Goblin Squad Member. RPG Superstar 6 Season Star Voter. Pathfinder Lost Omens, Rulebook Subscriber. Organized Play Member. 192 posts. No reviews. No lists. No wishlists.
We finally get dragons AND they're implemented in a way that makes 5e's Dragonborn look pathetic.
I'm super excited about it too, but isn't it a bit too early to say they're implementing it in a way that makes the 5e's Dragonborn look pathetic? Granted it's a low bar, but we barely know anything about their feat makeup. I have faith Paizo won't fumble the whole heritage, but still.
I'm not sure that I agree all of these are lost. Some of what you're listing (Bunyips for example) predate D&D and should be eligible for updates in the future. It's possible that they were just omitted due to space.
In a similar veins, Paizo is using Golems so they have a chance of returning, maybe under an adjusted name.
The sidebar on Kobolds and how their eggs pull power from nearby powerful beings, not just dragons, opens up some interesting possibilities for the Ancestry and Heritages in PC2
So they're no longer JUST smol dragon friends who are doing their best! Now they can be smol angel friends or kami friends or elemental friends who are doing their best! :D
Eggzactly!
Some may even be smol Sphere of Annihilation friends doing their best!
Asking because it is coming up in my next session (an adaptation of the Carrion Crown AP). Is there a replacement of some kind for the Flesh Golem? If yes, does it have a cool new differences or is it just the new way of doing the resistances (in the way of the Brass Bastion) and the rest of its abilities have stayed as is?
I think all of the bestiary 1 golems are in here using their old art but new names and the new resistance mechanics. I didn't look that hard at the flesh golem but if looked pretty identical, including the berserk ability.
Yeah, all of the golems are there under new names:
Charnel Creation = Flesh Golem
Clay Effigy = Clay Golem
Iron Warden = Iron Golem
Stone Bulwark = Stone Golem
The sidebar on Kobolds and how their eggs pull power from nearby powerful beings, not just dragons, opens up some interesting possibilities for the Ancestry and Heritages in PC2
I have a friend playing a Lamashtu cleric who interprets these "make the beautiful monstrous, reveal the corruption and flaws in all things" as having a similar bent along an anarchist viewpoint.
They look at corrupt officials/celebrities/heroes that the public doesn't know realize their corruption as being "beautiful" in a societal viewpoint. These figures are accepted and loved by the majority and this cleric takes it upon himself to reveal their monstrous nature.
The player really pushes this aspect so that it's almost zealous and kind of obfuscates the less savory parts of his worship.
Makes an interesting twist on an outlaw campaign, especially since the player still will mar those that are physically "beautiful" in order to make them monstrous as well and tries (usually successfully) to sell it as the victim being corrupt.
Makes perfect thematic sense, but I am not sure if it fits with Paizo's balance decisions. I think they wanted to keep bombs as a martial option to access different damage types, hence making them martial weapons. Monks and casters would really love them as options but they aren't available.
I certainly see your point as it could be unwieldy in the hands of monks, but for casters would it be all that different than taking the Weapon Proficiency general feat?
So with the changes to how ancestry based weapon familiarity feats (which I love) and the upcoming player core 2 which will have Hobgobs in it I'm hoping that they change the Hobgob's familiarity feat to include Alchemical Bombs.
Given the fact they can easily get Alchemical formula through Alchemical Scholar (Assuming there's no change to that feat) I think it would be thematic for them to also treat bombs as ancestral weapons.
Every TTRPG I've ever played that had some sort of "BEWARE DANGEROUS AREA" be it the underdark, the darklands, some unidentified wastelands, Ohio, or whatever has had some sort of semi-safe settlement. I'm not going to argue realism because it's a game, but the inclusion of said place has made adventuring in these areas more fun because, while there is the constant threat of the environment and its denizens present, these settlements do give a slice of safety to the players and makes it more fun for them.
That said also amping up the constant threat to said settlement is a good plot point as well even if it's not the main plot point.
Pretty confident new players will not use, its not in their copy of the rulebooks after all.
In my experience over decades of many different games the exact opposite of this is true. The majority of new players I've played with have been the most vocal with asking "what else they can do" beyond the book they have.
Heck in the last year I've introduced 3 people to PF1E and PF2E, gave them the CRB and a brief outline and all three went online to find other options they thought would be "cool" to varying degrees of success (one had a bad habit of focusing on weird 3rd party stuff that was either under or overpowered).
I get that with some people they may be shy about doing so, but I think you're over-estimating how much impact this will be.
One of my characters in my game is a Mage and the player takes extensive notes on all monsters, lores, and spells because that's what his class would do, which is great. Another is a player that takes extensive notes and has done so since he picked up his first dice. That's also great cause he's kind of like my fallback anchor if I can't read my own notes (no judging).
I still make them roll a new RK on all monsters, even ones they've met. However if it's one they've been successful against with RK in the past I have a lower DC for them to meet as a "reminder" DC. If they meet that (which generally only requires the D20 to get a 5 or better before modifiers) then I remind them they've faced X before and they know it does Y and Z. If they roll high enough they uncover any additional info they may have missed in the past, if any.
I do this because it's possible for a person to have a mind blank (the non-TM kind) on something well studied. Heckfire, I've worked with Excel for over 20 years in a professional capacity and 2 weeks ago I forgot that cells were called cells while in a meeting. Adding in other information to retain and learn can make that recall of things you just "know" even more challenging sometime.
So far there has been no instance where every player in the group has failed a reminder DC on a RK, but if that does happen that would be hilarious.
There have been a couple of instances of a single player failing one with others passing and the roleplaying for that has been hilarious.
I can see where you're coming from, but I respectfully disagree.
In my view this playtest also offers a tangential remaster playtest as well.
I know at my table We're preparing to run an Animist and Exemplar side by side with a Rogue and Wizard and we're all interested in seeing how the classes stack up. Not so much on a one on one basis, but on a "fully built and tuned chassis" vs "new shiny prototype" and I fully expect Paizo to pour through data for interactions between existing rules/classes ad remastered rules/classes to help fine tune the remaster.
Yeah it'll be a bit clumsy since there's some terms/rules/features that are new/renamed, but overall I expect it'll be fun and useful.
Pre-build 4 creatures and pull out their sheet when you cast the spell.
It seems about as complicated as building an Animal Companion or Eidolon in PF2.
This.
I mean honestly anyone who does summoning should pre-stat out their summons. Played a Summoner and someone whom summons on different occasions it's always faster to have a list of what you're summoning ahead of time. Especially if you're using a lego method like Starfinder. In my experience building the summons using the starfinder method is a bit longer in the beginning, but easier and just as quick as you gain experience doing so.
I've been going through the spells to give my players a good list/evaluation and here are a few faves so far (i'm only through Air and Earth so far)
* Deep Breath - Having a low level protection vs Drowning/Suffocation is nice and thematic.
* Pressure Zone - A bit high level but a fun debuff.
* Shock to the System - Narrow application and high level, but I like it. A way to revive an ally AND boost them.
* Glass Shield - Same reasons YuriP explained.
* Rubble Step - This was used by a druid on a Monk and was a huge change to the enemy tactics.
Still reviewing, but have high hopes for other standouts
I echo what Doug Hahn says. It will take practice and color-coded is the way to go.
What I did is create a "cheat sheet" that's on a full size sheet. The sheet has an image of the dice along the left margin and to the right of each die is a breakdown of what attack I use for each one and made sure I used dice that are as different in color and design as possible to avoid confusion (with my blue metal d20 being my primary one).
After rolling I make sure to place each die on the image corresponding to it to help train my mind to recognize each one by default.
This is too useful for me to not have set up. Also, how do you guys add character pictures to your profile? I haven't seen an option to do that either.
When logged in go to my account on top right then account settings.
On the left you should see a messageboard settings which will let you change your avatar
That is how all TTRPGs have been for me. Each character is on their own until the end of an encounter. The only exception is people will use an action to prevent someone from dying, but some people feel that that is kind of a wasted action better spent finishing the encounter. Then deal with the downed characters.
With all due respect this sounds more like the mindset of the people you play with rather than the games themselves. I've played all the games you have (and a few more) and very rarely do I encounter a rampant mindset that resembles what you're talking about. And I'm not disparaging that mindset. Some people may find that more fun. It's just not as common in my experience.
That said PF2E is HIGHLY teamwork friendly and a lot of assumptions ingrained in other games don't quite translate to it and vice versa.
But to go back to your original point I will suggest the following that has helped my table transition:
1. Remember that sometimes using non-attack actions/skills are better than taking an attack.
2. Aiding an ally will often make your job easier.
3. There is sometimes a lot of overlap of abilities, but that's fine. Characters don't have to be uber-specialized.
4. Communication with your allies is important.
Agreed. 4E was too much like a video game, but there were certain things that I really liked in 4E. The Bloodied condition comes to mind first, second wind and partially healing surges aren't awful.
This.
Also if it's all optional rules I don't see as it really being a detriment. Don't like them. Don't use them.
I would love a Blood of Dragons book, but I'll echo many posters reservations on the danger of too much racebloat. I would prefer 1 specific race that may have a variable stat adjustment (similar to the humans +2 in any one thing) with some set race abilities that make them decent excel at one thing at a time. So a draconic race that wants to go the martial route will be good at it, but if it also picks up arcane abilities they'll be less able. This would prevent them from honing in on the human's "we're good at everything" while still allow them to excel at the aspects of dragons mentioned above (warrior, mage, rogue, or priest). Not 100% sure how you would pull it off though.
Also I would like to see additional support for kobolds and nagaji in it as well, but would be the most interested if it gave more background info on dragons in general along with nations that are directly involved/influenced by dragons.
Character Name: Neje StormCloud
Class/Level: Witch (hedge witch) 8
Adventure: The Hook Mountain Massacre
Catalyst: A confused raging Jaagreth
Story:
Alright, this was a big one and almost a full party wipe so I’m going to break it up some to give you the full effect of it. First of all let me give the group and a house rule I use.
The party:
Lem (Halfling Monk, 8, uses UMD and wands to buff himself and heal)
Tozreh (Tiefling (catfolk) Ranger (trapper, natural weapon style), 8, and his small cat companion)
Lodan (Human Conjurer (teleportation spec), 8, and his Imp familiar (who uses UMD and healing wands)
And
Neje
House rule: I abhor the instant death by an enemy who hits multiple times for ungawdly damage so I implemented a luck rule for instant death scenarios. The PC rolls (d20+ character level) vs a DC (10 + monster CR for the monster who did the death blow) and if they succeed the PC is at negative HP equal to their Con -2 (so they have a couple of rounds till they bleed out). This still adds quite a bit of danger AND urgency to the fights, but leaves the PCS feeling less helpless.
Also I changed some of the monster’s feats and spells to fit the story better.
OK, the party had done a great job of setting up a diversion before assaulting Fort Rannick (they had searched out an orc tribe in the area and convinced them to help take the fort and had given a summon nature’s ally to the rangers) and were doing a split assault. The party would sneak through the tunnels and smoke out the shocker lizards while the rangers and the orcs assaulted the main gates (WAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! Sorry had to).
Well because of the diversion I ruled that the only ones left in the main keep were Lucrecia, Jaagreth, and two other ogres as guards. I figured Lucrecia would boost Jaagreth some and ruled that the party would have about a 25% of encountering them together. Well I rolled and look at what that, the party was going to encounter them together. The party made quick work of the ogre guards then headed upstairs almost right away (assuming the leaders would be there) so I made a perception check for the BBEGs. Lucrecia got a 20 so she knew what was coming and decided to do some buffs and prep work (in spoiler below).
Prep:
Lucretia used her illusions on the chapel to make it seem smaller to help funnel the PCs into the middle, then cast invisibility on her and Jaagreth, haste, then mage armor and divine favor.
The party moves cautiously up the stairs then check some of the side rooms. Finally they open the door to the chapel and see Lucrecia (illusion) standing there amid a pile of slain rangers reading a parchment at which point the Imp notices magic, but hasn’t had a chance to examine anything to get an idea of what it is and Lem declares a charge (everyone rolls initiative as a result). I’ll break down the rounds below.
round 1:
Lucrecia wins init and casts a silent mirror image. Lem charges the illusion and hits it, which dispels the illusion. Tozreh’s cat hold’s action for a command (but I give it a perception to smell others in the room), Tozreh tells his cat to search for the caster (since he now knows it’s an illusion) who then moves in and finds Lucrecia, and then moves into the room and readies an action to attack any enemies that move into reach. Neje casts burning gaze on her familiar and stays outside the room. Jaagreth uses Charge Through to do an overrun on Lem and charge Tozreh ( I ruled that since he was invisible Lem couldn’t side step and Jaagreth had held his action till a second character entered the room) and succeeded (knocking Lem down and doing 32 points to Tozreh). Lodan orders his familiar into the room while invisible to provide support, then casts summon monster 3 (and gets 2 crocodiles which he places on either side of Jaagreth).
round 2:
Lucrecia drops her illusions and casts Sanctuary defensively. Lem uses an ability to instant stand and charges Jaagreth and wiffs (nat 1). Tozreh’s cat makes its will save and attacks Lucrecia, but misses. Jaagreth full attacks Tozreh and gets 1 hit, 1 miss, and a critical hit (totaling out for 128 points of damage) which should instant kill Tozreh (he makes the luck role and instead has -10 HP). Tozreh lies bloody on the floor (no save the first round). Neje uses Evil Eye (vs saves) on Jaagreth and her familiar uses burning gaze on him for no damage (Jaagreth made his save). Lodan’s imp attempts to heal Tozreh, but rolls a total of 9 on UMD, the crocodiles attack (one hits, but is unable to grab Jaagreth for 18 points of damage) and Lodan casts Acid Arrow on Jaagreth and misses (nat 1 to hit).
round 3:
Lucrecia takes a 5 foot move and casts mirror image (2 images). Lem attacks Jaagreth and hits once (out of 5 attacks) for 12 points of damage. Tozreh’s cat moves and attacks Jaagreth to protect it’s master and misses. Neje attempts to use misfortune on Jaagreth, but he rolls a nat 20 to save, so she cackles and her familiar attempts to burning gaze Lucrecia (but can’t beat her SR). Jaagreth attacks Lem and each croc (hits one croc for 26 points of damage, leaving it with 2 left, misses the other, and hits Lem for 31 points). Tozreh lies bloody on the floor (fails to save). The Imp fails to use the wand again (almost a nat 1 too) and Lodan casts Excruciating Deformation on Lucrecia, he makes his will save but fails to get through her SR (a nat 1 on that roll)
round 4:
Lucrecia takes a 5 foot move and hits Lem with her Wisdom draining attack (dropping her sanctuary) and drains 2 wisdom. Lem attacks Lucrecia, but fails to hit even the images. Tozreh’s cat attacks Jaagreth again and does 14 points of damage. Tozreh makes his stabilization roll. Neje casts Bungle on Lucrecia but can’t get past the SR either (remember her SR is only a 19) Jaagreth attacks Lem, the damaged Croc, and Tozreh’s cat (hits the croc for 34 points of damage, killing it, hits the cat for 38 points, knocking it down to -1, and hits Lem for 38 points). The Imp finally uses the wand and revives Tozreh (with a total of 18 HP) and Lodan casts another Acid Arrow at Lucrecia (this gets through SR, and hits, but only hits an image).
round 5:
Lucrecia five foot moves and casts Confusion based in the hall which hits everyone, but her, Lem and the last croc (Jaagreth and Tozreh fail their save). Lem attempts to heal himself with a wand, but failes the UMD. Tozreh’s cat makes it’s stabilize check. Neje casts lightning bolt on Jaagreth (which also hits Lem, but it’s ok he has evasion!! Wait he rolled a 2 to save.. damn), but Jaagreth saves and only takes 12 damage (Lem takes 25 damage though and is now down to -7 HP). Jaagreth (as a result of being confused) 5 foot free and full attacks Neje (hitting all 3 times for a total of 97 points of damage which should instant kill her.. quick roll a luck check.. ohhh.. she rolled a 2. Correction it did instant kill her). Tozreh rolls to act normally, gets up (no AoO due to Confusion) and attacks Jaagreth (for 34 points of damage) The Imp goes over to check on Neje and then flies to Lem. Lodan attempts to dispel confusion, but fails.
round 6:
Lucrecia casts invisibility. Lem’s blood creates a natural grease spell (fails his stabilize check). Tozreh’s cat lays there sleeping while everyone else works. Neje joins the cat in a nice underserved nap (I’ll leave them both out of future breakdowns due to them not being in combat). Jaagreth attempts to attack Tozreh, but actually misses all three times (see I roll bad too). Tozreh rolls to act normally again and opens up on Jaagreth and hits all three times (for 65 points of damage which fells the mighty ogre). The Imp attempts to heal Lem and succeeds (leaving him with 19 hit points) then waits by Lem in case he needs to do it again. Lodan attempts to dispel confusion again, but fails again.
round 7:
Lucrecia casts dimension door into the hallway (right next to Lodan). Lem attempts to heal himself with a wand and succeeds (giving him 30 HP). . Tozreh rolls to attack the nearest person, which is Lem..he charges the Halfling and hits for 27 HP) The Imp tries to heal Lem, but fails his UMD. Lodan casts mage armor on himself.
round 8:
Lucrecia uses her wisdom draining touch on Lodan and drains him of 4 Wis. Lem tumbles out of Tozreh’s threatened area and moves into the hall and shuts the door Tozreh babbles incoherently. The Imp hides in the rafters in case Tozreh sees him. Lodan casts burning hands (defensively) on Lucrecia, but fails to get past her SR.
round 9:
Lucrecia attacks Lodan with her dagger (doing 18 Points of damage and 1 wisdom drain) Lem attempts to heal himself with a wand and succeeds (giving him 39 HP). . Tozreh rolls to attack himself (and does 7 HP of damage, leaving him with 11) The Imp continues to cower in fear. Lodan 5 foot steps back and then casts invisibility on himself, then teleports back into the room.
At this point I rule that Lucrecia heals herself and rebuffs (New mage armoe and mirror image (3 images) herself while waiting to see what happens. Tozreh gets a few more rounds of babble and act coherently. Lem heals himself up to 54 hp. And Lodan attempts to find Lucrecia by using his conjurer’s teleport ability and the Imp’s innate detect magic. Let’s fast forward to the end of confusion.
round 10:
Lucrecia is right next to Lem and invisible, she attacks him and does 30 points of damage and 1 Wisdom drain. Lem tumbles through her square to make sure his allies can attack her and then hits Lucrecia (but only dispels one of her images). Tozreh has one more round on confusion and rolls to attack the nearest creature (which is someone in the hall), I rule he bursts through the door, but he hasn’t enough movement to get to anyone. The Imp flies to Lem, but is too far away to do anything but arrive there. Lodan moves so he can see the combat and casts Excruciating Deformation again (but fails to bypass her SR).
round 11:
Lucrecia attacks Lem again for 12 points of damage and 1 wisdom drain (Lem’s down again!!). Lem makes his stabilization check. Tozreh finally free of the charges Lucrecia and drops one of her images. The Imp tries to heal Lem, but fails his UMD. Lodan uses a wand of scorching ray on Lucrecia (and succeeds, taking down her last image).
round 12:
Lucrecia casts confusion again (defensively, and gets Tozreh, The Imp, and Lodan in it. Tozreh is the only one who saves). Lem imitates a sack of potatoes . Tozreh attacks Lucrecia and hits twice for 48 damage. The Imp babbles uncontrollably. Lodan rolls to attack the nearest creature which is Tozreh. He casts burning hands (which also gets Lucrecia) and both of them fail their save (and he actually gets past SR) and take 16 points of fire damage.
round 13:
Lucrecia attempts to cast Cure Mod Wounds on herself, but fails to cast it defensively. Lem is one with the ground. Tozreh's player asks me if he can opt to take damage to himself in order to make a full round attack on Lucrecia, due to the fact the party is in dire straits (I want my MTV.. sorry….) I allow it and he hits all three times and kills Lucrecia (but takes 5 points of damage and falls down dying). At this point I rule that the confusion drops on Lodan and the Imp and the combat ends.
The party was able to reincarnate Neje (now she’s a dwarf!!), but I have to admit it was one of the most intense combats I've run. Also I may have fubared some of the HP's above, but it gives you the gist of it.
Well first thing I noticed. The Tetori don't get the bonus feats of a monk AND the bonus feats of the Tetori. The bonus feats for a Tetori are set and replace the monk's bonus feats.
You would have the following progression as a human Tretori/Brawler combo (1-3 Tretori, 4-6 Brawler);
I wouldn't bother with TWF personally since the majority of time you'll be doing your best to grapple your targets, but it could be handy just in case.
After 18 + years of playing with the same group of people (more or less) I know exactly what you mean. I usually DM, but when I move from behind the screen I sometimes deal with the same stuff you're describing.
I actually took a break from them for a bit and joined some new pick-up games at the local game store (kind of like Ciaran suggested). Yeah those didn't last long. Didn't take much to make me miss my table of squabbles :P
So let me see if I understand this. He wants to use fortune, then cackle all the time to keep it up?
Normally I'm an advocate of talking to the player first, but it sounds like you've done that.
Fine let him. That means that he's going to be severely limited. Here are some examples of what could happen to him (and would if it was my campaign)
penalties:
1.) For overland movement he can only move half his move (he's spending the other half laughing)
2.) Witches can be viewed with suspicion and distrust. He's now let everyone in earshot know he's a witch. Imagine how much fun he'll have if he goes into a settlement that's hostile to witches.
3.) Every monster in earshot is going to know where he (and by extension the party) is due to him LHAO.
4.) I would seriously make him start making fortitude checks to avoid going horse. The rules don't specifically say vocal components are needed for cackle (in fact they're not since it's a supernatural at he's going ability), but I would houserule that right in.
5.) In combat he's going to be limited in what he can do (already spending his move action). A few monsters charging him and he may have to stop cackling.
I'm sure there are a few other options you can do as well. If that doesn't work you could always ask him not to play.
Yes it's a good idea and interesting (even if flawed), but it's really just RPG masturbation. It's all theorycraft and would tend to fall apart in play for a couple of reasons.
1.) Dice rolls. - They always get in the way of epic encounters.
2.) The unpredictability of opponents. - It's all well and good to say that X does this on round 1, that on round 2, etc.., but in a real fight the combatants would change up their tactics based on the situations and has been pointed out multiple times, the Pit Fiend's wish was wasted and seriously stupid. There are so many better options (anti-magic field, lava, summoning more pit fiends, the list is literally endless).
This build is just a gilded sword. It looks awesome, but you don't know how functional it is till you use it. Sit down with one person playing the monk and another playing the mobs AND then beat them all in the same overpowering way it indicates and then I'll admit it's the uberbuild.
The orkiest method of transportation is a big spiky red trukk.
Barring that, the aforementioned dinosaur also seems good. But the first thing that comes to mind is a big friggin' boar. Or anything that can do damage by smashing it's face into you.
These feats are stupid, and a perfect example of why 3rd party material shouldn't be allowed in games.
Here's a better feat for you, ask your GM if you can use it:
** spoiler omitted **
I think you'll find this a little better than the measly feats you've suggested.
That feat is awesome except for the fact I know my dice. I would NEVER roll even on that d8, then I would be stuck leveling up the old fashioned way.. woe is me.
Ok some background first, then the build. I'm taking a break from a DMing for a bit (after 18 years or so) and a friend of mine is taking over the reins. This is my first time playing Pathfinder as a player so I'll admit I've got a bit of the kid in the candy store look going on right now. That being said I'm torn between a Magus and Oracle. The DM just said he will look at feats from 3rd party vendors and approve them on a case by case basis, which has gotten me all excited for playing a scimitar magus with an ungodly crit range of 10+ (only X 2, but hey what are you going to do).
I'm going to post the basic build along with what I'm looking at for a feat progression and I would like some honest advice on if I missed anything in way of feats of there is something I should take in place of what I've chosen. Before I post my build here are the feats from the third party supplement.
crit boosting feats of DOOM!:
Zombie Orpheus Entertainment recently published an adventer call Mask of Death based off of the adventure run in their movie The Gamers: Dorkness Rising, which if you haven't seen you should.
Well this adventure had some custom content including the following feats;
*Critical Momentum (requires Base attack bonus + 5) - Description: Everytime you land a critical hit, you immediately get another attack at your highest attack bonus.
*Expanded Critical (requires Fighter 7) - Description: Add your Dex Bonus to your critical hit threat range (maximum of +4)
and
*Precision Strike (requires Fighter 7) - Description: Add your Int Bonus to your critical hit threat range (maximum of +4)
The author of the adventure admits that these feats are of "questionable" balance, but included for seek of completeness for the movie.
Now even though I am looking for advice to make sure I didn't miss anything, I'm fairly certain that my DM will shoot down one of more of those feats, so until he approves this everything I post is all theorycraft. That being said, here is my base build and feat progression.
critfisher 1.0 first level snapshot:
Human Magus (Kensai Archetype)
Starting stats (20 base)
Str = 12
Dex = 16 (14 bas + 2 Human Bonus)
Con = 14
Int = 16
Wis = 10
Cha = 8
Traits = Magical Lineage (Shocking Grasp) and Reactionary
Skills:
Knowledge: Arcana (Class)
SpellCraft (Class)
Knowledge: (Dungeoneering) (class) (A Bit of metagaming since I know it's going to be an aberrant heavy adventure)
Perfom: Dance (Cross-class)
Perception (Cross-class)
Putting the favorited class bonus into getting extra arcana
This should net me starting stats of the following;
AC = 15
HP = 10
Saves
Fort = +4, Ref = +3, Will = +2
Attack with Scimitar = +2 TH, 1d6 + 1 damage
Nothing too outlandish at first level. Some notes, I took Kensai for the extra feats. Since Kensai gets access to fighter feats earlier, I can complete the above feat selection earlier, which makes me more effective at lower levels. I went human for the bonus to Arcana pool and the extra feat at first level. Maybe I'll be really outlandish and see if he'll let me play a pureblood Azlanti. Here is what I am looking at for feats as I go up in levels.
I would buy a dinosaurs of golarion book. However I would also like to add that adding other mega-fauna (like DungeonmasterCal indicated) would make the book oh so much more awesome.. like more cake in a cake sandwich.. Giant Sloths as mounts!!
Wanted to share this with everyone and also see if something like this has happened to anyone else.
OK, my group just finished up Burnt Offerings. In the down time before the Skinsaw Murders I awarded them a bit of extra reward from the town as way of saying thanks. I had the town provide the group with a farm with 20 acres of apple orchards attached that was located on the outskirts of town that was unoccupied due to the owners were killed by the goblins.
I did this for two reasons.
1.) The group is all made of characters from outside of Varisia that have no real ties to Sandpoint other then the first adventure. I wanted to give them a reason to stay in town long enough to hook them on the next adventures.
and
2.) I wanted to give them a nice stable base of operations in the area that I could also use as a plot device in the future.
How little did I expect for this to slightly backfire on me.
No sooner did I finish explaining the farm and situations behind it (stressing that it was too late in the season to really do anything with it other then move in) then the players immediately bombarded me with ideas and requests.
We then spent the next three hours buying seed and provisions, looking at livestock, hiring workers, planning expansions, scouting markets for apples, negotiating the sale of additional land in the area,setting a payscale for the workers, and provisioning an area for crafting. This all happened despite my subtle (and also not so subtle) hints that this could be worked out at a later time and was not heavily important at the time. Part of my reluctance was, too be honest, also because I did not determine a lot of the information for what they were asking because I didn't they they would want it right there and then. That's honestly my fault because I forgot the second rule of DMing, "ALWAYS expect the unexpected from your players since they will find new and inventive ways to screw up your plans." So I added an extra hook and got them going (with much railroading and cattleproding), but we're on our way now.
I agree with Mikaze. However I would like to suggest something though.
While the redemption of Nualia is an admirable goal (and I'm hinting for my characters to try it themselves without railroading them) you may want to use this as a opportunity to test your characters.
I would have her escape, but not torch Thistletop. I would play it that she escapes, but is seriously conflicted about what happened. Have Lamashtu still want her and fuel her powers, but also have Desna sense that there is a chance of redemption and also start trying to sway her to good.
Give it some time and have her show back up to try and thwart the characters, but this time she seems confused and almost insane (as a result of the powers warring for her affection). Her actions seem to swing from being concerned to almost rage like. Give the PCs a chance to notice this and possibly talk her back from the edge. I would probably do this after the characters have had a stressful time in the adventure (from what I hear the skinsaw man encounter can sometimes do this).
This could work out one of three ways.
1.) The PCs don't notice or just don't care and kill her outright. If this happens, you can use this as a catalyst for corruption from the Runewells.
2.) The PC notice and talk her back to the side of goodness. I would award them full XP as if they defeated her and also improve their reputations in the area. I would suggest that Nualia is given a chance to redeem herself to the people and would probably demand that she stands trial. This would pave the way for the PCs to gain a powerful ally in the area and would give some mad RP options in the future.
and finally
3.) The PCs cannot talk her back to goodness and either slay her or capture her. This would also help their reputation in the area and will probably give the players a sense of loss or remorse. Ad while I'm not a big fan (usually) of rubbing PCs failures in their faces, I would give them subtle reminders of what happened so when they reach the end of the AP they're righteously pissed and make sure they kill Karzoug to prevent this from happening to anyone else.
That's my 2 coppers on it. Feel free to take what you want or shoot other ideas at me if you want.
I didn't get anything really weird from my family. My parents read the books and did research on the game before they would let me play since they had heard some odd rumors (it was the 80's, but once they did their homework they found out it was mostly harmless.
That being said I've had some weird questions from others such as (and my responses);
"Do you sacrifice virgins?"
Not in the way you're thinking about.
"Do you actually have a magic sword?"
No, but if I get one you'll be the first to find out.
"Wow, you look less psychotic/suicidal/anti-social then I expected."
Yeah, but it's early. Give me a few minutes to get up to speed.
