy who is running it (thanks DG!) is letting us run with 25 pt buy, and we will have 5, maybe 6, players. So we will have a real good edge on the baddies.
The interesting part is that with 5-6 players, we will take a hit (33%)each on XP cause we are dividing it up 6 ways instead of 4.
So, my questions are (no spoilers please):
1. Should he run the AP as is?
Less XP but a party of 6 3rd level characters is more powerful than a party of 4 4th level characters.
2. Should he increase #'s of mooks to increase the challenge to keep us on par with the level of the AP?
This increases the XP, thus making a party of 6 more powerful.
Drawing a weapon so that you can use it in combat, or putting it away so that you have a free hand, requires a move action. This action also applies to weapon-like objects carried in easy reach, such as wands. If your weapon or weapon-like object is stored in a pack or otherwise out of easy reach, treat this action as retrieving a stored item.
If you have a base attack bonus of +1 or higher, you may draw a weapon as a free action combined with a regular move.
Then I look at:
Take 5-Foot Step
You can move 5 feet in any round when you don't perform any other kind of movement. Taking this 5-foot step never provokes an attack of opportunity. You can't take more than one 5-foot step in a round, and you can't take a 5-foot step in the same round that you move any distance.
You can take a 5-foot step before, during, or after your other actions in the round.
------------
So...If I have a +1 BAB, can I draw my weapon during the 5'step as a free action? I'm thinking not or if yes, I'm not sure of the use of Quick Draw except in the most odd of circumstances
In the next month or so we will be starting the CoT AP!
No, I'm not the DM, but I figured I'd let you guys laugh at our group!
Human Ranger (Using the Switch Hitter build a la Treantmonk, taking the companion at 4th)
Magus (Don't know race yet)
Druid (Human or 1/2 Elf, taking a spell domain and not the companion)
Halfling Thief (nope not a rogue...a thief :-) )
Halfling Cleric (Cayden Cailean of course) Taking Alignment Channel to hurt lawful suckers, he read the hand out...:-) )
My group is moving over to Pathfinder...and as one of us is gonna take a stab at DMing, he was looking at the Adventure Paths for Pathfinder, but we were hoping for a fast way of verifying which ones are just the Pathfinder setting and which ones are using the current Pathfinder Rules?
