I realise that the characters can also earn Virtues, but none of them are really virtuous, they're not the best roleplayers either and like following clues, killing things and taking their stuff.
So I decided to just eschew virtues in the AP and just give them sins. They'll never know and they'll still have fun.
Personally, I'm going to do away with awarding points for sin during the campaign. I have been making mental notes which character most embodies which sin and assigning that to them when the time is right.
When it comes to my explanation, I doubt that they will argue with me, because it will be pretty clear.
One of them does heaps of damage and laughs when he picks up a fistful of D6s, that's Pride. Another one has his character talk about how fearful people should be of his god and doesn't like lots of people, he's Wrath. Another one *really* is afraid of getting hit and gets into cover/out of range as soon as there's a threat, she's Sloth. I've got another character who does lots of sexy dances as their bardic performance, so I've assigned him Lust.
There's another character joining us halfway through Book 2, and until I get to know he and his character's style, he's currently unassigned. He's playing a rogue so I reckon he'll end up with Greed.
Yeah, that's exactly what I'm going to be going for, Tangent. It's all about the Action Economy, and if there a more little guys, the spells for the Magus won't come out as often.
As for the concentration checks in combat, he carries a whip (ranged melee attack) so I don't believe that he will have to make that many. Unless he's threatened by a creature with reach, for example. I can't wait for Xanesha to be unleashed on the party. I can't wait to smack them down just before they come back and claim victory. This makes them happy, and in turn, this makes me happy.
And Are, I have thought very hard about this. I'm not worried about the Ranger, because she's getting Rapid Shot and very likely Manyshot down the road, so she'll be able to kick some butt. The Cleric just likes to stand there and hit things, summon his ghost weapon thingy and heal every so often. The Bard just likes dancing and buffing/removing de-buffs. The Rogue joining the party will be doing some pretty sick sneak attack damage. It's just the Alpha Strike I'm worried about mostly. But with everyone's tips, I think that I can manage that effectively.
It's worth noting that the two big things the group enjoys is revealing mysteries and challenging tactical combat. They like winning, but they want to feel like they had to try to win. I can do the mystery part no problem, but as a relatively new GM, I must admit I'm not the best at spotting weaknesses and exploiting them to give a sense of danger, hence this post.
I'll see how I go with my plans, but as I said, as the GM pretty much everything is fluid to me. If there are suddenly less hitpoints on a creature, then so be it! And if I think things are too hard, I'll dial back the encounters to hit the sweet spot. The players trust me, and they *think* I'm playing it straight, adventure as written with some adjustments for better play, but I'm not - as long as we're all having fun, they get their challenge, I get to play with some interesting monsters/mechanics and tell an awesome story, then we've all won.
Thanks again for all your great suggestions, but now I have to think about an additional player! I've got another friend who wants to join in. He's pretty unexperienced, too, but I will have to add 25% more monsters now, I reckon.
I'm going to totally throw out XP and have them level up at the pre-determined points as suggested in the AP, and I've come up with a quick and dirty way of beefing up the challenge.
If I can add 25% more monsters, great, I will also give full HP to them.
If it's easier to add 50% more monsters due to the math, great, I will keep HP at an average.
I'll also be using more cunning tactics to make the players feel *threatened*. That's really my goal, I don't want them to cake-walk, but ultimately I want them to succeed. I don't want their characters to die unless they make stupid decisions.
I will also be making full-use out of Tangent's favourite tool: The Fudge. But I'm pretty sneaky with it. :)
I pull the maps out of the AP, and scale up the squares to be one inch squared.
I then get them printed in a large format printer. Depending on the size, it might take just a couple of A3s, or even as large as an A2 or A1. I have the option of going A0, but I've never needed to do this yet.
Now, having said that, I did show the players all of Thistletop. I didn't have so much a problem with the layout of the dungeon, but the fact that the map references are printed on the maps.
I found my players just hitting each room in numerical order. Now, while that's very easy for me to track, I feel that they are going too methodical about this, and I want them to feel like they're making a decision on where to go next.
The secret rooms were not found unless they passed a Perception check where they're not allowed to take 20 or 10, so they didn't metagame this, which is nice.
In future, I think that I will be going into my picture editing software and blacking out all the map references on the maps before printing in addition to using blank sheets of paper to cover unexplored areas.
Firstly the term "tank" was really just more relevant when they were fighting goblins. They're pretty stupid and usually run at the first enemy that they see, and that's the dwarf. Later on, I know that he probably won't be prioritised, so I'm all good there.
You guys were right about the ultra-optimiser. What I'm trying to accomplish is that in fights everyone feels as if they contributed and do well, not just let the Magus in with the whip, smash the boss and then run away. Strix's can also fly, and with a whip at range makes melee have a bit of a tough time. I'll make sure that spells and ranged attacks even the playing field. It also helps that a lot of the areas have quite low ceilings so he has to walk anyway. Strix's wings are massive, so they need at least five more feet in my game to give them enough room.
As for the ranger, she likes to stand out of the room or just in and ping arrows, so I might just have some sneaky (surprise!) mooks come up behind to get her closer to the action. :)
I'll keep adding HP to the bigger encounters, and then after Level 6 might look at starting to add Advanced Templates. I have no problem with the Strix doing massive damage, as long as the bad guy has enough hit points for everyone else to have a crack too!
Hi all! I just wanted to say first up that this entire community rocks, and I have read a lot of these threads to clarify certain points during this AP, and for general tips. So thanks!
Now, I'm a fairly novice GM and I've been running this AP since June for a four person party. I gave them all a 20 point buy for a little extra-survivability, but I still want them to feel challenged. I also gave them three traits, one of which had to be a campaign trait in the Player's Guide to the AP.
We're approaching the end of Chapter 1 and the team has just defeated Nualia and it was almost a TPK! I had her, Tsuto, and two Yeth Hounds (the one Yeth Hound from the chapel above was frightened out of the arena and flew out the Tentamort's lair - I had it come back downstairs and joined its master for the battle).
Now, I LOVE that it was almost a TPK, but they managed to scrape through. I faked HP left on Nualia and Tsuto and I also "forgot" about the Yeth Hound's damage reduction, and I have been adding as a rule, for most bosses up until this point max-HP.
My question is, does that sound about right to you? Or should I be giving max-HP to every baddie they face?
My party consists of:
Elven Ranger played by an inexperienced player. Likes to stay in the back and ping arrows and is scared of being hit.
Dwarven Cleric and tank of the party. Also played by a fairly inexperienced player.
A Strix Scorpion-whip shocking grasp alpha strike Magus who has already planned his character to 15th level. This one is my biggest problem with challenge because he can absolutely rinse bosses with True Strike/Spell Strike etc. Very experienced player.
Kitsune Bard with some good utility/dancing options, can't fight well though. Also pretty experienced, but I like that he is always trying to cast Charm Person on everyone.
In hindsight, I probably should have limited character options to CRB, APG, or at the very least get rid of any Uncommon Races.
So what do you reckon? As a GM, am I on the right track with changing the encounters? I use Hero Lab for the combats, and I think adding Advanced to the creatures is overkill. Is Max-HP enough?
Any assistance will be appreciated, and thanks in advance!
For dungeons, I do the old grabbing dungeon maps in GIMP, scaling up and printing off the PDF. I usually go to a local print shop and print off the size of paper that doesn't require me to cut it up.
I also print off relevant character portraits, and any strange monsters I print the images off for them too.
For sound, I use Syrinscape which is a dynamic background soundtrack and soundboard for tabletop games. Made by a fellow Aussie, I strongly suggest you check it out and the free trial gives you a couple of soundsets to have a look at.
Male NG Human Warpriest of Pharasma (Healing, Water) 2
Size
Medium
Age
Adult
Alignment
NG
Deity
Pharasma
Languages
Common
Strength
18
Dexterity
12
Constitution
12
Intelligence
11
Wisdom
14
Charisma
10
About Cavasin the Gray
Male human warpriest 2
NG Medium humanoid (human)
Init +1; Senses Perception +2
DEFENSE AC 20, touch 11, flat-footed 19 (+5 armor, +1 Dex, +4 shield)
hp 18 (2d8+4)
Fort +4, Ref +1, Will +5
OFFENSE Speed 20 ft.
(-2 to attacks due to wielding tower shield calculated in bonus)
Melee morningstar +4 (1d8+4 B,P)
Melee longsword +3 (1d8+4 S / 19-20)
Ranged sling +0 (1d4+4 B)
Space 5 ft.; Reach[/b] 5 ft.
Special Attacks sacred weapon
Aura (Ex) A warpriest of a chaotic, evil, good, or lawful deity has a particularly powerful aura (as a cleric) corresponding to the deity's alignment (see detect evil).
Blessings (Su) You can call upon the power of your blessings 3 times per day. The DC for these blessings is 12
Bonus Feat Humans select one extra feat at 1st level.
Bonus Languages A warpriest's bonus language options include Abyssal, Celestial, and Infernal. These choices are in addition to the bonus languages available to the character because of his race.
Ease of Faith Your mentor, the person who invested your faith in you from an early age, took steps to ensure you understood that what powers your divine magic is no different from that which powers the magic of other religions. This philosophy makes it easier for you to interact with others who may not share your views. You gain a +1 bonus on Diplomacy checks, and Diplomacy is always a class skill for you.
Fervor (Su) At 2nd level, a warpriest can draw upon the power of his faith to heal wounds or harm foes. He can also use this ability to quickly cast spells that aid in his struggles. This ability can be used 3 times per day. By expending one use of this ability, a good warpriest (or one who worships a good deity) can touch a creature to heal it of 1d6 points of damage. Using this ability is a standard action (unless the warpriest targets himself, in which case it's a swift action). Alternatively, the warpriest can use this ability to harm an undead creature, dealing the same amount of damage he would otherwise heal with a melee touch attack. Using fervor in this way is a standard action that provokes an attack of opportunity. Undead do not receive a saving throw against this damage. This counts as positive energy. An evil warpriest (or one who worships an evil deity) can use this ability to instead deal damage to living creatures with a melee touch attack and heal undead creatures with a touch. This counts as negative energy. A neutral warpriest who worships a neutral deity (or one who is not devoted to a particular deity) uses this ability as a good warpriest if he chose to spontaneously cast cure spells or as an evil warpriest if he chose to spontaneously cast inflict spells. As a swift action, a warpriest can expend one use of this ability to cast any one warpriest spell he has prepared with a casting time of 1 round or shorter. When cast in this way, the spell can target only the warpriest, even if it could normally affect other or multiple targets. Spells cast in this way ignore somatic components and do not provoke attacks of opportunity. The warpriest does not need to have a free hand to cast a spell in this way.
Focus Weapon At 1st level, a warpriest receives Weapon Focus as a bonus feat (he can choose any weapon, not just his deity's favored weapon).
Focus Weapon (Morningstar) Healing Blessing Ice Strike (Su) You can touch one weapon and enhance it with the power of water. For 1 minute, this weapon glows with a blue-white chill and deals an additional 1d4 points of cold damage with each strike. This additional damage doesn't stack with the additional damage from the frost or icy burst weapon special abilities.
Orisons Warpriests can prepare a number of orisons, or 0-level spells, each day as noted on Table 1-14. These spells are cast as any other spell, but aren't expended when cast and can be used again.
Powerful Healer (Su) You can add power to a cure spell as you cast it. As a swift action, you can treat any cure spell as if it were empowered (as the Empower Spell feat), causing it to heal 50% more damage (or deal 50% more damage if used against undead). This ability doesn't stack with itself or the Empower Spell feat.
Sacred Weapon (Su) Sacred weapons (including his deities favored weapon and all weapons with Weapon Focus) can do base 1d6 damage instead of the weapons normal base damage. At 1st level, weapons wielded by a warpriest are charged with the power of his faith. In addition to the favored weapon of his deity, the warpriest can designate a weapon as a sacred weapon by selecting that weapon with the Weapon Focus feat; if he has multiple Weapon Focus feats, this ability applies to all of them. Whenever the warpriest hits with his sacred weapon, the weapon damage is based on his level and not the weapon type. The damage for Medium warpriests is listed on Table D. The warpriest can decide to use the weapon's base damage instead of the sacred weapon damage-this must be declared before the attack roll is made. (If the weapon's base damage exceeds the sacred weapon damage, its damage is unchanged.) This increase in damage does not affect any other aspect of the weapon, and doesn't apply to alchemical items, bombs, or other weapons that only deal energy damage.
Skilled Humans gain an additional skill rank at first level and one additional rank whenever they gain a level.
Spontaneous Casting A good warpriest (or a neutral warpriest of a good deity) can channel stored spell energy into healing spells that he did not prepare ahead of time. The warpriest can expend any prepared spell that isn't an orison to cast any cure spell of the same spell level or lower. A cure spell is any spell with "cure" in its name. An evil warpriest (or a neutral warpriest of an evil deity) can't convert spells to cure spells, but can convert them to inflict spells. An inflict spell is any spell with "inflict" in its name. A warpriest that is neither good nor evil and whose deity is neither good nor evil chooses whether he can convert spells into either cure spells or inflict spells. Once this choice is made, it cannot be changed. This choice also determines whether the warpriest channels
Undead Slayer (Pharasma) Instructed at a young age in the tenets of the faith of Pharasma, you view the undead as abominations that must be destroyed, so their souls can journey beyond to be judged. You gain a +1 trait bonus on weapon damage against undead.
Water Blessing Weapon and Armor Proficiency A warpriest is proficient with all simple and martial weapons, as well as the favored weapon of his deity, and with all armor (heavy, light, and medium) and shields (except tower shields). If the warpriest worships a deity with unarmed strike as its favored weapon, the warpriest gains Improved Unarmed Strike as a bonus feat.
Paladin's Kit: This kit includes a backpack, a bedroll, a belt pouch, a cheap holy text, a flint and steel, an iron pot, a mess kit, rope, soap, torches (10), trail rations (5 days), a waterskin, and a wooden holy symbol.
Stat Profile:
STR 18: Can break objects like wood with bare hands
DEX 12: Able to often hit large targets at a distance
CON 12: Can take a few hits before being knocked unconscious
INT 11: Knows what they need to know to get by
WIS 14: Can get hunches about a situation that doesn’t feel right
CHA 10: Understands most conventions of social interactions and acts relatively acceptably in social circumstances
