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What is Eternity's End?
Eternity's End is both a place and a non-place, existing in multiple planes simultaneously and nowhere at all. It is a gathering place for dead races, unborn gods, forgotten heroes, restless ghosts, and the engineers of worlds as yet uncreated. Almost all the inhabitants of the Inn are travelers, either by design or by chance; by woe or good fortune. Many have simply stopped here during journeys to other places, while others came to the Inn accidentally, then realized they could not get home...

Editor's Note:
Eternity's End is a new kind of game on DnDOG that is powered by the Pathfinder Gaming System that operates as a hybrid of the dynamic story telling of Play by Post (PBP) and massive multi-player online game but without the typical pitfalls of MMOs or PBP (Linear Plots, Grinding, Game Collapse, etc.). It has a persistent static setting of an Inn that exists outside of time and space where players meet and obtain quests and then travel through dimensional doors that take them to literally any kind of world or adventure that a GM can come up with, in any kind of setting they would like to run! The game is stress tested and can functionally run in a balanced fashion and support as many players as there are GMs for the project.

In short:
Players and GMs that are familiar with Pathfinder Society and the Planescape Setting will find many in game parallels to both, but will also note that Eternity's End is infinitely more expansive (for example some expansions include notes for Lovecraftian horror, sci-fi/steam punk, and more) allowing for tons more character options, gaming universes, ways to play, and things to do; all for free with tons of gaming highlights!

Details:
See Here for more details.

What, does he just whip down to the Magi-mart and pick up 9th level spells and a bottle of milk!

In this case yes. The setting is Eternity's End, there is a mart there with anything one would want on a sliding scale percentage dice roll based on GP value and a library with all spells. To not have these things in such an environment, and for game balance, is folly.

If anyone needs more data the setting or rules it's here: http://www.dndonlinegames.com/showthread.php?t=119654

Specifically though, I'm not seeing much logic into the choice besides "something had to go, and that fit the bill" which is fine, but not solid enough evidence to make the argument I would like... Still better than what I had though.

Additional insight appreciated.

BTW, which rules do you guys use for learning new spells? Scrolls? Following the rules and prices for copying spells from other wizards, I cannot quite understand how the monetary differences becomes that great.

This is actually a really important factor... essentially all spells cost full price. This causes another tiny hit to the casters that had to be done for game balance, otherwise everyone would copy every spell from everyone and everyone would have a full spell book at all times. (because all spells are always available for purchase before and after all adventures which are 1 shots designed to last 1 level, so the notion of not having spell access is not an issue)

The problem with that though, is that you can say "well they already took a hit from WBL for spells" except that PFS does the same lack of scribe scroll and it seems to work fine there (I also ganked all their class changes and added a few more due to 3pp and Basic, like no artificers because crafting is banned, but I digress). The issue here arises that you're either buffing the PrC or you're Buffing the straight wizard, and of the two, both are T1, but the PrC's are usually going to end up with the more focussed power due to specializing, so if one is going to take a hit, I believe it should be the PrC, but that's besides the point of changing established RAI and RAW because of how someone feels...

Doing that only once opens Pandora's box to all kinds of other rules changes folks might not like until we have so many house rules the thing because an unmanageable mess of erratum, and we already have extensive house rules but those were only the things we absolutely had to change or there would be no game balance at all (such as removing crafting).

The best thing I've seen here is: "Prestige classes always looses some class features of the parenting class, and in these cases loosing 'free' spells is one of them." Which was something I had said at one point, but it still doesn't say much about why, just that "something had to go" and it was free spells.

What's important to mention here is that paying full price for spells doesn't kill the wizard, it just restricts their utility a little and brings them more towards the middle, which is good for game balance.

The Loss of free spells doesn't change utility, but instead forces the wizard to prioritize gear and spells better.

Neither are much of an effect on the class at all.

Also there has been 1 proposed and strikingly simple compromise posed that I don't entirely hate which is: PrCs get 1 spell free, but this still changing RAI and RAW without proper justification (because it is needed).

OK, this is a bit of a weird question, but it's a unique circumstance.

I'm running a mass game that operates strictly on WBL (and has many other similarities to PFS, but is decidedly different for many reasons).

Right now we've got 14 GMs and will be running 50-70 PCs simultaneously (starting out)through PBP (it's a big project). Because of this rules are incredibly important.

Because we operate strictly with WBL, each GP is a limited resource for PCs so now we are getting to the nitty gritty of this:

Prestige Classes and Spellcasters: Does a wizard (or other character that uses a spellbook), receive bonus spells to add to his spellbook when he gains a level in a prestige class that grants an increase to spellcasting?

No. The increase to his spellcasting level does not grant any other benefits, except for spells per day, spells known (for spontaneous casters), and an increase to his overall caster level. He must spend time and gold to add new spells to his spellbook.

—Jason Bulmahn, 11/24/10

source:
http://paizo.com/store/downloads/pathfinder/pathfinderRPG/v5748btpy88yj/faq #v5748eaic9nib

Now we understand that this is basically a 50k hit or 5.7% of WBL lost to taking a PrC as a wizard, magus, witch, etc. come level 20.

At the end of the day it's clear that the rule is RAI and RAW.

What I need to know is the proverbial RAI "why" of this issue.

I have speculated extensively, but I'm trying to figure out why this rules exists the way it does.

The scenario:
I have several GMs for this game that are jeering for shooting down this rule because their argument is:
No one uses this rule, we don't like it, it's not a big deal.

My reasons against changing it:
Close the Power Chasm rather than make it bigger in the interest of balancing the game (wizards are Class T1, why buff them?)
If it's not broke, don't fix it
The rule is declared exactly as RAW and RAI
The current ruling makes perfect sense IC (specialization effects of a PrC in trade for resources, in IRL we must give up some general things to specialize)
Complaining about this at all is unjustified as the EM hit is so small it's barely noticeable (5.7% WBL at level 20)
Changing this rule back will cause huge blowback if it needs to be changed back (wizards are a large part of the community population)
Changing this rule at all can lead to huge blowback and potential game breaking problems due to it's reasons for implementation. (ZOMG, you buffed the wizard!?!?! cue nerd fight, etc)

So far they still aren't budging and we need a ruling.

It's not that I'm against the rule, or don't like it or hate wizards (I prefer casters actually) it just seems like a really really bad idea and the amount of reasons not to change it significantly outweigh the reasons for changing it IMO.

I'm hoping if I can present to them solid evidence as to why this decision was made I can end the dispute entirely, or, decide that the developer staff's reasons was terrible (unlikely but you never know).

I would like greatly to be able to say something other than "Because Paizo said so"

Insight on this matter is greatly appreciated.

I really like the "escort an object" type of quest. The party is already burdened with a huge host of NPC's they have some responsibility towards, an object seems like a much better candidate, and could easily be an ongoing hook. As a matter of fact he just received an unidentified object (talisman), so that might as well be it.

I also love the idea about caring for followers.

Right now the character is currently teaching his religion to some godless slave orcs he befriended. Being that they aren't allowed to worship in the local churches and that they could use religion for hope more than anyone (especially the more abused slaves) the idea of protecting them as converts seems necessary, not just appealing. It could even give way to a new chapter of converts for the religion and create a more stable slave class as well as undermine the established national religion (a notable antagonist to the party). It would be a long term mission, but the protection of knowledge might be the way to hold over the PC until that mission can manifest, it could even help trigger the second mission as the knowledge gained could be useful in creating more converts (some ancient bit of wisdom of some kind).

I like this path. Any additional suggestions are welcome, especially in the way of refining this set of ideas.

Thanks much spalding :)

Carbon: you're focusing on game mechanics, as I said, this particular campaign is run in GURPS, which operates very differently from standard 3.5 in that there is far more lethal results from combat and point stacking is impossible. GURPS, if you are unfamiliar, is not designed with the same kind of "game" you might be used to. Some of what you are saying is applicable, but doesn't make sense in the scheme of things. What I'm seeking though, is story options for hook line and sinkers, not mechanics to make the monk into a warrior.

Spalding/Firest: This seems like a viable option, though I remember escort quests being a massive pain in the junk in WoW, I can't imagine they'd be much more fun in an RPG setting. I'm trying to find some things that maybe might interest monks, paricularly those of Zen persuasion, which is difficult as they tend to have simplistic interests like gardening and leading a simple life, such things that don't mesh well with adventuring.

Thanks for the idea. I'll see if I can give it a shot.

Anyone have any others?

Hello all.

I'm running a campaign (this one is actually gurps rules, not pathfinder) for a good chunk of years now.

I currently have a player that is a pacifist monk, however he is involved in a very cloak and dagger conspiracy theory type of game.

As a result rouges are generally best suited to the environment, and a monk is the virtual antithesis.

I've managed to keep the character involved, but generally just barely.

I'm looking for some adventure hooks that might appeal to a pacifist monk in a murderous cloak and dagger fantasy environment set in a capital city.

As of now the character generally serves as a diplomat to various characters that the rest of the party cannot speak with because they are more or less spies, where as he is a philosopher (think Zen Buddhism) and a healer. As such though he spends a lot of time playing telephone and planning things, but doesn't get much in the way of actual adventure and the player ends up feeling like we're running through a list of chores rather than an adventure, which is more or less true and unfair as the rest of the party gets to run around doing all the cool spy stuff.

I'm trying to find new hooks that would entice such a monk type character and force their interest as well as take advantage of their position and skill sets in such a setting. hook line and sinker format preferred, but I'll take anything I can get. Tropes and subverted tropes welcome.

I've received dozens of suggestions on other boards but I've already done them before they were suggested.

Some factors:

His order is hunted and persecuted by the church (an antagonist) and he must remain low key.

His religion is generally unaccepted and recently declared enemies of the state for crimes they did not accuse.

There is no king, much of he campaign surrounds getting a new one, the nobles are of course, corrupt.

The party works for the local "benevolent" crime syndicate run by an upstanding principled man, the faction is currently torn in a blood fued that is coming to a close.

Most of the members of his order have long since fled the country, let alone the city.