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Rogar

Why should someone choose heavy armor or even medium armor over light?

Dex is a stat most fighting PCs will try to raise to at least 14 from the get go in PF2 and it's rather easy to do so and getting to dex 16 by level 5 is trivial. Once you do that there's no reason for your PC to wear medium or heavy armor. The item bonus to AC you can gain from a studded leather armor is +2 and the Dex cap is +3 So you get to 15.

No medium armor can give you a better aggregated bonus to AC than a +5 yet their check penalty is -2 (against the -1 from studded leather), they all reduce speed by 5ft (light armor never does that and it's a huge drawback as you can't hit what you can't reach), bulk is heavier (2 for all medium armors vs 1 for light armors), medium armor generally costs more than light armor. All things considered it's rather clear how you'll be better off investing (less) in light armor than in medium armor.

Heavy armor is comparatively even worse. Yes Full plate gives you +6 to AC but you can't get any Dex bonus, it's consioderably costier, it's rarer it penalizes you more and it makes you even slower. Plate can reduce some slashing damage but again the benefits of light armor considerably outweigh those offered by its heavy counterpart.

So, unless there's something I'm not seeing I think there's really no inherent mechanical reason to favor heavy armor or medium armor over light (or, even better, no armor at all if you are a monk). If that's the case I think this was not the right choice. I agree with the concept of heavy armor being costier, bulkier and slowing you down but I think those disadvantage should be be lessened by some sort of payoff, chiefly more AC.

As things stand now in PF2 heavy (and medium) armor is presented as being more prestigious than light armor (costing more, being rarer, requiring training to wear) yet mechanically it appears to be worse. This is a discrepancy between the rules and the game's background that I think need to be rectified somehow.

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Keep in mind this is a tier 8-9 game

The massive bulk of the above ground fortifications protecting the dwarven Sky-citadel known as Janderhoff loom large above your heads. As you approach and wait for the dwarves guarding the place to make themselves known and allow you to enter the fortress city you once again consider the urgent missive from Venture-Captain Sheila Heidmarch that directed you here...

Pathfinders, the Society seeks your assistance in a matter most urgent. Recent engineering works uncovered a series of lost chambers beneath Janderhoff, but the company that began exploration and refurbishment of this space soon encountered trap-related difficulties. I quickly assembled a group of nearby agents to explore the lost corridors in exchange for a brief window of time in which to study anything found within. I have not heard back from those agents, and a contact has informed me that the team has been missing for two days, prompting the Mithral Mallet Mining Company to send a team of its own specialists to find out what became of them. Nobody has heard from either group since. It is rare that we have an opportunity to document the interior of a Sky Citadel, so your task is twofold. First, find out what happened to the first team of Pathfinders. Second, explore the recently reopened chambers, and recover or document any historical treasures found within. I doubt that representatives of the Mithral Mallet will be pleased to see additional Pathfinders, so contact Rukha Borthwick, the sister-in-law of one of our agents in the first team. She is a resourceful dwarf and likely knows what steps to take to get you into those ruins. Luck be yours, Pathfinders.

Please present yourselves to each other

Welcome everyone!

This is our discussion thread for The Lion's Justice's game. Please post the following information here, then you can post in the gameplay thread.

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You've recently been summoned to the Taldan capital city of Oppara, where you arrived at Venture-Captain Muesello’s lodge. The lodge has the appearance of a simple bait and tackle shop, and Muesello has one of his assistants handling the front counter—the store remains open due to the increased profits from the festivities surrounding the Grand Day of Exaltation.
As soon as you enter the Lodge, Muesello excuses himself from his duties as store owner and motions for you to follow him and to convene in a room that’s half meeting room and half tackle storage in the rear of the building.

Venture-Captain Muesello straddles a turned-around wooden chair, resting his arms atop the back. He looks around with a wide smile on his face, nodding with satisfaction at the group assembled before him.
“Good, good. You all made it through the crowds gathered for the Grand Day of Exaltation. Be sure to keep a hand on your coin purses during these festivities; there’s an abundance of pickpockets out there. All the big nobility is at the senate building, including our own Lady Morilla. That’s where the exaltation ceremony is set to take place: the grand prince is going to elevate a commoner into the ranks of the nobility. It’s all real charming, not to mention a great boon for business. Heck, that’s why I’m keeping the shop open even while we meet!”
Muesello lets out a raucous laugh before continuing. “All right, while all the nobles are enjoying their fancy party, it’s up to you to do some important work for Lady Morilla. The Society’s recent accomplishments in the Lands of the Linnorm Kings have gained us support from a member of the Ulfen Guard: a man by the name of Bjarte Trolltooth. Now, it seems that Bjarte wanted to talk to the Society abo—”[/b]

Muesello’s overview is suddenly interrupted by the forceful slamming of the tackle shop’s front door. A bellowing string of foreign words resonates through the shop, followed by tramping footsteps.

Muesello begins to stand when he hears the shopkeeper utter warnings to the unseen visitor about the back room being off-limits. The door to the back room swings open, knocked partially off its hinges by the force of the slam. A bear of an Ulfen man stands in the open doorway, silhouetted by the sunshine from the storefront. A greataxe is strapped along his back, and animal furs cover a set of tanned hide armor. He looks around the back room, a sense of barely restrained fury in his eyes.
“Where is the fancy woman who calls herself Morilla? I, Bjarte Trolltooth of the Ulfen Guard, made an oath to her, and now I uphold that vow. By the gods, this is a dark time. The Grand Prince will soon mete out a bloody culling of the senate. I am honor-bound not to interfere, but I can warn those who might be able to stop it.”

The venture-capatin looks at the Ulfen, apparenly shocked by his arrival and words, yet he shakes the surprise off quickly enough:"Well... I was just going to ask you to find this man here... seems like he found us first!".

Muesello raises to his feet and opens the door, letting the huge armored man in.

"Bjarte my friend... you bring dire tidings with you! Dire indeed... this information, changes the scope of the mission, we need to find a way to prevent Stavian’s planned massacre!"

So saying you start discussing the situation. You need to find a way to stop Taldor's Grand Prince from executing most if not all of the opposition to his rule, and to do that you need a reliable plan, which means you need information first!

Feel free to ask questions now

Venture-Captain Bjersig Torrsen leans over a large desk and studies several aged pages, and the dog Mahki eagerly weaves among the visitors to give each a sniff. “I trust your travels were pleasant,” begins Bjersig as he looks up to weigh the new faces, punctuating certain words or phrases with hand signs. “I am Bjersig Torrsen, head of this lodge. You know Lirall, and Mahki is already introducing himself.”
He moves a parchment toward the front of his desk. “An early Pathfinder agent named Eylysia chronicled an unnamed colleague’s investigation of a feud between two families. Centuries ago, it began with accusations of witchcraft and a gruesome execution, and the two have clashed ever since. However, the families chased off Eylysia’s colleague, and it appears someone hid these records so that a later generation might investigate the incident when the wounds were less fresh. Other agents discovered the records recently and sent them to me, and I have cross-referenced them with local histories here at the lodge. I believe I have a lead.”
With that, he strides over to a large map hanging on the wall, points to a pin stuck into a settlement labeled “Frostbreach,” and continues. “Eylysia’s friend was investigating legends of Kolvi: the so-called Jarlsblood Witch, a warrior executed for using ice magic to kill a king. Legends say she was untouched by winter and was ferociously strong, so she set out to slay a linnorm and become a linnorm king. The reigning linnorm king followed her with his boon companions, and a terrible blizzard struck. Days later, Kolvi returned with the king’s frozen head. The town branded her a traitor, a witch, and an Irriseni sympathizer, sentencing her to death and using her maimed corpse to create a terrible effigy. The tales say that her body disappeared only a few days afterward, which the local folk took as further sign of her supernatural malice. Frostbreach is only a shadow of the town it once was a few centuries ago. Even Kolvi’s relatives have taken on a new surname— Trolltooth—and without Eylysia’s records, I might not have known which family’s reputation Gloriana wanted investigated and restored. I ask that you take the Path of Aganhei and travel to Frostbreach. Explore the town and surrounding area, and interview the people. Confirm what truths you can, debunk the rest, and follow whatever promising leads you find. I recognize that proving the Trolltooth family innocent would be best for the Society, but I leave it up to you to find the real truth, not the most convenient.”

Here's the discussion thread for "The Jarlsblood Witch Saga" scenario. We are going to start 8/13 with the rest of Gameday VII games. In the meantime, please post the following information here.

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The letter that arrives bears Venture-Captain Heidmarch’s seal, and seems to contain an enclosure. “Greetings, Pathfinders! I have new information for you about our agents’ discoveries regarding the cult of Lissala. When the Ten learned of the cult’s active existence, they sent a team to infiltrate a cell in the industrial town of Palin’s Cove. During that mission we learned that the cult intends to bring back the ancient Thassilonian Runelord Krune to rule Varisia. Pathfinder agents next encountered Lissalans here in the City of Strangers and discovered that the cultists aim to return the runelord by using refuge tokens that he created for his followers to reach his hidden location. Our Pathfinders also uncovered the location of an ancient Lissalan shrine, documented to hold a cache of these refuge tokens. The enclosed map shows the location where the shrine is said to be—the fastest way there is from Kaer Maga west into the Wyvern Mountains”.
“Find the shrine and recover the refuge tokens so that we may use them to access Krune’s lair, thus preventing the Lissalans from raising their runelord. Don’t attempt to use the tokens yet—we also need to uncover the proper command words. And hurry, please! A group bearing the Sihedron—Lissala’s holy rune—was seen leaving the city two days ago. They must seek the shrine as well. Should you have additional questions about your mission, seek out a trusted informant in the Downmarket District, a textile merchant named Allira Vandane. She will aid you as much as she can. May Desna smile upon you, Pathfinders.”

For now just post here once and then delete it please.

Here we go. I'm waiting for Warpac and Jing to answer the PMs I sent them. Once I'm sure of the number of avaiable seats I'll open recruitment. In the meantime, please write down the following information and feel free to chat as you see fit.

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Recruitment thread for Pathfinder Society Scenario #5–25: Vengeance at Sundered Crag, Tier 10-11.
We have 5 spots open for this game and onre reserved. Recruitment works on a "first come, first served" basis.

Here we go!

The usual information is required here. In short:

Player's Name:
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The recovery of Jormurdun is at hand! All that stands between the Pathfinder's Society and the forgotten Sky Citadel is the small matter of an army of demons and their lowly mortal servants... but a third party is trying to beat the Pathfinders and stole their glory: the traitorous dwarf Thurl, once a venture-captain now turned traitor and the demon-worshiping criminal, Tancred Desimire.
While your friends and allies risk their lives on the field of battle the Master of Blades Marcus Farabellus has given you a different mission: head north into the worldwound's region known as the Wolfcrags where Jormurdun is located and where both Thurl and Desmire were last seen. Capture those criminals and bring them to justice, then secure Jormurdun so the Society’s can explore it at its leisure once it has won the battle at hand.

Those selected for the game dot here please

As expected the recent blog about the PF2 paladin stirred up quite the debate.
Personally I fall in the camp of those who believe the Paladin should be LG, BUT I also think there's no good reason other alignments should not have their own specific champions, "Aspects" of an alignment if you want.
I believe that the game is made better by specific classes doing specific things and I don't think the paladin turning into a generic "holy warrior" would be an improvement for the game, quite the opposite imo. On the other hand the cosmology of the game makes it clear that alignments are equal. Why should only LG and CE have champions empowered by it? It makes no sense. I think the best solution is to give a specific class to every alignment. That way you can preserve the Paladin as the LG champion and also give other alignments their own champions as well.

Here's my take on the 9 alignment "aspects" then:

LG → The Paladin → This is basically the guy we all know and love. He fights evil, defends law, respects authority, and generally speaking he tries to lead by example.
If an evil king rules the land... The paladin fights against him and his regime until they are defeated in a very flashy and bold way so that they know good won't allow them to do as they please. Once that's accomplished he helps choose a new king that is good for the land and his subjects, possibly training him himself. The paladin may choose to stay in the kingdom working within the system to make it better or leave on a quest against evil.

NG → The Benefactor → This guy aims to do good above all. Whenever he encounters evil he fights it. He may not be as obvious or as bold in his actions as the Paladin is, he may even choose stealth in order to accomplish evil's defeat because making good is the most important thing. He doesn't have strong feelings towards law or authority. If they are good he follows them, if not he opposes them but the system holds a limited appeal for him, obviously evil laws need to go but having good people are more important than having good laws.
If an evil king rules the land... The Benefactor opposes him and his goons and does what is needed to defeat them but doesn't feel compelled to lead people against the evil king unless that's needed in order to accomplish his defeat. Once the king has been defeated the Benefactor vanishes into the night. He might move on searching for new evils to vanquish or just lay low and keep fighting evil without joining the new hierarchy.

CG → The Liberator → To the Liberator Freedom is Good and Good is Freedom. This aspect fights against evil but he's suspicious of the system, doesn't care about laws and does not respect authority even if those in power are good people, because power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. He may trust people who shared his battles but this has to be earned with actions he will never put faith in someone because of his title or social position.
If an evil king rules the land... The Liberator gives him and his minions no respite. He ambushes them whenever he has the chance and conducts guerrilla warfare against their regime. To the Liberator the problem is not the man per sé, the problem is the system's corrupting influence so he takes action against it, often inciting people not to respect laws and to stand up for themselves in defiance of unjust rules. When the evil regime falls the Liberator rejoices but doesn't want anything to do with building a new, better system. He might even advise against forming a new government, believing that it will inevitably get corrupted.

LN → The Enforcer → Law is absolute and must be obeyed without question says the Enforcer. He doesn't care for good or evil, just for following the law to the letter because for him that's its own reward. The Enforcer will work for the system and violently oppose those who threaten it. Morality is an alien concept for the Enforcer unless the act of following the rules and authority figures could be considered moral, which he probably does.
If an evil king rules the land... The Enforcer works for him and helps see that his laws are upheld. A village may starve to death because the king's tax collectors takes everything the villagers have and the Enforcer might be one of them. He does not enjoy seeing the people die yet to him respecting the law is simply more important than people's lives.

N → The Equalizer → Excesses of any kind are bad, moderation in all things is the way to go. The Equalizer sees himself as something of a necessity, someone tasked with stopping extremist alignments to unbalance creation. If good or evil, law of chaos rule the land he will oppose them and try to establish balance between opposing forces by whatever means necessary. Once the scales are balanced he will try to keep them that way even if this could very well be a futile endeavor and his work never truly done.
If an evil king rules the land... The Equalizer asks himself "Has he gone too far?". If the answer to that question is "yes" then he will take action against the king and until some kind of balance is established again and then he will try to keep things that way, stopping excesses of law, chaos, good and evil from taking over.

CN → The Anarchist → The Anarchist embodies absolute freedom of the self and resents those who would try to impose rules on others. The Anarchist is not malevolent, he does not go out of his way to hurt people in order to get what he wants but he does not feel compelled to help others as well. The Anarchist believes governments, laws, authority figures are wrong by themselves, that they are dangerous and need to be erased, so he will violently oppose them whenever possible.
If an evil king rules the land... The Anarchist will fight him he will resort to terrorist tactics targetting the infrastructure of the realm as well as prominent minions of the king. Once the kingdom has fallen and he stands victorious he will try to make sure no new State raises from its ashes and then possibly move on to spread his brand of anarchy to the next country.

LE → The Tyrant → Laws are needed and authority must be respected. A working, functional system is something precious that should be cherished... and exploited for personal gain by those that can master it. Superiors should be respected... until you can prove yourself better than them and take their place within the system. Subjects are inferior because they deserve it, their lot is unquestioning obedience. They should be grateful for being allowed to be a cog in the Machine you keep well oiled and functional. Rebellion and defiance must be stomped out and punished severely. The Tyrant will make use of other people in order to increase his personal power with little regard for their safety. To him they exist to serve but as long as they know their place he will not act against them although he Tyrant will feel the need to put them in their place. He will also prove a relentless foe to those who threaten the system he works within.
If an evil king rules the land... Unless the Tyrant is the king himself, he's at the very least part of his regime. He enforces laws against subjects and takes advantage of them to aggrandize himself and his position whenever he can get away with it. He will raise because he deserves to and if the king slips... he might just be in the right place at the right time to give the land a more deserving ruler after all...

NE → The Malefactor → The Malefactor will go out of his way not only for personal gain but also to make sure other people suffer and the conditions are right for evil to triumph. This aspect actually worships evil and wants its malevolent rule to spread. In order to do so he tries to cause people to suffer and to work against each other rewarding the most heinous and depraved of acts. To further this agenda rules and laws may be useful but ultimately the system is not important by itself. What counts is that people do evil onto each other. Fortunately the Malefactor is there to ensure this will happen. The Malefactor can be subtle or flashy with his actions, he's a pragmatist and will do things the way he thinks is best to get to his goals.
If an evil king rules the land... The Malefactor works to make sure his evil truly flourishes and sweeps the land away. If laws help make people's lives worse he will enthusiastically uphold them. If not he will take matters in his own hands. If he convinces himself the king is "not doing enough" the Malefactor may very well decide to remove him and install himself at his place so that "things can be done the right way".

CE → The Antipaladin → To the Antipaladin life is simple. The strong shall do as they please and the weak shall suffer the consequences. Law and order are just lies, chains forged to keep the strong to rule and therefore they need to be destroyed. A true sociopath, the Antipaladin doesn't care for anyone else but himself and proves no remorse for his actions, no matter how heinous. The Antipaladin may solemnly give his word to an ally and then betray him an hour later because he thinks he will gain something by doing so. The Antipaladin rules and leads others because of his personal strength and the fear he inspires. He knows and enjoys this and may resort to torture and murder just to remind everyone why he's boss.
If an evil king rules the land... The Antipaladin fights against him, slaughters his men and his subjects and if he attracts followers he uses them as a band of marauders not caring at all for them. If the Antipaladin topples the king he kills him in a very public showing of force and then orders his men to do the same with anyone tied to the old regime. His rule will be brutal and may very well end in widespread bloodshed.

This is what I think these "aspects" should be thematically. It goes without saying everyone of them should have different mechanics and different ways to "fall".

Cobra Kai

This is a great series imo. Not only it manages to bring back memories and has that nostalgic 80s feeling but what makes the series enjoyable is how the past meets the present and a tight interesting plot, and the credible develpoments all characters undergo throughout the events of the series.

First 2 episodes are free on YouTube, from there you need a subscription but first month is free as well.

These are things I find myself forced to tell my players are not allowed in my games every time I start a new campaign despite being legal by raw.

-Wish machines (and attempts at wish abuse in general)

-Scry & Fry tactics

-"Ultimate spell combos" the wizard's player saves up for the BBEG fight in order to autowin it (i.e. Limited Wish -> Geas)

I believe the reason I'd like PF2 not to allow the aforementioned exploits to be self explanatory but let's go in detail anyway.

The problem (Wish Machines): If allowed, wish machines force the DM to go to extreme measures to preserve game ballance (which implies a lot of work more on top of the amount required with high level play) or see the game crash. These "contraptions" usually exploit stuff like mass cloning of extraplanar beings (usually Efreets) and/or ways to get lots of diamonds without paying for them. I don't think they were even intended to work as they do, but by RAW PF1 allows them, giving unscrupulous players a powerful argument against their GM.
Suggested solution: state in the magic section of the PF2 rulebook that wish granting beings cannot be forced in any way to grant a wish, that the diamond you consume for a wish needs to be "natural" and cannot be magically created in any way (including "demiplanes of diamonds") and that a cloned or otherwise "created" wish granting creature loses access to wish as a spell like ability.

The Problem (Scry & Fry): This exploit works once the players get access to teleport and powerful divination magic. They buff up as wella s they can, the wizard scries the location of the BBEG and then teleports himself and the rest of the party into the final encounter avoiding all story progression and inevitable attrition. Obviously a GM has ways against this, chief among them stating that every dungeon/castle/cavern/war-camp/what-have-you is magically protected against scry and teleport magic (or just have the BBEG use said tactic himself... which usually ends in a TPK). This is an inelegant solution that often breaks suspension of disbelief and causes players who want to employ such tactics to "win" to feel cheated out of their "just reward" for their "cleverness".
Suggested solution: Make divination magic useful on smaller scale endeavours but not so much it easily breaks chronicle plots and easily revelas secrets supposed to be discovered during play. Make teleportation magic, slower to cast, riskier and more unreliable. Portals can bring you from point A to point B in space with little to no risks. Teleporting into an enemy lair and then out of it with pinpoint accuracy (unless you are really unlucky) is too much and risks trivializing encounters.

The problem (Spell comboes): Put together a couple of spells that are mostly fine by themselves and break the game. The most egregious example of this I can think of is the aforementioned Limited Wish+Geas. Geas takes a long time to cast but allows no save check. It's meant for situations where the target is somehow incapacitated and unable to disrupt the casting. Use limited wish to duplicate it and by raw you can cast this no save spell with a standard action and then gain control over the target, instantly ending most encounters with a snap of your fingers.
Suggested Solution: Rewrite Limited Wish stating that when used to duplicate a spell it uses the original casting time. Make it so all spells allow for saves, possibly including circumstantial bonuses or negative modifiers against them (if you've been captured by the cultists and you have no way to stop them from casting geas on you, your roll gets a negative modifier or the caster's spell gets an higher DC you must beat).

We've learned how ability boosts will work for dwarves, elves, goblins, halflings and gnomes. Basically they get their old ability boosts and single flaw while also getting a floating boost to another ability of their choice.

This leaves the question open of how the new system will work for humans and "mixed heritages". Previously they got a single stat boost to whatever ability they wished (and the ability to choose what to boost was really powerful because it let you customize your character to have an advantage to basically any class you chose). What will happen with PF2?

Personally I think the most likely outcome to be for humans to get 2 different floating ability boosts without the flaw. While I think this will cause humans to end up as being "the best race" again I also think PF2 will give Paizo the chance to differentiate humans and mixed heritages more.

Here's my suggestion:

-Humans should get 2 floating boosts while half orcs and half elves get 2 as well but with ALSO a fixed boost and a fixed flaw. Say, half orcs get a +2 to str and a -2 to int along with 2 floating bonuses while half elves get a +2 to dex and a -2 to con and the other 2 bonuses as well.

-Humans should get their boosts to one mental and one physical ability. In all likelyhood they'll end up getting a free general feat again at creation. 2 ability boosts on top of that with no flaws and no limitations risk turning them into the "best race for any class you choose" all over again.

Here we go. Please provide me with the following information:

Chronicle #:
Player's Name:
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Note: We'll probably start a few days later than expected because people need to complete their current games. I hope to be able to start soon though.

Mendev’s Pathfinder lodge in the capital city of Nerosyan is housed within Starrise Spire, a defensive tower in the outer wall whose pinnacle glows with celestial light that shines out like a beacon, simultaneously giving comfort to Nerosyan’s defenders and acting as a warning to any who might wish the city harm.
Venture-Captain Jorsal of Lauterbury calls a short meeting on a covered balcony overlooking the city. A middle-aged Mwangi man with greying hair, he closes the door to the spire’s interior and takes a seat in one of the set-up camp chairs, gesturing for his guests to do the same.
“We Pathfinders of Mendev,” he states, making a sweeping hand gesture that encompasses everyone present, “have our own agendas, but these must sometimes give way to the greater need: the protection of this land and its people from the horrors that dwell in the Worldwound. “We are here by the grace of her majesty, Queen Galfrey of Mendev. Without her support, we would surely be run out of town by Hulrun’s more fervent followers. Our agreement with her states that all Pathfinders are required to volunteer some of their time in the defense of the realm. As relative newcomers, I’ve recommended you to take part in a minor military mission under the command of a veteran crusader named Sir Ilivan of Erages. Although he is not a Pathfinder, you would be wise to follow his advice, as he has been fighting the Abyssal spawn longer than some of you have been alive. I expect you will give him the respect he deserves.”
Venture-Captain Jorsal stands and opens the heavy wooden door leading back into the lodge, revealing a tall half-elven man clad in heavy plate armor, wearing a red tabard typical of the Mendevian Crusaders, and carrying a cavalry helmet in his left hand. He gives a professional nod to Jorsal before striding to the front of the group, surveying everyone with poorly disguised disappointment.
“Pathfinders,” he barks in quick staccato without further preamble, “our mission is simple. The recent attacks on the wardstones have compromised our defenses, and the enemy presses its advantage. We have received word of attacks on Fort Portolmaeus to the north, but the crusader leadership suspects that other parts of the line may have been breached as well. We will proceed to Fort Portolmaeus tomorrow morning on horseback to assess the damage, using the passphrase ‘That the Black Prince might be redeemed’ to permit us entry. On the way there, we will scout for enemy movements and other signs of demon activity. Once we have completed our assessment, we are to return to Nerosyan and you will be relieved of your obligations to the Crown. Do you have any questions?”

Hi everyone. The actual game will start by january the 5th, but there's no harm in spending a couple of minutes providing me with your PFS info, and of course discussing the upcoming game or asking questions.

Player's Name:
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Your voyage from Absalom to Oppara on a ship provided by Lady Morilla herself is thankfully uneventful, despite the huge, black clouds ammassing to the east. Once in Oppara a light drizzle welcomes you, making even the paved roads treacherous and muddy. In the end you convene at the clandestine lodge of Venture-Captain Muesello, who maintains his operation in the back rooms of a bait and tackle shop. His pockmarked face creases with concern as he nods in greeting, checks outside, closes the door, and posts a “Gone Fishing” sign out front. From there, he ushers you into a
concealed room where Lady Gloriana Morilla waits in a chair near the fireplace.

“I appreciate your answering my call,” Venture-Captain Muesello says with a subdued smile as he closes the room’s curtains and clears away an unfinished wayfinder to make space. “Some of you may already know Lady Gloriana Morilla, and I shall explain why she’s joined us momentarily. First, let us remember that General Arnisant, hero of the Shining Crusade, is one of the most highly regarded figures in Taldor’s history. Arnisant’s hometown of Ridonport has always been especially proud of him, and nearly nine centuries since his death, his home’s still preserved as a museum. The Society regularly submits requests to the museum to examine the historical artifacts there. Usually we get a polite and curt ‘no.’ Most recently, though?” Muesello tilts his head from side to side as if considering his words. “This time the curator, Cincia Reviamo, wrote that she cannot help because the local lord, Earl Calhadion Vernisant, has been taking undue liberties with the museum and its collection—apparently taking whatever he wants from it, claiming he has the right because he’s a direct descendant of General Arnisant. Taking priceless relics is one thing, but there’s another angle that Lady Morilla can explain better.”
Gloriana Morilla picks up where Muesello left off. “Taldor has many great legacies, but there are some traditions better left in the past. The practice of primogeniture dictates that Taldor’s crown only passes to male heirs, yet the laws have been amended over time to allow women to inherit land and titles in some circumstances”.
“Even so, the Lion,” Morilla states, motioning that the animal has special significance, “has no male heir and seems utterly against his young Lioness leading the pride. It’s a stubborn stance that could condemn Taldor to civil war. I have spoken to many senators who also believe it’s time to update the empire’s inheritance laws. The Lion and his loyalists view this growing equality movement as a personal attack, even a coup. Among these is the Earl Vernisant, who would readily vote against reform just to become part of the Lion’s inner circle”.
“Count Orlundo Zespire, however, is an undecided senator. Exports from his lands travel through Vernisant’s region, yet along the way many of the goods go missing as a result of canal piracy. Zespire suspects his colleague is at least negligent in allowing these crimes to transpire in his town—and possibly worse. It seems this isn’t the first misunderstanding between the two, and the count has informed me that he would be in the Lioness’s debt were she able to arrange someone to resolve the matter. If that also involves finding evidence that ties Vernisant to criminal elements, making that evidence public would cause the earl considerable distress and bring the count considerable joy. Just keep in mind that no matter what evidence you find, you’ll need to convince Ridonport’s citizens to trust you before they’ll take your word over that of General Arnisant’s descendant.”
Muesello clears his throat before adding, “Just to be clear, the Society’s interest is in stopping Vernisant’s relic-pilfering and getting in the curator’s good graces. It so happens that Lady Morilla’s and the Society’s aims overlap nicely. Visit the museum, talk to the curator, figure out how to protect the collection, and investigate the earl’s alleged misdeeds. Any questions?”

Please post the following information here:

Chronicle #:
History:
Player's Name:
Character's Name:
Faction:
PFS #:
XP:
Prestige:
Fame:
Gold:
XP TRACK:
Favoured Pregen:

Please dot here and then erase your first post. Thank you

After you foiled Hjort Fastaxe and Runa White's plan to destroy the Pathfinder's Society reputation in Trollheim you spent very little time inside the ulfen city.
The clues you found gave a very clear direction to your search for Rognvald Skagni, the kidnapped historian and ally of the Society you were tasked to track down. He was being held against his will in Whinterthrone the capital of Irrisen and home of Baba Yaga’s white witch daughters. Traveling across the border from the Lands of the Linnorm Kings into Irrisen is no small feat, but you managed it by joining a mixed caravan of hunters and merchants headed for Whitethrone on a diplomatic mission. The merchants warned you that Whitethrone has been up in arms against Pathfinders recently, and therefore you would likely need to sneak into the city. Things were going well until terrifying ice trolls and soldiers of Whitethrone’s Iron Guard who, it seems, were not interested in speaking to a diplomatic mission, ambushed the caravan. You barely escaped with your lives, though most of their caravan did not.

A biting wind blows from the north and snow blows in blinding drifts amid numbing fog. The bone-white walls of Whitethrone, capital of Irrisen and home of Baba Yaga’s white witch daughters, rises into the frigid northern night. Somewhere within is the Shadow Lodge headquarters hinted at in Trollheim where the poor historian Rognvald Skagni is being held. Reaching this point was a difficult challenge, but gaining entry into the city itself presents the greatest obstacle yet.

Please dot here and then erase it, thank you

Please post the following information here:

Chronicle #:
History:
Player's Name:
Character's Name:
Faction:
PFS #:
XP:
Prestige:
Fame:
Gold:
XP TRACK:
Day Job roll:

Need 2 players for part 2 of this scenario. Current PCs are a Wayang vigilante, a human kineticist, a human investigator/bard, and a human 2 weapon fighter.

While building some non canonical adventures for my players I came up with the idea of statting a few dragons I want to use as "last bosses" in my home games. While doing this isn't too difficult I worry about the CR since I'm unsure about applying it correctly.

I have 3 dragons who are mythic and also have character levels. They are:

-A Gold Great Wyrm, Alchemist (vivisectionist) 20, Archmage 7.
-A Red Great Wyrm, Sorceror 15 (Arcane Bloodline), Archmage 10
-A Blue Great Wyrm, Mesmerist 20 (Enigma), Trickster 8

What would the suggested CR for these NPC villains be?

My human un-rogue is almost lvl 5.
It's a PFS character with the following stats:

Strength 10
Dexterity 19
Constitution 12
Intelligence 13
Wisdom 12
Charisma 13

It's also worth nothing this PC can use vanish and is pretty good at moving into position for flanking with the party's main melee character. It did well thus far but I fear after level 5 things will change dramatically. So... what to do next?

As I see things my options are:

-Keep it as an un-rogue. It will get gloom magic and greater gloom magic at level 6 and 8, which will help getting even more sneak attack damage in. And of course sneak attack will improve up to 6d6, which isn't half bad for a kukri wielding un-rogue adding its dex to damage. Yet I don't know how to deal with the lack of flight, and I fear huge monsters will hit the character far too easily.

-Get a level of wizard (transmuter or illusionist or diviner) and then become an arcane trickster. The character will be able to flyfrom lvl 10 and will have several spells to boost itself. Losing all favoured class bonuses though and sneak attack only gets up to 5d6. Wizard also helps with will save.

-Become a Shadowdancer. The PC won't be able to fly but it will be able to teleport from shadow to shadow. It will also get the ability to summon shadow minions and to hide in plain sight, poor man's invisibility maybe but almost always useful. No boost to sneak attack and weak defenses though.

What option should I choose?

Please post the following information here:

Chronicle #:
History:
Player's Name:
Character's Name:
Faction:
PFS #:
XP:
Prestige:
Fame:
Gold:
XP TRACK:
Day Job roll:

The courtyard outside of Sorrina Westyr’s office is a tribute to the element of earth. Large, dark boulders jut from a carpet of smooth pebbles. Wildflowers and moss spring from the cracks between the stones. The Master of Spells’ slategray skin seems to blend into the rock she lounges on in the sun-dappled courtyard, her face upturned to the cloudless sky. Sorrina stretches luxuriously before turning to smile.
“Enjoy the open air while you can, Pathfinders,” she says. “You are to be among the first agents sponsored to explore the planes—the Plane of Earth, to be exact. Reyshal ik Jalman, the Society’s contact on the Plane of Earth, recently alerted us to a rare opportunity. The Sultana’s constant war with the City of Brass means the shaitan empire needs more soldiers, and they have begun recruiting off-world mercenaries to train alongside their military. That’s where you come in.” Westyr leaps to her feet in a fluid motion, pulling an amethyst crystal wrapped in copper wire from her pocket. “Please travel with Reyshal to the Opaline Vault. He can pull some strings to get you in with the mercenary company known as the Ungrounded. Complete the basic training and prove to your superiors that the Pathfinders are useful allies. Reyshal and I believe that working with the Ungrounded will lay the foundation for an alliance with the Peerless Empire. What’s more, this is an excellent means for you to establish your own professional credentials and connections.” Westyr pauses to brush a fallen leaf from her hair. “I’ll contact Reyshal as soon as you’re ready.”

Please post the following information here:

Chronicle #:
History:
Player's Name:
Character's Name:
Faction:
PFS #:
XP:
Prestige:
Fame:
Gold:
XP TRACK:
Day Job roll:

The meeting in Absalom with Drandle Dreng nearly a month ago was brief, as always. “I have a routine mission for you, though a dangerous routine mission,” the old man whispered in the great hall in the Grand Lodge. Suffering from a cold and weak from lack of food and rest, the old venture-captain looked quite possibly the worst you’d ever seen him. Through wracking coughs he explained, “An ally of ours in the Land of the Linnorm Kings—Rognvald Skagni—is writing a lengthy report on the state of government in the northern countries of Avistan. I received a letter from him just yesterday requesting several key documents from the vaults here to help him finish the report.”
Venture-Captain Dreng patted a large, heavy-looking chest next to him. “These are the documents, and I need you to board a ship north to deliver them to Skagni.”
Dreng tried to stand at that point, but a fit of coughing sent him back into his seat. He gestured for a well-dressed, impeccably kept man standing in the shadows of the room to approach and whispered raspy orders to him. The man picked up a small pouch and a large key and handed them both to the party.
“Venture-Captain Dreng is unwell, as you can see. He wished me to give you this key and this pouch of gold. The key opens the chest, and the gold will buy you passage and get you from the Linnorm coast to Trollheim, where Skagni resides. Whatever you do, do not let the chest out of your sight and do not, under any circumstances, allow it to be searched. These documents are for Mr. Skagni’s eyes only. Are we understood?”
Dreng’s nameless servant waited for a reply and then smiled. “Good. Now run along; Venture-Captain Dreng needs his rest.”

Welcome! For the moment dot here (or even better post once and then delete your post)

Here we go, please post the relevant information here. Thanks!

Chronicle #: The number of chronicles the character's got (can't be more than 2)
History: Scenarios played with the PC until this game (can't be more than 2)
Player's Name: The name you use for your PFS identity as a player
Character's Name: The name of the character you want the chronicle assigned to.
Faction: The character's faction
PFS #: The character's PFS number
XP: How many XP has the character you want the chronicle assigned to (again, max 2)
Prestige: How well reguarded is the character wo gets the chronicle? (max 4 at this point)
Fame: How famous is the character getting the chronicle? (max 4 at this point)
Gold: How much gold the character who gets the Chronicle has got in his purse...
XP TRACK: Slow or Normal?
Pregen: The lvl 1 pregen character you want to play or you can just play a lvl 1 character

The River Kingdoms is a tumultuous land of bloodthirsty bandits, treasure laden ruins, and self-proclaimed kings, and for years it has been the subject of study for Ulisha, a curious and capable half-orc explorer.

Shortly after performing a heist that enraged the local nobility, she came across a collapsing stone circle and discovered Silverhex, an enchanted sickle used by druids millennia before. She did not have long to admire her find, though, for the nobles had posted a bounty to end her meddling for good.

Unable to deal with her pursuers on her own, she has contacted the you, who she's heard about from common acquantainces from Taldor. If you can raise enough money, she’s willing to sell you Silverhex at a steep discount and then pay off her bounty.

By the time you arrive at Ulisha’s meeting place, she is nowhere to be found. However, she left behind her journal full of profitable leads as a sign of good faith. Using her journal as a guide, the PCs can explore the region, seek their fortune, and earn enough gold to buy the ancient relic.

Welcome back. Dot here for now

Let's say one of my PCs has the Crossbow Mastery feat and fulfills all the requirements for the Manyshot feat. Crossbow Mastery allows him to fire his crossbow as it was a bow as reloading is now a free action for him. In this case would Manyshot work with a crossbow?

Terrorist attacks in Tehran

How is that Isis' members are hardline sunnis, are (or at least were) finaced by Saudi Arabia, the same State that financed and trained members of Al Quaida and the 9/11 terrorists yet the U.S. never say a word against Saudi Arabia and just closed a deal for 110 billions in weapons to be sold to them?
Is that because Saudi Arabia is respectful of human rights and civil liberties, with their beheadings and laws taken straight from the middle ages (check women rights in Saudi Arabia for an example)?
How is that western governments talk about the "war on terror" but somehow always avoid to take into account the State that more than any other has helped spreading a medieval style version of Islam throughout the world, western countries included?

Take Pakistan as an example

A month ago Theresa May and her Tories seemed to have the election in their pockets already.
Corbyn leadership over the Labour Party, while enjoying strong support from its supporters was vehemently opposed by most of the party's MPs (the same MPs who just tried to stage a coup in the Brexit's wake and are currenltly praying for their party's failure in order to oust Corbyn).
Besides that Corbyn's media coverage had been abysmal, with him branded as a "terrorist sympathizer", a "caveman" or simply as "unelectable".
With 2 days to go before the general election happens it seems despite all odds, hostility and sabotage Corbyn and the Labour Party have actually managed to gain traction and polls give them decent numbers and Theresa May and the Tories stand to actually lose seats instead of gaining them as they had hoped when they decided to call for a snap election.
The election is 2 days from now and anything may yet happen. The Labour winning seems unlikely yet the latest polls don't rule that possibility out. If that happens, or as it seems more likely, if the Tories cannot rule Parliament alone anymore then we are going to see some exciting times with consequences and "ripple effects" on global scale.
This could mean a step for general policies to move leftward insted of rightward.

Those recruited for the game please dot here and feel free to present yourselves to each other.

Those recruited should provide the following information.

Chronicle #: The number of chronicles the character's got (can't be more than 2)
History: Scenarios played with the PC until this game (can't be more than 2)
Player's Name: The name you use for your PFS identity as a player
Character's Name: The name of the character you want the chronicle assigned to.
Faction: The character's faction
PFS #: The character's PFS number
XP: How many XP has the character you want the chronicle assigned to (again, max 2)
Prestige: How well reguarded is the character wo gets the chronicle? (max 4 at this point)
Fame: How famous is the character getting the chronicle? (max 4 at this point)
Gold: How much gold the character who gets the Chronicle has got in his purse...
XP TRACK: Slow or Normal?
Pregen: The lvl 1 pregen character you want to play

Hello there!

Searching for 4 to 6 pathfinders willing to brave unknown dangers and travel the world in order to restore a taldan commoner his family's legacy as nobles of the land.

This will be a game of the Pathfinder's Quest: Honor's Echo. As such you can only play this scenario with Lvl 1 PFS pregen characters, avaiable at the provided link.
You can play this scenario for PFS credit but you can only apply the final chronicle sheet to a 1st lvl character (existing before the game starts).
The game is composed of a series of interlinked but separated quests.
You start in the Verduran Forest and move through the Inner Sea region searching for evidence of ancient and noble deeds.

As with most online games I expect players to be able to post at least once a day and to respect general rules and conventions for PbP games.

As in the title.
I know normal scenarios are supposed to reward players 1XP and 1 or 2PP upon completion.
At the same time I know most sanctioned modules (like Feast or Ravenmoor or The Godsmouth Heresy) should give players 3XP and 4PP. Yet there's stuff like "We be goblins" that only give players 1XP and 2PP.
So I'd like to know where I can find a list of each sanctioned modules with the amount of XP/PP that are supposed to be awarded.

Thanks for the help!

If possible I'd like to ask about the reasoning behid some stuff that got banned in PFS in previous books, especially concerning martial stuff.

Weapon Master's Handbook:

-The Liberating weapon ability (which would help martials a great deal to snap put of paralysis effects and the like IF the PC can pass his check)

-Cailean fighting tankard (for 10,301 gp doesn't seem that OP at all, far from it actually. Maybe there's something I'm missing here?)

-Aldori Caution trait (is a +1 to dodge AC that much? You have to fight defensively or be in total defense to profit from it...)

-Most of the banned feats. The dwarven hatred style and orc fury style bans are especially puzzling to me. While powerful they'd need considerable feat investment (3 feats to get the full benefit), have drawbacks (for dwarven hatred style you need to be wounded before it starts working) and generally don't seem to compare with some of the stuff non martials have at their disposal even in PFS. Also Smash from the air being banned seems to continue the trend of anything even remotely working against spells being removed from martial hands.

Armor Master's Handbook:

-Advanced Armor Training - Armor Specialization (Again, this gives the PC a nice increase to AC but it's not that huge, especially considering how at high levels most monsters will hit you anyway with very little chance for missing).

Magic Tactics Toolbox:

-All advanced weapon training options being illegal for play seems a bit of an overkill to me.

If possible I'd like to know people's opinions on these bans and possibly the reasoning behind them all. Thanks!

... I need a few clarifications first.

I've never GMed PFS before and I don't have many chances to play it live. So I'd like to try doing it online but I'd like to ask a few questions first:

-I already have a PFS Id card, do I need a GM code or do I use my player Id? If I need a GM code how do I get it?

-Event should be "PFS Online PbP" Right? What about event number? If the game is not played during an event like a gameday, who assigns this number?

-How do I report the chronicle cheets once the game is done?

Thanks in advance to anyone willing to help me!

When I picked up Heaven Unleashed I was disappointed. The problem was not the quality of the material but the actual rules for some of the beings the book presents.
For example, Andoletta is supposed to be a CR 28 encounter but when compared with most demon lords or archdevils she seems to be woefully inadequate (stawise) to deal with such creatures.

So here's my challenge: take an empyreal lord (Chronicle of the righteous has a list if you need it) and give him or her stats.

Ragathiel, Pulura, Smiad... there's many of them and they should not feel like second class demi goods to their evil counterparts!

One of the things that irked me the most about Taldor is how stereotypical it seems. An old fantasy empire in decadence, populated with fops and wannabe nobles and not much more.

The premise was interesting enough: a once mighty empire in decline, dreaming of its lost glories. Unfortunately the execution left a lot to be desired. Taldans were mostly represented as ineffectual fops, obsessing around the latest fashions. The Taldan empire has been shown to be on the verge of collapse with very few redeemable qualities (the only one I can think of is they proved to be more respectful than Andorens towards the Verduran Forest).
While Cheliax's image is built around its ties to Hell and Andoran's by being a young democracy in a fantasy setting, Taldor has been identified with its decadence, and that concept, while interesting, has become almost all encompassing and, being negative by definition, not very appealing at all. Besides that, the companion book "Taldor:echoes of glory" was adequate at best and didn't do much to improve or deepen Taldor's image.

All this to say in my opinion Taldor needs a huge restyling, and since it seems the game developers are working on other projects I believe the community should try to do it instead, or at least to come up with interesting ideas that can be further develped in time.

That said I don't think the decadence angle should go away. Quite the contrary. What it needs is to be made interesting and appealing, giving people resons to want to play a taldan character.

So I'd like to throw out some areas of interest that can use some work.

Taldor and religion: Taldor is one of the oldest empires around. It was once the seat of the faith of Aroden (and interesting enough Aroden's last cathedral is located in Oppara), then that faith migrated towards Cheliax. How did this affect Taldor and Taldans?
Besides that what are the most widely worshipped deities in Taldor? What about Sarenrae?
Generally speaking I think we need a much more detailed exposition about the religious aspects of Taldor.

Taldor and society: What is the taldan society like? We know they have nobles, peasants and a small class of rich people who can aspire to buy their way into the nobility. They have a gigantic (and very costy) military. But this is only the surface. What about slaves? Does Taldor allow slavery? Or does it have something different, like serfdom (which it should be noted could be even worse than slavery... no person owns you, but the land does, meaning you can't leave the place where you were born and need to obey the ones who hold power over the land). What about the gentry? Do they want to just become nobles or to do as the Andorens did? What do the peasant think when tales of Galt reach them? How does a Taldan born in a city differ from one born in the countryside?

Taldor and nobility: In my mind Taldor should be Golarion's "land of intrigue". But in order to have that you need factions and since the land is run by nobles you need noble factions opposing each other.
These factions should answer the question "how do we bring back Taldor's past glories?" in different ways. A "traditionalist noble" could believe Taldor's decadence to be an effect of foreign customs and vouch for the return of "traditional Taldan values". On the other hand an "innovator noble" would believe the opposite while a "militarist noble" would lobby for an even stronger military. And then of course there are many other factors that could define noble factions.

Taldor and magic: Taldor was the biggest empire Avistan had ever seen. It managed to defeat and imprison the Whispering Tyrant. How is it it doesn't seem to have any notable arcane institution or individual? In other words, how do taldans see magic? How do they use it?

Taldor and the demihuman races: Taldor is still pretty huge. It encompasses different environments and even holds a sky citadel of the dwarfs inside its borders. So what is the relationship Taldans have with members of the non human races? What about the fey? And the elegant elves of the north?

Taldor and the other nations: This has actually received some thought but it just barely scratched the surface of what can be done. Do all Taldans hate Quadira and despise Cheliax? Do all of them fear Galt? What about Andoran and organizations like the Lumber Consortium? What about the Aspis Consortium?

Taldor and secret organizations: Taldor has the Lion Blades... and then what? Are there no other secret organizations hiding among the land? What about thieves guilds, mercenary companies, secret cults?

EU vs Apple & Ireland

Any opinions on this?

Apple claims it did everything by the law and will appeal. It also sent thinly veiled threats towards the EU claiming enforcing this ruling would mean a huge loss in terms of jobs.

Ireland defends its own deal with Apple claiming it will support their appeal. It says the company paid the taxes it was supposed to (even if that amounts to 50 euros for every million of profits generated in Europe in 2014 for example).

The EU claims Ireland gave Apple a "sweetheart deal" allowing it to gain an unfair market advantage and paying much less than it had to.

So... in your opinion, who's right and who's wrong here?

Here's the article

Seems like Isis is concentrating more and more on propaganda hoping to show they are still active and winning (when in truth they are losing ground in Syria and Iraq) but this is a clear "jump in quality" as the man killed was an elderly chatolic priest officiating mass.

The point here is probably Isis using these events as a sort of bloody "recruitment ads" and propaganda tools, but also as means to exacerbate the relations between religious communities, thus gaining more followers after the backlash they expect to happen.
It's an unfortunately clever strategy and it's pretty difficult to counter. Common people in most western countries are facing a decline of income and loss of rights (what the ruling elite calls "change"), and it's an historical fact that in case such as these the easiest reaction is to blame foreigners and minorities for all these troubles (something right wing political parties everywhwere actively do). Isis is contributing to this climate with several acts of terrorism meant to inflame the public and cause backlash they count to profit from.

So, if this is the problem, the question stays the same: how do you counter this kind of strategy and avoid western people choosing right wingers who would do exactly what Isis expects?